Christmas Eve 2024
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Welcome everyone again! Welcome to take family photos anywhere!
Explain what we are going to do (look at Luke 2 from the Bible and the Christmas story. At Cornerstone we preach directly from the Bible and seek to apply it faithfully! We will have scripture on the screens so that you can see exactly what we are talking about!).
Main Point: Jesus’s birth is the greatest news of all time and is for all people!
Main Point: Jesus’s birth is the greatest news of all time and is for all people!
Body
Body
Luke’s goal in writing the Gospel of Luke was to given an ORDERLY ACCOUNT, or an ORDERLY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS!
He starts off Luke 2 by giving context.
Luke 2:1-3
Luke 2:1-3
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. 2 This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.
What’s the setting?
It’s when AUGUSTUS is ruling over Rome. Augustus orders for a census for the purposes of taxing the empire and he commands that everyone returns to their hometown.
Notice, there are NO EXCEPTIONS! Not for the elderly, not for children, not for pregnant women!
In Israel, this would have meant going to their family’s hometown.
So let’s see what happens in Luke 2:4-5.
Luke 2:4-5
Luke 2:4-5
4 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant.
Joseph and Mary have to go from Nazareth where they are living at to Bethlehem where Joseph’s family was historically from.
Joseph’s family is from Bethlehem going all the way back to his forefather David, who was the second king of Israel.
Luke then reminds us that Mary was engaged to Joseph- promised to him, and that she was pregnant.
In Luke 1:31-33 we see a little bit about this child that Mary will give birth to!
31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”
Similarly in Matthew 1:21 we see what an angel tells Joseph!
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
This child is going to be named JESUS. He will be:
GREAT- without any limits
Son of the Most High- LITERALLY SON OF GOD!
LORD GOD WILL GIVE HIM THE THRONE OF DAVID!
Reference back to 2 Samuel 7:15-16
15 But my faithful love will never leave him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and your throne will be established forever.’ ”
Jesus will reign FOREVER!
And lastly, JESUS WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE- THAT IS THE WORLD FROM THEIR SINS!
That list is full of meaning! That’s the baby that Mary is pregnant with! This baby is the promised Messiah that the Israelites have been waiting for since Genesis 49:10 and even earlier, going back to Genesis 3 (right after the creation of the world)!
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah
or the staff from between his feet
until he whose right it is comes
and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.
Before we move on to verses 6-7, let me recap.
Joseph and Mary- who is pregnant have to travel to Bethlehem, the hometown of KING DAVID to register.
Mary’s baby is the promised savior and is coming to SAVE THE WORLD FROM SIN- sin is anything that is not perfectly holy- any word, any action, any thought that does not meet God’s perfect standard.
Luke 2:6-7
Luke 2:6-7
6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
While they are in Bethlehem registering, Mary gives birth to Jesus.
Honestly, the birth of Jesus seems a little understated! It just sort of happens one night in these humble circumstances.
There’s no guest room available for them, there’s no crib available for Jesus, it seems so understated.
And if we are honest, it can become easy for us to be focused on WHERE Jesus was born rather than WHY this matters so much!
Jesus’s birth is humble and it is supposed to be.
When we read the prophecies that JESUS IS GOING TO BE KING FOREVER, we expect to see a ROYAL BIRTH, not because of the prophets, but because that’s what WE PICTURE!
But instead, we see this humble birth; this understated birth account. The real pinnacle of Jesus’s birth doesn’t start until verse 8!
Luke 2:1-7 shows the humility of Jesus’s birth and where the people of Israel were!
They aren’t focused on God, they are preoccupied! Consider- there’s no sacrifice to care for Joseph and Mary! Even from family! Instead, it’s preoccupation with the importance of taxes!
Honestly, it’s what we deal with today. There’s bills to pay, there’s things to do! It’s easy to get SO BUSY!
Let me challenge you- let me challenge myself- put that out of mind right now and dive into Luke 2:8-20 with me!
What we are going to see is ANYTHING BUT NORMAL!
Luke 2:8-12
Luke 2:8-12
8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”
We are now shifting our setting from the town of Bethlehem to the fields outside of Bethlehem.
Again we see a HUMBLE thing! Shepherds were looked down on in society. Honestly, the reason for that is pretty simple.
They lived with sheep, sheep smell bad, and they lived outside of “normal society.”
Instead of going home at night they would be in the fields with the sheep keeping an eye on them and making sure that they were safe.
All of a sudden, AN ANGEL OF THE LORD STANDS BEFORE THEM!
THE GLORY OF GOD SHINES AROUND THEM!
Despite their humble outward position, GOD GOES DIRECTLY TO THESE SHEPHERDS!
And they are surrounded by GOD’S GLORY!
Look at that response! They are TERRIFIED!
In fact, Luke does something here to really get the point across. The literal translation of this would be “They were DEEPLY TERRIFIED with GREAT FEAR!” By repeating this, Luke adds to the EMPHASIS OF what is going on!
The shepherds are DEEPLY AFRAID!
And look at the angels response- “Don’t be afraid!”
Why should they not be afraid?
Because the angel comes with GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY!
The angel uses the same word for great as what the shepherds are fearing.
Literally, as great as their fear is, THE JOY THAT THE ANGEL COMES WITH IS EVEN GREATER!
And if you are here tonight and maybe you’re a little afraid, a little unsure, you don’t know what to expect, or maybe you don’t know what to do with this idea of God- let me tell you- there’s great joy TONIGHT FOR YOU!
And the joy that this message in Luke 2 brings is FAR GREATER THAN ANY FEAR!
And that joy comes from this message that the angels bring!
This news that the angels bring isn’t just for the shepherds- it’s for ALL PEOPLE
And what is the news?
It’s the news that the MESSIAH, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD, IMMANUEL- MEANING GOD WITH US- HAS BEEN BORN IN BETHLEHEM!
And the shepherds are told that they will find the baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger!
They are to GO SEE THEIR SAVIOR!
Remember- from Genesis 3 on the Israelites have been waiting for a promised savior, or Messiah! Now, the SAVIOR HAS COME!
Luke 2:13-15
Luke 2:13-15
13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to people he favors!
Now there isn’t just one angel! There’s a multitude, or a CROWD OF ANGELS!
And the angels are all praising!
They are GLORIFYING GOD! GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST OF HIGHS!
AND PEACE ON EARTH TO THE PEOPLE HE FAVORS!
Let me summarize it like this- PRAISE BE TO GOD FOR SENDING OUR SAVIOR!
AND PRAISE GOD FOR SENDING US PEACE!
See, that’s what Jesus came bringing! Jesus came brining peace for men- both with each other and peace with GOD!
Jesus came BRINGING PEACE TO EARTH!
15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
The angels then leave as suddenly as they came!
And the shepherds GET UP AND GO TO BETHLEHEM! I could summarize the Shepherd’s response to the angels like this- they HEAR, they BELIEVE, and they RESPOND! WE NEED TO DO THE SAME!
Look at their response! They say, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem!”
They have a flock to watch! They are so amazed by what is going on that they GET UP AND GO!
They don’t delay! They hear that the savior has come and they RESPOND!
If you are here tonight, can I challenge you on something? We need to hear the truth about our savior and we need to RESPOND!
Don’t delay! RESPOND TONIGHT!
And we’ll talk in just a few minutes about some GREAT ways for us to RESPOND TO GOD!
Luke 2:16-20
Luke 2:16-20
16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.
The shepherds follow through on their plans and they go straight to Bethlehem where they found Mary and Joseph!
The shepherds find Mary, Joseph and Jesus and tell them what they were told!
They pass along this ANGELIC message! Angel literally means MESSENGER, so this is a MESSAGE FROM GOD TO THE WORLD!
And everyone who is gathered there is AMAZED and filled with wonder!
While the people are amazed and filled with wonder, Mary is focused on MEDITATING ON WHAT HAS BEEN SAID!
See, for Mary, this is confirmation. It is confirmation of what has been promised. TRULY, GOD HAS SENT THE SAVIOR!
And then the shepherds head back to their flocks.
BUT LOOK AT HOW THEY GO! THEY GO BACK GLORIFYING AND PRAISING GOD!
They specifically praise God for what they have seen and heard!
THEY KNOW THAT THEIR SAVIOR HAS COME AND THEY ARE FILLED WITH JOY! THEY ARE EAGER TO RESPOND!
And I want to give us a chance to respond like the shepherds. Tonight I have three short applications for us from Luke 2:1-20- see, God’s Word is ACTIVE AND IT CALLS US TO RESPOND!
Application
Application
Respond like the Shepherds
3 Parts:
Believe
Believe
Gospel- start in Genesis 3- crush the serpents head, but be bitten- must die! BUT WILL REIGN IN VICTORY BECAUSE JESUS RESURRECTED!Genesis 3:15
15 I will put hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Tonight, confess with your mouth and believe in your heart! Tonight repent from your sin- literally leave your sin behind- and believe in JESUS! Understand that we cannot save ourselves from our sin and that we NEED Jesus to SAVE US!
Be like the shepherds who HEAR, BELIEVE AND RESPOND!
Rejoice
Rejoice
After you respond, REJOICE! REJOICE BECAUSE OF WHAT GOD HAS DONE! REJOICE BECAUSE OUR SAVIOR HAS COME!
WE HAVE SO MANY REASONS TO REJOICE!
How do we rejoice? (Give thanks! Do it through singing- like we will in a minute, do it through words, do it through anything and everything. Colossians 3:23 then 1 Corinthians 10:31). IN EVERYTHING, GIVE THANKS!
23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people,
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
Christmas is a great chance to REJOICE AND GIVE THANKS! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS TIME to slow down to REJOICE!!
Tell the World
Tell the World
We need to take this great news with you!
See, the shepherds HEARD, BELIEVED AND RESPONDED! Their response was to go to see Jesus and they TELL Mary and Joseph and everyone else there what the angel said.
To say this simply- the shepherds PASS ON THE GREATEST NEWS EVER!
And as they leave, they leave rejoicing and glorifying and praising God!
People would have heard this- they are still TELLING THE WORLD about what they have just seen!
So as we seek to RESPOND LIKE THE SHEPHERDS, we need to TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THIS ALSO!
Let me keep this application very simple- tell someone the Christmas story this year! Tell a friend, a family member, tell your child!
TELL SOMEONE THE GOOD NEWS!
We said it at the very beginning of our time together- this is the GREATEST News of ALL TIME AND THAT IT IS FOR ALL PEOPLE!
So tell someone!
And let me end by telling you- Jesus, our SAVIOR, HAS COME!
Tonight, hear that! JESUS HAS COME! AND TONIGHT, you can be saved by Jesus!
If you are here tonight and you are thinking about that, I’d love to talk with you afterwards! I promise, there’s no judgment. i’d just love to talk with YOU about the GREATEST NEWS OF ALL TIME!
Let me pray for us.
(Worship team comes up- candles- candles are not just a pretty image. It’s a reminder of how Jesus brought light into a dark world- Luke 1:79
79 to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
12 Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
And they are also a reminder of Jesus’s final commands to us before He ascended to HEAVEN! Matthew 28:18-20
18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
