Christmas Changes Everything!

Introduction

I know we had a cold front come this week, but looking at our sermon title, we fast forwarded straight from August to Christmas! As Christians, it is always appropriate to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ - isn’t it? Months before the hustle and bustle. Months before the radio stations start playing All I Want For Christmas Is You and paying Mariah Carey $2.5 million in royalties each Christmas season. Months before the fancy lights. Months before the special time with families. Before all of that, we remember as Christians that we celebrate Christmas ultimately because of the arrival of Jesus Christ. Perks of preaching through books of the Bible, you don’t have to wait for Christmas to talk about, Christmas!

Luke’s Gospel to this point has shown us God’s power and His provision to answer the prayers of His people. We’ve seen that God has a perfect plan. This morning, as we unpack a familiar passage for many of us, we’ll be reminded of this once again. Luke speaks with clarity and confidence. These are historical events that really did happen. There really was a Roman census. There really was an angel that appeared to the shepherds. Jesus really was born. We can know these things with certainty and these truths must not just be things that we take for granted because we’ve heard the story a million times, no, these truths this morning must drive us to be a changed person. To worship and to praise our God for what He has done.

Let’s read this morning from Luke’s Gospel!

Luke 2:1–20 CSB

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. 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. 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. 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.” 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! 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.” 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.

Aren’t you thankful for what our good God has done? He is faithful to His Word. As CS Lewis once said, “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become son’s of God.” This morning, let’s thank Jesus for coming to the earth 2000 years ago and ask Him to change us today!

Jesus Is God’s Plan (1-7)

Again, this is the Christmas story and we didn’t have to wait until December for it! We’ve seen so far in Luke’s Gospel the power of God in bringing life to barren wombs and answering decade long prayers. This morning we are reminded once again of God’s incredible power as He demonstrates His sovereign plan. Have you experienced the frustration of a plan that you spent many hours working on simply not go the way you “planned?” Talk about frustrating! Whenever I was 16 I thought that I had the perfect plan for my life:

Become a doctor

Save lives

Retire early

That sounded like a really good plan! It’s been said before that if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us of this reality

Proverbs 16:9 CSB

9 A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.

In other words, we’re reminded in Scripture that we do make plans, but our plans are written down in pencil while God’s plan is written down in Sharpie. God isn’t against our planning, but He is against a plan that goes against His plan for our lives! So far in Luke, we’ve seen life not go according to “plan” for many people. Zechariah and Elizabeth. Mary and Joseph. Have you discovered that God’s plan doesn’t always align with yours? We see yet another example of this in our passage this morning in Luke 2 - we see that Caesar Augustus issued a decree. Everyone had to go to their town in order for this census to be taken. The king had a plan - I want to see how many people there are in the land. Some argue that this is because the Roman empire wanted to update and enforce taxes throughout the land. Imagine this - the most powerful person in the world, Octavian, the adopted grandson of Julius Caesar, with the titles Caesar (emperor) and Augustus (honored), who had helped bring about the Pax Romana, a period of peace unlike any other in the history of the Roman empire, issued this order. He’s flexing his political muscles. Demanding taxes. Keeping control. Making a plan… but do you see how in this decision, it is actually Octavian who is submitting to God’s overarching plan? It looks like the Emperor is the one in control and making these decisions, but we’re reminded of a powerful truth in Scripture

Proverbs 21:1 CSB

1 A king’s heart is like channeled water in the Lord’s hand: He directs it wherever he chooses.

There is a King greater than Octavian. Greater than Alexander. Nebuchadnezzar. Greater than any president, prime minister, or dictator today. That is the Lord. It is the Lord who is in control. It is the Lord who uses this pagan king, who was arguably the most important person in the history of the Roman empire, to pave the way for the birth of the greatest person in the history of the world, Jesus Christ. A decree went out from Caesar because a decree went out from God - Galatians 4 reminds us that God had a plan all along and whenever the time came to completion, God sent His Son. So the time was right. God used the most powerful person on the planet to enact a decree that would send Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Why Bethlehem?

Micah 5:2 CSB

2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.

This prophecy was made nearly 700 years before the birth of Jesus! The Messiah would come from Bethlehem. From the house of David. However, there’s a problem - Mary and Joseph live over 80 miles away in Nazareth. This is before cars. Trains. Planes. Bikes. The average person didn’t have a horse to hop on. Mary is VERY pregnant. This isn’t an ideal time to travel. So, how will God fulfill His Word and have this prophecy be fulfilled? By putting it in the heart of the most powerful person in the world to call for a census that would bring Joseph to his ancestral home in Bethlehem. Don’t miss this, friends, God is sovereign over human history. We see this in the Scriptures. What does God do in the life of Abraham? He calls him to leave his homeland and move to a new land that He will show him. What does God do with Joseph whenever a famine is destroying his homeland? God blesses Joseph in the Egyptian court and he gains favor with Pharaoh and is able to save his family from destruction. God moves things in such a way that at just the right time, the right thing happens. When the time was right, they arrived in Bethlehem, to give birth to the Savior of Sinners!

If the God of the Bible can orchestrate an empire-wide census and channel the heart of a king like water, do you believe today that the God of the Bible can handle the details, stresses, worries, and anxieties of your life?

Yes He can!

Consider what Job said about God in Job 42:2

Job 42:2 CSB

2 I know that you can do anything and no plan of yours can be thwarted.

Brothers and Sisters, what a blessing it is to know that our God is in control and that He has a plan that is for our ultimate good as Romans 8:28 reminds us. Some of you are here today and you’re walking through the fires of suffering. Loss. Heartache. Pain. What can we learn from Luke 2? That the God of the Bible works through all things, including the IRS, to bring about His purpose and plan. Last week I was reminded that sometimes God’s plan can be painful - I don’t recommend kidney stones one bit - but God is so big that He can bring good things out of what appears to be bad circumstances as we depend more on Him, we read His Word, we spend time in prayer, our faith grows.

Here is Jesus, brought to Bethlehem not just because of a census, but because this was God’s plan! Imagine Jesus. In glory. The praises of the heavenly chorus ringing out. Ruling over the galaxies and stars. Yet, in the incarnation, the same Jesus who spoke the world into existence as the Word of God, here in Bethlehem the Word became flesh. Not only did Jesus come to be born as a baby… but He was born in a stable of smelly, stinky animals. Notice, the King didn’t come to the proud and powerful, but to the poor and powerless! God routinely uses what is seen as foolish to the world in order to confound the wise, as 1 Corinthians 1:27 tells us. Mary was going to give birth, not to an emperor like Caesar. She wasn’t going to give birth to a man who would climb the mountain and become a god… no, God’s plan was far better. Mary would give birth to the One true God who humbled Himself, climbed down the mountain, and became a man. Look at John’s Gospel

John 1:1 CSB

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 CSB

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is born, and our text says that Jesus is Mary’s firstborn son. This is significant in our world today because there are some who believe that Jesus didn’t have any siblings, even though James and Jude are called brothers of Jesus. The word Dr. Luke uses here is the word “prototokos” which is a compound Greek word - proto (think prototype) means first. Tokos comes from the word teknon which means child. Luke is saying that Jesus is the first born child of Mary. If he were arguing for the Roman Catholic doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary, the idea that Mary didn’t have other children, he could’ve easily used the word “monogenes” which means one and only son (the word that shows up in John 3:16).

Jesus is born, and notice where He is born… In a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. They didn’t have a Holliday Inn or a Motel 6 in the Bible times. They definitely didn’t have Bethlehem Bed and Breakfast! The word here for “inn” is not the same one used in the parable of the Good Samaritan who left the man in an inn and paid for him to be cared for. This word is more than likely talking about the bottom level of a home where the animals would come in at night and where the animals would eat. Imagine this, upstairs you have the relative comforts of a bed, food, family… downstairs you only had the company of animals. Imagine the smell. The pain. The discomfort. Into this setting, Jesus was born. He was cared for. He was placed in a manger. Why? Because this was God’s plan! The One who deserves all praise and honor purposefully humbled Himself and slept in a borrowed manger, and one day would be laid to rest in a borrowed tomb because just as there was no place for Him in the inn, there was no place for Him in this world. From the very beginning to the very end, Jesus chose to embrace humility for the sake of humanity because this was God’s plan. From Eden to Eternity, it has always been and will always be Jesus. The lamb slain before the foundation of the earth. This seems like a strange plan… but it is God’s plan. And God’s plan is good!

Jesus Is Our Savior (8-14)

Have you ever learned about something before other people? Maybe you found out that a friend or family member was going to be proposed to before other people. Maybe you learned that someone was pregnant before other people. With social media being as popular as it is, it’s fascinating that with a couple of taps of our fingers, we can learn about something that took place just a few seconds ago not only in another city, but even in another country. You might’ve seen the news about Kelce and Taylor Swift literally moments after it happened thanks to social media! Whenever we learn something, especially before other people do, that makes us feel seen and special. Often times, someone took the time to talk with us and let us know something important before it became public.

Here we find the biggest event in human history - bigger than the engagement heard around the world this week. Bigger than a World War. Bigger than the invention of the iPhone. The arrival of the Son of God! Who are the first people to be told about this incredible news? Shepherds. Again, God has a plan… but God’s plan doesn’t always make sense! We might expect the first people to hear this news to be the most powerful people of the day - Caesar in his palace, the priests in the temple, the soldiers in the Jerusalem. But instead God chooses the stinky, smelly, overlooked, ordinary shepherds. These people were considered unclean by the pharisees because they had to care for their sheep around the clock. They were low on the totem pole in this society. Yet, we see severalkey examples of people being shepherds in the Bible. Moses was a shepherd. David was a shepherd. Even Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. Consider what Peter says about this

1 Peter 5:1–4 CSB

1 I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed: 2 Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Remember that there are 2 offices within the local church - Elder and Deacon. Deacons serve. Elders lead. How do elders lead? Verse 2 - by shepherding and overseeing. What is another word for shepherding? Pastoring. I came across a church in Texas this week trying to side-step SBC doctrine by calling the women on their staff shepherds instead of pastors… it means the same thing! We see that Jesus is called the Chief Shepherd in verse 4. Shepherding might seem boring, but the Bible says this is a big deal! Here in Luke Jesus is born and the first people to hear about His birth are shepherds. The people that smelt like sheep. That cared for their sheep. The angel appeared and what do angels typically lead with like we saw in chapter 1? Don’t be afraid! This angel proceeds to give the shepherds good news. John MacArthur breaks down the good news into 4 parts:

Proclamation of Good News

Proclaimed by Angel to the Shepherds

Pervasiveness of Good News

Good news not only to them and to the people of Israel, but to all people

Person of Good News

The person of the good news is none other than the Messiah

Purpose of Good News

Jesus’ purpose in coming to the earth is to provide us with peace before God

This news is remarkable! One of the biggest lies the modern world has bought is that we are basically good. We are above average. We just need to live our best life, try my best, and follow my heart. Look at our text, the Bible doesn’t say that God sent a social media influencer. A politician. A motivational speaker. A self-help strategist. No, He sent a SAVIOR. Born for who? For sinners. This is Jesus. The Messiah. The anointed One. The Lord. The King. This is Who God sent. This was God’s plan!

Some wonder how this could happen! How could God become a man? Philippians 2 is a helpful passage that reminds us that Jesus humbled Himself in coming to the earth and emptied Himself by assuming the form of a servant. Some take this to mean that whenever Jesus was on the earth, He wasn’t truly God.

I heard a missionary share this story once of how there was a chief in a remote African village who always wore a royal robe to signify that he was the chief. However one day there was a villager who fell into the well, and in falling, broke a bone in his leg and was unable to climb out of the well. The villagers panicked and ran for the chief. The chief came to the well, saw the danger, saw the pain, and immediately took off his robe and climbed down into the well. He got to the bottom and he put the man over his back, and began slowly climbing upward and eventually out of the well. Question: Did the chief stop being the chief just because he took the robe off? Absolutely not! Friends, whenever Jesus came to the earth, He veiled His deity… He didn’t void it. He remained all that He was (God), and assumed that which He was not (humanity). Jesus truly was fully-God and fully-man. And for this reason, we rejoice. See, Jesus doesn’t save the self-sufficient, He saves sinners and this is good news for, sinners!

Whatever you’re facing today, Jesus is able to deliver you. This is the good news of the Gospel. We have a Helper. A Deliverer. A Rescuer. A King. A Savior.

Hebrews 7:25 CSB

25 Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.

Because of our sin, we are separated from God and whenever you stand separated from God, you don’t have peace. Augustine said that our hearts are restless until they find rest in Christ. Maybe that’s where you’re at today. You’re afraid about tomorrow. You’re concerned about a situation. You’re frustrated. You’re worried. You feel guilt. Shame. Today, understand that Jesus provides peace - not because of the good things that you and I do, then salvation would be by merit… He provides peace to people who could never earn it or deserve it. People who He favors - people who receive this incredible gift. The Roman empire was experiencing peace during this time of the Pax Romana… but it was a false peace. A temporary peace. A forced peace. The God of the Bible brings genuine, lasting, eternal peace. This peace isn’t paid for by tax dollars or army soldiers, but by God Himself.

This is what the angels came to sing about - they praised God first and they proclaimed this news to the shepherds second. As we think about our task as individuals and as a church, this is why we are saved! We are saved first and foremost to exalt our Savior. This is why you are created and why you are saved - it’s not first about you or about others, it’s about God. This is why at South Gate, we structure our services and our ministries around God and His Word. Exalting Him is our supreme focus and our genuine delight. But that’s not where we stop. Like these angels, they shared this news outward. Not only do we exist to exalt our Savior, but we also exist to engage our society with the Gospel. We share this message of salvation with those around us. This is our song that we are saved in order to sing, so, today, are you singing? Literally, are you singing? But most importantly, spiritually, are you singing? I pray so, because finally

Jesus Gives Us Joy (15-20)

How would you respond to this news? You’re with your sheep at night. The angels sing. You hear that the Messiah has been born. You know where He was born. You probably nearly had a heart attack from fear and joy. What would you do? We see that they determine to go straight to Bethlehem. They immediately get up and travel, perhaps a mile or so, into the town and they see the child. They are excited to discover that the message they were told was true! Then they leave… excited and on fire and telling everyone around them what they were told and what they saw. Have you ever been really excited about something? Some people were really excited this week with the engagement heard around the world… Some are excited to hear a good report from a doctor or a boss, like no cancer or you’re getting a raise. It’s exciting to hear a teacher say that you’ll get to use notes on your test. We’ve all received exciting news. But what usually happens? The excitement wears off. The newness fades.

There is a psychological name for this: the Hedonic Treadmill. Whenever you do something exciting like purchase a car, you have a rush of pleasure tied to your dopamine levels because of this new thing. But you know what happens after that new car gets a scratch? After you have to make the first monthly payment? Or after the next model year comes out? That happiness fades. The thrill isn’t there. The excitement evaporates.

So many people come to baby Jesus in the tomb with excitement. Everyone loves the Christmas story, even in our world today. We love a baby Jesus who was born in Bethlehem. We love the baby who gives us hope. But what does our world do with the Jesus who hung on a cross as our substitute and sacrificed Himself for our sins? Our world suddenly doesn’t get too excited about that Jesus, because that Jesus calls us to repent. To stop celebrating sin. To be changed. So many make an emotional response to Jesus based on instant excitement… but excitement doesn’t equal salvation. Entertainment might sell but it doesn’t save! As you think back to your response to Jesus, what was it? Many people responded to Jesus during His earthly life. Some loved His miracles, but hated His message. Some couldn’t understand His ministry, and viewed Him as an enemy. Others, though, worshiped Him as the Savior He was. What has your response to Jesus been? Skepticism? Picking and Choosing the parts of the Bible you like and don’t like? Denial? Or transformation?

2 Corinthians 5:17 CSB

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

Today, friend, Jesus provides His people with something better than excitement that comes and goes… He provides us with a joy that is infectious that this world can’t touch. These shepherds praised God, and then they proclaimed what God had done. Mary reflected on God’s faithfulness. She thinks about what God has provided for her and for the people around her. She ponders this gift of a baby boy who would one day save His people from their sins. Today, we all need saving. All of us find ourselves in need of Divine Deliverance from our sins. And whenever you come to meet Jesus, whenever you realize that He died in your place and for your sin, whenever He saves you, He seals you, and He fills you with His Spirit and this forever changes you! This is the foundation of your joy.

Christmas Changes Everything. Shepherds who were fearful, had faith. Light overcame the darkness. Jesus changed these people - not necessarily their circumstances… but themselves. This is what God does today. Whenever you are saved, you aren’t immediately in a different circumstance and situation. Often you still have some of the same struggles you had before… but you face them differently because you’re a new creation. This is why Jesus came - not to make bad people good, but to bring dead people to life!

While this might be the first time you’ve heard it in August, we’ve heard the Christmas story a million times. Hear me today, though, the story of Christmas does you no good if it’s just a message that you hear. If Jesus is just born in Bethlehem, you’re still dead in your sins. He must be born in you. John 3 tells us that we must be born again, and this happens whenever we repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The Bible says that whenever this takes place, we are saved from sin’s penalty, we are being saved from sin’s power, and one day we will be saved from sin’s presence. What a day that will be!

Application

Savor God’s Sovereignty

Luke 2 reminds us that God has a perfect plan and that God’s plan does come to pass. That an all-wise God keeps all His promises according to His timetable and for His glory! Today, whatever you’re going through, remember that God is in the details. Life might feel out of control, but it’s perfectly in God’s control. He is sovereign. He is faithful. Some people resist this Biblical truth. They reject God’s Sovereignty… in the Bible, this is a doctrine that we are called to savor. To rejoice in. Remember today that the same God who ordained a Roman Emperor to decree for a census to take place is the same God who has a plan for you and for me. Savor His plan and His power and His provision in your life! To serve the Lord with gladness. To trust Him at His Word!

Come and See

The Gospel truly is good news - Luke 2 reminds us that the Gospel demands a response. It begins with these simple words: Come and See. This is what the angels declared to the shepherds. The Lord made this known to them. The Lord provided. The Lord gave them hope. The Lord gave them a command. Come and See the Savior. Today, friend, this is your command. Come and See. Whatever you’re going through, wherever you’ve been, come and see that Jesus really came. Come and see that He is good. Come and see that He satisfies. Come and see that He truly did come to provide us with peace with God. How do you do this? By acknowledging that you have sinned and asking the Lord to forgive you. By placing your faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. By trusting in Him to change you. Come and see that this is what Jesus alone can do!

Go and Tell

The Gospel doesn’t stop with come and see, the Gospel is a message for us to share. Because of this, we must go and tell others about the miracle of Christmas. The miracle that while we were sinners, at the right time in history, God sent His Son to seek and save us from our sins. See, if you’ve been forgiven, there should be a burning desire and passion in your soul to see others come and experience forgiveness! Today, Christian, who is someone that you can go and tell this incredible Gospel message with? A coworker? A classmate? A family member? A spouse? Trust that God’s Word truly does God’s Work and be obedient to go and tell others of what Jesus has done.

South Gate, we serve a God who is good. Gracious. Merciful. Sovereign. Kind. How does God demonstrate this? We see this clearly in the incarnation as the spotless Son of God came to this world as a weak little boy. Jesus came to give, not to get. To obey, not to go the world’s way. To die in order for us to live. This is our God. This is the Christ that we proclaim. This is the Jesus who changes everything. Has He changed you today? If your answer is no, friend, why not today?