The Joy of Christmas
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Intro
Intro
This morning we light our third candle. This candle represents the joy that we have in Christ Jesus. As we think of the Christmas season it can be a time of extreme loneliness and grief. We live in a broken world, filled with death, disease, violence, and heartache. We live in a world broken by the effects of sin. This morning as we light our candle we are reminded that Jesus made His home for a time with us here in this broken world. This morning as we celebrate the joy of Christmas we are reminded that joy isn’t a feeling or an emotion. Joy is an expression of a grace experienced. The more we understand the transformative grace that Jesus lavishes over us and the more we rest in His work, the more joy is produced in us by the Holy Spirit. It is by the grace of Jesus that is sufficient for every circumstance that we have joy even in the face of extreme suffering and persecution.
Our reading for today is a proclamation of the good news of God’s grace towards us. If joy is an expression of a grace experienced then we need to have a solid understanding of what grace is. Grace by definition is God’s unmerited favor towards us. We do not earn it or maintain it. It is a free gift given to us without measure. God lavishes His grace over us. This gift of grace, when received by faith, transforms us from the inside out. By grace we are saved from our sins and not by works. By grace we are redeemed and made holy in the sight of God.
In our reading we hear the good news of our Savior’s birth. This little baby born in the manger wasn’t just another prophet or simply a good moral teacher. This baby was the Word of God in human flesh. The glory of the Father in physical form. The fullness of grace and truth. If Joy is the expression of a grace experienced and if grace is God’s unmerited favor towards us, then Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God’s grace because it is through Jesus and His work that grace has been made known to us.
16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
This morning I want to invite you to Joy. To experience again or maybe even for the first time the grace of God. To have an encounter with Jesus Christ, the king of kings, the Lord of Lords, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. To be made new and transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Do Not Be Afraid
Do Not Be Afraid
The angels begin their proclamation with a command to the shepherds. “Do not be afraid”. In the terror of the moment, as this still and quiet night was interrupted by loud shouts of angel choruses, the shepherds, for good reason, were afraid. The awe and wonder of seeing these heavenly beings overhead mixed with the dread of their brokenness being exposed in the light was enough for them to shake in their sandals. But this message that was being delivered was not for their condemnation but for their salvation.
The shepherds fear in this instance is the opposite of joy. Their fear is produced by their broken condition. Over and over throughout the old testament, when we see something sinful encounter the holiness of God, whether it is the Israelites at the base of Mt. Sinai or Isaiah before the throne of God, their response is fear and trembling. Fear is the appropriate response when sin is confronted by the holiness of God. Only, the shepherds command was to not be afraid. This was not the time for fear, but for joy. God’s love has been made known.
16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
The angels tell the shepherds not to fear because this news they proclaim is the good news of God’s love towards humanity. God’s love that did not spare even His own son, but sent Jesus to this sinful and rebellious world to buy back that which had been lost. God’s love gives us confidence on the day of judgement. There is no room for fear to stay when God’s love abides in us.
Good News
Good News
The angels came to proclaim the good news of God’s redemptive love and saving grace to the shepherds. The word used is
εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō), proclaim good news.
When you think of the word evangelism, this is what the angels have come to do. The angels have come to proclaim the Gospel. Around every corner of the Christmas story is someone telling this good news to someone else.
Who can you share the gospel with this week?
Jesus Christ has been born. God has come to earth. This isn’t just any good news. This is good news of great joy.
Great Joy From Great Sorrow
Great Joy From Great Sorrow
Think about the sorrow that the people of Judea have endured in their history leading up to this point. They were taken into captivity, their temple was destroyed, they are living under the thumb of the newly established Roman empire. On top of all that God has not sent a prophet in 400 years.
But it is here in the sorrow that Jesus is born.
Let me remind you of our definition of Joy. Joy is the expression of a grace experienced. This message proclaimed by the angels was good news of great joy. Great joy means great grace. What makes this grace great is that it isn’t just offered to Israel without measure and without merit. It is offered to all people.
For All People
For All People
God’s unending grace is for all people. Soak that in. Don’t let that truth pass you by. This good news of great joy is for you. It isn’t for the version of you that is put together. It isn’t for the version of you that reads your Bible everyday. It isn’t waiting for you to clean your life up. God’s grace is available for you today. Look at who God chose to reveal His grace to in the Christmas story.
Zachariah and Elizabeth: Who couldn’t have children
Mary: The Unmarried Virgin
Shepherds: The Outcasts of society
Magi: Foreigners and Pagans
Anna: The aged prophetess and widow
God chose to reveal Himself to the outcast and to the downtrodden. To the rejects. He reveals Himself to the people that are hurting. If that is you this morning, I have good news. The good news of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed to you today.
Will you listen?
Jesus the Rightful King on David’s Throne
Jesus the Rightful King on David’s Throne
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
The wait is over. The fulfillment of God’s promises has been born in Bethlehem. After all the years of waiting. After all the promises made. The lion of the tribe of Judah, our Messiah has been born. The rightful king from the line of David is ready to sit on His throne for all eternity. There are two defining characteristics of Jesus given to us here in this verse. Jesus is our Savior. Jesus is our Lord
Jesus our Savior
Jesus our Savior
Because of our sin, we are in need of salvation. Our sin has eternally separated us from our creator. We are, every one of us, dead in our sins and trespasses apart from Christ. But God has not left us dead in our sin. He has sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty of our sin, to satisfy the wrath of God against us, and forgive our sins and trespasses. It is in the name of Jesus that we have salvation.
12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
We can be forgiven and have a relationship with our creator because of Jesus Christ alone.
Have you trusted in Jesus to save you from your sin?
Jesus our Lord
Jesus our Lord
Jesus is more than just a get out of hell free card. When we put our faith and trust in Jesus we receive Him as the King of our lives.
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus is put back in His rightful place as king in my life. He is the Lord of my life. In Christ I am a new creation. My old life was about satisfying my sinful desires, about living out my rebellions, but in Christ my life is about glorifying God and making Him known.
20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Have you surrendered to Jesus as the Lord of your life?
The Proof of the Promise
The Proof of the Promise
12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
The angels give a proof of their promise. This isn’t another promise for the people to wait on for hundreds of years. Jesus is here. He is laying in a manger as we speak. The proof of God’s love is wrapped in some cloths laying in the hay. It was an invitation to go and see for themselves the validity of the angels claim. Today the proof of the promise is still near. God’s presence isn’t in the manger anymore, because of Christ His presence dwells in all who have put their faith in Jesus and have the Holy Spirit living inside of them. We are living proof of God’s grace and love made known. We have experienced it. We live and rest in it. The beauty of the Gospel is that it is near.
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Salvation is near. Don’t put it off. Don’t wait. Trust in Jesus and be saved!
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
The angels leave the shepherds with one last word of hope. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God in the highest
The good news of the Gospel is proclaimed to give glory to God in the highest. Look at His love, look at His grace. We praise and honor the Lord for His faithfulness to His promises, for His mighty power on display in salvation. Jesus has done what we were unwilling to do. Jesus has lived a sinless life, He has died a gruesome death on the cross for our sins, and He has risen from the grave in victory over sin and death. He deserves all the credit, all the songs we can sing, all of the thanks we can give. He wears the victor’s crown and Jesus will come again in glory to reclaim His creation.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In the highest place, where Jesus is given the name above every other name. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess. To God be the Glory, great things He has done! This is what we look forward to, this is what we live for. We live to glorify God in everything we do until the day when we can stand before Him and give glory to Him for all eternity. He is worthy! He is worthy!
Peace on earth among men with whom God is pleased
Peace on earth among men with whom God is pleased
The second thing the angels say is, “Peace among men with whom He is pleased.
Who is God pleased with?
19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
God was pleased with Jesus. Pleased for the fullness of God to dwell in the flesh. Pleased with His begotten Son’s work. Pleased to reconcile the world through His Son. And now, because of the blood of His cross, because of what Christ has done, God is pleased with us, pleased to pour out His grace over us by faith, pleased to call us His children. There is peace on earth among men with whom God is pleased, because of Jesus. We were once enemies of God. His wrath weighed against us. We were at war, but now we have peace.
Are you restless this morning? Are you fighting against the Lord? Stop your fighting, be still, and find the peace of God through the redemption we have in Jesus.
Outro
Outro
This is the angels message and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God has spoken good news to us, that God has shown unmerited favor towards mankind. He has offered a free gift of grace given in the person of Jesus Christ. This good news that takes us from fear and brings us into a response of joy. That takes us from being enemies of God to being friends of God. It is a gift given to all people. Every tribe, tongue, and nation. When we celebrate joy today we are celebrating the expression of our redemption. That Christ has made us new. He is our King. He is our Lord and Savior.
Joy is the expression of a grace experienced
Have you experienced His grace this morning?
Will you respond with Joy?
