The Sunrise of God’s Love
The Son: Meeting Jesus through Luke • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 5 viewsA christmas sermon set within the context of my Luke series “The Son: From the Manger to the Cross.”
Notes
Transcript
Opening Comments:
Opening Comments:
Please meet me in your copy of God’s Word in Luke 1:78–79. Page # in our church Bibles
The verses we’re about to read are spoken by an elderly priest named Zechariah, following the birth of his son.
When Luke introduces us to Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, we’re told they are righteous before the Lord, but they carried lifelong sorrow. They were unable to have children and were now well advanced in years. Which would have made them a bit of a pariah in their culture.
Zechariah had spent his adult life serving as a priest in the temple whenever his assigned rotation came around. And on one particular day, during what was likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he was chosen to enter the temple and burn incense before the Lord.
While he was there, Luke tells us:
Display and summarize.
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
The angel declared Elizabeth would bear a son (John the Baptist), that would prepare the way for the long-awaited Messiah.
Zechariah struggled to believe the message and, as a result, was struck unable to speak until the day his son was born. When his voice was restored, the Holy Spirit filled him, and he proclaimed praise and prophecy about the coming Savior.
These verses come at the very end of that prophecy and explain why God was acting at this moment, what the coming of the Messiah would mean, and praising God for His tender mercy.
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Introduction:
Introduction:
Zechariah describes the coming of Messiah in the form of a sunrise. This only makes sense when we understand how dark the night had been.
God spoke through the Old Testament prophets promising a Redeemer, a “Son of David,” who would bring light into the world. Then, God stopped speaking for 400 long years, during which Israel languished under foreign rule and occupation, longing for deliverance.
God broke his silence when he sent this messenger of Zechariah bringing word not just about his son but the coming Messiah. Finally after all these years of darkness, the sunrise was coming.
This is what Christmas is all about: God’s covenant love breaking into history through the incarnation of Christ.
So this morning, let’s trace the sunrise of God’s love together as Luke unfolds it for us in chapters 1 and 2.
1.) The Sunrise Draws Near (1:78–79; 2:1–7)
1.) The Sunrise Draws Near (1:78–79; 2:1–7)
Zechariah declares in v.78 that the sunrise is coming:
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
Tender mercy- compassionate concern for someone in serious need. The kind of love that compels into action.
Biblically, this kind of mercy is tied to God being faithful to His covenant with His people. This is God’s unwavering decision to bind himself to his chosen people and act for their good. Not because they deserve it but because he has chosen to love them.
Because of that mercy, Zechariah then likens this tender mercy to a sunrise.
When the sun rises in the morning, it doesn’t argue with the darkness, it just shows up and changes everything it comes into contact with.
The coming of Jesus at Christmas was the light of God breaking into the darkness. Not by appearing suddenly from heaven, but by entering human history; through a real birth, to real parents, in a real place.
A.) The Sunrise Moves Through History.
We see the prophesied Sunrise of Jesus move from prophecy to history in:
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
Rome was the ruling power of the world and because of that Caesar Augustus was the most powerful man alive. So much so, that he was regarded as the “Savior” of the world because of his policy of “Pax Romana”(the peace of Rome). But it was a peace enforced by power. Rome would crush any resistance that came along and call the silence that followed “peace.”
When Augustus sent out the decree for a world-wide census he thought he was shaping history by the vastness of his empire, but God was doing something far greater.
700 years before this time, the prophet Micah declared that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
So when Luke 2:4 says
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
The decree of Caesar was the servant of the promise of God.
1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
B.) The Sunrise Arrives in Humility
By the time Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem, Luke tells us:
Display and summarize
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke has already told us earlier that Mary conceived not by human means, but by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:34–35). The virgin birth tells us that this child is truly man, born of a woman; and truly God, sent from heaven. From the very beginning, salvation is entirely God’s work, grounded in grace rather than human effort.
The eternal Son of God enters the world not in Caesar’s palace but in a feeding trough. The sunrise of God’s love doesn’t announce itself with power, it changes the world by drawing near.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
The Sunrise of God’s love didn’t break over Rome, it broke over the tiny insignificant town of Bethlehem.
Why? Because love draws near.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
The manger tells us that God’s answer to human darkness was not condemnation, but presence.
Application: This matters for us.
If God’s love drew near in the incarnation, then there is no darkness He is unwilling to enter and no sinner He is unwilling to meet.
Christmas tells us God’s love doesn’t wait for us to climb our way up to Him. God’s love comes down to us. And that is the kind of love that changes everything.
2.) The Sunrise Lifts the Lowly. (1:48-53; 2:8-14)
2.) The Sunrise Lifts the Lowly. (1:48-53; 2:8-14)
When the sunrise of God’s love appears, it reveals what truly matters.
We see this in Luke before Jesus is born. Mary responds to God’s grace, in her song of praise called “the Magnificat”, in Luke 1. In her song, she praises the Lord for his work in her life despite her lowly estate. Mary was a poor girl, from a town with a bad reputation, yet God chose her to carry the Christ child.
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
This is what God does all through Scripture. He consistently draws near to those who humbly submit to Him.
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
A.) God Announces the Sunrise to the Lowly
When the time comes for the Angels to announce the birth of the Messiah, God follows the same pattern by going to humble shepherds in the field.
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Shepherds were often viewed as religiously unclean and socially insignificant because of the work they did.
Yet God chose them as the first people to hear the announcement of Christ birth. The angel says to them:
10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
That phrase unto you matters. The Savior is not merely announced, He’s given.
God’s love reaches those who are often unseen and overlooked.
B.) Grace, Not Status, Brings Peace
When the angels finish announcing the birth of Christ, heaven itself responds in worship:
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Peace- would have landed with weight in that moment. Rome promised peace through dominance. Caesar claimed peace through force. But this peace is different.
Notice who it is for.
“Those with whom He is pleased”- speaks of God’s gracious delight. His favor resting on those who receive what He gives.
That peace has come to them not because of who they were but because God chose to bring it to them.
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
Application: So many assume they need to become a better person before God will accept them. They need to get their life together or clean themselves up first. Luke shows us the opposite is true.
God delights to meet people with His grace regardless their position in life. The sunrise of God’s love does not simply brighten the world. It lifts those who know they need Him and teaches them to walk in the same grace toward others.
3.) The Sunrise Brings Peace (1:74-75; 2:14)
3.) The Sunrise Brings Peace (1:74-75; 2:14)
Look back at Zechariah’s prophecy in Luke 1:79
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
This is the goal of God’s redemptive love. Zechariah described this peace earlier in his prophecy:
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Peace is freedom with purpose.
When God acts to bring salvation, he does more than remove danger, he removes fear. And when fear is taken away, a new kind of life becomes possible: a life marked by holiness, righteousness, and faithful service before God.
The love that drew near to us in the incarnation of Christ, does not leave us unchanged. It delivers us, steadies us, and redirects us.
That is why the child lying in the manger, announced to the shepherds, had come to bring this kind of peace.
Application: Biblical peace is more than something we feel when circumstances improve. It is a settled reality that frees us to live faithfully even when circumstances remain hard.
Since Christ has dealt with sin and judgement, fear no longer has the final word. The Sunrise of God’s love goes beyond calming the heart, it reorders how we live.
Friends, in order for us to have peace with God, Christ needed not only to be born but to die as our atoning sacrifice in order to purchase it.
Isaiah foresaw the cost of that peace
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
4.) The Sunrise Creates Witnesses. (2:15-20)
4.) The Sunrise Creates Witnesses. (2:15-20)
When the Sunrise of God’s love breaks into human darkness, it moves people into motion.
Notice how the shepherds responded once the angels leave them:
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
The shepherds didn't sit around discussing the implications of the angels words. They acted on what God revealed and went and found their messiah wrapped in cloth and lying where animals feed.
No grandeur, no spectacle, just beautiful simplicity that changed them profoundly. So much so that they couldn’t keep silent.
17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
These lowly, shepherds became immediate witnesses. Telling anyone who would listen all they had seen that night.
The Sunrise of God’s love had completely changed them.
Application: What we see in the shepherds is the lasting effect of the incarnation. When we come into contact with Jesus, he reshapes us from the inside out and then sends us back into the world with new eyes, new hearts and a new message worth sharing. God delights in using ordinary people as witnesses proclaiming the glory of Christ.
Conclusion & Invitation:
Conclusion & Invitation:
Luke has taken us on a profound journey in the opening chapters of his gospel. After centuries of silence, God speaks again. The “sunrise from on high” has pierced the darkness as God’s love breaks into the world through the birth of Jesus. This is what Christmas is all about.
This season calls us to stop and ask a simple question: Am I living in light of the sunrise of God’s love?
For christians perhaps that means God is calling you to:
Renew the wonder you once had for His love.
Walk again in the peace Christ has secured.
Or, speak of Him more freely and faithfully in your ordinary places.
For those not yet in Christ, this season speaks to you as well:
The Bible tells us that apart from Christ, we are in darkness, not because God is distant, but because sin has separated us from Him. Yet God did not leave us there.
Out of love, He sent His Son.
Jesus was born into the world to live the life we could not live and to die the death our sin deserved. On the cross, He bore judgment so that peace with God could be offered freely. And through His resurrection, that peace is now available to all who repent and believe.
The Sunrise has come.
You do not have to remain in the dark.
You can be forgiven.
You can be reconciled to God.
You can know the peace that only Christ can give.
Today, the invitation is simple:
Turn from your sin.
Trust in Jesus.
Come into the light.
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
