Romans and the message of Christmas

But now, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe for there is no distinction for all. Have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And are justified by his grace as a gift through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And then this is from Romans chapter 8. Skipping ahead to chapter 8, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus. From the law of sin and death for God has done what the law we can do by the flesh. Could not do. By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful, flesh and force. In he condemned sin in the flesh. In order that the righteous requirement of the law, might be fulfilled in the walk, not according to the flesh. But according to the spirit, And then moving ahead to Romans chapter 10.

I believe starting in. Verse.

Okay, verse size 7 or 8, but what does it say? The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith that we Proclaim. Because if you confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved for with the heart. One Believes and is Justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. This is God's word. Thanks be to God.

Heavenly Father, we pray now that you would Bless and work according to your will the reading of your word and the teaching that I give me of my words be pleasing in your sight acceptable to you. And may our ears be attentive to what you are saying to us today. May our eyes see with the eyes of faith. what is unseen for what is seen is temporal but what is unseen is eternal And so we ask Lord that your Holy Spirit would enable us Quicken our hearts to see and hear from you. And to be joyful and giving you thanks and obeying, you according to your will in Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

So, as I mentioned before, I was thinking, as I Was preparing the sermon, you know, why don't we sing Christmas carols all year round? Have any of you ever been to a Christmas in July party? Or a Christmas in, in the midsummer celebration, I worked at a YMCA Camp, in Estes Park, Colorado for two summers. While I was in in college and for the staff, they had an activity during the summer. So we pretty much mostly college students or folks that were who were retired who had the the freedom to to volunteer there or work there in the summer and they had for the staff. They had a Christmas in July party and guess who got to dress up as Santa truly. So I think I stopped a few pillows in the in the outfit that we had gotten to the thrift store and we had a Christmas in July party. Another Pastor, I knew in Florida, who, who love to listen to Christmas carols about late summer or early fall? He would start listening to Christmas carols. Jonathan French, he said this is the reason I listen to Christmas carols in in the late summer, early fall is because there's so much good theology in them. There's so much Theology and Christmas carols that we don't sing about other times of the year, the key roles include think about this. The Carol's include Angels, magi the three, the three kings, the wise men Shepherds star animals, the drummer boy, Merry Gentlemen, gold frankincense, and myrrh. All of these things that we don't mention any other time of the year. Actually, in fact, did you know that the 12 Days of Christmas? The song, The Twelve Days of Christmas was used by some religious groups in England as a way to catechise or teach their youth while undergoing persecution. I think it was the Protestants who were, who were persecuting the Catholics in England at that time. And so the partridge in a pear, tree is represents Jesus. The two turtle doves represent, I think the Old and New Testaments, the four calling Birds, represent, Matthew Mark, Luke and John the four gospel and then the five golden rings represent the first five books of the Old Testament, what's known, as the pentateuch for the, the Books of Moses. And so that was actually according to tradition, that was actually a way for religious groups to to educate to re-educate their folks with a song. Will the Christmas carols more than anything to declare that Jesus is our King, amen. Jesus is our King, The King of Kings salvation brings let loving hearts and thrown him. This, this is Christ, the King, whom Shepherds guard and Angels, Sing haste haste to bring him laud. The babe, the son of Mary Haste haste to bring him laud? Are we in haste to come to church? Or are we in haste to give God praise to give him lawd. And what the what I want us to see today is that Christmas is both Cosmic in scope and personal in application. Christmas is Cosmic in scope. That is the king of the universe born as a human being. What we know the field logic of term is the Incarnation God taking on flesh, God becoming human in order to save his people from their sins. Christmas is both Cosmic and personal it. Declares that Jesus is our King and that he is the king of kings. Amen. And so we're going to look at these verses in Romans, and they may be familiar to you and you can thank the Lord. That this is probably the last sermon you'll hear this year. All right it but unless that you got a pastor Willie church, I think they have a prayer service on Christmas Eve, maybe around 11 or midnight and Mount Zion, but they may be familiar to you but I want us to see how the lyrics of Christmas emphasize the cosmic scope of God's Plan of Salvation that is God, who made the universe comes down in time and space in the person of Jesus taking on flesh.

To save us. And to call for a response to what God has done for you and me. That is the Christmas carols. Not only declare that Jesus is King, but they also call for a response. That's the last line of them that I just read from the Christmas carol, I'm forgetting the trial of it. Now What Child Is This haste haste to bring him laud. The words are telling us to do something to to hurry up and give him praise the babe, the son of Mary. So remember what we mentioned on Christmas Eve? Romans 1 verses 1 through 7? I'm sure you remember that outline from Christmas Eve service. We talked about the good news. The gospel It is real because Jesus is real. He came as a human being, we talked about the good news is life-changing life-changing on a daily basis because the Apostle Paul, his life was changed and he says, I consider all of these things that I used to consider to my profit, I consider them. I put them in the loss column because the only thing now that I do is I want to know, I consider them lost for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Jesus, my Lord, And we talked about the good news being Eternal, it points us to everlasting, life, everlasting life, that begins now with a new heart with the Holy Spirit, working in our hearts and Lasting forever. So what did Paul consider of surpassing worth? As we mentioned he considered of surpassing worth knowing Christ Jesus. My Lord. Knowing Christ, Jesus, my Lord for his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish. In order that I may gain Christ. And be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness, from God, that depend on faith. Not having a righteousness of my own now. We might not admit it, but sometimes we're trying to create a righteousness of our own, our own self salvation project or our own project to to try to have God bless our lives in a particular way. We say well well God you know I've gone to church I'm serving in the church I'm I'm giving to the poor. I'm doing these other things I even recycle and yet God you're not blessing me. Is that a righteousness that comes from Christ? Or is that our own righteousness trying to gain something from God? there's a book called The pressure's off by councillor Larry Crabb, a written years ago and he puts his finger on something and he says, many of us worship God or have a relationship with God according to the law of linearity, the law of linearity, in our human mind is, if I do a, then God will do be If I do this, then God will do this. And he says, no the pressure's off, you are free in Christ to worship him to serve him. You have to, you have to use sign the agreement at the bottom and God fills out the details of what your life is going to be. And he says so many people feel that an immense sense of pressure, because they relate to God, according to that transactional basis. If I do this, then God will do this. But God is much bigger than our own plans or around. Our own sense of how we think he will act or what we expect him to do. And so we're going to look at how Christmas is both Cosmic and personal. So we'll start and Romans chapter 1 verses 18 through 20 for the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who buy their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes. Namely his eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. What is Paul doing in this first section of the book of Romans?

He saying this is the way the universe works. God has created a world. We are simply living here by his permission. The reality of a Creator, God is obvious to everyone, but mankind, suppresses the truth of God and does not see himself as accountable to God because of his own wickedness, and his unrighteousness. And because of that unrighteousness, the wrath of God, is now being revealed in the Earth.

Many of us don't want to believe many people don't want to believe that there is a God because they don't want to be accountable to the god of the Bible. And what the Bible says, that God will bring every deed into account, the Jesus will hold us accountable for every word we say.

Now, what about Cosmic Origins? Well, God has always existed before anything else. He made everything, if your children. Ask you who, you know, I know God. You told me God, made the trees God made the grass, God made the flowers, God, made the mountains, God made all people. Who made God? Who made God? If you're a parent you don't answer, I don't know. You say this is what the Bible says, God made everything from nothing and God has always existed from Everlasting to Everlasting. You are God, the song Say. So, they have over. He is always existed before. Anything else, he made a perfect world for Adam and Eve. He made people in His image male and female he created them.

And Satan in human sin. Have corrupted all of creation. So that creation itself is under a curse. now, the birth of Christ is the Fulfillment of Eve's Offspring, eventually, crushing the head of the serpent Genesis 3, 15, That's the first instance of a preview of The Gospel that The Offspring of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. Now, it's actually also a hint of the Virgin birth. Because usually in the Bible when it talks about seed or offspring, it's talking about the mail. So I can about the male's Offspring, the male seed, but the word in Genesis 3, 15 is the word for seed or offspring. And is he saying don't do the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent, so that's just, I think Eva even in that instance, a little hint of the Virgin conception and the Virgin birth. So, the lyrics of O Holy Night. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. That is the world is in Rebellion against God. Humanity is in Rebellion against God. I thought I used to think when I would sing this as a kid, I used to think it said long, lay the world in sin, and are a pining. What is era? Pining error, pining in sin and error pining waiting longing till he appeared and the Soul felt its worth All humanity is made in God's image. The soul feels. It's worth when it realizes that Jesus has appeared to save us from our sins.

For Yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on Your Knees. O hear the angel voices. Oh night divine, oh night when Christ was born. The world is in sin and error pining waiting longing for Redemption. So Romans 8:28 22 says this for the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in Hope. So God put the curse on The Serpent and then he tells the woman, he says your pain will be increased in childbearing. He does not curse the woman specifically but he curses the ground. Then nnnn tells Adam You're, you're going to have trouble getting food from the ground, is going to produce the words in sissel's pistols for you by the sweat of your brow. You will, you will cultivated the creation. Itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For, we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the Pains of childbirth until now.

You talk about natural disasters, you talk about climate change. You talk about global warming, you talk about mudslides and and storms and all these things creation is groaning because it is still under the curse, which God, the Father, put it under in hope. So that it would eventually see the Redemption, realize the Redemption that comes along with the Redemption of God's children. Amen.

It's so even in that in that Cosmic, that affects the whole universe. Even in that, there is hope that creation itself will return to the same peace and wholeness of those who are God's children by faith. Joy to the World lyrics, no more, let sin and sorrow has grown or thorens. Infest the ground, he comes to make His blessings flow. As far as the curse is found far. As far as the curse is, found far as the curse is found what's that referencing? That's referencing Genesis chapter 3. When God puts a curse on the, on the ground saying this is going to be your reality now until Christ returns.

And every time I try to do yard work, I'm reminded of that. I'm right of that. And I'm reminded of that in my body where oh I can't pick this up or all this is a struggle or oh I better. Let you know all of that far as the curse is found to the scope of the entire universe. God is going to bring creation itself to fulfillment in a new Heaven and a new Earth. Now, what about humankind, meaning, purpose and Destiny. I mean, those are the four questions that any religious system or belief have to answer origin, meaning, purpose, and Destiny. So, what about humankind humankind? We are all captive to the power of sin. That is we all have a sin nature. When the Apostle Paul talks about the flesh specifically in the Book of Romans. He does not mean only the physical body, he does mean that, but he means also the sin nature. The corruption that is in our hearts that we inherit from Adam. The corruption. The guilt that we inherit from Adam. There's no distinction. He says in, Romans 3:23, all all are sinners. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, His point is, it doesn't matter if you're Jew or Gentile, does it matter if your religious, or non-religious, doesn't matter if your moral or immoral educated or uneducated? No matter who you are, all are sinners and fall short of God's glory and can only be Redeemed by Jesus.

There's no distinction. The Bible also says we reap what we sow Galatians, 6, 7 and 8. Those who sow, according to the flesh will reap, according to the flash, those who. So, according to the spirit will reap according to the spirit. So death is physical spiritual and eternal Without Christ we Face God's judgement in hell. The theology conference that I'm planning on going to in early February with our denomination, the Evangelical Free Church. In Chicago, the Seminary is based in Chicago that's why they have the theology conference there every February. I like the Phoenix Tucson, San Diego, you know, if you died so we have the theology, anyway, the topic of this year's theology conference is the doctrine of hell. Eternal, Consciousness punishment. Why do we have the words Eternal and conscious in there? It'd be a lot easier when it be nicer. If he'll was just kind of a figurative, you know people joke about oh I'm going to hell I'll be there with friends you no no.

What does it mean to face God's judgement in hell? It means Eternal conscious torment, read Luke chapter, 16, the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus. As the rich man was, it was in Hades in hell. And he was begging for someone to give him water to dip, to, to put a dip of water, on my tongue, because I'm in hell, I'm in torment here. Makes it very, very clear.

So, where do we put our hope? We put our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ. Jesus, our lord. when you come to faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit, captivates your heart, And you and God works that Assurance of Salvation in you you have something that no earthly circumstance can take away.

No matter how tough life gets, you have eternal life in Christ Jesus. Our lord salvation is a free gift, it cannot be earned and we are called to surrender to Christ by faith alone.

one of the things that, That is pointed out in the doctrine of salvation wasn't. When I read about it, is that we even should repent of our own good works. Because even our own good works can be painted with a little bit of selfish motive. so there's no, there's no merit, there's no merit in our good works, in terms of salvation, There is the Bible talks about rewards and talks about being before before God's throne in judgment and that Christ will bring every deed into account and will reward those according to their work, but not in terms of Salvation and having a relationship with God. So we put our hope in Christ Hark, the Herald Angels, Sing Christ by highest Heaven adored. What does that mean? The angels and the Heavenly beings worship Christ? Christ. The Everlasting Lord. He is eternal, he is coeternal and co-equal with God, the father Jesus Is Not Jesus Christ is not a lesser being than God the father. He's not some sub deity. You know, A and B know, he is Kelly Cuoco, Eternal, with the father, and the Holy Spirit is co-equal co-eternal with the father won nature, three persons, the doctrine of the Trinity mild, he lays his glory, by Philippians chapter 2, he considered himself, nothing taking the nature of a servant did not consider equality with God. Something to be grasped. So the, when the father and the son agreed, that the sun would come to Earth and lay down his life. He laid his Heavenly Glory by Born that man, no more may die. Jesus was born so that we would not have to face Eternal, death spiritual death. We still face physical death, but that's not the End. Amen. Born to Raise the sons of Earth. There is a Resurrection coming when we will ultimately be our, our souls will be with the Lord when we die, and the Lord will raise. Even our physical bodies to be to be reunited with our souls, and we will have glorified bodies born to give them second birth. Jesus told Nicodemus, she must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus, says, what, how can I enter my mother's womb a second time? He says, no, you don't understand it. You have to be born of the water and the spirit. What is Jesus referring to? He's referring to. Is he Keel chapter 36? I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness and from your Idols, I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit. I will put in you and I will remove the Heart of Stone from your flesh and give you a heart of Flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. That's being born of water in the spirit. God gives us a new heart.

We put our hope in Christ, born to give them second birth when I was in Uganda in January Pastor, Robert. He said that the government sort of categorizes different Christian groups, he said you have the Catholic Church of Uganda and then you have the Church of the Church of Uganda, which come down from the Anglican Church. And then he said all the other groups aside from those two, he said they put in the born-again category. Whether it's Baptist, Pentecostal non-denominational Woodford. And he said, you know, I don't really like that categorization because it comes up with causes the government to look at certain groups at different ways, which is not real helpful. But he was talking about the reality Of. Christians who have experienced the new birth Embrace Christ and the Holy Spirit comes alive, in them and takes over their heart. Now they're many born-again people in the, in the Catholic Church of Uganda and in the Anglican Church of Uganda, But he was expressing a truth that these people have a real relationship with Jesus. That's what the word Born Again means.

For the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many Mark 10:45. Let's look at the lyrics to O. Holy Night, the King of Kings laser Us in lowly manger in all our trials. Born to be our friend. I wasn't familiar with this first. Maybe we don't usually sing it. He knows our need to weakness is no stranger. Boy, isn't that comforting? He knows our need to weakness is no stranger. When you feel weak, when you are physically weak. Remember that Jesus knows that weakness. In all our trials, born to be our friend, behold your king before him. Lowly Bend you see that? You see the Declaration of the theological truth? And then the call for a response.

Romans chapter 10 verses 8 through 10 again. What we read earlier, the word is near you, in your mouth and your heart, that is the word of faith that we Proclaim, because if you confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, One Believes and is Justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

If you've never given your life to Christ, now is the time now is the best time today is the day of salvation. Give him your heart, confessed to him, your sins and say Lord I I confess I surrender to you and I'm asking you to save me cause your Holy Spirit to come into my life and take control. Lord, I pray right now that if anyone has that desire of their heart, But they would silently just confessed to you now. And asked you to save them. And Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit would would send forth the assurance and the lifting of the burden of sin that anyone might be under today or we just pause right now and we pray silently. According to to those words and according to your word in Romans 10 verses 9 and 10.