Do you believe?
A. Good morning! Did you-all have a good Christmas? We did, we had a good time opening all the presents and playing with them with Aletheia & Erin. Aletheia especially enjoyed a wooden train set that we got her – her Dad enjoyed it too! And we watched the Grinch on TV, and of course all those Christmas commercials! You know, the ones that tell us the true meaning of Christmas – diamonds, cars, or just giving in general.
B. On one particular night I was surfing the TV (while Martha was addressing Christmas cards), and I found an interesting Christmas special. It was the movie with Tim Allen as Santa Clause (The Santa Clause 2). It was a great story, a story about a modern Santa who took over as ‘Santa’ so that the children of the world would not lose the ‘spirit of Christmas.’ As the story develops, we see that there really is a workshop full of elves at the north pole, and that it is very important that ‘Santa’ gets the gifts delivered to all the kids so that the world will be a better place. Of course, this almost doesn’t happen, because this new Santa doesn’t do everything the way he is supposed to. He took over from the old Santa (in the first movie) and all the magic of the north pole is at his disposal, but it seems that if he doesn’t find a ‘MRS Clause’ soon, he will cease to be Santa, and the ‘meaning’ of Christmas will be lost forever! During the course of the movie, various characters are challenged to ‘believe’ in the magic of Christmas – Santa! And the son of this new Santa (he is a divorced father before he becomes Santa) is acting out at school because even though he believes, and sees his dad as the greatest hero, he can’t tell anyone about his dad because they won’t believe him. But he believes in Santa, and the audience is challenged to believe too – if not in a real Santa, at least in the “spirit of Christmas.” It was a very entertaining movie. But the ‘meaning of Christmas’ is what again??
C. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not out to get Santa. All these “Christmas stories” have good in them and many are excellent stories. And we all want to believe in a spirit of giving and in happy children, and families enjoying each other. Of course we do. But in our culture, these have become the ‘real stories of Christmas’ to be believed in. In this age everyone is looking for a good story - a story with meaning, and significance, and hope for the future.
D. Please turn in your Bibles and follow along with me as I read Luke 1:11-20:
1. Here we have just the prelude to the greatest story, the greatest truth of all time. It all starts with God answering the humble prayer of a couple struggling with infertility.
2. And in Verses 16 and 17 we see that this is more than just a son for an infertile couple to enjoy, it is a son for God’s purposes of the redemption in the world: “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.”
a) Later in this chapter we see that Zechariah himself prophesied about John: “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace,” (Luke 1:76-79).
b) And it is recorded that all these things did happen in John’s life:
Matt 3:1-6: “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’’ John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”
Luke 3:3-6: “He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.’’”
c) Verse 17 quotes Malachi 4:6 saying that the Lord himself will send His prophet to turn the people back to Himself – so that they will be ready for the coming Messiah – Jesus (the real story of Christmas).
3. Zechariah saw a vision of an angel and He was afraid – at least until the angel told him that his urgent prayer for a child (probably for many years) had been heard. But then he questioned the angel’s veracity! He looked the ‘gift horse in the mouth!’ Though Zechariah as a priest knew the story of Abraham and Sarah, he did not believe that God was able to do this!
4. But this angel was the same Gabriel that appeared to Daniel some 600 years earlier as recorded in the Old Testament! If Zechariah did not know who he was talking to before, he did now! “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news” (verse 19). Humans seem to have a strange tendency to disbelieve God and believe in human constructions instead – after-all, they make more sense to us.
5. But when humans disbelieve God there is a price to pay. Gabriel said to Zechariah: “And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time.” Actually Zechariah became deaf and mute for his disbelief as Luke 1:61–63 indicates, since others had to use gestures to communicate with him until the child was born.
E. John the Baptist had to come to prepare the hearts of the people so that they could stop believing in their own ways, repent from their own ways (sin), and believe in Jesus when He revealed Himself to them. What about us? Are our hearts prepared to meet Jesus? Have we heard and believed the message of John the Baptist? Or would we rather believe in our own ideas of goodness?
F. “John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire,’” (Luke 3:7-9). John warned these people coming to him that their own belief systems were not enough, and not what God wanted from them. God wanted (and still wants), real heart change that produces real life change. Jesus, when asked what the work of God was, said “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent,” (John 6:29). Do we believe in this, the real story of Christmas?
G. The real Christmas story of Jesus coming to earth as a baby begins right here in Luke 2:10-14: “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
1. All of history points to this event when God’s redemption through the Messiah would be revealed. In Luke 3:22 we hear the words of God the father from heaven after Jesus was baptized: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
2. Jesus came on a mission to live and to die for us. And He proclaimed his Lordship as the Messiah and King in Luke 19 by entering Jerusalem as only a King would enter, on a donkey. Just as the prophet Zechariah had predicted that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9.
3. The Pharisees did not acknowledge His Lordship because Jesus challenged the belief structures of that day. But Jesus IS THE ULTIMATE KING AND WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE. If not from faithful men, then from the very rocks on the side of the road (as Jesus said to the Pharisees)!! All history pointed to this event when the Messiah would be publicly presented, and God desired that this fact be acknowledged.
4. In Luke 13 Jesus said that He longed to gather the children (i.e. the people) of Jerusalem “as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,” but they would not! And Jesus tells them that they will not see him until they say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Though Jesus longs to know them, and for them to know Him, they will not truly see Him until they acknowledge that He is the King, God himself. This is why they “did not know the time of their visitation.” They did not recognize this great gift from heaven because they refused to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and God.
5. But for those who are willing to accept Jesus as Lord and God, Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep,” (John 10:14-15).
6. Jesus is the Messiah, the good and righteous King worthy of all our praise and devotion, who loves us and wants us to turn from our sins and accept His correction and discipline in our lives. Jesus is most definitely the King, yet He loves us and gave Himself for us. And He desires to know us and for us to know Him and the riches of His Kingdom. Jesus said to His disciples “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matt 13:16-17). Obedient relationship with God is the safest place for us to be because as He sanctifies us, we will be changed, we will know Him better, and we will be perfected in Christ in Heaven for eternity.
7. John 3:16-21 says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
8. This is the real meaning of Christmas: God sent us Jesus, to be born a baby, to live and teach His truth to us, to die for our sins. Do we know what we really have in Christ? Are we really aware that Christmas and the cross, God coming to earth to save us from sin, is more important than any other story? And it’s NOT just a story, it’s the ultimate truth of the universe. The Bible tells us in Philippians 2 that that Jesus, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
H. Jesus asked the disciples: “Who do the crowds say I am?” and they responded: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” They all had their theories about religion – God on their own terms. But God does not define Himself on our terms. The Christian religion is a revealed religion, from heaven; given by God, not something achieved by the learning of philosophers, nor by the politics of statesmen. Peter got it right: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus tells the disciples that they must lay down their lives and take up their crosses and follow Him. In Jesus’ Kingdom, the first will be last and the last will be first. Are we willing to be last in this world?? Are we willing to be fools for Christ? The fools who actually believe in the real Christmas story?
1. If you are like me, you find it easier to go along with all the various pictures of Christmas around us. Santa is culturally acceptable and religiously neutral. Everyone loves Santa, and we can expand (or rewrite) his story whenever we want. Jesus is far from neutral, He asks us to take up our crosses and follow Him. And His story is unchangeably written for eternity. But I guess that doesn’t sell movie tickets or diamonds! I confess that I too find it easier to focus on wrapped gifts under a dead tree, than on the gift of a risen Lord Jesus who died for my sin and lives so that I can be free from sin and alive ‘in Him.’ The biggest gift I forget to say thank-you for, instead I turned on the football game. I could have sang Christmas carols like my wife suggested – giving thanks to God for the greatest gift that I ever got. But I guess I have gotten used to that gift – like getting socks for Christmas!
2. I recently found this story about the real meaning of Christmas: “Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter Pageant." I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then. Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good cheer. So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback by its bold title. Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message, "Christmas Love." The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W". The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood tall, proudly holding her "W". Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it together. A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our festivities. For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: "CHRISTWAS LOVE" And, He still is.”
I. We have been given the keys to the very Kingdom of God, the ultimate corner on truth, right here in His word! This is the real and supreme truth of all time! Can we be silent while the world around us replaces the only real truth that can save them, with a far weaker truth that only makes them feel good and complacent while they careen through life toward eternity without God? Or can we find a way to show others the only real truth that can save. The world would rather have a ‘safe,’ generic truth about a “Christmas spirit of giving,” or a vague God of love who doesn’t judge anyone or even ask them to turn back from a lifestyle of willful rebellion against God. The Apostle Paul says: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)
1. In Christ we actually receive His righteousness in ourselves so that we can be included in heaven for eternity and Jesus takes our sins on Himself on the cross. And He works His righteous behavior into us as we trust Him and allow Him to change us to be more like Him. And we worship and praise Him, for His great love and sacrifice, offering us grace and forgiveness that we could not ever deserve. What greater story could there ever be than this??
2. We have received not just the precursor to the story like Zechariah did, but we have the whole story of Christmas. Zechariah didn’t believe the truth from the angel Gabriel. But will we believe the whole truth about Jesus and His great love for us? DO we really believe in Christmas – that is, God on planet earth to save men and women from certain death? Will we spread the real story of Christmas? We should love to tell the real story of Jesus and His incredible Love for us!
J. Benediction: From the great old Hymn:
1. I love to tell the story, Of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, Of Jesus and His love; I love to tell the story Because I know ’tis true; It satisfies my longings As nothing else can do.
2. I love to tell the story: More wonderful it seems Than all the golden fancies Of all my golden dreams; I love to tell the story: It did so much for me; And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.
3. I love to tell the story: ’Tis pleasant to repeat What seems each time I tell it, More wonderfully sweet; I love to tell the story, For some have never heard The message of salvation From God’s own holy word.
4. I love to tell the story, For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting To hear it like the rest; And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song, ’Twill be the old, old story That I have loved so long.
Chorus: I love to tell the story! ’Twill be my theme in glory To tell the old, old story Of Jesus and His love.