12-09-2018 - The Love of God that Conquers All Our Fears
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Mystery of Christmas/Mystery of the Gospel
Mystery of Christmas/Mystery of the Gospel
Do you ever wonder... why does our culture struggle with how to celebrate Christmas?
It was not celebrated anywhere in Bible times.
Christians co-opted a pagan holiday and turned it into a Christian feast day
The Mass of Christ, or Christ's Mass
I think it odd that our culture is ready to start preparing for Christmas earlier and earlier each year, but Easter is a day, and then it's gone, unless you are working in a church.
It's almost as if Christmas is less threatening than Easter
There is so much mystery around it, it can be reinterpreted and twisted in many ways
For example, in the days of Jesus's birth there were very clear political implications
If you have the King of Kings here on earth, why follow any other political leader
Yet no one ever celebrated Christmas by burning draft cards, social security cards, or voting registrations.
We do our best to forget all the infants killed as King Herod sought to eliminate royal competition.
We notice that Mary was pregnant out of wedlock for just a moment and then move on quickly
The world wants the baby Jesus to be born so he can die for us and we can carry on living
Which makes each Christmas more disappointing than the next
Is that really the gospel message of Christmas?
He was born to die so we could live?
If that's all we have, we missed a lot.
“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
Praise God for visiting us
Praise God for visiting us
No one wanted pagan gods to visit
Most of them were either scoundrels or monsters
Often made in the image of the politicians of their day
I don't think it is very different today
There is probably a short list of politicians you would be ok with coming to your house to visit, and I bet none of them had statues made of themselves.
You'd probably be a little startled it Jesus showed up Himself, even though he does it all the time with believers.
But Zechariah's prophecy here is all about God showing up, just like He promised He would.
The word for visiting used here speaks of visiting, helping, rescuing, and fixing in the original Greek.
Think of Moses showing up in Egypt telling Pharaoh to "let my people go" and you have a close picture of what Zechariah is so excited about.
Wrong bible hero Zechariah, this one is just a miracle baby that poor people and a few wealthy Gentiles come to see.
But maybe not.
Like a kind of reverse Moses, Jesus would flee his own country, where his people were slaves, and run to Egypt for safety.
Still, Zechariah is convinced Jesus is not just another bible hero.
He is convinced that, in Jesus, God Himself had come for a visit.
That's strange because
No one was praying for that. They wanted another Moses or bible hero to rescue them.
Even 2000 years later, we still have a very hard time understanding how God could become a man, let alone a baby.
What is the gospel message Zechariah brings?
Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.
Jesus saves us to serve God fearlessly
Jesus saves us to serve God fearlessly
Now we are saved
Because God honored the promise he made to our ancestors
It's a little like getting a Christmas present that was meant for a loved one who passed away
Then realizing it was greater than you could ever afford
And also just what you needed
There's nothing selfish about this rescue though
Zechariah claims the purpose of Jesus coming is to free us so we can serve God without fear
What is there to fear?
What is there to fear?
God
How can we serve Him with our sin, our ignorance, our tendency to betray Him so quickly?
Those around us
How will they accept our decision to put God before them?
The rest of the world
What must I give up to choose to serve Jesus?
What does serving have to do with salvation anyway?
A short recent history of the gospel message by evangelists
D.L. Moody
The man who invented every head bowed every eye closed.
The church made professions of faith with their eyes open until the beginning of the 20th century when fire broke out in Chicago and many of his church members burned to death.
He vowed to give an altar call every time he preached after that because he was afraid someone would not live through the night and miss their chance to go to Heaven.
Billy Graham
Billy Graham
Peace with God
Because fear is not enough to make you a Christian.
We are called to love God as well.
Popularized the term "personal relationship with God".
Who is the evangelist who succeeded Billy Graham? No it's not his son Franklin.
Who is the evangelist who succeeded Billy Graham? No it's not his son Franklin.
3. Rick Warren
Because a relationship with God is not enough.
People need a purpose.
He didn't travel like Billy Graham but his book, Purpose Driven Life, reached the multitudes
Willy Porter returning to faith after reading that book
We need a purpose
Or, in other words, we need someone to serve.
Jesus frees us to serve God fearlessly
This is where we find out this prophecy is not about Jesus, it is about John the Baptist... and us.
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.”
Why do we serve fearlessly?
Why do we serve fearlessly?
Because we know this bit in the manger is only the beginning
Zechariah calls Jesus the Dawn from on High, or perhaps the Rising Son
He shines his light on those of us in darkness
And, pay attention to this:
It is not those who dwell in darkness and death
It literally should read, “Those who sit in the shadow of death”
Wait, no the prayer says "yea thou I walk through the shadow of death"
Why does Zechariah claim we sit there
Have you ever tried running in the dark?
Probably just once
The first time you smack your head on something good and hard you learn your lesson
The next time you trip over something just walking, you learn your lesson
When it gets dark and we start going through grief from the presence of death, we just sit
Jesus comes along, takes our hand, and walks through it with us, so we come out the other side
Without Him, we are all stuck in darkness and death
The gospel of Christmas is no mystery.
The gospel of Christmas is no mystery.
The Gospel of Christmas is the same Gospel of Easter and every other day:
The Rising Son, comes from Heaven, conquers darkness, fear, and the grave, and shines His light on us, freeing us to serve Him fearlessly.
Are you trapped in fear and grief? Come to Jesus today.
Are you unsure that God can accept you just as you are? Come experience the love of Jesus today.
Are you floundering through life without purpose and looking for a loving Lord to serve? You won't find yourself until you find your God-given purpose in Christ. Come to Jesus and let Him light your way!
