A Christmas Response

Introduction

I want to thank Pastor Nick for preaching last week while I was out. I am so thankful to serve with a staff who steps up and always is willing to go out of their way to make sure everything stays in order at FBA.

It’s officially the week of Christmas! I know we have some people in here who are waiting to do their last minute shopping. I will pray for you as you battle the crowds and madness the next couple days.

There is so much to love about Christmas, but I want us to think this morning, Who loves Christmas the most?

Think about Christmas Day itself and who gets the most excited about the day.

Kids! There is nothing like seeing the joy and excitement on a kid’s face when they run to the living room to see what they are getting for Christmas.

The excitement and happiness kids show on Christmas reflect true joy and satisfaction they are feeling.

I remember watching a home video of when I was 6 or 7 on Christmas and I was so excited because I got a McDonalds drive-through playset. It came with the apron, hat, headset, and all the rubber McDonalds food.

I was filled with joy and excitement that Christmas morning.

Consider that happiness and excitement you see and the way a child responds on Christmas morning. As Christians, Christmas means so much for us.

The coming of Jesus is not just a fairytale story we read and move on.

The coming of Jesus is a miracle of God coming to us and living on earth.

The birth of a savior would change absolutely everything! This glorious miracle demands that we respond in a certain way not only this Christmas but for the rest of our life and for all eternity.

We are going to look at three characters of the story of the birth of Christ and see their response to news about Jesus and tie that in to how we should respond to Jesus on a daily basis.

Go ahead and turn to this morning. If you don’t have a copy of God’s Word, you can find one in the back of the pew. It will also be on the screen this morning.

1. A proper response to Jesus includes total obedience.

Luke 1:26–38 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

One of the key pieces to the story of the birth of Jesus is Mary who gave birth to Christ.

We read about this moment when God sent an angel to deliver the news to Mary that she would give birth to a savior.

This part of the story of Jesus’ birth is so important for us to understand because there are some details we cannot overlook.

1. Mary was from a town named Nazareth. V. 26.

What exactly is the significance of Nazareth?

Other than it being a small, forgotten town off the beaten path, it really has no significance. In fact, we don’t even hear of the town of Nazareth anywhere in the Old Testament.

When Jesus was referred to as “Jesus of Nazareth.” It was not a compliment, but rather a way to mock Jesus saying he was from this small town that had no significance whatsoever.

So we know that God is going to use this young girl from a small no name town to birth Jesus.

It should encourage us though because we know that God can use whoever he chooses to accomplish His purpose.

Mary was a young girl in a small town who God was about to use to bring about the savior of the world.

2. Mary was a virgin

Talk about crazy news for a young teenage girl that she was about to give birth when she was still a virgin.

You can imagine that Mary would have been a little confused, maybe even had some doubt.

I can imagine Mary also had some fear because she was betrothed or engaged to a man to be married and I can imagine her fear of how Joseph and others would look at her.

Although, we may look at these things as an inconvenience, God had a plan and his plan was for his son Jesus to be born of a virgin.

We could do an entire lesson on the significance of the virgin brith, but for timesake we know the virgin birth makes it possible for Jesus to be the perfect savior. Being born of a virgin he could have two natures that would make it possible to be the perfect propitiation.

He is the only one who is Fully God and Fully Man.

So looking at the character of Mary, we see God taking someone who was out of the ordinary to accomplish the coming of His son.

That’s important to recognize to fully grasp the story of Jesus being born, but I want us to pay close attention to how Mary responds to the news that Gabriel gave her.

Luke 1:38 ESV

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:

1. A proper response to Jesus includes total obedience.

A proper response to Jesus includes total obedience.

Knowing the background of Mary and the situation she is in, the statement she makes after hearing this news is incredible.

I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.

Mary’s words are a reflection of someone who it practicing complete obedience to God’s calling on her life.

As I was studying this passage and reading some commentaries, one commentator noted that Mary’s response to this news is perhaps the best definition of faith in the Bible.

Mary is proclaiming that she is a servant of the Lord and she desires for God’s word to become a reality in her life.

What a glorious picture of what genuine faith and trust is.

When Jesus gives the model prayer in , we read specifically that followers of Christ should pray in 6:10 “Your will be done”

Mary’s answer to the news was not filled with anger or frustration, but of complete satisfaction and humble obedience to the news she had just received from God her father.

We can learn a great deal from Mary’s response and apply it to our daily life.

As hard as it is to grasp sometimes, we must respond to Jesus with a life of total obedience. Anything else falls short of what he asks of us.

2. A proper response to Jesus involves worship and praise.

2. A proper response to Jesus involves worship and praise.

Luke 2:8–20 ESV

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 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.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

We are skipping ahead in the story of the birth of Christ to after he was actually born.

Why Shepherd’s?

What is the significance of Shepherd’s in how they appear in the story of the birth of Christ.

Something you may not know is that Shepherds were not in the most popular class in society at this time. In fact, they were considered to be in the lower class. The Pharisees looked down on Shepherds because they could not keep the Sabbath because sheep needed constant protection.

An angel appears to the Shepherd’s of all people to tell them of the birth of Jesus Christ.

The angel didn’t appear to an elite class, or to those that had studied Scripture all their life, but God chose to reveal the birth of Christ to the least likely of recipients. The Shepherd’s.

As we’ve looked at in Mary’s case though, God uses unordinary people to do extraordinary things.

So the Shepherd’s hear the angel and quickly go to see the Savior they had heard about.

They found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger and they brought news to them of what had been revealed to them by the angel sent by God.

Then it says in V. 19 that Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart”

You can imagine Mary still not fully understanding the miracle and how big of a deal it was that she gave birth to God’s son. After hearing the Shepherd’s reveal what they had heard, we can be sure that it gave her peace and comfort and probably even joy.

The Shepherd’s are such a key character in this story but notice their response after departing from Bethlehem.

God’s word tells us they responded by glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.

A proper response to Jesus involves worship and praise.

The Shepherd’s were praising God just as they had seen the angels do in V. 13-14. The difference now is that they had seen God in the flesh with their own eyes. Their response is exactly the way we should respond to Jesus in our daily walk with him.

Listen to

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable”

God desires and demands our worship because if we worship anyone or anything else it becomes an idol and produces false hope.

The Shepherd’s were confident and found joy and hope in the fact that Jesus was real as the angel had proclaimed and he would be as the angel said that the baby boy would be joy for all people.

The Shepherd’s experienced the joy of meeting the baby and they left glorifying and praising God.

When we grasp our sin and how our sin separates us from God but Jesus stood in our place on the cross and bore the wrath of God his Father for sinners, we can’t help but live a life of worship and praise.

Everyday is another opportunity for us to praise God because he has given us something we did not earn and we do not deserve.

We respond to Jesus with worship and praise because

The Shepherd’s modeled an action that we should partake in everyday because Jesus is the only one worthy of our worship and praise.

Turn over to with me. We are going to look at one last character this morning in the story of the birth of Christ and see how this Character’s reaction points us to a proper response to Jesus.

3. A proper response to Jesus leads to humility and honor.

3. A proper response to Jesus leads to humility and honor.

Matthew 2:7–12 ESV

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The wise men or maybe your version says’ Magi are a very important part to the story of the birth of Christ for several reasons.

If you were here last week you probably heard Nick mention that I am not a big fan of Manger scenes. Now, listen closely before you cast judgment on me.

Katherine and I have a manger scene in our home and I personally like manger scenes that have the proper characters.

Two things about the wise men that manger scenes oftentimes get wrong.

The wise men visit Jesus at his home when he was around two years old. So if you have wise men in your manger scene at home, throw them away. Just Kidding, don’t throw them away.

There would have been way more than three wise men who showed up to Jesus’ home.

So remember that the next time you look at your manger scene at home.

The wise men reveal some important things in this story of the birth of Christ.

We know that the wise men were priestly professionals involved in studying the starts and studying the signs of the times.

As they were studying the signs and times, God used a star to lead them to Jerusalem where they thought they would find Jesus.

They came to Jerusalem, and met with Herod who instructed them to find the child for him.

The group of wise men departed and the star appeared again leading them to Jesus’ home.

Again, another miraculous work of God in this wonderful story we read about the coming of Jesus Christ.

What we cannot overlook in this story though is how the wise men respond when entering the house Jesus was living in.

It says’ in V. 11, they fell down and worshipped him.

I want us to get this picture of the wise men literally falling down before Jesus as an infant knowing that he is the savior of the world.

The wise men humbled themselves before Jesus and bowed before him to recognize Him as worthy.

A proper response to Jesus leads to humility and honor.

Not only did the wise men fall down and worshipped the Lord, they opened their treasures and presented gifts to Jesus.

Notice the three gifts and what each one means:

Gold: Royalty, this gift recognized the Kingship of jesus.

Frankincense: This was used as an incense by priests to worship God in the Temple so when this was presented as a gift it represents the fact that Jesus would serve the priestly role of connecting sinners to God.

Frankincense: This was used as an incense by priests to worship God in the Temple so when this was presented as a gift it represents the fact that Jesus would serve the priestly role of connecting sinners to God.

Myrrh: Myrrh had multiple uses but the Old Testament used Myrrh to describe joy and festivity.

Myrrh: Myrrh had multiple uses but the Old Testament used Myrrh to describe joy and festivity.

This was a way the wise men honored Jesus. They gave him gifts that not only signified royalty but were gifts that were very valuable.

The question we must ask ourselves this morning is: “Are we honoring Christ as he should be honored?”

When it comes to having a relationship with Jesus Christ, we are called to humble ourselves before him and honor him as Lord.

James 4:10 ESV

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Following Christ requires death to our own selfish desires and ambitions and embracing God’s plan for our life.

We honor Him with our time, our money, our resources, and ultimately our entire life.

The wise men paint a beautiful picture of what humility and honor look like when they fell down to worship the Lord and offered Jesus gifts that were fit for a king.

Our Lord and Savior is worthy of our worship but is worthy of being praised with everything we have.

Conclusion

We have so much to celebrate and to be thankful for this morning.

The gift that God gives us through his son Jesus is a gift we not only get to experience here on earth but a gift we celebrate for all eternity.

A proper response this Christmas to the gift of Jesus is:

Total Obedience, Worship and Praise, and humility and honor.

The way we respond to Jesus on a daily basis reflects the contentment and satisfaction we have in Jesus.

Jesus’ earthly life began in a manger, but he grew up, lived a perfect, sinless life and then was crushed by God his father on the cross, then buried in a tomb and defeated the tomb and was resurrected.

Jesus is Lord, He is our Savior. He offers life and hope to all that would Repent of their sins and place their faith in him.

Jesus didn’t come so we could celebrate and worship him on Christmas alone, He came so that we could have a changed life.

The story of Jesus demands that we trust in Him as our Lord and Savior and live a life praising and worshipping Him.

Just as Mary showed complete Obedience to the news of giving birth.

Just as the Shepherds responded by glorifying and praising God.

and

Just as the Wise men humbled themselves before Jesus and fell down to their knees and honored him by giving three gifts that signified royalty,

We must respond the same way in the way we interact with Jesus.

I want to read one last passage this morning.

Turn to

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father and is the perfect King.

How we respond to Jesus this Christmas is so important.

It’s important in relation to where we will spend eternity and it’s important for where our true joy truly comes from.

Jesus accomplished the mission he was sent here to do and now we can experience new life.

But, we must respond.

How will you respond this Christmas?

Let’s pray.