Sermon Tone Analysis

I love to watch people.

I have been doing that my whole life.

We were recently in Amish country and we went to a place that has cheese tasting.

They have little plastic bowls with chunks of cheese for you to try the different cheese.

You use toothpicks to get a piece.

My wife saw a couple guys making pigs of themselves in the cheese.

We went to another place and they had trial dips of all kinds.

I saw a young man picking his nose and then he tried the only one I did not try.

The things people do and say are amazing.

Sometimes they inspire me.

Sometimes they scare me.

Did you know that we all have watchers?

The birth of Jesus had watchers too.

Today we will begin to read the story of Jesus’ birth.

You will hear this same set of scripture three times over the next two weeks during our messages.

I hope you will be able to quote several verses of it by the time Christmas morning rolls around.

In fact, I would challenge you to read this aloud with your family on Christmas day as well.

I am hoping that we will all gain a little better understanding of what it was like in the days when Jesus was born and what that means to us.

Watch-to be alertly on the lookout, look attentively, or observe, as to see what comes, is done, or happens

The Nation of Israel Was Watching

They watched for a Messiah

They watched Mary and Joseph

They watched the reaction

In their day, each kingdom/land had its own God or gods.

The strength and power of their God was established by the size of their country, lands and riches.

They watched for a warrior

They looked for physical realities instead of a spiritual reality.

The Roman World Was Watching

They watched expecting rebellion

They watched expecting war

They also watched to see if it was real.

The World Today Is Still Watching

They want to know if your Messiah is real.

Does he really help you?

Does he really offer peace?

Is he really who he says he is?

The main reasons for rejection

Some people will point to the church

Some people will point to you.

But I believe that the real reason is the same one that Israel struggled with.

The reason many did not accept Jesus was because they were looking for a Messiah to come with judgment on the enemies of God, and he came with an offer of forgiveness and peace instead.

They expected the kingdom of God to be established by killing everyone who wasn’t righteous.

But instead, God would gain a kingdom of pure-hearted followers, not by destroying all the impure, but by purifying sinners and atoning for their sins himself.

The Messiah would indeed come again someday in judgment, but for now he was extending an invitation of forgiveness to everyone who would take it.

Jesus still makes that same invitation today.

It is easy for us to condemn the people of Jesus’ time, but seeing more of the situation can give us empathy for them.

The suffering of the Jews in Jesus’ day under the Roman Empire was as extreme as it was for those in Nazi Germany, according to historians.

Torture and public crucifixion were commonplace, thousands were murdered, and taxes were overwhelming.

The Jews who were most faithful were persecuted most harshly, and only those who had “sold out” by serving the Romans prospered — the tax collectors and the corrupt Temple priests that colluded with them to exploit the faithful Jews.7

In their anguish, the Jews yearned for God to establish his kingdom of justice by purifying their nation from corruption and freeing it from their Roman persecutors.

Even Jesus’ disciples were convinced that this was Jesus’ mission.

After his resurrection they asked him “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

).

Jesus’ message was extremely difficult for his audience to hear — that only by letting go of vengeance could they enter God’s true kingdom.

Jesus’ message was extremely difficult for his audience to hear — that only by letting go of vengeance could they enter God’s true kingdom.

The only people that would really find this kind of Messiah appealing were the “Sinners”.

You know it is still this way today?

Those who think themselves righteous have no need for the Messiah Jesus Christ.

But man, for sinners, there has never been such a Savior!

When prostitutes and tax collectors heard about a Messiah who didn’t bring judgment but rather forgiveness, it must have been the greatest news in the world to them.

The rest of his listeners must have felt just the opposite.

As the innocent victims of Roman oppression, they saw themselves as the “righteous ones” who longed for vindication.

They yearned for a Messiah who judged and defeated their enemies, rather than one who would forgive their sins but then demand that they forgive those who had wronged them.

The most profound thing about the “merciful kingdom” that Christ proclaimed was what it said about God.

The ancient world believed that the gods of the nations battled against each other to expand their kingdom, but the true God came to suffer and die for the sins of his people instead.

This God was a god of mercy and long-suffering love, who wanted sinners to be forgiven rather than being destroyed in judgment.

To truly grasp the kingdom message of our Messiah, we must be fully aware of our sinfulness and willing to ask for forgiveness, and to forgive those who have wronged us as well.

This is the Messiah we celebrate during this season.

A Messiah coming with forgiveness and mercy.

You may be watching the wrong messiah.

Won’t you decide to surrender to Him today?