The Intersection of Glory and Peace
Responding to Rescue • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 17 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
The Glory of God
The Glory of God
If you’re new here, you may not know that Redeemer Church is a reformed church. When other Christians ask us what we believe about God and the Gospel and the World and the Scriptures, we’ll throw out that term sometimes —“Reformed”— and it operates sort of like theological shorthand to explain concepts like God’s sovereign control over all things, God’s foreknowledge, predestination, and election of his people, man’s inability to turn to Christ in faith without the Spirit’s work. But perhaps the most distinctive aspect of reformed theology is represented by the term, “GLORY.”
I want everyone to stop what they’re doing for a moment and turn around. Take a look at the back wall. What do you see?
Sola Scriptura • Sola Fide • Sola Gratia • Solus Christus • Soli Deo Gloria
Sola Fide
Sola Gratia
Solus Christus
Soli Deo Gloria
We call these the five “solas,” and they represent the rally cry of the protestant reformation more than 500 years ago. The Scriptures Alone are our ultimate authority on matters of Faith and Practice, and they teach that we are saved by Faith Alone, by Grace Alone, in Christ Alone. And look there, right there in the center —Soli Deo Gloria— God Alone gets the Glory for the rescue of his people.
Now, it’s beyond me why
Sola Fide: We are saved solely through faith in Jesus Christ.
Glory! All of our doctrine revolves around the Glory of God. It’s the heartbeat of reformed thought and practice. It’s the foundation upon which we build our services, write our songs, preach our sermons, teach the scriptures. And I would argue that the Glory of God as the centerpiece of our theology is the most striking distinctive of reformed faith and practice.
Sola Gratia:
But what is it?
Think about it. What is the Glory of God?
Have you ever noticed that there are words that we use so often, words that are so fundamental to our worldview, so pervasive in our conversations, that we forget what they mean, or at least we can’t easily articulate what they mean. And Glory is one of those words. But you can’t not know what it means, because the passage we’re going to read this morning pivots on the concept of God’s glory. So what is it?
There are few notable moments in the history of Israel that revolve around God’s glory, and they might help us answer that question.
When God visits his people on Mount Sinai, his glory falls upon Sinai, and his glory appeared to the people like a wildfire, devouring the face of the mountain. And when he spoke, the people were so terrified that they literally asked Moses to ask God to stop speaking to them, lest they die.
One day Moses asks to see God’s glory. And God has to cover Moses’ face with his hand so that he doesn’t die from glory exposure.
When they build the Temple, Solomon asks for God’s presence. And God’s glory filled the temple such that the priests could not even enter it.
And the Bible uses the term, “glory,” often. Glory is something that kings have in small measure, but God has in infinite measure. Glory is the outward display of extraordinary beauty, extraordinary worth, extraordinary majesty. It means that we don’t just stroll up to him, we don’t treat him casually. It is something like the splendor and power we associate with throne rooms and scepters, except that God is not marginally above our station but infinitely beyond our station. It’s not just “other than,” but “better than.” And it’s not just “better than me,” it’s “unimaginably better than everything.” And maybe the best way to fully grasp the weight of God’s glory is this. The Glory of God caused Isaiah the prophet to cry out, “WOE IS ME! For I am lost!”
That dynamic - Isaiah crying out in despair in the midst of God’s glory - that touches on as aspect that is, I think, supremely important to note about God’s glory. If Glory is on one side of the spectrum, wicked is on the other. And people are wicked. And so it isn’t terribly inaccurate to say that fallen man is allergic to God’s glory, not in the physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. We have rebelled against God, we are defined by, characterized by, infected by sin. He is Holy and we are Wicked, and his Glory is therefore poison to wretched souls. We can’t get near God’s glory, because it will kill us. To the degree that I encounter God without a cover, without some sort of protection, I am undone, I am lost, I am ruined before the Glory of God.
In other words, for sinful and broken and
What I mean to communicate is that God’s glory is terrifying. But not to nature, and not to angels God’s glory is horror to sinful man. To the degree that I encounter God’s glory without a cover, I am undone, I am lost, I am ruined before the Glory of God.
So let me ask you a question. Why is it that we sing “GLORY!” when we reflect on the birth of Jesus?
Today we’re going to read about the birth of the God-Man, the birth of Jesus, the Christ. And when that happens — when the Word becomes flesh to dwell among us — the angels sing “GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, AND PEACE ON EARTH!”
And my problem is, those two things seems mutually exclusive.
I mean, at every point in the history of Israel, when God’s Glory is on display, there is no peace among men. When God’s glory is on display, men are running, falling on their face. So how? How can the angel’s sing “GLORY TO GOD!” and also sing “PEACE AMONG MEN!”
This passage will teach us the answer, and that answer is your only hope.
So let’s turn together to . Start in verse 1.
When the people a
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
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.
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Okay, there’s just so much going on here that we’ll have to take it bit by bit.
Read that first paragraph again.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
Luke 2:
It’s important to note at this point that Luke anchors the birth of Christ in the history of the world. These lines are authenticate the story, and all of the ancient historians worth their salt do this sort of thing. By situating the story in historical events connecting historical figures whose life and reign would be collaborated in major private and public documents, in tax registrations, in polling data, Luke means for you to know, without a doubt, that there really was a guy named Joseph who was betrothed to a woman named Mary, who gave birth to a boy in a barn and laid him down to rest in a feeding trough. That’s why these lines exist. He does the same thing in the next chapter. Let me read it to you.
:1-
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
This is a historian at work. And he’s choosing to reference moments in history, public decrees, public officials that everyone knows about, or that at the very least could be verified independently by anyone with access to public legal documents.
But here’s the thing. He didn’t need to do it on such a global scale. He could have settled with a reference to local governors, local tetrarchs, local mandates. He doesn’t do that, though. He begins his story of Christ’s birth with Caesar! He begins with a decree by the leader of the Roman world, literally the guy in charge of nearly every known people group on the planet. And that’s on purpose, because Luke is simultaneously demonstrating that God is working on a global scale to orchestrate the particular events that would lead to the rescue of his people AND that God is rescuing his people on a global scale. Luke is implying what he’ll make explicit by Part Two of this story - he’s implying that this redemption is not just for a people, this redemption is for every people - every tribe and tongue and nation. Don’t miss that. This is the first paragraph of the story of the birth of the most important figure in all of human history. This is singularly valuable landscape, and Luke isn’t wasting a word of it. By beginning this story with a reference to the king of nearly every people group in the known world, Lukes telling us that while the rescue of God’s people may begin in Israel, it certainly doesn’t end there.
But we’ve got to keep moving.
So we’re told that Caesar has decreed that everyone must return to their hometown in order to be counted, for tax purposes. And that isn’t merely an accident of history. Luke’s teaching God’s people that all of God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ. See, the prophecies of the coming Messiah were clear to all who searched carefully the words of God — the Christ would be called a Nazarene. But they also seemed to indicate that the Christ would come from Bethlehem. And you might see how this would be a matter of confusion for those who traced the shadows to learn more about their promised Savior. Because those two things seemed contradictory. Which is it? Will the Christ be from Nazareth, or will he come from Bethlehem. And the answer to that question, as impossible as it must have seemed at the time, is both. For centuries God was sending promises through prophets, and for centuries he was orchestrating the events of human history, in sometimes bizarre and unexpected ways, to bring those promises to fruition. God never once faltered, and he never once made a mistake.
Remember that, the next time that people claim that the Scriptures contradict themselves. Their vision isn’t wide enough — make sure yours is.
Keep reading.
:4-
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Son of God was born in a barn.
Okay, so you’re thinking it and I’m certainly thinking it. After you left the front door wide open, have your parents ever shouted at you, “WERE YOU BORN IN A BARN?” That’s funny, right? Because you’d be in good company. Jesus Christ was born in a barn, and he spent his first weeks sleeping in a feeding trough for livestock.
Now I want you to soak in that truth for a moment, because it’s extraordinarily relevant to the story of Mary and Joseph and Jesus.
Do you remember Mary’s song? We glance briefly at her words two weeks ago, but I want to reflect on this poem once more. Listen carefully while I read, and while you’re listening think about an unmarried virgin, giving birth to the Son of God in a barn.
Luke 1:46-
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
Now, if you were to walk away with a single impression, a single repeated theme, what would it be? What image, what idea is recounted over and over again?
“He has looked on my humble estate.”
“He’s scattered the proud, but he exalts the humble.”
“He’s sent away the rich, but he fills the hungry.”
See — God’s rescue of his people, as Mary reflects on it, looks a lot like the poor and the helpless and the hopeless and the humble being lifted up, being restored, feasting, reigning. And at the same time, the rich and the proud and the mighty are humiliated. That’s the dynamic she’s focusing on in this song. God’s redemption establishes an upside down kingdom, the first are last and the last are first.
And you can’t truly grasp the meaning of these words until the story shifts your gaze upon the scene of Christ’s birth. Can you imagine, with all the powers of your intellect, can you image more poignant irony? God came down, God, the rightful king of the world, for whom and through whom were all things created. God came down and took flesh. And he could have been born to anyone. He could have been born to anyone, but he chose Mary, a young lady of no social, political, economic consequence who would be immediately immersed in controversy. And he could have been born anywhere. He could have been born anywhere, but he chose a barn in a podunk village. And he could have laid his head to rest anywhere, but he chose to sleep in a feeding trough. And his servants, the angels of fire who stood before the Father himself shouting GLORY AND HONOR FOREVER, he could have sent his angels to anyone. He could have announced his birth before Caesar and the Roman Senate, but he chose shepherds in a field full of sheep.
These are signs that the upside down kingdom is coming. And all the words of Mary’s song are given flesh and blood in this scene. Jesus came to save the hopeless and helpless and poor. He came to save the wretched and the social outcast. He came to save the lost and the broken. And to teach his people the nature of his redemption, he came by way of Mary, in a Barn, in Bethlehem, laid in a Manger.
Keep reading.
Luke 2:8-
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!”
Okay, did you catch that? Did you catch what happens, just as soon as the Angel of the LORD appears?
GLORY! The Glory of the LORD shone around them. And the way they respond is precisely the way we’d expect for them to respond. They’re terrified.
But notice what the Angel says, “Don’t be afraid.” Right there in the midst of the Glory of the LORD, the Angel says, “Fear not.”
And you should immediately be asking the question, “Why not?!” Why shouldn’t they be afraid? Because to this point, fear in the midst of God’s glory is the only appropriate response. So why shouldn’t they fear, standing before an angel of fire and in the midst of a Holy God’s glory?
“Fear not,” the angel says, “For unto you is born, this day in the city of David, a Savior.”
A savior. A savior, who is Christ the Lord. Don’t be afraid, because I’m bringing you good news of great joy for you and for all the people. A savior is coming - the promised Christ, the King of Israel is coming. That’s why. That’s why you shouldn’t be afraid of God’s glory anymore.
Glory shines, an
And just before he’s finished telling the shepherds where they can find this savior — BAM! — The multitude of heavenly hosts shows up, and listen to their song:
“GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!”
And of course they say that. Because they spend their ancient lives in his midst, standing before his throne, reflecting on his worth and his grandeur and his majesty. These angels are spotless, they aren’t wicked, they aren’t wretched, so the glory of God is something they can revel in without hesitation. You wouldn’t be surprised to hear any one of them shout, “GLORY TO GOD,” at any point, because the earth and the mountains and the skies and the birds and the trees are his work, and he sustains them all with his power. So when the Son of God is born, of course they’d shout GLORY. And you wouldn’t think twice if they stopped there.
But just then — and maybe this is the best part. I don’t think it’s right to say that this is the best part, because both parts are working together, they’re two sides to the same coin — but just then the angels sing, “GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST” and then they sing, “AND ON EARTH, PEACE AMONG THOSE WITH WHOM HE’S PLEASED!”
God’s glory! AND Man’s peace! In chorus, without skipping a beat — GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE AMONG MEN! How can those two things possibly meet?
“Fear not, for unto you is born a savior.”
Do you remember? To the degree that I encounter God without a cover, without some sort of protection, I am undone, I am lost, I am ruined before the Glory of God.
But what if I had a cover? What if I had protection? What if the Glory of God was no longer wrath and destruction to me, but life and hope and restoration? What if I stood before God righteous?
To the degree to
On that day, I’d sing together with a chorus of angels, “Glory to God, and Peace on Earth!”
What happens when you bridge the chasm between God and Man, when you fix the glory problem, by the work of a savior? Peace! Peace - and you should read that word for what it means, in it’s totality. Peace connotes reconciliation,.
It’s important that you follow the structure of this passage — it’s important that you understand what this song is doing. When the angel arrives, he gives good news to the shepherds. But they don’t yet understand what that good news means. They don’t yet teased out the implications of the good news.
Good news! A savior is coming was born today!
So what? What does that mean for me? What does that mean for my people? How will that change my situation?
That’s the structure of this passage. The angel delivers good news and just then, just before the Shepherds have an opportunity to gather themselves and ask questions — just then the army of angels arrive to interpret that good news with this song!
What happens when you bridge the chasm between God and Man, when you fix the glory problem? Peace! Peace is what that means! God’s glory and man’s peace. And listen, you should read that word for what it means, in it’s totality. Peace here connotes salvation, redemption, reconciliation, physical and spiritual peace before God and among God’s people. That’s the work of the Savior. This baby, this savior, this Christ, the Lord, the King of Israel - this baby laying in a barn is the living, breathing intersection of God’s Glory and Man’s Peace. He is the way. He’s the solution to the glory problem.
See, we have these promises throughout the scriptures, that God’s glory would flood the earth as the waters cover the sea. And you must know how intimidating that must have felt to those who knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they couldn’t stand, they couldn’t survive in the midst of God’s glory. How is that good news, if I yet stand wretched in my sin?! The answer lies in a manger, in a barn, next to an inn, in a podunk town in Israel. Because when the people of God are bought by the blood of a savior, they stand righteous and confident and before the glory of the LORD. Total peace, unobstructed glory.
Keep reading.
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.
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.
Okay, first I want you to notice something simple. What did the shepherds do, when they heard the news? When they’re told of their salvation? When they learned where they could find their savior? They went with haste and they saw it for themselves. And when they learned that these things were true, they repeated that good news to everyone who would listen.
Brothers and sisters, that’ll preach.
And notice that they scripture says that “all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
Mary pondered these things in her heart.
I love that line. She treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. It’s lovely, isn’t it, as an aspect of Luke’s storytelling? But I think it also implies that each of these stories came directly or indirectly from Mary herself. Luke begins his story by recounting how he’d spoken directly with “eyewitnesses,” of whom Mary must have been counted. Because we know not only that these things happen, but how she felt about them. We know that she pondered them in her heart. Mary, who would watch this baby grow in stature and wisdom and in the favor of man. She remembered this promise of a savior, this promise of glory and peace, as she watched Jesus heal the multitudes and cast out demons. And she remembered the angel’s words as Jesus hung on the cross, accomplishing the redemption promised to Israel so many centuries ago.
So we don’t know a ton about Luke, but we do know that wasn’t in Christ’s circles prior to his death.
Okay, one last thing. Read verse 20 with me.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
So look. We’re only a chapter and a half into Luke, but there’s this unmistakable pattern emerging.
Rescue is promised to Zechariah, and he shouts praises to the God who saves.
Rescue is promised to Mary, and she shouts praises to the God who saves.
Rescue is promised by the Angel of the LORD, and the multitude of heavenly host shout praises to the God who saves.
Rescue is promised to shepherds in a field, and they shout praises to the God who saves.
Now. I know I’m going out on a limb here. But hear me out.
If I just, say, you know, theoretically, stood up here for a half our, and I promised that you rescue — if I stood before you and pointed at the Word of God and told you that we had found a solution to the glory problem, that all of the sudden God’s Glory and Man’s Peace met at the intersection of Christ’s work — if I stood up here and promised you rescue, how ought you respond?
The only appropriate response to God’s promise of rescue is praise. That’s it. Ever. Remember the shepherds. They heard the promise, they ran like fools to see that promise realized, they told the good news of God’s rescue to anyone who would listen, and then they shouted praises to the God who saves. Because that’s what you do when you encounter the gospel.
I’m suggesting here that the story of Zechariah, and the story of Mary, and the story of the angels, and the story of the shepherds, and the story of Simeon, and the story of Anna — I’m suggesting that these stories aren’t just describing what happened. They’re prescribing how we ought to respond to God’s promise of rescue. And that response is always praise!
We need to be a praising people. Redeemer Church needs to be a church characterized by praise. And not just on Sunday morning, guys! Look, if these people, who hadn’t a clue two minutes ago that the son of God would be born in a manger in a barn on the rough side of town — if these guys who surely hadn’t the foggiest the gravity and depth and totality of the redemption they’d just been promised — if these guys could shout praises to the God who saves, surely we can, too! We, who have the words of God in print in our hands right this minute, we who know because God told us who Jesus Christ is and what he’s done for his people and what that means and how that changes our lives and the tremendous weight of glory which surpasses all comprehension which awaits us — surely we can become characterized by praise!
We complain so much. I complain so much. When life gets harder, when things don’t go my way, sometimes when I’ve just slept slightly less than I’d prefer, I complain about that stuff.
But listen, no generation has had readier access to the gospel than ours. No generation has had as much leisure time to gaze upon the promise of God’s rescue than ours. No generation has had as much opportunity to carefully explore the faithfulness of God to establish his church, and sustain his church, and send his church to the nations, so that all may know the glory of God who saves — no generation has been this close to the culmination of all things in the coming Kingdom of Jesus than ours!
WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE PRAISING THE GOD WHO SAVES! IT SHOULD BE OUR LIFE’S RHYTHM!
You’ve heard the good news. This baby, Jesus, would carry the sins of his people to the cross. Because Jesus bore the wrath of God, you don’t have to! He has made a way for you — by his blood you’re adopted, an heir together with him of all things, sealed by the Spirit as a guarantee of the inheritance to come! And by his work we can say, “IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US!” When we suffer, we can rejoice, because all things work together for our good. When we have trials, we can rejoice, for this produces endurance, so that we’ll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing for the day of Christ! When our dear brothers and sisters sleep, we may rejoice! For to be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD! When the world falls apart, we can rejoice, because kingdoms will fall, but the Word of the Lord endures forever, and his Kingdom is coming, and it will never end!
WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO PRAISE! SO PRAISE GOD! PRAISE THE GOD WHO SAVES!
Yes, here and now, praise the God who saves in song. Yes, later when you’re home and you recall the message of the angels, praise the God who saves. Yes, when you fail and you’re forced to remember that the blood of Jesus has made you righteous, so that you can confidently approach the Throne of Grace and ask for help, praise the God who saves. Yes, when you’re weary and tired, because you’re that much closer to the day of Christ, praise the God who saves. Yes, when you read the word, and discover yet another facet of his perfect work of redemption, praise the God who saves, out loud, so your children hear.
Praise the God who saves, out loud, so that your children can hear.
A
In all things, praise the God who saves, Redeemer, for he has promised rescue.
Praise the God who saves,