Savior

Intro:

Opening Story/Illustration: This evening I want to take a very, very different approach to the Christmas story. There is a lot going on in our world. We are a divided people, a divided country and that’s probably the understatement of the year. There seems to be an endless amount of chaos and mayhem going on around us. There seems to be an endless parade of tragedies and issues that we have to face. On February 14, 2018, our state faced a tragedy when a gunman walks into a school in Parkland, FL, and guns down 17 people. Making it the deadliest school shooting in the history of our country. When this occurs, people have several different responses to what’s going on. My wife works in education and since that time there have been all sorts of discussions and talks about what we should do to prevent a I’m not here to get into a debate over these responses or to say one is necessarily right or wrong. I just want to talk for a couple minutes about what i’ve observed.

The first response I’ve observed is the desire to create more laws to fix the problem. They say that if we can just legislate the right law, all will be well and we won’t ever have to face another tragedy like this again.

The first response I’ve observed is the desire to create more laws to fix the problem. They say that if we can just legislate the right law, all will be well and we won’t ever have to face another tragedy like this again. The second response I’ve observed is the desire to “fight back,” I’ve seen Facebook post after Facebook posts about the need to arm teachers and put more guns in the hands of citizens. They say that if we can just have more firepower than the bad guys, we want ever have to face another tragedy like this again. The third response I’ve observed is the desire to run. And I don’t mean run in a bad sense. Families that kept their kids home from school or decided to homeschool because they don’t want their children to have to face the war zone that is the school system. They say that if they can just keep a closer watch over everything, they want ever have to deal with this happening to their children.

The second response I’ve observed is the desire to “fight back,” I’ve seen Facebook post after Facebook posts about the need to arm teachers and put more guns in the hands of citizens. They say that if we can just have more firepower than the bad guys, we want ever have to face another tragedy like this again.

The second response I’ve observed is the desire to “fight back,” I’ve seen Facebook post after Facebook posts about the need to arm teachers and put more guns in the hands of citizens. They say that if we can just have more firepower than the bad guys, we want ever have to face another tragedy like this again.

The second response I’ve observed is the desire to “fight back,” I’ve seen Facebook post after Facebook posts about the need to arm teachers and put more guns in the hands of citizens. They say that if we can just have more firepower than the bad guys, we want ever have to face another tragedy like this again.

The third response I’ve observed is the desire to run. And I don’t mean run in a bad sense. Families that kept their kids home from school or decided to homeschool because they don’t want their children to have to face the war zone that is the school system. They say that if they can just keep a closer watch over everything, they want ever have to deal with this happening to their children.

Biblical Background: I know you’re all thinking, what does any of this have to do with Christmas? Hold on and I’ll get there. Because the truth is, not much has changed.

The land of Israel is a small country. You can walk its length, north to south, in a few days, and from its central mountains you can see its lateral boundaries, the sea to the west and the river to the east. But it has had an importance out of all proportion to its size. Empires have fought over it. Every forty-four years out of the last four thousand, on average, an army has marched through it, whether to conquer it, to rescue it from someone else, to use it as a neutral battleground on which to fight a different enemy, or to take advantage of it as the natural route for getting somewhere else to fight there instead. There are many places which, once beautiful, are now battered and mangled with the legacies of war. And yet it has remained a beautiful land, still producing grapes and figs, milk and honey.

If we think about the world that Jesus was born into we begin to see that the people of his time respond to their chaos in similar fashion.

You see, Jesus was born into a nation in turmoil.

The Nation of Israel, at the time Jesus was born was being ruled by the Romans.

But before the Romans ruled over them, they were ruled over by the:

Egyptians

The Babylonians

The Assyrians

The Persians

The Greeks

And I’m probably missing group or two in that List!

The Nation of Israel was told by God Clearly - if you obey me, it will go well with you. If you don’t I’m going to exile you. (Being taken over by another country and taken off into captivity)

So if you’re a Jew, and you’ve been taken over by all these people, you really start to have a national crises or identity problem. You want someone or something to save you from the Nation that’s ruling over you and all the problems that you’re facing as a result.

And this desire for a solution, starts to spark different groups with different views about how the problem should be solved - and it’s interesting - a few of the major groups mirror what we just talked about.

And this desire for a solution, starts to spark different groups with different views about how the problem should be solved - and it’s interesting - a few of the major groups mirror what we just talked about.

During the time of Jesus there were several major political groups that rose out of the chaos. They each had their own solution to the problems of their world.

The Pharisees - MORE LAWS!

The Pharisees - MORE LAWS!Were largest and most influential group at the time; attached great value to the oral tradition (oral law); believed in the entire OT and the resurrection and miracles.This group decided to stay in society, but thought that following the rules to the letter was of uttermost importance. They are the most popular group during Jesus time and they had rules upon rules upon rules for people to follow. Jesus frequently runs up against them because he refuses to conform to their strict interpretation of the rules. To the Pharisees - If disobedience to God brought about this mess, what is going to bring about a savior from it? (Obedience to God) So if you are them, what would you need to do? (You would want to obey God as strictly as possible and do everything you could to make sure everyone else did the same) Think about it this way – they want to make sure they are doing everything right and have all their ducks in a row so that their messiah can come and save them and free them from all their oppressors.

Were largest and most influential group at the time; attached great value to the oral tradition (oral law); believed in the entire OT and the resurrection and miracles.

This group decided to stay in society, but thought that following the rules to the letter was of uttermost importance.

They are the most popular group during Jesus time and they had rules upon rules upon rules for people to follow.

Jesus frequently runs up against them because he refuses to conform to their strict interpretation of the rules.

To the Pharisees - If disobedience to God brought about this mess, what is going to bring about a savior from it? (Obedience to God)

So if you are them, what would you need to do? (You would want to obey God as strictly as possible and do everything you could to make sure everyone else did the same) Think about it this way – they want to make sure they are doing everything right and have all their ducks in a row so that their messiah can come and save them and free them from all their oppressors.

The Zealots – FIGHT!The Zealots were a liberation movement in Israel. They were a group of fanatical nationalists who advocated violence as a means of liberation from Rome; ; In other words, these guys were willing to fight to see that they were free from Rome and their oppressors. They turned to violence to save them.They would go so far as to persecute Jews who might try and side with Rome. The goal of the Zealots was freedom from Rome and Purity of Worship in Israel – and they were willing to fight to make it happen. They Said - If we can just fight and Kill all the Romans, everything will be good again. Think of them like an insurgence - They are rebels who are fighting hard against a government or another nation that they think is oppressing them or causing problems. They Think - If we can just get rid of the Romans by fighting, we can prepare the way for our Messiah.

The Zealots – FIGHT!

The Zealots were a liberation movement in Israel.

They were a group of fanatical nationalists who advocated violence as a means of liberation from Rome; ;

In other words, these guys were willing to fight to see that they were free from Rome and their oppressors.

They turned to violence to save them.

They would go so far as to persecute Jews who might try and side with Rome.

The goal of the Zealots was freedom from Rome and Purity of Worship in Israel – and they were willing to fight to make it happen.

They Said - If we can just fight and Kill all the Romans, everything will be good again.

Think of them like an insurgence - They are rebels who are fighting hard against a government or another nation that they think is oppressing them or causing problems.

They Think - If we can just get rid of the Romans by fighting, we can prepare the way for our Messiah.

The Essenes – RUN!

The Essenes – RUN!The Essenes withdrew from official Judaism and went into the desert; possibly the Qumran community; perhaps John the Baptist was associated with them.They didn’t like the way things in their nation were going, so they withdrew themselves into their own community. They kept very, very strict rules about what you could and couldn’t do in their community. For the most part, they didn’t go to the Temple and worship because they felt like it was tainted. They had weird rules for getting into he group – you had to go through a 3 year training/initiation period before you were considered part of the group. The goal of the Essenes was religious purity – and they ran away from everyone else to get it. They thought - the World is bad and not what it should be. So let’s escape from it make our own world where we can control things a little better.

The Essenes withdrew from official Judaism and went into the desert; possibly the Qumran community; perhaps John the Baptist was associated with them.

They didn’t like the way things in their nation were going, so they withdrew themselves into their own community.

They kept very, very strict rules about what you could and couldn’t do in their community.

For the most part, they didn’t go to the Temple and worship because they felt like it was tainted.

They had weird rules for getting into he group – you had to go through a 3 year training/initiation period before you were considered part of the group. T

he goal of the Essenes was religious purity – and they ran away from everyone else to get it.

They thought - the World is bad and not what it should be. So let’s escape from it make our own world where we can control things a little better.

Transition to the text: All of these ways of thinking - MORE LAWS! FIGHT! & RUN! are all ways to try and control the chaos around us. But the problem is, none of these methods actually work. All of these groups had it wrong - All of these approaches to life may be helpful at times - but it doesn’t deal with the real problem - our hearts.

Biblical Content: While each of these groups were trying to make the world right in their own way, there was something else happing - something quiet and unknown. While they are making laws, fighting or running, a baby is being born.

Luke 2:1–7 ESV

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 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, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 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.

In the first verse we read - who’s making up the decrees? ROME!

Luke is making sure we know where this incident Historically fits - but he’s also reminding us - Rome is in Charge.

Matthew 1:18–25 ESV

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Main Idea: Jesus comes into the world to change hearts

Points

All these groups were looking for solutions to the world’s problems- and God was slowly, quietly, and effectively working his plan

This is true in our own lives - How many of us are looking for some big solution to our problems?

All of these groups are looking for some great law, some big fight, or somewhere to run - but a baby is born! A baby doesn’t sound like much a a solution!

We like big and spectacular answers to our problems

The answers to many of our problems lie not in something big or spectacular and not even in some great action - but in something small and often unnoticed.

Illustration - How many of us come to God wanting a big powerful fix to our problems? We want flashy lights and fancy preachers. Perhaps the solution is found quietly tucked away in your prayer closet?

Illustration - Look at the City of Lakeland and all of the people and all of their problems - they aren’t going to find the answer in more laws, more fighting, or hiding. But perhaps the solution is tucked away in a little church sitting on a corner. Or perhaps it’s tucked away in a friend who attends this church and who sees them everyday and is able to offer them hope.

All these groups were looking for an outward fix - Jesus came to fix our hearts

They wanted people to follow the right laws

They wanted society to line up the right way and some of them were prepared to fight for it or run from it.

The problem isn’t your environment - it’s your heart

The problem isn’t the culture - it’s the hearts of the people who make up the culture.

Illustration - a couple weeks ago I went to the doctor, and rather than dealing with my problem, they have me medication to treat my symptoms. Isn't this what we do - instead of dealing with our real problems, we treat our symptoms.

Conclusion

Jesus is the only solution, because he transforms hearts.

Transformed hearts then transform the systems

Make no mistake - I don’t think as Christians we get to say everything is about the individual. We have problems in our culture that need real change - But the the real change that we need comes about as individuals are changed by Jesus AND THEN bring about the changes needed.

Let’s look at one verse of scripture as we close tonight. . Jesus is the only thing that saves – and he wants to save you from you!

Let’s look at one verse of scripture as we close tonight. . Jesus is the only thing that saves – and he wants to save you from you!

John 4:13–14 ESV

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”