The Reason to Rejoice: Our Savior is Born
Notes
Transcript
Dec 1st marked the beginning of what most consider the Christmas season.
It is a time of traditions.
Of Family
And of slower pace.
Those aspects of Christmas are enjoyable, and hope you enjoy them.
Take advantage of them.
I am reminded that Ecclesiastes teaches that for everything there is a season.
But for the Christian,
Dec 1st should mark a countdown of devotion.
A remembrance,
and the rekindling of awe,
about the Birth of our Savior.
Tonight, I hope to challenge us with a truth we all know,
but I hope to rekindle a little bit of that awe you had the first time you read and understood - that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
ILLUSTRATION:
I think of the start of December kind of like a fire that has dwindled down.
You probably have done this. You are out camping - and your fire in the early morning has smoldered out.
There are probably some hot coals there, but it needs just a little bit of Spark to get going in.
I feel like on a practical level Dec 1st is like that.
It is a time, where those who truly trust in the Savior, pause, and rekindle that Awe they have about the Birth of our Savior.
May I start this month - challenging us to start spark tonight.
Remember what the Lord Has done for you.
We could talk about his -
humility - Our God born in a manger, destined for death.
God’s love - he gave his only Son.
His amazing plan - we will read a lot of prophecy this month.
But tonight - I feel like the best way to remind us about how amazing the Birth is - is to remember this little Baby became our Savior.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Why is that significant?
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
You remember the context -
Peter and John have been imprisoned for teaching about Jesus and healing a crippled man in the name of Jesus.
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
The next day they are questioned before the Council.
On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”
And then boldly declared -
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Why should we rejoice at the Birth of Jesus?
Paul Tripp said this last week (technically about Thanksgiving), and I think it is challenging reminder.
“The only hope,
the only help,
the only rescue,
the only healing,
the only solace,
the only balm,
the only redemption,
the only restoration
for a broken,
dysfunctional,
sin-scarred,
evil-infected,
morally fallen,
dark, and dangerous
world
isn’t found in
information,
socialization,
education,
political solution,
psychological insight,
or personal reformation,
but in the willing
birth,
righteousness,
humiliation,
suffering,
sacrifice,
and resurrection
of a God-man Redeemer.
No idea can liberate,
no power can save,
no institution can redeem,
restore,
resuscitate,
or recreate
what sin has destroyed.
So a Son had to come.
Son of God.
Son of Man.
The Creator
came to recreate.
The Savior came to be
the sacrifice.
The blessed one
came to suffer,
and in suffering
to bless the world with hope,
help,
rescue,
healing,
solace,
balm,
redemption,
and restoration.
The cost of it all was
his life.
It was his birth mission,
his resurrection victory.
History marched toward his coming;
there was no other way.
Echoing the words of Luke 2:11 and Acts 4:12, and the Rest of the New Testament.
May we rejoice that our Savior has been born.