Salvation Comes to All
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Intro
Merry Christmas! What a season this has been for me. A new place and new faces all exciting and full of joy. I want to tell you all how special each of you are to me. You have brought me joy and now I want to share that joy back to you. NO matter if you are watching us online or are here in person, I have one last Christmas message for you this Sunday, that is that during the Christmas Season, salvation has come to all people! No matter how low or high and wise or foolish, no matter how religious or sinful Christ came that all might be saved, that all might know life instead of death, it says in John 3:17:
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Pray
Story of email sent this week followed by text. You know people want to feel included and before Christ, it was apparent that some where included and some where not. So many had been left out in the cold as not good enough or the wrong lineage to be important. However, when Salvation Came at Christmas it ended all of that noise and now all are equal, not matter where, no matter when no matter who you are, Salvation came to all. This morning I want to talk about some of the all on that first Christmas, the Rich, The poor and the Wise, all with their own responses.
To the Rich -
To the Rich -
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
A. King Herod
1. Very wealthy/powerful
2. Has every advantage
3. Knows that a new king would usurp him
B. Given Great News
1. This is THE KING
When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2. Should be an exciting time
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.
a. This is the son of God
b. This is the everlasting kingdom
c. This is Salvation
C. Rejected these things
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
1. Not impossible
a. Can be hard
i. so much to lose
ii. Requires great sacrifice
b. But it is possible
i. God is big
ii. I have seen it many times
2. Have to be willing to be all in
a. Follow the will of God
i. willing to give up power and authority
ii. Willing to give up riches
iii. Guy in the military didn’t train his troops
b. Know what it means to be truly rich
i. Following God brings that satisfaction
ii. He couldn’t see the bigger picture
c. Willing to accept Salvation
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
i. Herod was unwilling
Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.
ii. Blew off the Salvation of Christmas
iii. Ended up causing great suffering
To the Poor -
To the Poor -
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
1. The Shepherd were the lowest
a. Dirty, smelly, lived on the outs of society
b. Even though we think of them as good now
2. Undeserving of Society
a. Didn’t want them to be seen or herd
3. Yet the angels brought their news
a. This message was going to be for all people
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
b. Finally it wasn’t for the whose who
i. for all those who would love Him
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
ii. People used to getting passed by
Guy we called Jesus
To the Wise -
To the Wise -
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
A. The Wise Men
1. Some say Magi
a. Meaning is the wise or scientific men
i. Astrologers as well
ii. Would study the stars and seasons
b. Gentiles
2. Followed signs of all religions
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.
By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
a. Waiting for the one that would be true
b. New the times and signs
c. Saw the Truth
d. knew that the Jews were guided by God, by the light
i. This time a star
B. Blessed even though gentiles
1. Their obedience brought blessings
He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
a. Being obedient has never let me down
b. Young lady come to the Church during worship
2. Saw the prophesy become Truth
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
C. How Far
1. To see the truth
2. To know the Truth
3. To live in the Truth
Conclusion:
We all have a choice to make each day, will we see the Word, the very salvation of God in this season or not. If we follow the star and find in our hearts obedience to the Lord we will be blessed beyond the measure of our understanding. If we follow the angles message and come to the place where is Christ is we will find salvation, peace and rest for our souls. However, if we choose to ignore the signs, try to eliminate Christ from our presence, then He will honor that and turn away from us. He will allow us to slip away into death.
The choice is yours, it is before you this Christmas season, it is here for you in the very Words of the season, for unto you is born a savior, He is Christ the Lord, won’t you come to Him, won’t you draw near to Him so he will draw near to you. For this salvation is for all people, everywhere, there is no boundary, no sin, no shame, no act that has taken you too far from His sight, from His salvation and it doesn’t matter if you are rich, poor or wise He is savior to all!