Christmas Eve 2020

Christmas Eve 2020, Not finished Rough Draft

Luke 2:8-20

Thank you Charlotte for that scripture. A great challenge for us all to step up our scripture memory. Luke 2:8-15

Today I want us to consider 3 things:

1) The Response of the Shepherds to

2) the humility of the Savior.

3) My response to the humble Savior.

Pray

Several years back when visiting my family in Florida we went to an amusement park in Tampa called Bush Gardens. My oldest daughter Karis and I rode a roller coaster called the Cheetah - named after the fastest of the big cats. What makes this ride special is that there is not a hill that you go down to get you to speed. There is a motor that takes you from seated to 60 miles an hour in seconds on flat ground. Powerful, fast and very smooth ride. Highly recommended.

-When you finish a thrill ride. There is a response. High five at the end.

-You want to talk about it and tell your friends how fun it was.

-You want to ride again, but with your hands in the air this time.

- Most theme parks have gotten smart to your excitement for telling others about the ride. If you ride a big name roller coasters the exit from the coaster is through a gift shop where they sell shirts, “I survived the Cheetah.”

-You want everyone to know, that you did it.

Transition - Today in our passage we see the Shepherds experienced something so overwhelming, so intense, so personal - they had to act.

Response of the Shepherds

Shepherds were in the field. It was a boring night. They were making sure wild animals didn’t come and kill their sheep. Maybe a fire was going, maybe a few were starting to dose off to sleep.

Something no one had ever seen before appeared.

An Angel a 2nd something appeared. The Glory of the Lord. It shined around them. The angel didn’t shine. The glory shone.

-Glory is the Holiness of God revealed in action.

-Holiness (one of God’s greatest attributes) was seen, Glory

-The shepherds came face to face with their weak humanity and God’s eternal power.

They had great fear.

When you come face to face with God’s holiness, seen in His glory, all you can do is tremble.

A. V 9, fear in response to Glory,

-Fear is the natural response, something so much greater than you.

You are completely exposed.  Nothing on this earth can save you from the splendor and power of what you are witnessing.  

-This is the God of the Bible. So wildly powerful and immense that nothing can stay His hand. 

Transition - In God’s power He is good.

Transition - How is God good?

He brings Good News, vs. 10

Luke 2:10–11 ESV

10 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. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Good News of the greatest gift ever given, God gave you Himself. H

Jesus came to earth as a baby. He walked on this sinful earth, felt the pain and agony of betrayal. Ultimately Jesus, who never sinned, went to a cross to make a payment for sin.

He went to the cross so that you could be free of he debt of your sin and the control of sin on your life.

He went to the cross not only to pay for sin, but to give you a new identity as one who follows Him as your Lord and King.

The Response to the Good News of the Savior was for the Shepherds to -

vs 15, Eagerly Seek Jesus out,

This is the beautiful complexity of God, that the glory of God you have just feared, you now go to eagerly seek out.

The shepherds seek Jesus out because they believe

Belief, Vs. 15,

“…let see this thing that has happened...”. They left believing.

The angel and seeing God’s glory had convinced them that this was real.

V 16 went in haste

-They did not say, let’s take time and think this over, in the morning once we have slept, who will watch the sheep.

-We might lose our sheep and our jobs. No they left it all.

-Why? The Good News of salvation was more important than everything.

-If you are not a Christ follower. If you are simply a church attender, God is inviting you right now to come in haste to Him.

-The question is, will you see your need of him?

-Will you humble yourself and follow Him in full belief?

WHO DID THEY FIND?

A HUMBLE SAVIOR

V 17-18, Made know to others. They had this experience. They had to tell. They had met the Savior.

-This was (vs.11) Christ the Lord.

-The one who has come to Save his people from their sin.

How do your respond when you meet the one who will save you from your sin?

V20 glorified and praise,

-You have to tell others how great this God is.

-If you are a Christ follower, God has called you to tell others.

Transition - The Savior had come. He came in Humility.

Humility

A humble Savior is accessible to all.

-Jesus was born where they keep animals, and laid in a feeding trough.

-Instead of being wrapped in a warm fleece blanket, he was wrapped in all that was available. Strips of rags.

-If Jesus was born in a palace, very few could get to Him.

-Since Jesus was born into poverty the broken and the lost could access Him.

-The greatest of Kings, the creator of Kings, has made a way for you to get access to Him.

-In fact Jesus invites you to approach Him.

Hebrews 4 tells us to “Approach the thrown of grace and find mercy and help in times of need.

Jesus is an accessible King. He is inviting you to come to Him right now.

Jesus humility opened the way for every kind of person to come to Him. Not just the the haves, but especially the have nots.

Jesus did not appear in Rome before Ceasar. Instead he was born by:

Mary - poor, uneducated, 14 year old girl, tucked away in a small town off the exit of the interstate. No one knew Mary.

God placed insignificant Mary in His story, as the human portal through which the greatest of all Kings would come.

Shepherds

Who were the first to hear the good news.

Shepherds - Shepherds who had the reputation of being thieves, untrustworthy and were at the lowest status of community life. You don’t want your daughter growing up to marry a shepherd.

Naked on Cross

Mocked 

Sold for price of a slave. 

Jesus came to reach out to all those who were imperfect.

Who don’tt have it all together.

Who’s life has addictions and bad habits.

Illustration - My family recently took some Christmas pictures. Someone saw those pictures and gave a compliment, That’s a good looking family. A very nice compliment.

I got thinking about that picture. While everyone wants their picture to look good - Christmas pictures can be a bit of a facade. You have your good clothes on. Mom makes sure everyone is color coordinated. You carefully select your background.

The person taking the picture has some experience making you look good. Everyone is smiling.

-When was the last time in your family everyone smiled at the same time?

-Special pictures like that are not based in reality. That’s not real life. It’s make believe.

In real life, I look scary when I get out of bed.

In real life, when I am concentrated and really thinking about something, people tell me I look angry.

In real life, I have broken every one of the ten commandments hundreds of times.

In real life, none of our lives perfectly line up. Mine doesn’t and yours doesn’t.

In real life, you and I are broken people.

Jesus came to save broken people.

APPLICATION - to Jesus Humility

Jesus modeled perfect humility.

Humility is one of the most foundational character qualities for spiritual growth.

Illustration/Personal share - Can I share with you one of the greatest obstacles to following Jesus?

-The heart attitude of, “I’ve got this.” A heart attitude of self sufficiency.

-This is a sin of the heart that is sneaky. You don’t have to do anything for this Spiritual self-sufficiency/spiritual pride to creep it.

-In fact, it is the result of not doing anything spiritually, not engaging God.

-You say confidence is a good thing.

-There is a place for confidence in life, but spiritual self sufficiency will wreck your relationship with God.

Spiritual Self Sufficiency or spiritual pride says, “I’ve got this, but ...

Spiritual humility says, “I need God.”

Not only did Jesus come in humility.

He lived in humility. He spent hours in prayer with God His Father and sometimes all night long.

Jesus modeled for us, your need for God the Father.

Let me ask you this question, This Christmas in what way do you need God?

For some it is a spiritual reconnect. You need a fresh start. This crazy year has gotten many of us spiritually sideways.

Maybe you are that person who has allowed spiritual self-sufficiency.

Spiritual, “Ive got this.” to slip in your heart unnoticed.

God wants you to take on humility. Will you say right now, God I need you. Say that in your heart. God I need you. Will you make part of your daily routine to spend time with Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:13 ESV

13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Maybe you are here to night and you have never received the gift that came from the greatest act of humility ever done.

In humility, Jesus went to the cross to die and make a payment for sin. You can have your sin forgiven.

Jesus is inviting you to do that right now.

You do this by fully trusting that Jesus paid for your sin on the Cross.

And by giving your life to Him - following Him as your King.

Jesus the humble is calling you to humbly come to Him right now.