Carols Part 1

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Welcome

Family dinner tonight

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Prayer

Beginning of a new series

The history of the Carol

The preparation for the celebration of our Lord’s birth begins four Sundays before Christmas Day. This begins the period known as the Advent season. Advent centers on the Old Testament prophecies concerning a coming Messiah and His establishment of an earthly kingdom.

O come o come emmanuel is a song used on the first day of advent

It’s the oldest Christmas carol that we have record of

It speaks of the prophesies foretold of this coming deliverer-Messiah that were given 600 years before His actual arrival

It’s the people of God in melodic expectation and longing for the coming of God

We see this clearly through the first couple of line “o come o come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.”

This song paint a picture I think that most of us are probably all too familiar with

Waiting on God

And not just waiting on Him, but the anticipation, the anxiety, and sometimes even pains that come with it

Waiting on God can be painful.

We wonder where He is?

Does He care?

What have we done wrong?

And so this is the picture this song paints for us.

But not just a picture this song paints but a picture the Scriptures paints for us

And so there are two major truths from Scripture that we need to lean into while we wait on God.

While we are waiting, we can choose trust.

Psalm 130 NIV

A song of ascents. 1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. 7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

the psalm opens with a cry, rising out of the depths of distance and alienation, for mercy, the unmerited, undeserved grace of God (1–2).

It moves to an affirmation that, ‘with you is forgiveness that is forgiveness indeed!’ (3–4).

And then this is followed by waiting (5–6).

To be clear the verb contains the idea of waiting with confident expectation but waiting it is: there is nothing we can do: forgiveness when it comes is a sovereign decision and action of God.

The author of this song says I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits

But what does he say after...”and in His Word I put my hope”

In other words....I wait because He has promised.

In 7–8 the psalmist moves away from individualism and into a community-wide appeal: there is hope for all, sure, certain, confident hope; because the Lord has two other inseparable companions: pledged love and ‘abundant’ redemption—

God’s willingness and excitement in redeeming His people

While we are waiting we can choose to trust

Choose to trust that God loves us

And that He is our great redeemer.

Or in other words He is making right what we made wrong and He is paying for it for us

This is what the psalmist is saying

We almost lean into this truth....

While we are waiting, He is already working.

Galatians 4:1–7 NIV

1 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. 4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Now there is a lot here but I want us to just focus in on a couple of the major points here

The expression the fullness of the time (Gal. 4:4) refers to that time when the world was providentially ready for the birth of the Saviour.

It was no accident that Jesus came when He did. He was not early and He was not late. It happened at the appointed time.

But had you asked the people of that day I would imagine none would have said the same

It felt, in the moment, that God had been silent for centuries and the world was only getting worse and everything had fallen apart and that Jesus should have come long ago

But what Galatians tells us is that even Sons may feel like slaves although they own the whole estate

In other words…our home is heaven, we get the whole estate. But it does not mean that there will not be pain and suffering in this world while we wait for that day

There is often pain in the waiting

And the problem is that the pain often masks the promise

If we are not careful the pain of this world can beat us up, chew us up, and spit us out and cause us to forget the promises of God

Lamentations 3:21–23 NIV

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:1–3 NIV

I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.

Lamentations 3:8–12 NIV

Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked. Like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in hiding, he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.

Now I think it could have been very easy for this author to just allow the pain to overwhelm and overtake the promises of God

But even after all that He had been through he says “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.”

Even though the pain may seem unbearable, I remember His promises for me.

the years and centuries before Emmanuels arrival there was a similar feeling

But what we have to remember is that while we are waiting He is working

From the historical point of view, the Roman Empire itself helped prepare the world for the birth of the Saviour. Roads connected city with city, and all cities ultimately with Rome. Roman laws protected the rights of citizens, and Roman soldiers guarded the peace. Thanks to both the Greek and Roman conquests, Latin and Greek were known across the empire. Christ’s birth at Bethlehem was not an accident; it was an appointment: Jesus came in “the fullness of the time.” (And, it is worth noting, that He will come again when the time is ready.)

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 706). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

While we are waiting we can choose to trust His Word and we can choose to trust that He is working

Here’s how I want to wrap up this morning.

I want to wrap up by reading a poem by John Piper

It’s pretty long but it’s fitting and powerful and so I want us to lean in and listen to this story

This story is not Scripture but like the song o come o come Emmanuel, it has many biblical implications and ties

If we remember, during the time of Jesus’ birth there was a decree from Caesar Augustus for a census to be taken

So everyone had to travel back to their hometowns, which would have been Bethlehem for Joseph so they travel back there and we know the rest

No room in the inn

Stays in a barn

Born in a manger

Well there was an evil King in Jerusalem around that time named King Herod who heard that this new King of Israel was going to be born

He was going to be the best king anyone has ever seen

And it made this King Herod angry and so his way of dealing with this was to have all of the babies in Bethlehem killed to ensure this king would not live

Now biblically we know that an angel appears to Joseph and tells him to flee to egpyt and Jesus is saved and not killed

What the Bible doesn’t go in detail about is the children that were killed because of Herod and because of Jesus being born

It doesn’t tell us how the families dealt with this pain and loss during a time they were supposed to be excited about

And so Piper wrote this poem as a fictional story of what it might have been like when Jesus returned to Bethlehem

The children ran ahead of Jesus as he strode Toward Jacob’s Inn.

The stony road that led up to the inn was deep with centuries of wear, and steep at one point just before the door.

The Lord knocked once then twice before He heard an old man’s voice, “‘round back!” It called.

So Jesus took the track that led around the inn. The old Man leaned back in his chair and told The dog to never mind. “Ain’t had No one to tend the door, my lad, for thirty years.

I’m sorry for The inconvenience to your sore Feet. The road to Jerusalem Is hard ain’t it?

Don’t mind old Shem. He’s harmless like his dad.

Won’t bite A Roman soldier in the night. Sit down.”

And Jacob waved the stump of his right arm. “We’re in a slump Right now. Got lots of time to think And talk. Come, sit and have a drink. From Jacob’s well!” he laughed.

“You own The inn?” the Lord inquired. “On loan, You’d better say. God owns the inn.” At that the Lord knew they were kin, and ventured on:

“Do you recall the tax when Caesar said to all the world that each must be enrolled?”

Old Jacob winced, “Are north winds cold? Are deserts dry? Do fishes swim and ravens fly? I do.

A grim and awful year it was for me when God ordained that strange decree.

“How could I such a time forget? Why do you ask?”

“I have a debt to pay, and I must see how much. Why do you say that it was such a grim and awful year?”

He raised the stump of his right arm,

“So dazed, young man, I didn’t know I’d lost My arm. Do you know what it cost For me to house the Son of God?”

The old man took his cedar rod And swept it ‘round the place:

“Empty. For thirty years alone, you see? Old Jacob, poor old Jacob runs it with one arm, a dog, and no sons.

But I had sons . . . once.

Joseph was My firstborn. He was small because His mother was so sick. When he turned three the Lord was good to me And Rachel, and our baby Ben was born, the very fortnight when the blessed family arrived. And Rachel’s gracious heart contrived a way for them to stay — there in that very stall.”

The man was thin and tired. “You look a lot like him.”

But Jesus said, “Why was it grim?”

“We got a reputation here that night. Nothing at all to fear in that we thought. It was of God. But in one year the slaughter squad from Herod came. And where do you suppose they started? Not a clue! We didn’t have a clue what they had come to do.

No time to pray, No time to run, no time to get Poor Joseph off the street and let Him say good-bye to Ben or me or Rachel.

Only time to see a lifted spear smash through his spine and chest. He stumbled to the sign that welcomed strangers to the place, And looked with panic at my face, as if to ask what he had done. Young man, you ever lost a son?”

The tears streamed down the Savior’s cheek, He shook his head, but couldn’t speak.

“Before I found the breath to scream I heard the words, a horrid dream: ‘Kill every child who’s two or less. Spare not for aught, nor make excess. Let this one be the oldest here and if you count your own life dear, let none escape.’

I had no sword no weapon in my house, but Lord, I had my hands, and I would save the son of my right hand . . .

So brave, O Rachel was so brave! Her hands were like a thousand iron bands around the boy. She wouldn’t let Him go and so her own back met with every thrust and blow.

I lost my arm, my wife, my sons — the cost of housing the Messiah here. Why would he simply disappear and never come to help?”

They sat In silence. Jacob wondered at The stranger’s tears.

“I am the boy that Herod wanted to destroy. You gave my parents room to give Me life, and then God let me live, and took your wife.

Ask me not why the one should live, another die. God’s ways are high, and you will know In time.

But I have come to show you what the Lord prepared the night you made a place for heaven’s light.

“In two weeks they will crucify My flesh. But mark this, Jacob, I will rise in three days from the dead, and place my foot upon the head of him who has the power of death, and I will raise with life and breath......

your wife and Ben and Joseph too and give them, Jacob, back to you with everything the world can store,

And you will reign for evermore.”

“Why would he simply disappear, And never come to help?”

A question that echoes in my mind every time I read this

But it’s a question we’ve all asked in our own way

Why God? Where are you?

Why didn’t you heal her

Why didn’t you save him?

Why did you let this happen?

Where are you?

Where were you when I needed you most?

And I pray that in the very same breath that we would utter that He would whisper in our souls...”the cross.”

Where was He when I needed Him most? The cross!

Where was He when I was dead in my sins… the cross

Where was He when I was without hope…. The cross

Where was He ehen the world made no sense at all…the cross

Where was He when I was damned to an eternal hell without Him..the cross

Where was He when I needed Him most… the cross

You see, it’s the cross that makes the waiting worth it

The cross makes the waiting worth it.

b. Although there are struggles and there is pain in the here and now.

c. There are questions we may never have the answer to

d. The cross is the avenue in which we get to hope in the waiting

e. We get to know, that although He may be silent, He is not distant

f. The cross assures our redemption back to Emmanuel here and now through salvation and also on that day when He will return and make all things new

And with Him we will reign forevermore

so, when we sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" it reminds me that the world is still broken, but it won't be that way forever.

We are waiting, but He has promised that He will not abandon or forsake us.

He promised that He would come and He did

And He’s promised that He will come again and He will

so we are waiting and.....

I trust that He is working even now.

Although I can’t always make sense of it all I know He is working

Although there’s pain and hurt and I can trust His promises

Although I’m still subject to the things of this world I know that He calls me Son

So while we wait, with eager expectation we will sing “o come o come Emmanuel”