Sermon Tone Analysis
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INTRODUCTION:
*Open your Bibles to Psalm 98:
As you find your place this morning, let me ask you this question:
This Advent, as we wait on Jesus, what are you waiting for?
A lot of people are waiting this season, what are you waiting for?
Are you waiting shiny packages and tinsely new toys?
Are you waiting for fireside fun and twinkling lights?
Are you waiting for Christmas Carols and hot cocoa and craft fares?
Is your wait about visits from family or holiday escapes?
Maybe you’re waiting for the Christmas eve service?
Holding your candle, singing silent night?
Are you longing for the singing of angels and the fun of the church’s pageant
Are you wanting to feel the warm, happy feelings of special gathering and celebration?
Maybe your longing for the gifts that Christ of Christmas brings
Are you waiting for His peace, His mercy, His kindness?
Are you waiting on His healing?His victory?
His salvation?
What are you waiting for this Christmas?
None of these things are wrong to wait for
It isn’t wrong to hope for nice gifts or to be excited about them
It is good to give, and to do so generously
Fireside fun, twinkling lights, special services & events, visiting family, these are the things that make this season feel special
The gifts and blessings of Jesus should be desired by each and everyone of His children, and Christmas reminds us of them
But as we wait for Christmas, may I remind you today that we are waiting on something far greater
INVITE THE CHURCH TO STAND:
Pray, Invite the church to be seated
*Listening Guides Out
What are you waiting for this Christmas season?
Above all else, should it not be that we are waiting for the joy of Jesus?
We’re not going to stay in this psalm today, but I wanted to start with it, because as we read from the 98th Psalm, what I see in this Psalm is joy in the Lord
He is our for the things that He has done
He is our joy because of who He is
He is our joy in the waiting because He is our King
This Christmas, let your joy in the waiting be Jesus
Pull out the stops in your singing and worship of Him
Magnify His name in your prayers!
Marvel in His Holy and perfect character!
Get lost in the wonder of loving Jesus
When I was a child, I remember waiting on family to arrive at my grandparents’ house
I was excited about every single person that came into the house
For some, it was because they brought me great presents
For some, it was because of the particular dish they were bringing or going to make
For some, it was because being in their presence was an absolute and shear delight
Is the presence of Jesus your shear delight this morning?
Is Jesus your delight that you wait for, or are you really waiting on something else.
There are three things that can ensure that your joy is in the Lord this Christmas, and they come out of Matthew 2
I’m not going to read the text word-for-word, but you can follow along in Matthew 2
At the time that Jesus was born, a star appeared in the sky
It was the brightest star in the sky
Everyone should have noticed, if they were paying attention
We talked last year of just how crazy-full of amazing sites the sky was at the time of Christ’s birth
BUT, Almost no one did notice-ALMOST no one...
But 1200 miles away, in the east, likely in what remained of Babylon, there was a group of maji
These maji were scholars.
They were astrologers, and were very wealthy
We don’t know how many of them there were, probably more than three people were on that trip
It probably took a while to prepare for the journey
The journey took somewhere between 3 months and a year to make
These maji saw the star, and they knew that a King had been born in Israel
When they arrived, they went to the palace to see the king, because that’s where a king lives
But no one at the palace knew of His birth-Herod, the king, was greatly troubled by the news
He called his scholars together to ask where the Messiah was to be born
They told him: In Bethlehem of Judea, for the prophet wrote:
Herod called the maji together secretly to find out exactly when the star appeared
He sent the maji to Bethlehem, and as they went, they followed the star all the way to Jesus
When they arrived, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy
I simply love this story from God’s Word
I love hearing about the maji and their journey to visit the King of Kings
There truly are many things that you and I can learn from these men and their journey
Today, though, we are going to focus in on three ways the maji show us to make Christ our joy this Christmas
The first key in the joy of this season is this:
The joy of Jesus is in myworship for His wonder
When the maji showed up, Jesus was not a dominant warlord over countries and armies-He was the King of Kings dressed in helplessness
They were not intimidated by his earthly power
They did not travel across the known world to see His vast wealth
This King was born in a manger, not in a palace
The magi came to see Jesus to worship Him for the wonder of who He is
This infant of human flesh was enough to bend knees and bow heads for the splendor of His presence
The baby-born King of the Universe could do nothing for them, and yet He came
He didn’t sit in a palace of gold-But His star ushered them into His presence
These wise men who saw Christ for who He is-God made flesh
They were content to travel through dust and scorching sun, mountains and desert to sit at the feet of this infant King
To be in the presence of one so great His birth changed the heavens
The God of Ages, wrapped in the frailty of our mortal flesh
This Christmas, let the wonder you wait for be the wonder of His presence
Let your worship of Jesus not be about the things He can do for you, but for who He is
Jesus, the eternal God of Heaven
Jesus, the firstborn of all creation, through whom all things were made
Jesus, who formed the stars and planets, whose birth changed their motion
Jesus, whose robe fills the temple and the earth and all of creation with the glory of God
Jesus, who shines like bronze, who will is coming again to make every knee bow and every tongue confess
Isn’t He wonderful!
Isn’t He excellent!
Let your joy this Christmas be the worship of His wonder.
Secondly…(2:11a ONLY)
The second key in the joy of this season is this:
The joy of Jesus is in my love of His Lordship
These men, who stood in the presence of kings, arrive at the home of a carpenter
Can you imagine the site!
It was no small caravan that arrived in Bethlehem that night!
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