Sermon Tone Analysis

*Christmas: God Bridges the Gaps*

*Luke 2:8-14*

*/December 14, 2008/*

 

 

*Prep: *

·         Spurgeon’s sermon, BW’s Abba sermon

·         Lewis’ Xmas and Aslan

·         Ezekiel 1; Isaiah 6; Read Sc. outloud

 

 

*Opening*

 

Next week is the *children’s production* – bring family members.

I have seen many heart touched by *off-key* singing.

·         That means that this is my “*Christmas sermon*.”

I once an article about two *separate* *holidays* being celebrated on the same day: *Xmas* and *Christmas*.

It really is *not* our primary concern to make the *world* put “Christ back into Christmas,” but to make sure that *we* keep him there.

Christmas *centers*, of course, on the story of the *Incarnation*, but behind that is the *meaning* of the Incarnation, which is *bridging* the *gap*, or rather, bridging the gaps:

 

1.

The greatness of God.

2. The badness of sin.

*Prayer: *Be reminded afresh of just how big a deal this is.

*Macro- and micro-history*

 

Theologians speak of “*salvation* *history*,” which means that throughout the Bible you can chart the course of humanity’s *creation*, *fall*, *redemption*, *restoration*.

·         God has been bridging the gaps between us and him.

This is not only the *macro*-history of humanity, but also of *individuals*, the *micro*-history of each of us.

*there is a gap!*

But *before* we can *celebrate* God bridging the gap, we have first have to be reminded that the *gap* is *indeed* *there*.

The challenge is modern American culture has gotten so *familiar* with God, that the idea of being *terrified* by him is *foreign*.

CS Lewis said that is it important to read *old* *books*, not because they were smarter or better, but because they have a *different* *blind* *spot*.

And it seems to me that *modern* *interpretations* of the *spiritual* realm are *dangerously* *tame*.

·         This is seen in the modern take on *angels*.

In contrast to that, the thing that struck me was that whenever an angel shows up, the first thing they say is *“Fear not!”*

 

·         This counter to the *cutesy image* we have of them from *art*.

·         They don’t evoke *fear*, but make me feel a little *disturbed*.

If this is true of how we think of angels, how much *more* of *God*!

 

 

*A vital correction*

 

We must understand how *separated* we are from God by his greatness and our sinfulness, so the *first* *part* of the sermon will remind us of the *gap* our *culture* *ignores*, to its peril.

·         We must fully appreciate the problem before we can take hold of and rejoice in the solution.

An announcement of a cure for the *Peruvian* *flu*, would elicit mild *curiosity*, a cure for *cancer* would *dominate* the headlines.

Q   Who has not been in some way touched by cancer?

The *pain* of *cancer* would give all of us cause to be very excited by such news.

But much more we have all been *devastated* by our *separation* and *rejoice* at the *cure*.

* *

* *

*The greatness of god*

 

The *first* *gap* is God’s *greatness*, just how *above* us he is.

Our culture tends to seriously *underestimate* God’s greatness.

He is a *buddy*, a nice *grandfather*, or a vague *force*.

In contrast is the Biblical picture of God.

*Ezekiel* gives a wild and bizarre picture.

*Moses* can’t see God’s face and live.

*Isaiah 6:1-5 *In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  2 Above him stood the seraphim.

Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”  4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.  5 And I said: “Woe is me!

For I am lost [destroyed, ruined, doomed]; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”

This is what meant by *fear* of the *Lord*.

We must carefully distinguish between *fear* and *being* *afraid*, as we shall see.

Q   Have you noticed there’s fear that *attracts* and that *repels*?

A thunderstorm, powerful *waves*, mighty *waterfall* fill me with an exquisite fear at their sheer *power* and *force*.

I am afraid of what they can do, but I want to get as *close* as I *dare*.

In sharp *contrast* to the *familiarity* that our culture shows towards God, the right relation between *Creator* and *creation* will always include awe, “*Exquisite* *fear*,” and *obedience*.

·         Lewis’ image of Aslan gets this right.

But even though “the fear of the Lord” is *vital*, whether or not you are a Christian, God’s greatness still *separates* us from God, it is a *divide* that he *bridged* on *Christmas*.

Ä  But there is also the *fear* that *separates*, this was *not* the way it was *meant to be*, but became the way it had to be.

 

*A history of Fearfulness *

 

So the *first* *gap* that must be bridged is *greatness* of God, the *second* is the *badness* of *sin*.

Not only is God unattainably high above us, he is also frighteningly good.

This was not meant to be this way.

His *goodness* is meant to be *joy*, not *terror*, but *sin* turned it to *fear* within the *first* couple *pages* of the Bible.

*Genesis 3:8-10 * And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”  10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

This began a long, long period of human history when being *afraid* was the *normal* *state* of affair between God and man, humans becoming *literally* *enemies* of God, choosing the *tyranny* of *sin* over the *rule* of *God*.

·         There is *no choice* between those two – *freedom* and *goodness* are only found in *submission* to him.

In *contrast* to “*walking* in the *garden*,” humans now faced God with terror.

When Israel first “met” God at *Mt*.

*Sinai*, this was their *experience* and *response*.

*Exodus 20:18-21 *  18 ¶ Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off  19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”

20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

21 ¶ The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

I *used* to *think* that the people were *wrong* to feel this way about God – doesn’t he want relationship with his people?

*Deuteronomy 5:28-29 *  28 ¶ “And the LORD heard your words, when you spoke to me.

And the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you.

They are right in all that they have spoken.

29 Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

From Sinai, God gave *massive* *code* of *laws* and *sacrifices*, “the law” which were *not* *meant* to build *trust*, comfort, or abate fear, but to *increase* *fear*.

·         Every day in the temple, they saw *animals killed* in their place.

The entire OT system was designed to enforce the *differences* between *Holy* and *profane*, *clean* and *unclean*, and show just how *separated* they were from God.

 

·         *Fearfulness* of God became a *necessary evil*, as humanity was so bound in sin, and God is so holy.

But *how evil* that is!

That God, who is *love* and *light*, *good* and *righteous*, in whom there is there is no *darkness*, should be an *object* of *terror*.

*Trying to bridge the gap ourselves*

 

This describes *human* *history* (salvation history) up until about 3 BC.

But it also describes our *history* as *individuals* – there remain two great divides between God and us.

Now, as then, we have *dealt* with those gaps on our:

 

1.

We *ignore the gaps*, thinking that God is *not* that *great *or that our *sinfulness* is not that *bad*.

2.

We *acknowledge gap* and live *separated* from God by fear.

Ä  And this was the scene when *angles greeted the shepherds* – the *Pharisees* convinced themselves they were *okay*, and the *common folk* knew they could not be good enough.

*Fear not!*

 

*Luke 2:8-14 * And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  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.

12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,  14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

 

·         I hope in *some measure* you can better recognize and understand what a *monumental shift* in history this pronouncement is.

This message of “*fear* *not*” proclaimed that the gaps were about to be bridged in a way that vastly exceeded any of the promise in the OT Messianic prophecies.

 

1.

The gap cause by the *badness of sin* was bridged by the words “A *savior* is *born*.”