Sermon Tone Analysis

A customs officer observes a truck pulling up at the border.

Suspicious, he orders the driver out and searches the vehicle.

He pulls off the panels, bumpers, and wheel cases but finds not a single scrap of contraband… still suspicious but at a loss to know where else to search.

He waves the driver through.

The next week, the same driver arrives.

Again, the official searches, and again finds nothing illicit.

Over the years, the official tries full-body searches, X-rays, and sonar, anything he can think of, and each week the same man drives up, but no mysterious cargo ever appears, and each time, reluctantly, the customs man waves the driver on.

Finally, after many years, the officer is about to retire.

The driver pulls up.

"I know you're a smuggler," the customs officer says.

"Don't bother denying it.

But I can’t figure out what you've been smuggling all these years.

I'm leaving now.

I swear to you I can do you no harm.

Won't you please tell me what you've been smuggling?"

"Trucks," the driver says.

Do we have difficulty with the obvious today?

Too many distractions keeping us from what is right under our nose?

So distracted that we cannot see what is right in front of our face?

More specifically, do we have difficulty with the obvious concerning the holiday called Christmas?

Such as… what this holiday if for?

Or what this whole thing is all about.

What are we celebrating?

Strange question, right?

We might think it’s obvious, but is it?

I think so, but it does not seem like it is sometimes.

We hear even from Christians that this season is about … well, I have heard many say… it’s about family.

It’s about loving each other, it’s a time to emphasize giving, it’s about mending broken relationships, it is about world peace, helping the less fortunate, lights, trees, eggnog, presents, and kisses under the mistletoe.

What about Christ… well Him too.

So… do we, Christian, know what Christmas is about?

What is sad...Unbelievers see it as pertaining to Christ, that is why they want to change the name of the holiday.

A super popular evangelical pastor said in an interview, when asked what we should do on Christmas…Some gifts you can give this Christmas are beyond monetary value: Mend a quarrel, dismiss suspicion, tell someone, "I love you."

Give something away--anonymously.

Forgive someone who has treated you wrong.

Turn away wrath with a soft answer.

Visit someone in a nursing home.

Apologize if you were wrong.

Be especially kind to someone with whom you work.

Give like God gave to you in Christ, without obligation, or announcement, or reservation, or hypocrisy.

What about the gift of telling someone about the gospel?

Is this not the greatest gift you could give anyone?

Should we not tell someone about Christ… is not the season about Christ?

The coming of the King.

The Kingdom of Heaven.

Salvation?

Should Christians especially pastors, know this?

A popular Christian Musician wrote a song called a grown up Christmas list...

No more lives torn apart

That wars would never start

And time would heal all hearts

And everyone would have a friend

And right would always win

And love would never end, no

This is my grown up Christmas list

This is my only lifelong wish

This is my grown up Christmas list

Christ.

The Gospel Declared.

Salvation of friends and loved ones.

Great .... a person with a life not torn apart, that never had to deal with war, that always has a healed heart, that always has a friend, where right always wins out form them and experiences love from people that never ends… and burn in hell for eternity.

Yeah that makes sense.

You cannot have life without Christ.

You cannot have the church without Christ.

You cannot have Christianity without Christ.

You cannot have Christmas without Christ.

Or is Christ the Lord coming into the world to seek and save that which was lost not the reason for the season?

Is the season not about Christ?

Maybe I missed something?

Is not the name Christ not a part of the name of the holiday?

He is in there.

Would it not be foolish… what is New Year’s Day about?

What is Columbus Day about?

What is Independence Day about?

What is Martin Luther King Day about?

What is Easter about?

The Easter bunny of course.

Family, we gotta know that we are naturally inclined to reject Christ.

There is too much honesty there.

When face to face with the truth of Christ, we see who he really is and we see who we really are.

This is the nature of sin in us.

Every time we are faced with Christ, we see our sin.

Can we overcome this?

Can we overcome the discomfort of the reality of Christmas?

Let’s take a look at our passage today.

King Ahaz was frightened that Israel and Syria were coming to take over Judah and set one of their puppets on the throne.

God promised Ahaz that they would not conquer.

But it seems that Ahaz still did not believe God.

God said to Ahaz...ok fine ask me for a sign and I will give it to you and Ahaz did not ask…probably did not want the sign because he did not want to believe.

Did not want to trust in God.

God the Father gave him one anyway and this sign would be a wonder for us all.

He said…

The Grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.

1.

The Promise

2. God with Us

3. The Reason for the Season

The first thing we will look at today is the promise and or sign that the Lord had given the king which he rejected.

Do we reject because of lack of information or is it rebellion?

The second thing we will look at is the meaning of Emmanuel - God with Us.

We see that the greatest gift is the presence of God, not the presents from God.

Finally, we will see that the only thing that remains is the only thing that matters… it is our Lord Jesus, God with Us our salvation.