TRULY HE TAUGHT US TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER

O HOLY NIGHT

PLAY U TUBE SONG - https://youtu.be/uj1psts_qTc

1847 - A LOCAL PARISH PRIEST HIRED A POET TO WRITE A POEM FOR THE CHRISTMAS STORY - SO THE WRITER USED THE BOOK OF LUKE TO TELL THE STORY OF CHRISTMAS AND THEN IMAGINED HIMSELF IN THIS STORY AS IT WAS UNFOLDING. HE THEN DECIDED THAT THIS NEEDED TO BE PUT TO MUSIC AND HE HAD HIS FRIEND ADOLPHE CHARLES ADAMS A WELL KNOWN LOCAL CLASSICAL MUSICIAN PUT THIS TO MUSIC AND HE PRESENTED IT TO THE CHURCH.

THE FUNNY PART WAS THAT THE LYRICIST WAS A VINYARD OWNER AND POET AND NOT EVEN A CHURCH GOER AND THE MUSICIAN WAS OF JEWISH DECENT AND ALSO DID NOT EVEN BELIEVE IN JESUS AS THE MESSIAH

THE CHURCH CONNECTED WITH THIS SONG IMMEDIATELY AND IT BECAME VERY WELL KNOWN AND USED IN ALL OF FRANCE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

LO AND BEHOLD IN THE MIDST OF THE FAME OF THIS SONG THE CHURCH FOUND OUT THAT THE LYRICIST AND THE MUSICIAN BOTH WERE NOT EVEN CHURCH ATTENDERS OR BELIEVERS AND THEY PROMPTLY DENOUNCED THE SONG AS NOT BEING THEOLOGICALLY SOUND AND NOT GOOD ENOUGH MUSIC.

10 YEARS LATER A MAN NAMED JOHN SULLIVAN DWIGHT FOUND AND TRANSLATED THIS SONG

AT THIS TIME IN AMERCA THEY WERE DEEP INTO SLAVERY AND DWIGHT BEING AN ABOLUTIONIST LOOKED AT THE WORDS OF V3 - ....Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease HE WANTED THE CHURCH TO USE THIS SONG BECAUSE OF THE POWERFUL MESSAGE BEHIND THOSE WORDS.

IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1906 THAT A MAN NAMED VERSANDIN WHO BROADCAST THE VERY FIRST RADIO WAVES - HIS VOICE WAS THE VERY FIRST VOICE HEARD ON THE RADIO EVER.

HE PICKED UP HIS VIOLIN AND PLAYED AND SANG THIS SONG - SO IT WAS THE VERY FIRST SONG THAT WAS EVER PLAYED OVER THE RADIO IN AMERICA

SINCE THEN O HOLY NIGHT IS THE MOST PLAYED SONG AT CHRISTMAS TIME.

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining It is the night of the dear Savior's birth! Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming Here come the wise men from Orient land The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger In all our trials born to be our friend

Truly He taught us to love one another His law is love and His gospel is peace Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, Let all within us praise His holy name

CHORUS:

Fall on your knees Oh hear the angel voices Oh night divine Oh night when Christ was born Oh night divine Oh night divine

WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS - BECAUSE THIS WEEK WE ARE LOOKING AT ANOTHER SONG THAT IS FOUND IN THIS 1ST CHAPTER OF LUKE AND THIS IS THE MAGNIFICANT ALSO KNOWN AS MARY’S SONG.

MARY UNLIKE THE LYRICIST OF O HOLY NIGHT WAS NOT IMAGINING HERSELF INTHIS STORY SHE WAS PART OF THIS STORY.

WHY MARY?

1. Mary was of the right lineage. Luke traces Mary’s lineage through David, Boaz, Judah, Isaac, and Jacob. Her son would be qualified to bear the title Son of David and be the righteous “Branch” that was to come from David’s family (Isaiah 11:1).

2. Mary was engaged to a man whose heritage would require him to visit Bethlehem at just the right time. Micah 5:2 foretold the birthplace of the Messiah, pinpointing Bethlehem in Judah. Many virgins may have known God’s favor and may have descended from King David’s line, but not many would also be in the small town of Bethlehem when it was time for the Messiah to be born.

3. Mary was a virgin. It was critical that the mother of the Messiah be a virgin in order to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Matthew reminded his readers of that prophecy, which was crucial in verifying Jesus’ identity (Matthew 1:23). She could not be married, or the world would assume Jesus had an earthly father. She could not have a bad reputation, or no one would have believed her story about a virgin birth, not even her own family. The virgin birth, in bypassing a human father, circumvented the transmission of the sin nature and allowed the Messiah to be a sinless man.

4. Mary was from Nazareth. Prophecies given hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth declared that the Messiah would be of little reputation (Isaiah 53; Zechariah 9:9; cf. Matthew 2:23). To be called a Nazarene or a Galilean was something of an insult in those days (see John 1:46). Had Mary been wealthy, socially prestigious, or from an affluent city, Jesus could not have easily connected with lowly people, the ones He’d come to save (Luke 19:10; Mark 2:17). But because He was from Nazareth, Mary’s hometown, the humility and commonness prophesied about Him was fulfilled.

THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE WE ARE VISITING TODAY IS KNOWN AS THE MAGNIFICANT

IT IS MARYS SONG. - IT IS A LOVE SONG, NOT A LOVE SONG AS WE KNOW IT, BUT A SONG ABOUT MARYS LOVE FOR GOD AND GODS LOVE FOR US.

HER RESPONSE IN THIS SONG OF MARY - IS AFTER A LONG LINE OF EVENTS

MARY IS VISITED BY AN ANGEL

TOLD SHE WILL BE WITH CHILD

TOLD HER AUNT ELEZABETH WHO WAS BARREN IS WITH CHILD

SHE GOES TO MEET HER AUNT

ON HER ENTRANCE TO HER AUNTIES HOUSE SHE RECEIVES THE CONFIRMATION OF WHAT HAS BEEN SPOKEN TO HER BY THE ANGEL

Luke 1:36 ESV

36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

SHARE SCREEN TO READ SCRIPTURE

Luke 1:46–55 NLT

46 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. 47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! 48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. 49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. 50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. 51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. 52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. 54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. 55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

THIS IS THE QUESTION I WANT US TO ASK OURSELVES TODAY:

WHEN I HEAR THIS SONG OF MARY:

WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO ME THROUGH THIS LOVE SONG OF MARY?

FOR THOSE WHO WERE AT PRAYER THIS WEEK WE DID A LITTLE EXERCISE ON LISTENNG PRAYER AND USED THE FIRST THREE VERSES OF

Isaiah 55:1–3 ESV

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

WHEN WE USE THE WORD HEAR - WE TALK ABOUT LISTENING

ARE YOU LISTENING TO WHAT I AM SAYING?

DID YOU LISTEN TO THE NEWS THIS MORNING?

IN HEBREW IT MEANS LISTEN AND DO:

THE DECLARATION OF FAITH CALLS FOR ACTION - NOT CONTEMPLATION AND STUDY - RICHARD PORTER

GODS LOVE FOR US IS SPOKEN LOUDER IN THE ACTIONS - IT IS NOT ONLY WORDS

1. WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR ME WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN - IT WILL BE CARRIED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.

-AS LONG AS I AM TELLING THE STORY THE RIGHT STORY

WHEN THE ANGEL APPEARED TO MARY - IT WAS MOST LIKELY THAT SHE WAS IN HER PRAYER TIME AND MOST LIKELY SAYING THE SHEMA DURING HER PRAYER TIME.

Deuteronomy 6:4–6 NIV

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

AND EVEN AS MARY WAS STARTLED - SHE WAS STILL ATTENTIVE

Luke 1:28 ESV

28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”

Luke 1:29 ESV

29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

MARY WAS TRYING TO DISCERN - SHE WAS LISTENING FOR WHAT GOD WAS SAYING TO HER.

WHEN WE DISCERN IT IS NOT OUR AGENDA WE LOOKING FOR BUT GOD’S

2. EVEN IN THE SILENCE HE IS NOT SILENT - GOD SPEAKS AND WE NEED TO HEAR WHAT HE HAS TO SAY, AND WHEN WE HEAR WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY WE WILL “GO AND TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN.”

FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

MARY KNEW THE GOD OF HER ANCESTERS.

GOD STILL SPOKE BECAUSE SIMEON WAS WAITING FOR THE SAVIOUR TO COME

WE ALLOW SO MANY OTHER VOICES TO ENTER INTO OUR LIVES. WE DONT HAVE TIME TO STOP AND LISTEN AND DISCERN AND CONTEMPLATE. THERE IS SO MUCH THAT DEMANDS OUR TIME AND ATTENTION AND MOSTLY IT IS NOT WHAT GOD HAS FOR US.

RICHARD PORTER - THEY KINGDOM COME

GET RID OF THE IDOLS AND YOU SILENCE THE DEMONS.

SILENCE THE DEMONS AND YOU ARE OPEN TO HEARING A DIFFERENT VOICE.

LISTENING TO A DIFFERENT VOICE WILL MODIFY YOUR BELIEF SYSTEM.

ALTER YOUR BELIEF SYSTEM, AND YOU WILL BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY.

CHANGE YOUR TRADITIONS AND YOU CHANGE A CULTURE.

LOOK AT THE STORY BEHIND O HOLY NIGHT - GOD USED A MAN WITH INCREDIBLE TALENT TO WRITE THIS STORY AND HE WAS NOT CONSIDERED A BELIEVER IN THE EYES OF THE CHURCH - A MUSICIAN WHO DID NOT BELEIVE JESUS WAS THE SON OF GOD.

HOW DIFFERENT THIS COULD HAVE ALL TURNED OUT IF WE AS A CHURCH LISTEN TO THE HEART OF GOD.

WHERE HAVE I SILENCED THE VOICE OF GOD IN MY LIFE - WHAT IDOL DO I HAVE TO SILENCE? SO THAT I CAN HEAR A WORD FROM GOD.

MONEY

SECURITY

ACCEPTANCE

TRUST

ADDICTIONS

3. GOD GOES BEFORE ME AND MAKES THE CROOKED PLACES STRAIGHT AND THE UNLEVEL PLAYING FIELD LEVEL.

V 51-53

Isaiah 45:2 ESV

2 “I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron,

Isaiah 45:2 NIV

2 I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.

TO LEVEL ANY FIELD IT REQUIRES SOME BREAKING DOWN AND BREAKING DOWN IS SOMETIMES PAINFUL AND MAYBE WE DONT WANT TO GO THERE BUT WE NEED TO GO THERE.

GOD DOES NOT EXPECT ME TO DO THIS ON MY OWN - IN FACT HE KNOWS THAT I CANT DO IT ALONE - HE NEVER CREATED US TO DO THINGS ALONE.

TELL ABOUT YOUR BACK INJURY IN 2019

THAT IS WHY HE GAVE US THE CHURCH - SO THAT WE CAN LOVE ONE ANOTHER

THE LINES OF VERSE FROM O HOLY THAT SPOKE TO ME :

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming Here come the wise men from Orient land The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger In all our trials born to be our friend

Truly He taught us to love one another His law is love and His gospel is peace Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother And in His name all oppression shall cease Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, Let all within us praise His holy name

WHEN I QUIET MY SELF LONG ENOUGH TO TRULY HEAR FROM GOD, I AM COMPELED BY THE LOVE OF GOD TO ACT ACCORDINGLY.

BUT WE CAN DECLARE MANY THINGS BUT IT IS DIFFERENT TO LIVE IT OUT IN EVERY DAY LIFE.

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