Sermon Tone Analysis

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas To you & Happy Birthday to Jesus!

This truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Tonight all around the world, billions of people are gathering together to worship King Jesus!

The birth of Jesus is the most significant event in all of human history.

He wasn’t just a good man, he was the God-man.

He is not some fictitious character like Santa Clause, Kevin McAllister, or Ralphie from a Christmas Story.

He really was born, he really lived, and he really died on a cross for the forgiveness of your sin and my sin so that we could be eternally reconciled to God and live forever with him.

His birth was so significant that our calendar is literally based around his birth.

All around the world, time is recorded as BC - Before Christ, and AD which is Anno Domini (Anno-Dom-in-Eye) - (in the year of our Lord… not after-death).

Whether you live in the United States of America, Brazil, China, Turkey, Iraq, Uganda, or Israel… your calendar says it’s the 2021 based on His birth!

There have been many significant people who have done amazing things throughout history, but only one Son of God.

Hundreds of years before his birth, through the ages, there were over 300 prophecies and holy writings that spoke of the coming messiah.

These prophecies said where he would be born, how he would be born, what would happen when he was born and even the family line (who his great great great great great great Grandpa would be - King David).

There were even prophecies about the season of when he would be born.

Hundreds of years before his birth, there were prophecies that said he would

+ Born of a Virgin

+ Born in Bethlehem

+ Live in Egypt for a season

+ That he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver

+ He’s the only guy in history who predicted his death and resurrection who actually pulled it off.

He’s not just some good guy that lived a good life and did some good… NO!

He’s not a baby to be adored but a savior to be worshipped.

He’s the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Son of God and the Savior of the World.

JESUS!

Though the world may be closed, Heaven is open!

The world is bad and getting worse, Jesus is good and the more you know him the better life is.

Jesus is still LORD GOD, SAVIOR KING AND CHRIST.

He is the Image of the invisible God.

Firstborn of all creation.

By him all things were created in heaven and on earth… the visible things you can see and the invisible you can’t see.

And tonight, we gather together with friends family and loved ones and BILLIONS around the world to celebrate The most historic event in all of history.

AMEN!!!

Morse Code

115yrs ago tonight… December 24th, 1906, on a cold night in a little town just outside of Boston Massachusetts, there was a sound produced that had never been heard before.

It was a marvel in science and technology unlike the world had ever heard.

In those days, to communicate messages of long distances, you would have morse code…

On that Christmas Eve, the inventor sent out a Morse code message, alerting those listening and the ships out in the harbor and ocean that an important transmission was coming.

Beep-beep…beep…beep-beep-beep… beeeep....

On that night, 115yrs ago, for the first time ever, there would be a new sound coming through the radio… no longer would they be able to communicate w/ just Morse code, but for the first time ever, people would hear a voice come over the airwaves with the Radio.

With such a significant technological breakthrough, it was only fitting that the first words ever spoken over the radio was the reading of The Christmas Story.

One could only imagine the amazement as the radio operators who were used to hearing Morse Code, heard the words of the birth of the Savior of the World.

Tonight, I’m going to read us the Christmas story.

And as I do, I want us to see this with fresh eyes, and hear this with fresh ears, because I believe the God that spoke the world into existence, is speaking to hearts and minds tonight with eternal implications.

THE CHRISTMAS STORY - LUKE 2

Luke 2:1-20

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed [a]wife, who was with child.

6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a [b]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Glory in the Highest

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And [c]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a [d]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, goodwill[e] toward men!”

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

17 Now when they had seen Him, they made [f]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.

18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

THIS IS THE GREATEST MOMENT IN ALL OF HISTORY.

TIME WAS SPLIT IN TWO… BEFORE CHRIST (BC) AND from His Birth forward… it would be forever known as Anno Domini - the Year of our Lord.

For some of you in this room, you might have read these words hundreds of times.

But there was a first time.

For some of you, this is the first time that you’ve ever heard these words…

For some of you, you know this story, but the message has gotten muddied through the years… what was once a crystal clear message has become more like Morse code.

I have 3 points tonight that hopefully will take a message that might sound like morse code and make it crystal clear.

POINT #1: The Timing of God is PERFECT

God’s Timing…

God is not short on his Time (Dahrius Daniels interjection)

Why the Census?

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-did-the-census-accomplish-at-the-time-of-jesus-birth.html

God’s Timing is Perfect

When God is doing something, He’s doing something.

When God is not doing something, He’s not doing something on purpose.

There are things going in your PRESENT, that will only make sense in your future.

Just because something doesn’t make sense NOW, doesn’t mean - it doesn’t make sense.

It may mean that you not gotten to the place, space or season in your life where GOD makes sense out of it!

I think we can all agree that there have been things in our past, that we didn’t understand THEN, that we didn’t value THEN, that make sense NOW.

As such, there are things NOW, that we may not understand at the present time, that will make sense in the FUTURE.

When we read the Christmas Story, Jesus our Immanuel - GOD WITH US - comes down, in 2021 we have the beautiful perspective of knowing the End from the Beginning.

Because of our perspective, understanding the PURPOSE in how God came and why he came, we can celebrate that moment with our Christmas Pageants, and presents under the tree, and all the joy of the season.

But how many of you know, for Mary & Joseph, while it was a joyous night, it was a difficult season… and it didn’t make sense at the time, but looking back later on, as Luke records the account of the birth of Christ, NOW it all makes sense.

God’s Timing Is Perfect!

CENSUS:

Of all times a Census could have been taken, it happenned to be during a time when Mary was late in her pregnancy.

Because Caesar wanted was not getting the taxes he felt they should be paid… God shows up, and the first thing the government does is tax him!

LOL.

4 Day walk to get from Nazareth down to Bethlehem

Ladies, how many of you who have had Children would want to walk from here to Mexico in your last month, right before your baby is due?

Sorry God…

Micah 5:2 - old prophesy 700’s before Christ birth prophesied that he would be born in Bethlehem…

BACKSTORY ON MARY & JOSEPH:

Mary - teenage girl, probably 14 or 15yrs old.