Sermon Transcript:

As December's chill settles in and our calendars fill up, we find ourselves overwhelmed with a swirling vortex of mixed messages. The profound narratives of our faith mingle with secular myths, unbiblical traditions and flurry of worldly distractions and indulgence. There is of course nothing wrong with enjoying time with family and friends, expressing appreciation and goodwill, and resting from our work, but now more than ever, we must be mindful of  the messages, spoken and unspoken, that swirl around us. 

Believers in Jesus Christ are called to sift through the clamor, to discern the eternal truth from the fleeting, and to cling to the unchanging message of hope and salvation that lies at the heart of our faith. Today, we do not gather in celebration of a chaos of traditions and marketing, but as we do every week, to worship God in light of the timeless and transformative truth of the Gospel, which shines like a beacon through the haze of the modern holidays.

My favorite Christmas show is the Charlie Brown special. Charlie Brown is watching all the activity and commercialism and he is trying to figure out what the point of it all is. Eventually, in frustration Charlie Brown asks, “isn’t there anyone who understands what Christmas is all about?” and then his best friend Linus says, “Sure, I can tell you what Christmas is all about” and then Linus shares with him what the Bible says in Luke chapter 2, 

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger.’ And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men. 

Linus then says, “That is what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.”

Buried in all the hustle and bustle and tinsel and packaging is a message of wonderful news that God has sent his Son to save us from our sins. This is a message of love that has the power to change lives and save souls. It is far more important and wonderful than official Red Rider carbine action air rifles or even family traditions.

It is perhaps not surprising that this message would be all but drowned out in the chorus of a thousand other distractions. In a sense, the Christmas season is a vivid illustration of the foolishness that sin brings into our lives. The world is always chasing satisfaction outside of God. The world prefers distraction to truth and yet God is at work through the preaching of the gospel to bring people to the truth, to reconcile a people for himself,and save them. The truth is there for those with eyes to see.

Ultimately, the pleasures of the world will leave us empty. True peace, hope, and love are only found in God and can therefore only be found by those who are at peace with God. We are here this morning to celebrate God sending his son into the world to gain that peace for us by accomplishing our salvation. So we don’t celebrate today simply because it is the Sunday closest to the 25th. We celebrate Christmas every Sunday when we come together because every time we meet as a church, we meet to give thanks to God for the gift of Jesus Christ.

This morning, I want to expand on what Linus did for Charlie Brown. I want to expand on what Christmas means and why it isn’t confined to a particular day or season. I want to remind us why it is important every minute of our lives. Matthew 1:18 & 19 says,

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 

Joseph and Mary are preparing to be married and they have not yet been together when Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant. He knows he isn’t the father. She is telling him that she has been faithful and this baby is a miracle from God. 

I can only imagine what Joseph must have been thinking but he is a good man and doesn’t want to put her to shame. It would be a tremendous scandal in that culture and he decides that he is going to handle it as discreetly as possible. Then verse 20 says,

20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 

An angel had previously appeared to Mary. We saw earlier that the angels shared with the Shepherds what was happening and now God sends an angel to be sure Joseph knows what is going on. It is revealed to Joseph that Mary has been faithful, that her child is the result of her having been chosen by God.

The angel tells Joseph that the baby has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary is the baby’s mother, but God placed this child in her womb through a miraculous work of The Spirit. Jesus is fully human, but he is also fully divine. He was not conceived through the normal physical process, but by a miracle. That God came as a man is one of the deepest and most profound truths of our faith. I don’t think we can ever understand the fullness of this.

How can the immortal put on mortality? How can the infinite come as an infant? What glorious mysteries are connected to our salvation. The One who never sleeps became tired. The Creator of the oceans became thirsty. The One who planted the garden in Eden and fed his people with manna from heaven became hungry. The one who spoke galaxies into existence had to learn to speak and read.

In verses 21 the angel tells Joseph why this is happening,

21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 

It is love and mercy that lead Jesus from the glory of heaven to the crib. He came to save. The angel tells Joseph his name shall be called Jesus. In English we say Jesus, but the Hebrew is Yeshua, which is a shortened version of Yeho-ashua meaning Yahweh will rescue. The name Jesus literally means the lord will save and so Joseph is told that he will be named Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

Jesus would not only perform miracles of feeding and healing, he would do something no other prophet or king could do. He will do something only God can do. He will remove the condemnation that comes from sin. When God created the world, it was good. The first people, Adam and Eve, lived in harmony with each other and all creation. They lived at peace with God and conversed with him. But Adam and Eve chose to disobey God.  

Basically, they wanted to be their own gods and decide for themselves what was good and evil. From that point on, humanity has been on a downward spiral moving further and further away from God and the glory he created us for. Every one of us has followed them into sin by pursuing our own selfish desires. 

None of us are exempt from this. We act as though our sins are small things. We say they are mistakes but what they reveal about us is a heart that is not ultimately good. It shows that we believe that we can set our own standards about what is right and wrong and that what we want is more important to us than what is true, and good, and right.

We have all failed to give our creator the thanks, the honor, and the love he deserves. We have all added to the evil and chaos of this world. These are not mistakes.These things do not just come out of nowhere. They come from a heart that is evil. It’s not that every heart is as evil as it could be, but every heart is in rebellion against God who is the source of everything good. 

Perhaps you think I am being too severe. Sure, nobody is perfect, but are we really in rebellion? Are we really enemies of God in our sin?

In all your life, have you ever told a lie about anything? Have you ever taken anything that didn’t belong to you? Have you ever looked upon another lustfully or been jealous because you think you should have something someone else has? Have you ever thought thoughts about God that were unworthy of him or put anything ahead of him in your life?

If you are being honest with yourself, you know that you have done all these things. Our hearts are such that we are all lying, adulterous, covetous, idolatrous people. Our lives show us that when we do right we do it not because it is right, but because we think that is the best way to get what we want in the moment. But whenever we think what is right gets in the way of what we want, we are willing to sin. This shows us that we love ourselves more than we love God. It shows that we would rather have a universe without God.

But a day comes when every one of us will stand before God and be held accountable for how we have used this life God has given us. Every word and every thought and every deed will be placed into evidence and anything we have done out of any motivation other than the glory of God will testify against us. If we are to be judged based on the evidence of our life, there isn’t a single person here today, or who has ever been born who will pass that test. If we are judged based upon our works, every one of us will be justly condemned.

The angel tells Joseph that Jesus has come to rescue us from that judgment. He will save his people from their sins. Since it was impossible for sinful human beings to save themselves, God himself would become their salvation.

Since the solution to sin and judgment could never come from us God in his grace and mercy has come down from heaven to save us. Verse 22 says, 

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

The angel explains to Joseph that Mary’s pregnancy is the fulfillment of this prophecy made by Isaiah around 700 years before Jesus was born. When Jesus came, he fulfilled the prophecy because although he was fully human, being the son of Mary, he was also fully God, being conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. So, having come down to earth, he is God with us.

The message of Christmas and the heart of the gospel is the good news that Jesus has come as God in the flesh to save us. Jesus obeyed God perfectly and therefore has earned the right to all the blessings God had created human beings to enjoy.

We were created for fellowship with God and our first parents had that but when they sinned, they were cursed and separated from God. The great desire of the faithful throughout the Old Testament was a restoration of God dwelling with them. God’s promises to redeem his people are likewise connected to this as we see in verses such as Exodus 29:46 which says,

46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

And Zechariah 8:7–8 that says,

7 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, 8 and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

But this goal is continually disrupted by the rebellion and sinfulness of the people. Sin continued to separate the people from God but through it all God continued to work out his sovereign plan of salvation. In the fullness of time, God himself acted decisively to bring salvation to sinners. This is what the angel is telling Joseph is happening. He is seeing what God’s people had longed for for centuries. God himself was coming to save his people. 

Jesus is truly God and truly man, which makes Him alone qualified to be the savior. In Jesus, God and humanity are perfectly reconciled and could only be reconciled in him. The savior had to be both human and divine. First, the Savior had to be a human who is without sin.

Jesus, the son of Mary is truly human: John 1:14 tells us,

the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…

and Hebrews 2:14 says, 

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things…

Jesus alone is the only human without sin: All others have sinned but 1 Peter 2:22 says, 

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

and Hebrews 4:15 says he was 

…one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus is therefore the only human being who could represent us as savior and mediator before a holy God. But It isn’t enough for the Savior to be a perfect man because God cannot overlook sin and so to save us he also had to be able to take upon himself the sins of His people and satisfy God’s just wrath. Only a divine person could do that. Only a being of infinite worth and life could pay that price. 

Salvation had to come from one who was fully human and fully God. Jesus alone fits that description. He is utterly unique in being able to pay the penalty for sin while in the flesh. Christ alone is the only person in all of history that could do what He did. He is the only one who meets those requirements. 

Luke writes in Acts 4:12, 

…there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

I know that many people think that sounds narrow and that it is arrogant to say there is only one way to salvation. After all, there are thousands of religions and philosophies trying to help humans climb up to God for salvation. Jesus, however, is the only example of God coming down to us to bring salvation. It is more arrogant to insist that we could do what only God can do. 

With questions of such importance the only consideration should be what is true. Whether we like it or not, the truth is often narrow. If you want to breathe, you have one option, oxygen. When we go to the doctor we don’t think that any surgery or any medicine will cure us, we want to know the precise treatment we need. Matters of importance are usually quite narrow. There are right and wrong answers. 

The only reason we think it would be different with salvation than it is with physics, mathematics, logic, or chemistry is if we have yet to understand that we deserve no salvation at all. What should amaze us is not that Jesus is the only way to salvation, but that the Son of God willingly left the glory of heaven and experienced humiliation, torture, and death so that any could be saved. I like the way James Dorman IV puts it. He says,

“One cannot complain the gate is narrow that stands amazed the gate is open”

Jesus not only lived a perfect life, but then he exchanged it for the sins of everyone who would ever believe in him. By dying on the cross he paid the debt that we owed to God for disobeying his commands. Jesus was tortured and crucified on a cross until death. He took the punishment that we deserved in our place. Not only did he suffer the nails, but the wrath of God against sin was poured out on him so that it need not be poured out on us.

We could say that Jesus experienced hell on the cross so that everyone who believes in him could be saved from hell in eternity. Since the full penalty for sin has been satisfied in the sacrifice of Jesus, those who trust in him as their savior no longer need to hide from God or fear judgment. There is no condemnation for all who are in Christ Jesus.

The great climax of the story that begins with Christmas is the good news that Jesus not only died, but that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where he now intercedes for all who trust him as their testimony of righteousness before God. He not only forgives our sins but he also gives us the Holy Spirit that works in us, slowly but surely, to transform our hearts, create godly desires, and teach us how to be the children of God we were intended to be. 

Now God calls us to believe in his promise that he will continue the work of redemption and to repent, believe, and serve him. For now, Jesus remains seated at the right hand of the Father, where through the Holy Spirit he is changing the world one life at a time. But he has promised that one day he will come again, not as an infant, but as a conquering king who will judge the world in righteousness. 

When that day comes, sin will be removed and the world will be restored to a state of peace and flourishing and all those who trust in him as their Lord and savior will rule with him and enjoy his goodness forever. This is the good news of what God has done in Jesus to save sinners. The Bible isn’t a book that tells us what we must do to earn salvation, it is a book that tells us what God did to accomplish it. 

In Jesus Christ there is hope. There is peace and joy that goes beyond anything that can come from this world. In Jesus God is offering salvation. If you have not yet trusted in Christ, I urge you to do so now. Accept the free gift of salvation purchased for you by the blood of God’s own son and find peace. Whatever you have done or failed to do there is hope. There is hope because salvation is not something we earn, it is a gift of God in Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect life and offers it to all who trust in him.

At the heart of Christianity is a mighty God and a helpless baby. There is a perfect life and a bloody cross. God does not remain distant from human suffering, he enters into it. He was tempted as we are and he has experienced the pain and loneliness of what it is to live in this fallen world. Hebrews 4:14–16 says,

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

His birth shows us God is willing to save, his resurrection shows us that he can do it. Even death is not the end for Jesus has overcome the grave. If we are united to Christ, we cannot be separated from God and no power is strong enough to pluck us out of his hand. By faith we are already partakers in that great promise that God will dwell with us but God promises even more to the faithful. Revelation 21:1–4 says,

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 

Jesus came from heaven to earth so that we could be brought from earth to heaven. The Bible does not tell us when Jesus was born and it is nearly certain it was not late December as the shepherds were in the fields. We do not celebrate a festival or a mass, which is idolatry. We certainly do not celebrate materialism and gluttony. What we do celebrate is the coming of the Son of God into the world to provide salvation for all who will believe. We celebrate the faithfulness of God in keeping his promises and his grace and mercy in rescuing us from death and bringing us into his kingdom. We come together to celebrate this every week and I pray we will continue to celebrate it every day until Jesus comes to us or we go to him.

It does us no good to have lights on a tree if the light of the gospel does not shine in our hearts. It is useless to give each other gifts if we reject the great gift of salvation that God has given. It is foolish to decorate our homes with silver and gold if our lives are not adorned with the beauty of the gospel. And it means nothing to feast with other sinners if we are not fed upon the body and blood of our Lord.

I would like to finish this morning by echoing the sentiment of the famous English preacher Charles Spurgeon who said,

“As we think to-day of the birth of the Saviour, let us aspire after a fresh birth of the Saviour in our hearts; that as he is already “formed in us the hope of glory,” we may be “renewed in the spirit of our minds;” that we may go again to the Bethlehem of our spiritual nativity and do our first works, enjoy our first loves, and feast with Jesus” 

Merry Christmas and God Bless.