1.4.4a 12.24.2023 Christmas Eve a Not so Silent Night Luke 2.8-20
Certain of His Coming • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Notes
Transcript
Start:
Entice: It was not likely a Silent Night. Not with a baby crying. Not with angelic announcements followed by a bunch of shepherds.
Engage: We think of it that way,
and we celebrate it that way;
not because the night itself was silent
but out of reverence for
who was born
and
what He came to accomplish among us
and
for us.
As we sit in a twinkling near twilight, don’t lose focus on the grace-child whose birth sets the stage for the rest of the magnificent pageant of salvation.
Much of the rest of the pageant of His life was loud too. Loud,
and
smelly,
and
joyful,
and angry.
Filled with all the highs and lows of human experience, the Story of Jesus begins at His cradle and leads to His cross.
Luke 2:8–20 (ESV)
8 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 great 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!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Expand: From this familiar story—part of which many of us have already explored this morning we have the first glimpse both of Gods redeeming grace and the impact it was to have upon us all.
Explore: It may not have been so silent, but it had impact.
Explore: It may not have been so silent, but it had impact.
Expand: The effects of that impact, heard in the song of the angelic chorus still resonate.
I want to focus a few moments on the contents of that song.
Luke 2:14 (ESV)
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace
among those with whom he is pleased!”
The first Impact is
Body of Sermon:
1 Glory.
1 Glory.
1.1 God’s glory was made manifest among men.
1.2 God’s glory is still announced among men.
The next impact is
2 Peace.
2 Peace.
2.1 In a world constantly at war we can be at peace with God.
2.2 This peace with God has impact when we allow it to flow from our life to others.
the final impact is
3 Grace.
3 Grace.
In this text “good pleasure” functions almost like a synonym for Grace. To be “graced” by God is to know His good pleasure.
3.1 God’s good pleasure is expressed in Jesus.
3.2 God’s good pleasure is extended to us.
Shut Down
I hope you know His good pleasure.
I hope you recognize His eternal Peace.
I hope you celebrate His glory.
It is our Kingdom responsibility to live in the light of
that not so silent night,
and to proclaim
His redemptive coming to our fallen world.