Christmas 2018
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From Ordinary to Extraordinary
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 2
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
The Shepherds were doing their routine activity. They were watching their sheep at night. I’m sure they had seen some impressive things but not nearly as impressive as what they are about to see. They had probably seen wild animals come and try to snatch one of their sheep, they had seen the miracle of a sheep giving birth to a baby lamb, they had seen shooting stars, but they had never seen what they were about to witness. An angel of the Lord stood before them suddenly. He was not there and they didn’t see him coming. He just appeared before their very eyes. The glory of the Lord shown around them. This is a superlative brightness that represents the Lord. It is one that you cannot directly look at. It was dark in the night and suddenly it became brighter than daylight.
The Word of God says that they were terribly frightened. Shepherds were hard people to scare. They were known to be tough guys that lived difficult lives. They were use to fighting off wild beast that would try to eat their sheep. They were good at running off thieves that would try to steal their sheep. Needless to say they were tough guys that were pretty much fearless. However; when the angel of the Lord appeared and the glory of the Lord shown around them they were “terribly frightened”.
When the Lord breaks into our lives it is always extraordinary!
When the Lord breaks into our lives it is always extraordinary!
It seems to happen in the times of ordinary mundane life. We seem to be in a routine that is somewhat monotonous and the Lord shows up. I remember the time when God broke into my life. I was a student in college, had a good job, had plenty of friends, life was good. Then at a fraternity party God brought this girl into my life. The first night we met we talked for hours about one another’s lives. She asked me about my relationship with the Lord. I said what every unsaved boy in the south would say. “Yeah I got saved when was young.” This question was God breaking into my life. I had to really ponder the question. I tried to push it away because I was afraid of the answer. After several weeks I had to face the question, because I knew it was not going away. I remember the night. My parents were out of town, my brother was at work, so I was home alone with this thought about where I was with the Lord. I remember crying out to God to do whatever was necessary to forgive me of the sin of my life. He reminded me of the gospel that I had heard and
been taught when I was 15 years old. That which had only been a good story to me became a reality in an instant. I repented of my sins and was saved. That night I was late picking up my date. She was very understanding as I shared with her the reason for my tardiness. As if this isn’t extraordinary in and of itself. The lady I was late picking up was Rachel! God not only broke into my life with the best blessing I have ever received (My salvation) but also the second best blessing. (My Wife) and little did I know that in just a few short years God would bless me with a third best blessing. (My Kids). When God broke into my life I was scared to face the reality of the presence of God. When I did, the Lord saved and blessed me.
From Uninformed To Enlightened
From Uninformed To Enlightened
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 2
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is bChrist the Lord.
12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there appeared 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 men bwith whom He is pleased.”
The day Jesus was born the announcement was made to the shepherds. This was not the most likely people to receive this message because they were not Jewish scholars, religious people, or even known to be very bright. They were looked down on by society because they had a reputation for being dishonest uneducated men. Due to their profession they were deemed unclean and could not go to the temple. In man’s eyes they were the most unlikely to receive the good news of this magnitude.
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
The Message
The Message
Today there has been born for you a savior!
Today there has been born for you a savior!
This was a most astonishing message. What would it have meant to a group of shepherds. They would have been taught at an early age that God was going to send a Messiah to save Israel. However; knowing what we know about shepherds of that day, they probably didn’t put much stock in the Messiah’s relevance in their own lives. They may have even believed that their sin was so great that they could not be saved. To hear the message that a Savior was born for them gave them hope and faith. That which was irrelevant suddenly became relevant. This meant that all the sin that they had commited would be forgiven and that they could be saved.
Perhaps your here today and you may think as the shepherds may have thought. This Jesus is irrelevant to me. I have done somethings that have disqualified me from salvation. Friend! This is not true Christ is good news for all people. The reason He was born and died was for the sin that we commit. It is paid in full by Jesus! All you have to do is repent of your sin, receive His forgiveness and salvation, and make Him Lord of your life. Jesus can be relevant to you this morning.
Glory to God in the highest!
Glory to God in the highest!
When God brings a message it always warrants our praise. The message that the Angel shared was so worthy of praise that the sky was filled with a multitude of heavenly host. The message that God was sending His Son into the world to bring salvation and peace is the greatest message that has ever been given. There are many people that need to hear this message today. They find themselves in a state of despair and depression because of the consequences of the choices they made. They feel like their is no hope for them. The good news is that Jesus saves! He brings salvation to the sinner. Worship Him today!
Peace among men with whom He is pleased.
Peace among men with whom He is pleased.
God has removed the enmity between man and God. Man can now have a relationship with God because God has sent His Son to make it possible. Through Jesus Christ we have peace with God. This is because the wrath of God toward man was satisfied on the cross where His Son paid the penalty for our sin. In Christ we have access to the Father at any time.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the [d]barrier of the dividing wall, 15 [e]by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might [f]make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, [g]by it having put to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.
Not only do we have peace with God, but we can have peace with one another. God has broken down the barrier of animosity toward one another. Between Jew and Gentile and all other people group. We can be one in Christ. When we focus on who we are in Christ rather than our cultural differences we will have peace. When we focus on our differences we will not have peace.
From Working To Worshiping
From Working To Worshiping
When the shepherds recieved the message from God, they stopped there work and went and found Jesus. They rushed to Bethlehem and found Jesus laying in a manger. They told Mary and Joseph about the message God had given them. Mary pondered the message in her heart.The shepherds left worshipping and praising God.
Friend when we have a message from God, it is not meant to keep it to ourselves. We are to share it with others. They could have said we are going to wait till the next shift comes in and then go see if we can find the baby that we heard about. They did not they immediately left and found Jesus. They told Mary all about the angels and the message they had heard. That message could have been the very thing Mary needed to hear. She had been through a lot with her pregnancy. It would have been easy to forget What Gabriel had shared with her nine months earlier.
30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
The birth of Jesus is the greatest news to all mankind. It is God’s salvation. There are people this Christmas season that need to hear the message of Christ. The greatest gift you can give someone this season is the good news of Jesus Christ!
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is bChrist the Lord.
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is bChrist the Lord.
12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men bwith whom He is pleased.”
And on earth peace among men bwith whom He is pleased.”
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .