Sermon Tone Analysis

Today is the Sunday before Christmas and normally we give a sermon about the birth of Christ, which were going to do today.

*Luke 2:1-16*.

Today I'm going to start off with a *short poem* called "Christmas Means."

And it begins like this...

*I) */Christmas means that:/

*A) **He descended that we might ascend*/ (John 6:38, 14:3)./

*B) **He became poor that we might become rich*/ (2 Cor 8:9, Jas.

2:5)./

*C) **He was born that we might be born again*/ (John 1:14, 3:2,7)./

*D) **He became a servant that we might become sons*/ (Phil.

2:7; Gal.

4:6, 7)./

*E) **He had no home that we might have a home in heaven*/ (Matt.

8:20; John 14:2)./

*F) **He was hungry that we might be fed*/ (Matt.

4:2; John 6:50)./

*G) **He was thirsty that we might be satisfied*/ (John 19:26)./

*H) **He was stripped that we might be clothed*/ (Matt.

27:28; Gal.

3:27)./

*I) **He was whipped that we might be healed*.

(1 Peter 2:24)

*J) **He was forsaken that we might not be forsaken*/ (Matt 27:26; 28:20)./

*K) **He was sad that we might become glad*/ (Isa 53:3; Phil.

4:4)./

*L) **He was bound that we might go free*/ (Matt 27:2; John 8:32-36)./

*M) **He was made sin that we might be made righteous*/ (2 Cor 5:21)./

*N) **He died that we might live*/ (John 5:24, 25)./

*O) **He came down that we might be caught up*/ (1st Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

/

*1) **Christmas* also *means* that *God is never late*.

He *never misses a deadline*.

He *sent His son* into the world *right on time*.

*God’s timetable is always perfect*.

Our timetable and God’s timetable are not always the same.

There are times when we want God to act right now.

We pray "*God give me this promotion right now… God get me out of debt right now… God give me patience and give it to me now!*" *But God who has all wisdom and knowledge* *and* *sees the end from the beginning* *is never late*.

*He’s right on time*.

*It may not be our time*, but is always His time.

*2) *In the Christmas season we see a great *reminder* of the fact that *God acted in just the right time* *when* He *sent* *His Son* to the earth.

*a) *Turn with me to *Galatians 4:1-7*.

*Notice* that *(V.4*) says, *"When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman."*

*(i) *That’s an amazing statement.

*Jesus came at precisely the right time*, *God’s perfect timing*.

*3) **Maybe today* *is the perfect time* *in your life* *for God to move* in a special way.

*Today* *may be the time God speaks to your heart*, *answers your prayer*, or *changes your situation*.

*Today may be the perfect timing* *for God* to begin *to work in your life*.

*II) **There had to be PREPARATION* for His Coming (vv.1-3).

*A) *Just as *there is a perfect timing for Jesus Second Coming*, *there was* *a perfect timing for his birth*.

There were *many prophecies given* concerning the birth of Christ *and* these *prophecies had to be fulfilled* before Jesus could be born.

*B) **There was RELIGIOUS Preparation*.

*1) **Throughout the Old Testament*, *God* had been *dealing with His* chosen *people*, Israel.

It would be *through them* that the *Messiah would come*.

*But Israel* was *always straying from God*.

*They refused to simply worship Him alone*, and were *always following after the gods of the peoples around them*.

*Over and over, God judged Israel for this idolatry*.

*2) **Finally*, *during the Babylonian Captivity* the *Jews returned to monotheism*, *which is the worship and service to only one God.*

This *prepared* *the way* *for Jesus* to be born.

*C) **There was POLITICAL Preparation*.

*1) **By the time Jesus was born*, *Rome ruled the world*.

The *Romans* had *conquered* *all the nations* around them.

*a) **God determined who would ascend to power in the Roman Empire*.

*At the coming of Christ*, *Caesar Augustus* *was the emperor*.

*Little did he know* that *when he called for a census*, *he was* *doing God’s will*.

*2) **Because of this census* all of the *people* *had to return to their place of origin* and *be taxed* *and* *counted*.

*a) **A pregnant woman and her husband made a historic journey to Bethlehem*.

*Mary*, *the* virgin *mother of Jesus*, was *guided by the sovereignty of God* *to the place prophesied in the Old Testament* *where Christ would be born*.

*D) *There was *SPIRITUAL Preparation*.

*1) *Look back with me to *Galatians 3:23-25*.

These verses provide an *analogy* *of how God prepared people’s hearts* *to receive the Messiah*.

*2) *(*V.

22*) says, *"The Scripture hath concluded all under sin,"* *that is* *by reading the Bible* *we all know that we are sinners*.

*a) *(*V.

23*) says *that "Before faith came we kept under the law."*

Before Jesus came, people tried to keep all God’s OT laws.

Guess what?

They couldn’t do it.

It was impossible.

God designed is that way.

*b) *(*V.

24*) says *" The law was our schoolmaster (tutor) to bring us unto Christ."*

*(i) *In other words, because we realize keeping the law can’t save us, we know we need a Savior…Jesus!

*3) *In *(Galatians 4:1*), Paul uses a slightly different analogy.

He speaks of an "*heir*" who is a "*child*."

In fact, he says that such an "*heir… does not differ at all from a servant or slave*" even though he is "*master of all*."

Why?

Because he is "*under tutors and governors*," who make him study, who point out his faults, and punish his mistakes.

*4) *But this only lasts for a while, "*until the time appointed by the father*."

*a) *In Greek culture, this wealthy young "*heir*" is schooled and disciplined, and treated like a "*slave*" until the time that his "*father*" gives him his full inheritance.

*5) *(Galatians 4:3) says, "*We were children… in bondage under the elements of the world*."

God’s people were under the law, the "*tutor*" or "*guardian*."

The law was harsh and its punishment was harsh.

*6) *Now look at *Galatians 4:4*.

We were "*in bondage*" until "*the fullness of the time had come*."

*a) *Jesus’ coming signified that our bondages have been broken and we no longer full under the curse of the law and that we can now live in the full inheritance of God's blessings.

*III) *The PURPOSE of His Coming (vv.4-5).

*A) *Jesus came to FULFILL (v.4).

*1) *Jesus came in the "*fullness*" of time to fulfill the work of the God.

There was much more to that night in Bethlehem then just a baby born in a manger.

*2) *God "*sent forth His Son*."

Jesus left His place of prominence and privilege in heaven to dwell in the womb of a young woman from Nazareth.

How the angels must have been in awe and amazement.

The Creator of the Universe was carried about in a woman’s womb.

*3) *(Verse 5) says that He was "*born (or made) of a woman*."

This speaks of His humanity.