Christmas Eve 2021
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Introduction
Introduction
This evening we are gathered together to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus if Nazareth, the Christ. This evening we will read through some of the passages pertaining to the Christmas story. I want to encourage you as we do to keep one thing in mind as we read these passages, of the implications of our readings. And that is about the lowliness, humility, and meekness of Jesus Christ.
It is important to understand what we mean by humility and meekness.
Humility: can refer to a lowly status rank or economic means. It can also refer to a virtue that presents ones self as modest, and in that sense it is the opposite of pride and arrogance.
Meekness: refers to a moral quality of humility and gentleness. As we will see tonight it will take the meaning of power under control.
Part 1: The Son always was.
Part 1: The Son always was.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Going back to Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
This is the first indication of the Trinity of God. This verse speaks of God the Elohim, a title used for God. What is so fascinating about this word is that its is pluralized. As Christians we believe in a Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Living in perfect harmony with one another. They saw fit to create all things. Each playing a role in creation too.
Part 2: Bad News
Part 2: Bad News
In Genesis 3 we are given the account of Adam and Eve sinning against their Creator. Sin meaning missing the mark, Adam and Eve chose to rebel against God and do their own thing. Now sin and iniquity is introduced to the human race.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
All of mankind falling into sin and shame was not a surprise for God. He didn’t go, “Oh no, the people we created sinned against us, what are we going to do.”
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The plan was already in motion which leads to our third part.
Part 3: The Savior is born
Part 3: The Savior is born
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. 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 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). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
The level of humility that Jesus displays is profound. He again took that quantum leap clothing himself with humanity. Being fully God and fully man. With the purpose of redeeming a dark and sinful world.
Isaiah would prophecy about the messiah, the chosen one, like this:
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
We are talking about the God of the universe the one who created all things out of nothing. To speak things into existence and yet be born? and not only that but to be rejected by men? Praise the Lord for His goodness and kindness. Because Jesus came to save you and me...
Part 4: The humility of Christ
Part 4: The humility of Christ
The Christmas story is amazing, one that becomes no less amazing with every retelling. The King of kings and Lord of lord leaves the splendor of glory to come to a shattered earth to suffer and die for rebellious scum.
Jesus was not born in a palace, but in a stable. He lives His life as a pilgrim, denied a small luxury even animals enjoy...
20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
He is despised and rejected then subjected to a bloody and painful public crucifixion.
Why would Jesus go through all of that? He does it all intentionally and willingly so that those rebels will be forgiven, so that those separated from God will have a home with Him forever, and so that grace will be supplied to people in desperate need of it.
Wherever in our Lord’s life any incident indicates more emphatically than usual the lowliness of His humiliation, there, by the side of it, you get something that indicates the majesty of His glory:
Jesus was born as a baby in humble conditions, yet announced by angels.
Jesus was laid in a manger, yet signaled by a star.
Jesus submitted to baptism as if He were a sinner, then heard the Divine voice of approval.
Jesus slept when He was exhausted, but awoke to calm the storm.
Jesus wept at a grave, then called the dead to life.
Jesus surrendered to arrest, then declared “I am” and knocked all the of His enemies over.
Jesus died on a cross, but in it He defeated sin, death, and Satan.
The words of the wonderful old Christmas hymn “Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne” perfectly captures the stunning contrast between Jesus’ suffering and our resultant blessing:
Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity
Heaven’s arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming Thy royal degree;
but of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in great humility.
The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest
In the shade of the forest tree;
But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God,
In the deserts of Galilee.
Thou camest, O Lord, with the living Word,
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn,
They bore Thee to Calvary.
When the heav’ns shall ring, and her choirs shall sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home, saying “Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee.”
This Christmas, we need to remember that if you are a believer you have an eternal home, because in amazing grace Jesus was willing to leave His home and have no home.
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior the Bible says:
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Jesus came the first time to bring salvation to our fallen race. As the bible teaches us there will be a second coming of Christ. And He will be coming to bring judgement.
This is so critical for us to understand family. That every man, woman, and child must heed and claim Jesus Christ as Lord, while there is still time. We do not know the day or the hour of His second coming, but not only that we do not know the day or the hour that we might die. As long as you are alive you are being given an opportunity to accept Jesus as the Lord of your life.
2 For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
You might try and argue that you don’t Jesus’ saving grace. That you are a good person. Liar, thief, murderer, blasphemy
The bible states: 1 Cor 6:9-11
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Maybe you have made some major mistakes in your life and that you think that you cannot be saved. The bible says: 1 John 1:7-9
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I was conducting a revival in Detroit. One night as I started to walk into the church, a man came up to me and said, "Are you Mr. Finney?"
"Yes."
"I wonder if you will do me a favor. When you get through tonight, will you come home with me and talk to me about my soul?"
"Gladly. You wait for me." I walked inside and some of the men stopped me.
"What did that man want, Brother Finney?"
"He wanted me to go home with him."
"Don't do it."
"I'm sorry, but I promised, and I shall go with him."
When the service was over, the man and I walked three blocks, into a side street, down an alley, and stopped, unlocked the door and said to me, "Come in." I walked into the room. The man locked the door and reached into his pocket, pulled out a revolver, and held it in his hand. "I don't intend to do you any harm," he said. " I just want to ask you a few questions. Did you mean what you said in your sermon last night?"
"What did I say? I have forgotten."
"You said, 'The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.'"
"Yes, God says so."
The man said, "Brother Finney, you see this gun? It has killed four people. It is mine. Two of them were killed by me, two of them by my bartender in a brawl in my bar. Is there hope for a man like me?"
I said, "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin."
The man replied, "In the back of this partition is my bar. I own it, everything in it. We sell every kind of liquor to anybody who comes along. Many, many times I have taken the last dollar out of a man's pocket, letting his family go hungry. Many times mothers have brought their babies here and pled with me not to sell any more booze to their husbands, but I have driven them out, and continued selling liquor. Is there any hope for a man like me?"
I said, "God says, The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin."
"Another question, Brother Finney, In the back of this other partition there is a gambling establishment and it is as crooked as sin and Satan. There isn't a decent wheel in the whole place. It is all loaded and crooked. A man may leave the bar with some money left, but we get it from him in there. Men have gone out of there to commit suicide when their money, and perhaps trusted funds, were all gone. Is there any hope for a man like me?"
I said, "God says, The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin."
"One more question and I will let you go. When you walk out of this alley, you turn to the right, and you'll see a brown stone house. Its my home, I own it. My wife is there, and our eleven-year-old daughter, Margaret. Thirteen years ago I went to New York on business. I met a beautiful girl. I lied to her. I told her I was a stockbroker and she married me. I brought her here, and when she found out what my business was, it broke her heart. I have come home drunk, beaten her, abused her, locked her out, made her life more miserable than that of any brute beast. About a month ago I went home drunk, mean, miserable. My wife got in the way somehow and I started beating her. My daughter threw herself between us. I slapped her across the face and knocked her against a red-hot stove.
Her arm is burned from the shoulder to the wrist. It will never look the same again. Brother Finney, is there hope for a man like me?"
I took hold of the man's shoulder, and shook him, and said, "Oh, son, what a black story you have to tell! But God says, 'The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.'"
The man said, "Thank you; thank you very much. Pray for me. I am coming to church tomorrow night."
I went about my business. The next morning, about seven o'clock, the bartender started across the street out of his office. His neck tie was awry. His face was dusty and sweaty and tearstained. He was shaking and rocking as though he were drunk. But let us go back to that room. He had taken his swivel chair and smashed the mirror, the fireplace, the desk, and the other chairs. He had smashed the partition on each side. Every bottle and barrel and bar mirror in that saloon were shattered and broken. The sawdust was swimming ankle deep in a terrible mixture of beer, gin, wine, and whiskey. In the gambling establishment the tables were smashed, the dice and the cards were in the fireplace smoldering. He staggered across the street, walked up the stairs of his home, and sat down heavily in the chair in his room. His wife called their daughter and said, "Maggie, run upstairs and tell your father that breakfast is ready." The girl walked slowly up the stairs. Half afraid, she stood in the door and said, "Daddy, breakfast is ready. Mama says to come down."
"Maggie, dear, your father doesn't want any breakfast."
Maggie ran down the stairs and said, "Mama, daddy said, 'Maggie, dear,' and he didn't –"
"Maggie, you didn't understand. You go back upstairs and ask him to come down."
Maggie went back upstairs with her mother following her. The man looked up as he heard his daughter's footsteps, spread out his knee, and said, "Maggie, come here."
Shyly, frightened, and trembling, the young girl walked up to him. He placed her on his lap, pressing his face against her weeping. His wife, standing in the doorway, couldn't understand what had happened. After a while he noticed her and said, "Come here, dear." He threw his arms around them both, the ones he had so fearfully abused; lowered his face between them, and sobbed until the room almost shook with the impact of his emotion.
After some moments he controlled himself, looked up into their faces and said, "You needn't be afraid of me any more. God has made a new man out of me. A new husband and father came home today."
That night the three of them walked down the aisle of the church, and gave their hearts to the Lord. After that it was always a privilege to go into that home, where Christ now held an honored place in each heart.
Altar Call: If you would like to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior I would like to lead you in a pray. Please understand that the prayer doesn’t save you, placing your hope and faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that will.
“Father in heaven, blessed be Your name. Please forgive me for my rebellion. This night I give myself completely to you. Trusting that Jesus’ blood cleanses me from all sin. Thank you for allowing me to be adopted into your family. Help me to live for your this day forward. Amen.”
24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.