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Morning Message Text: Luke 2: 1-14
The Birth of Jesus
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Morning Message:
On this third Sunday of Advent, we are called to celebrate joy. Now we’re talking, right? This is the week we have been waiting for. Everyone wants to feel the joy of Christmas, but it seems like we have a hard time getting to it. I was going to say that maybe we are looking for joy everywhere but where we should, but I want to rephrase that and take the maybe out of it. I know that all of us try to find joy in the things and the atmosphere of the Christmas season. Our Advent devotional this week in the Wednesday reading reminds us of where true joy comes from. C.S. Lewis says this in his reflections on Psalm 97. This is also in our Book of Confessions. Man’s end is “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” But, we shall then know that these are the same thing. Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him. Do we really understand this concept of enjoying God?
This is straight from your devotional: “When we set aside the flurry of activity that so often comes in December, we can almost hear the message of the angels. They invited the shepherds not to be afraid but to give glory to God. Lewis tells us that when they did this, the angels were inviting them to enjoy God. Aren’t we, too, being invited in this holy season to give glory to God? God doesn’t really need our praise and glory, but He knows that we need to lift up our hearts. We need to lift up our eyes unto the hills, from whence our help comes, and see the glory that will be revealed to us.”
I will make the case to you today that if you are having a difficult time enjoying Christmas it’s because you are failing to enjoy God.
I know that you all enjoy history as much as I do. Let me start with an easy question. Name this person – He was said to be the most powerful person in the world. The Savior of the World. The bringer of peace to the world. The King of Kings. His name is —- Caesar Augustus. Remember, the Christmas story begins with these words, “It came to pass in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” Augustus reined from 31 BC to 14 AD. The Roman Empire extended from England over to Asia and down south into Africa. He changed his name early to Augustus which speaks of majesty and divinity. He was the first Emperor worshiped as a god. After Julius Caesar died, a great comet appeared in the sky. This cosmic event freaked many people out. Ever the politician, Augustus did not let a good crisis go to waste. He declared that the comet was his dad Julius Caesar ascending to heaven. If his dad was a God, what did that make Augustus? The son of God. His mom was human, and his dad was a God, so he said he was half human and half divine. He even minted coins with the comet on it with an inscription “Divine Julius.” He claimed to be the Savior of the world. He proclaimed peace on earth and that his kingdom would never end. He appointed kings over every land that he conquered and called himself the King of Kings. In 12 BC he made himself the High Priest. In 9 BC a declaration on his birthday said, “The birthday of the God Augustus has been for the whole world the beginning of good news concerning him.” This is what evil tries to do; replace Jesus with a fake Savior.
In order for us to enjoy God we must be clear on His Good News. We don’t need to wait for Christmas day to proclaim the birth of our Savior. There is so much proof that Jesus is Savior of the world that it should bring joy to the hearts of every Christian. The words and works of the Old Testament prophets gave glimmers of a coming Savior—a King who would rescue his people and restore them to God. In fact, the Hebrew Scriptures contain more than 300 specific promises about the coming Savior (or the Messiah, as they called him). The odds against them all happening by chance are astronomical. Yet these events actually happened, just as predicted, even to the most minute detail. We don’t truly enjoy God because we try to celebrate Christmas without the true reason for the season. Let me challenge us today. I challenge you, all of you, and I am challenging myself. Read the prophecies and then read the story. In Micah 5:2 Micah predicted Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem about 700 years before it happened. In Daniel 9:25, Daniel gave a timetable for Jesus’ appearance. I n Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah said the Messiah would be born of a virgin. In Jeremiah 31:15, Jeremiah foretold a time when, because of Christ’s birth, many children would be slaughtered. In Hosea 11:1, Hosea revealed that Mary and Joseph would have to go to Egypt to save Jesus’ life. All of these prophecies were given 500 – 700 years before the birth of Christ, and each one came true at His birth. Jesus’ birth was not only a historical fact but a fulfillment of prophecy, proving that He is the Messiah, the Savior of humankind.
I will be the first to confess that I sometimes miss the joy of Christmas. I am just as guilty as anyone for allowing the noise and busyness of Christmas to keep me from enjoying God. This amazing thing that God did for us is so precious that it deserves our full attention. We would be lost for eternity if not for Christmas. From your devotional: “Even in the midst of suffering, we need this reminder. St. Paul tells us in Romans 8:18, ‘I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.’ When we give glory to God, it reminds us of the glory that will be revealed to us. And we find joy in this glory. That’s one reason why the message was ‘good news of great joy’ not only for the shepherds but ‘for all the people’ – including us.”
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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