3 reasons the birth of Christ brings us joy
I. He Is the Promised Messiah Who Is Humble (v. 1-8)
Luke 1:26-38 - Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 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; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”
II. His Birth Is Good News Because He Is the Savior of the World (vv. 9-14)
Luke 2:8-14 - In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 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; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
III. His Birth Proves Every Detail of God's Word Is True (v. 15-21)
Luke 2:16-17 - When the shepherds received word from the angel Gabriel that their Messiah is born they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
Matthew 2:11 - After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.
Conclusion - Do you believe in this Christ?
Joy, to the world, Christian. Our redemption is the very reason why we as Christians commemorate Christmas year to year in a variety of ways here at Faith Church, such as through Christmas for Everyone, a Taste of Christmas, The Living Nativity, and our Christmas Cantata.But the thread of all of these commemorative events can be seen in a number of places in the sacred text, yet find their fulfillment in a portion of Scripture that perhaps most of you should be familiar with, and that is Luke’s Gospel 2:1-21 – for it’s in this text by which we have arisen many a hymns – many a song from the hearts of God’s people who express an eternal joy in that in that the baby in Bethlehem’s manger was not just an innocent baby born of supernatural circumstances.He was, in fact, the God of all creation who took on flesh to seek and to save the lost (Matt. 18:11; Luke 19:10; 5:32; Rom. 5:8)
And if, per chance, there may be those who are unbelievers in Christ today, then this message is for you as well…
So then with the time allotted to us today, I want you to see…
Proposition: Three Reasons the Birth of Christ Brings Us Joy
I. He is the promised Messiah who is humble (v. 1-8)
Verses 1-7 goes on to explain the events surrounding the birth of the Christ, such as the rule and reign of Caesar Augustus, but God had already sovereignly and providentially mapped out these events such that Mary and Joseph would need to travel 80 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem “to register for the census, each to his own city.” (vv. 4-5)Every male had to do this – So Joseph returned with his wife Mary who was close to giving birth to Christ, the Messiah. Mary was fully aware of the Person who she carried.
There’s a old song that goes this way:“Would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you…”
Well – Mary may not have known all of the supernatural circumstances of the Messiah she carried, but she most certainly knew that the child she carried was her Savior and Redeemer who would identify with humanity by becoming a man Himself
Luke 1:26-38
26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 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.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”
You see Mary knew that her Savior had finally arrived! And the question I have for you today is this: Do you know? Do you know that the Christ came to seek and save that which was lost? If you believe you are, you have come to the right place.Would you please consider why we Christians have such tremendous joy? Consider what the Scriptures say. Consider Bethlehem and the details of Christ and why we commemorate his birth. Consider what the Scriptures say!Consider even the songs we sing
“Glory to God in the highest
Glory to God in the highest
Our hope has appeared
God has drawn near
Glory to God alone
See the One who spans the heavens with His hand
With fingers so small
See this babe so poor all of heaven adores
He's the ruler of all”
II. His birth is good news because he is the Savior of the world (vv. 9-14).Verses 8-14 “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. 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; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ 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 with whom He is pleased.”
Christ came on a mission to redeem – to redeem his people. The news of his birth was given to angels who were sent to perhaps some of the lowliest people of that day – to shepherds – why? Because shepherds were considered by many a religious Jew to be unclean.The kind of work they did kept them away from temple because they were considered as unclean. Then why send them to the shepherds? ANSWER: In order to demonstrate the grace of God in coming to the lowliest of people.God didn’t go to the rich. He didn’t go to the mighty – he came to the outcast – he came to the dregs of society. He came to seek and to save lost sinners
Are you a sinner? Are you in need of a Savior? Are you in need of a Redeemer today? If you know that, then understand that the joy of salvation and peace with God comes by believing in Christ alone.Consider what the Scriptures say. Consider the commemorative songs we sing…
Praise we the Lord in Heaven on high
This gift of God we cherish well
(That ever by our hearts shall fill)
III. His birth proves every detail of God's word is true (v. 15-21)
Verses 16-17 “When the shepherds received word from the angel Gabriel that their Messiah is born they “came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.”
Can you imagine their perplexity and excitement in riding on the coattails of God’s providence? And upon seeing the Christ-child, their response is found in Matthew 2:11 “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.”Will you worship this King of Glory? Will you consider what the Scriptures say? Will you repent of your sins and believe in this Christ?Will you consider even more so now why we sing the songs we sing about our Lord?
O worship the King, all glorious above
O gratefully sing HIs wonderful love
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days
Paviolioned in splendor, and girded with praise
Application: The joy and confidence we have of trusting God at his word and seeing things "which the Lord has told us about," "concerning what had been told them", "just as God told them
Conclusion - Do you believe in this Christ?
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