WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.560 The Bad Guys Are Winning. 00:00:08.720 --> 00:00:12.720 That was the title for the December edition of The Atlantic. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:18.240 The cover of The Atlantic in December, I don't know if you saw this, 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:23.059 but it featured the leaders of five heads of state of five different countries. 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:27.000 Venezuela, Belarus, Russia, China, and Turkey. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:34.240 And the author of the cover story, Ann Applebaum, argues in this cover story 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:41.200 that if the 20th century was the long, slow story of democracy triumphing over totalitarianism, 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:47.780 then the start of the 21st century in some parts of the world has actually seen the reverse. 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.980 That there are a growing number of autocratic governments around the world 00:00:51.979 --> 00:00:57.859 who suppress the media, deny human rights, and make democracy next to impossible. 00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:05.700 And as I read her article, I couldn't help but not only hear what she was trying to say, 00:01:05.780 --> 00:01:11.019 but also feel that this can often ring true, not just in foreign politics, 00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:13.659 but often in our everyday lives. 00:01:13.659 --> 00:01:16.920 It can sometimes feel like the bad guys are winning. 00:01:17.659 --> 00:01:20.119 It can feel like this sometimes in our workplaces, 00:01:20.119 --> 00:01:23.759 when corrupt ways of doing business go ignored. 00:01:24.479 --> 00:01:26.640 It can feel like the bad guys are winning. 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:32.979 In our families, when conflict persists, maybe even and especially during the holidays, 00:01:33.979 --> 00:01:35.280 it can feel like the bad guys are winning. 00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:42.540 Maybe even in our own selves, when challenges with mental health, anxiety, depression persist, 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:45.620 it can feel like the bad guys are winning. 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:49.500 As we think about the violence in our city this past year, 00:01:49.540 --> 00:01:53.460 and just the rate of gun violence that just persists and continues, 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:56.359 it can feel like the bad guys are winning. 00:01:56.740 --> 00:02:04.000 Right now, it seems like the Omicron variant is the bad guy who seems to be winning. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:06.900 Surely, it doesn't just feel like this for us, 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:11.039 but it felt like this for the Jewish people in the first century, 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:13.460 those in our story here in Luke chapter 2. 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:21.340 They were a marginalized religious group dispersed throughout the vast empire of the Roman Empire. 00:02:22.099 --> 00:02:25.840 For centuries, they were subject to foreign powers without a common home, 00:02:26.780 --> 00:02:30.300 without a common language, and without a common place of worship. 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:33.819 And now they lived under the Romans who ruled with an iron fist. 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:37.340 And I think the question for us this morning is, 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:39.919 does Christmas have anything to say to them? 00:02:40.620 --> 00:02:45.120 Does it have anything to say to us when it feels like the bad guys are winning? 00:02:45.979 --> 00:02:48.419 We find an answer here in Luke chapter 2, 00:02:49.319 --> 00:02:50.819 and the answer is yes. 00:02:50.920 --> 00:02:52.500 Christmas does have something to say, 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:53.639 and it has something to say, 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:57.099 because this is precisely the world into which Jesus came. 00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:00.439 This is precisely the world into which God came. 00:03:01.219 --> 00:03:04.699 And this is what the angels tell the shepherds in verse 11. 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:07.379 The angel says, 00:03:07.539 --> 00:03:10.439 there is good news of great joy for all people. 00:03:10.439 --> 00:03:12.960 And so this is the joy of Christmas, 00:03:13.060 --> 00:03:14.879 that even when it seems like the bad guys are winning, 00:03:15.359 --> 00:03:18.819 we can have good news of great joy for all people. 00:03:18.900 --> 00:03:20.439 So we're going to take a look at each of those three. 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:24.280 First of all, Christmas is good news. 00:03:25.079 --> 00:03:26.199 Christmas is good news. 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:28.340 In verses 1 through 3, 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:33.379 Luke is careful to document the historical details surrounding the birth of Christ. 00:03:33.379 --> 00:03:37.780 He tells us it happened during the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus, 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:39.500 also known as Octavian, 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:41.740 who is the nephew of Julius Caesar. 00:03:42.579 --> 00:03:43.620 And during this time, 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:45.620 Octavian issued a census. 00:03:46.539 --> 00:03:52.180 And a census was how the Roman Empire would assess taxes for the entire empire 00:03:52.180 --> 00:03:55.479 based on the population of each province. 00:03:55.699 --> 00:03:58.719 And so this is why Quirinius is mentioned in verse 2. 00:03:58.719 --> 00:04:03.819 He was the governor in Syria where the regions of Galilee and Judea were, 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:05.719 where the towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth were. 00:04:06.460 --> 00:04:14.219 And so Quirinius would have been in charge of reporting the statistics of the population of Syria to Rome 00:04:14.219 --> 00:04:17.519 so that Rome could levy taxes and raise money for the empire. 00:04:17.740 --> 00:04:24.980 And so this forms the historical backdrop for Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem 00:04:24.980 --> 00:04:26.860 where they went to register for the census. 00:04:26.860 --> 00:04:30.639 And Luke tells us in verse 6 that while they were there, 00:04:31.699 --> 00:04:32.780 Mary gave birth. 00:04:34.500 --> 00:04:35.319 Interestingly enough, 00:04:35.400 --> 00:04:39.280 Luke doesn't tell us that they are frantically on their way to Bethlehem 00:04:39.280 --> 00:04:41.160 when Mary starts having constructions 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:42.840 and they can't find a place to stay 00:04:42.840 --> 00:04:43.879 and they're knocking on doors. 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:46.920 If we imagine the birth of Christ this way, 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:48.780 it's more so because of Hollywood 00:04:48.780 --> 00:04:52.379 and the way that films have portrayed this scene. 00:04:52.379 --> 00:04:59.040 They actually may have been there weeks or months before Mary's due date was. 00:04:59.100 --> 00:04:59.860 We don't know. 00:05:00.659 --> 00:05:03.000 Luke just very casually, matter of fact, says, 00:05:03.719 --> 00:05:05.459 while they were there, she gave birth. 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:10.199 So why do all of these historical details matter? 00:05:10.659 --> 00:05:15.399 Why do all these historical things matter when it comes to the birth of Jesus? 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:18.560 They matter because Christmas is news. 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:23.259 It's news about an event that has happened in world history. 00:05:24.419 --> 00:05:26.679 Jesus was born into this world. 00:05:27.819 --> 00:05:30.599 This is important because it's common for people to think 00:05:30.599 --> 00:05:34.159 that the main thing that the Christian faith has to offer the world 00:05:34.159 --> 00:05:35.659 is good advice. 00:05:36.799 --> 00:05:38.019 Advice about how to live, 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:39.959 how to be a moral person, 00:05:40.039 --> 00:05:42.179 maybe how to engage in your own spirituality. 00:05:42.180 --> 00:05:46.199 And therefore, Christmas is really just a symbolic story. 00:05:46.780 --> 00:05:50.360 You don't really need the birth of Christ to have actually happened 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:53.980 if all that Christianity has to offer is just good advice. 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:56.900 But notice that the angel doesn't say, 00:05:57.100 --> 00:05:58.920 I have some good advice for you. 00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:02.600 He says, I have good news for you. 00:06:02.819 --> 00:06:06.639 There's a big difference between good news and good advice. 00:06:07.560 --> 00:06:10.240 Good news says, save your money. 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:11.740 I'm sorry. 00:06:11.960 --> 00:06:13.759 Good advice says, save your money. 00:06:14.360 --> 00:06:18.319 Good news says, $20,000 has just been deposited into your bank account. 00:06:19.860 --> 00:06:21.079 This is an illustration, by the way. 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:21.639 This is not real. 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:27.860 Good advice says, eat healthy, exercise. 00:06:29.500 --> 00:06:33.420 Good news says, hey, we just got your blood work results back 00:06:33.420 --> 00:06:34.960 and your cholesterol levels look great. 00:06:35.579 --> 00:06:36.360 That's good news. 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:39.280 Good advice is about something that you must do. 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:42.879 But good news is about something that's been done. 00:06:43.840 --> 00:06:46.240 And Christmas is about something that has been done for you 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:48.379 that changes everything. 00:06:48.520 --> 00:06:52.139 And this is why the birth of Christ can't just be a sentimental, symbolic story. 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:53.939 It really happened. 00:06:54.840 --> 00:06:57.660 And because it really happened, it changes everything. 00:06:57.660 --> 00:07:03.540 And that's the second part of the angel's message that Christmas is good news. 00:07:04.220 --> 00:07:06.400 It's good news of great joy. 00:07:07.140 --> 00:07:07.939 Of great joy. 00:07:08.880 --> 00:07:11.740 You know, joy, I think, is one of those words that can be over-spiritualized. 00:07:11.820 --> 00:07:15.140 And so I think it's helpful to clarify what it is and what it's not. 00:07:15.139 --> 00:07:21.000 There's a scene in The Lord of the Rings in the last book, Return of the King. 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:27.419 There's a moment for the wizard Gandalf when, for him, it sure seems like the bad guys are winning. 00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:31.639 It sure seems like Sauron is about to win. 00:07:32.139 --> 00:07:33.740 And the circumstances look bleak. 00:07:34.839 --> 00:07:40.539 And Gandalf seems to be just crushed and overwhelmed with sorrow and darkness. 00:07:40.540 --> 00:07:46.480 And then in the middle of feeling like he's being crushed amid the weight of the world, 00:07:46.780 --> 00:07:48.680 he bursts out laughing. 00:07:49.300 --> 00:07:50.260 He laughs. 00:07:51.340 --> 00:07:55.860 And Gandalf says that underneath all the sorrow, there is a great joy, 00:07:56.620 --> 00:08:02.400 a fountain of mirth, enough to set a kingdom laughing were it to gush forth. 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:05.300 Joy is a lot like that. 00:08:05.379 --> 00:08:09.040 It's not a momentary feeling that depends on our changing circumstances. 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:12.160 It's more like an underground fountain. 00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:13.240 It's like an aquifer. 00:08:14.200 --> 00:08:20.580 It's a layer of water underground that if you drill down into it, a fountain will come forth. 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:28.000 Joy is the solid assurance deep down in the bedrock of our soul of God's love and presence no matter what. 00:08:29.200 --> 00:08:34.300 And sometimes we have to drill down deep into it, but when we do, a fountain will come forth. 00:08:34.299 --> 00:08:39.419 Where can you find an aquifer of joy like that? 00:08:39.599 --> 00:08:40.379 Where do you find that? 00:08:41.740 --> 00:08:44.159 The angel tells us in verse 11, he says, 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:48.459 A Savior has been born who is Christ the Lord. 00:08:49.740 --> 00:08:51.039 This is the news of Christmas. 00:08:51.139 --> 00:08:57.219 So let's take a look at each of these three names, these three titles that the angel gives to Jesus. 00:08:57.339 --> 00:09:00.759 He's the Savior who is Christ the Lord. 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:03.059 First, Jesus is the Savior. 00:09:04.120 --> 00:09:13.019 In the Old Testament, Savior often refers to moments when people are rescued from their enemies, either by God or by kings. 00:09:14.019 --> 00:09:20.559 And even in the Roman world, in the first century, it was common for people to refer to military rulers and Caesars as saviors. 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:30.879 And so what this means is that in Jesus, we have a Savior greater than any king of Israel, greater than any Caesar, because he has come to rescue us from our greatest enemies. 00:09:32.719 --> 00:09:36.759 I don't know what feels like for you like the enemy this morning. 00:09:36.839 --> 00:09:43.479 I don't know what feels like for you like who feels like the bad guy or what feels like the bad guy for you this morning. 00:09:43.480 --> 00:09:46.279 Maybe there's one that looms large, maybe there's not. 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:55.659 But amidst all this, the good news of Christmas is that Jesus was born as a Savior to rescue us, to rescue you from your greatest enemies. 00:09:56.360 --> 00:09:58.659 Your greatest enemies, sin and death. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:03.080 He brought about the forgiveness of sins through his own suffering and death on the cross. 00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:05.840 And he overcame death through his resurrection. 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:10.920 The salvation from our greatest enemies has already been done by Christ. 00:10:10.919 --> 00:10:16.759 And the way that Christianity works is that if you have faith that he saved you from that, 00:10:17.259 --> 00:10:21.500 if you have faith that he saved you from your greatest enemies, then you can trust him. 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:23.500 You can trust him with everything else. 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:27.659 So Jesus is the Savior, and he is the Christ. 00:10:28.299 --> 00:10:29.079 He's the Christ. 00:10:29.639 --> 00:10:34.059 Christ isn't Jesus' last name, as some might think. 00:10:34.439 --> 00:10:36.039 Christ means the anointed one. 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:37.339 It means the Messiah. 00:10:37.340 --> 00:10:46.240 The Messiah is the one who the prophet said would fulfill all the Old Testament promises and usher in a new age of peace for humanity. 00:10:46.920 --> 00:10:52.399 We can think about the fulfillment of these promises in terms of three offices. 00:10:53.060 --> 00:10:55.920 Anytime you hear the word Messiah, you should think about these three offices. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.360 Prophet, priest, and king. 00:10:58.780 --> 00:11:00.700 Prophet, priest, and king. 00:11:01.040 --> 00:11:05.180 Jesus is the true prophet who reveals the truth of who God is to the world. 00:11:05.179 --> 00:11:11.579 He is the true priest who restores the presence of God and makes sacrifice for the sins of all people. 00:11:12.299 --> 00:11:18.500 And he is the true king in the line of David, the Davidic king who brings a kingdom of love and justice to the nations. 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:20.979 So Jesus is the Savior. 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:23.939 He's the Christ, the Messiah, and he is the Lord. 00:11:23.940 --> 00:11:34.800 All throughout the Old Testament, the word Lord is a term of divine sovereignty and power reserved only for God. 00:11:35.920 --> 00:11:43.260 And so in the first century, when Jews heard the word Lord, what they heard in their minds was Yahweh. 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:46.060 They heard Yahweh, the Lord. 00:11:46.059 --> 00:11:55.319 And so in calling Jesus Lord, the angel is announcing to the shepherds that Jesus is the sovereign God who rules and reigns over all things. 00:11:56.419 --> 00:11:59.819 Jesus is the Savior who rescues his people. 00:12:00.719 --> 00:12:03.399 He is the Messiah who fulfills God's promises. 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:07.419 And he is the sovereign Lord who rules and reigns over all things. 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:08.699 And this is a fountain. 00:12:08.700 --> 00:12:15.500 This is an aquifer of joy that brings about the assurance of God's love and presence no matter what. 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:22.220 Even in the midst of hard circumstances while we live in the already but not yet. 00:12:23.020 --> 00:12:28.140 In between the first coming of Jesus, which we celebrate at Christmas, 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:35.040 and the second coming of Jesus, which we await for the final consummation and renewal of all things. 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:37.140 And we live in the middle, right? 00:12:37.139 --> 00:12:40.659 We live in the middle between Christ's first coming and his second coming. 00:12:41.439 --> 00:12:48.699 And in the middle, sometimes it can appear, sometimes it can feel like the bad guys are winning in our lives. 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:56.240 But the joy of Christmas is that because Christ was born and because he is Christ the Lord, 00:12:57.360 --> 00:13:02.120 the birth of Jesus is the beginning of the end for the bad guys. 00:13:02.120 --> 00:13:08.919 The birth of Jesus is the beginning of the end for all that's wrong, for all the brokenness in the world. 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:14.159 The birth of Jesus is the beginning of the end of poverty and injustice. 00:13:15.419 --> 00:13:19.139 The birth of Jesus is the beginning of the end for cancer and sickness. 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:26.779 The birth of Jesus is the beginning of the end for anxiety and depression, loneliness and alienation. 00:13:27.559 --> 00:13:32.740 The birth of Jesus is the beginning of the end for sin and death. 00:13:32.740 --> 00:13:33.700 The birth of Jesus is the beginning of the end for sin and death. 00:13:33.779 --> 00:13:36.600 The message of Christmas is not good advice. 00:13:37.539 --> 00:13:50.180 It is good news that Jesus reigns, that he reigns, that in him we have the assurance that the reign of God has broken into this world in a way that can never be thwarted, defeated or overturned. 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:53.699 and it can break into our lives right now 00:13:53.699 --> 00:13:56.399 through the power of the Holy Spirit 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:59.259 in an ordinary place like this, 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:01.620 with ordinary people like you and me. 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:04.519 This is where joy comes from. 00:14:05.019 --> 00:14:08.159 This is where the fountain of mirth comes from, 00:14:08.199 --> 00:14:11.079 and it is this reality that inspired Isaac Watts 00:14:11.079 --> 00:14:14.099 to compose one of the most famous Christmas hymns 00:14:14.099 --> 00:14:16.000 of all time, Joy to the World. 00:14:16.919 --> 00:14:18.099 He penned these words, 00:14:18.100 --> 00:14:21.040 Joy to the World, the Lord is come. 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:24.080 Let earth receive her king. 00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:27.600 No more let sins and sorrows grow, 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.420 nor thorns infest the ground. 00:14:31.139 --> 00:14:33.620 He comes to make his blessings flow 00:14:33.620 --> 00:14:35.840 far as the curse is found. 00:14:37.060 --> 00:14:40.159 Today, for you, even if it feels like the bad guys are winning, 00:14:40.300 --> 00:14:42.720 you can have an aquifer of joy 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:44.420 because the Savior who is Christ, 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:46.180 the Lord, has come into the world. 00:14:46.179 --> 00:14:49.539 And you can be assured that God is with you, 00:14:50.079 --> 00:14:52.199 that he loves you, that he's for you. 00:14:54.339 --> 00:14:56.859 And it's only a matter of time before he comes again 00:14:56.859 --> 00:14:59.719 to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found. 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:02.959 So Christmas is good news. 00:15:03.959 --> 00:15:06.399 It's good news of great joy. 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:10.459 And it's good news of great joy for all people. 00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:12.139 For all people. 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:16.000 In Luke 14, Luke tells us 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:19.240 that the shepherds are still standing out there in the fields 00:15:19.240 --> 00:15:21.399 when an angelic host cries out, 00:15:21.779 --> 00:15:23.419 glory to God in the highest. 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:28.379 And on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased. 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:33.819 Peace among those with whom he is pleased. 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:37.280 Christmas is the good news that because Jesus is Christ, 00:15:37.379 --> 00:15:41.140 the Lord, that we can have access to God's peace 00:15:41.140 --> 00:15:42.780 and his pleasure. 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.520 And that this is for all people. 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:46.820 This is for everyone, 00:15:47.400 --> 00:15:49.040 regardless of your background, 00:15:49.280 --> 00:15:50.740 regardless of your socioeconomic status, 00:15:50.900 --> 00:15:52.420 regardless of what you've done or who you are. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:55.940 Everyone can have access to God's peace and his pleasure. 00:15:55.940 --> 00:15:58.620 And the scandal of Christmas is that this news 00:15:58.620 --> 00:16:00.520 wasn't just announced to the powerful and wealthy. 00:16:02.040 --> 00:16:04.100 It was announced to shepherds. 00:16:05.280 --> 00:16:06.840 Shepherds in the first century were not people 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:09.100 that you think that the birth of a king 00:16:09.100 --> 00:16:10.540 or of a savior would be announced to. 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:13.020 They were not the up and in of society. 00:16:14.340 --> 00:16:16.840 They didn't have much power or wealth or privilege. 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:19.420 They were just blue collar ordinary people 00:16:19.420 --> 00:16:22.620 living paycheck to paycheck, trying to make ends meet. 00:16:23.560 --> 00:16:25.020 They're people just like you and me. 00:16:26.880 --> 00:16:28.100 And in order to get this, 00:16:28.180 --> 00:16:30.140 you have to understand something first, 00:16:30.300 --> 00:16:33.560 that the peace and the pleasure of God 00:16:33.560 --> 00:16:35.340 don't just come automatically. 00:16:36.920 --> 00:16:38.440 That like the shepherds, 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:42.220 it has to be received and responded to with faith. 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:45.200 And what we have to get to respond to this good news 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:47.620 with faith is we have to get and understand 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:51.740 that the bad guys aren't just out there somewhere. 00:16:51.740 --> 00:16:55.659 The bad guys aren't just five heads of state 00:16:55.659 --> 00:16:56.600 on the cover of the Atlantic. 00:16:57.220 --> 00:17:00.580 No, the bad guys are right here in this room. 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:02.700 It's me. 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:03.519 It's you. 00:17:03.659 --> 00:17:04.859 We're the bad guys too. 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:07.400 Because of our sin, we're at war with God. 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:09.960 We're in rebellion against him. 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:12.200 And Christmas is the news, 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:14.599 the good news that Jesus was born. 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:16.880 He came to rescue the bad guys. 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:20.020 He came to rescue the bad guys 00:17:20.020 --> 00:17:21.600 by exchanging himself for us, 00:17:21.600 --> 00:17:23.720 by living the life we should have lived, 00:17:23.820 --> 00:17:25.400 by dying the death we should have died. 00:17:26.740 --> 00:17:29.220 And believing this brings us peace with God 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:31.340 through the forgiveness of our sins. 00:17:31.339 --> 00:17:35.199 If you're a Christian, you have peace with God. 00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:35.980 Do you realize that? 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:39.019 But not only do you have peace with God, 00:17:39.139 --> 00:17:40.399 you have his pleasure. 00:17:41.139 --> 00:17:41.879 You have his pleasure. 00:17:42.679 --> 00:17:44.799 I think that a lot of us in this room, 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:47.279 and I would put myself in this category, 00:17:47.439 --> 00:17:48.939 we understand the first part. 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:51.459 Like we understand that Christ's death on the cross 00:17:51.459 --> 00:17:53.119 brings us forgiveness of sins, 00:17:53.179 --> 00:17:54.500 that we have peace with God. 00:17:55.059 --> 00:17:58.879 Like we, most of us get atonement for the most part. 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:02.820 But what we don't often get as often 00:18:02.820 --> 00:18:05.540 is union with Christ. 00:18:06.360 --> 00:18:10.240 This reality that by faith we have the pleasure of God 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:12.280 because we are united to Jesus, 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:14.740 that we are clothed in his righteousness, 00:18:15.560 --> 00:18:17.620 that in him we have all of the delight 00:18:17.620 --> 00:18:20.500 that God the Father has in God the Son 00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:21.660 through God the Holy Spirit. 00:18:22.340 --> 00:18:24.040 That what it means to be a Christian 00:18:24.040 --> 00:18:27.860 is that we are caught up in this Trinitarian dance 00:18:27.859 --> 00:18:30.119 of God's delight and pleasure. 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:33.159 I wonder if you, how many of you, 00:18:33.219 --> 00:18:34.179 if you were honest this morning, 00:18:34.279 --> 00:18:36.500 if you would say that you really believed 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:40.559 that God is pleased with you right now. 00:18:41.399 --> 00:18:43.699 That he delights in you, 00:18:43.740 --> 00:18:45.879 that he smiles at you. 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:47.819 If I'm honest, 00:18:48.019 --> 00:18:50.579 I'm most tempted to believe about God 00:18:50.579 --> 00:18:52.259 that he loves me, 00:18:53.159 --> 00:18:54.379 but that he puts up with me. 00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:58.139 That he is vaguely disappointed with me 00:18:58.139 --> 00:18:58.899 most of the time. 00:18:59.379 --> 00:19:00.899 But that he loves me because he has to. 00:19:02.199 --> 00:19:04.139 But that's not what the angelic hosts say 00:19:04.139 --> 00:19:04.720 to the shepherds, 00:19:04.740 --> 00:19:06.599 and that is not what the scriptures teach. 00:19:06.679 --> 00:19:08.099 The good news of Christmas 00:19:08.099 --> 00:19:09.980 is that wherever Jesus goes, 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:13.939 the peace and the pleasure of God goes too. 00:19:13.940 --> 00:19:16.539 And so in Luke 2, 00:19:16.620 --> 00:19:17.700 when Jesus is born, 00:19:18.600 --> 00:19:21.980 Jesus is born and the angelic hosts sing out 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:23.580 God's peace and pleasure. 00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:25.320 That's where it is. 00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:26.799 Jesus is here, 00:19:27.059 --> 00:19:28.779 so God's peace and his pleasure are here. 00:19:28.840 --> 00:19:29.779 And if you have Jesus, 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:32.360 you have the peace and the pleasure of God too. 00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:35.120 The scandal of Christmas 00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:38.799 is that God's peace and pleasure 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:40.039 is for all people, 00:19:40.700 --> 00:19:42.500 including the bad guys. 00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:44.960 It's for the moral failures, 00:19:45.619 --> 00:19:47.240 the addicts, 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:48.779 the prideful, 00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:49.599 the ashamed, 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:51.819 the workaholics, 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:54.579 the control freaks, 00:19:55.339 --> 00:19:56.259 the liars, 00:19:56.400 --> 00:19:56.920 the thieves, 00:19:57.059 --> 00:19:58.519 those with jealousy problems, 00:19:58.720 --> 00:19:59.940 those with anger issues, 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:02.059 those people who don't have self-control, 00:20:02.180 --> 00:20:04.440 the people who just can't seem to get it together. 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:07.319 Jesus came for them. 00:20:07.619 --> 00:20:09.359 He came for you. 00:20:10.599 --> 00:20:12.299 Later on in his ministry, 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:12.799 he would say, 00:20:12.879 --> 00:20:15.740 I came to seek and to save the lost. 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:17.879 I came not to call the righteous, 00:20:18.619 --> 00:20:19.440 but sinners. 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:21.259 Why? 00:20:22.599 --> 00:20:23.399 All for love. 00:20:24.419 --> 00:20:25.159 All for love. 00:20:26.480 --> 00:20:29.839 Dorothy Sayers was a British author and novelist, 00:20:29.879 --> 00:20:33.000 and she was most known for her series of crime, 00:20:33.139 --> 00:20:33.839 detective novels, 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:36.039 the Lord Peter Whimsey series. 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:38.139 She created this character named Lord Peter Whimsey, 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:38.859 who was a detective. 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:41.139 And midway through the series, 00:20:41.539 --> 00:20:44.799 Dorothy Sayers introduces this character named Harriet Vane, 00:20:45.159 --> 00:20:49.319 who meets Lord Whimsey and helps him solve crimes and mysteries. 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:57.039 And what a lot of the literary critics point out is that there's a lot of similarities between Harriet Vane and Dorothy Sayers. 00:20:57.720 --> 00:20:59.980 Harriet Vane was educated at Oxford. 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:02.019 So was Dorothy Sayers. 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:04.299 Harriet Vane was tall and had dark hair. 00:21:04.299 --> 00:21:06.319 So did Dorothy Sayers. 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:09.859 Harriet Vane wrote detective novels. 00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:11.799 So did Dorothy Sayers. 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:14.680 And what we see throughout the story, 00:21:14.819 --> 00:21:17.619 the progression of the story, 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:20.319 is that eventually Lord Peter Whimsey and Harriet Vane, 00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:21.579 they fall in love. 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:24.779 And what the literary critics have noticed, 00:21:24.879 --> 00:21:28.019 that it's quite obvious what Dorothy Sayers was doing, 00:21:28.379 --> 00:21:30.399 that she was writing herself into the story. 00:21:31.139 --> 00:21:33.460 That she had created this character in Lord Peter Whimsey, 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:34.740 and she had fallen in love with him. 00:21:35.740 --> 00:21:38.139 And she was attracted to his virtues, 00:21:38.139 --> 00:21:39.159 and he was a great detective, 00:21:39.160 --> 00:21:41.980 but she also knew his flaws. 00:21:42.100 --> 00:21:44.000 And so she knew he was lonely. 00:21:44.120 --> 00:21:47.200 And so she wrote herself into the story to fall in love with him, 00:21:47.259 --> 00:21:48.480 to rescue him from his loneliness. 00:21:50.660 --> 00:21:52.960 In Jesus Christ, that is what God did. 00:21:53.040 --> 00:21:56.620 He wrote himself into our story out of love. 00:21:57.259 --> 00:22:00.540 Christmas is not just good advice for how the bad guys can become better. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:04.640 It's good news about the God who has come to rescue the bad guys out of love. 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:08.220 Reflecting on the love of Christ, 00:22:08.220 --> 00:22:09.720 revealed at Christmas, 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:14.240 Anglican missionary and Bishop Frank Houghton penned these words. 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:19.019 Thou who is rich beyond all splendor, 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:23.059 all for love's sake became poor. 00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:27.400 Thrones for a manger did surrender. 00:22:28.860 --> 00:22:31.480 Sapphire paved courts for stable floor. 00:22:33.079 --> 00:22:35.299 Friends, this is Christmas. 00:22:35.299 --> 00:22:37.159 This is the gospel, 00:22:37.159 --> 00:22:39.220 that we have good news of great joy, 00:22:39.279 --> 00:22:42.359 that we have a Savior who is Christ the Lord. 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:45.220 He is the end. 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:49.159 He is the beginning of the end for all the brokenness in the world. 00:22:50.680 --> 00:22:52.200 And anyone can get in on this. 00:22:52.419 --> 00:22:54.339 Anyone can get in on this joy. 00:22:54.419 --> 00:22:58.180 The only requirement is that you come like the shepherds, 00:22:58.240 --> 00:22:59.440 responding in faith, 00:23:00.019 --> 00:23:01.299 empty-handed and hungry, 00:23:01.299 --> 00:23:03.799 and in need of rescue. 00:23:04.799 --> 00:23:05.460 Let's pray. 00:23:11.159 --> 00:23:16.519 Lord Jesus, thank you that you exchanged your throne for a manger. 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:20.079 You exchanged your life with ours. 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:25.779 You left the glory of heaven to seek and to save the lost. 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:31.160 Help us to be like the shepherds who come empty-handed and leave with joy. 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:35.600 Help us be like Mary who pondered all of these things 00:23:35.600 --> 00:23:37.740 and treasured them in her heart. 00:23:38.840 --> 00:23:40.860 And as we ponder and as we treasure, 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:43.019 give us the deep assurance, 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:46.320 give us the deep joy that you reign 00:23:46.320 --> 00:23:49.980 and that you come to make your blessings flow 00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:51.720 far as the curse is found. 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:53.019 Amen. 00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:55.220 Thank you. 00:23:58.079 --> 00:23:58.500 Bye. 00:24:06.879 --> 00:24:06.980 Bye. 00:24:07.059 --> 00:24:07.960 Bye. 00:24:08.859 --> 00:24:08.900 Bye. 00:24:08.900 --> 00:24:08.960 Bye. 00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:09.960 Bye. 00:24:10.059 --> 00:24:11.019 Bye. 00:24:11.160 --> 00:24:12.099 Bye. 00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:15.139 Bye. 00:24:15.139 --> 00:24:17.160 Bye. 00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:21.299 Bye. 00:24:21.339 --> 00:24:22.139 Bye. 00:24:22.139 --> 00:24:22.639 Bye.