Let's pray together.
Our great triune God, we come to you this morning as your people,
and we come to you at this time of the year.
And we would ask this morning that you, God, through your word,
as a ministry of your spirit,
God, would you do a work of wonder in our hearts?
Would you bring to our minds the wonder of Christmas?
God, we pray that you would meet us, continue to meet us,
and that we would leave here poised to walk through this season,
not just to close out on the 26th,
but to be wondrous into the new year.
God, meet us, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
You may be seated.
Children, you are excused to your Sunday school classes.
And I just want to take a minute here.
This morning is David Ulrich's last time serving us as our worship leader.
And he has stepped in about a year and a half ago
when we were going through some hard times as a church.
And David, Lexi, thank you so much for faithfully serving us as a congregation.
We are so grateful for you.
Thank you.
And just personally, I'm extremely grateful for you, David.
Thank you so much.
Well, it is upon us.
Christmas time has come.
I'm not sure if you noticed this,
but the 24-hour Christmas music cycle began a little early this year.
In fact, my wife, in principle, said,
I will not listen to the Christmas music until Thanksgiving is done.
I, on the other hand, started sneakily listening to the Christmas music.
It was not a point of divisiveness between us.
But it started early.
So Christmas music, 24 hours.
Christmas catalogs coming in.
Christmas decorations being hung, lit up.
Christmas food being prepared and thought of.
Christmas TV, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
Elf, Miracle on 34th Street.
It's a Wonderful Life.
It's all lining up.
Our culture, the culture that we're living in,
is creating an atmosphere of wonder around this season.
Here's the deal.
It doesn't revive your soul.
At best, all these things, and they're good.
They're temporary.
And as a pastor, you know what I want to help you get ready for?
I want you to get ready for December 25th.
And so on the Christmas Eve, during that service,
we're singing our souls out to our wonderful God.
But when December 26th rolls around,
you guys don't drop off in a depression.
You know, who is the owner, as of yet, of a real Christmas tree?
We are.
We went and got our Christmas tree this past Monday and set it up.
And what will inevitably happen is,
no matter how much we water it,
this tree, which is so fragrant right now with pine in our house,
it's little needles are soft, the bows are tender.
You know, you reach in to fill water,
you don't have needles drop all around you.
It's still kind of living.
But what inevitably happens is,
it slowly dries out.
The needles start dropping,
the bows get brittle.
It's a little metaphor of what many of us experience.
By the time December 26th around,
we don't want any of us to be like a discarded Christmas tree
that's dry and brittle
and gets to start it in the city pickups.
Here's what we're looking to do this Christmas time.
We believe God's word revives us.
And we want this season for us all to be a time of reviving.
A time not of needles dropping, but of bearing fruit.
A time of not growing brittle,
but of growing tender to the Lord.
Not of hardening, but of softening.
And so this month, starting today,
we're doing a little series called Reclaiming Christmas.
And so this morning,
we're going to reclaim the wonder of Christmas
the true wonder.
Next Sunday, we're going to reclaim the joy of Christmas,
the true joy of Christmas.
Then we're going to reclaim the glory of Christmas.
On Christmas Eve,
we're going to reclaim the worship,
the praise of Christmas.
And then Christmas isn't done.
We're going all the way through to New Year's Eve.
And on that Sunday,
we're going to reclaim the mission,
the purpose of Christmas.
And this morning, we're talking about wonder.
And wonder is simply that experience of awe and amazement
every one of us in this room have experienced in some measure.
Who hasn't walked out of their homes on a crisp January Wisconsin morning
to a fresh fall of four inches of snow?
And you walk out,
and instantly your lungs are filled with that cold, chilly air.
And it is something good about it.
You hear your boots crunching on that four inches of virgin snow.
Your eyes alight on all the winter wonderland of white spread apart.
It's a blanket.
It's bright.
It's sparkling in the sunlight.
And as you tune your ears to it,
there is a muffled silence.
It's wonderful.
You've experienced wonder too when you've held a little infant in your hands.
Newly born.
And you're thinking,
wow, this child,
fully human.
It's got his life in front of him.
And if you're a parent of this child,
you have this sense of wonder.
It's like, this baby is dependent on me.
We've all experienced wonder to some degree.
This culture that we live in
tends to try to fabricate a wonder around this time.
It doesn't last.
You know what happens on December 26th
with your 24-hour Christmas music station?
They go back to what they were playing before.
By December 26th,
you're thinking about,
how do I work off all this weight I gain
with all this Christmas food?
December 26th rolls around,
and you're thinking,
how long do we have the lights up?
December 26th rolls around,
and you're thinking,
when do we take the tree down,
and when do we bring it to the dump?
December 26th
will come,
and the wonder of this world
will suddenly stop.
But the wonder of God's word
never stops.
And so this morning,
this Christmas,
I want to help you
get your wonder on.
To wonder
at God's word
and what God has to say
about Christmas.
And so this morning,
I'm going to try to
fill your heart
with wonder
from God's word.
So we're going to look at
three wonders this morning.
The wonder of the plan,
the wonder of the person,
and the wonder of the purpose.
And typically,
I just preach through
a section of the Bible.
This morning's a little different.
I'm going to be
kind of preaching
kind of more of a
theological meditation,
reflections
on the wonder of the plan,
the wonder of the person,
and the wonder of the purpose.
So you guys ready
to get your wonder on?
Let's talk about
the wonder of his plan.
Have you ever been
leaving on a road trip
from your home
and you're out the door,
you're in the car,
who knows who's
in the car with you,
but you're going down,
you're a minute in,
and then all of a sudden
someone says,
I forgot,
I forgot to go to the bathroom,
I forgot to turn off the stove,
I forgot to close
the garage door,
I forgot to lock the door,
I forgot to pack,
I forgot,
and so what do you have to do?
You got to go back.
You got to go back,
you get it all done,
and then you leave again.
As followers of Jesus
living in this culture
and living in this time,
do you know what can happen?
The culture Christmas bus
can leave
and can start heading down
that road of Christmas 2017
and we find ourselves on it
and then we have to ask,
did I forget something?
And many of us
forget
the wonder
of Christmas.
So,
let me help you
get your wonder on.
One of the things
that can happen to us
as we celebrate Christmas
is that we can just
kind of focus us
on the here and now
of a particular Christmas.
Christmas,
December 2017
and it occupies
our thinking
and it occupies
our planning.
But just like
leaving down a road
and realizing
you've forgotten something,
I want to bring you back
this Christmas time.
I want to bring you back
so you don't forget
what is central
to Christmas,
the wonder.
And so,
let's go back first
by going back
to the first century
in Bethlehem
2,000 years ago.
And I'm just going to
kind of move quickly
through this.
I just want to start
getting some things
in your mind.
That there is a plan
in place
and it's a wonderful plan.
In Matthew 118,
118 through 23,
an angel appears
to Joseph
and he tells him
that his fiancee
who's pregnant,
he shouldn't divorce her,
he shouldn't put her away
because she's been conceived
by the Holy Spirit
with a child from God.
And so,
of all the little baby boys
born 2,000 years ago,
there was one of them
who an angel is saying,
this one is unique.
In Matthew 2,
verses 1 through 6,
Herod is approached
by some wise men
who have seen
this child's star
in the sky
and they ask Herod
where the king
of the Jews is.
The king of the Jews
appears at the beginning
of Matthew
and at the end
of the Matthew.
At the end of Matthew,
it's on the plaque
above Jesus' head
on the cross.
But they ask Herod,
where is the king
of the Jews?
Herod says,
let me talk to my guys.
His guys tell him
that the Messiah,
the Christ,
is going to be born
in Bethlehem of Judea.
So what we learn
from that first century
is that this child
is going to be born.
It's announced
by an angel.
He's going to be born
to Joseph's fiancee
who has miraculously
gotten pregnant
and he's going to be born
in Bethlehem.
And in Luke chapter 1,
verses 26 through 33,
Gabriel the angel
goes to Mary
and tells Mary
that she's going to be
pregnant from the Holy Spirit.
And what's most interesting
there is that this child
to be born to her,
he's going to reign
on David's throne forever.
And so not only
is this child,
from going back
to just the first century,
we learn this is
a unique child
born of a virgin,
born in Bethlehem,
born to reign forever
on David's throne.
We've got to be like,
well, this is a unique baby.
But you know what?
To really understand
how unique this child is,
we've got to go back
beyond 2,000 years.
We've got to go
another 800 years
beyond that.
We've got to go
to the prophet Isaiah
and the prophet Micah.
Micah.
In Matthew 1, 18-23,
when Matthew is sharing
with us the story
of this angel
coming to Joseph
and talking about
the conception
that takes place
in Mary,
if you would turn
to Matthew 1, 23,
there's a really interesting
point that's made.
All this took place
in 22
to fulfill
what the Lord
had spoken
by the prophet,
Behold,
the virgin shall conceive
and bear a son
and they shall call
his name Emmanuel,
which means
God with us.
So here's what's going on.
2,000 years ago
in Bethlehem,
there's this little baby boy
that's born
and he's born miraculously.
And Matthew says,
oh, by the way,
that's the fulfillment
of a prophecy
from Isaiah
750, 800 years beforehand
that this child
would be born
of a virgin
and his name
would be Emmanuel,
God with us.
Do you know
what prophecy implies
in the fulfillment
of prophecy?
There's a plan.
In Matthew 2,
the fulfillment
of prophecy.
2, 5,
they told him
in Bethlehem of Judea
for it is written
by the prophet
and you, O Bethlehem,
in the land of Judea
are by no means
least among the rulers
of Judah
for from you
shall come a ruler
who will shepherd
my people Israel.
Not only will this child
be born in Bethlehem
but he will be
a shepherd of God's people,
a king.
So,
what Matthew is saying
in Matthew 2
is that what takes place
in the birth
of this baby
in Bethlehem
at that time
is a fulfillment
of what Micah
is talking about
in Micah 5, 2.
And when prophecy
is fulfilled
it reveals a plan.
In Luke 1, 26-33
we have the echoes
of another passage.
If you want to look
there with me,
Luke chapter 1
verses 32
we read this,
he will be great
and this is
Gabriel speaking to Mary,
he will be great
and will be called
the son of the most high
and the Lord God
will give to him
the throne of his father David
and he will reign
over the house
of Jacob forever
and of his kingdom
there will be no end.
There will be no end.
Listen to Isaiah 9,
6 and 7.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given
and the government
shall be upon his shoulder
and his name
shall be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Of the increase
of his government
of peace
there will be no end.
There will be no end.
On the throne of David
and over his kingdom
to establish it
and to uphold it
with justice
and with righteousness
from time forth,
this time forth
and forevermore
the zeal of the Lord
of hosts will do this.
When we go back
to 2,800 years from now
and we see these prophecies
of Isaiah and Micah
and we see these prophecies
being fulfilled
in the birth
of this little boy,
it speaks of a plan.
And so when we think
about December 2017,
we need to keep in mind
that this Christmas
is way bigger
than this year.
There is a great plan
in place.
And it goes back further.
It goes back to Genesis chapter 3.
In the midst of all these curses,
God speaks a promise
when he's cursing the serpent.
In Genesis chapter 3,
he speaks a promise
of an offspring of Eve
who will come
and he's a male offspring
and he will crush
the head of the serpent.
There's a plan.
And it goes even back further.
It goes beyond Genesis chapter 3.
It goes beyond Genesis chapter 1
and the creation of all things.
Ephesians chapter 1
speaks of a plan
for the fullness of time.
Ephesians 1, 3 through 14
is this wonderful, wonderful passage
about the triune God
enacting a saving plan
for the fullness of time
that finds its unity in Jesus.
God the Father
God the Son
accomplished the plan
and God the Spirit
applies the plan.
What I want to do
is help you to understand
the context
historically
of Christmas.
this Christmas,
December 2017,
we are observing something
that took place
2,000 years ago
and it was the fulfillment
of a plan
that God enacted
from before the foundation
of the world.
I want to help you
get your wonder on
a little bit.
It's not just this Christmas.
Christmas
is about a plan
for the fullness of time.
and it centers
on a person.
The plan is big
from everlasting
to everlasting
and the person
who's central
to this plan
is amazing.
We've looked at the plan
now let's look
at the person.
I want to help you
wonder
at the person
central to Christmas.
It's the same person
who's central
to God's plan
for the fullness
of time.
God's plan
of salvation.
In Ephesians
chapter 1
we read that
there's a plan
in place
for the fullness
of time
for God
to unite
all things
in Christ.
Jesus' birth
is the incarnate
turning point
to God's plan
of salvation.
You know
before becoming
a pastor here
I served as
a youth pastor
for 10 years
at a church
about 8 miles
west of here.
And I
regularly
experience
a really interesting
phenomenon.
Here's what happens.
In those years
I was at
Crossway
I got to
rub shoulders
with a lot
of young people.
And so
what happens
now is this.
5, 10, 15
years later
I will bump
into some
of these young
people
and I will
not recognize
them at first.
I'd be kind
of like
whoa you look
familiar.
And what I
realize is
that this person
that I'm
encountering
is the same
person I knew
5, 10 years
ago.
I just have
this little
snapshot
of this person
in my mind
as a perpetual
7th grade
prepubescent
boy.
And so I
bump into it
and I'm like
whoa what
happened to
you?
You're like
6 inches
taller
you've got
a beard
you've got
a deep
voice
you're going
to college
I have this
tendency of
kind of locking
people into
a certain
time.
Limited picture
of a person.
We can make
the same mistake
with Jesus
at Christmas
time.
We can keep
Jesus
as a perpetual
infant
lying in a
manger.
That's our
snapshot of
the Christmas
Jesus.
And it's
only complicated
by all the
plastic baby
Jesus out
there.
Sentimentality
over these
things can
actually work
against the
wonder do
his name.
Can I help
you wonder
at this
baby?
Let's get
our wonder
on regarding
this baby.
Here's
something I
want to
remind you
of this
person.
This
person
born
a baby
lying in
a manger
he existed
before
he was
born.
The baby
is the
second
person of
the Trinity
born of
a woman.
Jesus
the man
had
eternally
existed
as the
second
person of
the Trinity
prior to
his
conception
and birth.
I know
we're in
deep waters
right now.
Dave
referenced
John
chapter
1.
If you
would
flip to
John
chapter
1 we
read this.
In the
beginning
was the
word and
the word
was with
God and
the word
was God.
The word
of course
is the
second
person of
the Trinity
and he
existed
before he
took on
flesh.
John
1
14.
And the
word
became
flesh and
dwelt
among us.
Here's
what you
need to
understand.
The
second
person of
the Trinity
didn't
come into
existence
at the
birth of
Jesus.
The
second
person of
the Trinity
existed
eternally
before he
was conceived
as the
baby Jesus.
Get your
wonder on.
And
more so
this
birth of
this baby
the second
person of
the Trinity
who took
on flesh
flesh.
This
isn't the
first
appearance
that he
makes
in the
Bible.
There
are
pre-incarnate
appearances
of the
second
person of
the Trinity
throughout
the Old
Testament.
Now in
the Old
Testament
the doctrine
of the
Trinity
is not
well
developed
and it
gets more
developed
in the
New
Testament
but we
do see
the members
of the
Trinity
in the
Old
Testament.
They're
called
Christophanies.
We could
point to a
couple places.
One theologian
talks about
the angel
of the
Lord as
the appearing
of the
pre-incarnate
Christ and
he makes a
pretty interesting
case for that.
And then
there's the
whole episode
in Daniel
chapter 3
where Shadrach,
Meshach,
and Abednego
will not
worship at
Nebuchadnezzar's
image and
he gets
really angry
and he throws
him in the
fiery furnace
and after
he throws
him in the
fiery furnace
he turns
to his
guys and
he says
guys didn't
we throw
three guys
in because
I see
a fourth
and the
fourth is
shining like
a son of
God.
Who is
that fourth
guy?
There's
going to
come a
day when
you are
standing
Lord willing
in the
New Jerusalem
and you
might be
standing next
to Shadrach,
Meshach,
and Abednego
and you
say Shadrach,
Meshach,
and Abednego
who is
that fourth
guy?
You know
what they're
going to
do?
He's the
one at the
center of
all things
right now.
He's the
one that's
lighting up
the New
Jerusalem
right now.
That's the
one that
was with
us.
My
favorite
Christophany
is in
Joshua
chapter 5.
Joshua is
going out
to battle.
He bumps
into this
guy called
the commander
of the
Lord's
army.
Joshua
falls at
this commander's
feet and
worships him.
Do you know
what the commander
of the Lord's
army does?
Nothing.
He lets
them worship
him.
And then he
says take
off your feet
for you're
standing on
holy ground.
Only God
says that.
So here we
have this
man who
is visible,
audible,
physically
present,
God in the
flesh in
Joshua
chapter 5.
life.
You see,
this is the
birth of
Jesus.
It's not the
first time the
second person of
the Trinity has
shown up.
Get your
wonder wrong.
The second
person of the
Trinity, this
baby is God
in the flesh.
I mean, his
conception in
Mary's womb in
Luke chapter 1
verses 34 through
37, it is a
triune event.
If you read it
carefully, you
see that God
most high overshadows
Mary, that's the
God the Father,
the God the
Spirit is the
actual one, the
agent of
conception.
In a miracle, we
just don't get.
The Spirit of God
causes the second
person of the
Trinity to be
incarnated into
Mary as a
zygote.
It's phenomenal.
And the result is
not a plastic baby
Jesus.
The result is the
second person of
the Trinity made
incarnate, fully
God, fully man, in
one person, and
Luke 1.35 calls
him holy, without
sin.
And I hope you
know he didn't
stay a baby.
He lived a
perfect life, a
life that none of
us could live.
And then he was
crucified on a
cross.
The Holy One was
crucified as a
criminal with king
of the Jews over
his head.
He was buried, he
was raised again on
the third day, just
like he said he
would, and proved
his victory over sin,
death, and the
devil.
And then he ascended
on high to now
where he's at right
now, at the right
hand of God.
He's interceding for
his church.
He is building his
church in whom the
gates of hell will
not prevail against
it.
And he's sitting on
G, waiting for O
from the Father to
come back.
And when he comes
back, he's going to
make all things right.
He's going to judge
the world with
equity.
And then he's going
to recreate the
heavens and the
earth.
And then we who
bow our knee to him
now, we, when he
comes back, we will be
with our Savior King
in his presence, in
his place, in, with
his people forever.
He's not a plastic
Jesus.
Don't limit him to
this snapshot of him
being a little baby.
He's not a baby right
now.
He became a baby.
And when you get this
full sense of who the
second person of the
Trinity is and what
he's done, we didn't
even talk about him
being the creator of
all things.
When you realize that
he took on human
flesh, Philippians 2,
taking the form of a
servant, he would do
that.
It's amazing.
It's wonderful.
It should awe you.
We've looked at the
plan.
It's a plan for the
fullness of time.
We've looked at this
person, Jesus, who is
born of this virgin,
fulfilling prophecy, and
he is God in the flesh.
But I want to ask a
question now of why?
What's the purpose of
this plan that focuses on
this person?
Well, let's get your
wonder on a little bit
more.
The reason why Jesus, the
second person of the
Trinity, took on human
flesh was not just to
show us that he could do
it.
So I told you, it's not
for that reason.
The second person of the
Trinity became human, took
on human flesh, was
incarnated for a purpose.
And that purpose is the
purpose for God's plan for
the fullness of time.
The birth of Jesus is the
pivot point in God's
saving plan.
Galatians 4.4 says, at
just the right time, God
sent his son, born of a
woman, born under the law,
to redeem those under the
law so that we could
experience the adoption of
sons and daughters.
The purpose for why Jesus
took on flesh, well, it was
not to give us 24-hour
Christmas music.
It was not so that we
could have all sorts of
catalogs.
It was not so that the U.S.
economy can get a shot in
the arm every so often
during the year.
Jesus took on flesh not so
that we could enjoy
vacations.
The reason why the second
person of the Trinity took
on flesh was to save, to
rescue, to redeem sinners in
their sin.
Back in Genesis chapter 3,
everything went sideways for
humankind.
We were separated from God.
We were divided internally.
We were separated and
hostile to other human
beings.
We were even separated from
creation.
It was a comprehensive mess
made by sin.
And so that puts us in the
very unique position of
needing a Savior.
A Savior who will reconcile
sinners to a holy God, who
will reunify a sinner's
divided self, who would
restore sinners who are
hostile with other sinners,
and a Savior who will
recreate creation, wiping it
off of its bondage to decay,
and recreating it in its full
glory.
The only Savior that can do
that is God Himself.
Jesus is the perfect mediator
between God and man, because
Jesus is fully God and fully
man.
He is Emmanuel.
And the reason why He took on
flesh was to save you from
your sin.
Christmas time is salvation
time.
Merry Christmas is merry
salvation.
I mean, it's in the name.
The name Jesus, Matthew 1,
21, literally means the Lord
saves.
The second person of the
Trinity took on human flesh,
and He's named by God the
Father as the Lord saves.
The Lord saves incarnate.
Furthermore, if you look back
to Isaiah, Isaiah has some two
very interesting prophecies.
In Isaiah 7, 14, which has been
read already, you have the
prophecy of a virgin conceiving a
child, and His name being
Emmanuel.
A miraculous conception.
And if you flip to the right in
Isaiah, to Isaiah 53, you have a
prophecy of the same one.
But it's not His miraculous birth,
it's His substitutionary death.
Same two prophecies speaking of the
same Emmanuel.
So let me just read two verses
from Isaiah 53.
Surely He has borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed
Him stricken, smitten by God and
afflicted.
But He was pierced for our
transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities.
Upon Him was the chastisement that
brought us peace.
And with His wounds, we are healed.
Jesus came, took on flesh,
ultimately to rescue sinners from
their sins.
That's God's plan for the fullness
of time.
This Christmas time, December 2017,
let's reclaim the wonder of
Christmas.
Let's wonder at the plan.
Let's wonder at this unique person,
Jesus.
And let's wonder at the purpose.
The purpose of Christmas is part of
God's saving plan to rescue sinners from
their sin.
So, when December 26 rolls around,
you don't have to be like that dried out Christmas tree sitting in the city pickup thing.
No, you can be wondering.
You can be in awe.
It doesn't have to get stale.
No, get your wonder on.
Remember who this is.
Remember what it's all about.
Remember the scale of His plan.
And when you remember that,
come December 26,
you'll be looking to the new year
knowing who this baby is.
Let's pray.
God in heaven,
we thank you so much for
your word.
We thank you for what your word has to say
about Jesus.
And we thank you for what your word
has to say about this
plan for the fullness of time.
and we're thankful for
making known to us
that this plan
for the fullness of time
focused on the person of Jesus
is a plan of salvation.
God, would you help us
to live in that?
To wonder.
To be amazed.
And to rejoice.
God, may our singing
reflect the wonder
of who you are
and what you've done.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.