WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.400 Luke chapter 2, and those verses from 8 to 20. 00:00:04.960 --> 00:00:11.500 Now we're going to think about this night when angels preached the gospel. 00:00:12.419 --> 00:00:19.140 I wonder if you can think of a time in your life when you knew there was something more than this. 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:26.460 When you knew there was something bigger simply than what our eyes can see. 00:00:26.460 --> 00:00:33.620 For me, when I begin to turn my mind to that, I think of journeying home to sky. 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:37.140 And on those nights when it's not cloudy and dry. 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:42.260 Being able to look up and to see for the first time in months a sky full of stars. 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:47.659 A wonderful reminder of the creative glory of God. 00:00:48.340 --> 00:00:49.420 A very different place. 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:53.980 I remember too going to visit family in the Philippines over Christmas. 00:00:53.979 --> 00:00:59.179 Just enjoying snorkeling in the lovely warm water, which seems kind of good right by now. 00:00:59.519 --> 00:01:06.719 And again, being in the ocean and seeing the depth and the complexity and the beauty of what lies underneath. 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:12.060 And again, being reminded of the majesty of God. 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:14.579 Stars and sunsets. 00:01:15.420 --> 00:01:17.560 Waterfalls and wonderful works of art. 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:20.340 The realities of life and death. 00:01:20.340 --> 00:01:27.640 There are different moments in our lives that God can use, as it were, to lift the roof off. 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:33.060 To remind us that there is more than simply what our eyes can see. 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:40.820 There are those moments that speak to us powerfully, both of the reality of God and the glory of God. 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:44.080 This is one of those for the shepherds, isn't it? 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:56.739 Here, the shepherds have the roof lifted off as a host of angels gather to sing to them of the glory of God and the glory of God's salvation. 00:01:57.759 --> 00:02:02.659 These shepherds, ordinary people, going about their business another ordinary night. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:07.420 And they are invaded by the glory of God's messengers. 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:11.960 And they hear of the glory of the gospel of Jesus. 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:18.719 And life would never be the same for those shepherds again, as we see as the story continues. 00:02:19.700 --> 00:02:29.520 Has God had that mercy on you to smash the false ceiling so that we were able to see the glory of God? 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:31.879 That's the story for every Christian. 00:02:32.920 --> 00:02:37.760 There was a time when we were blind to the glory of God, but God, by his grace, caused us to see. 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:45.620 If you've never had that experience, our prayer for you as a church is that you would have that, maybe even have that today. 00:02:47.259 --> 00:02:48.919 Let's get to our text. 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:53.199 I want to answer and ask three questions. 00:02:53.359 --> 00:02:58.079 So we're thinking about Christianity Explored because we're doing it as a church in January. 00:02:58.539 --> 00:03:01.280 And Christianity Explored is really helpful because it asks three questions. 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:01.979 Who is Jesus? 00:03:02.620 --> 00:03:03.400 Why did he come? 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:04.500 And what does that mean for us? 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:09.319 So I want to use those questions as we look at Luke chapter 2. 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:11.699 So who is Jesus? 00:03:11.920 --> 00:03:17.939 Well, listen to how the angels describe him in verses 10 to 12. 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:20.539 Let's read that again. 00:03:20.539 --> 00:03:41.359 So there are three titles for Jesus there in verse 11. 00:03:41.719 --> 00:03:44.280 First of all, he is the Savior. 00:03:45.479 --> 00:03:47.680 Now, this is significant in and of itself. 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:53.060 You know, for in the Old Testament, it was always God who saved his people. 00:03:54.099 --> 00:03:56.480 It was God who saved Noah from the flood. 00:03:57.080 --> 00:04:02.980 God who saved Joseph's life so that he might in turn save Egypt and save his family's life. 00:04:03.040 --> 00:04:09.080 It was God who saved and delivered Moses and the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:15.140 It was God who acted to save and deliver David and the kings and the nation time and time again. 00:04:15.139 --> 00:04:18.779 And now we're being told this Savior has come. 00:04:19.019 --> 00:04:20.699 A Savior has been born. 00:04:22.599 --> 00:04:26.539 It's a glimpse for us that the child in the stable is no ordinary baby. 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:27.599 We read it earlier. 00:04:27.779 --> 00:04:30.839 The word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:04:31.219 --> 00:04:37.259 Jesus, the Son of God, has become one of us in order to be our deliverer, our Savior. 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:41.019 The Savior who was born in the town of David. 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:42.860 The town of the king. 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:46.860 The great hope was that another in the line of David would come. 00:04:46.939 --> 00:04:51.800 And now the shepherds are being told that Savior king has arrived. 00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:58.860 He arrived at the same time as an emperor was on the throne by the name of Caesar Augustus. 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:05.740 It's interesting that when Caesar Augustus was born, his birth was announced as gospel, as good news. 00:05:06.280 --> 00:05:11.860 That word gospel was used of any event that seemed to have life-changing significance. 00:05:11.860 --> 00:05:14.860 So it was used of the birth of a new emperor. 00:05:15.580 --> 00:05:19.660 And this Caesar Augustus, he too was proclaimed as a savior. 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:27.540 So this angel is reminding the shepherds, don't think that Caesar Augustus is the true savior king. 00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:30.540 Don't place your trust and hope in him. 00:05:30.900 --> 00:05:33.160 There is a king who is bigger than any emperor. 00:05:33.860 --> 00:05:36.220 There is a king who is bigger than any prime minister. 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:39.520 The angel from God declares, trust Jesus. 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:43.740 Above all, place our hope in him. 00:05:44.380 --> 00:05:46.240 So Jesus is the savior. 00:05:47.520 --> 00:05:50.340 Jesus is also, in verse 11, the Christ. 00:05:50.900 --> 00:05:53.000 He is the anointed one. 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:59.120 The Christ is one who would be chosen and appointed for a special task by God. 00:05:59.220 --> 00:06:05.420 Just as in the Old Testament, prophets and priests and kings were set apart for God for a special purpose. 00:06:05.579 --> 00:06:12.579 So too, Jesus has come, appointed and anointed by his father to be the king that we all need. 00:06:13.740 --> 00:06:17.980 Jesus would be the king who would fight for his people. 00:06:17.980 --> 00:06:22.180 Just as kings in days gone by would fight at the head of their armies. 00:06:22.340 --> 00:06:32.420 So Jesus would come to fight and win a victory for us over our great enemies, Satan, sin and death, conquering over them at the cross. 00:06:33.420 --> 00:06:39.980 And Jesus as king then deserves our loyalty and our obedience. 00:06:40.980 --> 00:06:46.879 So Jesus announces himself as the king who comes to save and he calls people to repent and believe. 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:51.060 So there is a response that we need to make to this king. 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:56.240 We need to show him the loyalty and the honor that he deserves. 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:01.579 Jesus also came, anointed and appointed to be the priest we need. 00:07:02.620 --> 00:07:06.139 So as the priest in the Old Testament offered worship in the temple, 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:12.300 Jesus offers true worship from a heart that's constantly turned towards his father. 00:07:12.300 --> 00:07:17.000 So he's always obeying, he's always pursuing the glory of God. 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:23.699 And then he presents himself as the perfect and once for all sacrifice that we need. 00:07:24.020 --> 00:07:26.300 Just as in the Old Testament when a person sinned, 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:33.040 they could have their sin forgiven through presenting a clean animal as a sacrifice 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:37.879 that represented the coming of Jesus, the perfectly pure and spotless one 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:43.579 who was willing to take our sin and to die on the cross for our sin 00:07:43.579 --> 00:07:48.560 so that we might be washed clean, that we might be forgiven. 00:07:49.639 --> 00:07:55.319 And Jesus also comes, the Christ comes as that prophet that we need to hear from, 00:07:55.379 --> 00:08:00.540 the one who speaks God's word to us with the authority of God himself, 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:03.740 the one who is the word who became flesh. 00:08:03.740 --> 00:08:10.120 And just as the prophets in the Old Testament, so too Jesus comes to call people back to God 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:12.819 by calling people to faith in himself. 00:08:13.660 --> 00:08:20.340 To a wandering people, to a disobedient people, Jesus calls them back to God, 00:08:20.759 --> 00:08:22.680 as he still does today. 00:08:23.819 --> 00:08:28.340 So Jesus has come as the Savior, he has come as the Christ, 00:08:28.340 --> 00:08:32.320 and he has come in verse 11 as the Lord. 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:39.800 That title that points to his honor and that points to his being God. 00:08:40.340 --> 00:08:46.020 And the rest of Luke's gospel gives us all kinds of different evidence 00:08:46.020 --> 00:08:48.340 to point us in that same direction. 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:51.980 We have the many miracles that Jesus performs. 00:08:52.160 --> 00:08:55.940 We have the teaching with authority that Jesus brings. 00:08:56.040 --> 00:09:00.660 We have his character and his life that show us this is no ordinary man. 00:09:00.659 --> 00:09:07.639 This is Jesus, God in the flesh, come to be the promised Savior. 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:11.959 Let's just pause for a moment. 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:15.799 What have we just read in verse 11? 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:21.659 We have read in verse 11 the verdict on Jesus from heaven itself, 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:26.480 from God's appointed messengers about Jesus. 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:32.839 Their verdict, Jesus is the Savior, he is the Christ, he is the Lord, 00:09:33.319 --> 00:09:34.899 he is the hope and the joy of the world. 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:38.539 What's our verdict about Jesus? 00:09:38.719 --> 00:09:43.559 How do we respond to what is presented to us? 00:09:43.559 --> 00:09:46.559 If the angels are reliable witnesses, 00:09:46.839 --> 00:09:49.979 how do we respond to the gospel message that they preach? 00:09:50.919 --> 00:09:56.479 Here is a message that surely is too big to simply ignore and pass by. 00:09:57.119 --> 00:10:00.439 Even more so because we discover that in his coming, 00:10:00.939 --> 00:10:02.479 to go back to verse 10, 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:07.000 in his coming there is good news of great joy. 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:13.879 This great joy that God has become a man to save his people. 00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:20.440 Good news that God has extended kindness to his creation. 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:25.179 Christmas, of course, is a time when we typically find ourselves 00:10:25.179 --> 00:10:28.820 focusing our energy on kindness towards others. 00:10:28.940 --> 00:10:31.000 We send cards and we send gifts. 00:10:31.139 --> 00:10:33.980 We want to bring happiness to others. 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:37.860 We want to give something of ourselves to another. 00:10:38.300 --> 00:10:40.580 Well, here is the greatest kindness, 00:10:40.820 --> 00:10:43.200 the greatest gift that has ever been given. 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:48.019 Jesus, our creator, has entered into his creation 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:52.720 to save us from sin so we might be brought back to God. 00:10:53.180 --> 00:10:57.019 We might be brought back to that relationship that we were made for. 00:10:57.879 --> 00:11:00.740 And that's why the angels can say this is joy. 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:02.840 This is eternal joy. 00:11:02.840 --> 00:11:08.759 This is an unbreakable and a deep and a lasting joy. 00:11:08.860 --> 00:11:12.040 This is bigger than that momentary buzz of happiness 00:11:12.040 --> 00:11:13.840 that we get around Christmas. 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:16.480 This is something that endures. 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:21.000 Now, who is this joy for, according to the angel? 00:11:22.780 --> 00:11:24.200 In Luke's gospel, it's interesting. 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:26.060 Luke has this deliberate focus 00:11:26.060 --> 00:11:31.240 on how Jesus chooses to include those who are usually excluded. 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:33.139 So you go through the gospel, 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:35.519 you find special attention for the weak, 00:11:36.360 --> 00:11:37.860 special attention for the poor, 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:40.340 special attention towards foreigners, 00:11:41.299 --> 00:11:42.740 special attention, as we see here, 00:11:42.820 --> 00:11:46.539 towards shepherds who were typically despised. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:50.919 So when the angels say that Jesus has come to be good news 00:11:50.919 --> 00:11:52.299 for all the people, 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:53.799 we think, well, who's this delivered to? 00:11:53.860 --> 00:11:55.820 This is delivered to the weak and the poor 00:11:55.820 --> 00:11:57.240 and the marginalized shepherds. 00:11:57.240 --> 00:11:59.419 This is true. 00:12:01.060 --> 00:12:03.600 That is joy to the world 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:08.980 because a saviour has been born to you. 00:12:10.740 --> 00:12:12.860 Think about when we wrap a present, 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:13.759 a Christmas present, 00:12:13.940 --> 00:12:15.539 and we put that tag on. 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:20.919 We say, from X to whoever we're giving the present to. 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:23.039 And here the angel is saying, 00:12:23.459 --> 00:12:26.019 Jesus is a gift from God to you, 00:12:26.219 --> 00:12:27.219 to all people, 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:28.379 to the world. 00:12:28.500 --> 00:12:31.679 Jesus' birth is bigger than simply family joy. 00:12:31.779 --> 00:12:32.620 The angel didn't say, 00:12:32.959 --> 00:12:34.860 Jesus has been born to Mary and Joseph. 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:37.379 No, Jesus has been born and given to the world. 00:12:38.459 --> 00:12:41.059 There is the joy of God for anyone 00:12:41.059 --> 00:12:45.019 who will recognise Jesus as God's son and God's saviour. 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:48.340 And it's not for a select few. 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:52.319 We just need to look around any gathering of God's people. 00:12:52.439 --> 00:12:54.179 Come to church on a Sunday 00:12:54.179 --> 00:12:55.379 and you can look around 00:12:55.379 --> 00:12:56.759 and you can hear people's stories 00:12:56.759 --> 00:12:57.620 and you can appreciate 00:12:57.620 --> 00:12:59.879 that it isn't just for a certain type of people. 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:03.159 We can think about the growth of the church around the world 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:04.620 and we understand this is proof 00:13:04.620 --> 00:13:06.579 that people are seeing and believing 00:13:06.579 --> 00:13:08.519 this good news of great joy 00:13:08.519 --> 00:13:10.779 in the coming of Jesus. 00:13:10.779 --> 00:13:14.000 So that today, if you're not a Christian, 00:13:14.139 --> 00:13:14.899 whoever you are, 00:13:15.019 --> 00:13:15.939 whatever your background, 00:13:16.179 --> 00:13:17.019 whatever your culture, 00:13:17.179 --> 00:13:18.299 whatever your language, 00:13:18.860 --> 00:13:20.980 this joy can be yours too 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:23.079 if you will repent, 00:13:23.179 --> 00:13:24.299 if you will turn from sin 00:13:24.299 --> 00:13:27.079 and if you will believe in Jesus 00:13:27.079 --> 00:13:30.939 as saviour and Christ and Lord. 00:13:31.980 --> 00:13:34.620 So that's our way to answer 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:36.600 who is Jesus. 00:13:37.839 --> 00:13:40.720 The second question that Christiana explored answers 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:42.800 or explores, I suppose. 00:13:43.180 --> 00:13:45.779 And a question for us here from our text is, 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:48.460 why did Jesus come? 00:13:49.860 --> 00:13:53.120 That takes us to the angel's announcement in verse 14. 00:13:53.580 --> 00:13:55.360 Let's read again verse 13 and 14. 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:58.040 Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host 00:13:58.040 --> 00:13:59.180 appeared with the angel, 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:01.160 praising God and saying, 00:14:01.620 --> 00:14:03.139 glory to God in the highest 00:14:03.139 --> 00:14:04.740 and on earth, 00:14:04.920 --> 00:14:09.740 peace to men on whom his favour rests. 00:14:09.740 --> 00:14:13.000 So Mary sang, as it were, 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:14.480 Zechariah sang Luke chapter 1. 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:18.480 But here is a Christmas carol sung by the angels of heaven. 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:21.340 And they're praising God for two reasons 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:24.379 that Jesus came into his creation. 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:27.980 The first reason is that in the coming of Jesus, 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:29.840 there will be glory to God. 00:14:30.580 --> 00:14:34.399 God will look great in the salvation of sinners. 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:34.860 Why? 00:14:35.579 --> 00:14:38.679 Because salvation is all of grace. 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:43.480 Its source is God's undeserved kindness and mercy. 00:14:44.379 --> 00:14:46.659 God's salvation, a place in God's family, 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:49.439 is not something we work ourselves up to. 00:14:49.539 --> 00:14:51.159 It's not something we merit. 00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:54.459 This rescue that we need has come, 00:14:54.500 --> 00:14:56.539 and it's come not from ourselves. 00:14:56.819 --> 00:14:58.600 It's come from outside of ourselves. 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:00.659 It's come from the kindness of God 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:02.339 in the sending of Jesus. 00:15:02.500 --> 00:15:04.079 So in the coming of Jesus, 00:15:04.579 --> 00:15:05.980 there will be glory to God 00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:07.319 because he will look great 00:15:07.319 --> 00:15:09.699 in the salvation that Jesus will bring. 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:15.500 Despite the optimism that people have often 00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:20.399 that we can find answers and salvation within ourselves 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:21.899 through technology and education 00:15:21.899 --> 00:15:23.000 and through good government 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:24.819 and through environmental campaigns, 00:15:25.159 --> 00:15:27.059 they do not, in the end of the day, 00:15:27.059 --> 00:15:28.959 have the ability to save ourselves 00:15:28.959 --> 00:15:32.179 or to save our world. 00:15:33.119 --> 00:15:34.979 Because the problem that we have, 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:36.119 the problem of sin, 00:15:36.239 --> 00:15:40.219 runs too deep for that kind of fix. 00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:45.239 Truth be told, in every heart, 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:48.500 there is a problem of glory. 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:51.159 We're told in the Bible, 00:15:51.599 --> 00:15:52.899 in chapter one of Genesis, 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:55.000 that we are made in the image of God 00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:58.539 and we are made to reflect the glory of God. 00:15:58.620 --> 00:16:01.620 We are supposed to live to represent our king, 00:16:01.740 --> 00:16:05.460 to make him look great and wonderful as he is. 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:07.840 But as God's image bearers, 00:16:08.259 --> 00:16:11.440 we have robbed him of his glory. 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:15.919 And we have a saying that we should give credit 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:17.759 where credit is due. 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:20.139 But sadly, as people, 00:16:20.279 --> 00:16:22.720 we do not apply that standard to God. 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:26.420 And we delight in making ourselves number one. 00:16:26.540 --> 00:16:28.600 We delight in our own importance 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:32.379 and bringing glory and honor to ourselves 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:35.160 and dismissing God. 00:16:36.220 --> 00:16:37.759 We are guilty of sin 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:40.800 when we rob God of his glory. 00:16:42.160 --> 00:16:43.620 Jesus is not like that. 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:45.980 When you look at the life of Jesus, 00:16:46.120 --> 00:16:48.680 you discover one who brings glory to God 00:16:48.680 --> 00:16:50.120 throughout his life 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:53.220 and giving glad obedience to his father 00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:55.440 and going to the cross 00:16:55.440 --> 00:17:00.039 in order to bring glory to God in salvation. 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:04.200 Jesus will take on full humanity. 00:17:04.380 --> 00:17:06.339 The son of God becomes truly human 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:09.019 so as to heal and restore 00:17:09.019 --> 00:17:10.460 so that once again, 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:13.380 we might instead of absorbing glory for ourselves, 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:16.240 we might be like mirrors reflecting the glory of God 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:18.019 because we've seen it in the face of Jesus. 00:17:18.019 --> 00:17:18.099 Jesus. 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:23.099 There's a passage in John chapter 12 00:17:23.099 --> 00:17:24.659 that speaks to that. 00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:27.199 Jesus, in John chapter 12, 00:17:27.959 --> 00:17:29.579 in verse 23, says this. 00:17:29.699 --> 00:17:29.979 He says, 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:31.619 The hour has come 00:17:31.619 --> 00:17:34.619 for the Son of Man to be glorified. 00:17:34.719 --> 00:17:36.519 Now, Jesus, in John's Gospel, 00:17:36.599 --> 00:17:37.659 when he speaks about the hour, 00:17:38.099 --> 00:17:39.739 is thinking about the hour of his suffering 00:17:39.739 --> 00:17:40.419 and his death 00:17:40.419 --> 00:17:41.919 before his resurrection 00:17:41.919 --> 00:17:43.619 and return to glory. 00:17:43.879 --> 00:17:45.599 So that hour of suffering 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:46.839 and death there on the cross 00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:48.639 is a means for Jesus, 00:17:48.779 --> 00:17:49.599 the Son of Man, 00:17:49.819 --> 00:17:51.139 to be glorified. 00:17:51.659 --> 00:17:53.139 And then a number of verses later, 00:17:53.220 --> 00:17:54.199 in verse 28, 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:57.919 Jesus, as he begins to contemplate the cross, 00:17:58.000 --> 00:17:58.139 says, 00:17:58.220 --> 00:17:59.679 Now my heart is troubled. 00:18:00.619 --> 00:18:01.859 And what shall I say? 00:18:02.419 --> 00:18:04.720 Father, save me from this hour? 00:18:05.500 --> 00:18:08.879 No, it was for this very reason 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:11.040 I came to this hour. 00:18:11.660 --> 00:18:15.760 Father, glorify your name. 00:18:17.040 --> 00:18:19.800 So Jesus is saying that the cross, 00:18:20.120 --> 00:18:22.040 his hour of suffering and death, 00:18:22.220 --> 00:18:23.880 will bring glory to himself, 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:27.260 but will also bring glory to the Father. 00:18:27.259 --> 00:18:32.779 Jesus lives and dies for the glory of God. 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:37.240 And the angels announce that in their song. 00:18:38.460 --> 00:18:40.879 The hour of Jesus' death and resurrection 00:18:40.879 --> 00:18:42.980 is the point when God's glory 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:45.859 is most clearly seen in the world. 00:18:45.940 --> 00:18:48.500 We see the glory of God's justice. 00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:50.859 We see that a holy God 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:54.180 cannot simply ignore sin, 00:18:54.900 --> 00:18:56.799 cannot turn a blind eye to sin, 00:18:56.799 --> 00:18:59.859 cannot sweep sin under the rug. 00:19:00.539 --> 00:19:03.180 And so we see the justice of God at the cross, 00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:04.819 but we also at the same time 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:07.180 see the love and mercy of God 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:09.799 in that Jesus, God's own son, 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:15.200 has come to take the justice of God on himself 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:18.819 because he has taken on the sin of his people. 00:19:19.059 --> 00:19:21.639 So he dies in our place for our sins. 00:19:21.740 --> 00:19:25.039 So we see justice and we see mercy at the cross. 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:29.940 We see the glory of God's wisdom at the cross. 00:19:30.980 --> 00:19:34.859 Nobody could have made up the essence of Christianity. 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:38.259 Nobody could have possibly foreseen 00:19:38.259 --> 00:19:41.279 that God would send his one and only son 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:43.079 to live among us, 00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:45.879 to then die for us before rising for us. 00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:47.159 This wasn't made up. 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:50.220 This is the glory of God's wisdom. 00:19:50.220 --> 00:19:53.140 And we see the glory of God's love 00:19:53.140 --> 00:19:55.740 and that he was willing to do that. 00:19:57.079 --> 00:19:58.559 He was pleased 00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:02.100 to see his son suffer 00:20:02.100 --> 00:20:05.120 so that men and women, boys and girls, 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:08.660 might be brought into the family of God 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:10.160 and enjoy eternal life. 00:20:10.360 --> 00:20:12.000 So God will get glory 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:15.160 as Jesus comes to complete the plan of salvation 00:20:15.160 --> 00:20:18.700 and that's announced from the beginning of his life. 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:21.960 So Jesus came to bring glory to God. 00:20:22.840 --> 00:20:24.800 But we're also told in verse 14 00:20:24.800 --> 00:20:28.740 that Jesus has come to bring peace with God. 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:32.980 Jesus has come so that people might find joy in God, 00:20:33.120 --> 00:20:34.740 that through his saving work, 00:20:34.840 --> 00:20:36.900 we can be reconciled to God. 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:41.140 He is a king who offers us God's peace. 00:20:41.140 --> 00:20:45.620 Now the emperors of Rome, kings of Rome, 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:48.480 they also offered peace, the Pax Romana, 00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:54.180 but often that was peace at the point of a sword. 00:20:55.700 --> 00:20:56.720 Nations were defeated. 00:20:57.420 --> 00:20:58.460 Nations were plundered. 00:20:58.900 --> 00:21:00.020 Slaves were taken. 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:02.140 Oppression was rife. 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:04.820 The peace that the emperor offered 00:21:04.820 --> 00:21:06.600 served to benefit him, 00:21:07.040 --> 00:21:08.980 served to make him rich, 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:12.000 but not so with this king, 00:21:12.599 --> 00:21:14.039 not so with King Jesus. 00:21:14.740 --> 00:21:16.839 Jesus offers total peace to us 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:19.640 that we might be rich. 00:21:20.500 --> 00:21:23.599 Jesus, who enjoyed all the riches of glory 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:25.440 for our sake, became poor 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:26.860 so that through his poverty, 00:21:27.099 --> 00:21:28.000 through his suffering, 00:21:28.180 --> 00:21:28.759 through his death, 00:21:29.180 --> 00:21:31.900 we might have all the riches and glory. 00:21:31.900 --> 00:21:36.380 Every spiritual blessing would be ours in Christ. 00:21:36.380 --> 00:21:41.900 We would have the joy of peace with God. 00:21:44.060 --> 00:21:47.820 No longer experiencing that sense of guilt 00:21:47.820 --> 00:21:50.660 and with it condemnation, 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:52.560 with it shame, 00:21:53.260 --> 00:21:54.340 and alongside that, 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:56.880 a fear of judgment beyond death. 00:21:57.520 --> 00:21:59.600 When we have peace with God, 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:02.400 by God's grace, 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:04.720 those things can be removed from us. 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:08.579 And when we have peace with God, 00:22:08.660 --> 00:22:11.339 it also enables us to have peace with others. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:13.279 When we know we have this secure identity, 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:16.779 when we're secure in the love of God through Jesus, 00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:18.480 we don't need to fight to get ahead. 00:22:18.579 --> 00:22:20.460 We don't need to fight to prove ourselves. 00:22:20.900 --> 00:22:23.259 Instead, we can extend ourselves 00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:26.019 to bless and to help others. 00:22:26.019 --> 00:22:33.259 We understand that the more that people accept gospel peace, 00:22:33.779 --> 00:22:36.180 the better the world will be. 00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:40.259 The more people who come to have peace with God, 00:22:40.879 --> 00:22:45.859 the better life in God's creation will be. 00:22:47.139 --> 00:22:49.599 Because that's how we were made as people. 00:22:49.740 --> 00:22:51.220 We were made to enjoy God. 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:53.700 We were made to enjoy his life and love. 00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:55.779 We were made to enjoy his peace, 00:22:55.860 --> 00:23:00.519 to flourish as people in relationship with him. 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:04.319 But sin has come and has destroyed that peace. 00:23:04.360 --> 00:23:05.720 And we know this ourselves, 00:23:05.860 --> 00:23:09.059 how sin destroys our relationship with God. 00:23:09.140 --> 00:23:11.140 And sin is also so destructive 00:23:11.140 --> 00:23:13.900 in our relationships with other people, 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:16.000 in the lies that we tell, 00:23:16.140 --> 00:23:18.559 or the gossip and the jealousy 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:20.259 that lurks in our heart. 00:23:20.259 --> 00:23:23.779 In so many ways, we see how sin destroys relationships 00:23:23.779 --> 00:23:25.879 and destroys our peace. 00:23:26.980 --> 00:23:29.900 But Jesus has come to bring peace. 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:34.240 Because Jesus has come to reconcile us to God at the cross. 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:37.680 So if we make peace with God, 00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:40.019 through knowing Jesus as Lord, 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.740 we can go then and make peace with others. 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:45.640 Now it's important to notice, 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:47.380 let's go back to verse 14. 00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:52.240 This peace is to men on whom his favor rests. 00:23:52.420 --> 00:23:53.740 So at one and the same time, 00:23:54.220 --> 00:23:56.640 Jesus can be announced as joy for all people. 00:23:57.799 --> 00:24:00.720 We can be told that Jesus is born Savior to you. 00:24:01.339 --> 00:24:05.720 But we also see that not everyone is saved. 00:24:05.720 --> 00:24:10.500 And we're reminded here of God's part in salvation, 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:13.140 that we are saved by grace, 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:17.380 by God's favor through the sending of Jesus 00:24:17.380 --> 00:24:20.779 that comes to us as a gift. 00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:26.740 The Bible tells us our part is to receive 00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:29.160 and to believe in Jesus, 00:24:29.660 --> 00:24:32.380 to turn from sin and to God, 00:24:32.380 --> 00:24:36.260 that we would know that favor for ourselves 00:24:36.260 --> 00:24:39.720 by responding in faith to the good news of Jesus. 00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:42.940 Third question, 00:24:43.700 --> 00:24:47.280 what does all this mean for us? 00:24:47.420 --> 00:24:52.060 How do we respond to the angel's message? 00:24:52.800 --> 00:24:55.140 Well, let's follow the story of the shepherds. 00:24:55.420 --> 00:24:56.240 And as we do that, 00:24:56.300 --> 00:24:58.800 we'll see three different responses within our text 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:02.680 to the message that they bring, 00:25:03.099 --> 00:25:05.379 which they've received from the angels. 00:25:06.159 --> 00:25:07.399 And perhaps as we do that, 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:08.119 think to yourself, 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:10.079 where am I in this scene? 00:25:10.220 --> 00:25:12.940 Which of these different groups of people 00:25:12.940 --> 00:25:15.859 best reflects my response? 00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:19.839 So when the angels, verse 15, 00:25:19.899 --> 00:25:21.159 had left them and gone into heaven, 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:22.460 the shepherds said to one another, 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:23.579 let's go to Bethlehem, 00:25:24.180 --> 00:25:25.240 see this thing that's happened, 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:26.539 which the Lord has told us about. 00:25:26.539 --> 00:25:29.639 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph 00:25:29.639 --> 00:25:31.519 and the baby who was lying in the manger. 00:25:32.680 --> 00:25:35.319 Now, we see a group of people in verse 17. 00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:36.220 When they had seen him, 00:25:36.599 --> 00:25:38.200 they spread the word concerning 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:39.940 what had been told them about this child 00:25:39.940 --> 00:25:43.139 and all who heard it were amazed 00:25:43.139 --> 00:25:47.059 or they wondered at what the shepherds said to them. 00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:49.519 This is the kind of message 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:51.299 that's going to get people talking. 00:25:52.019 --> 00:25:54.359 You know, most of the people in Israel 00:25:54.359 --> 00:25:56.639 were waiting for God's Christ, 00:25:56.799 --> 00:25:58.639 God's Savior to come. 00:25:59.219 --> 00:26:00.639 And so the shepherds announce 00:26:00.639 --> 00:26:03.240 there's a baby that was born in a manger. 00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:04.679 We've just seen him 00:26:04.679 --> 00:26:06.759 and he is the promised Savior. 00:26:06.939 --> 00:26:08.019 He is the Lord. 00:26:08.099 --> 00:26:10.219 So it gets people talking, 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:16.259 but that doesn't in itself mean belief. 00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:20.339 To wonder and to be amazed by itself 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:22.799 does not mean belief. 00:26:23.319 --> 00:26:26.960 There needs to be a point of decision. 00:26:28.220 --> 00:26:29.759 So if you're here today 00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:34.720 and you know Jesus is amazing and wonderful 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:37.079 and what you've read of his life 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:39.480 and of his death and of his resurrection, 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:43.220 you need to come to a point of decision. 00:26:43.220 --> 00:26:44.839 You need to decide, 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:47.720 will I trust him with my life 00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:48.839 and with my death? 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:51.140 Will I trust him as my Savior 00:26:51.140 --> 00:26:53.620 and with my Lord? 00:26:53.940 --> 00:26:57.019 To wonder, it is not enough. 00:26:58.279 --> 00:27:00.259 There's another response in verse 19. 00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:02.620 It's Mary, the mother of Jesus. 00:27:03.500 --> 00:27:06.700 Mary treasured up all these things 00:27:06.700 --> 00:27:10.559 and pondered them in her heart. 00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:13.179 And Mary's response is really interesting. 00:27:13.299 --> 00:27:15.859 So she doesn't understand it all yet. 00:27:16.000 --> 00:27:18.019 You know, there's this journey of faith 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:19.119 that she will go on 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:22.299 as Jesus journeys through his life. 00:27:22.379 --> 00:27:23.539 So she doesn't understand 00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:24.980 the full implications 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:26.919 of what the shepherds have said, 00:27:26.980 --> 00:27:28.659 but she loves what she's heard. 00:27:29.619 --> 00:27:31.359 She loves the good news 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:33.819 and she's going to keep reflecting on it. 00:27:33.899 --> 00:27:36.259 She's pondering these truths 00:27:36.259 --> 00:27:39.539 so that she might get more understanding. 00:27:39.539 --> 00:27:45.879 Perhaps that's where we are at today. 00:27:46.980 --> 00:27:48.460 Mary is a great example. 00:27:50.619 --> 00:27:52.519 This truth that I've gathered so far, 00:27:52.579 --> 00:27:53.539 I find it wonderful, 00:27:54.079 --> 00:27:55.899 but I know I don't have the full story yet, 00:27:55.920 --> 00:27:57.339 so I'm going to keep on reflecting, 00:27:58.159 --> 00:27:59.799 keep on seeking for understanding. 00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:02.619 If you're not a Christian today, 00:28:02.700 --> 00:28:03.480 but that's where you're at, 00:28:03.500 --> 00:28:03.940 it's great. 00:28:04.139 --> 00:28:05.700 Keep reading, keep coming to church, 00:28:05.799 --> 00:28:08.079 come to our Christianity Explored course 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:10.679 so that you might come to a point of belief. 00:28:10.759 --> 00:28:12.059 Because as we said earlier, 00:28:12.059 --> 00:28:15.000 this is too important just to push to one side, 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:18.319 to keep on discovering and inquiring. 00:28:18.419 --> 00:28:20.519 But so too for us as Christians. 00:28:21.899 --> 00:28:25.059 Our God is infinite and eternal in his glory. 00:28:25.259 --> 00:28:27.419 Therefore, there is always more for us 00:28:27.419 --> 00:28:28.759 to understand and appreciate. 00:28:29.419 --> 00:28:31.539 So our faith should never be a static thing. 00:28:31.539 --> 00:28:34.519 So we too should be those who keep on reading and praying 00:28:34.519 --> 00:28:36.799 and coming to worship 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:40.500 and looking to discover more about God 00:28:40.500 --> 00:28:42.559 in all his glory 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:44.839 so that we might worship him more 00:28:44.839 --> 00:28:46.539 and live for him more. 00:28:47.659 --> 00:28:51.799 The last response is that of the shepherds themselves. 00:28:52.220 --> 00:28:52.920 Verse 20, 00:28:53.359 --> 00:28:56.000 the shepherds returned back to their sheep, 00:28:56.159 --> 00:28:57.180 back to that hillside, 00:28:57.180 --> 00:29:01.820 but now they're glorifying and praising God 00:29:01.820 --> 00:29:04.600 for all the things they'd heard and seen, 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:08.700 which were just as they have been told. 00:29:09.320 --> 00:29:13.900 So they have now met and worshiped their Savior. 00:29:14.920 --> 00:29:18.400 They have seen and know that Jesus deserves 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:21.420 all the praise and glory of their hearts. 00:29:21.860 --> 00:29:24.860 And we see that they can't keep quiet about that. 00:29:24.859 --> 00:29:27.719 They're telling anyone who will listen. 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:31.379 And the shepherds present for us as Christians 00:29:31.379 --> 00:29:32.019 and as a church, 00:29:32.099 --> 00:29:33.659 a great pattern to follow. 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:38.519 That as we have heard the gospel, 00:29:39.219 --> 00:29:42.279 as we have seen God's love to us in Jesus, 00:29:42.399 --> 00:29:45.619 as we have believed that he is the Savior for us, 00:29:45.799 --> 00:29:47.399 what then are we to do? 00:29:47.479 --> 00:29:50.379 We are to live for his praise and glory. 00:29:50.419 --> 00:29:53.339 No longer looking to make ourselves look great. 00:29:53.339 --> 00:29:56.319 We live to make Jesus look great. 00:29:57.259 --> 00:30:00.439 And part of that is that we share our good news 00:30:00.439 --> 00:30:03.879 with a world that really needs to hear about Jesus. 00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:06.959 Needs to hear that there is forgiveness for them. 00:30:07.059 --> 00:30:08.539 There is peace with God for them. 00:30:08.639 --> 00:30:11.879 There is love from God for them through Jesus. 00:30:14.279 --> 00:30:15.759 So the angel's message, 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:17.159 the gospel message, 00:30:17.299 --> 00:30:18.459 the message to you and me today 00:30:18.459 --> 00:30:20.159 is that God has lifted off the roof. 00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:24.340 God has entered in with the coming of Jesus. 00:30:25.700 --> 00:30:28.120 And God offers to you and to me 00:30:28.120 --> 00:30:29.740 a perfect gift this Christmas, 00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:33.460 his only son sent to be our Savior. 00:30:35.420 --> 00:30:37.259 Let's not leave that gift unwrapped 00:30:37.259 --> 00:30:38.940 with all the other excitement. 00:30:39.940 --> 00:30:42.440 Let's not ask how much we have to pay God for that gift 00:30:42.440 --> 00:30:44.080 because it's free, it comes by grace. 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:46.699 Rather, let's enjoy that gift. 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:48.980 Let's enjoy the new life, 00:30:49.419 --> 00:30:50.000 the forgiveness, 00:30:50.519 --> 00:30:51.619 the peace with God 00:30:51.619 --> 00:30:53.460 that Jesus has come to offer.