but the angel said to them do not be afraid i bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people today in the town of david a savior has been born to you he is christ the lord let's bow together asking for god's blessing upon his word this morning our great god and heavenly father with joy in our hearts we bow before you this morning on this beautiful day. Indeed, a beautiful day with the bright sunshine and blue sky. A wonderful day as you allow us to gather together with family and friends, even from far distances. And a glorious day as you have brought us together into your house to worship your most holy name. Father, we praise you for your word. Your word become flesh, your Son, Jesus Christ. Your Word inscripturated for us, by which You teach us and instruct us. And Father, we pray that You would work in us in a powerful way this morning by Your Holy Spirit. Open our hearts and our minds and illumine us, Father. Instruct us. And Father, we pray that You would work powerfully, that we might hear and understand, believe, and obey. So Father, hear our prayer for Jesus' sake. And in His name we pray these things. Amen. Well, beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, as we read the biblical record of Christ's birth, primarily from Luke chapter 2, as we have done, but along with Matthew's record of the visit of the Magi or wise men, and as we consider all of the different details of the biblical record, and then compare those details with the interpretation of those details with regard to Christmas songs and pageants and cards and nativity scenes, it becomes clear that there is a misunderstanding by so many. I'm not talking about the commercialism or the secularism or the emphasis on Santa Claus or Frosty the Snowman. Of course, we know that those things speak for themselves. But I'm talking about the religious aspect among modern evangelicalism and how the presentation of the details is different from the details as they are recorded in Scripture. There's much confusion of the details. There is much confusing of them. For example, many a nativity scene include a stable, animals, shepherds, three wise men, Maybe a little drummer boy, a star overhead, and of course the main characters, Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. As well, the songs and the cards and the pageants of the seasons, just like the nativity scenes, mix these details together. Yet the Bible doesn't say anything about a stable. It talks about a manger which we know was a feeding trough for animals, And maybe because of that, that's where the idea comes in of a stable. But most likely, the family was located in a cave. The Bible doesn't say anything about animals being present. Again, maybe that's assumed because of the manger, but we can be assured that the family was not located out in some pasture somewhere surrounded by animals. The Bible certainly doesn't talk about a little drummer boy. And when it comes to the Magi or the wise men, it doesn't say that there were three. It doesn't say there were less or more. We don't know. And it doesn't say that they came to the manger to find Mary and Joseph in that place where they were located because there was no room in the inn. They came possibly up to two years later. And the Bible says they came to the house where Mary and Joseph and the baby could be found. And when it comes to the star, It seems the star appeared on the night that Jesus was born. The wise men saw it. But then it disappeared as the wise men made their way to Jerusalem. And then as they were directed to Bethlehem, on their way to Bethlehem, the star reappeared and shone over the place where they could find the Christ child. Yet, though our religious sentimentality may confuse all these details together, we can be sure that there was absolutely no confusion to the shepherds as to what was taking place as the angel announced a Savior for you. Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. A Savior for you. That is the unmistakable necessary detail of Christ's birth, of a Savior, the Savior, planned, promised, and provided. First of all, planned. Planned by God. Planned by God, beloved, before the creation of the world, as Paul makes clear in Ephesians 1. Beginning at verse 3, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ, For He, that is God the Father, chose us in Him, that is Christ, before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. And then Paul goes on in verse 11, In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. A Savior planned by God before the creation of the world. Now that in and of itself is a mystery to us. Something that we cannot even begin to wrap our minds around. That even before God created the world, He knew that sin would enter. He knew that man would fall and cast himself into a hopeless situation. He knew that we would be unworthy of His presence and love and holiness. Yet, a Savior was planned by God choosing some to rescue from the eternal death into which they had cast themselves. And for them, He planned to send a Savior. very simply to save now of course we know that saving presupposes a need for example if one finds themselves in a large body deep body of water and can't swim they need to be saved from drowning if one is behind on their mortgage they need to be saved from foreclosure there are all kinds of hardships and difficult situations of life in which people find themselves in need of being saved in some sort of way you go to a restaurant and it comes time to pay and you have forgotten your wallet or your purse as I have done and someone else picks up the tab you say thank you for saving me Israel thought they needed saving from Roman oppression and rule today there are many who think that saving is needed from inequality among men from lousy economic conditions from social security collapse or saving from people's rights being violated. Yet, so few think about man's greatest need for salvation from sin. From its curse and punishment. From its decaying effects. You see, all the other difficult and horrible situations of life are because of sin in the world. Because of sin in man. But God planned to send His one and only Son to suffer the curse and the penalty of sin, to suffer God's extreme anger against sin, and to do so for those whom He would bring to faith in Him by His grace. Paul also outlines that, I believe, in Ephesians 1, taking up again at verse 4. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. How? In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will to the praise of His glorious grace which He has freely given us in the one He loves. In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And Paul goes on in verse 13, And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having believed. You were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of His glory. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. All of that, beloved, planned by God before we even knew that we were sinners, before we knew that we were needy, before we knew that we were in danger, before we were even born, before the creation of the world. Yet He not only planned a Savior, but in the second place, He also promised a Savior to His people. He made His plan known to His people as recorded in Scripture. Especially the Old Testament Scriptures. The history of God's covenant people and His relationship with them from whom He would bring forth a Messiah. There, He gave promise after promise of a Messiah. Messiah means anointed one. This one was to be the ideal king anointed of God because Israel continually had broken covenant with God. This ideal king is the one they needed. We find the promise of this Messiah king, For example, in Psalm 2, where the Lord speaks of His Son, the Anointed One, installed as King. He is referred to in Genesis 49, verse 10, when Jacob is blessing his sons and says the scepter will not depart from Judah. David was given the promise of a son to sit on his throne forever. Isaiah speaks of this Messiah King who was promised as he speaks of the child to be born, a son to be given who would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And Isaiah says there as well that He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom. In Micah 5, verse 2, we find this prophecy, But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. This ruler from Bethlehem, the place understood by the scribes and the teachers of the law as they gave the information of Bethlehem to Herod for the wise men. In addition to the promises of the Messiah king specifically, there are further promises of the Messiah. Isaiah 7.14 The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Emmanuel. And Matthew defines that as God with us. And the Bible speaks of the Son of David. It speaks of the Son of Righteousness who would come with healing in His wings. There is Isaiah's suffering servant, especially in Isaiah 53, the one upon whom the Lord would lay the iniquity of us all. Beloved, these are only a very small sample of the countless Old Testament Scripture passages, many of them quoted by the New Testament writers who saw these texts as pointing to the Messiah who was planned and promised by God. Promises then recalled by the shepherds. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. That small verse filled, packed, with Old Testament imagery. Recalled by the shepherds who understood prophecy. Israel, including the shepherds, knew Old Testament Scriptures again as the chief priests and the teachers of the law prove in telling Herod where this king was to be born. And even though they didn't understand what kind of Messiah he was to be, yet they understood that one was to come. And notice the shepherds are told by the angels not that the virgin had given birth. The emphasis does not go to Mary. But they are told of the baby to whom she had given birth. They knew that the baby was to be called Emmanuel and therefore they are told in essence, God is now with you. Upon hearing of the town of David, that would remind them of Bethlehem and Micah's prophecy. And the very mention of David would make them think of the King. Hearing that one was born would remind them of Isaiah's child who was to be born. And again, the very mention of Christ would cause them to think of the Anointed One, the Messiah. It all fit. They hear this glorious announcement an announcement that would recall to their minds the promise of God to Israel. And they know without a doubt that the time had come as the angel's words meant that the Savior had now been provided. And the signs of this provided Savior were unmistakable signs from heaven. The angel and the great company of the heavenly host from God's presence Himself, something so unordinary and something even so extraordinary even had it been to the most important person on this earth at that time. It would have been such an extraordinary visit. But they come to these shepherds. They're coming a sign of something wonderful. And their appearance and glory meant that this message is important. This message is worth paying attention to. And along with the unmistakable signs from heaven were unmistakable signs on earth. A real child wrapped in real cloths lying in a real manger. Signs that they could see and lay their hands on. This was a real child who had come. It has happened. And He was the perfect gift because He is the Savior. Christ, the Lord, God Himself, come to save us. And notice the response of the shepherds. The shepherds go. They go. Not in order to find out whether the angels' words were true or not. They never doubted. Verse 15 says, When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about. So they hurried off. There was no doubt to them of who was speaking. The Lord Himself. and there was no doubt to them that it was true. It has happened. And they didn't question the humble circumstances. Circumstances that certainly did not ordinarily fit with a king. They believed. And they went. Encouraging one another. They hurried off to find this pearl of great price. Beloved, we as believers are called to encourage one another in the faith and in our walk with the Lord. These shepherds believed and they went and they found the baby as the angels said. They were not disappointed. In Proverbs 8, verse 17, the Lord says, I love those who love Me and those who seek Me find Me. And similarly, in Jeremiah 29, verse 13, the Lord says to the exiles, You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. What an awesome promise from our God to those who look to Him in faith. They will not be disappointed. The shepherds believed and they went and they found Him. And then they returned. They returned to their life. They returned to their occupations. But they returned changed. Glorifying and praising God for all that they had seen and heard. Transformed. That's the transforming power of the Lord Jesus Christ by His Spirit. transformed with joy in their daily calling, desiring to rejoice in Him, to live for Him, to give Him glory. Oh, beloved, the message of Christmas, of Christ's birth, is a Savior for you. A message that is important. A message that is worth paying attention to. A message that is to be taken seriously. Even beyond the religious misinterpretation of the details as we mentioned at the beginning is the world's complete reinterpretation as we know. But we are not to allow the glamour and the commercialism of the world's Christmas to blind us to man's true need and to the true message of Christ's birth. Only this Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord is the perfect gift for you, for me, for all of mankind. Because He perfectly and completely answers to our greatest need. He has paid for all of our sin and our sinful nature. He has fulfilled God's plan for those who believe in Him by the grace of God. Namely, reconciliation and peace with God. being one with God, no longer separated, but one with Him forever. God's plan was His glory through the salvation of His chosen people. And God has given His Word, which clearly reveals to us still today, so many years later, of His plan, His promise, His provision of a Savior. A message that must be told. A message that must be heard. A message that comes with a call to repent and believe. And He has confirmed that truth of His Savior. He has confirmed it for us with the signs of the Lord's table and baptism. That Jesus Christ shed His blood unto a complete remission of all of our sins, cleansing God's people from all of our sin. And He has given evidence of this truth of a Savior through the very existence of the church and the very existence of true believers into this world. The church of Jesus Christ is evidence of that Savior planned and promised and provided as God continues to build His church to prepare the bride for the bridegroom. Beloved, tomorrow, Christmas 2010, according to the calendar, will be over. But the question remains, what do you do with this Jesus? Do you sing of Him? Do you talk about Him? Do you reflect on Him? Absolutely, yes to all these things, but most important, believe in Him. Look to Him in faith. Trust not in yourself, but in Jesus Christ, who alone there is no other. Only this Jesus restores one with God. As John 3, verse 36 says, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Why? For God's wrath remains on Him, apart from this Savior alone. The message of Christ's birth is simple. Eternal life in Christ. or everlasting death apart from Him. As those who believe by the grace of God, this message is a message that God had us in His mind long before we knew Him. Long before we even wanted nothing to do with Him. And the message is that His grace alone is sufficient for us. The Christmas celebration 2010 will come to an end, but not the saving work and the saving worth of Jesus Christ. His work is effective forever. It is sufficient for all who trust in Him. And therefore, not only is this a Christmas message, a Savior for you, but this is the message for every day until He returns. A message to be shared. A message to be heard. A message to believe. A message with a history, planned, promised, and provided by God with a guarantee that those who trust in Him, you will have the assurance by the power of the Holy Spirit that this Savior is for you. Beloved, His saving work is life-changing. Those who are in Him by faith live this life without fear and instead with joy, no matter what may come upon us, knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. knowing that Jesus Christ is our only hope and our only security for today, tomorrow for 2011 and 2012 and 2013 for all time and all eternity as His saving work is binding for all eternity as in Him, beloved, we are forever rescued from eternal death and given the blessed possession of eternal life a Savior for you. Such simple words with never-ending value. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, on this Christmas morning as we come together as a people of God, we again praise Your most holy name for sending Your Son. for giving the most precious gift, the one that was desperately needed, that He should take on human flesh and live among man for a time and give his life as a ransom for many. Indeed, O Lord, we thank You for this precious gift of Your Son, a Savior, sent to do for us what we needed most, but we were completely incapable of accomplishing it on our own. And Father, as the world celebrates itself and as many take credit to themselves for making another's Christmas special, we give glory to You alone for all that we have and all that we are in Christ Jesus for being the very reason that we are able to celebrate at this time of year and every day of our lives. We thank You for this precious gift and by Your Spirit we pray that You would transform our hearts and lives more and more each day. Father, help us to be mindful that apart from You, we are nothing. Help us to serve You with gladness all the days of our lives. That we would be those who represent You well. Those who rejoice even as we carry out our daily tasks and callings knowing that whatever we do, we are called to do it all in the name of the Lord. We pray, Father, that Your Word may continue to go forth in all of its beauty and all of its holiness and boldness. We know that many still have not heard the glorious message of the Lord Jesus Christ. And continue to raise up faithful workers, O Lord, whom You would send forth to gather in Your people. This morning we pray in a special way for Rev. Bill Green. And with Him, all those whom You have called to minister Your Word in foreign places or even to engage in missions here close to home. And all those whom You have called to train and be ready to preach the Word, to be ready in season and out of season, to be used of You week in and week out to prepare and share the glorious message of God's grace, of Your grace, through Jesus Christ. We pray for Rev. Green that You would bless His work. We thank You for the opportunity that we have to participate into that through the giving of our gifts and offerings. And we pray, Father, that You would cause His work to be effective, that You would work through Him. And if it is Your will, give to Him even a glimpse of the fruit of His labors, of Your work through Him. And bless Him and His family as they continue to pursue the calling to which You have called them. Father, we thank You for this congregation. We thank You for our loved ones and dear ones and many who join us from out of town and out of state today. We pray that You would bless our gatherings together, our fellowship, the food and drink that we enjoy. And may all of it be done, Father, with an eye to Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. As a congregation, we pray for those who need You in a special way, both from among us and those in other places. We thank You, Father, that You have been with Cheryl Vanderwady throughout this week to give to her the surgery that she has needed to bless her to be able to return to her home and give her healing and strength, we pray. We thank You as well that our brother Nick Van Dam was able to return to his home. We pray, Father, that You would give him complete healing and strength to be able to go about as he once was able to. We rejoice this morning, O Lord, that Carl Dion can be with us to worship with Your people. We pray for all those, Father, who need You in a special way, who are struggling in different ways, those who are not able to get out and go about as they once were able to. Continue to be near to them, that they might sense Your presence every passing hour and to find comfort and strength in You. Father, most of all, prepare us for the day of Christ Jesus. We know that even as He came the first time, it is guaranteed that He will come again, this time on the clouds of glory, for every eye to see. And Father, make us, young and old, make us ready for that day, longing for that day, looking expectantly for Him to come again. When He will take His people, take us to be with Him, to live in Your presence forever and ever. And until that day, Father, continue to uphold us with Your strength, and grant us all that we stand in need of for body and soul and may it draw forth from our hearts and lips praise to your most holy name. In Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.