GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY
During an Ordinary Night, an Extraordinary Message was proclaimed by angels who spoke to the shepherds over two thousand years ago:
‘Do not be afraid. I bring you tidings of great joy that will be for all people; a Saviour has been born to you’. Luke 2:10 NIV
GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY
It’s a very simple yet profoundly important message. In a world of fear and anxiety, Jesus birth brings good news of great joy.
1. The good news of Jesus birth is for all people of the world, for all nations, and all races.
2. The good news of Jesus birth was prophesied in the book of Isa 9:6 NIV
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
3. The good news of Jesus birth is comfort to the poor, the humble, and those who will receive him.
4. The good news of Jesus birth brought God out of distance and darkness into light and our presence.
a) Anybody can be born in a stable….
b) But only God can do the impossible and become a man
5. The good news of Jesus birth is God has met us in our lowliness and misery.
a) Matthew records that the angel told Joseph that the child would be called Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus is God with us.
(1) His Birth Reveals His Person. His humanity; His deity; His humility.
(2) His Birth Reveals His Mission. He came to save His people from their sins. The gifts of gold (for a king); frankincense (for a priest), and myrrh (for those who die) give us a summery of His purpose in coming to earth.
(3) His Birth Reveals the Character of God. In the events at Bethlehem, we see the glimpses of God’s Sovereignty, His glory, and His love
b) The presentation of Christ to the world is appreciated even more when his condescension is measured from the standpoint of God’s superiority to man.
Edwin C. Lewis has made an interesting analogy in this connection. Using the accepted thought of a dog being man’s best friend, Mr. Lewis asks, “Where is the man who, for the sake of saving a dog, would condescend to become a dog and enter into the life of a dog for that purpose?” Then he proceeds to reason that the margin of difference between God and man exceeds that between man and a dog.
Yet Christ, “being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:6-8).
6. The good news of Jesus birth is, He has come down to the level of the poorest of human beings, where people alienated, where people struggle and suffer for daily existence, where people are in the grip of fear and anxiety.
“The fact of Jesus’ birth is the final and immeasurable proof that God cares.” William Barclay
7. The good news of Jesus birth is explained in Luke 2:32, when Simeon at the temple prophesied that Jesus would be
“A light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
8. Jesus’ birth brings us a new message of salvation -- salvation instead of damnation.
9. The good news of Jesus birth and of his entrance into our hearts changes our lives in ways we cannot anticipate
10. The good news of Jesus birth is that it brings us closer to God
11. The good news of Jesus birth means Restoration to our true position
12. The good news of Jesus birth enables us to be victorious
13. The good news of Jesus birth meant the ultimate Deliverance from a deadly evil
14. The good news of Jesus birth says that Christians should "always be ready to share the reason for their hope."
You see without Christ mankind lives in fear....fear of death....and...fear of life. We wander through life without purpose or direction.
15. The good news of Jesus birth belongs too:
a) It belongs to those who hear it.
b) It belongs to those who believe it.
c) It belongs to those who experience it.
d) It belongs to those who proclaim it.
God is asking you to recommit yourself to sharing the good news of Jesus’ birth.
