This Sunday the sanctuary was set up with tables. Punch and cake are served in honor of Christ’s birthday.
Just as we have celebrated the births of our latest additions: Ashley and Austin, so the angels and heavenly hosts celebrated the birth of the Lord Jesus. There was much celebration and rejoicing among the angels.
You would think that they would be sad, seeing as their Lord had left them to come to us, but they were passionate about what He was passionate about, and excited about what He was excited about. They are so fully devoted to evangelizing His beautiful Gospel that they rushed to proclaim the news of His arrival to the earth, and they started with the commonest commoners: the shepherds who lived in the nearby hills, watching over their sheep.
Never before had their been one born from Heaven as Jesus was, nor would there ever be one born like Him, from virgin birth, eternally preexistent, having lived before He entered the world. He is the one and only Son of God, the Savior of mankind and there is none like Him.
Please stand for the reading of the Word…
John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
He is the one and only Son of God, the Savior of mankind and there is none like Him.
Thus the song we sing, “There is none like you… No one else can touch my heart like you do.”
No one else can do for us what Christ has done for us and no one else will do for mankind what He has done for us, as the Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
I hope you have reason to celebrate this morning. I hope you’re still excited about what He’s done for you because He’s not done. I hope you’re enthusiastic about what He is doing for you, in you and for what He is going to do through you because His plans for you are We serve a savior who is victorious and powerful and His people are draped with His enthusiasm, wealth and power.
The Kingdom of Heaven had a very special celebration when Jesus was born. They were ecstatic, enthusiastic and on fire about His plan to save God’s children on the face of the earth because, like Him, they too love us and care for us.
Luke 2:8-16, And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 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.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15 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."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
They couldn’t wait to spread the news. God dangled it before our eyes in the skies and the angels proclaimed it with rejoicing might and power before the shepherds that night…
But the party didn’t end there…
Jesus lived, laid down His life and rose to life for your sake too, and today, this day we celebrate as His birthday, He is as excited about you as the day He came into this world.
Today is Jesus’ birthday, but the resounding message I get from Him as I pray for you today is that He’s excited about you! Today, as we celebrate Jesus, He wants us to know He is celebrating US TOO!
Yes, He’s excited about you and you and you, He has great plans for you and wants you to know He’s proud to call you His own.
In John 10:10 He says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
He wants you to have LIFE to the FULL and that’s precisely why He drank the cup of death to the full: so that you might experience a birth like HIS: celebrated, anointed and full of potential!
Today, you celebrate the birth of Jesus and because He is born, YOU ARE BORN AGAIN!
So then, today, you share the birthday with Jesus Christ. Christmas is more than a holiday, it’s a birthday and it’s more than His birthday it’s OUR birthday.
IF WE SHARE IN HIS LIFE, WE HAVE NEW LIFE.
Rom 8:16-19, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.”
IF WE SHARE IN HIS DEATH, WE HAVE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.
IF SHARE IN HIS RESURRECTION, WE HAVE LIFE ETERNAL and because we share all these things with Him, WE SHARE HIS BIRTH TOO, because by His birth, WE ARE BORN WITH HIM INTO NEW LIFE!!!!!
At His arrival, the angels announced Him.
At your moment of salvation, they proclaim the return of a prodigal child of God…
It’s Jesus’ birthday this morning, and His gift is you… He’s excited about your spiritual rebirth.
When you were saved, the creation rejoiced, for everyone and everything created by God is enthusiastic about seeing His plans come to pass; they wait in EAGER EXPECTATION FOR THE SONS OF GOD TO BE REVEALED!
Luke 15:6, “’Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’”
BORN LIKE HIM: There are some enlightening ways in which we share in the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas: At least three of which I can proclaim to you today:
I: INNOCENCE:
Prussian king Frederick the Great was once touring a Berlin prison. The prisoners fell on their knees before him to proclaim their innocence-except for one man, who remained silent. Frederick called to him, "Why are you here?"
"Armed robbery, Your Majesty," was the reply.
"And are you guilty?"
"Yes indeed, Your Majesty, I deserve my punishment."
Frederick then summoned the jailer and ordered him, "Release this guilty wretch at once. I will not have him kept in this prison where he will corrupt all the fine innocent people who occupy it."
All of us deserved our imprisonment when we were captives and slaves to sin. None of us were innocent, but the heartfelt confession of the guilty is what leads to repentance and freedom through Jesus Christ.
Most people are wandering through life blaming everything they’ve done wrong on someone else, but God is most interested in the ones who are willing to confess their sins to a forgiving savior. This is the hardest part of leaving our old life: confession. It seems to our spirit to be the labor pains before our new birth into the family of God through Christ. But on the other side of that labor there is NEW BIRTH: a completely new creation, innocent in every way: pure and without fault.
2 Cor 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Jesus is excited about your innocence and He offers it to anyone who searches his heart, takes responsibility for what he’s done and confesses his sins. He wants you to know today, that punishment comes from hiding your sins, not from confessing your sins…
But on the other side of that confession there is complete and total innocence: new life awaiting you, where the burden of sins past is no more!
We are reborn as innocent as the baby Jesus and we maintain that innocence through our relationship with Jesus.
BORN IN INNOCENCE: The state of being innocent: Freedom from sin, moral wrong, or guilt… Guiltlessness of a specific crime or offense.
Heb 10:17, Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
Today, we celebrate the Christ-like innocence we share as forgiven believers in Jesus Christ!
Therefore, KEEP UP TH FAITH!
A small boy riding a bus home from Sunday school was very proud of the card he had
received, which had a picture and a caption that read: “Have Faith in God.” Then to his
dismay the card slipped from his hand and fluttered out the window. “Stop the bus!” he
cried. “I’ve lost my ‘faith in God!’”
The driver pulled the bus to a stop, and as the lad climbed out and went to retrieve his
card, one of the adult riders smiled and made a comment about the innocence of youth. A
more perceptive adult observed, “All of us would be better off if we were that concerned
about our faith."
II: BORN COMPLETELY DEPENDENT UPON HIM
I can remember two separate mornings in my life, when I woke up early because I couldn’t breathe.
When I woke, my lungs had stopped breathing and I realized they weren’t taking commands from my brain. So I darted out of bed, standing in the middle of the room with my mouth wide open, prompting my lungs to breathe in air, and finally, they opened up again and after a few moments I was breathing normally again. Those two moments without breath were terrifying experiences and I never have found out why that happened, but I do have a new appreciation for life, and breath…
“the breath of man that I have created.” Isa 57:16
When we sing the song, ‘Breathe’ and I hear, “This is the air I breathe. Your very presence living in me… And I’m desperate for you”, it reminds me of my full dependence on God for every breath I breath. It evokes all the emotions of gratitude and passion that I have for the Lord and reminds me of the barrenness of an existence without Him. I’m humbled and honored by God when I’m reminded of all these things…
Today, like newborns, we depend on Him for every breath, every meal and every provision of comfort… And the awesome thing about total dependence upon God is that He is able and He has enough to take care of the problem!
More than able… You are able, more than able to accomplish what concerns me to day.
You are able, more than able, to handle anything that comes my way.
You are able, more than able, to do much more than I could ever dream.
You are able, more than able, to make me what You want me to be.
He was more than able to give me the breath of life and more than able to give Ashley the breath of life. He’s more than able to handle your finances if you’ll trust Him with them, more than able to heal you and if He chooses not to, His Grace is MORE THAN SUFFICIENT for you!
He’s excited about you, overjoyed by you. The heavens proclaimed your birth and rejoiced in your rebirth, He’s got you wrapped in the swaddling clothes of Heaven and He’s preparing a mansion for you back home in Beulah land. You will only be here for a while and because He lives, you too will live and see the provision of The Lord in all its Glory and riches!
Eph 3:20-21, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
III: BORN WITH UNLIMITED POTENTIAL:
An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was backbreaking work, and his son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison.
The old man mentioned it in a letter he sent to his son by saying, “I’m not sure exactly what to do. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. It looks like I won’t be able to plant that garden this year after all.”
A few days later, he received a short letter from his son, “Dad, For heaven’s sake, don’t dig up that garden that’s where I buried the bodies!”
At 4 a.m. the next morning, a crew of police officers, and the FBI arrived to find the bodies. After digging for hours, they gave up and apologized to the old man and left.
That same day the old man received another letter from his son.
“Dear Dad, under these circumstances, that’s the best I can do, go ahead and plant your potatoes.”
Sometimes we are like the stubborn earth that stands in the way of experiencing a completely transformed life in Jesus Christ. Instead of being willing to trust, to take direction, and to accept the rewards Christ offers. We remain a potential garden…a potential garden in need of resurrection…a potential garden that needs to find the way, the truth, and the life…a potential garden just waiting to accept the victory that’s found in Jesus Christ.
We are chosen by God to be-come a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Pet 2:4-5, “As you come to him, the living Stone-- rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Today, Jesus celebrates your potential and He’s waiting for you to get as excited as He is about the potential you have now that you’re a child of God and a child of the light.
You have the innocence of a baby and the provision of Jehovah Jireh, The Lord our provider.
You have the potential of any Bible character from Abraham to Paul and He’s enthusiastic about the part you’re born to perform in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let’s get busy! Let’s be enthusiastic, like the Heavenly Host: the army of God, proclaiming the birth of the Savior. PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS. JOIN IN THE HEAVENLY PROCESSION!
THE CHRIST IS BORN AND SO ARE YOU! LET’S CELEBRATE THIS BIRTH AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS: your friends, your neighbors, your strangers and your family can be reborn too!
CONCLUSION:
Rom 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
