Sunday Night, December 20, 2020 PM

But I also see a great many guests. I just want to welcome you to Sunnyside Baptist Church. This is our annual Christmas carols and lessons. We've been doing this for a while, and I'm just always very thankful to those who have set aside a great deal of time out of this busy holiday season to labor, to practice, and to plan and put this all together.

And so you see that there's a lot of equipment has been precisely arranged for us. I just want to thank Edgar for his labor, his service, and Joel for helping him. And I really appreciate Lisa and the choir spending their Sunday nights away from the normal fellowship to practice and to get ready to help us celebrate this season and the birth of Christ.

And I want to thank my brother for playing the piano, coming and helping us today. And it's a blessing to have him and his family here tonight. Now, a lot of you already have candles. If you haven't grabbed a candle yet, there's a few out there in the foyer if you want one for later.

You'll notice in your program that there's a moment there where you have a bunch of Christmas carols set between the two candles. And that'll be the time to light your candle. If it's a real one, the flame will be moving around.

If you have one of the battery-powered ones, then you don't have to wait. And we'll turn the lights down, we'll sing these carols together, and we'll carol to one another. And part of this is why all the fuss, yeah?

The Reason for Christmas

Why all the fuss? Why all the busyness? Why is traffic so bad? Why all the planning and getting together? Why do we do something like this that is just different than normal? And the answer is very simple.

When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. That's why.

Because made in the image of God, we're accountable to him. His law, which is simply the expression of his perfect holy character, is a crushing weight upon each and every one of us. We cannot measure up.

But at the right time, God sent forth his son. Born under the law, to live righteous and perfect in our place, for our sake, doing all that we could never do, and all we have to do is trust him. And tonight, we're just gonna rejoice in the gift that God has given.

Let me pray for us, and then we will rejoice together. Father, I thank you for gathering us together tonight. Thank you for safely providing for us to gather. I pray for each one who is here. Please help us to truly know the joy of Christmas and rejoice in this gift of your son, Jesus Christ.

I thank you again for all those who have been laboring and preparing for this time. I pray an extra measure of grace to be upon them, as you fill us with your spirit, so that we would honor and glorify you tonight.

And Lord, I pray that as we leave from this place, that you will have prepared our hearts to rejoice and celebrate the real reason for this time, the real reason for this season, being Jesus Christ. I pray these things in his name, amen.

Old Testament Prophecies of Emmanuel

Waiting, longing. In the years before the birth of Christ, the world waited in darkness as prophets came on the scene and, moved by the Holy Spirit, wrote about the promised Messiah.

Isaiah said he would be born of a virgin and would be called Emmanuel, God with us.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shone. 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 and of peace, 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 this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name, Emmanuel.

O come, Emmanuel

The Incarnation of the Word

This evening to celebrate. We celebrate the birth of a child who came to our world more than 2000 years ago.

We remember the fulfillment of prophecies made thousands of years before his birth. We honor a plan for our redemption made by our great God before time began.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. O come, all ye faithful. The time arrived. Mary bore the holy child as the young couple traveled to Bethlehem.

Joseph accepted the responsibility of watching over his earthly footsteps. A feeding trough became his bed, and a host of angels sped from heaven to earth to announce the arrival of the newborn king. In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. It all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angelic Announcement

Three sets of Christmas melodies, and so this will be our first Christmas melody tonight. We'll be singing Joy Has Dawned, Angels We Have Heard on High, and on that one, we'll start with the chorus, and the third song is Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

Sing with us together.

Join us in singing some familiar Christmas carols that tell of that holy night, the night that Jesus was born.

Our second trio is A Little Town of Bethlehem, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and the First Noel.

A little town of Bethlehem

Open flesh wrapped around the eternal and the divine. Few saw it at the time, and those who did didn't understand who he was.

But looking at it tonight, all this time later, it's impossible to think of it without awe and wonder at the miracle.

And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night, and an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

And the angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was, with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them. With the shepherds, let us come and worship Jesus.

The medley of songs is going to be angels from the realm of glory and while shepherds watch their flocks.

Angels from the realm of glory

Christ's Sinless Life, Atoning Death, and Resurrection Victory

Jesus didn't remain a baby. He was divine, fully God, but he was also fully human. And he grew and experienced life on earth just like other humans, except for one critically important difference. Jesus never sinned.

He lived a perfect, sinless human life. God sent Jesus to show us the way to live. However, because every human since Adam has been born with sin in their heart, we cannot be in fellowship with a holy God.

God's holiness requires payment for sin. Because we could never pay that debt on our own, God provided a perfect sacrifice, his only begotten son. Jesus took the debt of our sin upon himself and paid for it with his life.

He died the death that every human deserves. But when we trust in him as our savior, he gives to us the righteousness of his life, his perfect, sinless life. At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of a baby.

However, the cause of the celebration is that he became our redeemer. As a grown man, Jesus willingly gave up his life on the cross and defeated the curse of sin when God raised him from the dead. For all who trust in him as savior, we are promised that same victory over death and eternal life with God forever.

We look forward to forever praising the one who gave us life, who redeemed us from death, our redeemer, Jesus, God's own son. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.

We're going to sing this melody.

Of Christmas carols together.

What child is this who laid to rest. On Mary's lap is sleeping. Angels greet with anthems sweet While shepherds watch or kiss This is Christ the King Whom shepherds guard and angels sing Haste, haste to bring him, Lord, the babe, the son of man.

A manger, no crib for a bed. The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the sky look down where he. Lord Jesus asleep on the silent night. Virgin, mother and child, infant so tender.

Heavenly peace, sun's pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy dawn. Jesus, Lord, at thy birth, Lord, turn eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strange.

Light of his glory, son of man, come let us adore him. Christ the Lord is the word, is the word, is the word

Closing Prayer and Dismissal

You will be dismissed singing joy to the world. Father, I thank you for the time that you've given us here tonight, an opportunity to sing your praises, to sing praises to Jesus Christ, our savior, the light of the world.

We pray that you would be honored and lifted up Jesus Christ in this season as we rejoice in your advent and your coming. We rejoice in your righteous life and your redeeming death and your victorious resurrection and your glorious ascension and in your victorious reign.

You are everything to this world. You're everything to us. We thank you for this most special season and we give you glory. I pray that you would bless us as we depart from this place and please receive this final song of honor to you.

We pray these things in your name, amen.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come Let earth receive her every heart Prepare him room nature sing And heaven and nature sing And heaven and heaven and nature sing. He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness And wonders of his glory.

And we're dismissed. Thank you.