For There Is Born To You This Day, A Savior Who Is Christ The Lord

Ascension Presbyterian Church Longwood

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Amen, what a great time of singing and considering scripture.

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I'm going to try to Read Luke 2 very quickly.

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We've read a portion of it. I'm going to have a few observations and try to get out of the way of the narrative and allow some of this just to Settle in with us.

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This is the word of the Lord again, and it's holy and infallible It came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus That all the world should be registered

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The census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria So all went to be registered everyone to his own city

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Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea to the city of David Which is called

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Bethlehem Because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary his betrothed wife who was with child so it was that while they were there the days were completed for her to be delivered and She brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in Swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the end

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Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night and Behold an angel of the

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Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid

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And the angel said to them do not be afraid for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy

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Which will be to all people For there is born to you this day in the city of David a

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Savior who is Christ the Lord and this will be the sign to you you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger and Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host

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Praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace

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Goodwill toward men So it was when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another

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Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass which the

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Lord has made known to us And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger

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Now when they had seen him they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child

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And all those who fear who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds

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But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart Then the shepherds returned glorifying and praising

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God for all the things which they had heard and seen as It was told them

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Please pray with me. Oh Lord, I pray that you would captivate our senses and our sensibility that we would

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See some of the glory of Christ as it's revealed here in the scriptures

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And as we've had the privilege of singing and oh Lord I pray that we would leave tonight with great joy and ask this in Jesus name

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Amen Going to make some Observations on each of the sections that I have broken out

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The first one is that I want to point out to you is the providence of God The Westminster Shorter Catechism says that God's works of providence are his most holy wise

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Powerful Preserving and governing all of his creatures and all of their actions

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Caesar Augustus ordered a census that all the world should be registered

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Now, why did he do this? This meant that everyone should go to their native city that they could be counted as you can imagine an emperor a

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Government official the primary reason was to ensure proper and accurate tax collection

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That's why he did it He's an unrighteous Godless man an idolater

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He wanted to exercise greater governmental control to have better management of the population to organize military operations and even track the demographics of the regions under Roman Jurisdiction, he even did it maybe to flex his power

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But the providence of God took a family located in Nazareth And Caused them to travel 90 miles south to the city of David So that the prophecies that we've read and sung about would be fulfilled

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Tremendous lesson a practical lesson for us in this Whatever wicked things are happening.

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Whatever's going on in the world around us. God could very well be using it for his glory

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The bad news in the marketplace bad news in the political sphere May be used of God Unrighteous man doing wicked things

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Causes the plan of God to be executed. You remember the story of Joseph his brothers sell him into slavery

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But God meant it for good. He becomes the salvation of his people because of all that happens according to his providence

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So let us never put our hopes and our stakes in the current circumstances but in the

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God who controls them amen Secondly I Want you to look at verses 8 and 9

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There is a powerful angelic visitation children sometimes our understanding of angels has been corrupted by medieval art

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You see little beautiful little cherubim and little things flying around with nice little angels look around the room maybe some idolatry here

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But in reality these creatures the angels are fierce

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They are soldiers who wage a spiritual warfare

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They are intimidating they're scary and they're glorious righteous men fall on their faces to try to worship them

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When they see them They're powerful, but let's not forget. They are ministering spirits servants of God to engage in spiritual warfare to help the people of God and There are shepherds.

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These are rugged men strong men who are Courageous they were terrified in their presence look at verse 9 and behold an angel of the

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Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around Them and they were greatly afraid

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Tough courageous men in the presence of God's servants fall on their faces.

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They're greatly afraid But the angels aren't there to terrorize

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The angels are there to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ And it's been coming up over and over again tonight glad tidings of great joy

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Verses 10 and following say this Then the angel said to them do not be afraid

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For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy

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Which will be to all people for there is born to you this day in the city of David a

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Savior who is Christ the Lord. I want to focus really quickly on that description of A Savior who is

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Christ the Lord the word Savior means a deliverer a preserver

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The word conveys the idea of rescue from danger or a rescue from destruction particularly in a spiritual sense it signifies salvation from sin and its consequences

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For the Jews the term Savior was deeply rooted in the expectation of the

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Messiah who would deliver Israel Jesus Christ comes as Savior Fulfilling the divine mission to save humanity from sin and to reconcile them to God So we say

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Jesus is a Savior Magnificent things are happening He's come to the world for this very thing

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The angels are announcing the promise being realized in Christ Second I want to consider the word

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Christ of course, this means the anointed one and Messiah again

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But this anointing aspect must be emphasized very briefly

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The act of anointing was a symbolic act of consecration Normally to a holy and sacred office particularly as a king

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But also for prophets and priests hopefully my folks will know where we're gonna go with that Jesus is the exemplary prophet priest and king

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When we say Christ, it's not Jesus's last name We're talking about anointing and consecration and setting apart to the highest of office

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So the angels are declaring salvation is coming in Christ Christ is the anointed one

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He's the consecrated one and you guys have had prophets and you've had priests and you've had

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Kings But he is the exemplary prophet priest and king

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And finally under this little heading the idea of the Lord Kurios The one who has the supremacy and authority

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The little baby in the manger The little baby in the womb of the

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Virgin Mary now declared to be the Son of God in power The angels who are fierce they are under the supremacy and authority of Christ the little baby in the manger

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He has absolute control and power and in the New Testament's used of one who possesses all authority control or That power it should signify to us and what's due to him from us and all creatures is respect reverence and an acknowledgement of That authority

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Jesus is divine nature and supremacy make it appropriate to call him

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Lord in Scripture the use of Kurios For Jesus is a profound declaration of his divinity and Messiah ship and a threat to all religious and societal norms

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The chief priests are not higher than him the Jewish ruling council the Sanhedrin is not higher than him

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Kyrenius Herod Caesar Augustus none of them rank in comparison to him

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You remember the early confessional statement of the church Jesus is Lord in the book of Acts It contradicted the

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Roman mantra Caesar is Lord and Christians with threat of death declared

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Jesus's supremacy and authority Control and power and that it far exceeded that of Caesar And when pressed you'll remember the disciples would say we ought to obey

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God Rather than men because there's a higher King who must be submitted to it's true for us as well the person who is

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Lord exercises absolute rights of ownership He is the owner and master and this is what the angels are declaring the pronouncement of good tidings with great joy is that the

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Savior the one who rescues us from danger who saves men from sin and Reconciles them to God is the anointed one.

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He's consecrated to be the prophet priest and King He is the master who has all

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Supremacy authority control and power He is the one to whom all respect reverence and honor is due and he has come to exercise his rights of divine ownership over all things as King of Kings and Lord of Lords This is what we're celebrating the arrival of The Savior King now, we're moving through quickly go down to verse 13

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Of chapter 2 just two more little brief things to say The fourth thing that happens here is the angels break into doxology it says and suddenly there was with the angel a

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Multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill toward men

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There were moments tonight that I was a bit caught up into what was being sung

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Familiar words true profound rich truths about Christ. Can you imagine the angels?

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singing They saw who Christ was they saw what has happened and they burst forth with a heavenly choir and the shepherds

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Are observing this The reality of who Christ is is far greater than our loftiest notions

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Our hearts should be should be really tuned to him we should tonight this great opportunity

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We're thinking about these things. We have plans. We have family We have presence and food and all these activities, but but tonight on this night of all nights

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We should be thinking of the glories of Christ That causes the angels to sing the pronouncement of good tidings causes the angels to break out into doxology we too

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We've been working on it a little bit already in the lessons and carols Should burst forth and give glory to God for the great things.

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He has done Get to remember this when we sing our final hymns outside this evening

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As we bring the light of the world Outside the walls of the church

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Long was a pretty nice place, but it's desperately in need of the gospel of Jesus Christ and we're going to Symbolically liturgically we're gonna take the light of Christ.

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We're gonna take it out into the streets out there. Okay, just a moment Let us now rejoice at the arrival of our coming

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King and then finally the last section I Want you to think about the wisdom of the shepherds?

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They Wanted to behold the marvelous thing the Lord Had made known to them

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So they leave their flocks it seems and go looking for Jesus We too must come to Jesus and gaze upon him and wonder

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This gospel never gets old Never gets stale

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It's filled with life and light After they saw Jesus, this is very interesting.

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This is repeated several times Ben look into this in your work when the

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Samaritan woman Encounters Jesus she comes to know Christ and she immediately goes and tells people about him

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We need a little bit more of that early salvation response in us After they saw

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Jesus the shepherds made Christ the scripture says widely known

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What great examples they are for us? I mean, they've just heard it moments before and they're blazing a trail to Christ They see

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Christ they immediately begin to make his name widely known Think about how much information we have

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We need to broadcast the fame of Christ's name What great examples are they seek

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Jesus according to truth and divine revelation we do that we open our

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Bibles Come to church participate in the life of the body They participated in worship

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They magnify the glory of his name. They make him widely known causing those who heard it to marvel

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And Mary's left pondering these things in your heart Can you imagine what we talked about this whole month of Mary's had these great things happen to her?

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We now must follow the example of the shepherds. We too have heard the announcement.

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We have sought and found Jesus Christ Let us like them go out of this place

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Glorifying and praising God for all the things that we have heard and seen

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Please pray with me Oh Lord, we thank you for this time

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We pray that your name would be hallowed here that you'd be glorified And we ask all of this in Jesus name