Merry Christmas!

CHRISTMAS

And Now, for an Important Announcement.

Galatians 4:4
But when the fullness of the time had come,
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Galatians 4:5
to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Luke 2:8-17
[8] Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
[9] And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
[10] Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
[11] For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
[12] And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.
" [13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest,
[14] And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

[15] So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.
" [16] And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
[17] Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.

I. It Was Personal—“to you.”

A. The shepherds were surprised at what they saw and heard. They did not expect to hear such songs or see such sights.
B. We are surprised that shepherds were chosen to receive this greatest of all announcements. We would expect that the heavenly choir would sing for a prestigious audience. Can you imagine the Metropolitan Opera putting on a performance for illiterate herdsmen?
C. We may never know why they were chosen, but the fact that they were chosen is a comfort to all of us ordinary people.
D. Paul suggests a possible reason in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. God often chooses humble things for grand purposes, and ordinary people to do extraordinary deeds.

[26] For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
[27] But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
[28] and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
[29] that no flesh should glory in His presence.
E. Now centuries later we must still hear the message as a personal message. The fact that hundreds of years have passed and thousands upon thousands have heard must not diminish the impact of the message. It is still personal!

II. It Was Universal—“for all people.”

A. The fact that it was universal does not contradict the fact that it was personal.
B. It was personal in impact, but universal in scope. All people were to have the opportunity to respond individually and personally to a God who loves them individually and personally.
C. The fact that the announcement is universal destroys any ethnic pride that we may have.
D. This fact also makes us humble. God’s chosen people today are those who choose to believe.
E. It makes us evangelistic. God wants us to share the message with everyone
F. It gives us missionary zeal. God wants us to share the message in every place.
G. The apostle Peter learned that God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34, 35) His words “every nation” were the proper response to Jesus’ words “all nations.”

Acts 10:34-35
[34] Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
[35] But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

III. It Was Timely—“today.”

A. Spiritually it seems that every Christmas we are celebrating the birth of Christ for the first time.
B. Nationally and internationally we seem to need Christmas especially at this time.
C. Perhaps in your life Christmas has special meaning this year.
D. We must never be content with simply recalling a past event.
E. The famous Christmas carol says “Be born in us today!”

IV. It Was Also Timeless—“a Savior.”

A. That’s what people needed then.
B. That’s what people need now.
C. That’s what people have needed in all the years between then and now.
D. That’s what people will need until the end of time.

Conclusion

It is never enough to just listen to the announcement even if we listen attentively. It is not enough to just listen to the announcement, even if we listen reverently. We must respond to this angelic announcement.

Illustration

While it is proper to pay special attention to these verses in December, it is equally true that they are important to us every day of the year. On any Sunday we could appropriately sing, “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!” At any time of the year we could appropriately sing “O Come All Ye Faithful.” God’s love was poured out on mankind that first Christmas in Bethlehem

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.