Christ the Lord and Savior was Born

Sermon Transcript

What difference does Christmas make? Christmas Eve is one of my favorite nights of the year. Everyone is happy, dressed up, and full of anticipation for Christmas morning, as we sing our favorite carols to the glory of Christ. I love it! But have you asked yourself what difference does it all make? What difference can and should Christmas make the other 364 days of the year? What difference does Christmas make? That’s the question we are going to consider together from the Bible this evening. To answer that question, we have to first look beyond the familiarity to see the significance and behold the glory of the birth of Jesus Christ. Then, and only then, will we be ready to see the difference Christmas makes. 

 

According to Luke 2:1, Jesus Christ’s birth took place about 2,000 years ago, when Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, decreed that the entire Roman controlled world should be registered for tax purposes. This meant that everyone living in Israel had to travel to the town or city where their family was originally from. Since Joseph, Jesus Christ’s earthly father, was from the family line of the great King David, Joseph had to travel to the city of David, called Bethlehem. Now, Roman law did not require a woman to go in person for a tax registration, but Mary, Joseph’s betrothed, accompanied Joseph. Perhaps she accompanied him because an angel of the Lord had promised that Mary’s child would be the long promised Christ and Savior. Since Mary and Joseph knew that the Old Testament prophets promised that Christ the Savior would be born in Bethlehem, they likely saw the all-guiding hand of God in Caesar’s decree that they go to Bethlehem and went together. 

 

Luke 2:6 says that while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth. That verse always reminds me of when Andrea gave birth to our daughter Sage in our car on the way to the hospital. When the time comes to give birth, you give birth. The time came, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Now, don’t miss the wonder of that. There is one God eternally existing in three persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In simplest terms, Luke 2:7 tells us that God the Son was born! This is what is called the miracle of the incarnation. The eternal Son of God, who is and remains true and eternal God, took upon himself a true human nature; conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of Mary the virgin to save us from our sins. Amazingly, the miracle of the incarnation took place in the humblest circumstances. They wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger where animals feed, because there was no room for them in the inn because Bethlehem was so full of travelers for the registration. Commenting on their being no room for Christ at the inn, the great New Testament scholar Norval Geldenhuys wrote, “What the inhabitants of Bethlehem did in their ignorance is done by many today in willful indifference – they refuse to make room for the Son of God. They give no place to Him in their feelings, their affections, their thoughts, their views of life, their wishes, their decisions, their actions, or their daily conduct. And thus they deny themselves the greatest privilege of all and incur the greatest loss to their lives.” God the Son was born. May we all make room.

 

The birth of Jesus Christ was then announced by a heavenly angel, a messenger of the Lord, which is fitting. But the glorious paradox of Christmas is that Luke 2:8-9 tells us that the angel of the Lord announced the birth of our Lord to the most ordinary of people; shepherds. Luke 2:9 – 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. Don’t miss the significance of the glory shining. Throughout the Bible, this radiant glory appears when God himself shows up. The visible glory of God revealed to the shepherds reminds us of when God appeared to Moses in a burning bush, of when God led Israel in a pillar of fire, and of when God’s presence filled Israel’s temple. The glory of the Lord shining around the shepherds alerts us that God himself was born! This is the great news that calms our greatest fears. Luke 2:10-11 – 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. [11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden and plunged our world into slavery to sin and separation from God, God had been promising to send the Savior to save us from our sins and the Redeemer to bring us back to God. The good news of great joy that calms our greatest and eternal fears is the big idea of our passage this evening: Christ the Lord and Savior was born. Christ the Lord and Savior was born. Ok – now that we’ve seen the wonder of it, we’re ready to return to the question we began with: what difference does Christmas make? What difference does it make that Christ the Lord and Savior was born? 

 

The angels answer that question. Right after the angel of the Lord announced that Christ the Lord and Savior was born, we read in Luke 2:13-14 – And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

 

    [14] “Glory to God in the highest,

        and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

 

This brief hymn of praise sung by the angels reveals the difference that Christmas can make for all who bow to Jesus Christ as their Lord and trust in Jesus Christ as the Savior from their sins. That one difference that we’ll explore tonight is this: 1. We can have peace 

 

WE CAN HAVE PEACE 

 

There is a story about a well known Christian evangelist who had the opportunity to have dinner with an incredibly wealthy businessman. Unfortunately, the wonderful opportunity turned awkward really quickly because the businessman wouldn’t speak. Wouldn’t speak at all. They just ate their dinners in silence. So, the evangelist is silently praying and asking God for wisdom about how to break the ice and he decides to ask the business man a question. He asks him, “If you could ask God for three things, what would they be?” Immediately, the very wealthy and successful businessman stops eating, puts down his fork and knife, looks straight at the evangelist and says, “I would ask for one thing: peace.” Peace is what we want. Two summers ago Andrea and I and our kids, along with her parents, went to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Next to Grand Teton is a very rich mountain town called Jackson Hole. Celebrities like Celine Dion & Harrison Ford own homes there. I went into a coffee shop and on the bulletin board by the restrooms were countless advertisements for life coaches, yoga classes, hiking groups, and meditation meet-ups that promised participants peace. By the sheer number of them, I can basically guarantee they don’t work. But peace is what we’re after. I believe that if we honestly reflect on what we really desire, we’d see that what we really want is peace. More than we want money, more than we want respect, more than we want advancement, more than we want a bigger house or more land, and more than we want thrills and adventure, we want peace. Unfortunately, that’s one thing our world and all the things in it cannot offer. And that’s nothing unique about our world. Epictetus, the first century Roman thinker once wrote, “While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy. He cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns more than even for outward peace.” But that’s the difference that Christmas makes: peace among those with whom he is pleased. True, lasting, genuine peace. What is the nature of this peace that the multitude of angels extol in song? 

 

First: Peace with God. The Bible teaches that we are by nature dead in our sins, enemies of God, and destined for eternal separation from his comfortable presence (Ephesians 2:1-3). This is why everyone is after but can never experience peace. We have no peace with God. However, Christ the Lord and Savior was born to live, die, and rise to save us from our sins. All who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God in a peaceful relationship forever. In Romans 5:1, the Apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” There can be no true, lasting, genuine peace in life and in death until you have peace with God through Christ. Have you been reconciled to a peaceful relationship with the Holy God through faith in Christ the Lord and Savior who was born? Christmas means you can have peace with God, which is the foundation of all other peace.

 

Second: Peace of God.  When we are reconciled to the God of peace through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, then we can bring our every burden to our Father in prayer and experience the peace of God. In Philippians 4:6-7, the Apostle Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Now that you have peace with God, are you casting your burdens on God each day so that the peace of God rules in your heart independent of your circumstances? Christmas means you can have peace in your heart.

 

Third: Peacemaking. As we experience the peace of God, we become peacemakers. Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Since the God of peace has made peace with us, we can make peace with others. Who can you forgive, be longsuffering toward, or reconcile with, for Jesus’ sake? Christmas means you can be a peacemaker.

Finally: Spreading the gospel of peace. The peace that the Lord Jesus Christ brings between God and sinners is too good to keep to ourselves. We spread the peace of God throughout the earth by spreading the good news of great joy that is for all people who will receive it. Who can you share the good news with so that they too can experience peace with God, to the ends of the earth? That’s the difference that Christmas made for the shepherds. Luke 2:20 – And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. The difference Christmas makes is astonishing! We can be reconciled to the God of peace through the Prince of Peace, and therefore, we can experience the peace of God independent of our circumstances and get busy spreading the gospel of peace. What a Savior! That’s the difference Christmas makes. Will you receive His peace?