The Significance Of Christmas

So I want to take just a second to introduce myself if you don't know me. I'm Pastor Dave. I'm the pastor of Clear Note Church, which is the building you're in if you didn't know that. This is a joint service of sorts with Holy Trinity. Say it. I said it wrong earlier today. Holy Trinity Reformed Church. And their pastor is James Brown, the one who's feeding me words as we speak. And James has been a dear friend of mine for... few years now anyway we get together once a month or so and talk and pray and I've asked him to come preach to us this evening about the birth of our savior and so please do give your hearts and your attention to him as he expounds the word of God to us thank you brother yeah good evening it is good to be here I very much appreciate this church and your pastor It's such a blessing to us, and so it is good to be here this evening to worship with you, and it is our honor to be in this place. And so turn to Luke chapter 1, or excuse me, Luke chapter 2. We're going to be reading what is traditionally read on Christmas. Luke chapter 2.

We'll begin reading in verse number 1. Let's all stand for the reading of God's Word. And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into 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 wife, who was with child. So it was, 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 clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

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 Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior. who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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, goodwill toward men. So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds came to one another, said to one another, Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them. This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated. I love Advent and Christmas, even though I tend to be fairly repetitive from year to year. But that's okay. Because what I have discovered from year to year is that the things that we cover, we need to hear again. And each year, respond to them accordingly in humility, repentance, and obedience, just as much as the first time we heard it. We are simply not trying to reinvent the wheel.

While others are focused on the latest trends and controversies, we just keep celebrating and proclaiming the birth of our Savior and King of the world in the light of those truths and confessing and repenting of our sin and seeking to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe in the incarnation. We believe that it is a real event that took place in time and space, by which I also mean, sorry, I'm still trying to get adjusted up here, by which I also mean during a specific season and date in the calendar year. I realize we are to preach the Advent life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord.

all year round, and we are to live in the light of the gospel each and every day. But, heaven help us, if we lose the physical realities of the gospel, allowing these truths to be turned into a mystical fairy tale, a mythological fairy tale. You see, this evening our message is titled, The Significance of Christmas. And so I'm talking about the meaning and the importance of God sending His Son into the world, being born of a woman, born under the law to redeem sinners by atoning for our sins. That seems kind of significant, doesn't it? But the reason why I want to focus our attention upon these things this evening...

concerning the significance of Advent and Christmas, is that this time of year, although it is the most wonderful time of year, it can be an awkward dance with non-believers and believers alike. Not to mention your relatives and family members and friends and neighbors. Awkward with non-believers because it is so commercialized that we have lost all meaning of Christmas in America. other than getting a few days off of work, getting some presents, stuffing our faces with food, going to see a movie, or maybe getting drunk. And regardless of these cultural conflicts, I believe... That the greatest threat, though, is and has been in our own midst, in the church, amongst Christians. So I want to focus on the awkwardness with believers, especially those who tend to have deconstructing backgrounds, attitudes, or newly found beliefs that tend to minimize or even reject acknowledging, celebrating, observing, or proclaiming the birth of Jesus Christ.

Too many times, Advent and Christmas is this awkward dance. It is that elephant in the room, or unfortunately, the cause of division in the body of Christ. And for one reason or another, we tend to concede this world, even worse, the church, to skeptics, pagans, or any other group or individual that opposes and exalts themselves above all that is called God and that is worshiped. So my main purpose here this evening is not to convince anyone this evening of what the actual or the literal day of Christ's birth may be, but to simply give you confidence to unashamedly observe, celebrate, announce, proclaim, worship, and give praise to the triune God, because in this the love of God was manifested toward us, in that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.

Amen? That's what John wrote in his first epistle. So let's consider three things from our text here this evening. And first of all, let's consider the record, which is the biblical record that we just read. Luke records the advent and the birth of Christ in historical certainty. He is as certain as any historian ever has been. He is as certain as any investigator due to the eyewitnesses that he interviewed. Notice in verse 1 of chapter 1 that it says that many had taken in hand in order to set a narrative of those things which had been fulfilled among them even before Luke wrote his gospel. These records, including Luke's, were based upon eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.

who had delivered this narrative, evidence, and testimony to those who were making a record of these things. Although Luke is considered the New Testament historian, he is saying much more than that this is simply an historical record. No, Luke was able to set in order a narrative and an orderly account so that they would be certain. of those things that were fulfilled among them, both for their time, our time, and until the end of time. Without question, these ministers of the word include and are primarily the apostles, just as Luke quoted Peter and John in Acts chapter 5, attesting to their proclamation of what they had seen and heard.

They were not just eyewitnesses, but they were commissioned by Jesus Christ to be his eyewitnesses for the household of faith to be built upon them according to Ephesians chapter 2 and then in Ephesians chapter 3 that the mystery of the knowledge of Christ was now revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles. There is no question that Luke is getting his narrative, not just historically, but from the apostles. And regardless of whether Luke was directly inspired or he was just writing down the inspired words from the apostles, this is not just a historical collection, but it is inspired writ. This is why Luke could say that he had perfect understanding.

of all things from the very first to write this orderly account of the gospel. Now Luke was a first-rate historian. He was a first-rate physician. But a general understanding of the New Testament concludes that Luke's gospel and his acts of the apostles are affirmed by the apostles and received by the church as scripture. Therefore, we can have a full assurance that the gospel of Luke did not come by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, affirming that Luke's gospel is given by inspiration of God, and therefore it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

So what we discover and learn from Luke's account is not just opinion. It comes directly from God. And then secondly, let's consider the historical record. Now, obviously, what we are considering is the historical record in the biblical record of Luke's account. Although there are other historical records that could be considered. But without question, this biblical record also utilizes the historical and natural or providential record. Luke gives us a historical record from that time and not just historical revisionism from 2,000 years later. Right? Luke personally knew the apostles and others who knew Jesus. Men and women who had witnessed his life, ministry, miracles, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. This is one of the things that we just brush off, especially in modern America, right?

modern western civilization we just kind of brush it off but the testimony of scripture is the testimony of god and it is the testimony of those who witness these things it is the testimony of those who recorded these things from eyewitnesses oh but professor so and so he said that there is no historical evidence of the lord yet The Apostle John writes at the end of his gospel, in chapter 1 and verse 24, this is the disciple who testifies of these things and wrote these things, and we know that this testimony is true. It's an affidavit. John also writes in his first letter that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes and which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life. In his third letter John writes Demetrius has a good testimony from all and from the truth itself and we also bear witness and you know that our testimony is true. Paul also uses this

biblical and historical record to testify of the physical and spiritual realities in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. When he begins that chapter, writing about the gospel, and he goes through what the gospel is concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord, but he says that he was seen by Cephas after his resurrection, then by the twelve. After that, he was seen by over 500 brethren at once. of whom the greater part remain to the present. You see, this is biblical and historical evidence, but we are all skeptics now in Western civilization. We would much rather believe some 21st century nihilist professor rather than 1st century eyewitnesses. We would rather believe a skeptic 2,000 years removed from these events.

than to believe the testimony of a believer who was 300 years removed from these events, much less those who were eyewitnesses. You see, when the apostles were writing these letters to the churches, the historical facts and events could be fact-checked, as they say today, right? That's the big thing, to fact-check everything. Well, that's the reason why Paul says, It lists those who had seen the Lord after His resurrection and even declares that many of them were still alive at the time when He was writing His letter to the Corinthians. But even though the Word of God does not need verification because it is true, because it is the Word of God, and it is self-authenticating, nevertheless, because it is true, it is verifiable. Which is, primarily by the Holy Spirit working through the Word, but secondarily by other means, be it creation, nature, history, archaeology, which gives abundant evidence also that the Word of God is true. Yet, here comes the skeptic telling us that Luke's account can't be true because it is inaccurate. Do not be deceived.

My dear brothers and sisters, all they are doing is building their own narrative based upon their presuppositional unbelief. You see, there's no such thing as a vacuum. There's no such thing as a void. Everybody comes to the table with some presupposition. So why then? Do we allow the Christian narrative that has been established for nearly 2,000 years? Think of this. The Christian narrative has been established for 2,000 years and it has completely taken over civilization, Western civilization and then most of Eastern civilization for the last 2,000 years. But we just dismiss it and we count it as nothing based upon skeptical. speculation and yet without any legitimate reason we throw out the christian history and even the ancient secular history for that matter we throw out the christian calendar and the dating system that developed with the eradication of paganism and the rise of Christianity, along with the improvement of record-keeping through methods and technology that began with the inspired writers and with Christians who were closest to these times, just because some nerdy skeptic is looking for any excuse possible to justify his unbelief. Repeat after me. Oh, what? Oh, what?

Now a little faster. Now I'm not trying to make it sound foolish, but we have been a bunch of gooses. What I'm saying is that we, myself included, have been foolish in allowing ourselves to be deceived into being practical skeptics. And the reason for our foolishness, according to the Apostle Paul, is that we suppress the truth in unrighteousness. In other words, we suppress the truth of God's revelation, both natural and special revelation, because we like our sin. And God's revelation always calls us to humility, acknowledgement, and repentance, which means submission, by the way. And that is the one thing that modern America will not tolerate under no circumstance will we surrender our individualistic autonomy. We want to be our own God, the self-reliant and the self-existing one who submits to no authority over us. Therefore, if we're unwilling to accept the biblical and natural evidence, we will disregard historical evidence.

while accepting modern revisionism so that we can hold on to our sin, be it moral, be it fear, be it rebellion, or just indifference. But Advent and Christmas is the revelation of the gospel. It is a revelation, and it is a revelation that has even taken place today. And that revelation is the good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people, which is that there was born on this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Second, let's consider the revelation in verses 8 through 14. This historical event reveals that it is a supernatural event. It is the divine revelation of God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, being manifested in the flesh as the God-man, fully God and fully man, who is conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Notice this revelation in our text came to common men, the shepherds. Though it was given to common men, it was revealed by an angel of the Lord. This is no insignificant event.

It is divine revelation. Not only was it significant because of the method of the revelation, but it is also significant because of the message of the revelation. This is a spectacular sight that the shepherds are witnessing. And the message of the angel of the Lord is what? Do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good tidings. Do not be afraid of these... Good tidings. A Savior has came and was born in order to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins. Do not be afraid. These are good tidings. For a Savior has come to visit and to redeem his people and to raise up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. Do not be afraid of these good tidings.

For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son, a savior to bring peace and goodwill to mankind. Though Adam fell from his original state because of his transgression, and he has brought the whole world under the curse of sin and judgment. And though his descendants, all of mankind, red, yellow, black, and white. who were born dead in trespasses and sins, being separated from God, yet God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Do not be afraid. The angel of the Lord declares, this Savior is Christ the Lord.

And then lastly, notice the response to this glorious revelation. And this is really where we're trying to get to. Notice the response. After the angels returned into heaven, after their revelation and celebration of the advent and birth of Jesus Christ, the shepherds were left. looking around at each other and they began to say one to another let's go see this thing which has come to pass we want to see it with our own eyes we want to not just hear about it we want to experience it and to know the things which they have declared unto us and so they went with haste they went with urgency to see and witness the lord's birth and having found mary and joseph and the babe lying in a manger, the Bible says that they left and they made much about the birth of Jesus. That was the shepherds' response to the revelation, to the message, to the advent of Jesus Christ, to His birth. They made it widely known throughout the region. Not only did they make much of Christ's birth in declaring it publicly, but they also...

made much of Christ's birth in their own celebrations as they glorified and praised God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them. You see, as it was told them and what they had seen and heard was that it was a supernatural event. This was a spectacular event. This was a significant event that required making much of Christ and making much of the gospel. Unto you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. So in conclusion, to any unbelievers here this evening, old habits are hard to break, aren't they? But to any unbelievers here this evening, why do you give credence to skeptics who are attempting to get you to disregard what you have seen and heard?

The gospel is a supernatural event that is still taking place today in word and sacrament in the worship of the church as we declare the whole counsel of God, which includes the miraculous birth of the Son of God. This is the reason. This is the reason why when you hear this gospel message, your heart burns within you. Luke ends his gospel account after the resurrection of Jesus with an encounter with two men who were traveling to Emmaus. The context implies that they were disciples of Jesus. And whether they were of the twelve or not is anyone's guess, and I'm not going to guess. But we do know that they were disciples. They were followers of Jesus. Jesus was known to them and was known of them before his crucifixion.

So as Jesus walked with them, they did not recognize him. Now, partly that may have been because of his resurrected glorified state, but Luke says that their eyes were restrained. There was something else that was restraining them so that they did not recognize him. They did not know him, even though he was standing there right before their face. They could not see. Their spiritual blindness hindered them. from seeing the physical reality. Why? Because they were skeptical. Even Thomas, who was one of the twelve, when some of the disciples said that they had seen the resurrected Lord, Thomas said to them, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger in the print of the nails and put my hand in his side, I will not believe.

You see, even those who were closest to Christ were skeptical. Thomas was skeptical even of the other disciples' testimony, which was only the natural result of his skepticism in the words of Christ. At Jesus' crucifixion, all the disciples had fled. Peter had openly denied the Lord, and after Jesus was raised from the dead, the disciples could be found hiding in fear of the Jews. Why didn't the disciples believe? They were skeptical and they were fearful and skepticism and fear is antithetical to faith. But these two men on the road to Emmaus, once Jesus had expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself and had sat down at the table with them where he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them, Luke writes, then their eyes were opened and they knew him.

and He vanished from their sight. Word, sacrament, see. And then they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road and while He opened the Scriptures to us? You see, their heart was burning within them as they heard the words of Jesus. Their hearts were burning within them as He took bread, blessed, and broke it in like fashion as when He instituted His supper. Just as your heart burns within you as you hear His Word and see His sacraments observed. It is burning within you right now some 2,000 years after the fact. After these events have taken place. Because they're not just historical events. They are supernatural events.

This is the reason why despite all the skepticism, besides all the doubt and all the fear and all the rebellion, your heart still burns within you. The advent of Jesus Christ is still as supernatural today as it was then. So my question is, why are you going to rely upon men who are looking for any reason possible to justify their unbelief and their sin when you know in your heart that this message is true? Therefore, repent and believe the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Believe that your heavenly father is willing for Jesus Christ's sake to be gracious to you, to forgive you of all of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness and to sanctify you to himself. To my fellow believers.

Why are you letting the skeptics rob you and us of our joy in Christ and suppress our opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world? Listen, I'm not saying that those who frown upon some of our practices of Advent and Christmas are atheists. I am not saying that those who think the date is wrong or somehow believe that it violates the regulative principle of worship are infidels. Even though that's what they accuse us of. What I'm saying, I'm not even speaking to those things, but what I'm saying is this. Why are you being influenced by skeptical thinking? Thinking and reasons that minimize or even deny the biblical, historical, and providential significance of the birth of Christ. Why do we listen to the skeptics who seek to destroy the significance of Christ's birth?

You see, we have been influenced to doubt everything today. To trust nothing or anyone is causing us to lose the gospel because our response to the bad tidings of the skeptics is to minimize or even eliminate the good tidings. By default, the bad tidings are winning. Jesus said, obviously because he is the light of the world, that his followers are to be the light. The birth of Jesus is a significant event because his advent was light coming into the world. We are to walk in the light and shine the light of Christ in this dark world that we live. What we need are fewer virtual world debates on the internet and more physical world service in the church. Because as Mark begins his account of the gospel, the account of light coming into the world, he says, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You see, the advent is the beginning. What we are celebrating, observing, and proclaiming is the gospel. Therefore,

let us not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Do not be afraid. Do not be ashamed. Do not be influenced or intimidated by the skeptics. Make much of Jesus. It's not about the day. It's about the message. And this is why the early church... did not argue for it to be recognized as a day for Christians to have something to do while pagans were out there having all their fun. It wasn't that they were trying to Christianize these pagan celebrations. What Christians were declaring at that time was the same thing that Peter declared on Pentecost. You see, what they were saying is that the day was just a coincidence.

A providential sign as natural proof that God had selected Jesus over the false pagan gods. And such it is even true to this day. All the way in 2021 A.D. Anno Domini in the year of our Lord. What were they declaring? That this same Jesus. whom ye have crucified, that God has made him both Lord and Christ. You see, to them it was providential and by such natural proof of the victory of Jesus Christ over every principality, over every power, over all the rulers of darkness, and over every high place of wickedness. You see, the gospel has spoiled them. The gospel is making a public spectacle of them.

The gospel is triumphing over them because the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever. This is the message of the gospel and is the message of Advent. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Let us pray.