The Saviour Has Been Born! Advent Sermon Series: A Defense of Jesus Luke 2:11

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1 The Saviour Has Been Born! Advent Sermon Series: A Defense of Jesus Luke 2:11 Rev. Michael D. Halley December 24, 2017 Suffolk Christian Church Suffolk, Virginia Fourth Sunday of Advent ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This morning we have need for only this one verse of the Bible story of Jesus birth: Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah [the Christ], the Lord. As we saw last week, every detail of the events leading up to and surrounding the birth of Christ was planned and even foretold. Nothing at all happened that was accidental or coincidental... it all fit into God s perfect plan to bring salvation 1 -- saving from our sin -- to the world. And, not only was this birth not accidental, much of it didn t make sense at the time it was happening. But as we have learned over the centuries since Jesus was born, this was and is the best news the world has ever heard. So, as familiar as this story might be to us, let s never lose the wonder and the awe it inspires. Come along for a little closer look at this amazing verse. Four thoughts to consider: First, notice that Luke says that Jesus was born in the town of David. That town was, of course, not Jerusalem, but Bethlehem. Today if you visit Bethlehem, you will find it to be a bustling and busy and crowded Arab town under control of the Palestinian Authority 2. It has a 1

2 Page -2- population of about 22,000 today, but at the time of Jesus birth, it was just a very small community. If you visit Bethlehem as a tourist, you will be taken to Manger Square and there enter the Church of the Holy Nativity in the center of the city. That church was built many, many years ago on the traditional site of Jesus birth. In 1865, a Boston pastor, the Rev. Phillips Brooks, visited the Holy Land at Christmastime. After visiting the traditional site of Jesus birth, he composed a Christmas poem which his choir director set to music to be performed at the Christmas concert in O little of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by. About seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, God spoke through the prophet Micah 3 to predict that the Messiah would be born there, in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 says, But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah (EHF-ruh-thuh) 4, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel... Those who studied and believed the Scriptures knew this was going to happen, because God had predicted it many years before. Second, notice that Luke says born this day. Now, why is that short phrase important? Born this day tells us this really happened. It was an event that the shepherds could go and see for themselves, right then! What the shepherds found when they went to the stable was a baby. The Bible does not say there were any miracles associated with this baby s birth. The miracle occurred nine months before. Luke, in chapter 1, verse 35,

3 Page -3- reports the angel Gabriel s words to Mary: The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Since Jesus was born of Mary, we know that he was truly human. Since he was conceived through the Holy Spirit, as Matthew and Luke both tell us, we know that Jesus was more than just a human. This mysterious incarnation 5 of God into the human race meant that Jesus was in every respect human, yet he was without sin and did not surrender any of his deity. Through the centuries, the Christian church has professed and proclaimed its belief in the literal truth of the Virgin Birth. The Apostles Creed 6, for example, says Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. Other historic creeds 7 also affirm belief in the Virgin Birth. I am very aware that a number of Christians stumble over the doctrine of the Virgin Birth 8, maybe some of us here today. I appreciate serious biblical scholarship which explores this matter. I believe it, and if we believe it, we believe it on faith, since no one can explain it and nothing can be compared to it. So, when we read Today, this day, in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, remember that it points to something true, an event that really happened. It is not a legend or a myth or a nicely-told fairy tale. Third, we can ask, What is the result of Jesus birth? Luke says, a Saviour... he is the Messiah, the Lord. In the Greek text 9, Luke did not use any articles to describe who Jesus is... no the or a or an. The Greek just says Saviour... Christ... Lord. Each word is important. Saviour (Greek SO-tear) means saviour, deliverer, or preserver. Christ (Greek khris-tohs) is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah, and it means anointed -- or chosen -- one. Lord (Greek KOO-ree-ohs) means the owner, the master, the one who has

4 Page -4- control, the sovereign. Saviour, Christ, Lord. Oh my, how we need this One who is all three. Matthew records the angel announcing the coming birth of Jesus to Joseph and said you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus is the Saviour, Jesus is the Lord, and Jesus is the Christ -- the one sent from God. This is the heart of Christmas, that God loved us enough to send his only begotten Son. God sent the best He had, His one and only Son. Jesus Christ is Immanuel, God with us. The fourth consideration in this verse is this: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. To you Luke says. Think about this for a moment. Who was the angel talking to? Of course, the shepherds. They must have been totally dumbfounded and flabbergasted. In their whole lives, nobody ever told them anything like this. Shepherds were at or near the bottom of the social pecking order. Often they were poor and uneducated. No one ever asked their opinion, no one ever thought to tell them anything. As you can imagine, not many in that day put shepherd on their career choice form. Jesus came for the learned theologians in Israel, too, but they totally missed out on this announcement. Remember, Christ came for the lowly. His birth was first announced to those who were the outcasts of society. Does that tell you anything? Does that say anything about how we are to treat people? Does that suggest to you that every single person on this planet, no matter their cultural, social, sexual, or financial status, is a recipient of this Good News of the Saviour? The story is told 10 of a journalist who traveled a great distance for an interview with a distinguished scholar. He was ushered into the scholar s study, where he said, Doctor, I notice that the walls of your study are lined

5 with books from the ceiling to the floor. No doubt you have read them all. I know you have written many yourself. You have traveled extensively, and doubtless you ve had the privilege of conversing with some of the world s wisest men and women. I ve come a long way to ask you just one question. Tell, me, of all you ve learned, what is the one thing most worth knowing? Putting his hand on his guest s shoulder, the scholar replied with emotion in his voice, My dear sir, of all the things I have learned, only two are really worth knowing. The first is, I am a great sinner, and the second is, Jesus Christ is a great Saviour! Page -5- Christmas is intensely personal. Many -- possibly millions -- would and do say, Yeah, I believe Christ came. But with no followup from there, they are lost to God. We must confess Christ came for me; Christ died for me; Christ rose from the dead for me. Can you say that? Can you confess and profess your faith in Christ Jesus? Are you willing to surrender control of your life to God?... every action, every thought, every plan, every dollar, every relationship, every accomplishment? Christmas means nothing unless and until we can give it all to God. I urge you to do just that. A Saviour has been born for you who is Christ the Lord! Joy the world! The Lord is come. Let us pray: O Thou Sovereign of the universe, You who are Creator God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Giver of the Holy Spirit. O Come to my heart, Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee. 11 Amen.

6 Page -6- +==+==+==+==+==+==+ I am indebted to the Rev. Dr. Ray Pritchard for his thoughts and insights, in A Savior Is Born, preached on December 21, 2003, and found at Dr. Pritchard serves as president of Keep Believing Ministries. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome! 1. Salvation is the acutely dynamic act of snatching others by force from serious peril. In its most basic sense, salvation is the saving of a life from death or harm. Scripture, particularly the New Testament, extends salvation to include deliverance from the penalty and power of sin. See Salvation, by Chris Church, in Holman Bible Dictionary, edited by Trent C. Butler, See 3. Micah is a prophetic book named after the eighth century B.C. prophet containing some of his messages. The prophet Micah s name means, Who is like Yah? People in the Ancient Near East commonly gave their children names that indicated devotion to their god, and Yahweh was the name by which the God of Israel and Judah was called. See Micah, Book of, by Scott Langston, in Holman Bible Dictionary, edited by Trent C. Butler,

7 Page the Bible speaks of a town named Bethlehem. In fact there were two towns named Bethlehem. One was in Judah, the southern part of the Jewish homeland, and the other was in the north. But, the Bethlehem in Judah was in more ancient times called Ephrathah. So, Micah might have been using the phrase Bethlehem Ephrathah as a way to make it clear that he was referring to the town of Bethlehem that used to be known as Ephrathah - in other words, the Bethlehem that is in Judah. From Bethlehem - Messiah's birthplace: A detailed look at Micah 5:1-2 and some objections that skeptics have, found at 5. Incarnation (in cahr NAY shuhn) is God s becoming human; it is the union of divinity and humanity in Jesus of Nazareth. See Incarnation, by Walter D. Draughon, III, in Holman Bible Dictionary, edited by Trent C. Butler, The Apostles Creed was written about 400 years after Christ by unknown person(s) and attributed to the apostles. 7. The Nicene Creed, adopted at the Council of Nicea in 325 CE (Christian Era): I believe in one God... and in one Lord Jesus Christ...[who] for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man... The Athanasian Creed was written by an unknown author in Gaul about 450 CE:... We believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man; God of the substance of the father, begotten before the worlds; and man of the substance of his mother, born in the world. The Chalcedonian Definition, adopted at the Council of Chalcedonian in 451 CE:... we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ... begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer... The Small Catechism of Martin Luther of 1529 CE: I believe in... Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary... The Augsburg Confession, the first Protestant confession, written by Philip Melanchthon, and presented to Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire at the Diet of Augsburg in 1530 CE. 3 Article III, Of the Son of God, begins: Also they teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary... Source: The virgin birth in Bible passages & church creeds, 8. For example, The Jesus Seminar rejected the Virgin Birth. (This seminar was a group of about 50 critical Biblical scholars and 100 laymen founded in 1985 by Robert Funk. The seminar was very active through the 1980s and 1990s, and into the early 21st century. The purpose of this group was to decide their collective view of the historicity of the deeds and sayings of Jesus of Nazareth. See Wikipedia for further information. For a critique of this decision, see Virgin Birth Under Dispute, by Mark A. Kellner, in Christianity Today, November 14, 1994, at

8 9. Strong s Interlinear Bible Search can be accessed at I first read this story as told by the Rev. Dr. Ray Pritchard. It is widely quoted in sermons found on the web, but I was unable to find the original source. 11. From the hymn, Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, text by Emily E. s. Elliott, Page -8-

Is There Any Room?? Advent Sermon Series: A Defense of Jesus Luke 2:4-7; Galatians 4:4-5

Is There Any Room?? Advent Sermon Series: A Defense of Jesus Luke 2:4-7; Galatians 4:4-5 Rev. Michael D. Halley December 10, 2017 Suffolk Christian Church Suffolk, Virginia Second Sunday of Advent ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~