2016.12.25 Christmas Day
From Darkness to Light
Good Morning everyone… I am glad that you are
here…. I have Good News for you… His name is Jesus….
Isaiah 9: 1-3
NLT Neues Leben
1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever.
The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in
the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs
between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a
great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.
3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will
rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing
the plunder.
23 Doch diese Zeit der Dunkelheit und Verzweiflung
wird nicht für immer andauern. Wurden früher auch das Land Sebulon und das Land
Naftali gedemütigt, so wird später das Gebiet der Völker, die Gott nicht
kennen, die Straße am Meer jenseits des Jordan, zu Ehren kommen. 1 Denn das
Volk, das in der Dunkelheit lebt, sieht ein helles Licht. Und über den Menschen
in einem vom Tode überschatteten Land strahlt ein heller Schein. 2 Du vermehrst das Volk und schenkst ihm
große Freude. Es freut sich über dich wie ein Volk zur Erntezeit, wie jubelnde
Menschen, die Beute unter sich aufteilen.
This text is one of hundreds of Promises….
Prophesies of the coming Messiah… We have been using it this month
as we prepare for the Advent…. The coming of the Lord Jesus… I would
like to read the account of Jesus birth from Luke 2…
Luke 2: 1-18 NLT
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be
taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when
Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns
to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King
David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled
there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his
fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. 6 And while they were there, the time
came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She
wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there
was no lodging available for them. 8 That night there were shepherds staying in
the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the
Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.
They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he
said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The
Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of
David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped
snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly, the angel was joined
by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is
pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each
other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which
the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and
Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the
shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them
about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,
Luke 2: 1-18 Neues Leben
1 Zu jener Zeit ordnete der römische Kaiser
Augustus eine Volkszählung im ganzen Römischen Reich an. 2 Dies war die erste
Volkszählung; sie wurde durchgeführt, als Quirinius Statthalter von Syrien war.
3 Alle Menschen kehrten in ihre Heimatstadt zurück, um sich für die Zählung
eintragen zu lassen. 4 Weil Josef ein Nachkomme Davids war, musste er nach
Bethlehem in Judäa, in die Stadt Davids, reisen. Von Nazareth in Galiläa aus
machte er sich auf den Weg 5 und nahm seine Verlobte Maria mit, die hochschwanger
war. 6 Als sie in Bethlehem waren, kam die Zeit der Geburt heran. 7 Maria gebar
ihr erstes Kind, einen Sohn. Sie wickelte ihn in Windeln und legte ihn in eine
Futterkrippe, weil es im Gasthaus keinen Platz für sie gab. 8 In jener Nacht
hatten ein paar Hirten auf den Feldern vor dem Dorf ihr Lager aufgeschlagen, um
ihre Schafe zu hüten. 9 Plötzlich erschien ein Engel des Herrn in ihrer Mitte.
Der Glanz des Herrn umstrahlte sie. Die Hirten erschraken, 10 aber der Engel
beruhigte sie. »Habt keine Angst!«, sagte er. »Ich bringe eine gute Botschaft
für alle Menschen! 11 Der Retter - ja, Christus1, der Herr - ist heute Nacht in
Bethlehem, der Stadt Davids, geboren worden! 12 Und daran könnt ihr ihn
erkennen: Ihr werdet ein Kind finden, das in Windeln gewickelt in einer
Futterkrippe liegt!« 13 Auf einmal war der Engel von den himmlischen
Heerscharen umgeben, und sie alle priesen Gott mit den Worten: 14 »Ehre sei
Gott im höchsten Himmel und Frieden auf Erden für alle Menschen, an denen Gott
Gefallen hat.« 15 Als die Engel in den Himmel zurückgekehrt waren, sagten die
Hirten zueinander: »Kommt, gehen wir nach Bethlehem! Wir wollen das Wunder, von
dem der Herr uns erzählen ließ, mit eigenen Augen sehen.« 16 Sie liefen so
schnell sie konnten ins Dorf und fanden Maria und Josef und das Kind in der
Futterkrippe. 17 Da erzählten die Hirten allen, was geschehen war und was der
Engel ihnen über dieses Kind gesagt hatte. 18 Alle Leute, die den Bericht der
Hirten hörten, waren voller Staunen.
V18… And all who heard the Shepherds report were
astonished… We just read the first 18 verses of Luke 2… Let´s look closer at
verses 8 thru 11 this morning…
Luke 2: 8-11 NLT Neues Leben
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding
their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them,
and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10
but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good
news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah,
the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
8 In jener Nacht hatten ein paar Hirten auf den
Feldern vor dem Dorf ihr Lager aufgeschlagen, um ihre Schafe zu hüten. 9
Plötzlich erschien ein Engel des Herrn in ihrer Mitte. Der Glanz des Herrn
umstrahlte sie. Die Hirten erschraken, 10 aber der Engel beruhigte sie. »Habt
keine Angst!«, sagte er. »Ich bringe eine gute Botschaft für alle Menschen! 11
Der Retter - ja, Christus, der Herr - ist heute Nacht in Bethlehem, der Stadt
Davids, geboren worden!
Look also for a minute at the account from
Matthews Gospel… Matt 12: 21…
Matt 12: 21 NLT
Neues Leben
21 And his name will be the hope of all the world."
21 Und auf seinem Namen wird die Hoffnung der
ganzen Welt ruhen.
This baby… Born in a manger… In his name
will be the hope of all the world…? Hope has a name… Yes It is Jesus!..
The Hope… The light of the whole world…
This wonderful story is familiar to most people… but
most do not understand how very important it is to their own future… There is
no hope without Jesus…
I have Three words for us to look at from the text today…
1 fear… v9
2 Redemption… v11
3 Joy… v10
Jesus is the only one who can remove all
of our fears… and give us the Joy that no one can take away … because this
baby… born in a manger is the Savior…
the Redeemer… Jesus is the only
one who can rescue us from death! No wonder that we can celebrate and rejoice!
Praise the LORD!
Let´s look at the first word…. Fear…. verse 9…
Luke 2: 9
NLT Neues Leben
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of
the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
9 Plötzlich erschien ein Engel des Herrn in ihrer
Mitte. Der Glanz des Herrn umstrahlte sie. Die Hirten erschraken,
In the scripture… Every time an angel appeared to
men… they were terrified… These shepherds
were also very afraid…
It is natural and human to be afraid of the
unknown… Mankind is afraid of many things… We all know what it´s like to be
afraid of the dark… What it is like to know that any moment can be our last…
We can be afraid of thousands of things but…
Number one on the list is the fear of death… For
most… It´s the ultimate unknown… The Bible says we spend our lives in bondage
to the fear of death… look with me at Hebrews 2…v14,15…
Hebrews 2: 14, 15 NLT Neues Leben
14 Because God’s children are
human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For
only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power
of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free
all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
14 Da Gottes Kinder Menschen aus Fleisch und Blut sind, wurde auch Jesus
als Mensch geboren. Denn nur so konnte er durch seinen Tod die Macht des
Teufels brechen, der Macht über den Tod hatte. 15 Nur so konnte er die
befreien, die ihr Leben lang Sklaven ihrer Angst vor dem Tod waren.
The baby born in a manger…..born to die for us…. to redeem us from fear of
death……… to save us from the deep darkness….. forever……. to redeem us from our
sins……. And set us free! That brings us to the second key word this morning…
2 Redemption… v 11…
Luke 2: 11 NLT Neues Leben
11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem,
the city of David!
11 Der Retter - ja, Christus, der Herr - ist heute
Nacht in Bethlehem, der Stadt Davids, geboren worden!
The Savior is born… In German we see the phrase… The
Redeemer… Christ the Lord… The redeemer… Here is the Miracle of God transforming Darkness to Light… Look again at Isaiah ch 9…
Isaiah 9: 2 NLT Neues Leben
2 The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light
will shine…
1 Denn das Volk, das in der Dunkelheit lebt, sieht ein helles Licht. Und
über den Menschen in einem vom Tode überschatteten Land strahlt ein heller
Schein.
This verse in German is powerful… look at the last part of verse 1… Death
overshadowed land…
The light will shine in the land
of the shadow of death…The Light breaks out to destroy
the Shadow of death…
The birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of God´s great plan
of redemption… We see Immanuel…. God with us…. This is the Incarnation… The appearing of God in Human form to redeem Mankind… It
all began with Jesus birth that Christmas morning… Our redemption was Completed by the death and resurrection of the Lord
Jesus…
The Shadow of the cross was over the Manger…
I would like to look for
a few minutes at the Theology of Christmas…
Let´s look at us what happened from the
divine side of the story… Paul wrote about it and I want us to look at what
he said… Look with me at Phil ch2…
V5-11…
Philippians
2: 5-11 NLT Neues Leben
5
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he
did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave
up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born
as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in
obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God
elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all
other names 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth. 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
5 Geht so miteinander um, wie Christus es euch vorgelebt
hat. 6 Obwohl er Gott war, bestand er nicht auf seinen göttlichen Rechten. 7 Er
verzichtete auf alles; er nahm die niedrige Stellung eines Dieners an und wurde
als Mensch geboren und als solcher erkannt. 8 Er erniedrigte sich selbst und
war gehorsam bis zum Tod, indem er wie ein Verbrecher am Kreuz starb. 9 Deshalb
hat Gott ihn in den Himmel gehoben und ihm einen Namen gegeben, der höher ist
als alle anderen Namen. 10 Vor diesem Namen sollen sich die Knie aller beugen,
die im Himmel und auf der Erde und unter der Erde sind. 11 Und zur Ehre Gottes,
des Vaters, werden alle bekennen, dass Jesus Christus Herr ist.
As we look at this text… I want us to notice five points as
we look at the Incarnation Five steps as
God enters the world as Immanuel…
Immanuel
(God with Men)
1 He
left His sovereign position v6,7a
2 He
became a slave v7b
3 He
became just like His sinful people 7b
4 He
was totally selfless v8 and finally…
5 God
Restored him to the place of highest honor… v 9 to 11
1 He
abandoned a sovereign position... look at verse 6
Jesus
was… is equal with God… But having equality with God was not something
He clung to… The fullness of that equality with God is described in John´s
Gospel as proston theon… a Greek phrase that means face-to-face… It means
Total equality… What did He give up? Look
at v7a… He gave up His Divine
Privileges…
The Bible
explains it to us… He remained fully God but… He emptied Himself of His divine
glory… His Glory in this world was Hidden just like a veil… John
17:4
Instead point… 2 He
accepted the humble position of a slave … Look at v7b… he took the humble position of a slave and was
born as a human being…
The
King of the Universe came down… Not to be an Earthy King… He came to be a slave… He took off the robes of majesty and
put on the rags of a human slave... This, of course, is what the Old Testament Prophesies… That is why Isaiah calls the Messiah… The servant of the Lord… He is called that again and
again… The servant of the Lord takes
on the form of a slave… Point 3 He
associated with sinful people… We see the depths of His slavery as we continue in
verse 7… It says, “He was made in the likeness of men… God Almighty has become
like his creatures…. Like a sinful man… Not only did He become a man…. But He
became a Slave… And even more than
that a slave… point 4
Look at verse 8…
“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross.” He came to die for us… For our sin and pride and rebellion… How
selfless... 4 He Humbled even more… He allowed
Himself to be Crucified for us…
Now to the final point… 5 God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name
above all other names… scroll down to v 9 to 11… Therefore… Why this restoration to Heavenly
Rule…?
Because
of His submission and obedience… His
obedience to death, even the death on the cross… Because He perfectly obeyed
the Father and accomplished redemption… God highly exalted Him…
God
raised Him from the dead as a sign of God’s acceptance of His sacrifice… and
then God exalted Him to His own right hand… and bestowed on Him the name which
is above every name…
Jesus has come in the flesh……..
Immanuel…..God with us……. Come as a man so that he could
die in our place……..To save us…. To give
us the joy that no one can take away from us!
What Good News…. What Joy for the
whole World… That brings us back to the last of our three words…
Understanding The Coming of Jesus
1 fear… v9
2 Redemption… v11
3 Joy… v10
Point three Joy…
3 Joy…. Luke 2… v10…
Luke 2: 10 NLT Neues Leben
10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you
good news that will bring great joy to all people.
10 aber der Engel beruhigte sie. »Habt keine
Angst!«, sagte er. »Ich bringe eine gute Botschaft für alle Menschen!
Great joy to all People!
Joy to the World….. The Lord is
come…..a Savior who is Christ the LORD…….
Jesus said you are the Light of
the World……
shine in the darkness with the
love of Jesus!
Let´s pray…
Two Great Purposes
for This Great News
The coming of this
child is the one who will one day fill the whole earth with righteousness and
peace. “Of the increase of his
government and of peace there will be no end (Isaiah 9:7).”
First and foremost…
God is glorified because this child is born…
First to redeem us….
and take away our fear of everything…. Especially to remove our fear of death…
To replace of of our fears and sorrows with His peace and Joy…. A joy that no
man and no circumstance can take away…
There is no better
way to sum up what God was doing when he created the world… or when he came to
reclaim and Redeem the world in Jesus Christ… His glory, our peace… His
greatness, our joy…
The point of creation
and redemption is that God is Glorious…
He will be Proclaimed
and Worshipped… Not only by the Host of Heaven… But one day soon… Jesus will be
Worshipped by every living creature on earth as well… Worship your Redeemer
with you very life…
Do that this
Christmas. Take your fears and anxieties to God... Tell him about them... Ask
him to help you… To protect you… To fill you life and home with His peace…
