Glory.

Nate Schlomann

[0:11] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. [0:13] Good morning, Village. [0:15] My name is Nate. [0:16] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church, and it is really good to see each [0:19] and every one of you here this morning. [0:22] Really quickly, before we begin this morning, I want to remind you that every

[0:26] year here at Village Church, one of the ways we celebrate at Christmas time is [0:30] that we really focus our giving this time of year on international missions. [0:35] There are many good places to give during the Christmas season, but for us, we [0:39] think the most important thing for the church to be doing is giving to see the [0:43] gospel go out to the ends of the earth. [0:45] So as far as what we do together, that is what we’re going to put our focus on

[0:49] here. [0:50] And as we raise money for the International Mission Board, the IMB is a [0:55] missions organization with thousands of missionaries on the field all across [0:59] the world, and we have been partnered with them ever since we have been a [1:02] church. [1:03] All month long, Village Kids is raising money for the International Mission

[1:07] Board for the offering that’s going to be happening on Sunday, the 18th. [1:11] And for us, that is the date when we will be having our international missions [1:15] offering here on Sunday morning. [1:17] During our services, we will be taking up a special offering and everything that [1:21] is given on that Sunday will go to international missions to spread the [1:25] gospel to the ends of the earth.

[1:26] So I just ask that between now and then, and of course you can give earlier, you [1:30] can always log online and select international missions and give that way. [1:34] But between now and then be thinking, what can you give to support international [1:38] missions? [1:39] For those of you that do have the means to do some extra charitable giving this [1:43] year, I hope that you will consider that and at least put some of that towards

[1:47] missions. [1:48] This morning, I’m excited to be continuing our another Christmas series [1:53] series. [1:53] I think that’s how you say that. [1:55] Uh, last week we talked about the hope of Christmas and this week we’re going to [1:59] be talking about the glory of Christmas.

[2:02] I hope you agree that Christmas is a magical time of year. [2:06] You might even say that it is a glorious time of year. [2:09] It is now December 4th. [2:11] So hopefully by now you are at least a solid month plus into decorating and [2:16] preparing to celebrate for Christmas. [2:18] I know that there has been some controversy surrounding this matter, but

[2:22] Christmas is so glorious a celebration that it actually contains with it a whole [2:27] entire sub holiday dedicated to Thanksgiving. [2:31] And Christmas is just that glorious that it can handle the weight of having other [2:35] very important holidays within it. [2:38] In our house, we start decorating for Christmas at least towards the end of [2:42] October, just to kind of stick it to Halloween, let Halloween know who’s boss.

[2:47] You kind of got to put that in its place in our culture because people are kind of [2:50] getting confused and out of hand. [2:52] I don’t know about you, but I got some neighbors that I think put out more [2:55] decorations for Halloween than Christmas and that’s got to stop. [2:59] Halloween is a silly little candy event for kids. [3:01] Christmas is glorious.

[3:03] And so I hope after this morning, you will agree that Christmas is indeed [3:07] glorious. [3:07] And I think most people do recognize a certain glory in Christmas, even [3:13] non-Christians. [3:14] You see it in the way that the holiday is advertised. [3:17] There’s a grandness to it.

[3:18] There’s a spectacle to Christmas. [3:20] You see glory in the stories that we tell around Christmas time, whether that’s [3:24] books or TV shows or movies. [3:27] No other holiday really does evoke those feelings of kind of wonder and warmth for [3:32] so many people. [3:33] And a lot of that is nostalgia, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

[3:37] That comes from a real place. [3:38] Um, I’m assuming you’re not going to be surprised that I’m going to submit to you [3:42] this morning. [3:43] The real glory of Christmas is found in the Christmas story and it’s found in who [3:48] God is and what he did in and through Jesus. [3:52] If you look up glory in the dictionary, uh, this is what you will find.

[3:56] The definition of glory as an action is something that is high renowned or honor [4:02] that’s won by notable achievements. [4:05] But then glory can also be a person. [4:07] So something or someone that is glorious, they have magnificence. [4:11] They have great intrinsic beauty. [4:14] And I want to talk this morning about the glory of God that we see in Christmas.

[4:19] What did God do at Christmas that is an honor that won notable achievements? [4:26] What does the Christmas story say about who Jesus is that makes him [4:30] glorious and magnificent? [4:32] The glory of what God is doing in and through Christmas and the Christmas story [4:37] continues to be glorious and worth celebrating to this day. [4:42] If Jesus really is God the son and he was really born into the world at a

[4:46] specific time and place, then with an eye to the cross and the resurrection, that [4:51] is the beginning of the most significant event in human history. [4:55] The birth of Jesus, God becoming man is the greatest miracle that has ever [5:00] happened and in that sense, the most glorious thing that you could imagine. [5:05] So let’s look at the Christmas story. [5:06] We’re going to start in Luke chapter one, verse 26.

[5:10] We’re going to read for a little bit there. [5:12] In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee [5:17] named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the [5:21] house of David and the Virgin’s name was Mary. [5:24] And he came to her and said, greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. [5:29] But she was greatly troubled at this saying and tried to discern what sort

[5:33] of greeting this might be. [5:35] And the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found [5:38] favor with God and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. [5:43] And you shall call his name, Jesus. [5:45] He will be great. [5:46] And he will be called the son of the most high and the Lord God will give to him

[5:50] the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob [5:53] forever and of his kingdom, there will be no end. [5:58] One thing that we always need to remember when we’re talking about the [6:02] Christmas story is that this is a true event. [6:05] This really happened in history. [6:07] And that matters because too often Christmas is just reduced to a sentiment.

[6:12] What is Christmas about? [6:13] And you’ll get answers like are the words in our series, right? [6:18] Love, joy, peace, hope, glory. [6:20] And those are all good things. [6:21] But without a context, those are all just nice sentiments. [6:25] But we’re not a people of mere sentiment.

[6:28] Those emotions, those sentiments are all real things that we should feel, but [6:33] they’re real because they are based on the reality of what God has done. [6:37] And that is the big difference between a Christian Christmas and a secular [6:41] Christmas. [6:42] When we talk about something like glory, we have something objective [6:45] that we are pointing to.

[6:47] The first thing I want to draw our attention to this morning, as we think [6:50] about the glory of Christmas is the glory of this child who was to be born. [6:55] Especially look at the last few verses we just read verses 32 and 33. [6:59] Look at how Jesus is described. [7:02] He is the son of the most high. [7:04] It’s capital letters, most high there.

[7:07] He’s the son of God. [7:08] He is God. [7:09] And the way that term most high is kind of used there in scripture, it is [7:14] referring to the highest being you could ever imagine, which is God. [7:18] This is the greatest being you could conceive of. [7:20] There’s nothing higher.

[7:22] And then if there wasn’t enough glory and being the most high God, you get [7:26] descriptions of his kingship. [7:28] Jesus has given the throne of David, which means he is the king of kings. [7:33] He’s going to reign forever. [7:34] And then it says of his kingdom, there will be no end. [7:38] So Jesus, this baby who will be born is the most high God who is king and he

[7:44] will reign and he will rule forever. [7:45] That is glory. [7:47] The first big point we want to see this morning is Christmas is about [7:50] celebrating the glory of Jesus. [7:53] The King first and foremost, we are celebrating the glory of a person. [7:58] Jesus himself is glorious.

[8:01] Yes, he does glorious works and we will get to that in a little bit, but we [8:04] first have to remember that he himself is glorious when we celebrate Christmas. [8:08] We are celebrating the reality of the glory of God being made known in a [8:13] real and tangible way in the person of Jesus. [8:17] God is making his glory known to us. [8:19] And that’s why Jesus is called Emmanuel.

[8:22] That means God with us. [8:23] God came near to us. [8:25] We saw that last week, but we’ll look again quickly. [8:27] Isaiah 7, 14, it’s prophecy says, therefore the Lord himself will give you [8:32] a sign, behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name. [8:37] Emmanuel.

[8:38] And again, Emmanuel means God with us. [8:41] You see God, the son, Jesus is fully God. [8:44] He has always existed. [8:47] But there was a time when God, the son becoming a man and fulfilling his work [8:51] as King Jesus was just a promise for the future. [8:56] Christmas is about celebrating the glory of that promise, breaking into history

[9:00] at a specific time and at a specific place. [9:03] And that reality is glorious because Jesus is glorious. [9:07] He’s the most high God. [9:08] He’s come near to us so that we could know him. [9:11] He came near so that he could accomplish his glorious purposes and plans. [9:16] But that person we’re celebrating is also a king.

[9:20] And the text is very clear to describe Jesus as a ruling [9:23] king who comes to reign forever. [9:26] There’s also glory in the kingship of Jesus. [9:29] We see the kingship of Jesus in other prophecies as well about his future coming. [9:33] We’re going to look at Jeremiah 23, five and how the prophet [9:37] described the future coming king.

[9:40] He said, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord. [9:42] When I will raise up for David a righteous branch and he shall reign as [9:46] King and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. [9:52] When we think about the glory of Christmas, we’re not celebrating a feeling [9:56] or a sentiment of glory. [9:58] We’re celebrating the reality of the glorious King who came near just as God

[10:03] promised to rule and to reign and to do things like execute justice and [10:08] righteousness in the land. [10:09] The real meaning of Christmas then is what we’re celebrating that event that happened. [10:16] Like it’s done. [10:16] Jesus has come. [10:19] Our Christmas celebration should be worthy of the glory of a King.

[10:24] The glory of Jesus is worth celebrating. [10:26] And the spectacle of Christmas actually makes sense when you [10:30] consider all that Jesus is. [10:32] It makes sense that our culture has made such a big deal of Christmas. [10:36] Sure. [10:37] A lot of people in our culture don’t understand where that has come from, but

[10:40] it has a history and that history is still true. [10:43] But since we do understand just who Jesus is, that means we have something to [10:48] celebrate at Christmas time, no matter what else might be going on in our life. [10:53] And believe me, as a pastor, we know in a room this size, there is all kinds of [10:57] things going on in lives out there and all kinds of things that don’t feel like [11:01] they’re worth celebrating.

[11:02] But as Christians, as people who know the reality that our King has come and [11:07] he reigns and he rules, we always have something to celebrate at Christmas time. [11:12] Does that mean that we just focus solely on the event of Christmas, the reality of [11:16] Jesus, and we ignore all the other stuff of Christmas that we’ve kind of been [11:20] talking about? [11:21] Is that the right way to celebrate the glory of Christmas?

[11:24] I actually would tell you no. [11:26] Jesus is actually the reason for the season. [11:29] But he’s also the reason that we can celebrate all of it. [11:32] Every busy, hectic part of Christmas that is in our culture, it can be looked [11:37] at in ways to be redeemed, to celebrate because we know what the King has done. [11:43] Look for ways you can redeem all of that as true celebration of the glory of Jesus.

[11:49] And when we say celebrate Christmas, we really mean celebrate Christmas, [11:53] actually enjoy it. [11:54] Tell your face. [11:55] It should be obvious in our attitude that we enjoy this season. [11:59] The meaning of Christmas is not found in rejecting the celebrations we see all [12:03] around us.

[12:04] It’s found in embracing and celebrating all that Christmas is with an understanding [12:09] of the deeper story behind it all. [12:11] But the key is when you do that, you’re actually going to celebrate more, not less. [12:16] And what I want to propose to you is that the reality of Christmas as an event that [12:20] happened, happened in time and place that actually puts Christians in the position [12:25] to do the most celebrating with all the other stuff of Christmas beyond just the

[12:29] story itself. [12:31] Most of all, the other stuff is not bad. [12:33] It’s just that the world around us doesn’t know why they are celebrating. [12:38] And so they ultimately reduce everything to sentiment, but we do know why we’re [12:43] celebrating a glorious King who came near to us. [12:47] The glory of King Jesus means we can celebrate the whole season.

[12:50] And I think we see that in other parts of the Christmas story as well. [12:53] We’re going to look at Matthew two verses 10 through 11, and we’re picking up here [12:58] with the wise men who are searching from Jesus and looking at what they do when [13:02] they find Jesus. [13:03] Matthew two, verse 10. [13:06] When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy and going into

[13:10] the house. [13:10] They saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. [13:14] Then opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and [13:18] myrrh. [13:19] So these men were celebrating a person. [13:21] It was not just an emotional feeling that they had that made them feel good.

[13:24] Not just a spirit of goodwill. [13:27] No, they traveled a long way for a long time. [13:29] And when they found Jesus, they celebrated, they gave expensive gifts. [13:33] They made a big deal of it. [13:35] And we need to celebrate with the real things that God has given us. [13:39] One thing I would caution you on, don’t buy into this Gnostic notion that all

[13:44] that matters in life is just the spiritual realm. [13:46] It’s actually not a Christian idea at all. [13:48] Christianity is actually a physical religion. [13:51] We believe that God created the material world and is headed into a direction that [13:56] is going to be redeemed. [13:58] And so sights, sounds, touches, smells, these are all good things God gave us to

[14:02] enjoy and we dishonor him when we don’t do that. [14:07] Christians should be motivated by the glory of Jesus to out celebrate others at [14:11] Christmas time. [14:12] No matter what the context, all the stuff of the Christmas season is ultimately [14:17] there as a celebration that Jesus has come, whether the world realize it or [14:22] not.

[14:23] And so we celebrate that. [14:25] If our celebration is based on the reality of a glorious King, it should show [14:29] up everywhere, not just when we’re talking about the Christmas story. [14:33] So think about this. [14:34] Why do we enjoy time with loved ones? [14:36] Why do we put effort into decorating our house?

[14:38] Why do we have special traditions around the holiday time? [14:41] Why do we eat good food and go to Christmas parties? [14:43] Why do we give and gratefully receive gifts? [14:47] All of these are various ways that we celebrate Christmas time, but they have a [14:52] deeper meaning if we know the Christmas story. [14:55] Like these things all come out of a celebration of who Jesus, the glorious

[14:59] King is. [15:00] And so we should out celebrate people who don’t know that story. [15:04] There’s another caution to go along with that. [15:06] And this has been true for 1500 years in the church. [15:08] Now we’ve been fighting against this. [15:10] There’s been some extra biblical traditions that have turned the time before

[15:15] Christmas into a time of fasting and solemnly waiting for Jesus to come. [15:20] We may not actually literally fast anymore, but I would just caution you [15:25] that if your Advent activity means lots of introspection and realizing how much [15:31] you needed Jesus and just holding off waiting to celebrate until Christmas [15:35] morning actually comes, I think you’re missing the point of a glorious King. [15:39] We do not have to wait to celebrate.

[15:41] Our King has already come. [15:43] Should we remember that we need Jesus? [15:45] Yeah, we’re going to talk about that in just a bit, but the whole [15:48] season is about celebration because our King currently reigns and Christmas is [15:53] supposed to be a month of celebration, culminating in the day itself, not a [15:57] month of stress and introspection waiting to receive a gift that we already have.

[16:02] So in everything you do this time of year, celebrate Christmas like a [16:06] Christian who knows the glory of King Jesus. [16:09] The glory of Christmas starts with the person of who Jesus is, the [16:13] King who has come for us, but not only is Jesus himself glorious, he came [16:18] to do glorious things and his purposes in coming were and are glorious. [16:23] Let’s look back at our texts in Luke one, picking back up in Luke one, verse 34.

[16:30] It says, and Mary said to the angel, how will this be since I am a virgin? [16:34] And the angel answered her, the Holy spirit will come upon you and the [16:38] power of the most high will overshadow you. [16:40] Therefore the child to be born will be called Holy the son of God. [16:45] And behold, your relative Elizabeth and her old age has also conceived a son. [16:49] And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren for nothing will

[16:53] be impossible with God. [16:55] And Mary said, behold, I am the servant of the Lord. [16:58] Let it be to me, according to your word. [17:00] And the angel departed from her. [17:03] So last week, when we talked about hope, we saw there as a very specific reason [17:07] that Jesus had to be born of a virgin.

[17:10] And that reason has to do with the glorious works that God was going [17:13] to do in and through Jesus. [17:15] Jesus was to be born without sin, fully God, fully man. [17:20] And the reason that it had to be like that is that was part of what was [17:24] needed for God’s plan of redemption. [17:26] Jesus could not have a sin nature passed down to him from Adam because he was

[17:30] going to be the sacrifice for our sin. [17:33] The Christmas story is a glorious miracle of a coming King being born, but [17:38] there’s also glory in the purpose behind that miracle and the purpose [17:42] for that King being born. [17:44] Jesus came to do glorious works. [17:46] And so my second point this morning is Christmas is about

[17:49] celebrating God’s glorious works. [17:52] It’s worth celebrating that God came to save sinners and Christmas is [17:56] specifically the celebration of the start of that work in time and place that [18:01] would ultimately lead to the cross and to the resurrection. [18:04] That is a glorious work. [18:06] We saw last week, the promise of what Jesus came to do in Matthew 1 21, where

[18:11] it says he will save his people from their sin. [18:14] And our focus last week was on the hope found in the work Jesus came to do, the [18:18] hope of redemption for our sin. [18:20] But the work Jesus came to do is also a glorious work that we should celebrate. [18:25] It’s the work of a King to save his people. [18:29] Remember, one of the definitions of glory is a notable achievement.

[18:33] And I think that’s kind of the understatement of the year to call [18:36] Jesus saving us from sin, a notable achievement. [18:39] There’s no more notable achievement. [18:42] So there’s nothing more glorious than God’s work through Jesus. [18:46] Nothing at all. [18:47] Further down in Luke chapter one, verse 76 through 79, the prophet Zechariah

[18:53] is talking about his son, John the Baptist, and how he’s going to prepare [18:56] the way for the glorious works that Jesus would do. [18:59] Look how he describes these works. [19:01] Luke one, verse 76, and you child will be called the prophet of the most high [19:06] for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of [19:10] salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the

[19:14] tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to [19:19] give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our [19:23] feet into the way of peace. [19:25] That is quite a list there of glorious works. [19:28] Notice once again, we’ve got the glory of the person of Jesus. [19:31] He’s called the most high again, capital letters.

[19:34] But then we’ve got a rundown of the glorious works Jesus came to do. [19:39] He came to bring salvation. [19:41] He came to bring forgiveness. [19:42] He came to offer mercy. [19:43] And then we’ve got this language that’s beautiful about what Jesus came to do. [19:47] It said, and the light of God into darkness of the death that reigns through sin.

[19:51] That’s what Jesus came to bring. [19:54] Jesus is ultimately going to guide us to peace. [19:57] There’s nothing more glorious than that. [19:59] These things are worth celebrating. [20:01] This is also the reason that Christians should celebrate the season more than [20:06] anyone else, because these glorious works were done for us.

[20:10] When in another part of the Christmas story, in Luke 2, the angel tells the [20:14] shepherds that he’s bringing good news of great joy. [20:17] That news was more glorious than they could ever imagine. [20:20] They had no way to conceive actually of how great that news would be that [20:25] Jesus is actually bringing. [20:26] God was coming near, but with a specific purpose to do glorious

[20:31] works of saving sinners. [20:34] There’s something else to consider though, when it comes to God’s glorious [20:37] works that we see here in the Christmas story, we don’t often think about how [20:42] God’s works affected the people in their story, in their perspective [20:47] of what God was doing. [20:48] So let’s look back again at Luke 1, 34 through 38, same passage.

[20:53] You can put that back on the screen again. [20:56] Let’s consider the impact of God’s glorious works from Mary’s perspective. [21:02] We won’t read the whole thing, but notice Mary’s first reaction. [21:05] She’s not all on board right away. [21:07] She says in verse 34, how will this be that I have a baby? [21:10] I’m a virgin.

[21:12] Seems like a very reasonable question there for her to be asking. [21:16] And then also remember earlier in verse 29, when the angel first came to her, [21:20] the text says that Mary was greatly troubled by the angel saying that God had [21:24] favored her and that God was with her. [21:27] God’s plans and works are glorious. [21:28] So why would Mary be greatly troubled by that?

[21:32] God’s works are glorious. [21:34] Yes, but often our God’s works in our lives received more as disruption than [21:40] as something glorious. [21:42] Disruption for Mary is putting it lightly, you know, for all Mary knew her [21:47] life was ruined. [21:48] Uh, certainly the life she had planned for was ruined.

[21:52] It was not going to go like she had planned for it to go. [21:54] And that’ll kind of happen when an angel shows up and tells you that you’re [21:58] pregnant with God’s son, like your life’s not going to be the same after that [22:02] reality. [22:03] And in that moment, she didn’t know how everything was going to go. [22:06] In fact, we know from other texts in scripture that Joseph was indeed planning

[22:09] to divorce her quietly because of this. [22:12] If an angel hadn’t shown up and told him what was happening and explained things [22:16] to him, those angels aren’t visiting everyone. [22:19] So a lot of people are not going to believe Mary’s story. [22:23] Mary had good reason to be greatly troubled upon hearing about God’s plan [22:27] for her.

[22:28] And the reason that we can so often think be unsettled or troubled by God [22:33] working in our lives is because God’s work often disrupts the plan and the life [22:39] that we build for ourselves. [22:40] We’re unsettled when God, even in his word, tells us that the life we’re [22:45] building is not the life that he wants us to build. [22:48] We are unsettled when we know God’s calling us to obedience in an area of our

[22:52] life, but that’s going to mean some changes. [22:55] We are unsettled when faithfulness demands we make a change or move our [22:59] focus from one area to another. [23:01] We’re unsettled when God breaks into our routines. [23:05] Christmas is a celebration of God’s glorious work in the world. [23:08] But don’t forget, we serve a God who is good, more good than we can imagine.

[23:13] But we also serve a God who’s not safe. [23:16] The Christmas story is really not a safe story. [23:19] It’s a story of God interrupting a whole lot of people’s lives. [23:24] Mary and Joseph’s more than anyone and telling them your life from here on out [23:27] is not going to go how you thought it was going to go. [23:30] It’s actually going to be better, but you’re going to have to trust me.

[23:33] And the reality that we might not like is that the glory of God’s works demand [23:38] something of us and something of our life. [23:40] If Jesus is God and he is King, that also has to disrupt our lives in some way. [23:47] If that reality doesn’t disrupt our lives, do we really even believe [23:51] that he’s God and he’s King? [23:53] This is another reason why the glory of Jesus as a reigning and ruling King matters.

[23:58] Kings have authority. [24:00] The works of a good King have authority over his people. [24:04] Good Kings direct their people to do the King’s work in the King’s way for [24:09] the King’s glory and all of that is for the good of everyone. [24:14] So you’re missing out on seeing the glory of God’s work in your life. [24:17] If you won’t submit to his authority, we’ve got to have faith and

[24:21] believe God’s purposes are better. [24:24] How you respond to the glory of God’s work in your life will end up defining [24:28] your life and the Christmas story shows us that God’s glorious works are not [24:34] always convenient in our lives and yet we’re still called to submit to them. [24:38] And even to celebrate God’s work in our life, it’s easy to celebrate God’s [24:42] glorious works when that’s not asking anything of us, but what about when it

[24:47] does the Jesus in the manger that the angels are singing about being good news [24:52] to the whole world? [24:53] That’s the same Jesus who 30 years later is going to say that to follow him, you [24:57] have to lose your life. [24:58] And if you really want to see God’s glorious works in your life, be ready for [25:02] them to interrupt your life and to change your life.

[25:05] Decide now to submit to Jesus as King. [25:08] And that is actually what Mary ended up doing. [25:11] She chose to submit to God. [25:13] We see that in Luke one, verse 38. [25:16] And Mary said, behold, I am the servant of the Lord. [25:19] Let it be to me, according to your word.

[25:22] So that is the posture God wants from us when he interrupts our [25:27] lives with his glorious works. [25:29] For our last point this morning, let’s look to the same exact text [25:32] in Luke one again, same passage verses 34 through 38. [25:37] First, we were looking at the glory of the works of God in this passage, but [25:40] now finally this morning, let’s look at the glory of the miracles that we see here.

[25:45] I want to read it again. [25:47] Uh, starting in 34 and Mary said to the angel, how will this be? [25:50] Since I am a virgin and the angel answered her, the Holy Spirit will come [25:54] upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you. [25:58] Therefore the child to be born will be called Holy, the son of God. [26:01] And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son.

[26:06] And this is the sixth month with her who was called barren for [26:09] nothing will be impossible with God. [26:13] This text is filled with the supernatural. [26:16] I it’s filled with miracles. [26:18] Now I don’t have to tell you Mary becoming pregnant as a [26:21] virgin was supernatural.

[26:22] That is not naturally how that works. [26:25] Uh, this is maybe the least though supernatural thing that [26:29] is happening in that text. [26:30] That’s what we need to understand. [26:31] Far more supernatural is that the son of God, the most high God who has [26:37] always existed, who spoke creation into existence, that very God is lowering

[26:43] himself to enter into creation in time and in place, God is going to be born [26:48] as a man fully God and fully man. [26:51] That is a glorious miracle. [26:53] That is supernatural. [26:54] That’s the greatest miracle that has ever happened. [26:56] The final point this morning is that the glory of Christmas is supernatural.

[27:01] Christmas is all about the glory of the miracles of God. [27:06] It’s important that we don’t lose sight, that we serve a supernatural [27:10] God doing supernatural works. [27:13] Every miracle has a purpose and that purpose is to show us [27:16] something about the glory of God. [27:18] I think too often we view miracles as just a good part of the story.

[27:22] Uh, it’s nice that God parted the Red Sea for the Israelites. [27:26] It was good that Jesus healed people and fed thousands with just a little bit [27:31] of food that really got him noticed. [27:32] All right. [27:33] That’s good that God saved those men from a fire. [27:37] And while miracles do accomplish a specific task, believe me, those men

[27:41] were grateful that God did that. [27:42] Uh, they have an even bigger purpose, which is to show us God’s glory. [27:47] The supernatural shows us that we do not live in a closed system where what we [27:52] see and what we observe is all that there is God’s miracles show us that [27:56] he rules over nature. [27:58] He’s not bound by it.

[28:00] He is in charge of it. [28:02] And Luke 1 37 says that nothing is impossible with God. [28:07] The birth of the son of God was a supernatural event in so many ways. [28:12] And this shows us that God can intervene in the natural order of things and [28:16] move the world to his will. [28:18] The promises of God all line up at the birth of Jesus.

[28:22] We see that elsewhere in scripture. [28:23] All the promises of God find their yes in Jesus. [28:26] God disrupts the natural order to fulfill his promises in ways [28:31] that demand our attention. [28:33] God intervenes and disrupts our natural lives for our good because he loves us. [28:38] There are those who say that the supernatural is impossible.

[28:43] They say that miracles can’t exist because nature is all that there is. [28:48] But I want to say Christmas is an objection to that. [28:51] Uh, the glory of Christmas is supernatural. [28:53] Christmas is a challenge to anyone who would deny the supernatural. [28:57] What do you do with Jesus? [29:00] Again, we remember that the real meaning of Christmas is not sentiment.

[29:03] The real meaning of Christmas is historical reality. [29:07] There’s plenty of evidence that Jesus existed, that he was a wise teacher who [29:11] was renowned in that part of the world. [29:13] People claim that he did miraculous works. [29:15] There’s plenty of evidence that Jesus was executed by the state in cooperation [29:20] with the local religious leaders.

[29:22] But where things get crazy is there’s also plenty of evidence that Jesus [29:26] rose from the dead, his disciples completely changed afterwards. [29:29] Hundreds of people claim to have seen him and were changed by it. [29:34] We’re getting ahead of ourselves with that a little bit. [29:35] Save that part for Easter. [29:37] The point for Christmas is that you’ve got to deal with Jesus.

[29:40] If all of that is true about Jesus, you’re going to have to decide whether or [29:44] not you believe the supernatural part of that. [29:47] And I can tell you that I do. [29:48] I believe the birth of Jesus Christ is the greatest miracle. [29:52] God becoming man is impossible and unfathomable, but he did. [29:58] And this miracle shows the purpose of the rest of them.

[30:01] God’s activity in the history of Israel was not just random [30:05] series of miraculous events. [30:08] All he did there was he was pointing to preserving a people so [30:11] that God, the son could be born. [30:13] And that birth must be celebrated because it’s the focal point of the history of [30:18] the world.

[30:18] Everything hinges on it. [30:20] The supernatural birth of Jesus is glorious. [30:24] If you have faith in Jesus, then this season is the meaning of your life. [30:29] This is why we celebrate the reality of God’s supernatural works means that [30:34] there is always reason for hope. [30:37] Don’t forget that this birth of Jesus is a miracle that people needed.

[30:42] We still need it today. [30:43] We need a mighty God who is the most high and who does supernatural [30:48] works to save his people. [30:50] Our world is broken from sin. [30:52] We see evidence of that every day, but more we’re broken from sin. [30:57] We’re separated from God by our sin and we see evidence of that every day.

[31:02] And we don’t need what is natural to the world. [31:04] We need what is supernatural. [31:06] We need a God who enters into history in time and place and saves. [31:10] And the Christmas story is that reality. [31:13] Celebrating the supernatural glory of Christmas is a declaration that [31:18] Jesus is King and that our faith is not in some sentimental feeling or

[31:23] philosophical idea about the world. [31:25] Our faith is in a God who rescues sinners here in time and place. [31:30] And that’s good news because it has already happened. [31:32] Uh, we don’t have to like God’s people in the old Testament, look [31:35] forward to our salvation. [31:37] We do look forward to God putting everything right, but our salvation,

[31:41] our guarantee of hope, it’s done. [31:43] That event started at Christmas and it was finished at Easter. [31:48] And so when you celebrate all that Christmas is all of it, you’re declaring [31:51] to the world that Jesus is King and that the good news of his coming is for them. [31:57] Too few application points this morning. [32:00] We got to recognize the glory of Jesus as King.

[32:04] Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises in time and place. [32:08] No one is more glorious than Jesus, but also his kingship means that [32:12] he’s got authority in our lives. [32:14] So second application, submit to God’s work in your life. [32:18] God’s purposes and plans are glorious, but sometimes that takes faith to believe that [32:24] God is good.

[32:25] Don’t expect him to always be safe. [32:28] Welcome the interruptions of God’s work in your life and expect that to be glorious. [32:32] He will not disappoint you. [32:35] Thirdly, celebrate the glory of Christmas like a Christian. [32:39] Christmas is a supernatural event that happened. [32:42] It reveals the glory of God.

[32:45] We more than any other people should celebrate Christmas and be celebrating [32:50] Christmas for the whole season.