We give you each a warm welcome
to our carol service and we'll open this service in prayer.
Dear most gracious and ever merciful Lord God we do thank thee Lord
for bringing us here together. Lord as we sing these carols
and sit under the Bible readings and listen to our pastor give
an address we do pray Lord it may be a blessing to us each
and Lord that we may each have something Lord to take home.
We do pray Lord for those who will be reading. Lord please
help them and be with our Lord also Lord as she plays the organ.
Bless this time to us each for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. So
all the carols are from the Hymns of Worship books. The first is
number 61 from Hymns of Worship. Away in a manger, no crib for
a bed. The little Lord Jesus lay down
his sweet head. The stars in the bright sky look
down where he lay. The little Lord Jesus asleep
on the hay. Hymn number 61 from Hymns of
Worship. Away in the manger, no crib for
a bed, The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head. The stars in the bright sky fell
down where He lay, The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the bed. The cattle lover, The baby awakes,
but then to Lord Jesus, no crying he makes. I love Thee, O Jesus, look down
from the sky, and stay by my side until morning is nigh. Near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee
to stay, close by me forever, and love me, I pray. That so the dear children in
Thy tender care Had fit us for heaven to live with Thee there. We have two readings from the
prophecy of Isaiah. Firstly, Isaiah chapter nine,
from verses two to seven. Isaiah nine, two to seven. The people that walked in darkness
have seen a great light. They that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them have the light shined. Thou hast
multiplied the nation and not increased the joy. They joy before
thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when
they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke
of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his
oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior
is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood. But this shall
be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his
shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.
upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it
and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth
even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts
will perform this. And then over the page Isaiah
chapter 11 and verses 1 to 10. Isaiah 11. And there shall come forth a
rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of
his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord, and shall make him of quick understanding
in the fear of the Lord. And he shall not judge after
the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of
his ears. But with righteousness shall
he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the
earth. And he shall smite the earth
with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall
he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the
girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The
wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie
down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fattling
together, and a little child shall lead them, and the cow
and the bear shall feed. The young one shall lie down
together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the
sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned
child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den. They shall
not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover
the sea. And in that day there shall be
a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people,
to which shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious.
And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall
set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of
his people which shall be left from Assyria, and from Egypt,
and from Paphos, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shara,
from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. We'll sing again
our second carol, number 66. Number 66, O come, all ye faithful,
joyful and triumphant. O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the
King of angels. O come, let us adore him, Christ
the Lord. 66. O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the
King of angels. O come, let us adore him. ? And come let us adore him ? O come, let us adore him! O come, let us adore him! Jesus, to thee be glory. Word of the Father, now in flesh
appearing, O come, let us adore him. Our next scripture reading is
from the Gospel according to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1 from verse 26
to 39. And in the sixth month the angel
Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth. to a virgin, espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's
name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her
and said, Hail thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is
with thee, blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him,
she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner
of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her,
Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall
be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over
the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall
be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel,
How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered
and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the
power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth,
she hath also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the
sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing
shall be impossible. And Mary said, behold the handmaid
of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed
from her. And Mary arose in those days
and went into the hill country with haste into a city of Judah. Let's sing our next carol, number
69. Silent night, holy night Sleeps the world hid from sight
Mary and Joseph in stable bare Watch o'er the child beloved
and fair Sleeping in heavenly rest Our third reading this evening
is from Luke chapter 2 and verses 1 to 16. Luke chapter 2 verses
1 to 16. And it came to pass in those
days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all
the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made
when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. and all went to be taxed,
every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from
Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the city of
David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and
lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife,
being great with child. And so it was that while they
were there, the days were accomplished that she should 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. And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore
afraid. And the angel said unto them,
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the 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. And it came to pass, as the angels
were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one
to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this
thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known
unto us. and they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and
the babe lying in a manger. Turn now to carol number 68 in
hymns of worship. Number 68. Once in royal David's
city stood a lowly cattle shed where a mother laid her baby
in a manger for his bed. Mary was that mother mild, Jesus
Christ her little child. Number 68. Mother made the baby in a manger
for his bed. Mary was that mother mild, Jesus
Christ her little child. Amen. Oh, say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave Day by day, like a sea. I'm standing May the Lord help us as we continue
in prayer. Dear most gracious and ever merciful
Lord God, we do thank thee Lord for bringing us as a church together
Lord for this evening of singing carols, hearing the reading of
thy word and the ministry Lord from our pastor. We thank thee
Lord for this unity of Christ we have Lord as we remember this
season of Christmas. We do pray Lord that we may put
thee Lord at the forefront of our celebrations and our thoughts,
Lord, through this time of year. Lord, we know we live in a land
where there are many destructions, Lord, to take thy glory away,
but we do pray, Lord, as Christians, Lord, we may put thee first and
at this time of year, Lord, we may shine as lights unto others
round about us. We thank thee, Lord, for our
church and we do pray, Lord, that thou will continue, Lord,
Bless us. We thank Thee, Lord, for the
help over the last year and for the many wondrous things Thou
hast done. We thank Thee, Lord, for helping James, Lord, in his
pastorate, and we do pray for them as a family. Continue, Lord,
to encourage them, Lord, and help them also, Lord, with a
house. We do pray, Lord, for the children. We thank you, Lord, for the many
we have. And we do pray, Lord, that they
will work in each of their hearts. And we do pray, Lord, that they
may also, Lord, come to know thee, especially, Lord, at this
time of year, Lord, that they may think of thee more. We do
pray, Lord, for the older ones also, Lord, those who maybe find
Christmas, Lord, a difficult time. We know Christmas, Lord,
is a very hard time for many. And many, Lord, reflect back
on those, Lord, who have lost loved ones. And we do pray, Lord,
that thou would be their comforter. And Lord, we thank thee, Lord,
that thou will not leave us comfortless. And Lord, that thy spirit is
present with us. We do pray, Lord, for those in
this town of Hastings. We think of our neighbours and,
Lord, the many, Lord. We posted our leaflets too. We
do pray, Lord, that thou will encourage them and maybe draw
them in one day. And, Lord, that we may see every
empty seat, Lord, in this church, Lord, filled up once again. We
do pray, Lord, that they may maybe feel able, Lord, to come
to our Christmas service and Lord, that that will be with
us then. Lord, we think of the homeless in this town who are
sleeping out there in the cold and the rain. We do pray for
them, Lord, and we thank the Lord for. At that love, Lord,
we were able to show our Norman Lord, who has been sleeping next
to our chapel, Lord, for many months. And we do pray, Lord,
that we may seek opportunity, Lord, to help those in this area
and those, Lord, who come in through these doors. We do pray,
Lord, for those, Lord, who are visiting us. Be with them, Lord,
and the churches they are from. We do pray, Lord, that thou will
bless them. We do pray, Lord, for our land and our nation,
Lord, at this time. O Lord, as many, Lord, will go
to churches, Lord, on Christmas and this time of year. We do
pray, Lord, that the gospel, Lord, may be faithfully preached
and, Lord, that thy word may be proclaimed, Lord, once again
in this land and those churches, Lord, will be built up. O Lord,
we live in a world, Lord, which is unstable. And Lord, as we
think, Lord of Bethlehem and areas in Syria and the instability,
Lord, in those lands, a lands, Lord, which have been under war
and conflict for many, many years. And we do pray, Lord, that thy
name, Lord, may be preached in those countries, Lord, once again.
We do pray, Lord, that thy love and thy joy, Lord, may be spread
amongst the nations and thy peace may be felt. Help us each, Lord,
to be good ambassadors of thee, and Lord, that we may be willing,
Lord, to spread the gospel, the glorious gospel of Christ. O
Lord, please help us, Lord, to encourage one another and to
help each other and to bear each other's burdens. We do pray,
Lord, that thou will continue to bless us. Help us, Lord, as
we continue, Lord, to sing these carols and to listen unto the
reading of thy word. And, Lord, that thou will touch
each of our hearts. And, Lord, we do pray, Lord,
for those who rule over us, our Prime Minister and those, Lord,
in office. We do pray, Lord, that they may
come to know thee also, Lord, as their saviours. We do pray,
Lord, for the royal family also. And, Lord, that we may have a
God-fearing king, if thy will. Bless each and every one of us.
Encourage James Lord and help him as he speaks a word to us
tonight. For Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Next carol is number 70 from
Hymns of Worship. While shepherds watched their
flocks by night, all seated on the ground, the angel of the
Lord came down and glory shone around. Hymn number 70 from Hymns
of Worship. the angel of the Lord came down,
and bore his shorn and crown. Whereon sit with almighty dread,
and cease their troubled mind, the tidings of great joy I bring
to you and all mankind. To you, if David's town this
day is born of O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the
bombs bursting in air, God of life and to the end be
peace. Amen. We have two readings now, the
first from St. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 2,
and reading the first 12 verses. St. Matthew, chapter 2, the first
12 verses. Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, There came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born
king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in
the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had
heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And
when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of
the people together, he demanded of them where Christ was born,
or should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem
of Judea. For thus it is written by the
prophet, And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Art not
the least among the princes of Judah? For out of thee shall
come a governor, That shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily
called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time
the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem,
and said, Go, and search diligently for the young child. And when ye have found him, bring
me word again, that I may come and worship him also.' When they
had heard the king, they departed. And lo, the star, which they
saw in the east, went before them till it came and stood over
where the young child was. When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come
into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother,
and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened
their treasures, they presented unto him gifts, gold and frankincense
and myrrh. And, being warned of God in a
dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into
their own country another way. Now, turning over to St John's
Gospel and chapter 1, St. John chapter 1 and reading the
first 18 verses. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life
was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and
the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God,
whose name was John. The same came for a witness to
bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. he was not that light, but was
sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light,
which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was
in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew
him not. he came unto his own, and his
own received him not. But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and
cried, saying, This was he of whom I speak. He that cometh
after me is preferred before me. for he was before me, and
of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God
at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of
the Father, he hath declared him. The herald angels sing glory
to the newborn King, peace on earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled. Number 64. Joyful, all ye nations, rise! Join the triumph of the skies! Earth and heaven first proclaim,
Christ is born in Bethlehem. the angels sing, glory to the
newborn King. Christ, my highest ever-loved,
Christ, the everlasting Lord, In flesh the Godhead see, Held
in love in faith and see, Filled as man with man to dwell, Jesus,
our Emmanuel. of peace, hail the sound of righteousness,
kind and kind to all he brings, friends with ? Earth he lays his glory by ?
? Earth, land, man, and all they die ? ? Earth to raise the sons
of earth ? ? Earth to him with sin and blood ? ? Earth, the
heir of angels sing ? In mountains of serpent's web,
Thou display thy saving pow'r Through adventure I'd like us to turn together to the Gospel
according to John, chapter 3. reading from verse 14 to verse
21. The Gospel according to John and
chapter 3 from verse 14 to 21. And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life. For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not
condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because
he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation,
that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that
doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in God. We leave the reading of God's
word there. And I'd like us to turn back
to the Gospel according to John and the text you'll find in verse
12. The Gospel according to John,
chapter 1, and verse 12. But as many as receive him, to
them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. We all know at this time of year,
it is a time for considering other people. It is a time when
we think of those that we know, those that are involved in our
lives and we think about how we can help them, encourage them
and buy them a presence. And it is a great joy to some
people to look at the lives of others and to try and see the
things that they need and then to buy them something that they
believe that they need. Maybe you see somebody and they
need some new shoes and you might think, well, I'll buy them some
new shoes. Or you see them struggling in
some way or that their coat is worn out and you want to buy
them a new coat. And so we take our minds off
ourselves at this time of year and we begin to analyse the lives
of other people, wondering what we can buy for them, wondering
how we can make them happy, wondering how we can encourage them and
bless them with a gift and often we look for those types of gifts
that people will specifically need. And when we give that gift,
we hope that it will be of use to that person. We don't want
to spend our money and buy them something specifically, and then
they put that gift to the side and they forget about it, or
it's just gathered up in all of the wrapping paper and thrown
into the bin. We want to buy them something
that is beneficial, lasting, and helpful, that it will make
them happy. Sometimes we can look at the
lives of other people and we can think well they need this
and they need that and we may buy them that thing and we may
give them that gift and then that gift is not appreciated. They don't believe that they
need the thing that you are giving to them. Maybe someone you may
buy them a bible for instance And you may look for one that
is suitable and you may send it to them or give it to them
and when they receive that gift they don't think that it's suitable.
They don't want it. They put it aside. And so it's not seen by the person
as being needed or of any benefit to them. And this is similar
to how the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ was given. He was a needed
gift. We read that God so loved the
world that he gave his only begotten son. He was a gift to the world. God saw the need of the human
race. The human race was lost in sin. We know the scripture tells us
that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We
are sinners in the sight of a holy God, we have stepped over the
line, we have broken his laws. We are as an unclean thing in
his sight by our nature and we are separated from him. Our sin has distanced us from
God. There is no way in which we are
able to be reconciled and so God made the way. He saw the
need that was there and he gave his beloved son. And I'm sure
each of us know because we sit under the ministry of the word
that we've been told that we are sinners. But do we truly
understand that we are? Do we truly believe that we have
sinned against God? Or when we examine ourselves,
do we think, well, I don't really need this gift of the Lord Jesus
Christ. I don't really need to because
I'm quite a good myself. I haven't lied too much. I haven't
blasphemed at all. I've never taken the name of
the Lord in vain. I've never stolen anything. I've
never committed adultery or done any of those vile sins. I've
never murdered anybody or done anything like that. So I don't
think I really need this gift of the Lord Jesus. I'm quite
OK. Yes, I may have done some things
that are a little bit bad, but surely God is going to forgive
me. God is going to accept me for
how I am because I'm normally quite a good person. The scripture
tells us that we have sinned by our nature is sinful. We are
corrupted from within, not necessarily that we have done any active
sin. In sin did my mother conceive
me, David says, and we go forth from the womb as speaking lies. But as we grow up, we actively
sin against God by lying and deceiving and not giving him
the honour and glory that is due to his holy name. And so the gift of the Lord Jesus
Christ, he was given for a specific reason because we need that gift. And for us to say we don't need
it is offensive to God. He says those who reject this
gift, who don't believe in this gift are condemned already. He that believeth not is condemned
already. He stays in that present condition
of a sinful state in the sight of a holy God. And so for us
to say we don't need him is to remain in our sin. We have lied. We have deceived. We have thought
blasphemous thoughts. We have thought thoughts of lust. We haven't loved our neighbours
as ourselves. We haven't loved God with all
of our heart, soul and mind. And so God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten son because there was a great
need for the only begotten son. If the only begotten son of God
never came into the world the whole world would be lost in
sin for all eternity. And so he was given to fulfill
a specific purpose. was a specific gift given to
fulfill a specific criteria to bring about the salvation of
his people. The law is what we have broken
and so the law is what had to be fulfilled. Jesus says, I came
not to destroy the law but to fulfil the law. Every line and
every dot of the law. He lived in complete obedience
to the whole law of God. Lived in complete obedience to
the whole will of his Father. So he would be the perfect gift
for his people. And not only did he come to live
a perfect life. He also came to pay the ultimate
price. You see our sin that as we sin
against God incurs great debt and that debt has to be paid. wages of sin is death. The reward
of our constant rebellion and sinfulness against the holy God
is death. Not just our physical death but
our spiritual death in hell under the wrath of almighty God and
for God's law to be satisfied that payment must be paid. Every law that we have broke
must be the punishment of that law must be paid, must be cleared. The consequences of breaking
that law must be dealt with. And so Christ came to fulfil
the whole law of God. But he also came to pay the debt
that the people of God owe to God, to absorb an eternal wrath,
the eternal wrath of God. upon himself, upon the cross. And so he was a needed gift and he was a specific gift. God
knew exactly why he was sending his beloved son. He knew exactly
what the world needed and how the world could be redeemed.
And the only way would be through the Lord Jesus Christ, the God
manifest in the flesh and dwelt among us and they beheld his
glory, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And so as we look around us and
we try and choose specific gifts for different people and we try
and buy the thing that we believe that they would like and we believe
that they would need, that person has to receive that gift. They have to believe that that
gift is needed to them or beneficial to them. how often it is with the Lord
Jesus Christ that people don't see their need of him. Their hands are so full with
so many other gifts that they believe are beneficial and essential
that they have no room, they have no hands left to receive
the greatest gift of all, the most needful gift of all, the
most specific gift of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. They are so
filled with the material gifts of the world that Christ is left
out of the picture and he is neglected. Just like it was at
his birth. We read, didn't we, that there
was no room for the Lord Jesus Christ in the inn. Mary and Joseph chosen by God,
directed by God into Bethlehem and you would think there would
be a lovely apartment waiting for them that she could deliver
her first child in luxury But no, the Lord Jesus Christ was
despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. And she must bring forth her
firstborn son in a manger or lay him in a manger
because there was no room for them in the inn. And so this greatest gift that
has ever been given to the world, this most needful gift, this
most specific gift, he came to his own and his own received
him not. There was no beautiful place
to lay him. How it is even with our own children
that when there is that time that time comes for delivery,
the cot is all made up and everything is brought and everything is
made beautiful and we want to make it all nice but not so for
the Lord Jesus Christ there was no room for him in the inn and
even today as the gospel is preached there is no room in the inn of
people's hearts for the Lord Jesus because everything else
is so busy We've got so many other things going on. Our hands
are still so full with so many other gifts that we neglect that
one thing that is needful. And so this gift of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the most valuable gift that the world has ever
received, the most beneficial gift, and yet People don't see it. They're
blind. It is like holding a million
pounds in front of a blind man. He doesn't see it. Can't receive
it until his eyes are open. And so to receive the gift with
joy we've got to see our need of the gift. the shepherds as
they were out in their fields watching
over their flocks the angels of the Lord came and delivered
them a message. They are told in one of our readings
in the Gospel according to Luke 2 and verse 8, And there were in
the same country shepherds abiding in their fields, keeping watch
over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,
Fear not, For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And we read that they left and
they went and they searched for the child and they came and they
found the Lord Jesus Christ lying in the manger. They heard the
message. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a saviour which is Christ the Lord. They
saw their need of a saviour. They realised that this is the
prophet that would come to deliver Israel. And they went and they
saw the young child and they worshipped him. but also the
wise men. The wise men they saw the star
of the Lord Jesus. Came from the east, they travelled
from their own country. Something took place in their
minds and they were persuaded that they were to follow this
star. And they followed the star and
it brought them to Jerusalem. And they'd heard of the king.
We have seen his star in the east and we have come to worship
him. And they went to the palace because
they thought the king would definitely be at the palace but they found
Herod, the true king of kings. He was not there, still in Bethlehem. And they searched diligently
for the child and they found him. But what is the difference? The difference between these
wise men and Herod. These wise men had their eyes
open. They were constrained by God
to search diligently for the young child and they went and
they found him and they presented to him gold, frankincense and
myrrh. They saw their need of this gift. The gift of God's beloved son. Herod didn't see his need. Herod
saw the Lord Jesus as a threat to his kingdom and therefore
sought to kill him. Mercifully the Lord Jesus was
preserved and went off into Egypt and then into Nazareth. And so this gift has to be received. And as our text says, but as
many as receive him To them gave he power to become the sons of
God. A gift, the most valuable gift, the most
needed gift, the most specific gift is only received by those
who see their true need of the Lord Jesus Christ, who see themselves
as in need of a saviour, And when they see their need of a
saviour they reach out to this gift and they receive him into
their hearts. They believe upon him, they trust
in him, their lives are affected by him, they want to live for
him. It's really what the word means,
to receive. They believed on him. But as
many as believe on him and at the end of the verse it says,
even to them that believe on his name. To believe is to trust. To believe is to receive. To
believe is to lean upon his life and his death and his resurrection
for your eternal salvation. It is to turn from your sin and
to rest upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's
to receive him. This gift of Christ is no good
outside. It must be inside. It's no good
knowing about him. It's no good reading about him
in the scripture. He must be received into our
hearts by faith. but as many as receive him, to
them he gave power to become the sons of God. It's not power
as we think of electricity or strength, it is the right or
the privilege to be called a son of God. By our nature we are
outside of Christ. The scripture says we are like
illegitimate children. But Christ, through his redeeming
work, brings his children into a relationship with himself and
his father. They are adopted into his family
and they are called children, sons and daughters of the living
God. And so those who receive Christ
as saviour, they have a right to become the sons of God. We
are able to call him our Father who is in heaven, Abba Father. And Christ gives his people that
right. They don't own it for themselves.
We are saved by grace through faith. that right to claim God
as our father comes through the Lord Jesus Christ, that specific
gift given to the human race. But as many as receive him, to them he gives the right to
become the sons of God even to those who believe upon his name
and that believing comes from that transformation of the heart. As we read in if we read John
3 it says to Nicodemus, Marvel not that I say unto thee, ye
must be born again. And so when the soul is born
again of the spirit we're enabled to receive Christ, we're enabled
to lay hold of Christ, to trust in Christ, to approach God as
our Father and to believe and to trust upon the Lord Jesus
Christ, to take him as the gift of God, that needed gift, that
specific gift, that most precious gift Like the man in the parable
that the Lord Jesus tells he says he went and sold all so
that he may buy the field where the great treasure was. We were
unable to leave all of this world and to cast all upon the Lord
Jesus Christ to receive him as the specific great gift that
Christ came into this world. And so all that Christ does he
has done for his people. So may we at this time of year
as we come again to remember the birth of the Lord Jesus and
as we sing the carols and as we meditate upon this great gift
may he not be covered over as it were with
all the material presents and gifts that we are going to get
may we receive this Christmas time the true gift the eternal
gift the most blessed gift the Lord Jesus Christ but as many
as receive him To them gave he the power or the right or the
privilege to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
upon his name. May the Lord add his blessing.
Amen. After this carol we will remain
standing for the benediction and you're more than welcome
to stay with us for tea and coffee and refreshments after the service. Carol number 65 from Hymns for
Worship. Joy to the world, the Lord is
come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room
and heaven and nature sing. Hymn number 65. To the world the Lord is King,
the only Saviour King. Let every heart prepare Him room,
and let the angels sing. Joy to the earth, the Savior
reigns Let men their songs employ While fields and floods, rocks,
hills, and plains Because to Him its blessings
flow, for us the curse is found, for us the curse is found. an ancient fruit, the glories
of God. Almighty God and yet loving Heavenly
Father of Thy people, we thank Thee for the gift of Thy beloved
Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into this world for a specific
purpose, to redeem a people for Thyself, that they may show forth
Thy praise, and we ask that We may be helped over this time
of year to show forth thy praise that we may shine as lights in
a dark world and that we may be enabled to glorify and point
to thy beloved son, the one and the perfect gift. We pray, Lord,
that we may see our need of the Lord Jesus, that we may receive
him and be able to claim that we are sons and daughters of
thine. We pray that thou would bless
us now as we partake of some tea and coffee and food. We ask
thy blessing upon it and we give thee thanks for that provision. And we do remember those in the
world who are hungry and struggling at this time, do provide for
them, we pray, and even in our own land, those who are lacking,
Lord, do provide for them. And now may the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, with the fellowship
and the communion of the Holy Spirit, to be with us each now
and for evermore. Amen.