Turn with me in your Bibles,
if you would, to Luke 2. Luke 2. I ask that you pray for me this
morning. The Lord would give me His message. And I'd like to look at what
Jaime just read. Something struck me here. Years ago, in Judah, there was
a king named Ahaz. And there was two opposing kings. Rezan, who was king of Syria. And Pekah, who was Remaliah's
son, who was king of Israel. They made a confederacy with
one another. And they came up to war against Judah. And whenever the king of Judah
heard the announcement that these two nations had made a confederacy
with one another, he was beside himself. He was shaken. Didn't know what to do. And Isaiah
was sent forth with a word from the Lord. And he came to him,
met him at the pool of Siloam, and he said to him, this thing's
not going to come to pass. These two kings are not going
to conquer you. And he said, ask me anything. Ask any sign that you require
from God to give you, and I'll give it to you. These two nations
are not going to conquer Judah. And Ahaz, pretending like he
was religious and worried about the glory of God, said, I won't
tempt God by asking a sign. And Isaiah said, I'll give you
one anyway. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth
a son. His name shall be called Emmanuel,
God with us. And because he's going to be
born the line of the tribe of Judah, and because the scepter
shall not depart from between Judah's feet until he be born,
because God's going to raise a king after David that's going
to sit on David's throne, and there's going to be no end to
his rule and to his righteousness and to his just government of
God's people, this nation, Judah, is not going to be destroyed
yet. These two kings have come up against you. They're not going
to destroy this nation. And God chooses the foolish things
to confound the wise. He chooses the things that are
nothing to bring to naught the things that are. He chooses something
like a dirty cow stable. He chooses a woman that's espoused
to a man but not yet married to the man to confound the loggers. And He brings forth this one
with no form nor comeliness, born in a manger, a despised
thing, a thing that's nothing. One of the greatest occurrences
that this world has ever known. And the second behind it is that
thing, that cursed tree that they despised and rejected just
like they despised and rejected a manger. And in both of those
places, we find the Lord of glory, the Savior of God's people. And everywhere in between, it
says, He grew up before God as a tender plant. He grew up before
Him as a tender plant. There was no form, no comeliness
about Him that when you'd see Him, you'd desire Him. From that
cradle to that cross, There was nothing about Him that when you
saw Him, you would desire Him. Not anything at all. But I want
you to look at something here that struck my attention when
I read this scripture. Verse 11 of chapter 2. The angel
said, I bring you good tidings of great joy. These are good
tidings. This is a reason to rejoice with
great joy. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Savior. Now look at these next words.
Which is. Not which is going to be. Not
which hopes to be. not which is if you make him
these things in your supposed life, but which is right now from the womb of this virgin
there is Christ the Lord. He is the Christ. He is God's Christ. He is his
Messiah. And He is the Lord. We don't make Him that. We don't
one day say, I'm going to make Him Lord of my life. This one
that came forth from his mother's womb, the angel said, is the
Savior. He's the Christ and He's the
Lord. He is the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto
you. You'll find the babe, he's a
baby. You mean the Savior, which is
Christ, the Lord, is a baby? Surely He'd come riding on a
magnificent speed. Surely He would come in great
glory. Surely he would come so that all the world would see
this is the king of glory. This is the Lord. This is the
Christ God's thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not
our ways His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and his ways
are higher than our ways it has as far greater a distance from
us and the heavens It's God's thoughts above our thoughts If
he would have come on a mighty steed riding a mighty horse Stallion
and with all kind of glory and pomp and circumstance He would have appeared as what
the Jews were looking for he would have appeared as the one
in which men were looking for He had a work to do He had something
to perform and something to accomplish and a will to accomplish And
in order for him to accomplish that he came as a babe he left
glory, he who thought it not robbery to be equal with God,
took upon him human flesh just like ours, the form of a servant. He grew in wisdom and stature
as a man." Explain that one. He grew in wisdom and stature
as a man. Tempted in all points like as
we, yet without sin. And being found in the form of
a servant, he became obedient. He said, I do only those things
which please the Father. I do always those things which
please the Father. When he was a young child, he
said, I must be about my Father's business. They found him in the
temple disputing with men a whole lot wiser according to men's
knowledge and wisdom. Learned men. And yet he made them look like
fools. When he would do miracles and they would want to go run
and tell everybody about the miracles. How often did he say,
don't tell anybody. My time has not yet come. He
had a work to do. He lived some 33 and a half years
and was proven righteous. Perfectly righteous. Driven by
the Holy Ghost into the wilderness to be tempted for 40 days of
the devil This one who said I'll show you he showed him all the
kingdoms of the world throughout all the ages and said I'll give
them to you I'll give them to you All it takes for us to be turned
is Some kind of something that we'd
rather go do then go worship him It takes a very little thing
to make a man forsake God. But this is the God-man. This
is the one who came to redeem a people. This is the one who,
as we saw in our lessons, entered into a covenant with God before
the world began. This is the one who said, I'll
bring these children to you without spot, without blemish. I'll bring
them to you righteous and holy. When I'm finished, with the work
that I came to do, I'll make them the very righteousness of
God." And he was born a babe. A babe. Because he had a work to do.
Wrapped in swaddling clothes. The one who would come and wrap
his children in the robe of his spotless righteousness was wrapped
in just rags. Just old rags. And he'll be lying in a manger,
they said. This One who came to perfect
the people so that He could take them to a new heaven and a new
earth where He indwelleth righteousness and give them a heavenly abode.
Give them a home like they never ever imagined or ever could conceive
of. It's never entered into their
minds the things that God has prepared for them. that love
him. And yet he was lying in a manger. Lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God. I wonder why they were praising
God. They knew something about who
this one was. They knew something about who
this was they were speaking about. And the person or angel that
knows something about what this is speaking of was going to do
one thing. They're going to praise God. They're going to have His praises
on their lips. And this is what they said, Glory
to God in the highest. Glory to God in the highest. Why did He send forth this one
that's in a manger? Why did He send forth this one
that's wrapped in swaddling clothes? Why did He send forth this one
who is made of a woman, made under the law? He sent forth
this one through the praise of the glory of His grace. to the praise of the glory of
His great name. Look at Isaiah 43 with me just
a minute. We'll come back here. Isaiah
43. Look at verse 8. Isaiah 43, verse
8. Bring forth the blind people
that have eyes. I was going to ask you this the
other day. I'm just going to ask you from the pulpit. I'll
put you on the spot. You help people that have seeing difficulties. But have you ever heard of a
man given a blind man sight? I mean blind man. One that's
born blind. Bring forth the blind people
that have eyes. He answered no, by the way. for
those of you that are listening. No, but the Lord says bring forth
the blind people that have eyes and the deaf that have ears.
Now we can stick a gadget in somebody's ear and amplify the
noise so that they might be able to hear a little better, but
you take somebody that's just stone cold deaf He said, bring forth the blind
that have eyes and the deaf that have ears. What does that mean? When God comes in the power of
the Holy Spirit and creates Christ in you, reveals Christ in you,
you're blind and you're deaf. I was blind and I was deaf, but
now I see. Now I hear. This word that made
no sense to me, that I had no interest in whatsoever, that
was just a bunch of gibberish to me. I sat with my mom and
my dad, because they made me go to church, and I sat there,
and I listened, and I read, and I watched the clock. Prayed I
could get out of there. That was my prayer, that I could
get out of there. But when it pleased God, who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace
to reveal His Son in me. He did it. And He gave a blind
man eyes and a deaf man ears. And for the first time I was
able to see the Lord of glory and I was able to hear that He
indeed is the Lord of glory. And He said, let all the nations
be gathered together. Let the people be assembled.
Who among them can declare this and show us former things? Is
there anybody that can say they've ever done this? Let them bring
forth their witnesses that they may be justified and show and
prove that they've given the blind sight and the deaf ear.
Let them bring forth their witnesses to prove that they've done this
and they'll be justified and they can say they've done it.
Or let them hear and say it's truth. God alone does this. Ye are my witnesses, saith the
Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and
believe me and understand that I am he. Before me there was
no God formed, neither shall there be after me. That's why
he reveals himself in his people. That's why this babe born in
swaddling clothes in a manger was born. that you may know and
believe me and understand that I am He. Before me there was
no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I
am the Lord and beside me there is no Savior." I thought they
said that baby born was the Savior. Who was that born? That's Emmanuel,
God with us. He's the Savior. And look here.
I've declared and have saved and I have showed when there
was no strange God among you. Therefore, you are my witnesses,
saith the Lord, that I am God. Yea, before the day was, I am
He and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will
work and who shall let it?" And he said, I've done all this
for one reason. I've done it all for my glory,
for the glory of my name, that the people may shut their mouth
and say, it's true. It's true. And so back here in
our text in Luke chapter 2, what did the angels say when they
sang? Glory to God in the highest. Glory to God in the highest. Then look here. And on earth,
peace. And on earth, peace. Do you know that this was the
first time? This is the first time. The first
Adam was created in peace. He was created in a perfect environment
with no sin to have perfect communion with God. But after he sinned
against God, and die and plunged this whole human race into death,
spiritual death and separation from God. The first time that
this world had ever had peace on it, actually come to it, is
when our peace was born in this manger. Look at Isaiah, Isaiah chapter
53. Who hath believed our report?
To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up
before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground.
He hath no form, no comeliness, and when we shall see him there's
no beauty that we should desire him. He's despised and rejected
of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we
hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed
him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows. Even though we did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, he was wounded for
our transgressions. He died the just for the unjust. He was wounded Tormented for
our transgressions. He was bruised Not because there
was any iniquity in him He was bruised in our room instead for
our iniquities and the chastisement of our what? peace The chastening that had to be
endured So that we would enjoy peace The wrath of God that had
to be settled. Justice had to be satisfied.
The law had to be answered to. The wages of sin had to be paid
on behalf of everybody he represented. And the chastisement of our peace
was upon him. And with his stripes, we're healed. We're healed. So when they came
and began to sing, the first thing they sang was glory to
God in the highest. And the second thing that they
sang was, and on earth, peace. Peace. This is peace. You want peace? You need peace. I need peace. I need peace of
soul. I need to know that I'm right
with God. I need to know that God's not
going to bring up anything. That there's no sins past, present,
or future. I need to know I'm complete in
Him. I need to know I'm justified. I need to know that I've been
made the righteousness of God. That He'll accept me. Not that
I'll accept Him, but that He'll accept me. I need for my conscience
to be purged. I need for something to make
me and I have guilt. I need for the guilty conscience
to be purged. I need for somebody to turn me,
first to turn on the light and show me that what I call sweet
is really bitter. That these righteousnesses that
I've been calling righteousness is really dead works. And I need
him to turn me and purge my conscience from dead works to serve the
living God. And the only thing that'll do
that, the only thing that'll do that, turn you from dead works
and give you a heart to serve the living God is the living
God. That's it. And he does it in
the person of his son. This one born in a manger in
swaddling clothes. And so they cried, glory to God
in the highest and on earth, peace, peace. Look over at Hebrews 10. Hebrews
chapter 10 For the law having a shadow of
good things to come and not the very image of the thing Kid never
with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually
make the comers there unto perfect They couldn't satisfy For then
would they not have ceased to be offered, because that the
worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of
sins." If they're purged, they should have had no more conscience
of sins. They shouldn't have felt like
they needed to come year after year, day after day, with a sacrifice
because of their guilt. If they're purged and their conscience
is purged and sprinkled with the blood of Christ and they
see that they're complete in Him, they know that there's no
more offering to give. But in those sacrifices, there's
a remembrance again made of sins every year. They're brought up
constantly over and over and over to them. Aren't you glad
you're not sitting in a congregation this morning where your sins
are constantly being brought up over and over and over to
you? And you're being told you've got to make some kind of sacrifice
in your flesh over and over and over for them? I'm trying to tell you, brethren,
You're complete. You don't have to worry over
sin anymore. Come to Christ. Come to Him. Confess everything to Him. Lay
it at His feet. And you'll find peace. You'll
find rest. Why? Look here. Wherefore, verse 5, when he cometh
into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not.
He gave sacrifices and offering as a way to approach him to show
that he was not satisfied with sacrifices and offerings. Not
any that a man could make. That's one of the reasons that
he ordained sacrifices and offering. But the reason that he made a
body for Christ conceived of the Holy Ghost was because he
wasn't satisfied with any other offering, and no other offering
would do. So a body hast thou prepared
me, and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I, lo, I come, in the volume of the book it's written
of me, and lo, I come to do thy will, O God. If you'll hold your
place here in Hebrews 10, we're going to come right back here.
I want you to look back over there at Luke 2. What's that
last thing they cried? They cried, Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men. Good will toward men. There's only one good will, and
that's God's. He's the only one that possesses
a good will. And His good will is toward men. I didn't say every man. I said
men. A people out of every nation
under heaven. But they're out of every nation
under heaven. A people saved from among a people. Every nation under heaven. Not
every nation under heaven. There's a difference. Goodwill
toward me and I look back over here And then said I low I come
in the volume of the book. It's written of me to do thy
will Oh God God's goodwill that he predestinated that he purposed
in himself before the foundation of the world Christ came and
said I came to do it. I came to perform Thy will Oh
God I came to do that which no man could do, which no sacrifice
or offering made by man could do. What is it? Above, when He
said, Sacrifice and offering, and burnt offerings, and offering
for sin, thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, which
are offered by the law. Then said He, Lo, I come to do
thy will, O God. Here's what He came to do. He
taketh away the first, that He may establish the second. Now
let me explain something to you. He taketh away that old covenant.
He taketh away the sins and transgressions that are under that old covenant.
When he said to Adam, the day you eat of that tree, thou shalt
surely die. And Adam, being the first representative,
ate of that tree, and he died. And all the people that he represented,
his children that came after him, which is everybody in this
room and everybody in this world, died in him. And that old covenant
that God gave at Sinai was to show us what we are and that
we got that way because we fell in Adam. That covenant of works
that was given He came, this one came, to do the will of God,
which was to take that covenant away, to take it out of the way,
nailing it to His cross, and to establish the second, which,
hold on till you hear it, is really the first. It's the one
that was made between God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit in the eternal covenant of grace. And He said,
I came to take away all those ordinances and commandments and
all the law that was against you. Not just that that was given
at Sinai, but what took place in the Garden. I came to take
away that and to make you complete in Myself and to establish My
everlasting covenant, which in your estimation of time is the
2nd covenant, the 2nd Testament. But it's everlasting. It's always
been and it will always be. It's everlasting. And God said,
because I've loved you with an everlasting love, therefore in
loving kindness have I drawn you. By the witch will, by his
will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once and for all. And every priest standeth daily
ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which can
never take away sin. And you don't have to be robed
in a silly outfit with your collar turned around backwards to be
thinking yourself a priest offering to God sacrifices either. Anybody
that's trying to come to Him any other way than the way is
doing the same thing. And they can't take away sins.
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting
till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. But how
do I know this? How am I going to understand
anything about this? Wherefore, the Holy Ghost also is a witness
to us. For after He had said before,
this is the covenant that I'll make with them after those days,
saith the Lord. I'll put my laws into their hearts,
and in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. Now where remission of these
is, there's no more offering for sin. And you therefore, brethren,
have boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus." Do you
hear what that's saying? What that's saying is, is everything
that Adam was when God created him. Perfect and upright and
holy. That's what his people have been
made. You who know him, who trust him,
who believe him by God's grace. That's what you have been made.
Perfection. But something even better. You can't fall. You can't be
lost. You see, the first representative,
Adam, could fall. The second representative, Adam,
wasn't made after the law of a carnal commandment, but after
the power of an endless life. He's eternal. And his salvation
is eternal. He offered himself as an offering
to God without spot, without blemish, through the eternal
Spirit. And his salvation is eternal. He obtained eternal
redemption. And that means it's eternal. It's eternal. Now, back over there to Luke. It came to pass as the angels
were gone away from them into heaven. They left. They departed. God doesn't speak to men today
by angels. That's not how He speaks to men.
But He calls His ambassadors angels. And that's how He's pleased
to speak to men today. He said, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. Now, you've heard the message. You've heard who this is in this
manger. What are you going to do? Where
are you going to go? What's going to be your next
move? What's going to be your next thought? Let's see what
it was for those to whom these angels spake. They said to one
another, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even
unto Bethlehem. Let's go to the synagogue. Let's
go to the tabernacle. Let's go offering a sacrifice. No, let's go see this thing which
has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. Who
made it known? The Lord hath made it known unto
us. You know what my prayer is? My
prayer is that I'm looking at some young faces. I'm looking
at some older faces. My prayer is that the Lord might
make this known unto us. He might make it known unto the
person standing right here in front of you this day like I've
never known him. That He might make Himself known
unto us. And if He does, you know what
we'll do? We'll say, let's drop everything we're doing, fellas.
Let's go see this thing. Let's go see. Let's go fall down
at his feet and praise God. The glory of God has come down
and dwelt among us. The peace that only God gives
has come to where we are. The good will of God Almighty
to save a people to the praise of the glory of His grace has
come to us and the one who will perform that will. Let's go see
Him. Let's go see Him. And they came with haste. Verse
16. And they found Mary and Joseph
and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen They made
known abroad the saying which was told them concerning Mary
and concerning Joseph. You're going to hear a lot of
talk here in the next few days concerning Mary and concerning
Joseph. That's not what they went talking
about. They went telling people about this child that's born.
Who he is. What he came to do. That's what
they went to tell people about. That's what I'm here to tell
you about. And all they that heard it wondered at those things
which were told them by the shepherds. But here's what you'll do. Look
here. This has always been a blessing to me. But Mary, she didn't go
running and telling everything. Mary kept all these things and
pondered them in her heart. Have you heard some things here
this morning that you've heard for the first time or that you've
never quite heard before? Well, just go and ponder them
in your heart. Just keep them in your heart
and go ponder them in your heart. And may God be pleased, our Lord,
to reveal it unto us so that we go to where Christ is, seated
at the right hand of God. He's not in a tomb. He's not
in a manger. He's not on a cross. He's not
in a tomb. He's seated at God's right hand.
If you want to worship Him, don't go out to some injection molded
piece of plastic and lay down and praise him. You have access
and boldness to enter by faith and to praise him where he's
seated. All right. Amen.