December 23, 2007

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 Scripture KJV

Reverend David S. Huffer

Westwood Baptist Church - 2124 Davis Road
 Waynesboro, VA

Luke 2

 
2:10    And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
2:11    For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
2:12    And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
2:13    And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
2:14    Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
2:15    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.

 

The Specifics of Christmas

Luke 2:10-15

 

How many of you have finished your Christmas shopping for this year?

·         How many still have some to do?

·         How many wait until Christmas Eve and then “shop till you drop?”

 

Every year my wife, sometime around Thanksgiving, asks me, “Honey, what do you want for Christmas?”

·         And each year I have had the same answer, “I had it right on the tip of my tongue. I don’t know. Let me think about it and make a list for you.”

This YEAR was different!

·         I had gone through my Cabela’s catalog and written out a list of “specific things” I would like for Christmas.

 

FRIENDS – There is nothing general about Christmas.

·         Christmas is about the specifics

·         And God – being the gracious and giving God He is – made a pretty specific list of what He wants us to have for Christmas

LUKE 2:10-15 – READ AGAIN

 

WORD MEANING: SPECIFIC = explicitly set forth; definite

 

God has explicitly set forth with definite design: His Love, His Choice, and His Promise to all of mankind.

 

GOD’S SPECIFIC LOVE – V.10b – “I bring you good tidings of great joy”

FRIENDS – The good news and great joy of Christmas is that GOD LOVES YOU!

·         Teresa and I received a Christmas card that simply stated: “Christmas is a reminder that God loves you!”

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

A. God’s Love Being Specific

·         Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Christmas is God’s powerful grasp of love through a tiny baby’s hand

·         Christmas love is always wrapped in the unexpected

·         No matter how or what Christmas is made to be – it will always be about the specific love of God

 

GOD’S SPECIFIC CHOICE – V. 10c – “which will be to all people”

V. 14b – “ and good will toward men”

Christmas is specifically about choosing:

·         Who we give presents to; and

·         What we give.

God specifically and purposely made the choice to give His Son to and toward all peoples

·         God chose to offer good will (good pleasure) to all through His Son

·         Isaiah 42:1 – “Behold! My servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”

Eva Logue – “A Christmas candle is a lovely thing – it makes no sense at all – but softly gives itself away.”

 

FRIENDS – God chose to give away His Son that He might become the Light back to Himself

·         1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praise of Him who called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light.”

Every Generation will know they were the choice that God made to give to at Christmas

 

GOD’S SPECIFIC PROMISE – 2:11 – “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

 

Someone once said “too many promises have been made at Christmas time only to find the regrets of broken promises under the tree.”

 

FRIENDS – Not so with God!

·         The promise of a Savior for Salvation – made good.

·         The promise of a Christ for cleansing – made good

·         The promise of a Lord for leading – made good

Ephesians 3:6 – “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the Gospel.”

DEAR FRIENDS - We are the recipients of God’s specific promise!

·         1 John 2:25 – “And this is the promise that He has promised us; eternal life.”

GOD’S SPECIFIC RESPONSE – 2:15

One of the dangers of being a Christian is that we just receive information and then dismiss ourselves from it

·         Psalm 38:14 – “Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response”

Martin Luther – “The mystery of the humanity of Christ that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding.”

FRIENDS – God is coming to us – as us – at Christmas – may be past our understanding – but it is not beyond our response

·         We must take the response of coming to Christ at Christmas

·         We must take the response of worshipping the Christ at Christmas

Let us be specific in our responses:

1.       How we love

2.      What we choose – Colossians 3:12 – “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do”

3.    How we live in the promises of God

Chuck Swindoll in his book Growing Strong In The Seasons Of Life says: “Some gifts you can give this Christmas are beyond monetary value: Mend a quarrel, dismiss suspension, tell someone ‘I love you. Give something away – anonymously. Visit someone in a nursing home. Apologize if you were wrong. Be especially kind to someone with whom you work. Give as God gave to you in Christ…”

CLOSE

I thought long and hard about how to bring this message to a conclusion.

·         I have decided not to

·         That’s right – I will not be concluding this message

·         Only you can do that

And while you are at it – be specific in your conclusion.

Amen and Merry Christmas!

 

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