as you guys may remember uh for this uh<\/p>\n
Christmas season what we like to call<\/p>\n
Advent at uh in the church we have been<\/p>\n
talking about Christmas carols in our<\/p>\n
sermons um the purpose of this series is<\/p>\n
kind of threefold um first we want to<\/p>\n
just admire the uh Beauty in the poetry<\/p>\n
and the music of Christmas carols um<\/p>\n
second we want to see in scripture where<\/p>\n
the lyrics come from uh and third we<\/p>\n
want to see uh we want the lyrics of the<\/p>\n
songs when we sing them to hit us new to<\/p>\n
really refresh our hearts as we<\/p>\n
celebrate the coming of the Messiah at<\/p>\n
Christmas um when we sing the same songs<\/p>\n
year after year at Christmas um we sing<\/p>\n
Silent Night over and over again we sing<\/p>\n
Angels We Have Heard in high over and<\/p>\n
over again our hearts can become<\/p>\n
calloused to what is really happening at<\/p>\n
Christmas the fact that God is coming to<\/p>\n
us in flesh taking on flesh and becoming<\/p>\n
a baby um and so hopefully through this<\/p>\n
series We As we sing Christmas carols<\/p>\n
we'll have a renewed purpose a renewed<\/p>\n
um understanding of what's really<\/p>\n
happening um during the the Christmas<\/p>\n
season so um every week we'll sing The<\/p>\n
Chosen Christmas Carol the the one that<\/p>\n
we're preaching about as a response song<\/p>\n
After the sermon and and our hope is<\/p>\n
that when you sing that song the words<\/p>\n
of the sermon will fall aresh on your<\/p>\n
heart on your soul um and that you'll<\/p>\n
respond to it in kind um so Tim began<\/p>\n
our series uh with a look at Silent<\/p>\n
Night a couple weeks ago um and he<\/p>\n
talked about how the birth of Jesus is<\/p>\n
the dawn of Redeeming Grace hark the<\/p>\n
herald is what that looks like um last<\/p>\n
week John talked about hark the herald<\/p>\n
hark the herald angel sing and he he<\/p>\n
talked about Christ as The Peacemaker<\/p>\n
even from the<\/p>\n
manger uh this week we get to take a<\/p>\n
look at what is what is my favorite<\/p>\n
Christmas hymn um and it's Come Thou<\/p>\n
Long expected Jesus um Charles Wesley<\/p>\n
wrote this hymn about 300 years ago um<\/p>\n
over 3 years ago and um the lyrics have<\/p>\n
not lost any weight uh even today and it<\/p>\n
it's that really um is rich and full of<\/p>\n
Truth um and so I want to start by<\/p>\n
simply reading the lyrics they're going<\/p>\n
to be on the screen but they're also in<\/p>\n
the bulletin if you want to look at that<\/p>\n
um so it starts Come Thou Long expected<\/p>\n
Jesus born to set thy people free from<\/p>\n
our fears and sins release us let us<\/p>\n
find our rest in thee Israel's strength<\/p>\n
and consolation hope of all the Earth<\/p>\n
Thou Art dear desire of every nation Joy<\/p>\n
of every longing heart born born thy<\/p>\n
people to deliver bornn a child and yet<\/p>\n
a King born to reign in us forever now<\/p>\n
thy gracious Kingdom bring by thine own<\/p>\n
eternal spirit rule in all our hearts<\/p>\n
Alone by thine all sufficient Merit<\/p>\n
raise us to thy glorious<\/p>\n
Throne this hymn is so scripturally and<\/p>\n
theologically Rich I wish we had time to<\/p>\n
break down every single line today but<\/p>\n
we don't um so I want to focus on a few<\/p>\n
of the lines here and there and just<\/p>\n
talk about where we see that in<\/p>\n
Scripture how Jesus fulfills that in<\/p>\n
scripture um so we'll discuss the the<\/p>\n
opening four lines Come Thou Long<\/p>\n
expected Jesus born to set thy people<\/p>\n
free from our fears and sins release us<\/p>\n
let us find our rest in thee and then<\/p>\n
we'll talk about um some lines in the<\/p>\n
second second verse as well born thy<\/p>\n
people to deliver born a child and yet a<\/p>\n
King born to reign in us forever now<\/p>\n
that gracious Kingdom bring uh we're<\/p>\n
going to be jumping around a little bit<\/p>\n
in scripture today but our main focus<\/p>\n
text is comes from Luke 2 and it follows<\/p>\n
up the passage that aanti preached on<\/p>\n
last week it's we we'll read from Luke<\/p>\n
2:<\/p>\n
21-38 um In this passage Mary and Joseph<\/p>\n
are presenting Jesus at the temple um at<\/p>\n
33 days of age um and this was uh<\/p>\n
following the purification ritual um<\/p>\n
that that happened after Jesus was<\/p>\n
circumcised at 8 years old eight days<\/p>\n
old um following the Old Testament um<\/p>\n
law um and the reason that is important<\/p>\n
that they follow this is because Jesus<\/p>\n
came to fulfill the law and not to<\/p>\n
abolish it so it's important that um in<\/p>\n
the birth of Jesus his parents are<\/p>\n
following along with the rituals of<\/p>\n
their<\/p>\n
people um so while they're at The Temper<\/p>\n
temple they're going to encounter two<\/p>\n
older Jewish people um named Simeon and<\/p>\n
Anna um and I want you to um notice how<\/p>\n
they respond to meeting Jesus these<\/p>\n
people have been waiting waiting<\/p>\n
patiently for the Messiah for their<\/p>\n
entire lives and they have the pleasure<\/p>\n
of meeting him in this in this little<\/p>\n
baby this month-old baby and I want us<\/p>\n
to pay attention to how they respond uh<\/p>\n
so if you have your Bible open it with<\/p>\n
me to Luke Chapter 2 if you don't it's<\/p>\n
on the screen obviously um and so we're<\/p>\n
going to start in uh verse<\/p>\n
21 uh and at the end of eight days when<\/p>\n
he was circumcised he was called Jesus<\/p>\n
the name given by the angel before he<\/p>\n
was conceived in the womb and when the<\/p>\n
time came for their purification<\/p>\n
according to the law of Moses they<\/p>\n
brought him up to Jerusalem to present<\/p>\n
him to the Lord as is as it is written<\/p>\n
in the law of the Lord every male who<\/p>\n
first opens the womb Shall be Called<\/p>\n
holy to the Lord and to offer a<\/p>\n
sacrifice according to what is said in<\/p>\n
the law of the Lord a pair of turtle<\/p>\n
does or two young<\/p>\n
pigeons now there was a man in Jerusalem<\/p>\n
whose name was Simeon and this man was<\/p>\n
righteous into the holy spirit that he<\/p>\n
would consolation of Israel and the Holy<\/p>\n
Spirit was upon him and it had been<\/p>\n
revealed to him by the holy spirit that<\/p>\n
he would not see death before he had<\/p>\n
seen the Lord's Christ and he came in<\/p>\n
spirit into the temple and when the<\/p>\n
parents brought the Child Jesus to do<\/p>\n
for him according to the custom of the<\/p>\n
law he took him up in his arms and<\/p>\n
blessed God and said Lord now you are<\/p>\n
letting your servant heart in peace<\/p>\n
according to your word for my eyes have<\/p>\n
seen your salvation that you have<\/p>\n
prepared in the presence of All Peoples<\/p>\n
a light for Revelation to the Gentiles<\/p>\n
and For Your Glory to your People<\/p>\n
Israel and his father and his mother<\/p>\n
marveled at what was said about him and<\/p>\n
and Simeon blessed him and said to Mary<\/p>\n
his mother behold this child is<\/p>\n
appointed for the fall and rising of<\/p>\n
many in Israel and for a sign that is<\/p>\n
opposed and a sword will will Pier<\/p>\n
through your own soul also so that the<\/p>\n
thoughts from many hearts may be<\/p>\n
revealed and there was a prophet propus<\/p>\n
Anna the daughter of fenu of the tribe<\/p>\n
of Asher she was advanced in years<\/p>\n
having lived with her husband seven<\/p>\n
years from when she was a virgin and<\/p>\n
then as a widow until she was 84 she did<\/p>\n
not depart from the temple worshiping<\/p>\n
with fasting and prayer night and day<\/p>\n
and coming up at that very hour she<\/p>\n
began to speak been to give thanks to<\/p>\n
God and speak of him to all who were<\/p>\n
waiting for the Redemption of<\/p>\n
Jerusalem will you pray with<\/p>\n
me Lord we're so thankful that 2,000<\/p>\n
years ago you came to Earth as a child<\/p>\n
we're so thankful that you took on flesh<\/p>\n
with the sole purpose of redeeming us so<\/p>\n
that we may once again draw near to you<\/p>\n
Lord I pray that you would speak through<\/p>\n
me today and Reveal Your gospel through<\/p>\n
this Christmas hymn in Jesus name<\/p>\n
amen one of my favorite books to read uh<\/p>\n
my daughter Olivia is a book called<\/p>\n
Don't Forget to Remember um and uh it's<\/p>\n
a has beautiful it's beautifully<\/p>\n
Illustrated and every page talks about<\/p>\n
um how we see we can see God in creation<\/p>\n
um and it does so in a way that is<\/p>\n
relatable children which I think is such<\/p>\n
a talent um that the author of that book<\/p>\n
has um there are so many great truths<\/p>\n
from that book but the the last page<\/p>\n
always strikes me every time I read it<\/p>\n
it says even on days that you forget<\/p>\n
what is true don't forget to remember<\/p>\n
God won't forget you and I'll be honest<\/p>\n
with you guys uh I read that book to<\/p>\n
Olivia almost every day um she loves it<\/p>\n
um and when I get to the last page I'm<\/p>\n
really the one who needs to read that<\/p>\n
and hear that more than more than she<\/p>\n
does um it's really easy to think that<\/p>\n
God's forgotten us a lot of the time<\/p>\n
it's really easy um to think that our<\/p>\n
prayers are going to go unanswered that<\/p>\n
our uh promises that God has made with<\/p>\n
us are going to be unfulfilled um it's<\/p>\n
encouraging to me to read that book and<\/p>\n
uplifts me and reminds me of the<\/p>\n
faithfulness of my heavenly father um<\/p>\n
because the truth is we do we serve a<\/p>\n
faithful God but the evil one wants us<\/p>\n
to think that we don't that God is not<\/p>\n
going to answer our prayers that God is<\/p>\n
not going to be faithful to us that's<\/p>\n
the original Temptation right that's<\/p>\n
what that's what the serpent wanted to<\/p>\n
convince Adam and Eve of in the garden<\/p>\n
that God is not who you think he is but<\/p>\n
let me tell you the promises of God can<\/p>\n
always be trusted and our God is<\/p>\n
faithful to<\/p>\n
deliver he wants what our passage in r<\/p>\n
in Luke uh what we see in our passage of<\/p>\n
Luke what we see in this hymn is that<\/p>\n
truth is that we that we believe in a<\/p>\n
God who keeps his promises if he has<\/p>\n
made a promise he will keep it um this<\/p>\n
is broken down into three key themes for<\/p>\n
us today and what we're going to talk<\/p>\n
about they're waiting fulfillment and<\/p>\n
celebration waiting fulfillment and<\/p>\n
celebration so nobody really likes<\/p>\n
waiting do they nobody likes to wait in<\/p>\n
line for anything you want we want<\/p>\n
things immediately we like to have<\/p>\n
things when we want them um yet we spend<\/p>\n
so much of our lives in various states<\/p>\n
of waiting whether that's waiting to<\/p>\n
find the person we're going to marry um<\/p>\n
waiting to get news from employ a new<\/p>\n
employer or university waiting to get<\/p>\n
test results back whether that's from uh<\/p>\n
in school or from a doctor um we spend<\/p>\n
most of our Lives worrying about<\/p>\n
tomorrow even though Jesus tells us not<\/p>\n
to because that's how we're hardwired<\/p>\n
we're anxious about tomorrow because we<\/p>\n
we're not sure we want to in control um<\/p>\n
and we don't have the faith in The God<\/p>\n
Who is in control um our lives are<\/p>\n
stricken with anxiety because we're<\/p>\n
always waiting on something we're and<\/p>\n
ultimately we're also waiting on God's<\/p>\n
kingdom let's look back at Luke 2 and<\/p>\n
think about to fully restore creation to<\/p>\n
how it's supposed to be so let's look<\/p>\n
back at Luke 2 and think about simeon's<\/p>\n
experience<\/p>\n
waiting so verses 25 and 26 say now<\/p>\n
there was a man in Jerusalem whose name<\/p>\n
was Simeon and this man was righteous<\/p>\n
and devout waiting for the consolation<\/p>\n
of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon<\/p>\n
him and it had been revealed to him by<\/p>\n
the holy spirit that he would not see<\/p>\n
death before he'd seen the Lord's<\/p>\n
Christ I imagine Simeon going to the<\/p>\n
temple almost daily praying<\/p>\n
hoping let this be the day that I meet<\/p>\n
the Messiah let this day that I meet the<\/p>\n
Lord's<\/p>\n
Christ praying come long way to<\/p>\n
Messiah you know what's amazing he gets<\/p>\n
to meet the Messiah he's waited his<\/p>\n
whole life for this experience and his<\/p>\n
waiting really typifies what all of<\/p>\n
Israel has done for thousands of years<\/p>\n
but especially the last 400 years of<\/p>\n
history we have to understand that the<\/p>\n
first time that um The Prophecy of the<\/p>\n
Messiah the first Prophecy of the<\/p>\n
Messiah that's ever written in scripture<\/p>\n
is all the way back in Genesis 3:15 when<\/p>\n
um God says he's cursing the serpent<\/p>\n
after his deception of Adam and Eve but<\/p>\n
he says that one day the seed of the<\/p>\n
woman that is the Messiah will come and<\/p>\n
crush the head of the<\/p>\n
serpent so from that moment on the<\/p>\n
people of Israel are waiting they're<\/p>\n
waiting they're waiting they're waiting<\/p>\n
through the covenants that God has made<\/p>\n
with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and<\/p>\n
they're waiting for the consolation of<\/p>\n
Israel as it says in our hymn and in<\/p>\n
this<\/p>\n
chapter we see repeatedly through the<\/p>\n
Gen we the the who the Messiah is is is<\/p>\n
shaped repeatedly through the Gen this<\/p>\n
narrative as we as God makes covenants<\/p>\n
with Abraham and Jacob and says that the<\/p>\n
Nations will be blessed through the<\/p>\n
Messiah and through the people of Israel<\/p>\n
and um and God promises Isaac that um he<\/p>\n
will make an Everlasting Covenant with<\/p>\n
with The Offspring of Isaac and then<\/p>\n
finally in Genesis 49:10 we read that<\/p>\n
this the scepter<\/p>\n
uh that the scepter will not depart from<\/p>\n
Judah nor the ruler staff from between<\/p>\n
his feet until he to whom it belongs<\/p>\n
shall come and The Obedience of the the<\/p>\n
Nations shall be<\/p>\n
his this king that's being described in<\/p>\n
this verse is<\/p>\n
Jesus and the Israelites have been<\/p>\n
waiting for him from before they were a<\/p>\n
nation from the before they came out of<\/p>\n
Egypt um and they had been waiting up<\/p>\n
until this<\/p>\n
moment they've waited they've sung<\/p>\n
they've they've prayed come long way to<\/p>\n
Messiah for thousands of years they'<\/p>\n
prayed that um during those thousands of<\/p>\n
years they've been oppressed when they<\/p>\n
strayed from God they've been exiled<\/p>\n
they've come back to Jerusalem they've<\/p>\n
rebuilt the temple and they're still<\/p>\n
waiting even in this 400 years of what<\/p>\n
we what we like to call the the years of<\/p>\n
Silence um when they come back to<\/p>\n
Jerusalem they are still living under<\/p>\n
the thumb of opposing Nations and even<\/p>\n
in the time when Jesus is born the<\/p>\n
Israelites are still living under Roman<\/p>\n
rule they're living under a pagan<\/p>\n
dictator<\/p>\n
dictatorship um so we see in Simeon the<\/p>\n
yearning the longing the pain the grief<\/p>\n
of thousands of years of waiting for<\/p>\n
this long expected<\/p>\n
Jesus so imagine what this might have<\/p>\n
been like prophecies passed down<\/p>\n
generation to your generation hoping<\/p>\n
that your generation will be the one to<\/p>\n
see this fulfillment happen hoping your<\/p>\n
generation would be the one to see the<\/p>\n
kingdom of God fully restored as in days<\/p>\n
of old of what they thought was going to<\/p>\n
happen yet it doesn't happen over and<\/p>\n
over again over and over again they're<\/p>\n
waiting they're waiting we we like the<\/p>\n
Israelites are in a period of waiting<\/p>\n
aren't we we too can sing with longing<\/p>\n
and yearning come that long expected<\/p>\n
Jesus see even though Jesus has come now<\/p>\n
and he has died and he has risen from<\/p>\n
the dead and he has defeated death we<\/p>\n
remain in a world ravaged by sin de<\/p>\n
death Decay evil but we know that Jesus<\/p>\n
will return one day and make all things<\/p>\n
new so how should we behave as we live<\/p>\n
in what we like to call the already this<\/p>\n
not yet the waiting for the kingdom of<\/p>\n
God to fully come in<\/p>\n
power the the answer is easy and it's<\/p>\n
that we should model Our Lives after the<\/p>\n
way Jesus lived but what does that even<\/p>\n
look like that means holding two main<\/p>\n
things in tension for us right um we<\/p>\n
must live looking forward to God to<\/p>\n
jesus' Second Coming um but also remain<\/p>\n
present in the here and now uh and live<\/p>\n
our lives looking out for the lost and<\/p>\n
the needy the ones who need to hear<\/p>\n
Jesus and the ones who um are are broken<\/p>\n
and need Jesus<\/p>\n
Grace don't we can't become like the<\/p>\n
Pharisees who um were so convinced of<\/p>\n
what they thought Jesus would look like<\/p>\n
what the Messiah would look like that<\/p>\n
they missed him right in front of them<\/p>\n
it's really easy for us to become so<\/p>\n
um so fixed on what we think things are<\/p>\n
supposed to look like that we miss<\/p>\n
what's right in front of us we miss the<\/p>\n
needs that are right in front of us we<\/p>\n
miss the path that God's H God has right<\/p>\n
in front of us<\/p>\n
we must take heart in the hope that<\/p>\n
Jesus will one day return and make all<\/p>\n
things right so as you sing the line<\/p>\n
Come Thou Long expected Jesus remember<\/p>\n
that we sing this song with the people<\/p>\n
of Israel who waited for the Messiah for<\/p>\n
thousands of years and with the Saints<\/p>\n
who suffered so that the hope of the<\/p>\n
Gospel might be revealed to many many<\/p>\n
people as we continue to struggle<\/p>\n
against the power of this world don't<\/p>\n
forget to remember that Jesus Is Our<\/p>\n
Hope just as he was<\/p>\n
theirs so this hymn is not just about uh<\/p>\n
longing for our future hope uh as we<\/p>\n
continue to look through the lines um<\/p>\n
that we're going to discuss we see that<\/p>\n
um Charles Wesley outlines um exactly<\/p>\n
how Jesus is going to fulfill the<\/p>\n
Prophecies of the Old Testament and what<\/p>\n
he's going to do in his life on<\/p>\n
Earth uh so looking back at the hymn it<\/p>\n
says born to set thy people free from<\/p>\n
our sins and fears release us let us<\/p>\n
find our rest in thee the second verse<\/p>\n
continues born thy people to deliver<\/p>\n
born a child and yet a King born to<\/p>\n
reign in us forever<\/p>\n
Jesus the<\/p>\n
Messiah did not come to set the<\/p>\n
Israelites just free from the Pagan<\/p>\n
reign of the of the Romans he came uh to<\/p>\n
free them from a much more oppressive<\/p>\n
dictator that they had no idea that they<\/p>\n
were enslaved to and that is<\/p>\n
Sin Sin was the true enemy of the<\/p>\n
Israelites and remains our greatest<\/p>\n
enemy to this day let's look back at<\/p>\n
wrong thing there we go uh let's go back<\/p>\n
at Luke uh Luke 229 through 32 uh and<\/p>\n
Simeon says this when he is holding<\/p>\n
Jesus he says Lord now you are letting<\/p>\n
your servant depart in peace according<\/p>\n
to your word for my eyes have seen your<\/p>\n
salvation that you have prepared in the<\/p>\n
presence of All Peoples a light for<\/p>\n
Revelation to the Gentiles and for Glory<\/p>\n
to your People<\/p>\n
Israel Simeon prophesied that this baby<\/p>\n
will be God's salvation he will be a<\/p>\n
light of Revelation to the Gentiles and<\/p>\n
glory for the people of Israel Jesus is<\/p>\n
God's true salvation his true<\/p>\n
deliverer um and he's not setting his<\/p>\n
people sin not from Rome but from sin I<\/p>\n
mean he's set setting his people free<\/p>\n
from sin not from Rome and in doing so<\/p>\n
he becomes the Fulfillment of the law as<\/p>\n
Jesus himself says in Matthew<\/p>\n
5:17 uh the prophet Isaiah has much to<\/p>\n
say about who the Messiah will be and<\/p>\n
how he will bring about uh the salvation<\/p>\n
of his people as we sing in this hymn<\/p>\n
Jesus was born a child and yet a king<\/p>\n
Isaiah 9:6-7 is very small but on the<\/p>\n
screen um<\/p>\n
and it says for to us a child is born to<\/p>\n
us a son is given and the government<\/p>\n
shall be upon his shoulder and his name<\/p>\n
Shall be Called wonderful counselor<\/p>\n
Mighty God Everlasting father Prince of<\/p>\n
Peace of the increase of his government<\/p>\n
and of Peace there will be no end on the<\/p>\n
throne of David and over his kingdom to<\/p>\n
establish it and to uphold it with<\/p>\n
Justice and with righteousness from this<\/p>\n
time forth and forever more the Zeal of<\/p>\n
the Lord of hosts will do this this is<\/p>\n
Jesus that's being talked about in this<\/p>\n
passage<\/p>\n
this is the Messianic King that Israel<\/p>\n
has anxiously been waiting for the thing<\/p>\n
is his Ascension to his throne does not<\/p>\n
look like what you might<\/p>\n
expect the establishment of his eternal<\/p>\n
Kingdom doesn't look like what you<\/p>\n
expect make no mistake the child born to<\/p>\n
Mary and Joseph is in fact a king but<\/p>\n
his path to the throne is marred by pain<\/p>\n
and<\/p>\n
suffering think about what Simeon says<\/p>\n
in verses 34 and 35 to Mary and Simeon<\/p>\n
blessed them and said to Mary his mother<\/p>\n
behold this child is appointed for the<\/p>\n
fall and rising of many in Israel and<\/p>\n
for a sign that is opposed and a sword<\/p>\n
will pierce you through your own soul<\/p>\n
also so that thoughts from many hearts<\/p>\n
may be<\/p>\n
revealed he will not meet unbridled<\/p>\n
acceptance his sign will be opposed and<\/p>\n
the true hearts of the people will be<\/p>\n
revealed Jesus tells us that he is the<\/p>\n
light of the world but there's a funny<\/p>\n
thing about light right so so often<\/p>\n
times we think about the positive sides<\/p>\n
of light right it lights our path<\/p>\n
forward it can show us the the right<\/p>\n
path to take the right way to go um but<\/p>\n
light also exposes right so if you uh if<\/p>\n
you have a room in your house that you<\/p>\n
don't often use um you you open the door<\/p>\n
you walk inside uh and mind a lot not<\/p>\n
look so bad in the moment but then you<\/p>\n
turn on the light and you see all the<\/p>\n
cobwebs you see cockroaches maybe<\/p>\n
scurrying for cover cover our hearts are<\/p>\n
like this<\/p>\n
room okay our hearts are like this room<\/p>\n
and Jesus is there to shine light on our<\/p>\n
hearts and inside our hearts we're going<\/p>\n
to see cobwebs and we're going to see<\/p>\n
cockroaches and we're made aware of how<\/p>\n
we truly<\/p>\n
are it's not very<\/p>\n
fun and if we don't respond in humility<\/p>\n
and accept the fact that we are sinful<\/p>\n
and that we are in need of God's grace<\/p>\n
and in need of Jesus to help us clean<\/p>\n
out that dark and forgotten<\/p>\n
room then we're in trouble<\/p>\n
we are going to be condemned because we<\/p>\n
are unwilling to respond in humility and<\/p>\n
allow Jesus to uh make us pure make us<\/p>\n
whole make us righteous um see because<\/p>\n
it's really easy just to turn the light<\/p>\n
back off and walk out of the room right<\/p>\n
it's a lot easier to do that than to get<\/p>\n
get everything you need out of there and<\/p>\n
clean it up but we have to do the hard<\/p>\n
work to clean ourselves up and to make<\/p>\n
ourselves more like Jesus<\/p>\n
Isaiah says that Jesus will become a<\/p>\n
stone of stumbling and a rock of offense<\/p>\n
um jesus' ministry will not<\/p>\n
wholeheartedly be accepted by Israel um<\/p>\n
and his Messianic identity is going to<\/p>\n
be openly rejected by<\/p>\n
many yet this does not mean that Jesus<\/p>\n
ministry is in vain or that has it has<\/p>\n
failed uh because Jesus is not only a<\/p>\n
king the thing that the Israelites Miss<\/p>\n
in Jesus day is that Jesus is not only a<\/p>\n
king but he is also a suffering<\/p>\n
servant oops<\/p>\n
we uh we got a little teaser of Isaiah<\/p>\n
Isaiah 53 earlier as we as we had our<\/p>\n
time of confession and Assurance but I<\/p>\n
want to um read it in full here so that<\/p>\n
we understand who Jesus is um and what<\/p>\n
he really did and why he is worthy of<\/p>\n
our praise and our adoration um so<\/p>\n
Isaiah 53 starting in verse three says<\/p>\n
he was despised and rejected by Men A<\/p>\n
Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief<\/p>\n
and as one from whom men hide their<\/p>\n
faces he was despised and we esteemed<\/p>\n
him not surely he has borne our griefs<\/p>\n
and carried our sorrows yet we esteemed<\/p>\n
him stricken Smitten by God and<\/p>\n
Afflicted but he was pierced for our<\/p>\n
transgressions he was crushed for our<\/p>\n
iniquities upon him was the chastisement<\/p>\n
that brought us peace and with his<\/p>\n
wounds we are<\/p>\n
healed all we like sheep have gone<\/p>\n
astray we have turned everyone to his<\/p>\n
own way and the lord has laid upon him<\/p>\n
the iniquity of us all out of the<\/p>\n
anguish of his soul he shall see and be<\/p>\n
satisfied by his knowledge shall the<\/p>\n
righteous one my servant make many to be<\/p>\n
accounted righteous and he shall bear<\/p>\n
their iniquities therefore I will divide<\/p>\n
him a portion with the many and he shall<\/p>\n
divide the spoil with the strong because<\/p>\n
he poured out his soul to death and was<\/p>\n
numbered with the transgressors yet he<\/p>\n
bore the sin of many and makes<\/p>\n
intercession for the transgressors now<\/p>\n
that's a long passage to just quote here<\/p>\n
but I think it's important because it<\/p>\n
talks about so much of what Jesus does<\/p>\n
for us in his death of<\/p>\n
um the true suffering that he<\/p>\n
experienced the way that we rejected<\/p>\n
Jesus and we turned away the way that<\/p>\n
what what Jesus death does for us but in<\/p>\n
making us righteous and in continuing to<\/p>\n
intercede for<\/p>\n
us the child born a king the Prince of<\/p>\n
Peace the Son of God himself bore your<\/p>\n
sin on his shoulders so that you might<\/p>\n
be set free from the oppressive<\/p>\n
oppressive power of sin he died a<\/p>\n
perfect sacrifice so that the people of<\/p>\n
all nations may receive Grace may<\/p>\n
receive salvation<\/p>\n
through his blood his victory came even<\/p>\n
as he was rejected even as he was hung<\/p>\n
on a<\/p>\n
cross his coronation cross and even<\/p>\n
front of a cheering crowd but a mocking<\/p>\n
one as he hung on that cross and even<\/p>\n
now he has become an intercessor for you<\/p>\n
he is your representative going to God<\/p>\n
on your<\/p>\n
behalf we receive his righteousness in<\/p>\n
order to become children of God so as<\/p>\n
you set up a if you have a nativity<\/p>\n
scene this Christmas as you set it up as<\/p>\n
you gather with your family as you sing<\/p>\n
songs celebrating the coming of the baby<\/p>\n
in the manger remember that there would<\/p>\n
be no reason to celebrate the manger if<\/p>\n
it weren't for the cross in the empty<\/p>\n
tomb they're all connected we can't have<\/p>\n
one without the<\/p>\n
other remember that there was only ever<\/p>\n
One path for that tiny baby in the<\/p>\n
manger and it ends in the excruciating<\/p>\n
suffering that he experienced on the<\/p>\n
cross There's Hope in the manger but<\/p>\n
only for those who understand the<\/p>\n
meaning of Christ's death on the cross<\/p>\n
cross for those who truly understand who<\/p>\n
Jesus was and the gift he offers his<\/p>\n
sacrifice remember what Simeon said in<\/p>\n
Luke 2:<\/p>\n
34-35 that Jesus would be appointed for<\/p>\n
the rising and falling of many in Israel<\/p>\n
and that he would reveal the hearts of<\/p>\n
the<\/p>\n
people be reminded this Christmas season<\/p>\n
that there is life in the<\/p>\n
manger not just the life of the Messiah<\/p>\n
in the form of a child but life for all<\/p>\n
who put their faith in him<\/p>\n
understand that those who reject Jesus<\/p>\n
will be<\/p>\n
condemned those who oppose Jesus will<\/p>\n
receive their the just the just deserve<\/p>\n
uh what they deserve for their<\/p>\n
sin so I ask you today have you put your<\/p>\n
hope in<\/p>\n
Jesus Does He reign in you forever as<\/p>\n
we're going to sing in this song the one<\/p>\n
and only son of God has come into the<\/p>\n
world as a perfect sacrifice to set his<\/p>\n
people free from the sins and fears that<\/p>\n
bind them so<\/p>\n
tightly have you been set free or are<\/p>\n
you still Shackled to the oppressive<\/p>\n
power of<\/p>\n
sin repent of your sin recognize your<\/p>\n
need for grace and find life in that<\/p>\n
baby in the<\/p>\n
manger Jesus can set us<\/p>\n
free but this hymn is not just about<\/p>\n
waiting on the coming Messiah or the or<\/p>\n
even Jesus fulfillment of the Old<\/p>\n
Testament prophecies it's also about<\/p>\n
celebrating Christ's salvific gift of<\/p>\n
redemption and what it means for us<\/p>\n
today so I want to talk about one last<\/p>\n
line um in this hymn and it is um now<\/p>\n
thy gracious Kingdom bring so the Jews<\/p>\n
who were in the temple with Mary and<\/p>\n
Joseph presented Jesus in this<\/p>\n
ritual um they were wa they were<\/p>\n
patiently<\/p>\n
waiting uh they were patiently waiting<\/p>\n
for the Messiah to come and for him to<\/p>\n
bring his kingdom and to uh reestablish<\/p>\n
the Throne of David that's what they<\/p>\n
believed was going to<\/p>\n
happen what they missed as we've already<\/p>\n
discussed is that the King of Kings<\/p>\n
would first become Isaiah's suffering<\/p>\n
servant to save all people from their<\/p>\n
spiritual oppression when we sing this<\/p>\n
line we too are longing for Jesus to<\/p>\n
come and restore his kingdom on Earth<\/p>\n
but we should not fall into the same<\/p>\n
misunderstanding that the Jews of Jesus<\/p>\n
St did make no mistake Jesus will one<\/p>\n
day come in power and he will restore<\/p>\n
creation to to its rightful form but we<\/p>\n
shouldn't simply sit here absent mindly<\/p>\n
waiting for Jesus to come back so let's<\/p>\n
look at the way that Simeon and Anna<\/p>\n
celebrate in Luke 2 Simeon says that he<\/p>\n
can die in peace now that he has seen<\/p>\n
the Messiah he doesn't even know exactly<\/p>\n
what Jesus is going to do but he has the<\/p>\n
faith that this baby is God's salvation<\/p>\n
he doesn't know how that's going to<\/p>\n
happen but his faith makes him believe<\/p>\n
and have peace that salvation has come<\/p>\n
for Israel<\/p>\n
Anna sees the baby Jesus and immediately<\/p>\n
begins praising God um and worshiping<\/p>\n
and telling everyone who will listen<\/p>\n
that the Redemption is Redemption is<\/p>\n
coming to<\/p>\n
Israel she's living out another<\/p>\n
Christmas Carol that we're not going to<\/p>\n
talk about this Christmas season she's<\/p>\n
she is going and telling it on the<\/p>\n
mountain that Jesus Christ is born um<\/p>\n
neither of these people will ever be<\/p>\n
mentioned again in scripture Simeon and<\/p>\n
Anna are only mentioned in this passage<\/p>\n
they're not going to um live long enough<\/p>\n
to see Jesus grow up they're not going<\/p>\n
to live long enough to see Jesus uh<\/p>\n
Ministry come into come into being<\/p>\n
they're not going to live long enough to<\/p>\n
see him go to the Cross or raised from<\/p>\n
dead but we can say confidently after<\/p>\n
reading this passage that their faith<\/p>\n
will save them because they understand<\/p>\n
who Jesus is without even knowing what<\/p>\n
he's going to do and that faith is what<\/p>\n
saves<\/p>\n
them so even though they don't<\/p>\n
understand or they understand but they<\/p>\n
they don't know for sure what exactly is<\/p>\n
going to happen their faith is going to<\/p>\n
save them unlike San Anna we have the<\/p>\n
context for the rest of the story we<\/p>\n
know what Jesus ministry is going to<\/p>\n
look like we know what his death means<\/p>\n
we know what his that he's going to<\/p>\n
raise from the dead after three<\/p>\n
days how much more should we cell by the<\/p>\n
worldly materialism that has hijacked<\/p>\n
this holiday um the focus should not be<\/p>\n
on the gifts but on on the single<\/p>\n
greatest gift that's ever been given in<\/p>\n
the baby in the<\/p>\n
manger and through him the gift of life<\/p>\n
through his death follow the model of<\/p>\n
Anna and make sure that every person in<\/p>\n
your life knows about the truth of to<\/p>\n
the true reason for this holiday the<\/p>\n
true reason of Christmas that the<\/p>\n
Messiah has come so when we sing this<\/p>\n
hymn together in just a few moments I<\/p>\n
hope they you you have a new<\/p>\n
understanding uh of the longing of the<\/p>\n
Israelites for the Messiah and the<\/p>\n
longing of the Saints for Jesus to come<\/p>\n
again as you sing the words Come Thou<\/p>\n
Long expected Jesus I hope you feel the<\/p>\n
weight of waiting for Jesus to come and<\/p>\n
make all things new as we struggle in<\/p>\n
this world still ruled by sin it is good<\/p>\n
for us to long for a restored<\/p>\n
creation and on that day when we are<\/p>\n
once again fully United with God uh I<\/p>\n
hope you have a renewed understanding of<\/p>\n
who um the baby in the manger is who the<\/p>\n
king in the manger is who the child born<\/p>\n
a king<\/p>\n
is and I hope that you remember the<\/p>\n
connection between that baby and the<\/p>\n
cross finally I hope that you find your<\/p>\n
rest in him by allowing the king and the<\/p>\n
maner to reign in your heart forever<\/p>\n
don't forget to remember that while<\/p>\n
while we may not experience the fullness<\/p>\n
of God's kingdom here on Earth there<\/p>\n
will be a day when Jesus will come and<\/p>\n
make all things<\/p>\n
new and remember that we have been set<\/p>\n
free from the oppressive power of sin by<\/p>\n
the blood of Jesus um so even on days<\/p>\n
that you forget what is true don't<\/p>\n
forget to remember that God won't forget<\/p>\n
you let's<\/p>\n
pray father God thank you for the gift<\/p>\n
of your son Jesus thank you that he<\/p>\n
humbled himself by taking on flesh and<\/p>\n
coming to us as a baby and a<\/p>\n
Manger We Praise You for Your Perfect<\/p>\n
Plan of Salvation through his life death<\/p>\n
Resurrection Lord we long for a day when<\/p>\n
he will return and make all things new<\/p>\n
Lord give us the strength to wait until<\/p>\n
that day comes and give us the<\/p>\n
opportunity to share the good news of<\/p>\n
his salvation to others in our lives<\/p>\n
Lord as we<\/p>\n
celebrate this Christmas season let us<\/p>\n
not forget that the true reason for this<\/p>\n
season is the king in the main<\/p>\n
come quickly Lord Jesus let your kingdom<\/p>\n
kingdom come quickly amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20250107","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=O6j_3LvR-vU","video_id":"O6j_3LvR-vU","video_duration":"30:34","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=304"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304\/revisions\/305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}