um as you guys may remember uh for this<\/p>\n
uh 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 a new<\/p>\n
to 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 we<\/p>\n
will have a renewed purpose A Renewed um<\/p>\n
understanding of what's really happening<\/p>\n
um during the the Christmas season so um<\/p>\n
every week we'll sing The Chosen<\/p>\n
Christmas Carol the the one that we're<\/p>\n
preaching about as a response song After<\/p>\n
the sermon and and our hope is that when<\/p>\n
you sing that song the words of the<\/p>\n
sermon will fall aresh on your heart on<\/p>\n
your soul um and that you'll respond to<\/p>\n
it in kind um so Tim began our series<\/p>\n
with a look at Silent Night a couple<\/p>\n
weeks ago um and he talked about how the<\/p>\n
birth of Jesus is the dawn of Redeeming<\/p>\n
Grace and what that means what that<\/p>\n
looks like um last week John N talked<\/p>\n
about hark the herald hark the herald<\/p>\n
angel sing and he he talked about Christ<\/p>\n
as The Peacemaker even from the<\/p>\n
manger um 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 300 years ago and um the lyrics<\/p>\n
have not lost any weight uh even today<\/p>\n
and it it's it really um is rich and<\/p>\n
full of Truth um and so I want to start<\/p>\n
by simply reading the lyrics they're<\/p>\n
going to be on the screen but they're<\/p>\n
also in the bulletin if you want to look<\/p>\n
at that um so it starts 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 Israel's<\/p>\n
strength and consolation hope of all the<\/p>\n
Earth Thou Art<\/p>\n
dear desire of every nation Joy of every<\/p>\n
longing<\/p>\n
heart born thy people to deliver born a<\/p>\n
child and yet a King born to reign in us<\/p>\n
forever now thy gracious Kingdom bring<\/p>\n
by thine own eternal spirit rule in all<\/p>\n
our hearts Alone by thine all sufficient<\/p>\n
Merit 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
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 uh we will'll read from<\/p>\n
Luke 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 8 days old um<\/p>\n
following the Old Testament um law um<\/p>\n
and the reason that is important that<\/p>\n
they follow this is because Jesus came<\/p>\n
to fulfill the law and not to abolish it<\/p>\n
so it's important that um in the birth<\/p>\n
of Jesus his parents are following along<\/p>\n
with the rituals of their<\/p>\n
people um so while they're at the temp<\/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 meeting him in this in this<\/p>\n
little baby this month-old baby and I<\/p>\n
want us to pay attention to how they<\/p>\n
respond uh so if you have your Bible<\/p>\n
open it with me to Luke Chapter 2 if you<\/p>\n
don't it's on the screen obviously um<\/p>\n
and so we're going to start in uh verse<\/p>\n
21 uh and at the end of8 days when he<\/p>\n
was circumcised he was called Jesus the<\/p>\n
name given by the angel before he was<\/p>\n
conceived in the womb and when the time<\/p>\n
came for their purification according to<\/p>\n
the law of Moses they brought him up to<\/p>\n
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as<\/p>\n
is as is written in the law of the Lord<\/p>\n
every male who first opens the womb<\/p>\n
Shall be Called holy to the Lord and to<\/p>\n
offer a sacrifice according to what is<\/p>\n
said in the law of the Lord a pair of<\/p>\n
turtle does or two young pigeons 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 had seen the Lord's<\/p>\n
Christ and he came in spirit into the<\/p>\n
temple and when the parents brought the<\/p>\n
Child Jesus to do for him according to<\/p>\n
the custom of the law he took him up in<\/p>\n
his arms and blessed God and said Lord<\/p>\n
now you are letting your servant depart<\/p>\n
in peace according to your word for my<\/p>\n
eyes have seen your salvation that you<\/p>\n
have prepared in the presence of All<\/p>\n
Peoples a light for Revelation to the<\/p>\n
Gentiles and For Your Glory to your<\/p>\n
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 pierce you<\/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 prophetess Anna<\/p>\n
the daughter of fenu of the tribe of<\/p>\n
Asher she was advanced in years having<\/p>\n
lived with her husband seven years from<\/p>\n
when she was a virgin and then as a<\/p>\n
widow until she was 84 she did not<\/p>\n
depart from the temple worshiping with<\/p>\n
fasting and prayer night and day and<\/p>\n
coming up at that very hour she began to<\/p>\n
speak give thanks to God and speak of<\/p>\n
him to all who were waiting for the<\/p>\n
Redemption of<\/p>\n
Jerusalem will you pray with<\/p>\n
me Lord Lord we're so thankful that<\/p>\n
2,000 years ago you came to Earth as a<\/p>\n
child we're so thankful that you took on<\/p>\n
flesh with the sole purpose of redeeming<\/p>\n
us so that we may once again draw near<\/p>\n
to you Lord I pray that you would speak<\/p>\n
through me today and Reveal Your gospel<\/p>\n
through this Christmas hymn in Jesus<\/p>\n
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 to Children which I think is<\/p>\n
such a talent um that the author of that<\/p>\n
book has um there are so many great<\/p>\n
truths from that book but the the last<\/p>\n
page always strikes me every time I read<\/p>\n
it it says even on days that you forget<\/p>\n
what is true don't forget to remember<\/p>\n
God won't forget<\/p>\n
you and I'll be honest with you guys uh<\/p>\n
I read that book to Olivia almost every<\/p>\n
day um she loves it um and when I get to<\/p>\n
the last page I'm really the one who<\/p>\n
needs to read that and hear that more<\/p>\n
than more than she does um it's really<\/p>\n
easy to think that God's forgotten us a<\/p>\n
lot of the time it's really easy um to<\/p>\n
think that our prayers are going to go<\/p>\n
unanswered that our uh promises that God<\/p>\n
has made with us are going to be<\/p>\n
unfulfilled um it's encouraging to me to<\/p>\n
read that book and uplifts me and it<\/p>\n
reminds me of the faithfulness of my<\/p>\n
heavenly father um because the truth is<\/p>\n
we do we serve a faithful God but the<\/p>\n
evil one wants us to think that we don't<\/p>\n
that God is not going to answer our<\/p>\n
prayers that God is not going to be<\/p>\n
faithful to us that's the original<\/p>\n
Temptation right that's what that's what<\/p>\n
the serpent wanted to convince Adam and<\/p>\n
Eve of in the garden that God is not who<\/p>\n
you think he is but let me tell you the<\/p>\n
promises of God can always be trusted<\/p>\n
and our God is faithful to<\/p>\n
deliver he wants what our passage in in<\/p>\n
Luke uh uh what we see in our passage in<\/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 yet we spend so<\/p>\n
much of our lives in various states of<\/p>\n
waiting whether that's waiting to find<\/p>\n
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 be in control<\/p>\n
um and we don't have the faith in The<\/p>\n
God 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 to come on Earth in power and to<\/p>\n
fully restore creation to how it's<\/p>\n
supposed to be so let's look back at<\/p>\n
Luke 2 and think about simeon's<\/p>\n
experience waiting<\/p>\n
so verses 25 and 26 say now there was a<\/p>\n
man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon<\/p>\n
and this man was righteous and devout<\/p>\n
waiting for the constellation of Israel<\/p>\n
and the Holy Spirit was upon him and it<\/p>\n
had been revealed to him by the holy<\/p>\n
spirit that he would not see death<\/p>\n
before he had 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 Christ<\/p>\n
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 of 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
their<\/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 Genesis<\/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<\/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've<\/p>\n
prayed that<\/p>\n
um during those thousands of years<\/p>\n
they've been oppressed when they strayed<\/p>\n
from God they've been exiled they've<\/p>\n
come back to Jerusalem they've rebuilt<\/p>\n
the temple and they're still waiting<\/p>\n
even in this 400 years of what we what<\/p>\n
we like to call the the years of Silence<\/p>\n
um when they come back to Jerusalem they<\/p>\n
are still living under the thumb of<\/p>\n
opposing Nations and even in the time<\/p>\n
when Jesus is born the Israelites are<\/p>\n
still living under Roman rule they're<\/p>\n
living under a pagan dictator<\/p>\n
dictatorship um so he 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 generation hoping that<\/p>\n
your generation will be the one to see<\/p>\n
this fulfillment happen hoping your<\/p>\n
generation will 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 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 th long expected Jesus<\/p>\n
see even though Jesus has come now and<\/p>\n
he has died and he has risen from the<\/p>\n
dead and he has defeated death we remain<\/p>\n
in a world ravaged by sin de death Decay<\/p>\n
evil but we know that Jesus will return<\/p>\n
one day and make all things new<\/p>\n
so how should we behave as we live in<\/p>\n
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 broken and<\/p>\n
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 we miss<\/p>\n
the needs that are right in front of us<\/p>\n
we miss the path that God H God has<\/p>\n
right in front of<\/p>\n
us 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<\/p>\n
is Our 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<\/p>\n
forever 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 2<\/p>\n
29-32 uh and Simeon says this when he is<\/p>\n
holding Jesus he says Lord now you are<\/p>\n
letting your servant depart 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 Glory 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 as<\/p>\n
Isaiah 9:6-7 is very small but on the<\/p>\n
screen<\/p>\n
um and it says for to us a child is born<\/p>\n
to 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 this is the Messianic King that<\/p>\n
Israel has anxiously been waiting for<\/p>\n
the thing is his Ascension to his throne<\/p>\n
does not 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 your 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 it might a lot<\/p>\n
not look so bad in the moment but then<\/p>\n
you turn on the light and you see all<\/p>\n
the cobwebs you see cockroaches maybe<\/p>\n
scurrying for cover cover our hearts are<\/p>\n
like this room<\/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<\/p>\n
trouble we are going to be condemned<\/p>\n
because we are unwilling to respond in<\/p>\n
humility and allow Jesus to uh make us<\/p>\n
pure make us whole make us righteous um<\/p>\n
see because it's really easy just to<\/p>\n
turn the light back off and walk out of<\/p>\n
the room right it's a lot easier to do<\/p>\n
that than to get get everything you need<\/p>\n
out of there and clean it up but we have<\/p>\n
to do the hard work to clean ourselves<\/p>\n
up and to make ourselves more like<\/p>\n
Jesus Isaiah says that Jesus will become<\/p>\n
a stone of stumbling and a rock of<\/p>\n
offense 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<\/p>\n
oops we uh we got a little teaser of<\/p>\n
Isaiah Isaiah 53 earlier as we as we had<\/p>\n
our time of confession and Assurance but<\/p>\n
I want to um read it in full here so<\/p>\n
that we understand who Jesus is um and<\/p>\n
what he really did and why he is worthy<\/p>\n
of our praise and our adoration um so<\/p>\n
Isaiah 53 starting at 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 um the true<\/p>\n
suffering that he experienced the way<\/p>\n
that we rejected Jesus and we turned<\/p>\n
away the way that what what Jesus death<\/p>\n
does for us but making us righteous and<\/p>\n
in continuing to 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 people of all<\/p>\n
nations may receive Grace may receive<\/p>\n
salvation through his blood his victory<\/p>\n
came even as he was rejected even as he<\/p>\n
was hung on a cross his coronation came<\/p>\n
not in front of a cheering crowd but a<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
so as you set up 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<\/p>\n
There's Hope in the manger but only for<\/p>\n
those who understand the meaning of<\/p>\n
Christ's death on the cross for those<\/p>\n
who truly understand who Jesus was and<\/p>\n
the gift he offers his sacrifice<\/p>\n
remember what Simeon said in 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<\/p>\n
him understand that those who reject<\/p>\n
Jesus 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 you forever as we're<\/p>\n
going to sing in this song the one and<\/p>\n
only son of God has come into the world<\/p>\n
as a perfect sacrifice to set his people<\/p>\n
free from the sins and fears that bind<\/p>\n
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 free<\/p>\n
but this hymn is not just about waiting<\/p>\n
on the coming Messiah or the or even<\/p>\n
Jesus fulfillment of the Old Testament<\/p>\n
prophecies it's also about celebrating<\/p>\n
Christ's salvific gift of redemption and<\/p>\n
what it means for us today so I want to<\/p>\n
talk about one last line um in this hymn<\/p>\n
and it is um now thy gracious Kingdom<\/p>\n
bring so the Jews who were in the temple<\/p>\n
with Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in<\/p>\n
ritual um they were wa they were<\/p>\n
patiently waiting<\/p>\n
uh they were patiently waiting for the<\/p>\n
Messiah to come and for him to bring his<\/p>\n
kingdom and to uh reestablish the Throne<\/p>\n
of David that's what they believed was<\/p>\n
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
they did make no mistake Jesus will one<\/p>\n
day come in power and he will restore<\/p>\n
creation to its rightful form well 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<\/p>\n
Israel Anna sees the baby Jesus and<\/p>\n
immediately begins praising God um and<\/p>\n
worshiping and telling everyone who will<\/p>\n
listen that the Redemption is Redemption<\/p>\n
is 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 raise 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 siman 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 3<\/p>\n
days how much more should we celebrate<\/p>\n
knowing what Jesus has done for us so<\/p>\n
this Christmas season don't allow<\/p>\n
yourself to be distracted by the worldly<\/p>\n
materialism that has hijacked this<\/p>\n
holiday um the focus should not be on<\/p>\n
the gifts but on on the single greatest<\/p>\n
gift that's ever been given in the baby<\/p>\n
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 long<\/p>\n
long 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 and the manger is who<\/p>\n
the king in the manger is who the child<\/p>\n
born 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
manre 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 manger come<\/p>\n
quickly Lord Jesus let your kingdom<\/p>\n
kingdom come quickly amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20241216","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=au2tiSe5ZAI","video_id":"au2tiSe5ZAI","video_duration":"30:53","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313","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=313"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":314,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313\/revisions\/314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}