Christmas Eve 2022

Merry Christmas, Redemption Church. It is great to gather with you all this Christmas Eve. For those who made it out tonight. I thank you. Christmas is a special time of year. However, it is a busy time of year. The stores are bustling; the traffic is bumper to bumper. Wallets are tight; families are in town. But amongst the business of the year, Christmas is a time when we as Christians slow down and celebrate and remember the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I recently read a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and at the beginning of the book, there is an exchange between Scrooge and his nephew. The nephew seeing Scrooge’s disdain for the season, says, Christmas is “a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.” That is what we are doing here today. At this time, I challenge you to be present and shut your heart and soul of worries and burdens. Let us celebrate the birth of the only one who saves, Jesus, the son of God. And let us show our worship by loving one another, for no one has ever proven their love more on Christmas than Christ.

Over the last four weeks of advent, we have been in a sermon series called “Christ Foretold: Advent with the prophets.” If you are new to church, Advent is a period of the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Advent is a Latin word meaning coming or appearance. Advent is a time of year when Christians extend the Christmas season as we intentionally reflect upon the first and second coming of Jesus. We started our series by looking at the 2nd coming of Jesus. We learned from the prophet Zechariah and the prophet Isaiah. We learned about the kingdom that Jesus is going to bring when he returns. There will be a day when Jesus takes all that is broken and cast off, and he will redeem his people and restore the world. We eagerly await that day. Over the last two weeks, we have taken time to learn and reflect upon the birth of Jesus. We learned from the prophet Micah that from the small, unassuming town of Bethlehem, there would be a baby born who would be the ruler over God’s people, he would be a good shepherd forever. Last week we learned about the love of the coming savior. Jesus was born to take away the sins of his people. He was born to calm us with his love, and he was born to save his people. This is the majesty of Jesus.

Tonight, as we come to celebrate Christmas, we will be in Isaiah 42. If you have your Bible, please turn there for the public reading of scripture.

Scripture Reading

Isaiah 42:1-9

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

Pastoral Prayer

Set The Stage

This is a beautiful passage. It is always challenging for a pastor to look through the whole bible and pick a single passage to preach for holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Many associate Christmas with the birth of Christ. After all that is what Christmas is about. It is about the birth of Jesus. But why is the birth of Jesus significant? Who is he? When Jesus came what was he like? For many Christians in America, the Christmas story starts with the birth of Jesus. It is as if, that is where history begins. We have spent four weeks in various prophets to show that God’s plan to redeem and save his people does not start with Jesus. In fact, every word of the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation is about God’s plan to send his son to save us. Today’s passage shows us a whole picture of Christ. It shows us not him as a baby in a manger, but it shows the character of the savior we worship. What is Jesus like? Let’s begin.

Verse One: Christ is God’s chosen servant

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

For the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, we have only been shown the problem. God has told his people that they are incapable of saving themselves. They have abandoned God, and they have sought other idols. The judgment of God stands against all of God’s people. How then, shall we be saved? Or rather, who will save us? Enter the servant of the Lord.

First, Jesus comes as a servant. Jesus comes as a servant. The people need a savior; God is going to send a servant. Oh, how mysterious are God’s ways? He is not like us. When we are in trouble, we want someone strong and in a position of authority to save us. But Christ as a servant. He is not just any servant; he is God’s chosen servant. Jesus is not just any servant; he is the servant. It always astounds me when I read the New Testament and see Jesus as a servant. He comes serving others. Very rarely do you see others doing anything for him. It was Christ himself who said, “and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”[1]Jesus came to serve. Who are we that he should wash our feet. Who are we that he should sit at the table with us. This is the glory of the gospel. Who are we that Christ should go to the cross, and with every painful step of bearing his cross, he is really carrying the weight of our sins on his back? In his death, when he is weakest, Christ is serving us in our greatest need. If you are like me, you might be tempted to feel the sentiment of, Peter. Who said, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”[2] We all need Christ to wash us. Before we can be servants, we need to be served by Christ.

Second, Jesus is God’s answer to humanity’s biggest need. “behold my servant, Whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.” Jesus is not just any old servant; he is God’s servant. He comes to do God’s will; he is the one who denies himself and submits to the fathers will perfectly. In the very beginning of the bible, everything was good. God looked over his creation and said, “it is good.” It was a paradise until the fall. After Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed the serpent and said, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”[3]In other words, from the very beginning of the Bible, God has made a plan to restore his creation and redeem his people. There is going to be One who comes from the woman who will crush the serpent’s head. But shall only be wounded on the heel. Jesus is God’s answer to the world’s greatest problem. God is teaching us in Isaiah that it is God who upholds Christ. It is like in the days of Moses, when the people sinned, God sent serpents into the camp to bite the people. But God made way for the people to be saved. God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. Anyone who looked at the serpent would be saved. When the people needed to be saved from the snakes, it was Moses who lifted up the bronze serpent. When you and I need saving from our sin and from death, it is God himself who takes Jesus, his only son, and as the Romans lift up the cross to stand tall before all of creation. It is really God himself who is upholding his Son. The crucifixion was not an accident that worked out for our good, it was the plan of God from all eternity to save his people. Jesus is God’s answer to humanity's biggest problem. If you do not know Jesus, look to him. Look to the Son of God hoisted high on that tree. He is mighty to save, he is the one who has come to give his life as a ransom for many. Look to him. Behold the servant of the Lord.

Third, Jesus has God’s Spirit. Every aspect of Jesus’s life is marked by the Holy Spirit. He was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Spirit. He was baptized by John and the spirit fell on him. He performed many miracles by the power of the Spirit. I want us to the trinity here. God the Father is speaking about the Servant His Son, who is indwelt with the Holy Spirit. All three persons of the trinity are here and present. Just like in the Christmas story all three persons are at work. God the Father planned our salvation. Christ the Son accomplished our salvation, and the Holy Spirit secures our salvation.

Fourth, Jesus makes all things right.Look at the end of verse one, “He will bring forth justice to the nations.” Christ comes to overturn the curses of the fall. Christ comes to remove sin from us, but he also comes to remove sin from the world. Look at the repetition. The servant brings forth justice at the end of verse 1, and at the end of verse 3 and verse 4. It is the mission of the servant to make all things right. Right now our world is infested with darkness. You do not have to be that smart to know that there are serious problems. If you want to see the problem, turn on the news. So bleak, with so much conflict, so much fighting, and so many lies and deceptions. These are not new problems but have been going on since the beginning. This is why Jesus came. Jesus came to make all things right. This is the hope of advent. God saw us in our lowly estate, and he came down out of love and compassion. Stepping off his throne and taking on humble flesh, he dwelled among us. He lived and experienced the greatest injustice the world has ever known as he was crucified. Jesus bore the injustice so that he might bring forth justice to the world. Jesus comes not only to save us from the wrath of God, but to save us from each other. He came and he taught us how to love one and another. On the night that he was betrayed Jesus gave us a new commandment, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”[4] There is no injustice where there is love. As we love one and another as Christians we are overturning injustice, we are establishing Christ kingdom in our homes and in our hearts. And we await the day, when this will be literal. When Jesus comes and , “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”[5]Jesus was born to make everything right.

Verse Two, “Humble savior comes to save the humble”

“He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;

Jesus comes in humility. Verse two, teaches us something about the character of Jesus. He is humble. At the center of many family Christmas traditions is the nativity scene. How many of you have nativity’s set up in your home? Why do we love nativities? The reason we love the nativity scene is because it strikes right at the heart of Christ. God himself, worthy of all glory, honor, dominion, God of God, Light of Light, he was not born in a palace for royalty. He was not born to a wealthy family. He was born in a manger, placed in a feeding trough, born to a young unassuming girl. There is something humbling just to think about it, it quiets the soul. No man can boast before the birth of Jesus. Parents want the best for our children. I know many parents who will not even have their children at Raleigh general hospital. Why? Because we want the best for them. But God almighty in his infinite wisdom, chose for Christ to have a humble birth. To teach us, about humility. From Jesus’s life and to his death, he exemplified humility. No one ever has been humbler than Jesus Christ. Let us learn from this. Let him be our example. We all could learn to be humbler, we all can learn to place the needs of others above ourselves.

Jesus lived on the earth for 30 years without telling anyone who he was. He was a simple carpenter. He did not boast about his divinity on Tik Tok, nor did he tweet his political opinions, but he lived a humble and dignified life.

Jesus comes for the weak. Look at verse three, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.” Believe it or not, there have been whole books written about this one verse. This verse reveals to us the very character of God. “A bruised reed he will not break.” This refers to the reeds that would grow along side the waters. They were excellent building materials. They were used for many things. But builders come to the reeds and they want ones that are strong and have not been damaged. If the reed had been beaten up in a storm, or knocked over by an animal it would have a bruise. Where the reed is bruised, it has lost its integrity, thus the reed was good for nothing.

“A faintly burning wick he will not quench.” This is a reference to a candle that is barely lit. It is smoking, gasping for air, before the wind blows and it is put out. How many of you know the feeling I am describing. Even at times like Christmas that are ment to be merry and bright, the pressures of life can be to much. Sometimes we feel so weak that at any moment, one more thing can go wrong and we will be ruined. How many of you have been there? Christian be of good heart, Christ came for you. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench.

Jesus came not for the strong but for the weak. He came for the downtrodden, for the lame, for the blind. He came for those who the world has rejected or overlooked. And brother and sister in one way or another we are all bruised reeds. We all have been afflicted at one point or another in our lives. Who among us, has not at one point in our life been broken, been bruised, been shamed. This is the gospel that Jesus has come to save sinners. God draws near to those who have gone far from God. Jesus did not come and say, “blessed are the proud in heart, blessed are the those who boast, blessed are the strong, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for money. No Jesus came and said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”[6]Jesus shows mercy to the weak, and that is good news, because I am weak yet Christ is strong. Even now in this room, Jesus is standing at the ready to receive anyone who comes to him in faith and repentance. Was it not Christ who spoke, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”[7]

Verse four: Jesus’s mission will be accomplished

“He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law”

Jesus’s mission will be accomplished. This is the irony of the Jesus’s birth. He was born a child, and yet a king. He lowers himself to be weak and lowly so that he might empathies with us, yet make no mistake. Jesus the Christ is God. He is worthy of the praise of angels. He has come on a mission, and it will be accomplished. Jesus while he was on the earth, he comes to the broken because he is strong. He comes to the fading because Christ is eternal. His plans will be accomplished. He was born, he did die, he was raised again. Even his last word’s point to the accomplished work of Christ. “It is finished.” Jesus came to save, and for any who worship him, you will be redeemed and restored. For those who Jesus saves, he has established justice for us. He has established justice in our hearts, and he will establish justice on the earth. I love this last clause, “and the coastlands wait for his law.” Meaning, the earth continues to wait for the restoration of the kingdom. The ends of the earth wait and are longing for Jesus to come and make all things new. This is what advent is all about, words of waiting. What a glorious savior we worship. I conclude with a quote from a famous puritan, “the more Christ in himself and in his servants, shall descend to exalt us, the more we should, with all humility and readiness, entertain that love and magnify the goodness of God, that has put the great work of our salvation, and laid the government, upon so gentle a savior as will carry himself so mildly in all things wherein he is the deal between God and us, and us to God. The lower Christ comes down to us, the higher let us lift him up in our hearts. So will all those do that have ever found the experience of Christ’s work in their hearts.”

[1]Matthew 20:27-28 [2]John 13:8 [3]Genesis 3:15-16 [4]John 13:34 [5]Rev 21:3 [6]Matthew 5:3-7 [7]Matthew 11:27-28

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