Christmas Eve Service
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Extended Christmas Service
Main Goal of Sermon
· To know birth was only one aspect of God’s overarching plan of redemption
· To know that the birth is meaningless without the resurrection
· All of Scripture reveal this plan all centered around Jesus Christ
o Old Testament: Jesus is predicted
o Gospels: Jesus is revealed
o Acts: Jesus is preached
o Epistles: Jesus is preached
o Revelation: Jesus is expected
· Let’s celebrate Christ’s birth with Easter in mind – don’t lose sight of the ending of the story
Sermon Outline
1. Introduction
2. Jesus is predicted
3. Song
4. Jesus is revealed
5. Song
6. Jesus is preached
7. Song
8. Jesus is explained
9. Song
10. Jesus is expected
11. Post sermon???
Introduction
· Here to celebrate birth of Jesus Christ
· Tendency to stop at the birth but story goes on to even more important events
· Like not finishing a novel
· “Where the Red Fern Grows”
· Christmas is just one part of God’s overarching plan of redemption and salvation
· Christmas leads to the pinnacle of Easter
· The birth is meaningless without the resurrection
· Spurgeon: Wood of cradle transforms to wood of cross. Wood of cradle rubs up against the granite of the grave and the grave could not hold Him
· All of Scripture reveal this plan all centered around Jesus Christ (Visual with Bible)
o Old Testament: Jesus is predicted
o Gospels: Jesus is revealed
o Acts: Jesus is preached
o Epistles: Jesus is preached
o Revelation: Jesus is expected
· “Jesus on Every Page”: David Murray
Did you know that Jesus was prophesized as far back as Genesis 3:15? After the fall of Adam and Eve?
Genesis 3:15
15 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.”
Main Body
Well, let’s look at God’s overarching plan of redemption and salvation through Jesus
HAVE A SONG BETWEEN EACH OF THESE
Jesus is predicted
Deuteronomy 18:15
A New Prophet like Moses
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen
Isaiah 53:1-12
53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lordbeen revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 8:21-23 - 9:1-7
Context
· The nation of Israel because of king Ahaz’s trust in humans for protection and salvation rather than in God will be punished when Assyria overtakes Israel and they are exiled
21 They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. 22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness (This is the condition for all who have not come into a saving faith in Jesus)
9 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish (Condition for all who have faith in Jesus, no matter the circumstances we face). In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
How will God do this?
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
· Same judgement and gloom for those yet to come into a saving faith in Jesus – Let’s proclaim His name; evangelism
· Judgement and exile is eternal separation from God – VS 8:23: What this looks like
· VS 9:1: Key word is “BUT” – God will bring a Savior that they won’t gloom in anguish. Instead, they will have hope in anguish
· This hope is the prophesy of 9:1-7 – Hope in their current situation
Zacheriah 9:9
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he
Jesus is revealed
John 1:1-2, 4-5, 9, 12, 14 – The fulfillment of Isaiah passages
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
12 All who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light prophesized in Isaiah is fulfilled in Jesus as the Light in the darkness who came to earth
Jesus is preached
Acts 4:11-12
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Jesus is explained
Romans 3:23
23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
7 In Jesus we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.
Romans 5:9-10
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus is expected
Revelation 1:6-7
To Jesus who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.
Revelation 21:1-4
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “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. 4 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.”
Conclusion/application
· Jesus predicted, revealed, preached, explained, and expected is the entirey of the good news of the Gospel
· Remember, The birth is meaningless without the resurrection
· Spurgeon: Wood of cradle transforms to wood of cross. Wood of cradle rubs up against the granite of the grave and the grave could not hold Him
· Christmas has so much celebration but Easter is much more to be celebrated
· Let’s celebrate Christ’s birth with Easter in mind – don’t lose sight of the ending of the story
· If you have not come to faith, do so now
Romans 10:9
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.