Sermon Tone Analysis

What is your response to roller coasters?

Some like them, some hate them, so are terrified of them.

I can remember when I was a kid being terrified of roller coasters.

I didn’t want anything to do with them.

Until one day I worked up enough courage to try one.

And from then on I have been hooked.

I love going on roller coasters.

They are so much fun.

I use that illustration to highlight the change in response.

This morning I want to examine the Christmas story from Luke 1-2 and evaluation the responses of three different people.

And I want us to see how Christmas, how the Son of God coming to earth clothed in human flesh, changed their response.

Christ will be the focus of our study this morning.

Because of Christ and His birth our response to God can be wonderfully transformed.

How does Christmas transform our response to God?

This morning I want to look at three different people, at three different responses, and discover how Christmas transformed their response or their heart attitude toward God.

I.

The Response of Zechariah

A. His initial response

Did you notice his initial response?

And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

Because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

So far what has been Zechariah’s response to the things of God? Fear & Unbelief.

Let’s find out how that changes:

B. His changed response

Now skip down to v. 57

Did you see his changed response toward God?

And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John.

And they marvelled all.

Response = obedience

And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.

His response has changed from fear and unbelief to obedience and worship.

This kind of drastic change is only possible because of Christmas, because of Jesus Christ and His ability to drastically change our response or our heart attitude towards God.

Zechariah makes this prophecy about his son John, but really this prophecy is all about the One for whom John was to go before and prepare the way- this prophecy is all about Christ!

And I want you to see, because this is so beautiful, I want you to see how Christ, how Christmas, changes our response to God.

V. 74

(That we) Might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him,

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God;

Whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

Do you know what the word dayspring means?

It is talking about the dawn, it is talking about a sunrise.

God Himself has visited His people through the person of Jesus Christ.

And when Christ was born, as God in the flesh, it was like a brilliant sunrise, it was like the dawn of the light of God upon the world of men.

And what did this dawn, what did this sunrise of the person of Jesus Christ accomplish?

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.

The coming of Christ to earth, Christmas, made it possible for our response to a holy God to be radically altered and changed.

Christ like a sunrise has given us light.

He has given light to us who previously sat in darkness and were under the darkness of the shadow death.

What does it mean that we were in darkness and under the shadow of death?

It means that we were lost in the darkness of our sin, we were separated from the light of God because we had sin in our hearts.

And a holy God, a God of light cannot abide sin.

And so we were completely separated from the light of God.

And not only were we in darkness, but we were under the shadow of death.

Because of our sin were were separated from the light of God, and if we were to die while still in darkness, while still in our sin then that death would damn our souls to an eternal hell.

Hebrews tells us that the devil has the power of death and through that power he enslaves people through the fear of death.

Deep down inside every person is a fear of death, everyone at one point in their lives lives in the darkness of the shadow of death.

This is Satan’s greatest weapon because he knows that if he can keep people from believing in Christ until they die, then their death becomes a gateway to an eternal hell separated from God forever.

But Christmas has done away with all of that.

We no longer have to fear death.

Jesus came all those years ago as a little baby in a manger.

And his coming was like a brilliant sunrise.

Illustration: I used to be terrified to go down into our basement.

It was more like a dungeon than a basement.

And you could go down and it had rooms and tunnels and hidden places.

If you wanted to get something out of the freezer you had to go to almost the very back of the basement and right next to the freezer was the room that had the furnace in it.

There was stuff piled all over and it was dark and it was scary, it terrified me.

The only way that I would possibly go down into that basement was if I turned on every single light possible.

I would turn on every light downstairs, the main light, dad’s office light, the freezer room light, and the furnace room light.

Sometimes I would carry a flashlight for good measure.

And then I would leave the lights on just for good measure when I was done (drove my mom crazy).

It was the light that dispelled the darkness that dispelled the fear.

Jesus is that light for our souls!

He is like a brilliant sunrise and He:

To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.

The birth of Jesus, and then his death on a cross, and finally His resurrection from the dead makes it possible for those who would put their faith in Christ alone, to be saved from their sins, to be saved from darkness and the shadow of death.

And instead Christ gives us light and peace.

Christ makes it possible to change our response to God.

He can change our hearts from fear and unbelief to worship and obedience and faith and light and peace.

How about you this morning?

What is your response to God? Are you living your life in fear?

In the fear of death?

Do you fear the shadow of death?

Do you respond to God with fear and unbelief?

Or have you experienced the light of the salvation of your sins made possible because of Christmas?

Because of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Have you ever placed your faith in Christ alone to save you from your sins?

Have you ever asked Jesus to take away your sins and dis-spell the darkness of sin in your heart?

You can do so today!

You can be free from the darkness of your sin, and the fear of the shadow of death!

All you need to do is to put your faith in Christ, turn from your sins and follow Him.

We would love nothing more that to help you make that decision today!

II.

The Response of Mary

A. Her initial response

And when she saw him, she was (greatly) troubled at his saying

To be deeply upset, to be greatly confused or perplexed.

Notice Mary’s second initial response:

How shall this be?

Speculation, bewilderment, confusion

For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Many a person in the world today respond to God as Mary initially did.