The Lord Is Come: Glory to God

Mike and I have talked about how we're going to continue with every go a little nervous. I guess you was I make some slides for better or worse usually LOL. So it helps me to try to stay on point attend to wonder sometimes chasing rabbits that turns used. I do a bit of that but I'm not going to do much of that today. The good news about this one is that we talked about breaking this down very want to go about Christmas songs must be met with this is a passage of scripture that the whole world generator pretty well familiar with because of its nature. It cited a lot of Christmas time at the movies and purposeful and not just wandering around or saying oh it's it's about Jesus and I would nod your head says, yeah, right. This is birth and then we'll talk about it. So if you've got your Bibles great. If not, I'll be up here on the screen. I'm going to try to read along hopefully this changes quickly. Luke 2 first one in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration Arrhenius was governor of Syria and all went to be registered each to his own town and Joseph who went up From Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea in the city of David which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary is betrothed who is with child and while they were there the time came for her to give birth and she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a Manger because there was no place for them in the end in the same region. There were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord Shone around them and they were filled with great fear an angel said to them fear not for behold. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people for unto you is born this. Day in the city of David a savior. Who is Christ the lord? And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. When the angels went away from them into heaven the shepherd said to one another let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us and they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger and when they saw it, they may have been told concerning this child and all who heard it wondered and what the Shepherds told them the Mary treasured up all these things in her heart in the Shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as I have been told them. And at the end of eight days when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. osprey heavenly father is the first it's pretty familiar. I think I probably almost the whole entire world Lord that help us not to get caught up in the the fact that we've heard it a million times or it help us to hear it new today. I pray that every time you've heard it before Lord, you shut that away from us and we can look at this with fresh eyes fresh years and and really be considerate of what you have done the miracle that occurred that night Lord. I just that I pray that we will be moved closer to you, especially this time of year and that we can we can share with others that it was more than just a baby in a Manger. It was a king and the save his creation that's in your son's name. I pray amen. All right, toe Luke 2 1 through 7 try to break the sound of the kind of three chunks. And if you saw back in the the very beginning the title was a glory to God. That's why I was sort of the theme that I wanted to get to try to capture here. I think we think about glory and we think about God's glory. We think of something like a multitude of the heavenly host and something that we on Earth would write if if if we saw somebody that was very sick until we would say, let's glorious. We were just wouldn't do that. But I don't know if God would say that are not in this case what we see something very interesting. So if we go back here to the very beginning of this we see that Joseph and Mary start off heading back to Bethlehem. Now there was a census that was called by the powers-that-be to bring them back or they would have been people that new prophecy and understood prophesying in Malachi. We see this cited the Savior will be born. You can imagine she's like well, okay other people may have RFA to not all that would have said what I can't be because he's you're not in Bethlehem. That's what we behold the powers-that-be use. The second boy here to say God is glorified by and through those who don't know God.

I don't believe that that Caesar Augustus decreed the same. We need to get her right back where they started cuz I think there's a savior and he better get back to Bethlehem. This is just a decision. He was making sure everyone needs to go back from account. But yet we see the hand of God using a decision. That was somewhat arbitrary. Certainly, not of God or God right feeling a prophecy.

And then what we say is because of this it puts a puts Mary and Joseph in a bind right now. We're all familiar with this tale weather traveling and she's maybe on a donkey and she's very pregnant and like we have to In-N-Outs grade. And are you maybe maybe majority that happened? I'm not sure but we do know based on the circumstances scribed hear clearly. They didn't go back to like Joseph's house. This wasn't like my wife and I moved to Los Angeles for a couple years. We came back and moved in with my parents for a couple of months. We didn't say back to Indiana where were from and then get in the car and drive over here and then just kind of figure out we're going to happen for us that way but it does here. We see the bees guys are getting pulled back. They can't find a place to stay every place was full. Why because everyone came back. It was just then it was the whole place is in turmoil. They're probably empty houses of the boarded shut that took off just like theirs were backward Joseph and Mary were from so here they are in a place that is literally no place. I put that in quotes because

the manger we see that as symbolizing something very low that it does. I think it does do that adequately, but the reason that they're there is because there's literally no place for them to be later on in Luke and Matthew Christ himself asserts that the son of man has no place to lay his head. So it's incredible that it starts that way literally born with no home, right? The manger is a not even up minutes. It's respectively nothing at all. It's so you can probably argue that the ground is equivalent to literally no place. So when we see that we say will win Glory. That is completely not Glory. I think of Glory this is me speaking is Chris. I think of the opposite of this, right?

Kings are not born in this manner. They aren't today. They've never have been kings are usually based off of lineage. Typically, right? They're not voted on we do that democracy Republic's deal with this but in the world of kings it was you were the son of a que hora, son of a queen or whatever, you know, exactly in this case not in this case at all, right. We see you in from the start that what God constitutes is Glory what he says glory is is much different than what we think of Glory, right? We see this throughout scripture not just here right the first shall be last and last shall be first the meek shall inherit the earth. These are conundrums in our world, right? Those are Body Works in the corporate world. This Beast tenants. Don't hold up very well. Even in places that claim to be no good, you know non-profit e we're helping the world kind of places if somebody is really me candy girl doesn't assert themselves. They fall away. They don't get made to this chief executive or Chief Operating Officer never really happened. There's qualities to look for in those people and it's not that they're last in their meek. We don't for people that are strong-willed go-getters and hear what we see. Is that polar opposite of this, right? And I assert this is because in God's economy specifically God's economy humility proceed Glory do okay, that's fine. But they're going to keep her here is that first Belen Ernie that are humility is part of God's glory right? I would have searched and this is me reflecting looking in the mirror the times that I've been thinking myself. I'm going to be super humble about this because it's a means to an end of my own Glory. Oh this this old car that I repaired while it was nothing to me really, but then what I secretly want to be to go into Central it's incredible that he did that. Wow. How amazing you deserve some Glory. I worked very hard. I was super humble arguably the most humble. That's hilarious second. How can that be? Did he say that either way? but but that when you talk about God going out we see here is God's Jesus who is God but in a roll of being a man and submitting to the father's Glory comes to Earth in the most in Cordes way I can imagine. I mean born to a virgin so there's probably some there's so many things going on here. Now. He's moved to a town with their head. If what we want is to see the glory of God shown all around us it we need to be reminded that humility for us isn't about our Glory. But for God's glory. Right when things are going great around us and we are doing wonderful things. We need to understand that. Well, you know that while it does seem that way that can change in an instant write a really great when you lose your job.

Duct sleeve, I guess I don't know right that was my ducks in a row.

Let me tell you that that point in time. I wish I could tell you that I was like well, hey the Lord's and control it came to that but there was a brief moment of panic where am I and I think what we see here is we've got Jesus coming to Earth and saying this is the Lord's plan. The father has ordained this so I will come and be birth Noble in a lovely way. And in this case they put keeps us in our proper place Logan which is true but didn't even see Jesus setting an example as the Sun not my will but yours be done about that because Jesus did it when he was born. I'm 41 years old I struggle with that everyday not my will but yours I can tell you definitely didn't happen when I was born. You should ask my mother about me as a baby. Oh my gosh, I was a Trainwreck like she almost didn't even have second kid because all the how bad if a baby I was I didn't submit I didn't put her in her proper place as an infant. I guarantee it. I was ripped from day one literally right from day one when we see we see Jesus not doing that. Jesus said fine. I'll go and I'll be born in this way. That's fine. If he knew right Jesus wasn't surprised he was born in this manner the sun was there from the beginning of time but we see Jesus saying yes, it's time to fulfill the plan as you ordained it Argo father and I'll be born in this manner. Two moving on cantaloupe to wait. So now we've got Jesus born in a manger at the end of seven wrapped in swaddling cloth because there was no place. Shepherd how about anybody else but like the concept of shepherds in today's world is maybe a tough one to figure out we can maybe say Farmers but farming is a pretty big industry in today's world, right? So in some ways that's a little bit of a bad categorization as well. But these bullets why I want to get out of sort of a generality here generally in this time. Shepherds are thought to be alone our society and there's some debate about that. You can go out there and they're like, that's not true. I assert this not the other but the notion is the reason that they would have been here is quite logical. How many ceremonial practices?

So you're in the field and all these ceremonies and things are happening. Right? This is a big deal in Jewish culture that we have to go to the various rights and procedures and sacrifices, but they have to miss that kind of stuff right there working late hours there in a field at night. Most people probably would not be if they were working at a job. I don't I don't go out in the field by night does not happen in my room and listen to server lost or wandering around. Yes, but certainly not for work and it go so far as to say that they were unable to testify in court, right so that these are a group of people that because of their job are precluded from certain ceremonial practices. That would have beans them clean or worthy. They're gone all the time on the field your best friend of their sheep so much so that the people that ran that facility said what your testimony is, no good because you're intrinsically unclean right you you can participate in this event demonstrated any sort of ability to be truthful or or people how we the people around us that run the stuff see that to be but yet these are the folks that the Angels appear to. And I bet the transition here is beautiful. I think because we see that at first they're afraid and rightfully. So right like the terror, I mean, I don't know about anybody else. But if I was standing outside at night and all of a sudden the sky was super bright and an angel begin to speak to me. My first reaction will probably be what is going on. That's what the legitimate thing but immediately comforted by the angels and then when they're gone, they're not like I can't believe it like that that just happened. It was like we got to go, you know, they knew that was real it was there doesn't seem to be a question about like was that was having an angel or maybe it was an asteroid and I don't know that there's no debate about that. Here. It is as soon as there as soon as it's over it's like that. Vincent van Gogh from the way the shepherd said let's go to Bethlehem and see if she has happened, right? Show me see them talking. Immediately after the Angels declare this to them Heaven is boom right the first we see a multitude of the heavenly host. But I Envision you can't count them. All of a sudden the sky is filled after the proclamation from the heralding angel the one that saying here's the something you need to know. Evans like it's happening is happening all the Angels up here. And at this point the angels are singing praises to God. They're well aware of what's going on here, right? This is something that we're probably been talked about in heaven for ages God's plan to save people and it's happening tonight. Right and and we told the Shepherds and that's it. Now they're going to go in this begins a huge process on our Earth which opposed to Heaven Play Feels Like a blip and I think that is something that we should know the Angels. Oh my gosh this a saviours, you're kidding. They are showing up on mass right? Look at this for us. Maybe now we can say what is a little bit more Glory here, but I would say

Case of an announced that the Heavenly Host I'll give you that's pretty gory. It's like it's a glorious format of the announcement right? Perhaps we could say that would be a very ornate invitation. Sent to people that are very unexpected. I use the target there was a birth recently. I think it was some Prince or princess. Somebody had a baby in England. I'm not sure exactly but it was a big a big deal to a lot of people like there were news articles and Camera showed up and it was an ounce of the whole world and there was a big Pomp and Circumstance about that is just simply what what they didn't do is say, oh the you know, the princess is about to have a baby. Let's go out in the middle of the night and find three sanitation workers and we'll take the whole royal guard with trumpets in the whole nine yards and sake unto you is born this night princess, which is the daughter of sound so music in leaf.

Grandiose glorious targeted at Shepherds in a field at night.

That's kind of contradictory and I argue that's because that's exactly how the glory of God often is. Right? It's a very contradictory never mind. The fact the Christ is coming at all the redeem people at all, right. This is an endless debate in in in our world is why does why does God save anybody glorifies him to do so or he wouldn't do so, I don't know why it glorifies. I don't know. I don't know why this is is deemed Agora. So then God said, this is glorious glory to God in the highest by this is serious glorious stuff, but we would easily chalk it up as well. Just some other little thing.

If I catch a little pun there a way to Bethlehem, they flew like a flash for Christmas. I'm kidding but here in 16 BC and AD and the shepherds are left. Really. and they went With case they flew like a flat the words are there for a reason right? Not to say although they must have done pretty quickly. I think when the Bible says with haste we should read with haste and this means they dropped what they were doing I assert they're probably still awestruck. They probably don't fully comprehend. I think that's fair. I think that's a fair assessment. You don't see that here that they were they lost. But they just got this news and these guys probably weren't experts in the scriptures and prophecies and would say, oh hell yes from Malachi. It all comes to makes good sense. Now, they're kind of been dazzled by this what they want to go. See I want to go. See I've heard something incredible. I want to go check it out. The weather they describe it. I don't think they're sneaking into Bethlehem. They're not like keep it down cuz it's pretty late. I mean it is night time and then I'll go there proclaiming and sharing is a walking in his house as he can before they get there. It says and when they saw it that when they was Jesus, they found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a Manger when they saw that they may know the saying they've been told him concerning the child and all who heard it. Wondered what the Shepherds told them right over there looking for this baby people. Like what do you do when it's like we're looking for a baby in the manger wrap with cloth vertical. Please get out of here. Like I forget it, but I'm telling you. It's this King Angels like if this is happened to you today, how would you react I can tell you right now someone knocked on my door about 1:30 in the morning and said have you seen a baby in a Manger around here? I'm like just stay where you are cuz I don't want anyone else get in trouble, to get the police down here and let's settle this cuz it's odd. I don't know if you're having a medical issue like this is unreal. The people you can see the talking ever know for real that happened that they got to be here and then lo and behold here. They are a baby wrapped in cloth in a Manger. At passers-by and others are hearing your tale probably amazed. I put that in there as a kind of a tacit now, they probably were unsure of something but whatever, you know, it's a sin to switch people everywhere. What what makes you think this baby is King of Kings Y and their answers because angels in the sky just told us so sure. They did an argument that happens here probably sounds surreal, but I'm at your work quickly transitioning to leave for a baby that's here now either way. But then there's this really sweet moment here in 19. Are we see Mary? It says Mary treasured up all these things all who heard it wondered about the Shepherds told them and that's fair. It's one dress, but got a little nutty but I'll give you the benefit but not Mary Mary knows what's going on. This is all explained to her.

And I think what we see here is a wonderful encouragement when it says treasured up all these things. I don't think that's just storage. I don't think it's just she noted them and say that all that would be good to make a scrapbook of all the things the shepherd said to treasure them up in her heart. You know this I love. I think this is God even at this time and she is probably starting to get pretty fearful about where we go from here prophecies fulfilled. My son is God's son is the savior of the world. Maybe I misheard them. Maybe it shouldn't be me. Maybe he's good. Maybe God will change his mind. Maybe he's going to say I'll forget I got another one in the works. This one's a dead then the shepherd show up and say we were in the field and Angels described that baby as the Son of God for all people and I imagine she just Smiles with tears come down her face saying Thank you Lord It's that's what I wanted to hear. I need I just really needed a tiny bit of comfort. Now. I'm not saying that in a time of need. God will always Comfort us with people showing up and saying I know you put out some job interviews. We were over there and Angels appeared and said you should go work at Mike's Carwash probably not going to happen. But in this case has been spoken to directly right. She's got some sort of ordination from God specifically and now we've got Shepherds that are showing up and encouraging her in the exact same manner.

after this I bet their brother was a little bit of awkwardness, right? Cuz it says Mary treasured up all these things finding them in their heart and what they didn't hear for the Angels is now what do you do if a baby is the king of kings and Lord of lords?

back to work, I guess right mean the baby's tired and there's probably exhausted for Joseph is to Let me see here in. In 2010 the Shepherds returned or firing and praising God for all they'd heard the scene. I've been told them right there's a big sign over here. They didn't say well we're abandoning Jeopardy. And now where you going to be the the guards of the baby or something, they didn't they said well, that's this is true. However, there's work to be done. So we'll go back. However, they don't just wander back and say well another night they keep on proclaiming even as they go right. They can't stop talking about this. This is incredible what happened glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen right. This is this isn't just I've got an inkling and maybe it'll happen someday, but they heard and they saw they got to see it all come together in one night. I mean, I can't just to think about that but I spend some time when I'm really frustrated or I'm trying to figure out like what what should I do? And I just would have long or the heavenly host of here and say the answer is this Are they well, I long for that brief 41 years. I've noticed that doesn't that's never happened to me. It doesn't happen very often any longer. But what the Heavenly Host has to say to me about the specific situations are definitely in the word are they may not think that they're there but they're there when we went through this today and we see the way that they're acting about what maybe I should you know why I'm really drawn to this but I feel like I have a job to do Lord. Should I abandon the work I've committed to do to do this new thing that you've given me that looks like a real blessing. I could say perhaps not the shepherd's didn't they went back to work after seeing Jesus in infant in the manger. They didn't drop everything and say what are we doing here? Well, that's okay back to work not strong if they did or didn't but they didn't write. They went back. Horrifying praising God didn't go back to same but they went back to work. Right it will be look at the world around us. We look at these encounters. It's reasonable that you might have an amazing or an amazing time sharing go back to what you're doing before but with something different. Hopefully for all that. You've heard the scene and then the other than 21 We see a bit of eight days when he was circumcised. He was called Jesus course circumcision was just a normal that happened. This wasn't something specific to Jesus. It would have been just Jewish culture at the time. Of course, he was called Jesus the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Reference many times is the name above all names which I like. I love that term for that. I find it just kind of all inspiring but I chose his son's name is what that's going to be. But in God's way heralded Christ birth and naming and John the Baptist write John the Baptist the one who talks about Christ coming. Is named in the same way as his name will be John if you remember Mike talk about this, right? That's the name Jesus.

and I think that's it's really really interesting, right? Glory Glory

Lord God to hear the angels Proclaim it but it's in God's way and In God's Time. I am quite sure that if Mary were allowed to pick the way that would have glorified that birth the best that would have said merry. What do you think we should do it say well here in our town. I know some people that have a really nice place. It's beautiful Nursery very kingly will have the baby there and book, you know, we'll put some gold leaves around. I don't know what you know something and let him know the king is born right? I mean, this is what shall I would do. I want Glory from man to come in and be poured on this baby this King. He deserves it and God's like I got an idea will do the opposite of that. The only people that are excited to see the baby will be Shepherds people of arguable social status and I'll tell him to come in, and I'll be excited seeing but that's it. There's no King has it arrived this time. We see, you know, some Wiseman other people, might as God begins to work his way up the chain and God's way to have Glory Sean, but the outside at the birth, it's God's way in God and in and out second bullet is the key and we talked a lot about that. I talk a lot about that. God is in control. The turn sovereignty you'll hear that turn around a lot, which is basically that God is in control when Mary was moving through there and suffering birth pangs and thinking I'm not going to be able to do this God's in control Jesus born in a manger God to control the angels. That none of this is a surprise. And as we move away from the birth of Aunt here in the next the next hour we'll talk about is Jesus going out today, but we know how the story ends doesn't stay as a baby and is taken up to heaven when he's three and and we worship a the tiny infant Son of God. We don't do that he grew and died for us and now lives forever at the right hand of the father in The Trinity. This is a a point in time where God said in order to glorify myself fullest. I will send my son down as a baby born in circumstances that no man will be able to basically stoop under born in a manger during a and such and such a way that it's not going to happen. Right? He came down in a manner that fulfilled anything we could ever. Hope the lowest of the low

said so and as I as I typed that out and I think about that I instructed I struck a bit because I agree but I don't practice that very much in my life of the world around me. I don't encourage, you know if I saw somebody that was You know very destitute perhaps in some sort of a circumstance. I wouldn't say help glorious for that's glorious that you're there because God could do something amazing with that by so somebody was sick and suffering and say, oh, I can't wait to see what God is going to do with your glory is cancer. Maybe if we really like how dare you insinuate that my cancer could be used for God's good. Well, I guess it could write but you would never say that we wouldn't you know what I hope for your baby. I hope you and your child are whisked away to a foreign land and forced to give birth in a trough to the glory of God of what I wouldn't say that right for us. God knows better than we do and he saw full. Well, this was the way we goes we start humble it cut we were going to come to the apartment born at very lonely lonely way no place and you're going to stay that way all the way to your drum.

Who is ready for Glory anybody? Yeah, we got one. All right. Well, if you don't know who Jesus is the savior Lord today is a blessed day to change that right in heaven. But for Glory now, I argue and assert Jesus Christ birth was glorious and I seen that it was but it was because the end and this case when it comes to the glory of God absolutely justifies to me. It just does maybe you're like right now, I'm that baby in a Manger on the back of the mule heading over with a husband. I can see down his eyes that you know, it's still but I'm telling you what God's glory is bigger and better than anything we could ever imagine even in the midst of something that feels like this could never ever resulting Glory, not ever. Disparate was glorious because God was in the midst and we can experience that Glory today because God is in our mitts that's in the work. He's here right now. He's not distant. He's not waiting 30 years to do something in your life today. Jesus was the savior of the world even as a baby in a Manger. You can be a child of God even as a center in this Fallen World.

Don't think because well you let you know Jesus was born in a manger, but he wasn't born in my manager. I've heard this kind of sentiment before well price had a rough go but he hasn't seen what my life is. So I think that's nonsense. He is Senior Life. He's known about your life long before you decide to live it, right? It does not matter what you've done before you walked in the store today. It does not matter. I can say that with utmost confidence. Some people may be scowling in your brain Sandlot kind of could matter does not matter. God's glory transcends all the choices and decisions we ever going to make in this place where Sinners were wrecked were busted. We're not even worth being in a Manger half the time but Christ came and did all that he did for us.

So if today is the day and you're thinking I never thought about the story that way I never thought about it. That way never thought about my lack of be glorious for God in some manner it change today.

If not, you know under under Leaf maybe you think I'm thinking that's a good idea, but I'm not going to do anything today. That's all right, you know, what is a great day to do it, but don't think like well today is my you know, today is probably my last chance ever until I'm not welcome back. I've said no for the last time. True I encourage you to think about it today talk to somebody today. That's not you know, that's a that's okay, too.