I want to speak a message to you this morning that the Lord gave me entitled, "Savior, King and Song". How many love Jesus more today than ever before? Isaiah 9:6-7 is a very familiar portion of scripture. I could have gone to Luke and read part of the traditional Christmas story and that will be a part of this message, but this is the prophesy that was given of Jesus from Isaiah, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name will be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace, and of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgement and justice from that time forward, even forever the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this".
Father, this morning we thank you that you keep your word. Years and years before you sent your Son, this prophesy was given that came to pass. Lord, that gives us the hope that everything that you have said in this word that we've watched be fulfilled from the beginning until now, will continue to be fulfilled until you come again. Jesus, may you and your word increase in this place and may we decrease, in Jesus name. Amen
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I love getting together with family, not just my own family but the family of God. At Christmas Eve we're going to get together and have the communion candlelight service and honestly that's become one of my most favorite times of the year. Not just because of the tradition of it, but because it's fun to be with family. We don't all get to go to each others homes and eat dinner together or sit by the tree and unwrap the presents together but we do get to be together and share the one that is most precious to us and that is Jesus, our Savior. How many have found Him to be the most precious one you could ever have?
I know that with my children as we get ready there are going to be some things that they'll enjoy this Christmas. One of the things that we do each year is take this word and begin to read the Christmas story together. The thing that I always want our kids to know and for all of us to know as well is that it's all about Jesus.
Just a few days before Christmas two ladies stood looking into a department store window at a large display. Mixed in with the mannequins and the clothes and toys and Santa Clause was a manger scene. In it was of course the baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds and Wise men and they had even done a great job hanging the angels that were strung looking over him. Then disgustedly one of the ladies looked over at the other one and said, "Look at that, the church is trying to horn in on Christmas".
Christmas is special for many reasons. Some of the greatest memories that all of us have are of Christmas time. Time with our families, I'll remember them always. Memories of family and of the food, grandma and grandpa and the food, the kids around the Christmas tree and the food. For the Christian, it's all about Jesus. For the world it's all about Jesus. The thing that I think is so wonderful is that all of history is divided into A.D. and B.C. Whether you want to admit that Jesus is the reason for the season or not you've got to deal with that very fact of history.
I love this article, it was written by James Allan Francis and put into a magazine years back and it talked about the impact that one man had upon the world. It says, "Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, he worked in a carpenters shop until he was 30. Then for 3 years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book, he never held an office, he never owned a home, he never had a family. He never went to college, he never put his foot inside a big city and he never travelled more than 200 miles from the place he was born. He never did one of the things that contemporary society would consider a sign of greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He had nothing of this world, only the power of his divine manhood. While still a young man the tide of popular opinion turned against him, his friends ran away. One of them denied him, another betrayed him, he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth, his cloak. When he was dead he was taken down and layed in a borrowed grave through the piety of a friend. Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today he is the centerpiece of the human race, the greatest source of guidance and divine inspiration. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched and all the navy's that ever were built and all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned put together have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as that one solitary life, Jesus". How many of you think that was one of the best written articles ever in the history of the world?
The world's reaction to Jesus has taken on many different things. Some have ranged from just plain curiosity to absolute indifference. Others have rejected Him and others adore Him as we do this morning. For the Christian, Christmas means something special and very personal. On Christmas we put gifts under a tree because God put his son on the tree. Christmas is more than a birthday party and it is the greatest birthday party that ever was. How many of you are glad though that you don't light a candle for every year we celebrate his birth? If we tried to do that we'd just skip the birthday and have a bonfire. Jesus has 2008 birthday candles. It's the annual remembrance of his birth because Jesus is our Savior, our King and our Song. The Bible says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given". The greatest gift is God's gift to us. Christmas is a celebration of our Savior.
On the night the angels came to the shepherds, they declared the good news of a Savior. How many of you are thankful today that the good news that was given 2000 years ago is still good news for us today? Luke 2:10-11 says, "And the angels said to them, do not be afraid for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord". The Savior who is the Christ, the annointed one, the Messiah. That word Savior means to keep safe, to deliver, to protect, to heal, to preserve, to save, to make whole. There is so much in that idea of Savior. He is that to us. He came to save and deliver us from the devil and he came to save us from ourselves. How many of you are thankful that there is someone who will be honest to you about you? I'm so glad that he's right there with me and will let me know who I really am.
Jesus came to save us from our sins. When John the Baptist saw Jesus who was really his cousin, proclaimed in John 1:29, "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". For us it's become commonplace to say sins. Jesus didn't just come to take the sins of the world, he came to take away the sin of the world. This sin had infected the very root of all of us. We understand that as Christians. There are times when I'm sitting there reading this Christmas story to my children and when I begin to read through it I begin to think of not just every individual sin that Jesus took away. How many of you today are aware of many of the things that you've done and how many have forgotten alot of the things that you've done? The truth is I sit and I remember. I've found each year even though it's very difficult for me to get through that Christmas story without crying, I believe as Christians there is that wonderful truth of understanding what Jesus has really done. He took away the sin, the very root, everything, not just the individual things but the whole underlying problem of man.
Jeremiah 31:3 says, "The Lord has appeared of old saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love". Some deliverers do what they do for the glory, for the fame, for the power, or the adulation but the sole motive of what Christ did for us was love. Nothing we could do, nothing could save us, not our good deeds, not our good intentions, not our best works. Only Christ, the anointed one could love us like that. Only the Messiah, the deliverer, would put everything on the line for you and for me. Jesus came to show us the way to the father and to heaven, not just so we could go to heaven and be there forever but so we could have a relationship with the father. The work of our Savior provides healing to our bodies and restores our relationship to God. He's freed us from death both physically and spiritually. The Bible says, "Unto us a Savior is born".
Christmas is also a celebration of our king. The Bible says, "And the government is on his shoulders". How many of you have found that Jesus has big shoulders? The truth is this, when George Bush leaves office next month, he looks a whole lot different from when he entered in 8 years ago. How many of you have noticed that the government has been upon his shoulders and he looks like it? If you took a picture of that man at the beginning and the now, he looks like he's aged 100 years. But I want to tell you that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Government is upon his shoulders, the weight has been there and he's still the same, it hasn't been a problem for him. How many know that he knows what he's doing?
Luke 2:11 says, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord". This son that was born was and is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is the ruler of all creation. He is mighty God, he is Savior and Lord. From the very beginning the Messiah was meant to not only be the Savior of the world but the Lord of our life. This is why the world has a difficult time and this is what is declared throughout the Christmas season. Jesus isn't Santa Claus and Santa is not a reflection of the Christ. I want you to hear me, I'm not being a party pooper but the truth is this, he's the King and as Savior he sets us free. As Lord of our life and as King, he is the ruler who guides us and leads us and does it with grace and with authority.
Throughout history most Kings have been unapproachable but not our King. If you try to approach President Bush today, the one that we put into office or if you try and make an appointment with Obama, good luck with that. Most Kings and rulers are unapproachable but Isaiah 7:14 says, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign, behold the virgin will conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel which means God with us". The baby born in a manger is not the sign of an egotistical or a weak King. In all of his glory and all of his splendor this was a sign of a King who is secure in who he is and his desire to be with us. When we read that Christmas story in our home, one of the things that I know and sense on that Christmas morning is the very presence of Jesus in that room. How many know Jesus is here this morning with us today? God with us, revealed to us. It was one thing to set us free and it is another thing to have a leader who shows us how to be free and to lead us in that freedom and to be with us everyday. It is one thing to direct people from afar off and it is another thing to walk with people through everything that they are going through. How many of us are thankful this morning that Jesus has walked through us with everything we've been through and everything that we're going through and he isn't going away. He's not just sitting in heaven where its all cushy and good and looking down on us and saying, "Hey, good luck with that". He's with us here today leading us, walking with us and talking with us. As King and as ruler of our life he has obligated himself to care for us and to help us until we get where we're going. Because he is Savior and King we willingly submit to his Lordship over us.
We've been studying on Wednesday nights this idea of the Kingdom of God and understanding that as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that he is there and that he loves us and is obligated to us. He was obligated to make a way when there was no way but he did it. He did it on a quiet night, a cloudless night. We sing the song, "Joy to the world, He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness". That's our King. The nations all over today are recognizing that as hard as they try and as much as they try to work at it, there is no ruler and no king that can do it like our God. As a matter of fact, the greatest nations in all the world have set up their governments according to what this word says. The world may reject him but he is still King.
In Phillippians 2:9-11, it says, "Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in Heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father". That Lord, that ruler, that King, and as our King we know that he that is with us is greater than he that is against us. How many of you are thankful today that you've got the King that is on your side and is greater than anything the enemy would ever try to do? I think it's a marvelous thing.
I've watched this morning, we came into church and even with the second service some people have been calling out sick, there were songs that didn't quite work out, but God still knows how to take care of everything and has put everything in order. He cares for us and he's perfect in all those things, I love that. As our King and our Lord we find him in all his glory. The Bible says that he is wonderful, counsellor, the one who gives us hope, the one who speaks to our heart, the comforter. He's the Prince of peace, peace on earth, goodwill towards men. The God of all the universe, his sole desire, his sole hope is to bring that peace. What I have found is this, that without Jesus my life would have been a whole lot less peaceful. There's so much that has come against it, so many things the enemy has tried to do, so many things that people have done, so many things that I've tried to figure out and it just hasn't been quite as peaceful as I had hoped but he is the Prince of Peace. For our lives now, for all the wars that happen, for all the injustice that goes on, there is coming a day when our Lord will set his feet on this earth and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess and everyone will be at peace. The lion will lay with the lamb. How wonderful it will be to let our kids run in the street and not worry about any harm. I am looking forward to it. I want to climb onto a polar bear and go for a ride. I want to play with the lion and go up to the bear and pet the cub and stroke momma on the cheek. I want to be able to walk into any city and be able to know that I'm in right relationship with each person. There will be peace on earth.
He is the mighty God, all powerful, all knowing, the creator of everything. The Bible says that there is nothing too difficult for him. He is our Savior and our King but he's also become our song. We celebrate our Savior and our King with song. Psalms 28:7 says, "The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices and with my song I will praise him". Christmas is filled with singing. How many love the Christmas songs? I love the old Christmas carols more than I love the new songs that we sing today. The songs that we sing are more than tradition. The truth is our heart just can't help it, it can't help but sing. One of the things that I love to hear is our children sing Christmas carols. There is something just so pure about it because they haven't become jaded, they haven't gotten caught up in all of the rush, they still have the wonder. The truth is that we should still have that wonder in our hearts, never outgrowing the spirit of Christmas because the spirit of Christmas lives in us, it's the Holy Spirit.
Whether you can carry a tune in a bucket or not there is something that resonates in your heart as we begin to sing. The angels actually sang the first Christmas carol. Luke 2:13-14 says, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill toward men". Can you imagine what it would have been like to be with the shepherds that night? As the angels appeared I think they began to have one of the greatest worship services in the history of the world. As they began to sing and sat there in wonder I want you to imagine that scene. Those who know, those who truly know Jesus as Savior and as King are filled with joy. Those that truly know Him as the Lord of their life have a song in their heart. There is something that must overflow out of the spirit. Christmas is a celebration that is filled with praise.
Isaac Watts wrote the most famous Christmas carol that we sing, "Joy to the World". "Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing. Joy to the world, the Savior reigns, let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains, repeat the sounding joy. All creation sings his praise. No more let sins and sorrows grow nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found". How many of you have found the blessing of the Lord in your life? "He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love".
Psalms 48:1 and 6 says, "Oh sing to the Lord a new song, shout joyfully before the Lord, the King. There is just something that happens when you begin to realize who this one is who lives in your heart. As a matter of fact this same man who wrote "Joy to the world" is the same man who wrote, "When I survey the wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died". How many are thankful for that Prince who came and gave his life for you?
We sing songs for three primary reasons. Number one, we sing about love. Each one of the songs we sang this morning are about the love that God has for us. There have been a lot of sappy love songs written but the songs that we sing come from the heart of Jesus. Number two, we sing about champions. Everybody loves a champion, everybody loves someone who comes out on top. Number three, we sing about significant events in our life. Our Savior and our King is worth singing about for the joy that he brings, because he's the champion in our life and he's the Savior of our soul. I want to end with this thought, we sing because of our awe and because of how incredible it is that our King would love us so completely. We sing because of the joy that he brings and because he's made us whole. The truth is this, everyone of us this morning are only a part and would never be complete without Jesus. We have joy because of the blessings he bestows upon us everyday. If Jesus is your Savior, rejoice. If Jesus is your King, reverence Him. If Jesus is your song then sing like you know it in your heart and like he's changed your soul so that the whole world will know that he is the Savior, King and Song of our life.
