In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the love story of God as depicted in the book of Luke. He emphasizes that God, the Creator of the universe, entered time and dwelt on earth as the Word made flesh. The preacher highlights the fall of humanity into sin and the resulting chaos and death in the world. However, he also emphasizes God's love for humanity, as demonstrated by sending His Son to save them. The sermon concludes with the retelling of the Christmas story, where the shepherds are visited by an angel who announces the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let's turn now in our Bibles to Luke chapter 2, and let's read Luke's story of the birth of Christ, the first 20 verses of Luke chapter 2. I'll read the first, the odd-numbered verses, Pastor Brian will lead the congregation in the reading of the even-numbered verses as we stand to read the Word of God. And it came to pass in those days that there went forth a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. To be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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, goodwill toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told to them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all of these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Let's pray. Father, we thank you. We appreciate so much this beautiful story, this love story, the story of your love for us, loving us so much that you sent your Son into this world to take our sins, to die in our place, that he might give to us that wonderful gift of eternal life that we find in him. Lord, today as we again ponder this story, as Mary pondered these things in her heart, as we ponder, Lord, the wonderful truths that are encompassed in this story. Lord, help us that we might make Jesus Lord of our lives at this Christmas season. In his name we pray. Amen. We just read again the beautiful Christmas story. It's told to us by Dr. Luke. It is a love story. The story when the eternal God, the creator of our vast universe, entered time, came down to dwell for a short while on this planet Earth. And as we read in John's Gospel, in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the same was in the beginning with God, and all things were made by him. And without him was not anything made that was made. Then we read, the Word became flesh. He dwelt among us. We beheld his glory as if the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. We read that he was in the world. The world was made by him, but the world knew him not. He came to his own. His own received him not. But as many as did receive him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God, even to those who believed upon his name. Jesus said that the volume of the book, referring to the Old Testament, was written of him. So in this story of the coming of Jesus into the world, we have now the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. The whole Old Testament is to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah. This is the heart of the history of mankind, and by far the most important event in history, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world. The prophet Isaiah wrote of him saying, for unto us a child is born. Isaiah wasn't talking about just any child, for there are many children born every day. Isaiah was making mention of this special child. Unto us a child is born. Now that's looking at it from the earthly side. There's a little child born in Bethlehem. But Isaiah went on to say, unto us a son is given. That's looking at the story from the divine side, from the heavenly side. This child that is born there in Bethlehem is a son, the son of God, who God gave to this world for the purpose of redeeming the world from the powers of darkness and death. Redeeming men from the power of sin, so that they could live with God in the kingdom of God. Jesus said, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. A son is given by the Father that we would not perish but could have everlasting life. Let's make it personal. For God so loved you that he gave his only begotten son, that if you would believe in him you would not perish but you could have everlasting life. This baby lying there in the manger in Bethlehem, who through his mother is a descendant of King David, is one day destined to rule over the whole world. For according to the prophecy of Isaiah, he went on to say, the government shall be upon his shoulder. In that day he will be known as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and he shall reign forever and ever. In that day he will establish the kingdom of God upon the earth. That means that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. In that day the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God, even as the waters cover the sea. In that day throughout the world there will be peace like a river. In that day they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against a nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. In that day there will be peace even in the animal kingdom, for the wolf will dwell with the lamb and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf and the young lion and the fat cattle will dwell together and the little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed together and their young ones shall lie down together and the lion will eat straw like an ox. A glorious day of peace, peace like a river. In that day the lame will dance, the blind will see, the mute will sing praises unto God, and the deaf will hear, for there will be no more physical maladies or infirmities. Which brings up a very interesting point. In that day we will see the world as God originally intended it to be. Look around today at the world in which we live. You do not see the world that God created, nor do you see the world that God intended. You see a world that is suffering as the result of man's rebellion against God's ruling over them. And as the result of that rebellion, we see the maladies that plague our world. We see the sicknesses, we see the sufferings, we see the sorrow, we see pain, we see death. Not intended by God, but came as the result of man's rebellion against God. I often hear the skeptics as they ask the question, if God is a God of love, then why is there so much suffering in the world? If God is a God of love, then why do we have wars and men killing one another and all these atrocities? If God is a God of love, then why are babies sometimes born with physical infirmities? God is a God of love. God is not really responsible for these things. Man has said to God, we don't want you to rule over us. We will rule over ourselves. We will live as we please. And the result of man's rebellion against God has brought all of these calamities on the world. These are not God's plans. These are not as God intended, but one day you will see the world that God intended. A world that is dominated by love and joy and peace. A world when men will live together in love and in peace. A world in which there is no sorrow, there is no death, there are no physical infirmities. The day when Jesus comes to reign and the kingdom of God is upon the earth, you'll see then God's original intent fulfilled. And that day you will see a beautiful earth as God meant it to be. For sin will be abolished. Isaiah went on to prophesy of this baby that was born in Bethlehem, the child that was born, the son of God that was given. He said, and his name shall be called Wonderful. That's the name that sort of describes him. He is just wonderful. When I was young, and I don't expect you to remember this chorus at all, uh it's too far back, but we used to sing a chorus. Wonderful the love of Jesus. Wonderful he died for me. I want my life to count for Jesus, for he's so wonderful to me. And yes he is wonderful. His name shall be called Counselor. Now when you go to a counselor, you trust that the counselor is very wise. And that he can give you good advice for your problem or the situation you are going through. You want a counselor who is sympathetic to your position. One who can understand what you are going through. Jesus is such a counselor, so wise. I go to him so very often during the day for counsel, for advice, for guidance. He is also to be called the Mighty God. Now remember this is a birth, a prophecy of the birth of Jesus. His name will be called the Mighty God. Now there are many religions that do not acknowledge that he is the Mighty God. They would reduce him to something less than the Mighty God. Every cult seeks to reduce Jesus to something less than the Mighty God. Islam will acknowledge him as a prophet of a line of many of prophets including Muhammad, Moses. And he is just one of the prophets. The Jehovah Witnesses will reduce him to the level of an angel. And they will tell you that he was Michael, the archangel. The Mormons will reduce him to the level of Lucifer. And they will tell you that he is the brother of Satan. But they would all say that he is not the Mighty God. And yet that is what the prophecy of Isaiah declares of him. Jesus said that not acknowledging him as the Mighty God is to not be saved. That it is necessary for salvation to acknowledge that he is the Mighty God. In John 8 24 Jesus said, I said therefore unto you that you will die in your sins for if you believe not that I am you shall die in your sins. Now in saying that I am he is using the name of God given to Moses when God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush there in the wilderness. When God told Moses to go down and to tell the Pharaoh to let the people go. And Moses said if they ask me who is the name of God what shall I tell them? And God answered tell them I am that I am have sent you. The name of God I am. And Jesus said if you do not believe that I am you will die in your sins. One day Jesus asked the Pharisees what do you think of Christ? Whose son is he? The answer is multiple choice. He is the son of Joseph. Or he is the son of an unnamed young man in Nazareth who was messing around with Mary. Or he is the son of God. What do you think of Christ? Whose son is he? According to Mary when the angel Gabriel came to her and told her that God had chosen her as the human instrument to bring his son into the world. Mary questioned the angel as to how this could be possible in as much as she was a virgin. And the angel said to her the Holy Spirit shall come upon you. The power of the highest shall overshadow you. Therefore that holy one which is born of you shall be called the son of God. Now is Mary telling us the truth or is she just covering her sin? He is also to be called the everlasting father. Now this is something that is really incomprehensible for us to understand the infinite God and the relationship between the father and the son. For Jesus said I and the father are one. Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the father. And thus he will be known as the everlasting father. And then he will also be known as the prince of peace. What a beautiful name for the son of God. The prince of peace. And that is what we celebrate this Christmas season. The coming into this world of the prince of peace. He has brought to man the possibility of peace with God. Romans 5 1 Paul wrote therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Having peace with God I can now experience the peace of God in this world of turmoil. The Bible says thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on the Lord for he trusts in the Lord. Paul wrote to the Philippians and the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and your minds through Jesus Christ. Prince of peace brings me peace with God. No longer at war with God. No longer rebelling against God. I have peace with God and I also experience the peace of God. The prophecy of Isaiah goes on to say there in verse seven of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever the zeal of the Lord of host shall perform this. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. The kingdom of God forever and ever. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. One kingdom in the whole universe. One sovereign ruler and that is God. And the whole universe in submission unto God. A kingdom of light and life. But there came a rebellion and Satan decided that he was going to be like God. He would exalt himself above the stars of heaven and become like the Most High. And he formed a second kingdom in opposition and antagonistic to the first kingdom. The kingdom of death and darkness. God when he created the world created man and placed him upon the world the earth and when Adam was created he was created in the kingdom of God. He had fellowship with God. God would come into the garden and commune with Adam. And God gave to Adam great freedom. Of all of the wonderful trees that were in the garden God said you may freely eat. There's only one restriction. The tree in the middle of the garden. The tree of knowledge of good and evil. Don't eat of that. If you do you will surely die. Satan came into the garden and he said to Eve can you eat of all of the trees? He said yes except the one there in the middle. God told us that if we would eat of that we would die. Satan said oh you will not die. God's holding back something that is desirable. Something that is pleasurable. He's holding back from you. He knows that if you eat of that tree you will become as God. And Eve took and she ate of it and it was very pleasant indeed to the taste. Very sensual. It was attractive to her eyes. It was pleasant to the taste. She gave to Adam and he did eat. And in so doing they were transferred from the kingdom of God light and life into the kingdom of darkness death and darkness. The kingdom of Satan which was opposed to the kingdom of God. So that death passed unto all men and as a result of their sin we see a world today that is filled with chaos. Filled with death. Filled with sorrow. Filled with all kinds of physical maladies and all because man left the kingdom of God to enter the kingdom of this world. But the Bible tells us that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son unto us a son is given. And that those who would believe upon his son could be freed from the kingdom of death and darkness and could enter again into the kingdom of God and live in fellowship and in communion with God. The Bible tells us that God's son would be known as the wonderful counselor. The mighty God. The everlasting father. The prince of peace. And of the increase of his government there would be no end. And so the Bible tells us that one day the kingdom of death and darkness will be abolished and that Jesus will set up God's kingdom here upon the earth. And Jesus told us that we should pray thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth even as it is in heaven. And one day our prayers will be answered and Jesus will establish the kingdom of God here on the earth and he shall reign forever and ever as king of kings and lord of lords. God sent his son unto us a child is given. God gave his son to die for our sins that we might be able through the power of God's spirit to be delivered from the kingdom of death and darkness and enter the kingdom of light and life. And those who do, those who make that choice, will live forever and ever in the kingdom of God when Jesus reigns over the earth. The requirement is to accept Jesus and acknowledge Jesus as king. To crown him king of your life. As we sang this morning, king of my life I crown thee now, thine shall the glory be. And if I crown him king of my life now, I will be able to enjoy his kingdom when he establishes it and live and reign with him world without end forever and ever. That's what the Christmas story is all about. If you are celebrating Christmas and yet you haven't allowed Christ to become king of your life, you are actually guilty of folly. Because one day you will have to stand before God and the fact that you were celebrating the coming of God's son into the world and yet you didn't receive him as your king, that will be used against you. That will be a part of the indictment against you. You see, you've just wiped out the excuse. Well, I didn't know. Oh, well, what were you celebrating then every year? Well, the birthday of Jesus. Wait a minute, who was he? Who was that child that was born? Who was that son that was given? And you see, you will be without excuse. It will be used as evidence to condemn you. It's a serious thing. The celebration of the coming of our Lord into the world. But has he come into your life? That's the important thing. Let's pray. Father, this Christmas season we want to open the door of our hearts and invite you to come in. Although there was no room for you in the end when you were born, Lord, we want to make room for you in our hearts today. We want to acknowledge you as the Son of God. We want to acknowledge you as our Lord, as our King. We want you to reign over us, rule in our lives. And so we submit ourselves, Lord, to your rule on this Christmas season. We invite you, Lord, to become Lord of Lords over us. Come into our hearts, Lord Jesus. Set up your throne upon our heart. Reign in us and reign over us is our prayer. Amen.