Sermon Nuggets Mon Dec 19 THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
Verses- Luke 1:46-56 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
Spirit of Christmas
At this time of year we hear a lot about the spirit of Christmas.
What does it mean? Ebeneezar Scrooge was contacted by the spirits of Christmas past, present, and yet to come. In Dicken's classic story, the Spirit of Christmas is a ghost.
You might see advertisements talking about given the spirits of Christmas and what they are selling are liquor; Christmas cards depict the spirit of Christmas as love, sharing, giving.
Of Course the Bible does give us an understanding of the ‘spirit’ of
Christmas. This is different also from the Holy Spirit, although He is involved in everything that surrounds the first Christmas story.
John MacArthur reminds us that "the Spirit of Christmas is a relationship with God out of thankfulness for His salvation. It is praise, a time of worship and filling with the beauty of the Holy Spirit. It is being filled with wonder, and awe at the work of God through Jesus.
The one who was closest with Jesus at that time of course was his mother Mary. And what does she do? She magnifies the Lord. She knew that she would bear God's son. What was her response? "Why me? I can't believe it." She, by her own words, felt unworthy of such a great honor. Let’s look at her song of praise as it reminds us of reasons for rejoicing this and every season.
She begins by acknowledging the joy of her heart and soul. The first thing that comes into her mind when Elizabeth greets he and calls her blessed is praise to God for his salvation. Redemption has come. God is coming to save his people. Her heart is centered on God.
I admit that too often people would have our hearts centered on the externals not the internals. I am not one who thinks the celebration should be banned, as some Christians do, anymore than I feel music should be banned because there is a danger of centering our attention on the beauty of the voice, song, music, instruments and not on the Lord. These are vehicles that can be used for worship. But we need the reminder of the one to whom all of this is dedicated. For the Christian the joy of the season is worthy of celebration, decoration, and symbols around which we can converse and discuss the reason for celebration to our children and to one another. But let’s remind ourselves that Mary's deep desire is to honor God and love him. It is not a shallow superficiality. We worship God in spirit and in truth.
This song is often called the Magnificat Latin meaning to magnify or lift up the Lord. You have a magnifying glass it brings things into focus in a larger way than how we have seen them before. Worship is lifting up and extolling and magnifying the Lord in a larger way that we do normally. I think that is an appropriate purpose of the Spirit of Christmas. It is a time to remind ourselves of the plan of God to save a lost world.
Salvation is the heart of the purpose for Jesus to come into the world. Jesus says, ”the son of man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.” The praise that God desires is because this is His plan. He plans to redeem and save. There is salvation in no other.
To declare the salvation of the Lord is to do so in the real spirit of Christmas.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Tues Dec 20,
Verses- Luke 1:47-49 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.
Grateful for Grace
Mary, the mother of Jesus, recognizes God as her savior, meaning she needs salvation too. She calls God her savior. She knows she is a sinner who needs saving. She is like any other human being.
She does not exalt herself, Elizabeth only recognizes how blessed she was and indeed she was. Nowhere does the attention of praise ever fall on the angels, on Mary on Joseph, on the priest, on the King only on Christ.
The verb tense in the Greek of praise or magnifies the Lord is a continuous action. She magnifies the Lord and keeps on doing it.
I wonder how many rejoice this season because the coming of Christ meant salvation for them. Have you responded to the good news personally? Have you repented of your sins and called upon God to be your savior? That is the root of all praise for we cannot really praise the Lord unless His Spirit lives within and that cannot happen until we commit ourselves to Him.
"..for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant." From now on all generations will call me blessed. for the Mighty One has done great things for me--holy is his name."
Grace is the giving of God that is so undeserved by mankind. Mary is humbled. Indeed, true worship comes from a humbled heart for the more we lift up God the more we recognize our unworthiness for we are not special but God is. She recognizes and is grateful for God’s work in her life. Out of that realization we are fortunate blessed people because of God's grace. Mary had done nothing to deserve the tremendous gracious gift of God.
Now to be sure, God would not have chosen someone who did not have upstanding character and a heart for God. But there were many God could have chosen. She was not a slut, or a profane woman. She had the character that God wanted to raise Jesus from infancy into adulthood. She had a love for God and a servant’s heart. She regarded her lowly estate: she is a handmaiden, a servant, willing to obey and do what God wanted. Only the truly humble can give true worship because when they see Gods' greatness they see their own weakness and undeserving of grace.
Luke 14:11 says, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Ish. 57:15 tells us "For this is what the high and lofty One says-he would live forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." It is the humbled who recognizes the grace of God.
There is great joy realizing that we have been so blessed beyond what we deserve. If one thinks that he deserves a raise, he isn't nearly as excited about getting one as the fellow who didn't expect or even think he should get one.
Certainly we cannot be compared to Mary who was the mother of the Lord, but do not forget God dwells within us as believers. If we are partakers of the Holy Spirit what more can we desire by way of favor from God? We bear a close a relationship to Christ as did the virgin mother. It is a grace given to us so undeserved but indeed made into flesh as we demonstrate God's grace to the world within our own lives.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Dec 21
Verse Luke 1: 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
Grateful for God's Mercy.
Part of Mary’s song of praise included her thoughts toward God’s mercy. When I think of mercy I think of first, the forgiveness of God. If someone is merciful they are kind even though the other person doesn't deserve their kindness. It is not getting what they deserve. They deserve punishment, they do not get punishment. If I want the judge to be merciful it implies that I have done some wrong and I hope that he will not be harsh with me. If I want mercy from someone I do not want the worse or worse things to happen.
Forgiveness is the means of God’s mercy. Yesterday we addressed the subject of grace when Mary got this unexpected surprise of being the very one chosen to receive the babe. Mercy is recognizing this is undeserved. She felt this ought not to happen to her. When we fear, honor, love, respect the Lord when we are contrite we are seeking forgiveness for our sins and repentance implies the desire to turn from them.
I think of a comment made by Florence Littauer "I used to gather up my husband Fred's faults with the fervor of a child picking berries. I had a whole shelf of overflowing baskets before the concept of forgiveness fell heavily upon me. To be spiritual I plucked out a few of Fred's faults and forgave them, but I didn't want to clear the whole shelf. Where would I go for future reference material?"
Mary is impressed with the mercy of God in working with His people. Eph 2:4 illustrates God's mercy in this way. "But because of his great love for us. God, who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.”
Grace is given us what we do not deserve, salvation. Mercy is not giving
us what we do deserve, death.
John Prussing told of a woman who complained to a neighbor about receiving poor service at a local pharmacy, intending that her complaint would be repeated to the druggist. The next time the woman went into the
store, the druggist greeted her warmly, told her how much he appreciated her business, and filled her prescription immediately. He added that if he could do anything to help her family, she should be sure to call on him, even if it was after store hours.
The woman mentioned the improvement to her neighbor. "It certainly worked, your repeating my dissatisfaction to him."
"Well, no, I didn't do that”, replied her friend. "Instead, I told him you were impressed with the way he had built up his business, and that you felt his was one of the best-run drugstores you'd ever dealt with." The woman showed mercy. He didn't get what he deserved, but by receiving mercy he responded in kindness.
Instead of being full of judgment God has dealt mercifully with mankind by giving us a means whereby we can be forgiven. Instead of covering up sin and ignoring it and pretending it doesn't exist, we can face it and get it cleaned up and out and have those burdens lifted. God is merciful.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Dec 22
Verses- Luke 1: 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel
Grateful for God's Power
Mary continues her praise to God for his unbelievable power. She reflects in her song to God of what he has and will do for her and for others. She mentions seven things.
1) Has performed mighty deeds with his arm. 2) Scattered those who are proud in their inner thoughts 3) Brought down rulers from their thrones
4) Lifted up the humble. 5) Filled the hungry with good things 6) Sent the rich away empty. 7) Helped his servant Israel
E. Stanly Jones said, "The Magnificat is the most revolutionary document in the world." Why? Because of power against pride. Jesus came to earth to bring death to pride. Jesus knocks the props out of each one of us and says if you are a man or woman of faith; it is shown in your servant spirit, in your humble attitude. He brings down rulers. If you are not sure of that look at the regimes of Hitler, of Mussolinni, or of the communist countries that five years ago seemed like such a threat. Do you known when the rulers of Iraq was brought down, at God's timing.
However, have you thought when the ruler of the United State will be brought down? It will be.
Think for a minute of the rulers and kings that were involved during the time of Christ. There was Herod he was so threatened that he had all the babies killed. Still Christ overcame.
There was Pilate, he had not more power than what God would allow and finally allowed him to be put to death. He mistakenly even thought he had that power, yet he was overcome when Christ arose. Herod, Festus, Agrippa, Caesar and Nero all tried to do away with Christ and his followers. He has brought down rulers from their thrones and lifted up the humble. In that final spiritual conquest when the last of days are done; the mighty forces of this world, defeated, God's humble children have won."
There is a revolution against the rich. The love of Christ is demonstrated toward those who are generally poor, hungry, lost, sinners coming to Christ bring them hope to the hopeless.
How odd that someone like Mary should be picked, a simple poor woman. Joseph was only a carpenter. Disciples were fishermen, tax collector, a political zealot. In fact the whole Christmas story is not to the priests, Sanhedrin ministers, wealthy, but surrounded by shepherds, stable, straw.
Those who find themselves all self-sufficient will find themselves empty. Jesus came also to release the captives. Jesus has come by his power to make all the wrongs of society right again, all the things that are unfair just, and to overturn the oppression and prepare for the way of the final judgment of the righteousness of God. Are you ready?
Mary saw God at work. She became mindful of his power. She was to conceive of a child without having sexual relationship with a man. It was a miracle to recognize the virgin birth of Jesus. He was powerful. It was nothing she did. It was something by the sovereign grace of God that happened to her. That brought her to personal praise to God. It also brought her to reflect over the experiences of God throughout the ages.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Dec 23
Verses- Luke 1: 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
Grateful for God's Promises.
Mary is also praising the Lord for keeping his promises. The long awaited and expectant Jesus is the theme of anticipation for the Jews for so many years. Now God was fulfilling what he promised. The time had come for God to show himself in the form of a person and picked of all things, to come to earth as a baby and come to earth as a suffering servant. How unlike what they thought God should be and do.
But God does not forget promises and plans for they are foretold by the prophets and they will come about. How joyous to see that they are coming about now. He promised the seed of righteousness and Jesus is that seed.
It was years earlier when God coveted with Abraham to be his God and to let Abraham offspring become God's people. It was a special relationship that as initiated by faith. His faith was tested you remember with Isaac being placed on the sacrifice and he was instructed to kill his own son, Isaac. yet the angel intervened and said that was not God's desire, he wanted to make sure Abraham was obedience and faithful to the Lord.
What is the promise to Israel. Ish. 11:1-3 that he would be born from the family of Jesse, which was the stock of both Mary and Joseph, Micha
5:2 told he would be born in Bethlehem. Ish. 7:14 prophecies that avirgin shall conceive and bear a son. and many more Old Testament predictions.
Yes, the people have waited a number of years to be freed from the tyranny of Greece and Rome. The Israelites were wondering if the Messiah would ever come. Some are still wondering that. They were looking for the redemption of Israel. Now Mary knew that all the centuries of waiting would culminate in the birth of her son.
I wonder what she would have thought if she had any idea of what God was really doing. For you see, yes God was preserving his promises, all that was mentioned hundreds and thousands of years earlier did come about. But Jesus was interested in more than just Palestine. He was claiming his rightful place on the throne of the world- King of kings and Lord of lords. He was to reclaim the dominion of Satan. He was to see the lost and sinners come to life.
We too have the expectation when all of this will be fulfilled. What was purchased for us at his first coming will be finalized at his second coming?
Just as Mary was filled with praise for God was fulfilling his promises so with faith and hope we are filled with that same expectation that one day, soon, maybe very soon He is coming again so we shall be with him forever.
Listen to these promises: Acts 1:11 Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go in’to heaven. I Thes 4:16-18, Mt. 24:3-8 & 36-44. Rev. 21:3,4 Yes, Jesus coming is something to sing about Mary. May we continue your song of praise to God and may we recognize the spirit of Christmas that spirit of rejoicing and praising God for his salvation, for his grace, for his mercy for his power and for his promises until he comes.
Pastor Dale
