This Thing That Happened!

Introduction

Again, turning in your Bibles to Luke the second chapter. Admittedly, major misconceptions abound as it relates to this text. Cultural influences are extremely strong this time of year. This text is very often misused in association with the time of year. And even more as many think that God wants us to celebrate the birth of Jesus on a specific date of the year. The New Testament simply does not address the matter. Regardless of what time of year these events occurred, many say the spring, we should not just dismiss them or avoid them because people have the wrong idea. Should we avoid the topic of grace because so many abuse that topic? How can we fully appreciate what God has done without an understanding of his magnificent favor toward us?

Yes, indeed, an unmerited favor that he expressed, his wonderful grace, the wonderful grace of Jesus. And so I want to take this text that is misunderstood by some. And call your attention again to an extraordinary text that references an extraordinary arrival of him who would be king of kings.

It is no small coincidence that these events take place in the little town of Bethlehem. Jesus will grow up in Nazareth, and that’s no accident either, as both are the subject of prophecy. Bethlehem, the city of David, prophesied about in Micah chapter 5 and verse 2. This would be the birthplace of the Messiah. And rightfully so, because the very name of the town means house of bread. Could there be a more fitting place for he who is the bread of life to come into the world? But the story in Luke 2 has to deal with some shepherds out in the field. When it says an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them.

Suddenly, an angel appears. I sort of would like to see that myself. And the glory of the Lord. Is he really an angel? Yes. The glory of the Lord shines around them. And they were terribly frightened, as well, you would be. And the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good news of a great joy, which shall be for all the people. Hinting here of God’s plan that extends beyond just the covenant people of Israel, but his intentions for all men to bask in the joys and what has been provided by the King of Kings. Never forget that this is a message of good news of great joy. And finally, it says in verse 13, and suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host.

Wow, even more.

Peace with fellow man, understanding what Jesus came to provide.

Shepherds with wonder receive it. O sinner, won’t you believe him? But I want to focus your attention on the next verse. Luke chapter 2 and verse 15. This is our verse today. And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds began saying to one another, let us go straight to Bethlehem then and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known unto us. Oh, this thing that happened. I have been preaching here for over nine and a half years because of this thing that happened. I continue to live a life of faith and trust and hope because of this thing that happened. I want to continue to have the confidence that the shepherds have. And you would be confident too if the angels had announced it to you.

If you had been the part of such a glorious scene, and a magnificent announcement. Let’s go now and see this thing that they have announced, this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. But may we know more. And may we have a greater confidence than just about an extraordinary arrival. May we know more about Jesus that will lead to eternal salvation, bliss, and glory. And even more may we know faith and discipleship, which is an essential part of the journey, which only enhances the journey. Let us know more than this extraordinary arrival, and let us know more about the extraordinary Jesus who arrived. The story of Jesus only commences here in Bethlehem. There’s so much more to appreciate, and one sermon will not be sufficient, in which should be a lifelong pursuit.

In fact, while the birth of Jesus was a harbinger of long awaited hope, the cross and resurrection will be the centerpiece of his work. That’s what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. I came to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It is not enough to merely be acquainted with the wonderful story of the Messiah’s glorious entrance into the world and all that attended it. We need to focus foremost on the culmination of his journey, his death and resurrection. And as a result, as Daniel read in Philippians 2, he is ascended on high and has a name that is above all names. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 9. And your response to that name means everything. It means whether or not the birth of Jesus is really going to have significance in your life.

And in your future. This thing that happened was more than a marvelous entrance. It culminated in a sacrificial death and a glorious resurrection. Some of you have been to Chicago. And perhaps have even stood at the foot of Willis Tower. We more commonly know that as Sears Tower. The one hundred and ten foot. No, one hundred and ten story is more feet than that. It’s one got my numbers mixed up because I got a lot of numbers to share with you. The one hundred and ten story building.

And if you walked all the way to the top, no, run the stairs, would you? Two thousand two hundred and thirty-two stairs. Somebody actually counted them, I guess. And there’s all kinds of miles of cable, telecommunication stuff. Only Thad cares about stuff like that. 76,000 tons of steel, four point five million square feet of floor space. 16, sixteen thousand bronze tinted windows. I’ve never seen it. But if you were there, if you were there and you stood on the sidewalk and looked up, you’d probably break your neck. But you would be impressed with the massive size of the structure. And the kids are saying, I’m more impressed with the latest iPhone. More impressive than any man-made achievement is the portrait of our Savior. May we be impressed with him.

1. The Extraordinary Jesus

I want to share with you briefly in the first point of this lesson, the extraordinary Jesus. Of all the things I could choose, and there were many, I chose seven portraits. We sung about this Emmanuel.

So that he could experience what we experience in the flesh. Identify with us. But not only was he God living among man, he styled himself the way, the truth, and the life. John chapter 14 and verse 6. There’s no other means or avenue to glory beyond him. Everything ultimately meaningful depends on him and is provided by him. He is the word. He is the message. His message enlivens us. He is the Lamb. He is the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. So he was announced by the harpinger John in the wilderness when he approached. He is the Lamb, slaughtered for our well-being, he is the good shepherd, leading the soul easily wayward into the fold of safety. In the context where he is also styled the door, he says, I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me in John 10 and verse 14.

Even as the Father knows me and I know the Father, I lay down my life for the sheep. See these concepts interwoven together. And I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they shall hear my voice, and they shall become one flock with one shepherd.

But despite what is going on in the world and the chaos of government and its opposition to the Lord’s people, Jesus will reign supreme, and he will vanquish all of his foes, and he will reign victoriously with his people. And thus the portrait of Jesus, his eyes a flame of fire, and upon his head many diadems, and he has a name written upon him which no one knows except himself, and he is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean, following him on white horses, and from his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it he may smite the nations, he will rule them with a rod of iron, and he treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God the Almighty, and on his robe and on his thigh, he has a name written, King of Kings, Lord of Lords.

Because of all that he accomplished, and because of the place to which he ascended, as we mentioned in Philippians chapter 2, and Daniel read from that text, he is without question today, the conquering king. Everything that’s fashioned against his people will not stand. Because he stands as our king.

Because of his accomplishments here. As Paul would speak in Athens, he is appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained, having furnished proof to all men, and that he is risen from the dead. Do you have confidence in Jesus that he is all of these things to us, and that my confidence in him is more important than any other earthly endeavor. I want to take you to a couple of verses in the Psalms to wrap up this point in Psalm 77. In Psalm 77, verses 12 and 13, this is the point of this point this morning about the thing that happened in the first century.

And muse on your deeds.

May we muse and meditate on the extraordinary person who not only entered the world in extraordinary fashion, but lived an extraordinary life, who died an extraordinary death, and now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our extraordinary and conquering King and righteous judge. May we contemplate those essential truths so very frequently. This thing that happened. Thing that I believe and trust with all of my being. This thing that is more important than anything else that buys for my time and attention. But I would like you to know something further about this thing that happened. Our God did amazing things in the past. And we would do well to reflect and muse on those mighty deeds. But just because something glorious happened in the past does not mean that God has stopped working now.

2. Things That Still Happen

This is not only about a thing that happened, this is further about things that still happen. That God is at work even now, not so visibly, not so miraculously as we read about in the biblical narrative. But there is nothing in the New Testament that would suggest that God is done. That he is finished, that Jesus went into heaven and just left everything to continue on without heavenly involvement until it all somehow winds down or God finishes it. We need to know that this great God who did remarkable things in biblical times is a God who works even now today in the 21st century. Thought it was interesting that Daniel selected Philippians chapter 2 because I’m going there as well. Because on the basis of all that Jesus is, this admonition is given to all of those who have embraced him as their Savior and King.

Paul encourages the church at Philippi to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. We know that part, right? Maybe we should think more about the fear and trembling part of that. Not just the working out of our salvation. Obviously, there’s some activity that our Lord wants us to engage in. It is significant, it is essential, and we must set ourselves to the task of it and not be discouraged in its pursuit. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, understanding, as we saw in the previous portraits, the righteous judge who is going to hold us to account and declares that all men everywhere should repent. Behavioral change will be required by this Lord. But on the basis of who he is, and that at his name every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that he is in Lord, that we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

And so often people stop. And it’s not the end of the sentence. Verse 13 says, For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. And I know people will quickly go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, 13, which talks about the word and the role that the written word, which comes from the word, the role that the written word plays in our transformation and in our renewal. And so since it performs its work in you who believe, Paul says in that place, in 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13, that Philippians 2 and verse 13 must solely be talking about the role the word is to play in our lives. And as we work out our salvation, it has a lot to do with this message.

How we approach it, how we digest it, what we do with it in terms of our thinking and character and service, how we live our lives. It has everything to do with that. But that’s not the extent of all that God is doing. When it says God is at work in you, that’s not the only passage that applies. We were talking this morning in our high school class about the role of the providence of God throughout history, and then a little bit about our individual lives. And I said we’re going to be talking about that in this lesson. Just as God arranged incredible circumstances for the arrival of our Lord, incredible circumstances that would lead to his substitutionary atonement for our death for our sin, his death for our sin.

God is still involved in arranging circumstances for the accomplishment of his purposes. And as I’ve said so many times from this pulpit, who knows what God may be planning to do through you in the lives of other people. How many people you will impact in your life? Why isn’t God just ended all of this? Sometimes I look around at the moral decay and the influences of our world, and it seems like our world isn’t getting closer to God as a whole, but moving further and further away. And I wonder why God hasn’t ended all of this. But we can account the long suffering of our God as salvation. According to 2 Peter 3 and verse 15, he’s not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Second Peter chapter 3 and verse 9. And so I can only assume one thing. That we are here even now on December 23, 2018. Because God is not done trying to reach people with the message that they need while there’s time and opportunity.

3. This Thing That Will Happen

An ultimate day of reckoning. I cannot emphasize enough how rapid we are moving toward this eventuality. And if not, an eventuality that occurs in your lifetime, I cannot know. The eventuality of your own exit from this world. I mean, it happens so quickly. Somebody was just saying this morning how quickly we’ve come to another holiday season. And Laverne passed away this week. Laverne. Penny Marshall. Every time some celebrity passes that I remember from my earlier years, I think, but just how quickly we are moving toward the culmination of it all. Few seem to take it seriously. As I was thinking about this lesson, I’ve been thinking about it for a couple of weeks. This thing that happened. This thing that still happens, and this thing that will happen.

So few people take this seriously.

You can’t read the New Testament and not conclude that there’s going to be a final day of reckoning. And if you don’t believe that, then why in the world are you here? I mean, what book are you reading? I’m reading this one. And there’s a final day of reckoning that this book talks about. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but everybody dies.

I know theoretically it’s possible. But I’m not thinking I’m going to see 105. You thought I was going to say 95, didn’t you?

I’m not going to see it. And I’m going to go out on a limb here. You’re probably not going to see it either. 105. And you know, people act like never going to happen. No worries.

Just declare yourself good and don’t sweat the details. Where are you getting that? Wonderful story of life. Wake the immortal strain. I have no idea what that means. I’ve been singing that ever since I was a kid. Wake the immortal strain. Okay, I know, I know 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 10 says God has brought immortality to light through the gospel, so I’m just going to go with that. But the message of Jesus, the message of the gospel is about life, and it’s about immortality. It is about preparation for the final day of reckoning. So focus, if you will, not just on the things that happened, but the things that still happen. And the thing that will happen.

Conclusion

As a result of the shepherds and what they will see. Emmanuel lying in the manger and share what they had been told about the child. And Mary treasured all of these things in her heart. I want you to notice the response of the shepherds in Luke chapter 2 and verse 20. It occurs to me that we should be like the shepherds when it comes to this thing that happened. And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told. That’s the fitting response to those who are acquainted with the thing that happened. Compelled to praise and glorify God. And just as they were confident to leave their shepherding and to head toward the place of the Messiah’s birth, we need to be confident in all that we have heard about the story of Jesus, even though we have not seen.

It’s more important than any gift you’re going to open in the next couple of days as a result of this cultural holiday, and nobody touched the package that’s on my seat. My annual gift, I know what’s in that box. Don’t touch it.

May you embrace his story, employ yourself in his service, to be prepared for this thing that will happen. Let’s stand and sing.