Advent, November 30, 2011
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Psalmody Psalm 100 p.
144
The First Lection
The Second Lection
The Sermon Hymn # 76 A Great and Mighty 2.2
Miraculous
Christmas Events
The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect
for Peace p.
45
The
Benediction p. 45
The Hymn # 558 All Praise to Thee 2.9
KJV Isaiah 7:10 Moreover the
LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask
it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not
ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of
David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my
God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and
honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
KJV Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 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 for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
KJV Romans 1:3 Concerning
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to
the flesh; 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to
the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Miraculous Christmas Events
The events of Christmas are simply full of miracles, but the
greatest miracle of all is God becoming man.
This is expressed in many ways. The virgin birth of Christ
represents both aspects of this great mystery. By mystery Christians mean a
teaching revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Word. A mystery cannot be explained
by human reason or reasoned by logic. That is why people who begin with human
logic end up missing the divine teaching of the Word. One can get as much from
an engineering book, which is certainly valid but empty of life-changing
truths.
The virgin birth of Christ expresses the Two Natures in a
clear and vivid way.
KJV Romans 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4 And declared to
be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead:
One is often emphasized today, because it has been under
attack – the divinity of Christ as expressed in conception by the Holy Spirit.
Ancient art had God’s angel whispering in Mary’s ear. I said on Facebook this
was good, because God’s Word comes to us from hearing. When God said it, His
Word accomplished it.
Just as important is the birth of Christ – His human nature.
Although His birth was remarkable and attended with many stupendous wonders,
the greatest wonder was the God-man Jesus lying in swaddling clothes.
Much is said about His poor circumstances, and they are true
on a human level. We would not want them. Yet God was not absent. God’s power
was manifested in the miracle itself and visible in the presence of the angels.
We should remember the same, because Christ is always with
us, no matter how poor the circumstances might be at the moment. Another way to
see the manger is realize, “This is how God works – not with human power, but
with divine mercy, doing far more than we can ever imagine.”
The first Isaiah virgin birth passage is an example, which
we find throughout the Bible. Ahaz is too proud to ask for a miracle, so one is
offered him anyway, the greatest of all.
The effect of the Gospel is not lacking because someone is
blinded and hardened by it. He has another chance as it is spoken to him.
And yet people have railed against this ever since the Age
of Rationalism. They do not like it, which means they question the power of
God’s Word. If that is true, why do they bother themselves with it? The
Promises leave them restless and they have to re-interpret them into an alien
philosophy that fits their noble image of themselves. They will fix the world
with that philosophy, they imagine.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall
call his name Immanuel
This three-fold Gospel promise is remarkable. Centuries
before the event, the miracle is described. Mary, before she lived with her
husband, conceived by the Holy Spirit and gave birth to a Son. His name –
Immanuel – God with us.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace. 7 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 for ever. The
zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
The titles of Jesus in the second passage point only to Him.
Only the Savior can be the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of
Peace, and yet have a government traced to the throne of David.
This is the only kingdom that will be endless – the Kingdom
of God, ruled by the Prince of Peace.
