VIDEO - Describe Facebook and friending someone. Greatest global communication tool ever
invented. I have 675 friends on facebook.
That’s not including the friend invitations I have ignored. How many people has Jesus tried to
friend? 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand
slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone
to come to repentance. Jesus wants
to friend everyone, but some hit the ignore button.
With facebook, you can send Christmas greetings to
most people on your Christmas card list all at the same time without spending a
dime or worrying if they will get it in time, even if you wait till Christmas
Eve. How was the first Christmas communicated,
there was no facebook then, or was there?
Luke 2:6-20 (What took place?)
While Mary and
Joseph were in Bethlehem to register for the Roman census, the time came for
the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped
him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in
the inn. (How was it communicated?)
The communication didn’t just happen. Angels are spirit beings but they are not God
– just ask Lucifer. They had possibly
spent time since the beginning of time preparing to tell the world that
salvation had come. There would have
been meetings with God about who would do what and how they would do it. There would have been rehearsals. Then it was time for the world’s first
Christmas pageant.
8 And there were shepherds living
out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
Yes time for the first
Christmas pageant and those chosen to be communicated with had not rehearsed,
in fact they had no clue anything was going to happen. They were totally clueless. That is our problem, we know the story to
well and little about Christmas surprises us. Oh sure when we are little the
Santa experience surprises and of course over time that fades. But Christ coming into the world, into our
lives personal, God becoming man should never be to us routine or yeah –
there’s that story again. We should
always have the mindset of those first shepherds and be shocked then excited
each year over this thing that has come to pass, that was just as we had been
told. So there we are, living in the
fields near Bethlehem taking our turn on the night watch over our sheep.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were
terrified. (Where
did the angel appear and what did the glory of the Lord look like? It had to be
something more than the appearance of a man or these manly shepherds would not
have been afraid, especially of just one angelic being.) 10 But the angel
said
to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good
news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11
That had to be a relief Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is
Christ the Lord. 12 WHAT?
You are telling us that the long awaited Messiah has been born, and here
in Bethlehem? You’ve got to be kidding,
should we just take your word for it? This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in
cloths and lying in a manger."
Remember we have never heard the Christmas story before. You seem legit and all and we’ll check it out
next time we’re in town but we have sheep to take care of here.
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared
with the angel,
Of all the supernatural beings mentioned in scripture, it is the
angels who are constantly depicted as being identified with heaven. When the angel of God called to Hagar in the
wilderness, we read that this call was heard out of heaven. When the angel appeared at the time of the
vision which Jacob heard at Bethel, he saw a ladder reaching to heaven on which
the angels of God were ascending and descending. Often the angels are called
the heavenly ones or the heavenly host.
It was an angel from heaven who rolled away the stone at the tomb from
which Jesus had risen. Jesus spoke of
the angels in heaven and in Matthew 18:10 said, “Angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Here we have: When the angels had communicated with the shepherds they went away into
heaven. And they went: praising God
and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom
his favor rests." If they went back to heaven before them, it
is likely the first angel came to them from heaven – so it does lend itself to
the idea of the angel and angels hovering in the sky – or at least being seen
in the sky. Who knows, Maybe they did
emit light and when clustered up high would have appeared to some as a star.
Now are you getting a sense of the wonder and
excitement of the first Christmas, that God has truly come to be one of us, to
be with us, to redeem us? The do you do
at this point? 15 When the angels had left them and gone
into heaven, the shepherds said to one
another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this
thing that has happened, which the Lord (no question where they came
from and on whose behalf they were communicating this good news of great joy) has told us about."
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the
baby, who was lying in the manger. (How did they find them? GPS – find manger with baby Messiah. The point is they did find him – have you
ever found him/ Have you ever searched
for him? Have you ever said, God show me
Jesus?) 17 When
they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them
about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds
said to them. 19 But Mary
treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (a sentence
reminder that Mary and Joseph are still in the story. This part of the story is not about them –
they
are no more important to the story than the angels and shepherds, if
it had not been for them, NO ONE would know what God had done and the message
would not have been spread. Mary had not earned her part, she accepted it as
did the angels, shepherds, Anna, Simeon and wise men. You have not earned a place in God’s story,
but to know your place in it, you MUST accept it. Once you do, you can then join the shepherds
in verse 20) The
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had
heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
CONCLUSION -
INVITATION
Are you ready for the
first time to put your trust in Jesus?
Or, Today are you ready to put your trust in him again like the very
first time – to recommit to your faith in Jesus and get excited about
communicating him with others. Ready to
tell others on facebook about the one who has friended you? He has sent you a friend request; please do
not hit the ignore button any longer.
Accept his friend request today.
John 15:15 – Jesus said: I no longer call you servants, because a
servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you
friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says,
"Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"
and he was called God's friend.
God Almighty, Lord of glory, He has called me friend.
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