Bible Passage: Luke 2:8-20 (NIV)
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When 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 has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just
Sermon: The Reason For Christmas
Are you happy this Christmas season? This year all of us around the world have to suffer because of Covid-19 and maybe some of us may have other personal problems such as illness, family, relationship issues beside Covid-19 making this year not a good year. If you are a Christian, do you still have faith, trust, confidence in God even though it has been a bad year and you are still suffering? Have you stop praying to God? Have you stop going to church? If you are a pre-believer, you might say there is no God. See what is happening now.
What if someone invites you to go to church and says there you will find peace and joy. What will you think and say? You might say where is God? There is no God. Look at what happen this year with Covid-19, so many people had died and suffering. Many have lost their jobs, sense of purpose. If there is God, why isn’t God helping us?
God has His own reasons & plans. He is giving you a chance to know Him. In the Bible, before the angels appeared to the shepherds, the Israelites were having a hard time. They were suffering for 400 years as God was silent. Many Christians in the Bible suffered, the Apostles, Moses, Joseph, Abraham, Job and many more. Yet none of them gave up their faith. Their faith is shown in this verse Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. You can read the whole chapter of Hebrews 11 about the faith of many significant people in the Bible.
Now let’s look at today’s passage of Luke 2:8-20. The sudden appearance of angels to the shepherds whom their society back then treated the shepherds as lowly uneducated, dirty unclean people brings to our attention why this group of people God choose to have His angels to proclaim the good news of the birth of Jesus Christ that He is the Savior born to save the world? Is to tell us that God is reaching out even to common people. God is giving us His Son as gift to us to save us from our sins to have peace & joy. He is showing His love for us. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Christmas is the time God appears to us in person so we can see Him, know Him. Christmas is the answer to our questions. Where is God? Who is God? Christmas means God with us. In Matthew 1:22-23 reaffirms Isaiah 53 prophecy being fulfilled with the birth of a son to a virgin whose name is call Immanuel which means God with us. Jesus Christ was the baby born about 2000 years ago by virgin Mary that answered this prophecy. Christmas is a celebration of Christ birth. He brings hope, joy, peace and love for people. He brings forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
The shepherds after hearing from the angels went to Bethlehem to see what the angels had shared about the birth of Jesus Christ.
Let’s read and listen to this Christmas song “Hark The Angel Sings” written by Charles Wesley
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new born King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
Joyful, all ye nations, rise;
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new born King!
Christ by highest heaven adored
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a virgin’s womb
Vailed in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the new born King!
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King!
After the shepherds had seen baby Jesus Christ, they went around spreading the word what they had been told about this baby Jesus Christ, praising & glorifying God for all the things they had heard.
God has been prompting me to share about Him for many years since I know Him. Today, I have shared this sermon to you that you may know who Jesus Christ is, the reason for Christmas we are celebrating today. I like to share with you some words about Jesus Christ below:
He Is The Gift
He is the light of the world shining brightly in the darkness for all to see
He is the hope, joy & peace that men is seeking
He is the strength for us
A Savior born that we might live
He is our shepherd watching over us taking care of us
He is the gift from God showing us God’s love for His people
He is the Gift
Will you accept Jesus Christ to come into your life? If you are, will you please say this prayer to invite Jesus into your life?
Dear Lord Jesus, I admit I am a sinner and I ask for Your forgiveness. I have done, said and thought many wrong things that are basically going against You and Your Will. I turn from my sins in repentence. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. Thank You for dying at the Cross for my sins. I invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name I pray. Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer for the 1st time and accept Jesus Christ into your life, congratulations to your new born life. We like to encourage you to read the Bible. You can downlad a free soft copy of the NIV 1984 Bible here. Start off with reading this 40 Days Bible Reading Plan for New Christians Believers. Do visit a church near you and tell your Christian friends about your new faith. They will love to hear the good news and guide you in your journey. Do contact us if you like to share the good news too.
If you are a Christian who has just repented, recited the prayer. God welcomes you back to Him. He has forgiven you. Do come back to church if you have left church and reconnect with your Christian brothers & sisters in Christ. Continue to pray to God regularly. Do your daily devotional reading. Have faith and trust in His plans for you and remember His love for you.
Now let’s end today’s sermon by looking at what other Christians worldwide has done, they have come together in their respective countries to come to sing The Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you & keep you, the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn His face towards you and give you peace. You can watch the videos at https://christunite.com/index.php/churches-unite-around-the-world-singing-the-blessing
No matter where you are, we are united as one body Christ body as His Church. May you be blessed.
May This Christmas brings you Joy, Peace, Hope and Love.
In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.
Janice Ong
Founder of Christ Unite
