Celebrate the Life-Changing Gift of Jesus (Christmas Eve)

A timeless message encouraging faith and trust in Christ (shared at Christmas Eve Service). Luke 2:8-20, Titus 2:11-13

"Celebrate the Life-Changing Gift of Jesus - Christmas Eve":

I. Introduction: The Spirit of Giving at Christmas

• Illustration: The experience of giving and receiving gifts
• The material gifts we give pale in comparison to the life-changing gift of Jesus.

II. The Gift of Jesus: Our True Source of Hope

• A. Uncertainty in Life and Our Need for Assurance
  • Reflecting on the unpredictability of recent times (weather, economy, social challenges)
  • Jesus provides peace and hope amidst life's uncertainties.
• B. The Shepherds and the Good News
  • Shepherds as unlikely recipients of the angel's message
  • The humble circumstances and divine announcement to shepherds reflect God’s love for all.

III. Jesus as Both Shepherd and Sacrifice

• A. The Significance of the Shepherds’ Role
  • Shepherds often cared for sheep destined for sacrifice, symbolizing Jesus’ role.
• B. Jesus: The Good Shepherd and the Perfect Lamb
  • Jesus embodies both the caring shepherd and the sacrificial lamb for our sins.
  • His life and death ended the need for sacrifices, fulfilling God’s promise.

IV. God's Invitation to All People

• A. The Personal Nature of the Gift
  • Jesus' birth is a personal gift, meant for "you" individually.
  • Salvation isn’t exclusive; it's available to everyone, breaking barriers of culture and status.
• B. The Peace and Favor of God for Believers
  • Through Jesus, we receive peace with God and live in His favor.
  • This peace allows us to face struggles with confidence in God’s plan.

V. Living in Hope, Awaiting Christ’s Return

• A. Living Out Our Faith While We Wait
  • Titus 2:11-13 - Living a self-controlled, godly life as we await Christ’s return.
  • God equips us to resist sin and pursue righteousness in challenging times.
• B. Sharing the Message of Hope and Discipleship
  • As recipients of God’s grace, we are called to share the gospel with others.
  • Jude 23 - "Rescue others from the flames" as we hold out the word of life.

VI. Personal Reflection and Assurance in Christ

• A. Assurance of Salvation Through Faith in Jesus
  • Testimony of finding salvation in Jesus and assurance through the Holy Spirit.
• B. Offering Christ to Others
  • Encouraging others to receive Jesus and find peace and purpose in their lives.

VII. Conclusion: Responding Like the Shepherds

• A. The Shepherds’ Response to the Good News
  • They immediately shared the message with others, spreading joy and wonder.
• B. Embracing Opportunities in 2024
  • Encouragement to celebrate, share, and live out the hope we have in Christ as we enter the new year.

Chris Teien, Pastor of Rockwell Church in Virginia, Minnesota, shares biblical preaching and practical encouragement through the WELL Faith Sermon Audio Podcast, along with occasional guest speakers.

New messages are shared every week to encourage you in your faith and help you apply God's Word to your life.

Learn more at ChrisTeien.com and Rockwell.church

Transcript

Chris T 0:01

Is the time that we celebrate the life-changing gift of Jesus? And I don't know how much work you've done to pick out gifts or find gifts or do gifts. Some people go all out crazy for gifts. Um I delegate that to my wife. I admitted to my to the adult Sunday school class that when my kids were little, I was as surprised to see what they got for Christmas as they were, because my wife had taken care of it. So and that's alright. So when we get older, uh we often get self-sufficient, and there really isn't anything that our kids could buy us that um would would change our lives because they usually can't afford it. So, and then it's always been kind of interesting with gift giving because when the kids are little, they spend your money to buy you a gift that you're supposed to be delighted to receive when actually you paid for it. So um there were times when I dropped hints to my wife on what I thought the kid should get me for Christmas so that it worked for all of us. So I truly could be delighted on what I received. So and there were times when I was a teenager, uh, especially when I was a little older. Actually, um I might have been a young adult, but I did buy my dad gifts like a torque wrench that I would need. Happy, Merry Christmas, Dad. That's a great tool. Can I borrow it? So um, but that's not really what Christmas was supposed to be about. It wasn't supposed to be about this intense pressure for us to give gifts, it wasn't supposed to uh distract us in that way. Instead, we should celebrate the gift of Jesus and what it means to us. And part of the gift that keeps giving is this personal relationship with Jesus Christ that gives us hope when we don't know what comes next. And I can't tell you what comes next. I mean, the last few years of living in America has been a bit bizarre. I mean, some of the fiction books that you could have read 20 years ago couldn't have predicted all the crazy things that had happened that's happened so far, and now we come into an election year, and I can only imagine it will get even more interesting. But we don't know what comes next, so we pray. We don't know what's going on with the weather. So, I mean, it's incredibly warm out there right now, and I'm okay with it. So when the big steel company gets purchased by the Japanese, people get worried and say, what comes next? We don't know, but we pray and we trust God and we hope, and that's what happened in Jesus' time. So part of my part of the Christmas story that I really like is the the shepherds, the lowly shepherds, the shepherds um who were not highly esteemed. Uh they liked him to stay out of town because they usually stunk. Um, it is interesting that the Bible says a righteous man takes good care of his animals, and so maybe they were righteous shepherds that took care of sheep. Um question whose sheep they were. What sheep were they? Were they just regular sheep, or were they the special sheep that were bred so that they could be sacrifices in the temple for people's sins? The sheep had to be without defect, they had to be perfect sheep, and um those are the type of sheep that you would guard. Matter of fact, when you hear of swaddling clothes, from what I understand, uh they used to take the young lambs and wrap them up so that they didn't injure themselves. Because from what I understand, young lambs are pretty energetic when they're born and have a tendency to jump around and could get hurt. And if they had any defect or mar on them, then they wouldn't qualify to be those type of sheep in the temple. Jesus was the good shepherd, and he was also the sacrificial lamb that sacrificed his life on the cross for our sins, ending the sacrificial system, which is good for us and good for lambs, especially. But let's read part of that. There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night, protecting their sheep. Uh, didn't want people to steal their sheep, didn't want wolves to eat their sheep, uh, taking care of the sheep. It was a round-the-clock job. Usually they try to get the younger guys to watch the sheep at night. So while they're out there, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. I would be terrified too. If you're out there tending sheep, you've probably seen just about everything. You've probably seen bad storms, you've probably seen shooting stars, you've probably seen, well, maybe not there, but here, uh, the northern lights. Uh, you've probably seen it all. And here an angel shows up, and the glory of the the holiness, the glory of the Lord shines around imperfect shepherds, sinful shepherds. We're all sinful. As a matter of fact, none of us are truly righteous, and God knows that. Outside of Jesus, Jesus makes us positionally righteous, but we all struggle with different things, and they were terrified. What could this mean? No one told them in advance what was happening. Hey, uh, just to give you a heads up, uh, the angels are gonna show up and tell you something really great, so don't be afraid, okay? Now, it just happened. There wasn't any forewarning, and so they were they were terrified. And in our lives, there's not a lot of forewarning as to what comes next. Um, unfortunately, and hopefully it's nobody here, but unfortunately, this is the time of the year when you're most likely to get laid off by your company. This is the time of year where a lot of people struggle with depression, and some people take their lives because they're so lonely and they're so sad. They don't have any hope. And we can find hope in Jesus. We can find hope to get us through the difficult times. Um, holiday seasons are terrible, especially Christmas. It's terrible when you've lost somebody that you love and you care about and they're not there with you at Christmas time, and you remember them and how sad you are without them. Or you remember um things that you used to do that you don't do anymore, because maybe your body doesn't allow you to do it, or those people don't live nearby anymore. Maybe you had a Christmas time where everybody came around, all the kids were there, and it was great. Now they've all moved away to such places that are so far away. And so there's a lot of disappointment. We don't know what comes next. So, what we should do is praise God each morning and enjoy the opportunities. Um, maybe you just want to sit there at this Christmas time if you've got something good going on, and just let your mind record it and take it in and maybe take lots of pictures, and then thank God for the opportunity that you had. But anyway, the angels are in the field. The angels are the angels are in the sky, the shepherds are in the field, uh, the angels have great news, and the shepherds are totally terrified. So the angel says to them, Do not be afraid. Okay, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Like I said, the shepherds, they weren't the most popular people in town. They didn't have a platform to speak from. And so the angel's gonna tell them this news. The angel says, Don't be afraid. Um, if I saw an angel in all of his glory, I think that my knees would probably shake and I would wonder what is going on here. But we have scripture that shows how angels are at work, doing God's plan, working, delivering messages and helping. So I think that we might do better than they did, because they didn't they didn't have the gospel accounts of the angels showing up to Mary and the angels showing up to Joseph in a dream and um all of this stuff. So maybe we would we would be better at it. But do not be afraid. Do not be afraid, and I think that's a message to us too, right now, is that we don't know what's coming up next. But Jesus gives us hope. And when we're in God's will, when we're sit our sins are confessed up, when we're right with God and we're moving forward, we don't know what comes next. But we don't need to be afraid. We don't need to be anxious. We should pray about it, and we should trust, and we should move forward. And just trust that God's working out his plan and we're in it. Um, there's all sorts of people making really bad choices, and so we need to deal with that, but just walk hand in hand with the Lord and do not be afraid. So here's the news that the angel says Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you, and he is the Messiah, the Lord. And I'm sure that when the angel said the word Messiah, the angel's ear or the shepherd's ears perked up and they're like, Hey, we've heard about the Messiah. We've been waiting for the Messiah because we're hoping that he's gonna help us with these Roman oppressors, that he's gonna help us uh be victorious, be on top again as a people, because things have been really bad, and so this sounds really great. Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you, not to them, but to you. And that's one of the most exciting things about the gospel message is it's not for just them. It's not for people who are perfect, it's not for people who just live in Israel or who Jews, it's not for um for us today. It is for you, and it is for me, and it can totally transform our lives if we would believe upon Jesus, receive him as our Lord and Savior, and follow him, especially during these difficult times. So this will be assigned to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. And so they took this in and assigned to us. Uh, why are you telling us this? And then suddenly it gets even better. A great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and the highest heaven and on earth, peace to those whom his favor rests. Who does this favor rest on? It rests on those people now who have Jesus. It rests on those people who have been made right, not because they're perfect, but because they have realized they're sinners in need of a savior and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and they're following Him in belief daily, that God's favor rests on those people, and we can find peace in that. We can find peace in the struggles. So when life gets difficult and you hear that bad news, whatever it is, to trust God and maybe in prayer, say, alright, Lord, what are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do now? When you get the when you go to the doctor's office and you get the diagnosis, the the terrible diagnosis, um, to pray, all right, God, what what's your plan? What are we going to do now? Because God works all things out together out together for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. And so, what is God gonna do through that? I have walked some pretty godly, faithful people to to the to the gates, to the door, to the place they cross over. They they had cancer, and we prayed for their healing, and they didn't get healed, and then um um they died in great faith in Jesus, and I saw their life as a testimony to others, their faithfulness as a testimony to others than that glorified God. And glorifying God is one of the most important things we can do. When you're in a good situation or a bad situation, ask yourself, how can I glorify God in this? When you are put in charge of the company, or you're the manager, or you've come into a bunch of money, or something good has happened to you, to just pause and say, okay, what can I do to glorify God in this? God created people because he wants us to worship him, but it's not that he's this needy God. Um, but no, um, when we worship him, when we delight in him, it comes back to us and it makes our lives better. It gives us more assurance, more confidence because we know the God of the universe. We know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We have the Holy Spirit to equip us and help us, and it is so good. It is the kind of life that brings contentment, the kind of life that brings peace, and the kind of life that when your life has come to an end, you can look back on and say, God was very faithful to me. I might have not made all the right decisions, but God was faithful, and God is good. It was a good ride. So glories to God on the highest and on earth, peace to those on whom his favor rests. People all around us want peace. Peace with God, peace with their situation, peace with themselves. All these people carry this burden for the sin of the stuff they've done in the past. So everybody seems to have something that they wouldn't want other people to know, and to get forgiveness of that, to find peace from that, and to move forward and help other people break free from sin, break free from addiction, break free from shame. Um, to know it's not who you were, but it's who you are in Christ. So now, currently on the back of my truck, I have uh the church name on the back. You know, I hope maybe somebody sees it and doesn't think I'm too reckless of a driver to want to come to church. So maybe they'll come. Before I came here, though, I had an imsecond.com, which is a website where people sit in a wet white chair and they talk about what their life was like before they came to Christ, how they came to Christ, and what their life has been like since. And there's lots of stories from lots of messed up people. Some are famous, some aren't. Um, and I like that site because I can relate, and I know other people can relate to their stories, their stories. And often people find Christ and they find peace when you tell your story, not glorifying your sin about how terrible you were, but your story about how you found Jesus and how he's been changing your life, and how you found in Scripture that it was making all the difference in the world. So Titus 2.11 says, For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, someday, maybe tomorrow, maybe a long time from now, we don't know. Someday Jesus is going to return, and everything is going to change. And we as believers will be able to be rewarded for the things that we've done, for the sacrifices that we've made, for the times we put Christ first, for the times when we stepped up, even though we were terrified to tell people about our faith. We thought maybe they would reject us, but we just came to the point we don't care. Uh we're going to be kind about it, but we're going to stand for Jesus. We're going to do all that we can to help rescue other people, like in Jude 23, rescue other people from the flames as we hold out the word of life. So we're waiting for Christ, but while we're doing it, we're trying to live right. So it's not rules-based, but when we do the right thing, God can bless us and God can help us. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age. And that is really difficult to do these years. Um, there is just so many opportunities to slip into sin and to do things that are just against God or anti-God or just being distracted and not even, you know, you didn't mean to do anything wrong, but you put God on the back burner. And so you grew old and the days of trouble came, and you look back on your life and say, Man, I wish that I would have spent more time uh pursuing my faith with the Lord. And that's what we want to do as a church here. Matter of fact, we've got a stack of New Testaments out there, how to find God New Testaments, that talk about how you can know Christ and how you can grow in your faith, and we would be delighted if you took one for free with you, or maybe take one and give it to somebody that you know needs it while we wait for the blessed hope, while we wait for Christ to return. So Peter says, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So we know that Jesus came and he taught us how to live. Uh, he lived a perfect life so that he could be that perfect sacrifice. And then when the time was right after training up the disciples to carry on his message, he purposefully went to the cross. He wasn't taken by surprise, he wasn't a victim, uh, he wasn't overpowered, he purposefully went to the cross so that he could be the sacrifice for our sins. And then he rose again and then um was seen by like 500 other people over a period of 40 days and ascended into heaven. Well, people could see him, and the angels like this Jesus is gonna come back someday at the right time, um, the same way that uh that he left. And so our deal, our plan, our mandate is to make disciples. Jesus told the disciples and us that we're supposed to go into all the world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So that's actually why we baptize people. Um and baptism is a good thing, it's a landmark in our Christian life. If you go to our YouTube site, you can watch, I don't know, I made a seven-minute video on baptism that you can watch about baptism. So in Colossians 1, it says the faith and love that sprang that spring from hope, from the hope stored up for you in heaven, and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel. So here we have faith and love that leads to hope. So we're headed towards heaven, but we live on this earth and we do everything we can to make a difference as we share the truth and the message of the gospel. That in the scriptures, it says in 2 1 Corinthians 2 9, um, that is what the scriptures mean when they say, No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. So I can't tell you your future. I don't know my future, but I trust in the Lord, and I know that he's got good for me. And I might go through some struggles, I might go through some hard times, but in my faith, I gotta just stop and say, okay, what what what are we doing here, Lord? What's the plan? What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to respond? I trust you. So this is something, this hope, this peace comes to all of us who have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Because just like we, uh the Christ candle right there that we've lit in the love candle, talk about God's love through Christ, 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. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them. So there was a time in my life, actually many times in my life, I prayed to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior. There was a particular time, I think I was in tenth grade, where I finally understood what it truly meant to receive Christ. And when I prayed, Lord Jesus, please, I'm a sinner, please forgive me and come into my life and save me and make you the person, make me the person you created me to be. I knew that it was real, it took the Holy Spirit. It helped me to understand that I was saved. I had a love for other Christians, and the Spirit testified in my heart I was truly a child of God, and I could look to Scripture as my assurance, and we want to help you find that assurance to help you to know that you're truly saved, to help you know that you're truly in Christ. Alright, let's get back to the shepherd story, and then Mike's gonna come up here. Okay, I'm just gonna read it. So 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 has told us about. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told about them, told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. So they they experienced the message and they were quick to tell others. I bet they spent their entire lives telling others about that wonderful day. And then it says, But Mary treasured. Up all these things and pondered them in her heart. She was along for the ride too. She was told the baby that she had was Jesus the Messiah, but she didn't have all the details. She didn't know how it would play out. Matter of fact, there's a part in scripture where Mary gets so concerned about the way that Jesus is like working too hard, that there's a family intervention, and she shows up. She's like, Jesus, you gotta come home with us. She's like so concerned about him while he's trying to do his ministry stuff. So in my last verse, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. So we've got wide open doors in 2024, and we're going to talk about that.