Carol Service Address

This is my 14th year of doing carol services. On average that's about 4 to 5 carol services per Christmas.

And there's always the question of what do you speak on at a Christmas carol service. What do you want from me?

I could try and entertain you for 10 to 15 minutes. Maybe you've been in those carol services with jokes and poignant stories.

You couldn't go down the sentimental route, can you? Where the preacher talks about babies and talks about wonderful acts of service that's been done this year.

In 2016 we could talk about post-truth. It's the word of the year. The Oxford Dictionary's word of the year.

Its definition is relating to circumstances or facts which are influential in shaping public opinion that appeal to emotion and personal belief.

Post-truth, that term has gone up in use by 2,000% in 2016 because of the EU referendum and the presidential election, according to the dictionary.

And you might think, as we read the Christmas story and as we sang it, that's a great example of post-truth.

But I would want to argue otherwise.

And what I want to do in the few brief minutes that I have is to resurrect a great Christian truth.

I've never spoken on it in over 70 carol services in 14 years.

I've never heard anyone speak about this great Christian truth in any carol service that I've been to.

And you might think that it's an old-fashioned truth and it's a relic.

And you might even think it's laughable.

But the great truth that I want to speak to you about this evening in these few minutes, which I think has a great deal of light to shine on your life and my life tonight,

is the truth that Jesus Christ is going to return to this earth.

And I have one small phrase from the New Testament.

Where Jesus Christ says, I will come again.

I will come again.

And it may surprise you that Jesus says that many, many times in the New Testament.

Now, so much is the need of this great truth that there are loads of Christians that have exaggerated it.

The result is that people are put off, aren't they, by Christian oddballs.

And by Christians who exaggerate this.

And by controversy.

You might remember, I don't know whether you're still there, there used to be a man with a megaphone at Oxford Circus that used to tell you,

as you were going down onto the tube on the central line, that the world was going to end.

That it might end tomorrow.

Sometimes you wish it did on the central line.

But you know how it is, isn't it?

When someone foolish Christian has tried to date the return of Jesus in glory.

The end of the world that you can date it.

Someone might come up to you or you see the poster that Christ is going to come again tomorrow.

Now you know and I know perfectly well that that is very unlikely indeed.

So you turn away from maybe your Christian friend by thinking, well he's as gullible as I thought all Christians were.

And I have a surprise for you tonight.

If you are new tonight, and if you're new to the Bible, when you turn to the pages of the New Testament,

and you ask Jesus about his return in glory, he knew very well that there would be people like that.

He talks about them in Mark's Gospel chapter 13.

And he says that people will come up to you and they'll say, here he is or here he comes.

And he's coming again, maybe tomorrow.

And then Jesus says something very surprising.

He says do not believe them.

Do not believe them.

Some people think that the Christian church is always telling us to believe things.

But the Christian church is actually here also to tell you not to believe certain things.

It tells you not to believe that you can achieve paradise on this earth.

Not to believe the lie that you can create for yourself.

The perfect family, the perfect world, the perfect Christmas.

That can isolate you from pain.

And the Bible tells you not to believe people when they say Jesus will come tomorrow.

And yet the Christian church is commissioned to say,

particularly during Advent and during Christmas season,

that as certainly as Jesus came,

in humility and generosity and meekness and helplessness as a baby,

so that same Jesus will return in glory

to judge the living and the dead.

He has come.

You read about it.

You sang about it this evening.

He left heaven.

He was born of the Virgin Mary.

He came to earth.

He lived the life of God on earth.

He performed miracles that backed up his claim.

He was crucified, died and was buried.

You can read about it.

We've got gospels at the back.

Eyewitnesses accounts of the life and death of the Lord Jesus.

We'd love you to take one away and read it.

He came.

He came.

He came.

But the Bible tells us very clearly,

he is coming again.

And I think that saves us from despair.

We look out, don't we,

at limitless space and wonder what on earth is going to happen.

That we don't have to despair over the situation of our world.

You read the horrific reports of Aleppo this week.

It's been horrific, hasn't it?

And where will it end, we ask?

Well, if we believe that Jesus Christ will return,

we do believe that he has got his hand on the tiller.

That he is in control.

That he saves us.

It saves us.

The truth that he's coming again,

saves us from despair.

But it also saves you from despising Jesus Christ.

Because if he is really going to return on the last day,

it means a great deal.

That he will have the last word.

It means that no one can compare to him.

It's amazing the amount of intelligent people you meet today

who say, I do believe in God, or in a God.

At least I think I do.

But Jesus can't be the only way.

Look at all the other religions of the world.

But if Jesus Christ is going to return,

it means that he is the only Lord.

Everyone else may have something to say.

Something to give us.

Something to commend in their teaching to us.

But Jesus is going to come as judge.

What a dreadful thing it will be.

If when we meet him face to face on that day.

And his name has been on our lips only in blasphemy.

What a dreadful thing.

As he faces us on that last day.

And we've never paid any attention to him

while we have the opportunity.

If he's going to come, it means he is the Lord.

And it means that you and I

are going to have to give an account

of the way we've used the world.

And used our own lives.

Now I just want to ask and answer the question

before I sit down this evening.

How does Jesus Christ prepare us

for that great day

which is beyond my imagination

and yours

when he will return?

And I think the Lord Jesus

prepares us for his coming

by coming to you today.

Jesus, you see,

if you look carefully at the New Testament,

not only says, I have come

and I will come again

at the last day

but he keeps saying

in the Gospels

and the Apostles say

in their epistles

he will come here and now.

Let me try and explain to you what I mean.

In John's Gospel

written by the Apostle John

Jesus explains to his disciples

that one day

he will come again

to take them to the place

where he's prepared for them.

And he then says to them

the Holy Spirit

is going to come

in the meantime

and take my place

with you.

And when he comes

John 14 verse 18

John 14:18

I will come to you.

So he prepared them

for that great day

what the Christian church

calls that Pentecost

when the Holy Spirit

came to the church

and entered

into the hearts

of the believers.

And when the Holy Spirit

entered into the hearts

of believers

lo and behold

they suddenly found

that they knew

Jesus Christ again.

No longer did they have

to depend on him

being with them

in a certain place

and at a certain time

in a certain space.

He was with them

wherever they went

by his Holy Spirit.

He's come again.

And that great joy

has been with the

Christian church

ever since.

The gift of the Holy Spirit

in your heart

wherever you are.

You cannot have

anything more practical

than that.

I spoke to someone

this week

after another carol service

and we got talking

and I said to them

do you believe

in Jesus Christ?

The man said

he's such a wonderful example

but it's just not practical.

He had to go

back to his office.

But I was dying

to speak to him

about the gift

of the Holy Spirit

of God

come down to earth

by his Spirit

into our lives

to enable us

by his power

to follow Jesus.

There's a verse

which is very precious

for many of us

who are Christians

and I want to leave you

with this this evening.

It's in the last

book of the Bible

where Jesus

is writing

to the church

of his own day.

And it's fascinating

Jesus has got

some pretty rude things

to say to the church

of his day

and I'm sure

he has got some

pretty straight things

to say to us

as the church

in our day.

And at the end

of the letter

there's a strange

twist to it.

He finishes his letter

by saying this

and I want you

to listen very carefully.

He says

look, behold

I stand at the door

and I knock.

What's that?

The Lord Jesus Christ

outside the doors

of the church

unable to get in.

And I'm afraid

that's very much

like the church

in our country

and the west.

Behold

I stand at the door

and knock.

And if any man

if any woman

if any boy

if any girl

hear my voice

and open the door

I will

come.

There's our phrase

I will come to him

and I will eat with him.

Do you see

Jesus Christ

says to the church

of his own day

I'm outside

but if there's

anyone there

who will open

the door of their hearts

I will come.

I will come here

and now.

You tonight

have not got to wait

until tomorrow.

You've not got to wait

until ten years.

You've not got to wait

until your older children.

You've not got to wait

for that final day

when all the accounts

will be settled up

on that day of reckoning.

I will come to you today

Jesus says.

I know that

for some of you

this is the only opportunity

I shall ever have

to speak to you.

But I want to commend

Jesus Christ

as someone who is able

to come into your life

today

and change it.

Transform it.

For me it was in 1993

I was 17 years old

on a camp

in North Wales.

And so Christ

opened the door

of my heart

and I'm thankful

that he did.

I didn't make much progress

for many years

but he did come

into my heart

and love.

And I have met

so many people

ever since

who've taken

that great step.

And they've responded

to Christ's promise

that he will come.

And I have never

met anyone

who's asked

Christ

to come into

their lives

and then gone

on to serve him

and obey him

who has regretted

that step.

It is the greatest

step that you

can ever take.

I want you

to read with me

the third verse

of our little town

of Bethlehem.

I don't know

whether you can

just flip back

and just look

at this verse

with me.

I'm not going

to ask you

to read it

out loud.

It's okay.

But the third

verse of our

little town

of Bethlehem

as you change

it.

Preaches my

sermon far

better than

I ever can.

It says this.

Can you see it?

How silently

how silently

the wondrous

gift is given.

So God

imparts

to human hearts

the blessing

of his heaven.

No ear

may hear

his coming

but in this

world of sin

where meek

souls will

receive him

still

the dear

Christ

enters in.

Yes

to be Lord

as you

leave

this evening

as you walk

out of those

doors behind

you.

Why not say

Lord Jesus

Christ

you've never

been in my

Christmas

or in my

life really.

Come into my

heart today.

Pick up a

gospel.

Read an

eyewitness

account of the

Lord Jesus

Christ and be

convinced by the

evidence.

Speak to a

friend.

Grab me.

Let's meet up

and talk about

it.

Jesus Christ

because the

Lord Jesus

Christ has

come in

history

and he

will come

in the

future.

But

wonderfully he

can come to

you today.

Let's bow our

heads in prayer.

Let's pray.