Do You Hear What I Hear, The First Noel

Welcome to the roots where it's all about Jesus.

We love God, we love people, we reach the lost,

and we make disciples. Like I said, Christmas Eve is

finally here and the Admin season this is kind of

like this. This is the culmination where we're finally right

here getting to look at the birth of our Savior.

And we have been in a special series for Advan

called do you Hear What I Hear? Where we're asking

the question do you hear what I hear when you

hear these Christmas songs? Do you hear Christmas the lights,

the trees, the sugar, cookies, the eggnog? Or do you

hear the Gospel? Do you hear christ? And tonight is

no different. We're not changing pace, we're not changing anything

other than it being a little bit shorter. So we're

going to be looking at a very fitting Christmas hymn

for this evening and we're already saying it. It's the Noel.

You guys familiar with that one. You guys heard that

one before.

It's a good one. Something I learned this.

Week about this song because we say Noel, but I

have noel idea what the heck it means? So I

had to look it up, and this word noel is

actually derived from French and Latin, both meaning Christmas, or

from the Latin word natalis. I don't speak Latin, but

that's the word where's we We actually get the word

natal from. So you might be familiar with that word

if you've ever taken prenatal vitamins, maybe gone to prenatal checkups.

But what does prenatal mean?

It's pre natal meaning what it's it's before the birth

of your child. And this song is a special song

because it sings about the first Christmas. It's not really

the first birth, but it definitely is the first berth Ever,

like this the one and only in one sense, this

birth is very normal and yet at the same time,

this birth is like no other. So we're gonna just

take a look at this song. See what it lays

out for us, see what it has to say. We're

gonna pray and we'll jump right into Does that sound good?

Awesome?

Let's do it should be up on the screen. The

first noel the angel did say was the certain poor

shepherds in fields as they lay in fields where they

lay keeping their sheep on a cold winter's night.

That was so deep.

Noel Noel Noel Noel Born is the King of Israel.

They looked up and saw a star shining in the

east beyond them, far and to the earth. It gave

great light, and so it continued both day and night.

And by the light of that same star. Three wise

men came from country Afar. To seek for a king

was their intent, and to follow the star wherever it went.

This star drew nigh to the northwest, over Bethlehem, it

took its rest, and there it did both stop and

stay right over the place where Jesus lay.

Then entered in those.

Wise men three full reverently upon their knee, and offered

there in his presence their gold and myrrh and frankincense.

Then let us all with one accord, sing praises to

our heavenly Lord, that hath made heaven and earth of naught,

and with his blood mankind hath bought Noel no well

no Weel Noel born is the King of Israel. Let's pray,

Lord Jesus, we thank you for this opportunity to be

gathered in your name, to remember the night before your birth,

where we will get to celebrate tomorrow with gifts one

another with one another. We just asked that you would

remind us of the true gift right now. That happened

because you came. So Lord, we just we thank you.

We asked you would open our hearts and our minds

to receive the word that you have for us today.

All to your glory and Jesus name. We said amen.

So this song is so powerful. It sings about a

birth like no other. It's a birth that I mean,

the first what five verses, beautiful picture pictures. It's taken

from scripture, kind of just telling us a little bit

about the setting and the scene and kind of what

happened that the birth occurred that caused angels to.

Sing and announce good news.

It caused wise men from Afar to follow a special

star in the sky all the way to Israel looking

for the birth of a king. But it wasn't just

any random king. The king that they had traveled great

distances to confind to present gifts. And if you go

to the biblical text, those wise men were coming to

find the king so that they could worship him.

Now here's the deal.

My wife and I have had four children, and not

once has this happened yet. For one of them having

wise men show up or angels sing. This is not

an ordinary birth, as a song tells us, it is

the birth of the King of Israel.

But still, what's so special about this king?

Hasn't Israel had kings before, Yes, but none like this, Because,

as the last line of this song tells us, this

King of Israel wasn't just anybody. This little baby born

to be king is also the same person who created

every single person in this room. Take that in, the

same baby that is born to be king is the

same person who created every single one of you. This

song speaks about angels announcing good news to the shepherds

about his birth, wise men from a distant land seeking

a king and finding Jesus. Jesus is the one that

they find, and the song ends with this call to

worship our Lord, the one who created everyone and everything

from nothing and shed his blood to redeem his people.

So what does this mean? It means that the King

of Israel, Jesus, is the King of Creation, come to

save his people. Jesus is the King of Creation, come

to save his people. I'm getting so excited right now, Okay,

I wanna take a deep breath so this song identifies

the same person who created everything with the same person

who shed their blood to redeem us. It calls them

the same person. Let's look at the last two lines

of that song again. Says that half made heaven and

earth of nott and with his blood mankind half thought,

that is the Lord we're being called to worship. These

two lines tell us everything we needed to know about

the King of Israel. On a baseline. It tells us

everything we need to know. First, he is the creator,

second that he is the savior. So let's just start

with the first one. That first part of the line,

it says that half made heaven and earth of not.

I guess said just a minute ago.

The same newborn king is the same person who created

every single person in this room. But not just the humans,

not just the people. He created everything in this room.

It's actually kind of a funny situation. My son right now,

he's three. He keeps asking, well, he keeps saying, like,

God create everything. I'm like, you're right, he's like, and

he created that house. I'm like, kind of, and I'll

go down this list of Yeah, it's it's fun getting

to explain that to a child. But a Calausians one

fifteen through UH one fifteen through seventeen says this about Jesus.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn

of all creation. For by him all things were created.

Let me say that again, For by him all things

were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,

whether thrones or dominions, or rulers or authorities, all things

were created through him and for him. We'll say that again.

All things were created through him and for him. And

he is before all things, and in him all things

hold together. Wow, everything that was created was created by

and for Jesus.

That's why here at the roots our mission is. It's

all about Jesus.

These Colossians tells us, it's all about Jesus. It's all

about him. Everything is supposed to be about him. Everything

that has been made was made through him and for him.

Jesus is the son of God, and he's the creator

of you and me. That means the King of Israel

is not just some other king. He is God incarnate,

meaning God in the flesh. Jesus is truly God and

truly man. Look at what the beginning of John's Gospel says.

He says, in the beginning was the Word, and the

word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him was

not anything made that was made. Skip down a few

verses says the the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

and we have seen his glory, glory as of the

only son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

It's talking about Jesus.

It's saying Jesus is God, Jesus is the creator, and

Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us.

That's what we're singing about. That's what we're celebrating. Now.

Have you ever been to a birthday party where someone

who isn't the birthday boy or girl starts to make

it all about them.

Well, unfortunately we are those insufferable people.

Everything was created through Jesus and for Jesus, which means

two things. We belong to God and we're supposed to

live for God. But here's the issue. Many of us

will look at our lives and see that what I

just stated would in fact not be the case. I

live like I belong to him. I don't live like

I live for Him. We don't live our lives for Jesus.

We live our lives like we belong to ourselves, like

we are the god of our own life, like we

are the creator. We live in disobedience and defiance of

our Maker. Look at how Effesians describes us. And you

were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you

once walked, following the course of this world, following the

prince of the power of the air, the spirit that

is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among

whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,

carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind,

and were by nature children of wrath like the rest

of mankind.

So here's the deal.

When the Bible speaks about our nature before Christ, it's

not an optimistic report.

It says we were children of wrath. And if you

haven't put.

Your faith in Christ, that means that you are a

child of wrath. Because every moment of every day that

we live for ourselves in opposition to our Maker, we

are setting up or restoring up wrath for ourselves because

of the sins and rebellion against our God. We want

the birthday party to be about us, But we are creatures.

We need to remember that. Like you didn't make you.

You can thank your parents, but really you can thank God.

We were made by Him and for Him. But instead

of living like it's all about Jesus, we live like

it's all about us. We have tried to set ourselves

up as God over our own lives, like we created

ourselves and have the right to choose our purpose. But

who decides what's something is meant for? Who decides what

something's purpose is the created thing or the one who

created it. This rejection of God as creator, this unbelief

and hostility towards the things he created us for, is

a mindset that we are spiritual slaves to. We're enslaved

to that mindset. If we've not put our faith in Christ,

we are taking captive slaves or our passions following the

spirit of disobedience. Ever since mankind first rebelled against God,

they became slaves to sin, obedient and oriented towards a

rebellious life. Running from God, mankind fell into a pit

too deep to crawl out of.

So the Bible tells us.

Mankind spiritually died and was sold into spiritual slavery of

their sin. And if you need like a little bit

of proof of that. Have you ever just tried to be.

Like good for one day? Just get it right? Now,

here's the deal.

You might go like starting now, right, and then you're

gonna get in your car and you're gonna go home

and you're gonna have your family show up to your

house and do things, and you are not gonna act

righteous all the time.

Just tried to be perfect for one day. Can't do it.

We can't do it.

Even if we want it out, even if we were like,

oh I woke up and I'm in these chains, we

can't do it. We're stuck. And here's the deal. It's

what we deserve. We deserve the fruit of our sin

and rebellion. It is justice for God to punish our wickedness,

and it's justice for him to let us face the

consequences of our sin. That needs to be understood. God

could perfectly say, you know what I told you, and

you went ahead and did it anyways, and now I'm

just going to leave you to your own devices. He

could do that, and he would be totally right to

do that, no problem whatsoever. He's the judge saying, yeah,

the murderer should be sent to jail, Like that's he's

a good, just judge. We owe everything to God, but

we try to keep it all for ourselves. God doesn't

owe us anything, and yet we will live our lives

like he's the one that should be serving us.

I think about it when you pray, and then why

you pray? Not wrong to ask the creative all things

to help us out, but.

Usually we're like, hey, sidekick, it's time for you to

come in. Kind of need something from you. We have

fallen so far from where we ought to be. The

world is so upside down from the very good standard

it started with that Here is the good news. The

same King, the same creator, is also the only savior

that leads us to the last line of our song.

Look at this, it says, and with his blood mankind

half bought. Look what Ephesians one point seven says. It

says in him we have redemption through his blood, the

forgiveness of our trespasses.

According to the riches of his grace.

Jesus, the King of Creation, was born a man so

he could die in our place and save us from

the wrath. Do our sin and set us free from

the slavery of our sin, that.

We could tell our sin. No, I'm with him now.

But here's once again, I do want to be understood.

Jesus didn't do it because he had to. Jesus didn't

do it because we deserved it. Didn't he didn't do that.

It says here in this text that it was according

to the riches of his grace. It was according to

his graciousness. Now I need you to think of your

worst enemy, just the person that you just don't want

to see ever again. Maybe that person who hates you,

wants nothing to do with you, lives to get under

your skin. Maybe that's your coworker, maybe a past friend,

a family member, hopefully not your spouse or child, someone

who has truly committed an offense against you that still

bothers you to this day. Someone you could totally be

justified in cutting off from ever seeing you ever again

and leaving them to their own destructive patterns. You got

that person, that's you, that's you before God. But the

riches of his grace are much more abundant than ours.

Look at this Romans five six through ten. For while

we were still weak at the right time, Christ died

for the ungodly, for one will scarcely die for a

righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one might,

or one would dare even to die. But God shows

his love for us in that while we were still sinners.

Now let's just take a little pause. Let's go over here.

A sinner a.

God here, someone who's running away from him, who's rejected him,

a son of disobedient.

A child like a child of wrath.

But God shows his love for us that while we

were still sinners, Christ died for us. Dang, he didn't say,

I almost say it for you. Since therefore we have

now been justified by his blood, much more, shall we

be saved by him from the wrath of God? For

while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by

the death of his son. Much more, now that we

are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life?

Amen?

Jesus the King didn't come to die for us because

we almost had our act together. That makes sense. We

were almost there, and he's like, let me just tip

the scales. You almost had it. Let me come out.

Now we hate him, We don't want anything to do

with him.

We want to be God he came to die for

us when we were at our worst. Does not just

make his grace so much sweeter. You're just like man.

I did not deserve this. I I deserve what I

did have coming to him. Jesus, the king of Creation,

came to do what no other person would do. Die

for their enemy, Die for their enemy. We were his enemy. Jesus,

the king of Creation, came from no higher place to

go to the lowest for his enemy, you and I.

Jesus came to ransom us. Jesus came to redeem us

by his blood. Jesus is the only savior. Look at

what Titus says. Once again, we get this awesome list

of all the things that we are or were, for

we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves, the

various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy.

Look at this, hated by others and hating one another.

Just what a good time. But when the goodness and

loving kindness of God, our savior appeard what happened. He

saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness,

but according to what his own mercy, by the washing

of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom

he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior,

so that, being justified by His grace, we might become

heirs according to the hope.

Of eternal life. What does that mean.

It means that we went from God haters to heirs

in God's house. That's awesome. We went from being God

haters to God going, like, you know what, out of

his own grace and love, He's gonna save us from ourselves.

He's gonna save us from our own wickedness, our own rebellion.

And not only just save us and be like, you

know what, clean slate will start again tomorrow, We'll also

be doing this every single day. It's not clean slate.

In fact, he makes his sons and daughters. We go

from children of wrath to children of God.

We go from children of wrath to children of God.

Are you kidding me? That's insane, that's crazy.

That's how deep his love is, that's how that's how

rich his mercy in graces. My mercy in grace is

not that rich. I'll try and be on maybe even

terms with someone we're good, but to be like you

know what, and you can come eat out on my

refrigerate anytime you want.

It's yours.

I should look like Jesus a little bit more. Jesus

is a king like no other. This baby that was born,

that made angels sing in wise men worship, is Jesus,

the king of creation, come to save his people. And

scripture is clear God has come to his creation. But

there is still some of his creation who will reject him.

But here's the Jesus didn't shed his blood in vain.

Jesus shed his blood to save his people, those given

him by the Father, those chosen before creation, those who

believe in him.

Look at this Romans ten.

Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,

and believe in your heart that God raised him from

the dead, you will be saved.

That's a promise.

For what the heart one believes and is justified, and

with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

For the scripture says, everyone who believes in.

Him will not be put to shame, for there is

no distinction between you and Greek. For the same Lord

is lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who

call on him. God has grace for everyone. God has

grace for every single person who would call on him.

Why look at this verse thirteen. For everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved. That's

good news. That's the gospel we preach. That's what the

song is singing about. John one says, the true light,

which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made

through him. Yet the world did not know him. He

came to his own and his own people did not

receive him. But to all who did receive him, who

believed in his name, he gave the right to become

what children of God, who were born not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the.

Will of man, but of God.

We need this new birth, We need this freedom from

our sin, and it can only be found in Jesus,

the King of Israel. In this advent season, as we

look at Jesus's first coming, it should also remind us

of how we are awaiting his return, when he will

come again to set everything right.

Look at this Revelation twenty two.

It says, behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense

with me to repay each one for what he has done.

And then look at this. I want you to really

just lock this in your brain.

He says, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the

first and the last, the beginning of the end.

You catch that.

It's three times He's saying the same thing three different ways.

Jesus will come again to judge the rebellious and save

his people. Jesus will come as the King of kings

and Lord of lords, and every knee will bow and

confess Jesus is Lord. My question to you is what

will the King say when he comes for you? How

will the King find you child of wrath, child of god?

How will he find you setting yourself up as a

god or submitted to him? Look at this incredible verse

in Isaiah. It says, this is just so cool. We're

gonna get a lot like just look at this, Thus

says the Lord. This is o t old Testament. Thus

says the Lord, who the King of Israel. That's who

that is? Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel.

Who is the true king of Israel. It's the Lord. Oh,

and catch this? And what and his redeemer? Who's redeemer

Israel's Thus says the Lord the King of Israel and

his redeemer.

The Lord of hosts. What's that next line?

Say? I am the first and I am the last.

Jesus makes that claim on himself in revelation. That's just

so cool. Look what it says after that, besides me,

there is no God. There's no God. There's no God

but Christ. The Lord makes it crystal clear. He is

the King of Israel, he is the redeemer of his people.

He is the first and last, the same title Jesus

uses of himself that there's no God besides him. So

what other God have you been serving? What other king

have you been serving? What God have you been bowing

down to? Is it your job, your family, the girl

or boy you're chasing.

Is it yourself?

Your own once, your own desires? Have you submitted yourself

to the King? God makes it clear that there is

no room for two gods in your life. You either

be Him or your sin. If you took inventory of

your life right now, who would you say rules your life?

You made it to church on Christmas Eve? But what

about the other sundays when the King's people are gathering,

gathering to worship?

Where are you? Who rules your marriage?

Who rules your purpose, who rules your plans? Jesus is

the king over everything? So do we live like that?

We will say it. It's really cool. I need the

band to come up, like five minutes ago. Jesus is

king over everything, and we sing these songs, but are

we actually listening?

And do we actually believe these things?

And it's really easy to say, well, yeah, I believe

it because that is a truth that I keep in

my head. But is it a truth that's actually gripped

you that you live out. Ever since his birth, it

has caused angels to sing, wise men to worship, and

as our song also calls us to, it calls us

to in one accord, sing praises to our heavenly Lord.

So not only am I going to give us some handlebars,

but I also hope that as we just look at this,

we're just.

Like, gosh, Jesus is awesome.

He's amazing, He's incredible, and I'm so grateful for who

he is and what he's done. But what should we

do when we hear this song? When we hear this song,

we should hear that Jesus is the king of creation,

come to save his people. So the first thing that

we should do is repent and put our trust in

Jesus the King. That's the first thing we should do.

If you have not done that, maybe you have and

you've wandered, you've gone astray, and somehow you find yourself

here on a Christmas Eve.

It's amazing.

I don't believe that's on accident. But this is that

opportunity to repent and turn to your Lord, to your maker.

Only because of what Jesus has done. Is it possible?

Next we should let the King truly rule our lives.

We call him king, and we don't let him touch anything.

We need to surrender those areas we've been holding out

on him. And finally we should just do what the

song says. And so that's what we're gonna do. We're

gonna praise him. We're gonna sing praises to our heavenly Lord,

and we're gonna do it in one accord. We're gonna

praise him with his church, praise him in our day

today lives. Meditate on the amazing God that he is,

and let the great grace he has shown his creation

move us to praise him in every moment of our lives.

Jesus is the King of Creation, come.

To save his people.

So as his people, along with all of heaven, we

should praise our great King.

Amen. All right, Would you please stand