Meditations on That Holy Night | Pastor Daniel Batarseh | Christmas Eve

We're bundle together tonight. We're here because of one

reason, and that is to Worship the Lord on this Saturday

evening. I'm so glad that we can do that,

and it seems appropriate even when the dimness of this room

and the Blackness outside of these windows to turn our

attention to the very night where Christ, and when Christ

was born and the Holy Spirit, does not give us the precise

date of when the Messiah entered into our World.

But in God's wisdom, he has provided detailed accounts

surrounding that glorious event and in God's mind it's suffice

is for us to know just that so that we can worship Him and Obey

him accordingly. And one of those accounts that

have been given by the Lord pertaining to the birth of our

savior deals with the Angelic announcement of Christ being

born on the very night that he did arrive.

I've and I want us to see what happened here because the

essence of the Angels message to an unsuspecting group of

shepherds can be beautifully. Summarized in one verse and

that's in Luke 2, verse 11. For unto you is Born This Day in

Luke 2:11

the city of David, a savior who is Christ.

The Lord For unto you is Born This Day in the city of David, a

savior who is Christ. The lord a savior is born not a,

not a social reformer. Not a philosopher who had

proposed some ethical framework to provide Humanity.

Some guidance in life, not a charity worker.

Who would give us some examples of how to treat the

marginalized? Not even a prophet.

Who would merely perform some Miracles?

What the angel said is loud. And clear.

A savior is born. And what a title.

What is significant purpose given to a child?

And the fact that this child would be a savior implies that

there is someone or there is something that needs to be

rescued. Meditating on this verse should

cause us to ask a very simple question.

Who is it that the Savior will seek to deliver?

And what is it that he will save from exactly.

And all we need to do is have a simple surface level survey of

the Bible to get a clear idea. Of what it is.

Exactly that the Savior came to do.

You know the Bible doesn't blush about its truths, it doesn't

shrink it isn't Veil, anything it is clear and the Bible and

frantically declares that the very object of the savior's

saving is Humanity itself. Humanity is in need of saving.

And what do they need to be saved from?

Exactly what do we need to be saved from?

God himself. We need to be saved from God and

God would save us from God. I know that seems strange, but

it makes sense. When you understand that.

The problem Humanity faces now and faced, ever since the

beginning is that God is Holy God is good.

God is just he is perfect. There is no one like him.

We try to make him like us to comfort our conscience, but you

will never be able to challenge the heights.

That the scriptures places this God in, he is so above and

beyond what we can even create in our imagination or with these

hands or with our own words with our own ideas.

He is Holy and this God created us.

And when he created us he created us with the intention of

glorifying himself and also fellowshipping with his

creation, not because he was lonely, not because he was in

need of anything. But out of pure delight, being

the creator of all things, he created us in His image and he

gave us one simple instruction. Just don't eat of One Tree.

I'm gonna plant you in a garden and you can Feast on an array of

vegetation and you can enjoy Paradise.

But there's just one thing that I'm asking you not to do.

And some would say, why would God even give the option and I

say, because God is love. And because God is love, he

gives you a choice to love him in return.

And our first parents Adam and Eve who are our Representatives,

the federal head of mankind failed and they made their

choice to not love God. But to love their own desire,

their own wishes, their own plans and to satisfy their own

desires and ever since that happened.

The world has been fractured. Humanity has been broken and

only the Bible listen to me. If you're skeptic in this place

I welcome you and I hope you leave here with answers and more

importantly, I hope you leave here with the savior in your

heart. I've been meditating these past

two weeks. About how no other book, no

other text, no other historical document.

Gives us many answers as the Bible does when we think about

the universal Universal element of death and the universal

element of sin there is not one part of the world that it can

escape it. There's not one portion of

history that has evaded it, no matter where you go, no matter

what corner of the globe, you tuck yourself in sin, has

contaminated it, no matter what you do to yourself, and no

matter how much we advance in our technology and our science.

We We still die. Why how do we explain this?

Where do we find answers for this mystery?

And it's right here in this book that I am preaching from no

other person, no other belief system, gives the detailed

answers and the clarity that God's word does.

Ever since our first parents sinned against God, judgment has

been hanging over the human race. and it it has been ready

and it will soon be poured out on Adams descendants Because we

have all like, Adam like Eve turned, our backs to God and

I've made a willful decision to satisfy our wishes at the

expense of disobeying God. And here's here's the thing.

God is not a cosmic, teddy bear. He's a moral lawgiver.

And when law is broken as a just judge, he must penalize and he

must summon the subjects who have broken his law into

account, and that is all of us. And you might hear that this

evening and think, to yourself. Well, if we are all in trouble,

if we have all fallen short of the standard of God's holy law,

because in giving this law, he expect he expects his creation

to abide by that law and to imitate and reflect his

character by upholding that law. If we have all fallen short,

then surely we must do something to save.

Ourselves. Surely there must be something

that we can do to appease this, God to satisfy this God.

But again, as I said earlier this, God is just We can't do

anything to save ourselves, just like a criminal who has created

a great crime cannot stand before a judge and try to

convince him that he can do enough Community work to escape

any price that has been laid on him for his crime.

God does not just brush our sins beneath this Universal rug.

Somebody has to pay. We have to pay.

And there's nothing that we can do, there's no arm to twist.

There is no good deeds that you can Heap up that will ever

satisfy the Perfection that God demands from us because he

himself is perfect. So what does God do?

Well, if the story ends there, then we're all doomed.

And we might as well eat and drink and be merry for tomorrow.

We die. But God is love.

And his love is so great that he comes up with a plan even before

all things happen. Because he knew what would

happen and he threw the Eternal son willingly entered into our

world. So that through his life, death

and Resurrection Would provide an atonement that would satisfy

the justice of God and would cancel the record of our heaping

rebellious record of sin forever.

He comes to save. And the effect of his saving

work by taking on flesh. Yes.

We look at Jesus as a baby and we sing about it, but he didn't

stay as a baby. He entered in as a baby so that

he can become a man. And as a man, he took on a whole

life of obeying, the law of God perfectly on our behalf and then

to Die, the death that we all deserved and the effect of that,

the effect of that is not merely eternal.

There are byproducts of that wonderful Act of Grace that you

and I can enjoy today and that is seen in verse 10.

I read to you verse 11 but the angel began with something else.

He said in verse 10 and the angel said to them fear, not for

behold I bring you good news of great joy.

Fear not for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will

be for all the people. That will be for all the people.

So remember this Angel appears to this group of Shepherds?

And they are supervising their flock in the night. and by

surprise, here comes the celestial messenger, who breaks

open the black midnight sky, and appears out of nowhere before

these ordinary men Blue Collar Folk, And as this Angel comes,

the first thing he says to them is fear not.

And I'm telling you the reason why he tries to comfort them is

far beyond the element of surprise.

When you read verse nine, we not only see that the angel appears

out of nowhere, kind of like that.

The angel, not only appears out of nowhere, but we're told that

the glory of the Lord Shone around them.

And so, there is something of This brilliant Supernatural

light. These Shepherds have seen like

they've seen sunlight. They've seen Moonlight, they've

seen Starlight, they've seen man-made light, but this kind of

a light, it was Indescribable and it caused them to be in

great fear. And I wonder if these Shepherds

with a basic understanding of the word of God, we're able to

put the pieces together. Together of what was taking

place in those few seconds here, is this heavenly messenger?

Who is coming with This? Brilliant light.

Surely this is the glory of God appearing before us.

And if you just had a basic understanding of the Old

Testament, which is the Hebrew scriptures, then any Jew would

have understood that for God, to appear in his glory is a death

sentence, you're doomed. by virtue of his nature being so

pure and so perfect that like the sun will consume anything

in, close proximity, simply because of the Brilliance of his

Holiness and the sinfulness that we are all corrupted with And so

in the Old Testament, even when God's glory had appeared at

different portions of Redemptive history, there was great caution

given and there is Specific Instructions.

Given if anybody would even come a step toward the glory of God,

And here are these men who are given no notice.

No heads up no preparation. Like the Israelites at Mount

Sinai who were told to cleanse themselves days before the glory

of God would show up on the top of that mountain, just suddenly

This light comes and consumes the scene and underneath them,

and behind them, and around them, is this light.

And perhaps, with that light before them flash to their own

lives. Here we go.

God has come to kill us. God has come to consume us.

And the angel instead reassures them.

Fear not. Fear not.

This is good news. Yeah.

What you are seeing is the glory of the Lord.

But God is not come to destroy you, he's come to save you.

And just like the shepherd's we too.

Can be delivered from Fear because of this good news.

You and I do not have to stand and Terror before this, God, not

now and not when you will stand before him at the end of your

life. The gospel that we preach.

When it is believed on when it is responded to with faith.

Eradicates fear, all kinds of fear.

But let me tell you the fear that we need to be most Fearful

of, if I can say. The fear of God. not because

he's a tyrant not because he is this bully in the sky, who takes

the light in our punishment, who is sadistic because she's

holding, we're not It's a good kind of fear. and it's a fear

that I won't everyone should have if they are uncertain of

where they stand with God, But the angel says fear.

Not you can, it's almost like a foreshadowing.

You can stand in the glory of God.

Now you can be face-to-face with this.

Yes, even in God's moral majesty, and all of his

goodness. You don't have to fear.

Matthew tells us that he has come to save us from our sins

and later on, we are told that he has come to save us that we

might serve him without fear without fear.

So, what Jesus does because he, he lives on our behalf and he

dies in our behalf and he takes his righteousness, and he

imputes it into your account, what that does is it evaporates

any concern that God will change his mind about your verdict.

And there never has to be a sleepless night.

And there, never has to be a thought that runs through your

conscience that says, am I safe. Before this holy God.

Willie abandoned me in this life.

Will he will? He destroy me?

Will he punish me? Will he disowned me?

Will he will? He remove my name from that

record? That guarantees that I am a

citizen of Heaven, all of that disappears on the Merit of what

Jesus has done. Fear is gone, when you're truly

born again. Yes.

You can be tempted with fear, but let me tell you what, one of

the joys of of knowing Jesus is your free.

You are free. What do I mean by free?

At free from sin but you're free from Fear. you know, last night,

our family received unfortunate news, our grandfather passed

away unsuspectedly We knew he was sick.

We knew that time would come, but it happened very quickly.

And so, my father FaceTime me last night, as I was meditating

on these truths to prepare to speak to you tonight.

And he was in the room with the rest of my family who were able

to make it my mother. Her siblings, some of the

cousins. There was my grandfather laying

there. And I can tell he was on the

threshold of Eternity. And many things ran through my

mind, looking at that and praying at the same time.

Thinking about him. Thinking about his wife, my

grandmother thinking about my mom, his daughter, her siblings.

And then finally, throughout the night.

And even today, Pulling back and thinking about.

The whole experience. What I saw in a scripture says

better to go to the house of mourning than the house of

feasting. There is wisdom to be learn when

you're faced with the death of another.

And I looked at that and his face from that blurry FaceTime.

Episode. Stirred, my heart.

To think this is it. This is this is the fate of all

of us. For all of you.

For me. And in one FaceTime call that

ended within a few minutes of text came he passed on.

In just a few moments in one breath.

You're there surrounded by your loved ones who are holding onto

you crying over you. From there, surrounded by the

warmth of love and support. You're in the presence of the

glory of God. One breath.

One text message. With the news that somebody has

crossed through the veil of this universe into a world.

That is more real than this one. And you don't want to ask

myself. Are you ready?

Are you ready to stand in the glory of God?

For some, that is a dreadful thought for thought for some,

that is a fearful fearful thing to even, meditate on for a

moment. But for the Christian Dare I say

it can be exciting. You can think about such a thing

and actually know a blanket of comfort over your soul.

Because what Jesus Christ does is enable you to know a peace

with God. So that when you meet with God

there there doesn't need to be an ounce of concern that he will

expel you from his presence or consume you in his presence.

You know what happens because of Jesus his glory becomes your

home. That's what happens.

And the very light that cause these Shepherds to fear and

rightfully fear for the moment. Is a light that you and I will

enjoy for all of eternity. Because of Christ.

You may have a lot of answers or you think you do about this

life. Where are your answers for the

next one? come tomorrow and you'll get

some There is no dread in Christ.

There is no fear. What we see here in verse 10 is

more than just fear. Not look at this for behold.

I bring you good news of great joy so here's what happens.

The good news is not just erasing fear, all kinds of fear

in the most important fear, whether whether or not you're in

right standing with God. Now we actually know great joy.

The angel was so specific he could have said Joy, But he said

great joy. You know what the Greek word for

great is you know, it Mega I love it because I look at it

this way, I bring you good news of great.

Joy I bring you good news of Mega.

Joy mountain is Joy. Overwhelming joy, all-consuming?

Joy. A joy that surpasses all

happiness. All the little things that you

try to thread all the little things that you try to create,

try to bring some kind of purpose and gratification.

No, this is Mega joy and mega Joy can only come from Christ.

Joy. Joy is so profound that, those

who trust in this, good news and open their lives up to the

reality of, it will be able to testify.

There is nothing else that compares, there is nothing else

that can come close to what I feel in here.

How can it be? That I can be so full with

something that I can't see. How can it be that I can be so

secure and satisfied with something that I can't tangibly

perceive. You see this message is so real

and its implications are so obvious that it makes this

impact on you in a way that moves you.

And this is why a weekend like this is so significant.

This is why on a Saturday night you're choosing to be here.

And to listen to what I'm saying is because this message revives

our joy when we lose fuel in it, You know, you have a lot of

Christians, that that, that make it their mission to look at

things like Christmas and Easter and the timing of it, a matter

of great controversy and they become apologists for the Faith

by, you know, just being controversial.

I personally have no issue with celebrating Christmas.

As long as those who celebrate it.

Celebrated the way, the Bible would tell you to celebrate,

there's no day that there is, no, there's no call to remember

the birth of Christ per se were called to remember the death of

Christ. But I have no issue to take

advantage of what's Happening year after year to allow the

message of the Gospel to revive us again.

You know why a weekend like this is important.

We can take advantage of it because even the most faithful

followers of Jesus Christ can lose perspective on the joy that

is reserved within this good news alone you and I can lose

sight of it so quickly and you and I can get involved in little

things, not that little things and little projects and things

in this life and events should not be enjoyed by then we try to

make it the substance of what. We are.

And I'm telling you, the closest followers of Jesus can fall into

that trap, and I'll prove it to you.

After this baby becomes a man and he starts his ministry and

he has disciples. He sends out many of them on a

preaching Crusade and he gives them Authority.

And this Authority was not just to preach with conviction and

power, but to heal the sick and to cast out devils, And after

the little campaign, they come back and they have a debrief

with their lord and they are related.

They are overwhelmed by the authority of the name of Jesus

and they tell Jesus, even demons are subject to us in your name.

The Lord hears them and he understands where they're coming

from. But then he issues some

instruction and light of their happiness of their service, to

God and Luke 10 20, you don't have to turn there but listen to

what the Lord says nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the

spirits are subject to you, but Rejoice, that your names are

written in heaven. He says listen he's not trying

to deflate their excitement of seeing the miraculous or seeing

the joys that come with serving God he's not trying to erase

that from them. He's not trying to take that

from them but he wants to teach them a valuable lesson.

Don't have more excitement about what you do for God, you better

Anchor, your join what God has done for you.

Learn that stay there. Relish in that truth over and

over, let that be the heartbeat of your joy of your Glee of your

pleasure. When I thought about it, how

does a future event not even future.

How does something after I die? Benefit me now how does that

translate to me? Experiencing a joy?

That should be greater than any other thing that I can rejoice

in? And it's very simple if you

think about it, it's clear whatever you gain in this life.

No matter what you accomplish, it will never ever come close to

the privilege that you have and having a citizenship in heaven

and listen what Never you lose in this life and you will lose

much in this life, whatever slips through your hands.

No matter who is taken from you, no matter what heartbreak, no

matter what failures you experience, even the failures

outside of your control, know that, in light of this

imperishable and guarded assurance, you have no reason to

frown. You have no reason to be

overwhelmed. And for Christians, the reason

why we sing the reason why you're happy the reason why.

You navigate through this life, much differently than others is

not because of what you do for him.

It's because what he's already accomplished.

And you rest there. And you allow that to shower

over you. You know, you think about the

Apostle Paul in the book of Acts, how he was able to utilize

his, Roman citizenship to avoid many problems, right?

you have this citizenship in glory, I mean, this world is the

closest thing to hell. You will experience Christian

and for the person who is not in Christ, this world is the

closest thing to Heaven. They will ever know and I find

that pretty pathetic. This Joy was so real.

That the Angels themselves could not help.

Could not help but join in, on the song, there are many

instances and I'm closing here where an angel appears on the

scene in this world to deliver something.

From the throne room of God, many instances, sometimes of

judgment and sometimes of glad tidings.

But what this Angel does, and what happens with this Angel is

unprecedented. You don't find it in any other

place. When he arrives to deliver this

message, he is accompanied with a Heavenly Choir.

And Luke. You see it in the same chapter

verse 13 of chapter chapter 2 and suddenly there was with the

angel, a multitude of the Heavenly Host, praising God,

praising God, and saying, glory to God in the highest, and on

Earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased.

You can't find one other place in all of the Bible where you

have this heavenly host appearing in.

In this world in this way, you can see Angels praising God in

heaven. You see that throughout the Book

of Revelation, but I'm talking about a choir from Heaven,

invading into this world and celebrating an event that is

taking place right there and then you can't find it.

And do you know why you can't find it very simple because

there is no greater message in this world that can demand such

a response. There is nothing in this world,

there's nothing that this world has ever produced.

That would ever demand such a response from heaven.

The Eternal Son of God. when these angels stood in the

presence of And these angels sang, too.

From these angels, new far beyond you and I can imagine.

Are now seeing him become a baby?

That's glorious. They gloried in his humiliation,

they rejoiced in his love. They could not help.

But break out in song as they realized they deserve Wrath.

They are wicked. They have rebelled against the

Holy One. and you would perhaps disagree with me on this, but if

God had chosen to judge the world, Instead of saving it.

I'm sure the Angels would have sang.

The Praises of God, nonetheless, because he is Holy but instead,

they They had a new song to sing.

One, that would be unexpected. Perhaps.

And that is this. God has now come.

To abide in the womb of a virgin, girl.

To become so vulnerable. So helpless, so exposed.

The one in whom we could not even be hold with.

Our eyes is now hanging from A woman's breast.

And he will learn how to walk. And he will have a first word.

And he will know the tensions and The Temptations of this

life. For one purpose.

So that he can develop hands, that would be nailed.

Feet, that would be pierced. Aside to be penetrated.

A beautiful head to be crushed with thorns.

A beard to be pulled. Eyes and a nose and lips to be

spat upon. To save.

A savior has been born. And this savior who was born.

He still saving today? Are you saved?

I'm offering you a gift. It's free.

You probably have things wrapped underneath the tree.

Maybe you're excited to discover what it is that your wife got

you? Your husband got you, your kids

got you. It's going to turn to rust.

God forbid, a thief. Might steal it.

One thing's for certain. Huh, get as tight as you want.

On your breasts on your dying moment.

Somebody's going to take away that thing Stitch you up, put

some makeup on you stuff you in a casket.

And bury you. While you yeah, you the real you

that you that's not just this flesh will be standing in the

glory of God. That could be an exciting thing.

I could be a terrifying thing. I want it to be an exciting

thing and how you translate from Terror to treasure is you

acknowledging, you need to be saved.

God is Not demanding for a righteous performance between

now and that final breath. He's demanding for you to humble

yourself and the presence of God.

Even now to say, I don't know why I'm here.

Maybe you saw pamphlet on your doorknob this past week, maybe

you're invited by a friend or family, but I'm here.

And I'm here and I heard a message.

That demands a choice. God, I ask that you forgive me.

I see what my son has done. I know that if I were to die

today, I would not be standing and right.

Would you wash me clean? If you did come to save, save

me, rescue me, and let my name be written among the righteous

so that I would have no more fear and I want that great joy

that Mega joy that that preacher talked about Would you do it in

my heart? I want to tell you that savior,

the Savior that I preached, the Savior that I am not ashamed of

By the authority of God's word, he will save you and you'll know

it how will I know you'll know it how the same way if you had

100 pounds riding on your back and all for a sudden somebody

just cut the rope for it to be loose and you feel this

lightness? And you feel this burden?

Just disappear. That's how you'll know you

Christians know what I'm talking about.

And so as we sing in closing, you have every right to speak to

this God who is alive? And well, and it was ordained

this moment for you to hear this message so that you would be

saved. And although I pray that you

would be saved a savior has been born.

Let's Stand Together. Would you pray with me?

My prayer is going to be geared towards a person and this place

who might not be saved. And also a prayer for the save

to have their Joy revived in the fact that their names have been

written in heaven. Lord, in this place as we are

ready to go back to our homes, We ask Lord if there is even one

in here, who does not truly know you. that their hearts would,

would not shake off conviction or the tug of the holy spirit

that they might be experiencing at this very moment.

Oh Lord, we pray on behalf of those who might not know you.

And that Lord, you would manifest your great glory to

them in the gospel in the cross, so that they could see clearly

your great love for them and Lord for us who know you.

Over time have become very familiar with this message.

We pray for a fresh touch to realize the reality of Eternity.

And that everything because of Jesus has been taken care of, we

are going home. And there is no one who can

condemn us because it is God, who justifies, Lord, we worship

you. And we ask that you would be

blessed by our praise in light of what we heard.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.