The Good News of Christmas

She was just an ordinary teenage girl.

She didn't have any claim to fame.

By today's standards, not very many people even knew her name.

But God did. Her name was Mary.

Mary's hometown was a small, simple village relatively

unknown by the name of Nazareth. When it did come up in

conversation, there was almost always an underhanded joke with

the question, Could anything good ever come out of Nazareth?

Mary loved God, but in all probability, Mary likely never

thought God could or would use her to actually do anything

great for the Kingdom of God. She was a simple young lady who

probably thought she had nothing special to offer.

But Mary had the one and only thing that God requires of us to

be an instrument of extraordinary use in His hands.

And that one thing is faith. Teenage Mary had faith in God.

Teenage Mary believed God. Teenage Mary loved and trusted

God. Teenage Mary is was looking

forward to one of the greatest days that she could have

anticipated in her life. It would be it would be the

greatest celebration of her life at which she would be the center

her wedding day to a young man by the name of Joseph.

Second only to the birth of a future of any future anticipated

children. This was going to be as good as

it got for Mary. This would be the greatest

celebration of her life. But all of that was about to

change. God had what you might call a

glorious interruption of her life in mine.

The day God sent an Angel by the name, that day God sent an Angel

by the name of Gabriel to visit Mary's life changed forever.

I want you to listen from the word of God how her life changed

forever in a glorious interruption out of Luke chapter

Luke 1 · chapter mention

1, beginning in verse 26. This is what the word of God

says. In the sixth month, the Angel

Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth

to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the

House of David, and the virgin's name was Mary.

And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the

Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at

the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might

be. The Angel said to her, Do not be

afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and

you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be

called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to

him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over

the House of Jacob Forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no

end. And Mary said to the Angel, How

will this be, since I am a virgin?

The angels answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will over shadow you.

Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of

God. And behold, your relative

Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this

is the 6th month with her who was called barren.

For nothing will be impossible with God.

Amen. And Mary said, Behold, I am the

servant of the Lord, let it be to me, according to your word.

And the Angel departed from her. Mary and God, thanks to

Gabriel's message, are now on the same page.

Joseph, on the other hand, is a different story in so many ways.

Joseph was also an ordinary young man in the eyes of most,

if not most other men. There was nothing special about

Joseph either. Nobody expected anything

extraordinary out of Joseph's life.

But Joseph again had the one and one and only thing needed for a

man or a woman to be used in an extraordinary way by God.

Joseph had the same thing Mary had, which is faith.

Joseph was shocked and confused at the news that his fiancee

Mary was pregnant. Can you imagine?

Had someone unbeknownst to Joseph come in and swept her off

her feet while he wasn't looking?

Had she been violated? It didn't make sense, but he

didn't want to shame her. He was angry, but Joseph was a

good man and out of love for her.

He can never be cruel to her. Joseph decided to do the only

thing he knew to do, quietly divorce her, Break off the

engagement. But all that was about to

change. God had another glorious

interruption in mind. I want you to listen to Matthew

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1. By the way, the Christmas story

in Matthew is referred to as the Christmas story from Joseph's

perspective. The Christmas story out of Luke

is often referred to as the Christmas story from Mary's

perspective. Matthew chapter 1, beginning in

Matthew 1 · chapter mention

verse 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ

took place in this way when his mother Mary had been betrothed

to Joseph. Before they came together, she

was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit, and her husband

Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame,

resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these

things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

Saint Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your

wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the

Holy Spirit. She will bear a son.

You shall call his name Jesus, for He will save his people from

their sins. All of this took place to

fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.

That's the prophet Isaiah. Behold, the virgin shall

conceive and bear a son. They shall call his name

Emmanuel, which means God with us. 700 / 700 years before

Christ was born. In Isaiah Chapter 7, when Joseph

Isaiah 7 · chapter mention

woke from sleep, he did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him.

He took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to

a son and he called his name Jesus.

For the second time Joseph was shocked, but this time he was no

longer confused. It was all very jarring, but

this time was absolutely crystal clear.

Joseph would be the earthly father to the eternal Son of

God, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb.

By faith, Mary had said yes to God's glorious interruption of

her life. Now by faith, Joseph also he too

says yes by faith to God's glorious interruption of his

life. Nothing is impossible with God.

Why would we ever say no to God? And yet how tempted are we often

to say no to God? Praise God, they said yes to

God's interruption of their lives.

Friends, whenever God calls, can I challenge you to say yes?

Wherever God leads, can I challenge you to say yes when

you feel like God? That's impossible.

Remember, nothing is impossible with God.

So say yes to God's plan and purpose and call however you

know this is true. Here's the deal.

Just because all things are possible with God, and just

because you might choose to say yes to God, doesn't mean

everything automatically gets easy.

In fact, that's also happens to be the point.

Many times when things don't get easier, they get they get

harder. Joseph finally had the nursery

ready. Can you imagine if you were a

Carpenter and you know the Christ is going to be your son?

What kind of crib do you think Joseph had spent months

preparing? I can only imagine a crib for

the Christ. What kind of craftsmanship must

have gone into it? How proud he must have been of

it. Mary had been trying to rest as

much as she could, no doubt. And here's the deal.

The Angel though had only appeared to Mary and Joseph, not

their parents, not their grandparents, not their

siblings, not their friends, not their neighbors, and not their

Co workers. Everyone else thought what

Joseph had thought prior to hearing from the Angel Gabriel.

This birth was not going to be easy.

It was not a family celebration. It was a small town scandal.

Everyone that came by Joseph's shop for carpentry work kept

asking him if he was sure. If he was sure that he wanted to

go through with it. Everyone understood if he had

wanted to divorce her. Joseph, I would imagine, didn't

bring up that he had spoken with an Angel.

I don't think that had been good for business.

Joseph probably kept that to himself.

Perhaps he just smiled and said thank you.

Pray for me as I do what I know God has called me to do.

They frowned at Mary. They felt sorry for Joseph.

What if saying yes to God means doing something no one else will

understand? What if saying yes to God means

doing something no one else in your life will understand?

You see, God had a calling on Mary and Joseph's life.

What if they had been more concerned about public opinion

or parental opinion than they were God's opinion?

What if they would have feared people more than they feared

God? What if they didn't have the

guts to walk by faith in the face of what you know was good

common sense advice from people who love them, but God's call on

their life wasn't common, was it?

So common sense advice didn't fit?

What if they'd have been more concerned about people's opinion

more than God's? Here's the deal, ladies and

gentlemen, boys and girls, mark it down.

Ultimately, every man and every woman has to decide that their

life and living is between them and God alone, and everyone else

can post their comments underneath their life if they

want to. But the only ultimate opinion

that matters to you is God's. Is that the one you're living

for? Is that the only one that really

matters in your life? What God thinks, not what

anybody else thinks Because of God's calling on your life.

Can I ask you, do you know if you're living out God's calling

on your life? Are you saying yes to God?

Are you managing your life based on the opinions and the comments

that keep popping up below? Speaking of things getting

harder before they get any better, Mary is nesting.

I'm imagining Joseph is preparing, and then worst case

scenario happens. The last thing Joseph and Mary

wanted to hear was what came about politically at the moment,

getting close to the time she would give birth.

I want you to turn back to Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Listen to verse one through 7. Worst case scenario.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all

the world should be registered. This was the first registration

when Corinius was governor of Syria, and all went to be

registered, each to his own town.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of

Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called

Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to

be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

While they were there, the time for her came to give birth, and

she gave birth to her first born son, wrapped him in swaddling

clothes, and laid him in a Manger because there was no

place for them. In the end, the timing of this

decree could not have been worse.

Caesar needed a census so we can know how much money should be

coming in daily in his treasury. The most powerful man in the

world had ordered something that was going to affect their lives

and Luke doesn't tell us. The date of this census is

obviously pretty close to Mary's due date. 90 miles over 4 days

on the back of a donkey while nine months pregnant.

Do I have any volunteers? 90 miles by foot for Joseph over

4 days I think. Gave Joseph a lot of time to

think, don't you? Now, Joseph, this is all Kyle

here, not Bible. Joseph may have just been

blessing the Lord and honoring him the whole way he might have

been. But my guess is at some point

along the way, maybe day 2 or maybe the middle of day three, I

think Joseph asked God some questions.

Maybe like this gone. If you sent an Angel to talk to

me and my fiance, if you caused her to conceive supernaturally.

God, were you not paying attention to Caesar's calendar?

God did. Did you not see this coming?

God, do you realize Mary might give birth on the side of the

road? God, could you not have timed

this more perfect? God, if you're really in

control, what is going on? Let me put it like this.

Do you think, do you think this is what popped in my mind?

Do you think Joseph over 4 days leading that donkey with Mary,

almost nine months spread, do you think Joseph was enjoying

the journey? I mean, maybe I don't want to

cast shade on Joseph. I don't need to.

He may have been far more righteous than I realized.

But if he was like me, I'd have been struggling between getting

the donkey moving too fast and making Mary uncomfortable.

Right? To like trying to get there and

avoid trying to be on the side of the road.

I think that I would have not been enjoying the journey

because it had been being spoiled by worry.

Can I ask you the question, Do you think God wanted Joseph to

enjoy the journey? I think so, but I bet he

struggled to. Why?

Because of worry, because of anxiety, wondering all the what

ifs, having already heard nothing's impossible with God,

but now in a situation where it just doesn't look all like

Joseph would have arranged. Now let me ask you a question.

Are you enjoying the journey or is it being spoiled by worry or

is it being spoiled by any anxiety?

Maybe you know God's in control, you know God's got a plan, but

it just doesn't all make sense right now.

But do you think God wants you to enjoy the journey?

I think we know the answer to that question, right?

And we can, if we remember and trust him by faith.

Joseph may have been putting all this together, but I think he

probably was struggling. But I can just imagine the whole

time, God the Father was smiling.

Why? Because where did the Old

Testament prophecy that Jesus would be born?

Right where Mary and Joseph were headed?

Micah 5 verse 2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too

Micah 5:2

little to be among the clans of Judum, from you shall come forth

for me, one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is

from of old from ancient days. You see, God is committed to His

plans and His purposes. He invites us in by faith to

participate. God never promises it will be

easy or that we will always understand.

Joseph is on a journey just like God may have you on in ways

wanting you to trust him by faith and it not be spoiled by

worry. They make it, but things don't

get any better, they get worse. You've been there before,

surely, Joseph, like, oh, God, if you got me going, you're

going to have a spot for us. What was the message when they

got there? You know, we don't know the

exact situation, but what we do know is there was not a proper

room for a woman nine months pregnant to give birth in, not

the one she would have chosen. We don't know exactly where it

was, but it was obviously closely associated enough with

animals for Jesus to be laid in a feeding through as a crib

because Joseph couldn't U-Haul the one he had worked so hard on

in Nazareth. Mary and Joseph were again in

shock. This is not what they expected.

God had a glorious interruption in mind, though from an earthly

perspective. The scene of Jesus's birth from

an earthly perspective could have looked disastrous.

But God the Father smiling? Why?

Just think about the meaning of it all.

Bethlehem, which means House of bread, was the place He promised

His Son would be born in the flesh, and His Son, the bread of

life, born in the House of bread, was placed in an object

used for food. Where an actual lamb might have

been born. The Lamb of God was born to take

away the sins of the world. Mary and Joseph still can't

believe it, but God the Father smiling at the meaning of it

all. Jesus would come as the Savior

of the world, and He would also come as the great Shepherd of

the sheep. So guess who gets the first

announcement? The shepherds do.

Listen to Luke chapter 2 verse 8 through 14 and in the same

Luke 2:8–14

region. There were shepherds out in the

field keeping watch over their flock by night, and an Angel of

the Lord appeared to them in the glory of the Lord shown around

them, and they were filled with great fear.

The Angel said to them, Fear not, for behold I bring you good

news of great joy that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who

is Christ the Lord, and this will be a sign for you.

You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a

Manger. And suddenly there was with the

Angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and

saying glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace

among those with whom he is pleased.

Don't be afraid, the Angel said. Fear is often what spoils the

journey for us. Don't be afraid.

Remember, nothing's impossible with God.

I bring you good news of great joy for all people, for unto you

is born this day, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Glory to God and peace to man. God is giving man a way of

salvation. It would all start with the

birth of His Son, but this would be the beginning.

For this would lead to the living of a sinless life by our

Savior in our place. He was born to live that sinless

life because we have not lived that sinless life.

And living that sinless life, He would go to the cross as a

substitute sacrifice in our place to pay for your sin and to

pay for my sin. I read the other day in my quiet

time, something to do just quietly in meditation is just to

think about the cross and think about it for about 5 minutes,

long enough to let it sink in of what Christ did for you.

Think about what would have gone into that moment, what he'd have

been thinking, what he would have been feeling and

experiencing. Christ was born to live a

sinless life for you to die for your sin on the cross, and then

to go to the grave having tasted death, to defeat the greatest

enemy itself, death itself, to walk out alive, to live forever

more, to offer you eternal life and forgiveness of sin.

If, as the Bible says, you would call on Him to be saved by

confessing Him as Lord and believing in your heart, God

raised Him from the dead. This good news, ladies and

gentlemen, it's for you and it's for me.

It's for every single person. In our final few minutes, I want

to just zoom out of the story we've just recounted and remind

you of the bigger story. Because it's hard to sometimes

make sense of the Christmas story without understanding the

the bigger story. And this is what's in your notes

if you want to follow along about the bigger story of the

good news of Christmas. And it's simply this, I want to

remind you that the good news of Christmas wasn't out of the

blue. It was promised.

It was promised by God. How far back was it promised?

All the way back to Genesis 315. You don't have to turn there,

but I just want to walk you through some of the places God

promised. God promised the story of

Christmas in Genesis 315. It says this.

I will put enmity between you. That's hostility between you and

the woman. He's speaking to the serpent.

He's speaking to Satan and the woman and between your offspring

and her offspring. He that's the offspring of the

woman will bruise your head. That's the head of the serpent

and you serpent, the enemy, Satan shall bruise his.

That's the offspring of the woman's heal.

You see what here is being promised is God promised the

good news that one day one would be born of woman who would crush

the head of Satan. The good news goes all the way

back to the beginning from the moment sin entered the world

that God would send born of woman and offspring.

As I read an article this week by New Testament scholar that we

have a skull crushing Savior crushing the head of the very

enemy who tempted and caused us to sin and turn our backs on

God. God would send one.

The good news was promised. God would send one to do

something about it. Not one that he'd be born of was

Mary. And the bruiser of the serpent's

head is Jesus. You see, the good news of

Christmas was the news we'd all been waiting for ever since the

bad news of sin entering the world.

And then if you move forward, let me show you one more.

In Genesis 12, verse 3, the Bible says this to Abraham.

Genesis 12:3

God says I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors

you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall

be blessed. God promised through Abraham to

bless all the families of the earth.

How would that happen? By sending the Savior of the

world in the line that is to be the offspring of Abraham.

Jesus would take on flesh and bear the sins of the world as a

son of Abraham. You see, the good news of

Christmas was the news we'd all been waiting forever since God

began with one man to make one nation through whom He would

send the God man for every nation.

God promised He was going to do this.

This wasn't random. This wasn't out of the blue.

God promised He would do this for you and for me #2 the good

news of Christmas was at random. It was prophesied.

God didn't just promise it, but he used and called prophets to

speak it in advance. Let me show you a couple places,

Deuteronomy verse chapter 18, verses 18 and 19.

This goes all the way back to the prophet Moses.

And God says this. I will raise up for them a

prophet like you, Moses from among their brothers, and I'll

put my words into his mouth. He shall speak to them all that

I command him. And whoever will not listen to

my words that he shall speak in my name.

I myself will require it of you see, from the moment of Moses

who led the nation of Israel to physical freedom, God promised

to send another prophet greater than Moses to lead us to

spiritual freedom. This was not random, this was

prophesied. This was the unfolding of the

plan of God in the fullness of time.

And then as we heard earlier, quoted in the Gospels, the

prophet Isaiah Chapter 7, verse 14.

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.

Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and

shall call His name Emmanuel. That means God with us.

Isaiah expands upon that in Chapter 9, verses 2 and verses 6

and seven. You know these well.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great

light, Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness.

On them a light has shown. Verse six and seven.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the

government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be

called. Wonderful counselor, mighty God,

everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, of the increase of his

government and of peace there will be no end.

And on the throne of David and over his Kingdom to establish it

and uphold it with justice and with righteousness.

From this time forth and forevermore the zeal of the Lord

of hosts will accomplish this. God spoke to Moses about Jesus

coming 1400 years before Jesus was born.

God spoke to Isaiah and prophesied to him over 700 years

before Jesus was born. Ladies and gentlemen, this is

not Once Upon a time. This is not a quaint little

story. This is the facts of history

that God promised and prophesied.

What happened? Has this news changed your life?

Can I put it like we put it earlier?

Has the good news of Christmas gloriously interrupted your

life? Do you believe God couldn't

forgive you or save you because you won't believe that all

things are possible with God when the Bible clearly says all

things are possible? Thirdly, finally, the good news

of Christmas wasn't a secret. It was public.

Wasn't a secret. It was public.

Let me just point out three, three ways.

It was public in the Gospels. It was #1 it was public in the

fields again to the shepherds, Luke 217 and 18.

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been

told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at

what the shepherds told them. The shepherds didn't go back,

and they weren't quiet about it. They kept talking about it and

announcing what they had seen. It was public in the fields and

then it was public in the temple.

So you remember in the story as it advances, and we'll see this

next week, Mary and Joseph eventually take Jesus to the

temple where they run into two people, Simeon and Anna.

And Anna specifically, it speaks like this.

And coming up at that very hour, she, Anna, began to give thanks

to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the

redemption of Jerusalem. Anna's making this thing go

viral. It was public in the fields.

It was public in the temple. Thirdly, it was public in the

government office. It was public with the king and

the capital city. Matthew 2 verse one through 3.

Now after this Jesus, after Jesus rather, was born in

Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise

men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, where is he

who's been born king of the Jews?

For we saw his star when it rose, and we've come to worship

him. When Herod the King heard this,

he was troubled. And guess how many others?

And all Jerusalem with him? It was public in the fields, it

was public at the church, it was public in the capital city, in

the King's office. It was promised, it was

prophesied, and it was public. What's the good news of

Christmas for you? A Savior has been born.

Who is Christ the Lord for you and for me, a Savior has been

born. He was Christ the Lord.

I want to finish like this. This announcement, this good

news of Christmas that I pray has been a glorious interruption

in your life. If it's been a glorious

interruption in your life, then you have a time in your life

when the news of Christmas that Christ came, that He was born

and lived a sinless life and died for your sin and was raised

from the dead has changed your life because nothing is

impossible with God. Just like it changed Mary and

Joseph's life where you 2 had to choose.

Am I going to live based on what I know is true and what God

says? Or am I going to live based on

what everybody else says in man's opinion?

Or am I going to live for God's opinion?

Has the good news of Christmas gloriously interrupted your

life? But here's what I want to finish

with this News of Christmas is not advice.

It is news. You know what advice is?

Advice is some counsel on the way you should change the way

you're living, on some modifications to your behavior,

on some common sense ways you ought to make some adjustments

to your life. But news urges you to recognize

something that has already happened and that you must

respond to. News says someone else has

acted. Advice tells you it's up to you

to act, but news is that someone else has acted on your behalf.

You see, the deal is essentially one argument you can make that

just makes things clear is that every other religion and every

spiritual leader is trying to give good advice on the way you

should take. Jesus came and said what I am,

the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father

except through me. Jesus says you could have never

come to me, therefore I've come down to you.

That's not advice, that's news. Has that news changed your life?

Yes, obviously the gospel has massive implications for how we

live. But first, the message of the

gospel and of Christmas is a message of the good news that

salvation has been provided for you.

Have you received that gift? Has it changed your life?

The Bible doesn't say Once Upon a time.

It says for you unto you this day.

It was a day that Jesus was born in history.

He was born in Bethlehem. Why don't you think about it

like this? Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in

history, born in the flesh so he could be born in your heart by

faith, so that you could be born again and made alive, changed,

given the hope of heaven. And even though you walk through

the valley of the shadow of death, you can fear no evil, for

he's with you and you can walk with joy, just like we saw an

example of. And Miss Nancy, from the moment

you take your last breath and see him face to face.

Has the good news of Christmas changed your life?

I'm going to ask you to bow with me.

John and praise team are going to come.

If you're here this morning and the good news of Christmas has

not gloriously interrupted your life, today is the day that it

can. It's not up to you to do

something. Jesus has done what needs to be

done, but it is up to you to simply believe and receive that

news by faith. The Bible clearly says if we'll

call on the name of the Lord and we'll be saved, If we'll confess

him as Lord and believe in our heart, God raised him from the

dead, you will be saved. I'm going to stand down here at

the front if you need to step out from where you are and say

pastor calm, I need to receive the good news of Christmas

today. I believe all things are

possible with God, and that includes the fact my sin can be

forgiven and Jesus can give me the hope of heaven.

Would you come talk to me? We'd love to pray with you.

We'll have encouragers close. If the gospel has gloriously

interrupted your life, maybe you just need to remember, like

Joseph did, maybe on the road to Bethlehem, that God not only

wants to interrupt your life, he wants you to enjoy the journey,

no matter how hard, no matter what the difficulties are, for

you to remember that all things are possible.

You'd remember that living for His opinion and his alone is the

only thing that matters. And maybe today's the day just

to hit reset this Christmas and say, God, I feel like something

could happen right here on the side of the road.

And I don't know why I am where I am or why I'm facing what I'm

facing, but I know you didn't. This didn't catch you by

surprise. And I'm going to choose joy and

faith, not fear and worry. God, I know you got a plan.

I'm trusting you. I'm invite you to make that

decision, to just trust Jesus. Today I'm going to pray that

we're going to sing. Heavenly Father, help us respond

to you in faith today. To say yes to you for nothing is

impossible. With you, in Jesus name, Amen.

Would you stand with me? Let's worship you.

Respond as the Lord leads you. This morning you come.