John 1, Galatians 4 "Holy Night"

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Love getting to sing those great Christmas carols.

Thank you all for leading us in that.

We've been talking about those at Southwood this Christmas season.

Some of our favorite Christmas carols and how they point us to great biblical truths about our Savior who was born at Christmas.

Tonight was an easy decision in that regard.

Had to go with Silent Night, right?

We're going to sing it together in a few minutes at the end of the service.

But you may actually be thinking, well, I don't know, Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright.

It doesn't sound like a lot of Christmas Eves I've known.

If you were here in the first service that had a greater proportion of young children,

you would have said there was nothing silent about any part of that service, including this one.

It doesn't seem very descriptive, perhaps, of many Christmas Eves that you have known.

Silent and holy and calm and bright.

In some ways, it's not descriptive of the first Christmas Eve either, is it?

We know as Mary labors over the birth of Jesus, it was not a silent night.

Anybody who thinks it was a silent night has never been in a delivery room or tried to sleep the nights that follow a baby's birth.

It's just not what it's like.

But it was certainly a holy night.

How can we be so sure of that?

Well, in the Bible, something being holy is not determined by a complex formula.

It's not good deeds weighted over against mistakes factor in level of Bible knowledge and relative holiness comes in.

That's not how it works.

Now, what makes something holy is God showing up.

His presence.

The temple in Jerusalem, for example, wasn't holy because of all the gold and jewels and so forth,

the expensive things used to make it,

it became holy when God showed up to dwell there.

So what would make this night holy for you is not just going into a church building,

not just dressing up in your Christmas best,

not even just being together with family as special as that can be.

It doesn't make it holy.

It would be God showing up with you that would make this night holy.

God's Word tells us unequivocally that's what happened that first Christmas night.

John chapter 1,

John 1 · chapter mention

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God,

and 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.

The Son of God loves pure light,

has come to earth,

in a manger,

in Bethlehem,

and so it's holy.

God is there.

That's my desire for each of us tonight.

Whether your night is silent or not,

I can't control that.

But my heart would be,

my desire would be,

that for each of you,

this night would be holy.

And some of you may say,

No thanks, Pastor.

I don't care at all for my night to be holy.

I'm only in this room because my family dragged me here.

I've had, in fact, quite enough religion.

Thank you.

I don't need another ritual.

I don't need another person telling me how I must live my life.

That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about tonight being holy because God,

the one you've wondered about,

or kept at arm's length,

or perhaps been running from lately,

even though you know that you need Him,

He shows up.

Because when Jesus shows up in our lives,

it changes everything.

It's very different from getting religion.

When He shows up,

that person,

that relationship,

is the gift that keeps on giving.

That's really the one thing

I want us to see tonight

about God entering into our lives.

We'll see it in Galatians chapter 4.

Galatians 4 · chapter mention

Galatians 4, starting at verse 4.

But when the fullness of time had come,

God sent forth His Son.

This is Christmas, right?

God saying,

now is the right time.

The song we're going to sing at the end,

Silent Night,

calls it the dawn of redeeming grace.

God decides this is the perfect moment for Him

to send His Son

to enter into our world.

And grace dawns in our lives.

What's the result of it for us

when that happens?

Keep reading here.

God sent forth His Son,

born of woman,

born under the law,

to redeem those who were under the law

so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Jesus comes to bring us into a relationship,

to make us sons and daughters of God,

to redeem us and adopt us.

Adoption then is the gift that keeps on giving.

I read just this week the story of an adoption

in a town right outside of Birmingham.

It's the story of 11-year-old Maya.

Maya was asked this year,

like many of you kids might have been,

to make a list for Santa.

What did she want for Christmas?

Did any of you do that this week?

Some of you made a list and gave it to somebody?

Some of you did.

Raise your hand.

Okay, yeah, okay.

Some of you adults did.

And you know what was on Maya's list?

Three things.

A sweatsuit,

a water bottle,

and a forever family.

That's what she wanted.

Those three things.

You know why?

Because Maya,

in her 11 years,

had spent them bouncing around

from foster family,

to foster home,

to group home,

one place after another,

always moving,

never staying anywhere,

very long.

But last week,

her foster family

was able to adopt her.

Got a picture of that family here.

Can we put that picture up

on the screen for us?

There it is.

She is here on the far left.

That's Maya.

You can't probably read that,

but she's holding a sign

that says,

Merry Christmas to me.

I'm now an adoptee.

That's her Christmas present.

Her new mom said,

now she gets to have

that feeling of forever

and stability.

She is home forever.

Isn't that so much better

than a sweatsuit

or a water bottle?

Isn't that a better gift?

See, because getting a family

at Christmas

is a gift

that keeps on giving

because she'll get other gifts

like a sweatsuit

and a water bottle

some other time, right?

And probably a lot

of other gifts.

When else do you think

she might get gifts?

Not just at Christmas,

but probably on her birthday

and maybe on Valentine's Day

or Easter

or who knows,

maybe just some days

just because her parents love her.

They'll give her other gifts.

That's what it means

that she's now their child.

Getting a person,

a relationship,

being adopted for Christmas

is the gift

that keeps on giving.

That's the glory of Christmas.

God doesn't send His Son

into the world

with a few one-time gifts.

You know,

forgiveness for a single sin

if you can think of a big one.

Maybe a second chance at life

so be good for goodness sake.

A meal to fill your stomach

for one day.

No.

Jesus comes to invite us

into a family.

To seat us at the King's table forever.

To invite us into an eternal relationship

as sons and daughters

of a heavenly Father.

Watch how this happens

in Galatians 4

as we keep reading.

Because you are sons,

what happens?

God has sent the Spirit of His Son

into our hearts

crying,

Abba, Father.

So you're no longer a slave

but a son.

And if a son,

then an heir

through God.

We become God's sons

and the gifts just keep on coming,

don't they?

Because He loves us so much.

God gives us the first Christmas gift.

He wraps Himself

in flesh.

Enters into our world

as a baby

in a manger.

God gives Himself

to us

as the gift

that keeps on giving

because when we receive

the gift of Jesus,

when redeeming grace

dawns in your heart

for the first time,

for the hundredth time,

then in that moment

getting through life,

doing enough things

to be significant,

getting back to God

and knowing Him

is no longer

on us anymore.

If Jesus has come

for you,

He's taken care

of all of that.

That's what grace

means.

It's not about you

cleaning yourself up

and figuring life out

and working yourself

to the bone

only to come up tired

and disappointed again.

It's about you being loved

and adopted

even though you could

never be good enough

to earn your way

into His holy family.

That's grace.

It's not up to you

to find a way back to God.

No.

Christmas is that God

has come

and found a way

to you.

He wanted you

to be in His family

so He sent

His own Son

and took care

of all the legalities,

all the issues,

all the paperwork,

went all the way

to the cross

and gave His life

in order to make

that happen

to have you

in His family.

I couldn't possibly list

all the other gifts

that come with that

but when God

gives Himself to us,

brings us into His family,

we see He gives us

His Spirit

in our hearts

so that we recognize

Him as our Father

and are helped

to trust and follow Him.

He gives us access

to the God

of the universe

whenever we want

to talk with Him.

We can just cry out

and He hears us.

He gives us

our daily bread

every single day

and provides

for whatever other needs

we may encounter.

He gives us

loving discipline

that molds our hearts

and at the same time

never rejects us

because we are His.

He gives us forgiveness

of all of our sins

because Jesus has paid

for all of them,

the big ones

and the small ones,

the past ones

and the future ones.

He's paid for all of them

and He gives us

an eternal inheritance

that can never perish

or spoil

or fade,

kept in heaven

for us

who have been made

heirs

of the King

of heaven

who owns it all.

and now we're not

just sons,

we're heirs.

All of those gifts

and many more,

every spiritual blessing,

all of the things

you have

to be grateful for

came wrapped

in that one gift

of Himself

that God gave us

that first Christmas.

He came to redeem us

and give us adoption

as sons

so that we have

a new home

forever.

forever.

Listen,

I want this to be

a holy night

for all of us,

for each

and every one of you.

And for some of you,

you haven't experienced

what I'm talking about.

You've never known

a relationship

with God

like that

as His child.

Listen,

we're really glad

you're here.

I've got good news

for you too.

You don't have

to figure that out.

It's not up to you

to fix yourself

and make yourself

good enough for Him

and work your way

into His family.

No,

He is still

adopting

children

into His family

and that is

good news.

He is loving

people,

welcoming them

in

because He's

like that.

And this night

can be holy

for you

because God

can welcome

you

into His family

for the first time.

The sign

of Christmas

for you

this year

can be

Merry Christmas

to me.

I'm now

an adoptee

not just

of an earthly

family

but adopted

by a Heavenly Father

who will never

ever stop

loving you.

Many of us

in here

already know

our Heavenly Father

but this night

needs to be

holy

for us

too.

Many of us

have known

our Heavenly Father

for many years

by faith in Jesus.

We've trusted Him

and been adopted

into His family

but if we're honest

it doesn't necessarily

feel holy

lately.

Maybe because

of sin

in your heart

longing

for other

things

more

than

for your

Father's

home.

Maybe it's

grief

struggles

of this

life

have you

stressed

or exhausted

ready to give up.

We

need

tonight

to be

holy

too

don't we?

We need

God

to show up

and make this

a holy

night

and the good news

for us

is that it

is

because He

has

He is

here

by His

Spirit

He has

come to

meet with

us

He has

set this

table

and He's

invited you

as it were

to pull up

a chair

and have a

seat at

this table

where you

eat

with your

family

at your

Father's

table

forever.

You can

finally

be home.

you can

finally

eat

and know

the love

of your

Father

who if

He gave

His

Son for

you

how will

He not

also

along with

Him

graciously

give you

everything

you need?

He'll

keep

caring

for you.

That

gift

will

keep

on

giving

every

moment

of

every

day

through

your

life

and

forever

you will

finally

have a

forever

home

He says

you will

dwell

in the

house

of the

Lord

forever.

That's

what having

a father

means.

Jesus

came and

gave Himself

so you

could be

in that

family.

Remember

what He

said

when He

came

for you.

That first

night that

He was

betrayed

He

looked at

His

disciples

and said

this

is

my

body.

He

took that

bread

and said

it's not

going to

be yours.

He

broke

the bread

this is

my

body

given

for you.

Do

this

in

remembrance

of

me.

And

after

supper

He

took

the

cup

and

He

said

because

of

all

the

things

you've

done

you know

your

blood

should

have

to

be

shed

and

sacrifice

after

sacrifice

you've

seen

it

happen.

He

said

this

cup

is

a

new

covenant

it's

in

my

blood

shed

for

many

for

the

forgiveness

of

sins

not

your

blood

shed

anymore

for

your

sins

but

His

death

until

He

comes.

You

proclaim

that

what

you

need

is

His

death

in

your

place

so

that

you

can

be

brought

into

your

Father's

family.

This

is the

table

of

God

the

Father

set

for

us

by

the

Son

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

in

His

body

and

blood

so

if

you

know

Him

if

you

are

a

part

of

that

family

by

faith

in

Him

whether

you

are

a

part

of

that

family

in

this

particular

church

or

any

other

church

that

preaches

the

good

news

that

you

can

be

in

God's

family

by

grace

by

faith

in

Jesus

then

come

and

celebrate

with

us

tonight

that

your

Father

loves

you

if

you

don't

know

Jesus

if

that's

not

your

story

then

we

don't

want

to

ask

you

to

come

and

do

outwardly

something

that's

not

true

of

you

inwardly

but

we

are

so

glad

that

you're

here

with

us

tonight

and

we

would

love

for

you

to

be

able

to

come

and

be

a

part

of

this

with

us

when

people

come

forward

each

family

or

group

of

friends

will

gather

as

a

small

group

around

this

table

and

we're

going

to

pray

for

every

one

of

you

and

so

if

you'd

like

just

to

come

and

have

a

chance

for

us

to

pray

with

you

we

would

love

to

be

able

to

do

that

tonight

so

when

the

ushers

invite

you

to

come

forward

and

back

please

feel

free

to

do

that

and

we

will

pray

with

you

as

you

come

if

you're

not

able

if

it's

difficult

for

you

to

come

to

these

tables

tonight

just

let

the

usher

know

when

he

gets

to

your

row

we

would

be

delighted

to

bring

the

supper

to

you

right

where

you

are

let

me

pray

and

then

we'll

celebrate

together

Jesus

thank you

that tonight

is holy

because you

are here

because you

have come

and given

yourself

for us

and sent

us

your

spirit

that we

would

remember

your

love

so

would

you

use

these

very

common

elements

of bread

and

juice

for

that

holy

purpose

in

our

hearts

that

we

would

meet

with

you

and

know

and

taste

your

love

we

ask

it

in

your

name

amen

let's

celebrate

his

love

together

for more

information

visit us

online

at

southwood.org