Christmas at DPAC: 2015

The following is a short audio portion from the Christmas services at the Durham performing arts Center watch the whole experience@summitrds.com/messages are you are you have a good time this morning bed when you showed up this morning you were not expecting. So I will ignite Boyz II Men. In addition, and when I was a little drummer boy when I was in my kindergarten Sunday school way. I don't quite remember it being exactly the same way others were still good though, but it was all one about the way others to Christmas carols relate silent night holy night all is calm, all is bright until a little drummer boy shows up to do his drum solo newborn infants even like drum solos. I'm not really sure it would work for my kids how I was in a Christmas production. The other day where we did that song we wish you a Merry Christmas and we did that third verse that nobody ever sings the one that goes now bring us something you putting that when and then the next verse. After that is, we won't leave until we get some dislike for Saul who wrote this song. I mean if your friends demand for gay putting at Christmas time they have bad taste.

If they say we won't leave until we get some that have bad manners like you got bad friends and you should probably ask Santa for Christmas is for some new friends, but that is just my opinion. My role this evening. My name is JD, by the way, and I'm one of the pastors at the summit church and the pastor that teaches most often on the weekends but my role this evening with you is basically to take just a few minutes to set up the very next Carol that were going to sing together and that Carol is Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Technically, this is the last installment in a short series on Christmas carols in which we have looked each week at the text of some of these incredibly rich but often overly familiar songs that we sing at Christmas time, Hark, is a pretty old word. It's a word that we don't use a lot in normal conversation anymore, but all it means is simply listen. The writer of this Carol is telling us to pay attention and listen to something that he is afraid that were going that we are going to miss he puts his message in the mouth of a shepherd. You see, the shepherds were the only ones who actually saw and heard the angels that evening, and there are some things about what they saw that evening that the writer of this Carol wants to make sure that we do not miss the shepherd who sings this Carol seems pretty overwhelmed by three things. And these three things give you the ability to understand the secret of the true meaning of Christmas. I'm here they are. First, he is amazed that the angels chose to appear to him.

I explained to our church a couple of weeks ago that the shepherds had to be the least likely people on earth to receive an angelic announcement about the birth of a king. Shepherds were were considered to be the lowest class in Jewish society. They were the ultimate unskilled laborers shepherding was a job that you gave to children.

If you were an adult and you were still a shepherd that met a total life fail. They were so lowly regarded in their society that their testimony was not even received in court had no validity at all. And here is why the angel's choice to appear to the shepherds at all the people in Israel wide their choice to appear to the shepherds is so important for you and for me that is because while Christmas time is joyful for a lot of people. It's all calm and bright in songs and joy for others. It reminds them of how disappointed they are with where their lives are how their lives have turned out, it makes some feel like they are really alone.

Everybody else seems to go home to their real family and their real friends are Christmas times and had Christmas time and you stay alone or maybe this season reminds you of somebody who used to be in your life but is not anymore a father, a husband, a child, a friend, maybe a girlfriend or maybe you forget how broken and dysfunctional. Your family is, until Christmas time comes around for some of you your entire goal over the next few days is simply for the police not to get call that would be a good Christmas season for you heard one guy say that happiness in life is having a large close knit family, all of whom live somewhere else in another city. Maybe this Christmas find you jobless for one of the first times that you can remember in your worried about the future. Maybe you're concerned this Christmas about your kids the decisions they are making or maybe you're concerned about your marriage if you're concerned about your lack of marriage prospects for yet another year maybe you find yourself in trouble. This Christmas may be in trouble at your job, maybe in trouble with the law. These shepherds who came into that first Christmas came into it. Not feeling like their lives were awesome either.

Maybe you are in exactly the same place will see the good news and what they want to make sure that you understand is that you are the very ones to whom the angels most wanted to give this message to you and to me and all of us.

They say Hark part. Second, this shepherd must have been amazed at all the celebration that was going on in the heavenly host about the birth of a baby. The angels proclaimed that evening. Glory to God in the highest, which simply means that God deserves the greatest praise for the birth of this baby. The greatest praise, which is pretty remarkable when you think about what else these angels had seen these angels had been first hand eyewitnesses of creation were God spoke a word spoken phrase, let there be light and billions of galaxies burst into existence*astronomers tell us that there are a total of about 3000 billion trillion stars.

That is three with 24 zeros after it. And I know numbers like that billion million trillion. After a while they all start, run together and they don't mean anything to us anymore like I just want to open up my bank account and see a number with three digits in it that's kind of big as I think rebellion what is a memory to me. Let me see if there is maybe this helps you get your mind around what size that number is on a million seconds ago 1 million seconds ago from this morning was Monday, December 13 but we can four days ago I a million. Second at the millions that hot when you think a billion seconds ago was maybe Fourth of July maybe New Year's last year. A billion seconds ago was April 15, 1984.

Billions at a April 15, 1984 on the first CD player had just been released onto the market, the Jedi had just returned for the very first time is a bunch on this room. It ain't even a billion seconds. Old yet and you were born after April 15 not raise your hand if you're not even a billion seconds old. Yet, as you got nothing on here about the as a billion seconds ago to its ability I that's a billion seconds how you think a trillion seconds ago was a trillion you owe 1492 in Columbus sailed the ocean blue was that it was a very first Christmas made that was a trillion seconds ago, a trillion seconds ago was 31,688 years ago. Rocky one had just come out if you want to say that universe scientist Telus contains about 3000 billion trillion stars in just about everything. One of those puts out the amount of energy they say that would be contained every second put out the same line energy that would be in a trillion atom bombs. These angels had seen God create all of that with just a word, let there be light and all those things burst into existence.

But that is not what they thought gave God glory in the highest. What gave God glory in the highest of a thing about they evening was this veiled in flash the Godhead see hail the incarnate deity. Please this man with minted while Jesus our Emmanuelle the greatest glory.

They thought that God ever displayed was his decision to come to die for sinners to come and live among sinners to come and identify himself with them into take their place. Why would God do this. They wondered if you been paying attention at all to the news right now you know there's a very controversial controversial case involving a guy named Bo Bergdahl who was on in our military and he many say deserted his post and is committed sins against the United States and behave misbehavior before the enemy are conduct unbecoming of an officer in the military. Some of even gone so far say that he was a traitor. What made it controversial is our government decided they were going to trade five of the most dangerous Taliban officials that were held in prison at Guantánamo Bay were going to release them in exchange for Bo Bergdahl.

Many people said well you know, does it make sense what these five Taliban guys go on effeminate that they kill a bunch of other Americans here. We traded you know Berber Bo Bergdahl which was a traitor and a deserter allegedly for interest for fertilizer good Americans they know I am not in the place to be able to give any knowledgeable opinion about Bo Bergdahl what he is or what he deserves, but what I do know what I do understand is this is that God knew for sure that we were traders. He knew that we were traders.

He knew that we were deserters of his glory and he traded not the lives of five terrorist to get us back but he offer the life of his most precious son that is the gospel. The gospel is that you and I were hopelessly doomed and God the Creator came to take our place so that we would not have to suffer the penalty of what you and I have brought onto ourselves that God's son Jesus was going to suffer it in our place, and for the book of first Peter the apostle Peter says that the angels are amazed by this. They see God create the stars with a bit put out enough energy every second to the power trillion atom bombs, but that is not what blows their minds what they long to look more deeply into the angels you see the face of God every day what they cannot get their minds around what blows their minds is the mercy that God displayed toward simple people in the gospel toward you, and toward me, so they say hail the heaven born Prince of peace. Hail the son as she went of righteousness light and life to all he brings risen with healing in his wings.

The angels that seen God's power to create stars of immense energy and an immense number but what gave them unbelievable sense of wonder was God's mercy that he showed rebellious sinners in his power to heal them and to resurrect them from the curse of death you understand greater than God's power to create the stars is God's power to put back together the life of a simple person who repents and comes to God through faith in Christ you think that your sin is bad you think that you've messed things up. You think that you're so guilty you can't be forgiven. God said there's more power in my ability to forgive than there was in the war that I spoke that caused the universe to spring into existence.

You think Santa start your life you think of messed up your heart you think it's destroyed your relationship God says there is more power in my resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and my ability to heal your life and there wasn't anything that I have ever created mild he lays his glory by born that man no more may die, born to raise the sons of earth born to give them second birth see the gospel is that you and I were doomed. In our first birth in our natural birth and so Jesus came to save us and give us a new birth see underneath all of your religious good moral makeup really just rebellious sinners really just rebellious sinners.

When you strip everything else away. I know that might sound harsh, but look into your heart. Deep down, have we not assumed always that we knew best how to run our lives as kids we we we thought for sure that we knew better than our parents it out. Ask any 10-year-old here and I know there's probably a number of you if you if I would ask this really what you think. Who knows more about life right now that you are your parents every 10-year-old that was on the subject I know more about my life and my parents as we get older we don't really and would grow up a little bit. We don't really change. We still assume that we are the ones you know best how to rule our lives, which is why our condition to guide our obedience to God is always conditional whenever we really want to give them total control because ultimately I'm the one who knows best for my life and I know better than even God that we not preferred to make ourselves the focus and center of our lives, rather than God is about why when we can look at a picture at Christmas time that we evaluate how good the picture is by how we look in that picture because life is just about some you want to make about the glory of God. We want to make about our glory when we want to be the focus of the center, we always thought that our will, ought to trump God's will. When the two conflicted the angels understand that that is moral insanity, and it is cosmic treason and the penalty for that cosmic treason is death. I know that it is popular today to see ourselves as basically good people. A few blind spots and maybe some weaknesses or maybe were misunderstood people was hidden potential, but just hasn't been tapped into yet, but I have to tell you that is not what the Bible says about us is is that you and I are traitors to God were part of a traitor race and we are under the rightful curse of death and you see there are only two ways that curse can be resolved. The first way is we suffer it internally ourselves, which means that were separated from God forever in a place of eternal death called hell or Jesus in his mercy and his love would be born as a baby to live the life that we were supposed to live and die the death that we were condemned to die that he would absorb the curse in our place so that we could escape it.

That was the cross. It was Jesus dying in your place. It was not his pride or his rebellion or his deceit or his immorality or his selfishness for his impurity that caused him to be nailed to the cross, for he had none of those things. It was my sin, my pride, my lives my exaggerations. It was was my selfishness and my cruelty that cause those nails to go into his hands and those crowns to go up on that through storms to the crown his brow. It was the creator dying in the place of the created and the angels see this and they can't understand it. Why wouldn't you just wipe out the human race, and why when Eunice create another one from scratch.

Mild he lays his glory by born Batman and that no more may die. I know that is popular today and also say that whatever what you want to follow God is okay as long as your sincere God like a mountain after all right many roads going up to the top of the mountain road they'll lead ultimately to the same place but I need to help you understand that is clear as the Bible says anything as clear as Jesus ever said anything that is not true. It is not what the Bible says what the Bible says that salvation is found in nobody else. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Jesus said, John 14 six I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father unless he comes through me. You see, every other religion teaches you that you can save yourself if you will be good enough. If you practice enough religious observances of you go to church enough fuel to take communion if you go to the mosque.

If you'll pray toward Mecca.

If you'll if you'll you'll sacrifice to the Buddha will follow the eightfold path, then you do that enough you do it sincere and up and you can be saved, but Jesus taught exactly the opposite.

He said you cannot save yourself you can never save yourself no matter what you did. So I did it for you and your enough to humble yourself and receive that as a gift and that is not the same message I see it like this if I couldn't swim and I fell off the boat and there I am in the water struggling to keep my head above water your staining on the side and in your hand you got a lifesaver in the left-hand of your right hand, you got a big old rock cannot say save me when you say which one you want to throw to you and I say that matter is always your sincere just the one on to me. Sincerely it does matter which one you throw to me. Religion says try harder, be better swim a little bit more Jesus messages your drowning. So I did it for you. I did what you could never do I live the life that you were supposed to live but did not.

I died to death that you were condemned to die but could not suffer much, you did it internally and on our offer to you as a gift that you have to receive to the shepherd say Hark Park. This is your lifesaver. Lastly, the shepherds, the shepherd was probably amazed that he was the one that was chosen to announce this to others. Thing about this the only ones. The only ones you got to see the Angels that night were the shepherds. Everybody else had to hear about this announcement from the shepherds, the shepherds got glory and songs of Noel's and hallelujahs and everybody else got smelly.

Barely literate shepherds. And honestly, that might disappoint us.

Most of us would probably prefer the Angels right as it is a very important thing that you need to learn about God throughout Scripture, God's primary way of speaking to people is the broken and flawed instruments through shepherds. You see, the first time most people hear the gospel message almost always from somebody that they know pretty closely. Most people hear the gospel message for the first time from a family member or friend and here's something about family members and friends.

You know all their flaws and you wonder how could God possibly be speaking to me through my older brother. You know how he terrorize me. It is the last representative of God on the planet right you heard about all this. For the first time through that annoying neighbor who is seated right beside you right now. This morning you can because their kids are totally out of control.

They got the worst dog in the neighborhood. How could they possibly grasp the mysteries of eternity and share them with me with what's what my neighbors were here this morning.

I think you probably say listen just because the messenger is flawed does not mean the message is flawed.

God chooses as his primary mouthpieces.

Shepherds, that's how it was at the first Christmas and that's how it is today is a very famous Old Testament story that if you grew up in Sunday school at all.

You are familiar with it into a kid favorite story of a prophet named Balin to do some the God that wanted to do so. God sends an angel to impede his path and is his donkey is walking on the road. The angel stands there in the path with middle flaming sword, Balin can see it but God opens the donkey's eyes about the don't he can see it as a donkey will go forward so Balin starts the cost of the donkey, don't you still go forward so Balin house officers to take the donkey to grab a stick and start the beat the donkey and so God in mercy opens up the donkey's mouth and gives them the ability to speak in the donkey says look Jack, you better cut that out because I'm trying to save your life and the point of the story is God spoke through it donkey the King James version. Of course as an ass.

And the point is that God spoke to a donkey he can speak to your annoying neighbor fully say like this, I'll use King James English. Just because the messenger is an ass doesn't mean the message is in the truth and you kids listen just not okay to use that word and less reporting from the King James version okay so Karis Allie Ryan at my kids that are significant or do not use that word about your friends or your teachers or anybody else.

It's only okay in the KJV, so this message. Listen this message to you from the shepherds and for me from that annoying neighbor who invited you tonight is this park listen listen to God is been pursuing you, God is been speaking to you. Think about it you know when you been trying to wake you up. He's been trying to draw you back to himself. In this this morning is one of a series of things God is been doing in your life.

The question this writer and this Carol asked you that I she was when you stop for a minute.

Just listen you let them rush and the stress of the Christmas season is not fade away for just a minute may even let your objections all your but what about and why didn't I know this kind of questions would you let them put aside for just a minute when he does listen, these angels are not trying to tell you to try harder, but not telling you to be better not telling you that you're not good enough you better clean your life on God is telling you that you could never be good enough but he loves you anyway so much that he loved heaven for you to work the same union same God who created the stars set his love on you and 2000 years ago. He appeared as a baby in a manger so that he can live the life you were supposed to live. Many would suffer the curse of death that you been condemned to suffer and do it in your place, and that you would just listen just received an order saving you there's nothing that you need a new name. There's nothing you can do nothing is ever listen to his voice, and receive the gift you never have. Are you writing you are getting ready to listen and receive when Jesus did thousand years of enjoying yourselves as you bow your heads would all three floors of great arena with you despite your heads, make sure you understand is the gospel is that Jesus Christ is Lord, and he came to new for you. What you couldn't do for yourself, paying them for your salvation, and phone you will receive him as your Savior and surrender to him as Lord. He will save you never made that decision, or you're not sure that you made it, I'd invite you to pray a prayer like this is not magic words but are not God. I know that I'm a sinner and I'm sorry for my Sandman. I surrender my life to you say so in your own words. I received Jesus Christ fully and completely. Now is my same thing in Jesus, thank you for saving me. But I pray for the many God by saying I know many right now for the first time for the first time than they really trust Christ as there's a clarity in the days since his new birth and a new life that will go on into eternity that you were going rate is Jesus name and