“Good News and Great Joy”

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” — The angel said to the shepherds Luke 2:10-12 (NIV)

No matter how much you read the Christmas Story, there are always new things God is wanting to speak to people. The main thing that struck me in this passage is that God’s shining glory ‘terrified’ them. Doesn’t it seem like something is wrong with that picture? God has been stirring our hearts here at Bangor Church of the Nazarene to actually be giving greater attention seeking God’s face, praying that He reveals His glory to us, challenged by the fact that often we seem too busy to do that justice. But when you think about this first Christmas, and the event this passage speaks to us about, I know “good news of great joy” is definitely not something I want to avoid – I want to be saying to God, “Lord, Bring it on! Come on, now!” “Good news of great joy….” Who in their right mind would want to avoid that?! And yet, it just really points out to us the reality of the negative affects sin has unleashed in our world. And why anyone would engage in war against Christmas, I would never know. Why do people feel threatened by God and His glory? Long story, short because the enemy of every soul is doing a high-intensity salesman job trying to convince people of the lie: that God is not a good God,(Satan says) that His love is only conditional, that God isn’t really interested in you personally, you‘ve sinned too much to be forgiven, and on and on he goes. (Interesting that the scripture refers to Satan as the Father of lies.) Thankfully, we have the greatest Truthteller who ever walked this earth, the one born as a babe in a cattle stall, who came and lived among us and demonstrated God’s power in our midst so we no longer have to live in fear or bondage of sin and it’s consequences. And as Jesus grew, “He grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52.) Here is the One who had the greatest power in the Universe. When He walked this earth He healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead (by His Father’s power), walked on water, changed water into wine, multiplied loaves and fishes. In fact, Jesus performed so many miracles that the apostle John said: “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written…(John 21:25) Satan has always been terrified of Jesus. You see, Satan is on the wrong side. Why do you think he inspired King Herod to try to kill the infant Messiah by slaughtering all the male babies in Bethlehem and the surrounding region. (Matthew 2:16) That’s a part of the Christmas story. Satan has had a history of being terrified of Jesus. When slaughtering the male infants failed, the devil tried to wipe out Jesus by attempting to seduce Him with temptations in the wilderness. And when that failed, the devil tried to kill Jesus on numerous occasions using angry religious people. The gospels are filled with examples when Jesus supernaturally slipped out of the hands of His aggressors. (See Lk. 4:30; John 7:30; John 8:59; John 10:39) He used Judas Iscariot when Christ was betrayed. How many soldiers does it take to arrest one man? If you look closely at the scripture record, in Mt. 26:47, the greek word means a huge multitude of armed men. Most commentators agree it was 600 or so. I’m just trying to communicated to you about this “Good News of Great Joy” as we trust Him for our salvation and with our life. It’s mind-boggling to know that that same power that flowed through Him when He walked this earth flows through you and me. The same Holy Spirit who anointed Jesus to fulfill His ministry has been sent to you and me to do the same works that Jesus did. Actually, Jesus prophesied (John 14:12) that we would do even greater works. “Lord, thank you for this baby in a manger, who grew and matured and has become my Savior, so I can stand strong today in the power of His might. Thank you for the Good News and the Great Joy, because I live from Him. Jesus, be especially real to us this Christmas season. Amen.