Glory in the Highest

Good morning, church. So glad to be with you today. Thanks for those of you that are watching online or at one of our campuses. We're starting a brand new sermon series today called "The Glory of Christmas," and as you might expect, if you've been around for a little while, I am gonna ask you to turn to what is no doubt a familiar passage in Luke chapter two. And as you get to Luke two, and as you're thinking and chewing on that idea of the glory of Christmas, you may be wondering about that term glory and ask how we might define it, and particularly what does it have to do with Christmas? But defining glory is really not as easy as it would be for maybe to give you a definition of, say, table or chair, or even happy or sad. Defining glory would be a bit more like defining beauty, and by that, I don't mean that it's subjective, like glory is in the eye of the beholder. I don't mean that. But what I mean is that like beauty, this is true of glory. You may struggle to put it into words, but you know it when you see it, and the word glory is certainly like that. Granted, the Hebrew term that is used for glory that's translated in our Old Testaments as glory is, the Hebrew term is kabowd, and that word carries with it a sense of weight or heaviness. Yet that may not even get us as much closer to an understanding of what glory is, except that whatever it is, God's glory must carry a certain weight or importance. Jonathan Edwards, a Puritan writer, he said that, "The glory of God is the weight of all that God is." Few modern writers have been, in my opinion, as consumed with the glory of God as John Piper. I've been greatly influenced by his writing and his teaching. Piper acknowledges the quandary of putting God's glory into words or into a definition, but he does say this, and I think it's helpful. "The glory of God is the manifest beauty of his holiness. It is the going-public of his holiness." The glory of God is the manifest beauty, the visible representation of God's holiness, his goodness, his character. It is the going-public of his holiness. Now you can start to maybe see why Christmas, the Christmas story is a fitting occasion to talk about God's glory, because if we operate for a moment on that statement from Piper that the glory of God is the going-public of his holiness, then we can certainly understand that through the lens of what takes place in the little town of Bethlehem. The story of God coming to earth, of putting on flesh, of being born as a human is definitely a going-public of God's holiness, but this representation, this going-public of his holiness, this glory doesn't look like maybe some of the familiar pictures from the Old Testament. It doesn't involve a burning bush. It doesn't involve an angelic staircase. It doesn't involve a pillar of fire. In fact, it doesn't at first look like anything that we might expect. But when we look long enough, if we linger here in this story and don't glance over it as something that's familiar and common, and we've heard this song before, if we linger long enough, we will see God's glory on display. We see the manifest beauty of his holiness in every detail, so that at the conclusion, it will be unmistakable that it was God who was at work all along. So I know, I recognize, I admit these words that we're gonna look at in Luke 2 are familiar, particularly because of how often they've been read to us at this time of year. But I want you to try to imagine hearing these words for the very first time. So look with me at Luke chapter two, beginning in verse one. It says this. "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken in the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." There's several things that I think display God's glory in this story, and here's the first. Number one, God's glorious sovereignty. If you're taking notes and following along, maybe jot down that statement, God's glorious sovereignty. In this story, what we've looked at, what we will see, we're gonna see God's glory revealed in the sovereign direction of even the smallest of details. It starts with, "In those days Caesar Augustus." Caesar Augustus emperor of Rome, came to sole power in 27 BC His other name, his birth name was Octavius, and he was actually the grand-nephew of Julius Caesar. He became Julius Caesar's adopted son and therefore heir to the throne after Julius Caesar was murdered. You remember that? Et tu, Brute, right? You remember that from English class. And so after Caesar, Julius Caesar was killed, several years, there were some power struggles. Eventually in 27, Octavius becomes the emperor of Rome, and he was actually the one who really shifted the locus of power from a senate to a sole dictator, emperor. He made Rome to be what we think of when we think of Roman empire. He also deified his great uncle, predecessor slash adoptive father, Julius Caesar. He made him a god, and if Augustus or Octavius was his son, then that made him a son of God. So right away it should stand out to us that the story of the birth of the Jewish Messiah begins with a Roman emperor who thinks he's divine. That should not be lost on us. And in the midst of that, not just that, but Octavius or Caesar Augustus imposes his rule by issuing a decree to register everyone in the Roman world. And certainly that registration or that census would be to increase taxation. So at this time, Israel was under Roman occupation and rule, so they were included in this decree as well. Now, I need you to understand that some have disputed Luke's documentation of this event in Luke chapter two. You know where he says that this was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Some have disputed the accuracy of that. That's because Quirinius was definitely governor of Syria, this region, not the modern nation that we might think of as Syria, but this region that included Judea. Quirinius was governor there definitely at a later period, around 6 AD and following. So some have said, well, see, look, there's an error in the scripture. Well, hold on, let's slow down and not just jump to what the cultural narrative is about this story, because there is actually record of a census that Quirinius did take in 6 AD while governor of Syria, and here's what's important about that. Luke knows about that census. He records about it in Acts chapter five, so he knows about that. I'm not gonna show that to you on the screen. He knows about this, so he's not gonna make a sloppy error like that. He's aware of the other census that Quririnius administered, so he's not gonna be that confused. So what happened here? Well, our text said, I'm not gonna put it back up on the screen, but our text said this was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, but it would not be wrong, in fact, it's quite possible that you could also translate that this way. This was the census that took place while Quirinius was first governor of Syria. You see, in, in history, we've actually discovered that Quirinius was governor at two different periods of time in this region that included Judea, once around 6 AD that we've already talked about, but once prior, so it's not farfetched for us to render this this way. This census that we're talking about in Luke 2 was the one that he did when he was first governor or ruler in Syria. That would be a perfectly acceptable understanding. And it's not just plausible, it's actually been found in documentation. In fact, there was one fragment of stone that was found in Tivoli near Rome in Italy, in listen to this, AD 1764, so more in the recent time, and in this fragment of stone, one scholar said this. "This fragment was discovered in Tivoli in AD 1764." Listen. "Contains an inscription in honor of a Roman official, who it states was twice governor of Syria and Phoenicia during the reign of Augustus. The name of the official is not given in the fragment, but among his accomplishments are listed details that as far as is known can fit no one other than Quirinius," end quote. So that really reconciles it for us. Apparently what happened was Quirinius was a leader, a ruler, some sort of governing official at two different periods, which is not unheard of and not uncommon, even in our time today, is it, right? And so we even understand that with modern politics. It happened in their day, too. So since the Romans took a census every 14 years, Luke is careful to insert this detail, and his earliest hearers and readers would have understood exactly what he was talking about. Oh, you're not talking about the one in AD 6 that led to a revolt in Galilee. You're talking about the census earlier, that that was the census that brought Jesus to be born in Bethlehem. Exactly. So this census is issued. It affects the whole Roman world, and that includes Israel. Now Joseph, a carpenter in Nazareth, he's engaged to Mary. They live in the region of Galilee, which is about 90 miles away from Bethlehem, and Bethlehem happens to be Joseph's hometown, so he sets out to return there, to register, to report there, and he brings along his soon-to-be-wife Mary. It's about a four-day journey to walk this distance. There really isn't any other option, which maybe for some perspective, imagine walking from here to Erie, Pennsylvania. And now, moms, imagine doing that in your third trimester. Sounds fun, right? The only option other than walking on foot is to bob along on a donkey, right? So that doesn't sound any better, right? So imagine that scenario for them. So they finally arrive in Bethlehem and then Luke announces rather unceremoniously, if we're honest, "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born." You could tell he is a doctor. He's like, here's the facts. Time of birth, okay, right, let's get it down. Boy, male, born to Joseph and Mary. Got it, right? This is what he records for us in verse seven. "And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son." He's documenting all the facts, but don't miss the importance of the place where this happened, in Bethlehem. God's glorious sovereignty, not just in working through this census, but the fulfillment of scripture for where Messiah would be born. You see, seven centuries, seven centuries before Jesus was born, before the events of Luke 2, the prophet Micah, he wrote this. Look at Micah 5:2. "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times," or from eternity past. Bethlehem, though you're just this little, small, insignificant town, out of you will come for me a ruler who is of old, whose days go back to eternity. You see, not only could this, this couldn't have just applied to David, King David, first of all, because it was written 300 years after David was born. But secondly, because David's days don't go back to eternity. Only one person that would be true of, and it's the child that's born to Joseph and Mary. So they lived in Nazareth, like I said, 90 miles away. If Jesus was really Messiah, he would have to be born in Bethlehem, not Nazareth, so how would he be born in Bethlehem if his earthly parents don't live there? I gotta tell you, no one's taking quick getaways to Bethlehem. No one's taking summer holidays there. You know, Joseph's not saying, "You know, Mar," that's probably what he called her. "You know, Mar, I hear the weather's really beautiful there this time of year, and I know you're like 36 weeks pregnant, and I'm terrified, but let's just take a quick getaway, right?" Can you imagine the look she would have given him, right? Like, "Are you kidding me? You're not allowed to ask questions like that anymore, Joseph, okay?" So that's not happening. They're not just taking a quick sprint down to fulfill some scripture. The only way that they get there is because they had to be there, but they had to be there not just because Caesar Augustus said they had to be there, but because God's glorious sovereignty is working in all of the details. You see, Caesar Augustus, he thinks he's sovereign over the Roman empire, so he issues a decree, but what he doesn't know is that he's not just serving his own purposes. He's serving the sovereign God's purposes all along. He thinks he's sovereign. What he doesn't realize is he's a servant of the truly sovereign one. So imagine that, the human cause for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem. Let me just put it simply. A Roman tax law puts Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem at the right time for their child to be born. A Roman tax law leads to the fulfillment of scripture. Can't make this up. The Jewish leaders and the people who were expecting Messiah would not have wanted to, would not have looked favorably upon the inclusion of a pagan Roman emperor in the story of their Messiah. Right out of the gate, hey, this happened because of Caesar Augustus, by the way. Imagine how distasteful that would have been, but God was superintending the whole process. Paul says as much in Galatians chapter four. Look what he says in verse four. "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman." When the set time. Who set it? Sovereign God of all. God sent his Son at just the right time. He knew exactly when Caesar Augustus would issue this decree. He knew exactly how long it would take for Herod to comply with it. He knew exactly how long it would take to be implemented. He knew exactly when Mary would become pregnant. He knew exactly when she would deliver, and God knew exactly when the time was right for his Son to be born. God is gloriously sovereign over every detail. Sometimes we can become too preoccupied with earthly kings and earthly kingdoms and forget who the true sovereign over all the earth is. The birth of the King Jesus should help clarify where our heart allegiance lies. Even at the beginning of his story, even before he speaks a word, Jesus is Lord, Caesar is not. Yes, Octavius, he issued the decree from Rome, but God had already commanded these events from heaven. Our God is in the heavens. He does what pleases him, the Psalmist says. Therefore, when our attention becomes consumed, dominated by earthly kingdoms, we can be sure at those moments, our eyes are not on the truly sovereign Lord of all. When we look at Caesar for a rescue or when we look at Caesar for an excuse, we can be certain that we're not looking at the glorious sovereign King of kings. Because when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son. He's in control and he can be trusted. There's a second aspect to God's glory in this story, and it's this. The Angels' glorious interruption. The Angels' glorious interruption. So we've just read that the child was born and Mary wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger. And our text continues in Luke chapter two, beginning in verse eight. Look with me here. It says, "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Verse 13. "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth, peace to those on whom his favor rests." The angels' glorious interruption. There are right now, today at this time, shepherds out in the fields nearby outside of Bethlehem, right now, and they have been out in those fields tending sheep for at least 3,000 years, but probably many more. 1,000 before Jesus was born, a little shepherd boy named David was doing exactly the same thing in these exact same fields, and he was tending his flock, keeping watch over them. So this was an ordinary thing in an ordinary place at a seemingly ordinary time on an ordinary night, shepherds out in the fields near Bethlehem. Then all of a sudden, an extraordinary interruption of God's glorious light explodes on the scene like a flash of lightning. No wonder these shepherds were terrified. I grew up reading and memorizing the King James Version, so sometimes the verses come out in the King James Version. I remember this verse said that the shepherds were sore afraid, and I remember as a little boy, six, seven, eight years old, thinking, sore afraid? They were so scared it hurt. That must have been what it meant, right? They were so scared it must have hurt them. This is how I was processing. They were terrified. Literally the Greek that Luke uses is they were fearful with fear. He didn't know how to put it any other way. And their experience is consistent as they see the glory of God shining all around them in 3D, right? This immersive experience. They see the glory of God shining around them, and their experience is really very similar to a lot of other experiences in the scripture when people encounter God's glory. In fact, there's specifically some echoes to what the prophet Isaiah experienced. Look at these verses in Isaiah chapter six. It says, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I," Isaiah, "saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying." I mean, that's terrifying. Six-winged giant angel seraphim. "And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and the thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." That's what Isaiah saw. He was sore afraid, he was terrified, and you would be, too, if you were suddenly immersed in a smoke cloud with surround sound of giant angel choirs whose voices are so loud that the temple is shaking. And you think we have bass on Sunday. You know, that guy that pulls up to you at the red light in the Dodge Neon with the one door that's not the same colors as all the other doors, right? And his bass is rattling, and he's, you know, that guy has nothing on this six-winged giant flaming angel choirs whose voices reach decibel levels that are not safe for human consumption, right? This is terrifying, and Isaiah says, "Woe to me!" One translation says, "It's all over!" 'Cause what are you thinking in that moment? I saw God. I'm dead. I'm dead. This is what he's feeling and he's experiencing, fearful with fear. So this angelic interruption for the shepherds looks an awful lot like that, doesn't it? It seems to carry that same weight. The shepherds are beside themselves with fear. Maybe they even read the, remember the scroll of Isaiah being read in the synagogue, and the angel says, "Don't be afraid. I'm bringing you good news. Don't be afraid." I don't know if that worked. Oh, okay. Nevermind. Hey guys, he's not gonna kill us. We're good, okay? I don't know if that worked, but the angel says, "Don't be afraid. I'm bringing you good news." Literally where we get our word evangelizing. "I'm bringing you good news. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Messiah, the Lord." The first people to hear the announcement of Jesus' birth. Not the emperor, not the governor, not Herod, not even a priest, but shepherds.

- "A Savior has been born to you." God in the highest comes to the lowly, not the haughty. He makes himself nothing. He identifies with the forgotten, with the outcast. He's not born in the capital, Jerusalem. He's born in a small town of maybe a thousand people, just outside of it. He's not born to royalty. He's born to an average Joe, literally. Some of you're gonna get that at lunch, apparently, all right? Stay with the group. He's not born to a priest. The facts are he's born to a teenage unwed mother. It's nothing like you'd expect. See, the angels' interruption isn't just an interruption of the silence that the shepherds had out in the fields. It's an interruption of the expectations over who Messiah was supposed to be. You see, under Roman occupation and rule, the Jewish people were expecting their anointed one to be a military leader, not unlike, not unlike their revered Judas Maccabeus, who just two centuries prior had stood up to pagan Greek armies. See, when Messiah did arrive, in their minds, surely he's gonna kick out the Romans for good, purify the temple once and for all, and establish David's kingdom, restore David's kingdom forever. But that's not exactly how this first Advent went. You see, there had been this period of 400 years of silence, where between the close of the Old Testament prophets and this encounter in the Bethlehem field, God had not sent a message or a messenger. For four centuries, four centuries, there was no word from heaven. So remember that after David and Solomon and all the kings of the Divided Kingdom, the people of Israel and of Judah, they had forsaken God. They'd abandoned his ways. They had practiced immorality. They'd committed spiritual adultery. They turned their backs on God. So God allows them to experience the full repercussion of their sin. He allows them to be taken into exile first by Assyria and then by Babylon. Right before that exile, though, one prophet, Ezekiel, he had another vision of God's glory, but his was different from Isaiah's. Look at this passage in Ezekiel chapter 10. It says, "Then the glory of the Lord rose up from above the cherubim," that is among the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place. "The glory of the Lord rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the entrance of the Temple. The Temple was filled with this cloud of glory, and the courtyard glowed brightly," shone all around, "with the glory of the Lord. The moving wings of the cherubim sounded like the voice of God Almighty, and could be heard even in the outer courtyard." Verse 18. "Then the glory of the Lord moved out from the entrance of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim," the angels that were out in the courtyard. Did you see this? "The glory of the Lord moved out." In Ezekiel's vision, he sees God's glory depart. It leaves the Temple, his presence leaves, and just about six months after Ezekiel has this vision, six months or so after he has this vision, the Temple, Solomon's Temple is destroyed. He has a vision that the glory leaves because the people had forsaken God. He sees God's glory move out, and it's not long before the Temple is destroyed and then the people are carried away. Now, a generation later, in Ezra and Nehemiah, the Temple was rebuilt, you may remember, but you know what's conspicuously absent from the record of the rebuilding of the temple? The glory of God. You see, when Solomon dedicated the temple he constructed, you could see it in 1 Kings 8 or 2 Chronicles 5. There's so much, there's an overwhelming presence of God's glory in that temple, like a thick cloud, that the priests can't even perform their duties because God's glory is all over that temple. But you know what's conspicuously absent from the second temple? That event. No record. Silence. You can go back and check in Ezra. It's almost like, it's almost like God never even moved in, if I could say it that way. But then in Luke 2, the glory of the Lord shone around them. God was moving into the neighborhood. He was interrupting things. The silence of that night was broken. But more significantly, the silence of the last four centuries had been broken. God brings his temple to the field. He puts his presence on the road. He grants access to shepherds. Look again at verse 14 of our text. "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom is favor rests." Do you recognize? "Glory to God in the highest." Now when you read that, you might think, yeah, that means like God's way over there and I'm way over here. But do you recognize that his glory reverberates so loudly throughout the heavens that it creates an echo of peace, of shalom on earth to those on whom his favor rests. And we know that God is forever pleased with his Son Jesus. His favor rests on his Son. So all who would be found in him by faith experience the peace of knowing God. So this means that the angels' glorious interruption should disrupt the narratives that we've built for ourselves about whether we're deserving or not, about whether God loves us or not, whether this message is for us or not. A Savior has been born to you this day. He is Christ the Lord. And then a third and final, the Shepherds' glorious proclamation. The Shepherds' glorious proclamation. These shepherds have an important part in our story more than maybe our porcelain nativity scenes give them credit for. They're not just visitors. They're not just signing as witnesses to these events. They've got a job to do. Look at our text as it picks up in verse 15. "When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Exactly what God had said. He keeps his word. So they find Mary and Joseph and the baby, just as the angels had said. But I wanna focus back on verse 17 for a moment. Look again. "When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them." Look how the ESV renders this. "And when they saw it," the manger, the child, "when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them." You see, they spread the word, or they made it known. These shepherds become the first human evangelists in history. They start talking about what they had seen, and it's fitting, isn't it, that shepherds would be the first ones to do that. It's exactly what you'd expect now in this upside down opposite of what you typically think of kind of story that this is. The shepherds become the first people to pass on the word. So this group of shepherds is going to tell everybody about the one who will be the Great Shepherd. The ESV said that they made known or they spread the word. They made known the saying. What saying? Well certainly verse 11, right? "Today is born in the town of David a Savior," right? They told everyone they could about the child that was born. But it's interesting, and I wanna pause here for just a second, because this connects to our part in the story as well. You see, if you track the Greek term that is translated as they spread the word, or they made known the saying, it actually shows up multiple times in the New Testament, and if you trace its use, it is most often connected to evangelistic announcements. In other words, telling people about Jesus. Look at how the Apostle Peter writes. He says in chapter one of 2 Peter 1, "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known," same term, "to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." He says, we weren't just making up a legend or a cute little story when we told you about Jesus, when we made known the power and majesty of our Lord. Look at what Paul writes in Ephesians 3. "His," that his God's, "intent was that now, through the church," us, "the manifold wisdom of God should be made known," same term, or later on in chapter six of Ephesians, Paul says, "Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel." I show you all of that because the mission of making known and spreading the word is built into the very fabric of the story. When people come face to face with the glory of God in Jesus, they can't help but talk about it, and the shepherds' glorious proclamation on the night that Jesus was born serves as the model for all of us who have seen the same, all that we have seen and heard. Now we tell others so they can see and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what it means to be people who have encountered Jesus. He gives us a story to tell, and that mission continues. You see, the glory of Christmas is really about God shining his light into darkness. He sovereignly works through every detail. He interrupts the silence and the expectations, and in response, we become ambassadors for his glory, agents who help his holiness go public. We announce the birth of the Savior. Look at how Paul writes this in 2 Corinthians chapter four. He picks up on these themes of light and glory, and he says this. It's so important. Pay attention to this part. "The god of this age," that is the enemy, the accuser, Satan. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," Genesis 1, "made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ." Sounds an awful lot like what happened to these shepherds. They saw God's glory displayed in the face of Christ, the newborn King, and his light started to shine in their hearts to the point that they started telling everybody they could, everywhere they went. There's so much here, but consider what Paul says. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of," who? Unbelievers, he says. The choice, the first choice is always the individual's. What will you do with Jesus? What will I? But the enemy can and does compound the confusion with spiritual blindness. He doesn't want people to see the glory of God made public in Jesus. He doesn't want people to see that. He doesn't want them to see the gospel that displays the glory of Christ. He doesn't want them to see that a Savior has been born to them and for them. But verse six says that it's the same God who brought forth creation with a word is clearly not gonna be handcuffed by the enemy of our souls. If he's strong enough to make the world with the breath of his mouth, he's not at the mercy of Satan. So he has a strategy, and his strategy is the people who have Jesus as their Lord. You see it said, "He made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory." You may think, well, what does verse four have to do with verse six? The god of this age has blinded unbelievers, but God has shown his light into our hearts. Is that just too bad, so sad for unbelievers? No. You see, Satan has tried to block unbelievers from seeing the light, and he'll do everything he can to cast doubt and suspicion over the message, over the integrity of the story, over the documentation, over whether Quirinius really was governor of Syria at that time. He'll do everything that he can, but do you know what he can't block? The light of the gospel in your heart. He can't. It's out of his reach, because you belong to him. You belong to Christ, not the god of this age. So Satan can't touch that, and light isn't given to us just so we can have it for ourselves. What good is a light if you hide it under a bushel? No, you set it up high so that the whole house can see it. And friends, the glory of Christmas means this. God has shone his light into our hearts in the person of Jesus. The enemy hates that. He hates it. He doesn't want people to see it and to be transformed by it. But thanks be to God that he has put his light in our hearts so that when we walk around reflecting the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we become mirrors of God to the world around us. There's no limit to what God will do. The glorious proclamation of the shepherds becomes ours, and we spread the word wherever we go. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. This season, reflect that glory. Let's bow together for a word of prayer. With your heads bowed and your eyes closed as we contemplate this story, this true story, this true record of God's deliverance in sending his Son, in providing a Savior, the glory of God in the face of Jesus. May we not sentimentalize this story to our own detriment, and say, "Well, yeah, I've heard that story. I mean, it's Christmas at church, and so I expect to hear that kind of thing." But don't miss this. A Savior has been born to you and for you, to me and for me, to pay for my sin and your sin, to cover the debt that we couldn't pay God. All of our sin is active rebellion against the God who made us, who loved us, who wants to know us, and as long as sin has its way in our hearts, there's no room for the newborn King. So maybe you're here today and you don't know God personally. You've never surrendered your life by faith to him and said, "Jesus, I want you to be Lord and Savior of my life." If that's where you're at today, then here's what I wanna encourage you with. What a great time. What a great season to surrender your life to the Savior, the God who loves you. In just a moment, I'm gonna close our time in prayer, and I'll dismiss everybody, and everyone's gonna be heading out the back out of the doors, but if you know that your greatest need is Jesus, I want you to head in the opposite direction. That's to come down front and talk to our prayer partners and our pastoral team that will be down front ready to talk and pray with you about what your next step is. See, at just the right time, God sent his Son, at just the right time, and at just the right time, he has you here today to hear from him, not me, that God loves you, he sees you, he hasn't forgotten you, and he loves you more than you can ever realize. So make today the day that you surrender your life to Jesus. Father, I pray for all of us, as agents of your glory, that we would see your sovereign hand at work, that we would allow you to interrupt our misplaced expectations, even desires that take us away from you, and that you would enable us to be people who proclaim the good news that you were not just born, you lived, you died, you rose again. We can't talk about Christmas without talking about Easter, and we are so thankful for your sacrifice that has brought us back to the Father. Jesus, we praise you and adore you, and like the shepherds who returned to their fields, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, God, as we return to our field this afternoon, tomorrow at work or at school, I pray that we would do the same. We surrender ourselves to you, God. We thank you and we love you, and it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen.