Christmas

Thank you, Joe. Some people think the rapture is going to take place on the Sunday after Christmas, because that's when the remnant are in church. But I've been looking forward to this Sunday of the 6th worship services we've had this month. This is the Sunday I've been looking forward to the most because of the subject matter and this morning. By God's grace, I will be able to convey its importance to you. This morning, we want to read from Luke's gospel the 2nd chapter and we want to read the verses that follow the birth of Jesus. The things his parents did with him after he was born and what insight we can have into his entire life and ministry by looking at these events. I want to start in verse 21 of chapter 2 of Luke's gospel. And when 8 days were completed before his circumcision, his name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days for their purification, according to the law of Moses, were completed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. And to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the law of the Lord. A pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and this man was righteous and devout looking for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not seek death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to carry out for him the custom of the law, then he took him into his arms and blessed God and said, Now Lord, thou dost let thy bond servant depart in peace according to thy word, for my eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples. A light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of thy people, Israel.

Father, I pray you might open our eyes to see wonderful things in your word. Well, things old and new, treasures from your storehouse. Pray you might help us to see why it was that Jesus had been born of a woman, born under the law, that this was necessary for him to redeem us who were under its curse. I pray, Lord, to do that you would help me to know nothing but Christ and your crucified. And I pray in his name. Some of you stood in line this week, most notably on Thursday, either to return or to purchase something that's the second busiest shopping day of the year. And let me give you a little suggestion. Next time you have to see in such long lines of the store and the clerk is taking such a long time to process everybody else. Just remind yourself that that clerk doesn't have to stand in line. And by the time you get up there you'll have a pretty good attitude to deal with. People who are in charge don't have to stand in the line. That's one of the advantages I guess of having a job in the store. The verses we read from Luke's Gospel this morning tell us that Jesus stood in a line. It tells us that when he was born his parents fulfilled the obligations of God's law. It was said about Jesus that we've read already this month and he's the son of the most high. He's going to his horse from long ago. He's the eternal king on David's throne. He's gone himself. Why is it that God must subject himself to his own law? Why did Jesus have to stand in line and obey the law of Moses? That's the question I want to ask this morning and answer. And the first thing we need to understand in answering that question is that because Jesus was born under the law, that he is an efficient mediator for us. We see three times in this chapter in Luke's Gospel of the law being mentioned. In verse 22 it said that Mary came for her purification according to the law of Moses. At the end of verse 27, when Simeon saw them, he saw them as they came in to carry out for him that is for Jesus the custom of the law. And even after all this is over in verse 39, after and when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee. Why is Luke so concerned to tell us that Jesus's parents submitted Jesus to the law of God at his birth? Well, Galatians chapter 4, verse 4, answers his question for us. It says that he was born of a woman and then Paul explains what born of a one means born under the law. That Jesus, when he came, came as a human being subject to the same standards of God that we were subject to. And the verse 4 of Galatians 4 goes on to explain that he might redeem those who were under the law. You see, for Jesus to be a mediator of a new and better covenant, for Jesus to mediate God's blessing to us, he had to stand under the same law that we did. He had to subject himself to the same law which God imposes on us. I am a good friend who is the heir apparent, I believe, of a major national brokerage firm. I won't tell you which one because he would be embarrassed. But he is the fourth generation of men in his family who have shared this brokerage. And if I told you the name, you would recognize they have major offices in every major city of the country. And when I first met this fellow, he was working at the firm, but he was working in the personnel office of the firm. I thought, how odd, one day he is going to be chairman and he is working in the personnel office. It was a great strategy because when he started in personnel, he got to know the people and the policies. He got to know what life was like for people in the company. He gained a knowledge that he didn't have otherwise. Now with Jesus coming to be born of the one born under the law, God is not obtaining a knowledge that he didn't have before. He is not unaware of our sin, he is not unaware of our bondage, he is not unaware of the difficulties of life in a fallen world. But he is coming at the starting place for bringing redemption to the place where it needs to be brought. I said the first Sunday in this month, I said Jesus came and cleansed the spot, he came to where the spot was, he came in history, he came to the place where sin reign. And so it was important that Jesus be born of a woman, born under the law, subject to the law of God, just as we are in order for him to be efficient as a mediator, as a savior. The result of that is when we look at what Jesus does, we can be confident that he did effectively, that he accomplished what he intended to. You know we have a variety of responses to the law of Moses, into the law of God in general. Many people think it seems arbitrary to require certain kind of animal for certain kind of sacrifice. And in a certain sense the symbols of the law chosen are somewhat arbitrary in relation to the things they reveal. But we have to remember this, the law of God teaches us. It teaches us about the nature of God. God requires us to be holy according to his law. That tells us that God himself is holy, in fact he says that, be holy as I am holy. Some people might look at the law as a primitive or archaic or superstitious or even legalistic. But remember the law is teaching us, the law of God shows us something about God, it reveals his attributes, his character. In the same time God's law reveals something about us. For Paul says, all have fallen short of the glory of God, all have transgressed his law by sinning. There is none righteous, no not learn. The law wasn't given to us as a means to gain access in the heaven because we couldn't gain access that way. It was given to show us that we couldn't gain access in the heaven that way. And Christ comes to live under that same kind of law to be our efficient savior. That's the first thing we have to recognize about the Christ and the law. The writer Hebrew says it this way, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are just yet without sin. Jesus was born under the law and therefore is an efficient mediator for us. But living under the law itself was not enough to save us, to give us salvation. It was necessary that Christ obey the law for us. Now, there are three specific stipulations of the law mentioned here in Luke chapter 2. The first one is the law of the purification of the mother. After 33, when a mother-born child, she was ceremonially unclean for 33 days, and on the after 33 days she was to present a lamb and a bird of some kind as an offering at the temple to be proclaimed ceremonially clean again. Now, why was such a stipulation placed on a limb? Well, I would suggest to you it's not because it was an anti-woman kind of law, but it told us about the cursedness of life. You see, there were curses on the man in Eden, the curse on labor, that his efforts would produce thorns and fizzles from the ground, and there was also a curse on the woman in that she would bring forth children in pain. And these curses are not chauvinistic or anything like that, but they tell us that all of life has come under God's curse, that the things that were to give us life have been cursed by God because of our rebellion. And so Mary comes as an obedient Israelite woman would to make her purification after the birth of Jesus. We're also told something about Jesus' family in this. You notice that Mary didn't bring a lamb. She brought two turtle does, or two young pigeons. There was a provision in the law that if somebody couldn't afford a lamb, they were to bring two birds instead. And so we're told that Jesus' family was a poor family. That's the one law we're talking about in the purification of the mother. There's another law we're told about in here. It's about the purification of the first born. Every time an Israelite woman had her first male child, that child had to be presented at the temple. It was to remind Israel that when they were slaves in Egypt and God stepped down the first born of all the households of Egypt, that the first born of all the households of Israel were saved because there was a sacrifice made. There was a blood of the goat on the doorpost that marked off those households and God spared them, but God instead took for Himself the first born of Israel. The first born belonged to Him, and so that's that law that is being fulfilled when they come to present Jesus at the temple. There's a third law, which I want to talk about at a moment, but these two laws describe here, tell us the beginning and the beginning of Jesus' life, he kept the law perfectly. And the gospel accounts tell us that he did indeed his whole life, keep the law perfectly. On one occasion, he asked John the Baptist to baptize him. And John the Baptist said, no, you should baptize me and Jesus said no. It's necessary, but the Son of Man will fulfill all righteousness. And Paul tells us in Romans chapter 5 that through the disobedience of one man sinned into the world and therefore death, through the obedience, the righteous act of the second man, many were made righteous. See, Jesus comes at the second Adam. The first Adam rebelled against the law and God's law and brought him and his austerity into a state of sin. And so the second Adam comes and his act of righteousness gives righteousness to all who believe in him, put their faith in him. We talk about the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us and it begins here. Jesus is obeying God's law, earning, blessing for us. Speaking of brokerage, if I asked you how Smith Barney makes their money, what would you tell me? They earn it. Deal fashion away. And we're very careful to say that we don't earn our standing before God. But we are saved by works. Not by our own works, but the works of Christ saved us. Jesus obedience, gaining him the statement of the Father, this is my son in whom I am well pleased. God's pleasure upon the Son is credited to us when we come to Jesus in faith. His righteousness is accounted to us, reckoned to us. We received credit for the good he did. Remember the rich young ruler came to Jesus and he said, Teacher, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said, why do you call me good? There is no one good but God. Now, there was ever a question that was an answer that was one. Jesus in saying that said, you're right, I am good. He was good. The Roman soldier testified to it. Surely this man was the son of God, he said by the cross, pilot himself testified to it at the trial of Jesus. This man has done nothing wrong. His resurrection from the dead tells us that Jesus did not die for his own sin, because Paul says in Romans chapter 1 that he was vindicated in his resurrection. He obeyed the law. In fact, he obeyed the law perfectly to the point of giving his life, because it was the will of the Father. He said, I came to do the will of him who sent me. What does this mean for us? Well, if you put your faith in Christ, all the blessings of God are yes and on men in Christ. Every good promise God has made to bless his people if they will obey Him. Christ's obedience is accounted to you if you have faith in Him and all the blessings of God are yours. You are at the air of the household. You don't have to count anymore. You have done enough to earn the blessings of God, but your faith in Christ, because He has earned the blessings of God for you. Well, Jesus was born under the law so that he would be an efficient mediator for us, but he obeyed the law perfectly so that he would earn our righteousness, if we would trust and believe in Him. But that alone is like a house hanging in thin air. There needs to be a foundation under a house, and so likewise, there is a foundation under the invitation of Christ's righteousness to us. And that is the invitation of our sin to him. Now, I said there was a third law which is in view here. It's in verse 21. On the 8th day, Jesus was brought as was every male Israelite. He was brought to be circumcised. The removal of the four skin of every male Israelite was a sign that they were in the covenant family. God provided for circumcision in Genesis chapter 17. In fact, it's so important he identifies the sign with the covenant and business my covenant. And circumcision symbolized a lot of different things. It involved primarily consecration. That whatever was consecrated to God belonged to Him wholly. So when a male Israelite was circumcised, he was wholly given over to God. But there's a problem there. If an Israelite brought an offering, it wasn't acceptable. Or came to worship God in a flippant or idolatrous way. In other words, if they came to consecrate themselves or something to God, and it wasn't acceptable, there was a problem. God judges those things consecrated to Him, which are not acceptable to Him. And so in circumcision, you have not simply a sign of blessing, but a sign of curse or blessing, depending on the state of the thing consecrated. Moses told Israel, circumcised the four skin of your heart. He told them that several times. The outward sign was not due any effect apart from the inward reality. In fact, having the outward sign without the inward reality made a person worse off than if they'd never had the sign before. It's just like within the family of God, if you're raised under the preaching of the word, and the sacraments of the church, and the instruction of God they teaching, and you don't embrace Christ as Savior and Lord, you're worse off than somebody you never heard, because you are accountable the more you know. And so having the sign of a covenant without the reality was a very deadly thing. Now you say, well Jesus was holy. Yes, he's holy. In fact, in chapter 1 we're called. We're told he was that holy thing of the God. Well, verse 21 of Luke chapter 2 is not the real circumcision of Jesus. I want you to turn into Colossians, so that we can see what the real circumcision of Jesus was. Colossians chapter 2, after reading in verse 9, or in Him that is in Christ, all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. That's what we've been saying all month, that in Christ there is the incarnate second person of the eternal Holy Trinity. And in Him you have been made complete or perfect. It's an Old Testament idea, and He is the head over all rule and authority. And in Him you are also circumcised with a circumcision made without Him, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Now you might read that and you say, well that looks like something Jesus does to me because if something been done to me, the circumcision without hands, I've been made complete. I've had the curse of God removed from me and it happens because of what's called the circumcision of Christ. But this is not something that happens to us, the circumcision of Christ. It's something that happened to Jesus. Look back at chapter 1, verse 21. Although you were formerly alienated and hostile in line engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death. Who's fleshly body? Who's death?

In order to present you before in holy and blameless and beyond reproach. What I'm saying is this, that when Jesus came, lived a life joined human nature, was tended in every way as we are, yet without sin was born of a woman born under the law, when He suffered all the miseries of this life that culminated in His death on the cross, that He was cut off for our sin. Isaiah said at that point, Isaiah 53, about the suffering servant, the chastening for our well being fell upon Him and by His scourging we are healed. Who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living? Isaiah said the suffering servant would come and our sin would be laid on Him. This is what we call double imputation. By faith, Christ's righteousness is given to those who believe in Him, and by that same faith, their sin is laid upon Him in what He did on the cross. We have a saying when we look at somebody in a tough situation we say, there but for the grace of God go I. That is, except for some special favor of God or just dumb luck, I would have ended up the same way that person did. Well that may or may not be so, but with absolute certainty, the person who has believed in Christ may look in Christ on the cross and say, there is the grace of God, go on. Paul said, this is why He made him do nothing to be sin. And we might become the righteous God in Christ. It is not just that we get credit for what good He did, but He got credit for what bad He did. So that when He hung on the cross He said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? There was no greater truth ever spoken. It was not simply that He was suffering, but He was cut off from the land of the living. He was cut off from the favor of God. In fact, the anger of God burned hot against Him. And when they put that sour sponge of wine on the end of that pole and stuck it up to His lips He drank that wine of the wrath of God for us, the cup that God had poured and bitter wine. He made him do no sin to be sin and we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. My mom, while she was here told me she had been a funeral recently and it was a funeral of a man who really never went to church and had much interest in religion. And the widow didn't know much about planting funerals, but they had a funeral in a church and they're funerally saying amazing grace. Amazing grace is a pretty popular song. It's sung by a lot of people and it was a Judy Collins that sang it on the radio. And you can go to rock concert where my stone in this amazing grace. The widow was so upset. She told my mom, she said, I was so upset. They sang that in my husband's funeral. My mom who was amazed by grace herself said, why? My husband was not a wretch. If you don't have any place to place the wretch in this. It's very hard to come to grips with the fact that we are enemies of God. You see Paul said in Romans chapter 5 that while we were still helpless at the right time, Christ died for us, while we were still His enemies, He gave Himself for us. And the great benefit of coming to grips with the imputation of our sin upon Christ is that you've got some place to place it now so you can be overjoyed about acknowledging and you can say amazing grace. There's no more willingness to admit our falsehood before the cross of Christ. We recognize that Christ is there. Paul says if you have faith in Christ and you understand that, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. When you walk out of here and you left your lights on and your car won't start, you don't have to ask God, God, what sin did I do that you made me do such a stupid thing? Things don't go your way in line. In the circumcision, the cutting off. Jesus, amazing love. How can it be? And now my God was dying for me. There's no greater, more succinct application than that than I think than that. In prison spirits, fear of the gaze of God, the fearful gaze of God becoming the gaze of pleasure, not a vanger. In Philippians chapter 2, which I'll have to get a big headstone to get it all on there. But he says, you know, everything I did, I count as rubbish. In line of its surpassing knowledge in Jesus Christ, that I might be found in you, not having a righteousness of my own, based upon the law. The one which is based upon faith. Paul praises that I may know him. The power is resurrection and the power she must have suffered. Not my share. Life becomes a tightly focused spotlight. A life and lived out in awareness of the imputation of our sin of Christ. It's a lie of it. It's a tunnel vision. Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, you can look at it. You can look at it with me if you like. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. It starts off with a very famous line in verse 14. For the love of Christ controls us. The love of Christ constrains us. Having concluded this. Why does a love of Christ compel me and control me in every manner and way of life? Paul says having concluded this, that one died for all. Therefore all died. And he died for all that they who live should no longer live for themselves. But for him who died and rose again on their behalf. A life lived in awareness of Christ as our sin bearer. It's a lie that is controlled in compel by the love of God. I remember Vicky and I recording by the way today's our 12th anniversary. We were doing very deeply and quickly in love the summer before we were married. And I remember feeling quite nervous about such a profound decision to make in life. And I remember reading some of Jameleus writings in the Elizabeth Ilyates Book of Passion and purity. And I remember there was sort of a turning point where I read a letter from him to her and he was contemplating whether they should marry or not. And he said in so many words that, you know, until now it's just been me and God and whatever mistakes I make. You know, I have to pay for myself but now if I make a mistake here, it's going to cost two people. And I thought of that kind of danger in marriage as I thought this morning of imputation of our sin. We can step out in confidence because our past, present and future sin has been dealt with and God invites us to be bold and to live for him without fear of condemnation. Because the judge of all the earth, the only right judge, the only holy one, has declared sentence on us and the sentence is innocence. And Paul says, what shall separate us from the love of God and Christ? A famine persecution sword? He says, no, because you are conquerors in Christ. The judge of all the earth has declared innocence upon you if you have placed your faith and trust in him. And now you have every confidence to live without condemnation, to live for Christ, to not count anything of this world worth holding on to.

A few moments will come to the Lord's table. As we come to the Lord's table, we're reminded of the cost of the table and the peace, the cost of purchasing our peace. Think about political fundraisers, $500 of plate dinner, $1000 of plate dinner, what cost to be there? And you can look around the table and you can say, there are some pretty high rollers here. When we look at the Lord's table, every Christian comes on the same level. Christ, that face and the price and the seed of that table was the bottom goal. So when you come to this table, when you come to this table, it's all about the price. But sweet perfume of heaven is the mixture of sorrow and joy. Because we also come with joy, knowing that the love of God made them Christ. Jesus said, I come to do the will of the one who sent me. He wasn't the loving son trying to satisfy the mad father, but it was the agreement between father, son, and Holy Spirit. So when you come to this table, you come with the sorrow of the price and cost. You come with joy because the love of God paid that price. Jesus was born under the law that he might be an efficient mediator for us. He kept the law so that all the blessings of God are yesterday men in Christ. And he suffered the penalty of the law in our place, so that there is therefore now no condemnation on those who are in Christ Jesus. Christian, in Pilgrim's progress, made his journey to that hill where there was a man hung in a cross. And that journey consisted in his effort to relieve himself of his burden and prescriptions of legalism and shortcuts and all fallen short. And when he came to the hill and he looked at the man on the cross, the strings broke and that great burden were tumbled down that hill and rolled into an open grave. And Christian sang this song in response. Thus far did I come laden with my sin. Nor could anything ease the grief that I was in till I came here. And the place is this, must hear me the beginning of my bliss, must hear the burden fall off my back, must hear the strings that bounded crack, blessed cross, blessed several curbs, blessed rather be the man that there was put to shame. The humbling of the Son of God to take him on human nature, to live life, to get in line under the law of God is our salvation for those who have been saved.