There were only two thoroughly representative men; the first is Adam: Adam was disobedient and the whole race fell. So, though you and I miss the outward sight of Christ, we need not regret it, it is but secondary as a privilege; if with the inner sight we have seen the Incarnate God, and accepted him as our salvation, we are blessed with holy Simeon. How many promises are kept on this glorious day? They could have run through the streets with the ancient philosopher, crying, "Eureka! You would scarcely think it necessary that he should be baptized; but lo, he goes to Jordan's stream and dives beneath the wave, that he may be buried in baptism unto death, and may rise again though he needed not to rise into newness of life. Their are many who think Christmas cannot be celebrated, except with a lot of merriment and festivity in the house, and added to that the noisiness of sin. You who sing creation's story, Now proclaim Messiah's birth; Come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King. When you can preach the word of God you must prevail. A strong emphasis in Spurgeon's preaching was God's grace and sovereignty over man's helpless state. But the room I have in my heart is so wretched! 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to . Further on we are told that the gospel was the fact that Christ was born. No strife will disturb Messiah's reign, no blood will be shed; they'll destroy the useless weapons of war, and study war no more. It is true the wise men came there, but it was only to adore and offer gifts; would that all the wise had been as wise as they. (c. 180) Chapter XXVI, Against Praxeas , Tertullian (c. 213) Chapter I, On Modesty, Tertullian (c. 217) For my eyes have seen your salvation." These promises belong to all believers in our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Certainly none of us were meet by nature not even Simeon; the fitness of the venerable man was all the handiwork of God, and so, also, was his anxiety to obtain the inheritance for which God had prepared him. Observe, first, that all the saints have seen God's salvation, therefore, should they all depart in peace. Christ did not come from heaven to save angels when they fell. "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Like other children, the holy child needed care, which only a mother's hand and heart could exercise; she was therefore engrossed with Him. 2. Kings, your gold and silver would have been lavished on Him if you would had known that He was the Lord of Glory. The one incident in angelic history, to which our text refers, is enough to bond our hearts to them forever. 41 Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. Afterwards, when Israel came into the wilderness, and the law was proclaimed, we read that the people stood afar off and that boundaries were established around the mountain, and even if an animal touched the mountain, then it must be stoned, or killed with a sword? Revelation 14:13 : "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them." Parties, politics, status-seekers, and pleasure- seekers exclude the Representative of Heaven from a place among representatives of Earth. It is true, we cannot look upon him with these mortal eyes, but we have seen him with those eyes immortal which death cannot dim the eyes of our own spirit which have been opened by God's Holy Spirit. Hear it, "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them." Do not be those who only read the words--don't stop at the surface; dive into the depths. Another emotion is that of "confidence." Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. Christ was born at an inn; he came into the world to sojourn here for awhile, as at an inn, and to teach us to do likewise. There are those who, to-morrow, will pretend to exhibit joy in the remembrance of our Savior's birth, but they will not seek their pleasure in the Savior: they will need many additions to the feast before they can be satisfied. In an address to the nation President Richard Nixon said, "The greatest event in human history .read more. In the early and simple ages of the world every man considered it an honor to entertain a stranger; later, as traveling became more common, many desired to share the honor and pleasure with their neighbors; wherefore they could continue the dignity of hospitality? Many a man has disgraced the pulpit, and many a man has sanctified an anvil; many a man has dishonored the cushion upon which he preached, and many a man has conscerated the plough with which he has turned the soil. Will you give room for Christ when there is to be from this time on no room for you--when you are to be separated forever, cut off from among the world's relatives--cut off from fleshly confidence forever? They dont say, I will get up and go to my Father, because they dont know Him as a Father, they only know Him as a consuming fire. How often did that devout man write words of this sort: "Oh if I had to swim through seven hells to reach him, if he would but say to me, like Peter, 'Come unto me,' I would go unto him not only on the sea, but on the boiling floods of hell, if I might but reach him, and come to him." No other would an angel have proclaimed, and, indeed, no other joy is joy. "Then will I tell sinners all around What a dear Savior I have found: I'll point to His redeeming blood, And say--'Look! And so you find both friends and enemies striving to hinder your consecration to Christ. Then if we desire to glorify God we need not give up our business. how has the bubble burst across yon narrow sea. Next, I have to present to you some EMOTIONAL THOUGHTS. I can remember well how I could scarcely abide myself five minutes without doing something for Christ. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. We have been insisting many times in this church on the spirituality of Christian worship. Observe, the angel told them something of His position, as well as His birth. It appears that they praised God for what they had heard. Would it had been fitting that a man who was to die naked on the cross should be robed in purple, as a King, at his birth? How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! This is the The fear of the LORD [which] is the beginning of wisdom. To have a holy fear of our most holy, just, righteous, and tender God is a privilege, not a bondage. It is not the wonder of the past, but the wonder of all time and the wonder of eternity. Don't all created things extol Him? Around the sinner's death-bed the tempest thickens, and he hears the rumblings of the eternal storm: his soul is driven away, either amid the thunderings of curses loud and deep, or else in the dread calm which evermore forebodes the hurricane. Put him in the crowd; he shall speak so, that if you could speak like him you should speak well. They all three agree in one, and as in the creation they all said, "Let us make man;" so in salvation they all say, "Let us save man;" and each of them does so much of it that it is truly the work of each and undividedly the work of all. ' Luke 2:10. Note the way in which her concern was shown; she was a woman, and the grace which shines best in the female is not boldness--that belongs to the masculine mind; but affectionate modesty is a feminine beauty, and hence we do not read so much of her sharing the Good News to others as pondering within. War still reigns. A simple maiden of Galilee, and a little child in ordinary swaddling bands, it is all you see. Luther consulted them, and did the deed, perhaps, all the sooner because they disapproved of it. "He shall judge the poor and needy, and break in pieces the oppressor." It came to pass in those days: Luke clearly tells us that he recorded actual history and real events. They did not sing that in the garden. The wise men needed a star to lead them; the shepherds did not. Who knew the men who endured hard toil, and kept their flocks by night? Wouldn't it have be inappropriate that the Redeemer who was to be buried in a borrowed tomb would be born anywhere but in the humblest shed, and housed anywhere but in the most lowly manner? How barbarously has Israel been handled by the so-called church! Ah, Christian people, you will never be willing to go if you are idle. It is joy to all nations that Christ is born, the Prince of Peace, the King who rules in righteousness. for their discovery was far superior to his. Friends, doesn't this verse, this song of angels, stir your hearts with happiness? When he took upon him the form of a servant he received the spirit of an obedient servant too, and became as perfect in the capacity of a servant as he had ever been in that of a ruler, though in that he had perfectly executed all his of life. one says, "I have room for Him, but will He come?" What is the lesson to be learned from this first part of the angel's song? Oh, but where are the scales that can weigh the Lord Christ? First, then, THE JOY, which is mentioned in our text whence comes it, and what is it? God was in the midst of the camp, but the pillar of cloud and fire was His unapproachable retreat. III. Let us then glorify and praise God for what He has done. The preacher was an angel, and it was meet it should be so, for the grandest and last of all evangels will be proclaimed by an angel when he shall sound the trumpet of the resurrection, and the children of the regeneration shall rise into the fullness of their joy. Dare to go on against all the prudence of men, and you will find them pat you on the shoulder by-and-by and call you "dear brother." My master wants room! We are the sensible people who follow the main chance, and are not to be deluded by ideas of glory; we are making all the money we can, and wondering that other nations waste so much in fight. 1 and 2 ), is all we have concerning our Lord Jesus, till he entered upon his public work in the thirtieth year of his age. It is wrong to worship angels; but it is appropriate to love them. It had come to this, that man was afraid of his God, and when God sent down His loving messengers with tidings of great joy, men were filled with as much fear as though the angel of death had appeared with an uplifted sword. The wise men will find in Him incarnate wisdom; He, who as a youth is to become the teacher of scholars, who will sit down and ask them questions and receive their answers, surely He will find room at once among such educated men--men of sense and intellect will surely honor Him. Is it possible to stare into the vast abyss of Infinity and not to be afraid? If I walked the street I must have a tract with me; if I went into a railway carriage I must drop a tract out of the window; if I had a moment's leisure I must be upon my knees or at my Bible if I were in company I must turn the subject of conversation to Christ, that I might serve my Master. No doubt she had her circle of friends, and she shared the joy of her heart; but for the most part she, like another Mary, sat still in the house. Come to Him, traitor and prostitute! The manger would still be a manger for animals, if the Lord of Glory were withdrawn, and we should go back to our sins and our lusts if Christ should once take away His grace and leave us to ourselves. I have known many a godly deacon who has seen a church wither and decay, its ministry become unprofitable, and its membership become divided; the dear old man has poured out his soul in agony before God, and when at last the Lord has sent a man to seek the good of Israel, and the church has been built up, he has been overjoyed, and he has said, "now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace." And he that feels that he has made a vow, must then feel himself impelled to do the work which he hath vowed to do. Be ye wise and believe in Jesus, and abhor all the lies of Rome, and inventions of those who ape her detestable abominations. Go out now, and if you are tempted by the world, may the Spirit enable you to reply, "I must be about my Father's business." Unbeliever, you have sinned greatly and your sin has been unrelenting against the Most High; He has said no unmerciful things against you, for He has good will towards men. Amen. He promised you rest--haven't you received it? Probably it is most marvelous to you in its relation to yourself, that you should be redeemed by blood; that God would forsake the thrones and royalties above to suffer disgrace on the earth for you. ", Don't you feel my brethren, that the gospel of God is peace to man? Luke 2:41-52 ESV - The Boy Jesus in the Temple - Bible Gateway Beloved, this is such sweet comfort. You need not think it a wicked thing to be happy. Luke 2:10-12 . Try if you can, to show them goodwill at this special season; and if you will do that, the poor will say with me, that indeed they wish there were six Christmases in the year. Triple is the anointing of him who is a priest after the order of Melchisedec, a prophet like unto Moses, and a king of whose dominion there is no end. We shall always find some business of his to do. First, they said that this salvation gave glory to God. In trying to open up this angelic discourse this morning, we shall note three things: the joy which is spoken of; next, the persons to whom this joy comes; and then, thirdly, the sign, which is to us a sign as well as to these shepherds a sign of the birth and source of joy. 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. Is that too strong a word to use? We judge men here by that which most engrossed their thoughts, and you are judged not to be a Christian but a Ciceronian." There is no room for you in the world's love. This is what makes man so miserable the fact that they cannot get away from God, since they think that if they could only escape from His presence they would then wander into absolute happiness; but being doomed to be where God is, then they conceive that for them there remains only anguish and misery. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. In everything you do you can serve your God. Go on, and conquer. You do that, perhaps, which is not known among men yet you are the instrument, and God shall crown your head with glory amongst those that "shine as the stars for ever and ever." 1. The angels sang something which men could understand--something which men ought to understand--something which will make men much better if they will understand it. We have looked unto him, and we are lightened. What do you say, young soldier, will you enlist on such terms as these? Ah! one which is often overlooked, but is priceless as the gold of Ophir it is the grace of humility. But brethren, do not mind about that. The Infinite! I do not want it; if he chooses to take it from me in bad debts, well and good. There is a kind of fear towards God from which we must not wish to be freed from. Nor was the manger a place fit for Him, and yet there He was laid. Dear friends, how little of the spirit, and life, and doctrine of Christ can be found here! Then only will this longing heart Be fully and for ever blest.". Moreover, so "good" a will that He has even condescended to say, "Come now, let us reason together. Oh I would not have it said of any of you, "Well, he may be somewhat Christian, but he is far more a keen money-getting tradesman." While he doubts his own security, he wants to linger here. And may the sweet influences of grace compel you to come to Him this very morning! Yes, there is no mortal that can ever dream how magnificent that song was. Very horrible indeed! Sweet encounter! The angels were not Arminians [believing that "man" decides whether he will accept the Gospel or not with "his own free will"], they sang, "Glory to God in the highest." When the angels were first created their very first breath was a song, so when they saw God create new worlds then their songs received another note; they rose a little higher in the scale of adoration. As we have already said, they were not educated men. ", Here, dear brethren, is one way for you to keep a holy, and in some sense a merry Christmas. Put him with friends, and he shall be a "friend that sticketh closer than a brother," worthy of your imitation. If you are down, "keep him down," is the cry; but if you are getting up, you will never get help till you have done it yourself; and then men will give you their help when you do not require it. It is not a lonely walk "Thou art with me." What does the great God seem to those without Christ but a stupendous rock, threatening to crush them, or a bottomless sea, rushing to swallow them up? He had become the surety of the covenant, he had sworn that he would execute his Father's business. It is a walk through a "shadow." Isn't there comfort here? The life within labors hard to chip and break the shell, to know a little more of the great universe of truth, and see in clearer light the infinite of divine love. For verily if you do it to be seen of men you have your reward: and a poor one it is, a little praise for a minute, and it is all gone. Heaven realised and anticipated by hope renders the thought of departure most precious to the heart. Oh, what force there is in these few syllables! "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. "God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them!" After the angel had said "to you," he went on to say, "it shall be to all people." Why, those who professed to be anointed of the Lord, who had received Episcopal blessing. Then there are "the colleges and the universities," surely they will receive Him. Don't you love the angels? What God hath said in his word Simeon lays hold of, and none can say him nay; but if, with the same grace-given faith, I also grasp it for myself, who shall challenge my right? I dare not upbraid him, but his absence is a mountain of iron upon my heavy heart. There is no room for Christ with the kings. Were it not for this divine Savior, your life here would have been wretchedness, and your future existence would have been endless woe.

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