Christmas Message

I'm just never accustomed to seeing so much red and it looks good on you. If you have a child named Caitlin Foley, she'd like to see you in the lobby. Go ahead, admit it, it's yours, say, you know, go ahead, there you go, it's all right, she's all right, she's all right, she'd just like to see you for a moment, come right back in, she can sit with you. It happens to us all from time to time. And we don't announce lights left on here, but kids left on, yeah, we do, we mix it up. I just want to say one more word in preparation for the balance of this week. I'm anticipative, I believe the Holy Spirit has ordered things according to his timetable and I pray you are too. And as Jeff kind of alluded, we need to come expectantly each time we gather for God to do something different than what we've prescribed in former years. Let's turn our Bibles with that to Revelations, please. And we will be looking at the book of Revelation, actually, and if you have your North Way notes in hand, I'd like to encourage you to get that teaching outline and refer to it. The marching orders for prayer are on the back of that. We do that when we can, when I don't have quite as much in the teaching notes, that way you can stick that in your Bible and have it right there in front of you. And, whoa, that reminds me, this service was not all that effective in signing up on the prayer watch on the wall, and I know it takes a while, and you say, what prayer watch? We're beginning January 1, 1994, at 12 a.m. to pray around the clock, provided all of you participate. We need 672 of you to say, yes, I'll take a 15-minute slot one day a week, and you need to sign up today, if you possibly can, because some of you are going to be gone for the next week, and you're going to miss the opportunity to get in on this. We have found that God's done miraculous things, miraculous things, when we've prayed around the clock. So now's the time to sign up, and there's lots of spots left. I mean, if you can carve out a time in your office during the day or at home, do it today. Sign up right out there in the Visitor's Center. You'll see it on the main wall as you walk out those doors. Sign up today, if you possibly can, and we'll keep you informed on that over the next just ten days or so. Well, it's that time of year when holiday entertainment is big. The movie industry is releasing all of its big holiday kind of specials. You're probably seeing them advertised. And an interesting thing's happened this year. A whole lot of them are sequels. Notice that? Last year, there was just one big sequel, Home Alone 2. This year, however, there's Sister Act 2, Wayne's World 2, that'll be a big one on my list. Beethoven 2, I guess the thinking on that one is if one St. Bernard's worth 50 million, ten puppies must be worth 500 million. But most critics agree that the originals are better than the sequels. It seems to be the case. They're more creative and impactful the first time around. And by the way, if movies aren't your thing, you can get into books. Rush Limbaugh has a sequel. Maybe you want to find out what he has to say about how things were, I told you so, or whatever it's called. I doubt, however, if many of us have given much thought to the idea, the possibility of there being a sequel to Christmas this year. Not in the movies, but in time and space, in the here and now, in the todays of our lives. I'm talking about a second coming. I doubt if we've really thought about it, and you know why? It's because we're so busy pursuing Christmas 1. And I don't even know if we've just gotten into a drill. I mean, it just comes automatically. I mean, it all starts right around the 1st of November, the department stores roll out the decorations, moving up, you know, the start dates. By the 15th of November, sales are going and people are flocking in the malls. And then there's light up night. That's another, you know. And then the crowds and then all the maddening things Jeff was talking about, people just in lines and impatience. And then we go out and buy our trees and our wreaths and then more shopping, last minute stuff. And then the parties begin. How many of you already had a couple of those wonderful holiday parties? It's all just kind of by schedule. In fact, why don't you just go ahead and plan your 94 stuff, put the same dates on, because it'll pretty much be the same stuff, same basic time. And then, you know, it's all autopilot. It's even that way in the church. You know what the drill is in the church, don't you? I mean, we start Advent night. It was wonderful. Have that every year. And then we have all the decorations come on. And then the carols on Sunday morning. And then the cantatas. You say cantata, I say cantata, you say cantata. No. Then the messages about the true meaning of Christmas. And then the candlelight service. And you know what tends to happen as you go through all this drill year after year? You know what tends to happen in your heart? Nothing. You can go through the whole Christmas drill every year and be absolutely unaffected. In fact, you can breathe a sigh of relief that it's finally over. It's been 2,000 years since anything different has happened at Christmas time. And therefore, I doubt if many of us are expecting the sequel, the return, anytime soon. Loved one, how certain are you that Jesus Christ isn't coming back this Christmas, maybe today? And upon what do you base that premise? Do we remember that the people of the first Christmas, most of them missed His first coming? Why did they do that? Because they had all this kind of predisposition about what had to happen first, then He was going to come. And most of them never, ever discovered that Jesus had arrived. Some would argue that today, well, He really can't come because there's a couple of signs that aren't quite righteous yet. I mean, the world's more at peace now than it's been in a long, long time. The Soviet Union has sort of backed down from the nuclear edge. And didn't the Arabs and the Jews sign a pact? I mean, there's peace in the air, isn't there, Jane? I mean, Gaddafi's been quiet, and Saddam Hussein, he's not saying much anymore. But dear ones, remember this, would you please? The scripture tells us, As it was in the days of Noah, those were violent days. How many of you know we're in violent days right now? So it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, probably eggnog, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away. Now look at the next sentence. This is right from the scripture. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. I read that people don't and won't expect that Jesus will come, and they'll miss him again. In fact, if you really carefully look at circumstances right now, did I just read correctly that a new Russian president was elected who said he'd use a hundred bombs if necessary in order to secure Russia's borders and do what he felt was right? Didn't I read that North Korea also is developing a bomb and is keeping the UN from even going in and investigating what's going on? And in fact, isn't the key to all prophetic fulfillment found in one particular nation? What nation is that? The nation of Israel. And didn't Jesus himself say this in Matthew 24 verse 32? Now learn this lesson from the fig tree, as soon as its twigs get tender. By the way, the fig tree, if you're not a Bible student, the fig tree is symbolic of Israel. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near. Read it with me. Right at the door. Every scholar of the Bible I know believes that that generation has already begun. Whether it was 1948 or 1964, that's up for debate in some people's minds. But most everyone I believe, every biblically grounded authority, said this is already happening. And perhaps the most convincing thing that impacts me every time I read it is what Jesus said at the end of the book of Revelation. He said this, Behold, I am coming soon. Say it with me. Behold, I am coming soon. If Jesus said that 2,000 years ago, how many believe it's probably closer now than it was then? How long will soon be? And if He would come again this Christmas, what would it be like? How would it compare to the first Christmas? And what would your response be if He were to appear now? And further, I want to talk to you this morning just a little bit about why it truly will affect how we worship this Christmas as the church. You see, if you don't understand what the second Christmas is going to be about, I don't know that you can really fully worship the way God would intend during this first Christmas. You know, while sequels in the movies tend to be just a different little twist on the same storyline and everything else, I want you to know, I mean, we may think, Well, the first time He came in a little manger in Bethlehem and out of the way town and no big deal. I guess the second coming will be like being a red roof inn in Wilmerdinge or some kind of out of the way place. No. In fact, the Bible says something very different is going to take place and that He's going to catch millions of people unprepared and unaware. We're going to look at the book now that describes this second appearance. It's called the Revelation and if you read it carefully, in fact, if you're there now, look at Revelation 1, verse 1. It's called The Revelation of Jesus Christ. In other words, this book, albeit mysterious to most, is revealing Jesus Christ to us. One day, I want to just give you my word, I'm going to preach through this book because it's a revelation of Jesus Christ and it's a revelation of what He's going to be like at Christmas 2, the return. So let's compare Christmas 1, Christmas 2. Are you ready to do it? Take your notes. The first thing I want to compare is His appearance. Write that in the block. His appearance. In Christmas 1, the Bible says that He appeared as the glory of God. In fact, John the Apostle writes in John 1, The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. We read, in other words, that when Christ came the first time, He was the glory of God in the flesh and something about Him was different. Something about Him caused kings to come and bow. But all we know is that that flesh confined the glory to one spot. It was as though one little candle watt of glory was revealed. One little tiny flicker in the darkness of humankind came to the earth. But at the second Christmas, the Bible says that glory will be totally unrestricted. No limitations. In fact, it says in Matthew 24, 27, that every eye will be holding. Let's just go ahead and read it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. The Bible says that the glory of God will be so unrestricted that every single eye will be holding at the same time. How can that be? How can someone over in Somalia see at the same time I will? Television? I'm sure God is really stumbling over this. It's a difficult question for Him. But He is going to have an answer. Every eye will behold Him in the fullness of His glory. The whole sky will be illuminated like lightning. When He came the first time, the Bible said He was wrapped in swaddling clothes or simple ordinary rags, the symbol of humility. The only other garb we know that Jesus wore was a seamless robe that His persecutors and tormentors divided amongst themselves when He was crucified. But John says in Revelation 1, now looking over and about verse 13, says, I saw one like the Son of Man dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet with a golden sash around His chest. A white robe from shoulders to feet, the symbol of purity and holiness. The second coming, Jesus won't be wrapped in rags, but a white robe, the symbol of holiness from Almighty God. In the first coming, Jesus was not exceptional in His physical appearance. Some people stumble over this. Have you ever imagined, what did Jesus really look like? What was His... I mean, you see the movie characters and they've got the perfect faces and the cheekbones and the flowing hair. And there's all kinds of disputing about that. I mean, African-Americans are saying, well, I mean, who knows, He wasn't necessarily white and that's absolutely true. In fact, He was Middle Eastern, probably had olive skin. Probably didn't look like many of us at all in this room today. The characterizations I see aren't probably accurate at all. But we do know this, we don't know what He looked like, we just know that Isaiah the prophet said that no one was really attracted to His appearance. He wasn't majestic. I think He probably was, and this may sound strange, ordinary, average. But when He comes back, John describes His new body, His new look, if you will, and it's awesome. In fact, the disciples got a little glimpse of what He was going to be like in Mark chapter 9, you can read about it later. On the Mount of Transfiguration, they went up with Jesus in His ordinary look and all of a sudden, He was changed right in front of them. And it was so glorious. His appearance was so unbelievable that Peter said, Jesus, this is great. Can we build you a condo? I mean, right here, we want to have some place for you. You deserve this. The Bible says that His head and hair, nothing exceptional at all, He didn't have long flowing golden locks, I mean, just a normal, probably dark hair. Average looking. Revelation 1.14 says that His head and His hair were white like wool, symbolizing what? The wisdom of God. Proverbs says that white hair is a symbol of wisdom. When Jesus returns, there's going to be this white radiance about Him, the symbol of God's wisdom on Him. Next, the Bible says in the first coming that we saw His eyes of compassion and love. And I don't know about you, but when I read the stories of how Jesus touched the sinful woman, I don't read eyes that are harsh, eyes that are flirting. I read eyes of compassion and love. The Bible says, however, that something different will happen in the second Christmas. It says in Revelation 1.14 that His eyes were like blazing fire. And blazing fire in the Bible always stands for one thing, the judgment of God. Now, most of us believe that one time Jesus is going to basically look at us and He's going to evaluate our lives. And that's right. In fact, 1 Corinthians 3 says at the final judgment, everything that was not of God, wood, hay, and stubble is going to be burned up. And what was gold and silver and precious stones is going to last. What fire is going to cause that to be burned up? My own humble opinion is it's the eye of Jesus looking at us and saying, wait, I see. I see the motives behind why you did that. I understand what was in your heart when that happened. The eyes of Jesus are His blazing fire. And then we see His feet, common, ordinary feet, size 10s probably. And He walked from village to village and city to city carrying how lovely on the mountaintops are the feet of Him who bring good news. Good news, Isaiah says. Those feet that the disciples forgot to wash in John 13. Those feet, however, that the prostitute bathed with her tears and washed with her hair. Those feet through whom the spike was driven on the cross. Those feet, John says, when He returns, will be like burnished bronze glowing in a furnace. And that's the symbol of the stability and the strength of the purpose of God standing for eternity when Jesus returns the second time. And then His voice. I don't know how you hear His voice, but I sense His voice was strong and yet gentle. I sense His voice when He proclaimed righteousness, had authority to it, and yet was accepting, never once lifted in rage. In fact, you know, that voice probably was pretty common. It was like a lot of kids when He first came into the earth. How many of you know? Babies cry. You know, Jesus wasn't born, you know, and just sat there in the manger and never cried, never made any noise. He didn't begin speaking in paragraphs. When He was one, He just started speaking prophetically. No, He just probably cried every three or four hours like you did. But John says, when I heard His voice, look at it with me, His voice was like the sound, verse 15, of rushing waters. And right away, it pops in my mind, when I think of rushing waters, what do you think of? Niagara Falls. How many have been to Niagara Falls? You even get, you know, within a mile or two of Niagara Falls, what do you, you start hearing it. And as you draw close, you don't just hear it, you feel it. And I believe John heard the voice of Jesus. He not only heard it, he felt it. When He comes again, His voice will be unmistakable. His voice will change how we understand God. And then His hands, Jesus had everyday kind of hands. He had carpenter's hands, probably rugged looking hands. He had hands that reached out and touched in compassion. He had hands that lifted the dead. And He had hands that burst forth blood when the nail was driven through it. But John says, now these hands hold the seven stars, symbolic of the authority of the churches for which Jesus died to redeem. When He comes back the second time, they're not just going to be frail, cute little baby hands. They're going to be the hands of Almighty God, holding in it the stars which are the churches, the bride that He died for. And then His face, as I said before, not so humanly exceptional, but yet real and warm and etched with character. Later the Bible says, so disfigured by the beatings, so affected by the people that pummeled Him, that those who looked at Him turned away and could not glance upon His countenance. And John says, when I saw His face, end of verse 16, His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. He couldn't even look upon it. And I love this when John says, and when I saw all of this, I fell at His feet as though dead. I doubt many people that you and I know will stop and pause at the manger scenes that they see scattered around, the ones we're still allowed to have, and bow the knee and worship the Lord of glory. But a day will come when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. A day will come when we won't be able to even look on the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, but we will fall. Remember, this is the same John that leaned his head on Jesus' chest. Now, He, who was intimate with our Savior, could not even look upon Him, but fell at His feet as though dead. I want to say, the second Christmas is going to be radically different from the first. And so, what is the application of all this? Simply one thing. This Christmas, let's not shrink Jesus. Let's not reduce Him down to this cute little manger scene and this neat little baby that we all can kind of just sort of keep away from real life. You know, not too long ago, I heard a very well-known Christian singer on one of the morning talk shows that I see every once in a while on my day off. And she's saying, have yourself a merry little Christmas. And I say, you know, that is so typical of what we do with it. We make it a merry little Christmas. Have yourself a puny little Jesus. Keep Him out of my life. Let the yuletide just kind of come and go and keep Him back away from me. The second Christmas when He comes, in the fullness of who He is, dear ones, it will radically change how people see Him. You know, He needed to come this way. He needed to come as simple and humble. He needed to come that way to identify with us in our sin. He needed to come that way to identify with us in our need. He needed to come that way so that we could even believe Him. And by the way, He needed to come that way. Let's kind of move to the conclusion of this. The Bible says, at His second Christmas, there won't be just a few stray cattle lowing and a few sheep beside the manger. There's going to be one animal present when He comes the second time. In Revelation 19, let's see what it is. In verse 11 of Revelation 19, I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called Faithful and True. You see, at the first coming, just a few saw Him, just a few gathered at the second coming. Every eye of every person will see Him riding on His white horse. Angels announced the first time, Glory to God in the highest on earth, peace and goodwill to men, good news of great joy we bring you, which is to all the people, the angels said. Because, listen now, this is very important. At that moment, the era of grace began. Wake your neighbor up now and tell them they need to hear this. Tell them. You need to hear this. The era of grace began. And for the next 2,000 years, the message was entirely one message, God's riches at Christ's expense. At that moment in time, Jesus came and offered salvation, whosoever will may come, the blessing of God, the favor of God, forgiveness of sins to those who acknowledge their need. The Bible says that He came to seek and to save the lost. But now the angel has a different announcement. Now a different message. As the legs of the great white horse lift up and paw through the veil of realities that separate the spiritual realities from the physical that we see, the Bible says now the angels blow the trumpet and their message is not grace. Their message is judgment. Because at that moment, the era of grace has ended. And the one who was called His first coming full of grace and truth is now called faithful and true. What's the difference? Because there's no longer grace. Now God says, I will requite judgment on the world. Those who ignored the first message, those who scorned forgiveness, those who were too busy, too proud, too hardened in their heart, too caught up in stuff to receive God's free gift of salvation will now hear the message of the angel. No longer peace on earth, good will to men. And now the message is, Hallelujah! For salvation and glory and power belong to our God. And the Bible says that He comes to wage war on the earth, not peace, to bring about righteousness and justice. Once He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, the second Christmas, the Bible says, He comes and His robe has been dipped in blood. And that blood is symbolic, I believe, of the blood of His enemies. Once His name was Jesus, the wonderful name. What does that name mean, by the way? Those of you who come week after week after week, tell someone what the name of Jesus means. Go ahead, I'm not watching. What does the name of Jesus mean? The name you say every day of your life if you're a believer. Pastoral staff's commiserating. Could we have a... It's from the Hebrew term Joshua, and it means Savior. That's what it means, Savior. But when He comes the second time, the angel didn't give Him the name Savior. The angel gave Him the name Faithful and True, Word of God, or look at it right in the middle of Revelation 19, verse 16, King of kings and Lord of lords, because this time He comes to rule the earth. The first time He had a shepherd's staff to lead His flock. The second time we read He has an iron scepter with which to rule the nations. He who came the first time and judgment was on His head. Judgment, by the way, that drove Him into Egypt where He was pursued to be killed by an insecure king. Now the second time when He comes, He will bring judgment and people will flee, the Bible says, and hide in the rocks from the judgment which is to come. And perhaps the greatest contrast is this, where once Jesus sent His messengers out to bring in the lame and the blind and the afflicted and the outcast, where once Jesus sent out the Word, Come to My table, eat of salvation, and discover life. Now look what the Bible says, I want you to read it with me. Verse 17, And I saw an angel standing in the sun who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, Come and gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and generals and mighty men, of horses and the riders and the flesh of all people, free and slaves, small and great. Dear ones, do you know a more sobering verse in all the Bible than that one? And I want to say again, who says this can't happen now? Who says we have 10 more years? Or 20 or 50? And the Bible says that these will be carried off to eternal destruction, separation from God, outside of His presence and His grace forever and ever. The second application in my heart today is this. Can we afford to not reach out to the ones that we love this Christmas season? I mean, we say around here that we want to reach out to them because God has a wonderful plan for their life, and that's true. We say that we want to reach out to them because we love them and care about them, and that's true. But I also want to say, we need to reach out to them because hell is a reality. And people will determine their eternal destiny based on their choice to reject or ignore God's plan, which is now available. Remember, we are still in the age of grace. Jesus still opens His arms and says, Come. A couple of you are thinking, Boy, you're kind of down. This is Christmas. I want to be edified. What's going on here? Can I say this? I am committed to not playing games with this church. And in fact, sometimes what appears to be the worst news of all is really the best news. My conviction is most of America is walking by the manger, not even nodding to the Lord of glory, let alone confronting His claims. One of the men in our church who is here in this service, and I ask permission to share this today without mentioning his name, received news in the last 10 days that he has a very serious illness. Most times, according to doctor's prognosis, would be fatal. He just got the news of this. And I called him a couple of days ago. Just after he got the confirmation, I said to him, How are you doing? And I wanted to comfort him and encourage him. He said to me, He said, Jay, I heard yesterday what's going to happen. At least what the doctor is saying. He said, It was one of the best days of my life. I'm thinking, Well, he's in denial. He said, No, he said, I found out the number of people that love me. I found out that my church is real, is going to be there for me. I found out that God has His hand in my life. And he said, I have a peace like I've never known. And I didn't know I could have it until this happened to me. You see, and that's true of many people that you'll encounter. They don't know what they could have unless they know what they do have. And what they have right now is a superficial or unreal relationship with Almighty God. They need to know the truth. And that's the only way, you see, we can really worship this Christmas. If we really know what God has done for us. You know, true worshippers, those of you who really worship here at North Way, you're the ones that knew your condition. You're the ones that knew what God has done for you. And when you stand here, it's not just to evaluate the choir and orchestra. It's because you know that without Him, you would stand deserving of judgment and eternally separate from God. And so finally, what was the authority of the second Christmas? Well, first of all, the first application is don't shrink Jesus. His second appearance tells us He's going to be totally different. Number two, the announcement is this. We need to tell people that grace is available now, but one day it will cease. We need to tell our loved ones that. And number three, what about the authority? Well, in the first coming, the Bible says that Jesus left the authority that He had in heaven. When He entered the world of darkness, the Bible says He willfully laid down His life. Listen to this, John 10,18. No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. And so Jesus laid down His authority. And listen now, in this act, Jesus Christ became the greatest victim of evil the world has ever known. You see, why can I say that? Well, because He truly was without fault. You know, you and I, whether we like to admit it or not, even if we've been abused or somehow harmed, there's things about us that were wrong. We may have contributed in some small way to the evil that we experienced. Maybe. But of Jesus, we can truly say He didn't deserve anything that He got. He was totally innocent and pure and undeserving. And He suffered unjustly at the hands of not just men, but of the evil one Himself. But at the second Christmas, it's Jesus Christ who comes back and says, All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. He says, I've come now to eradicate the darkness and to set the score straight on the issues of good and evil in this world. And I want to say a word to everyone who's ever asked, Why? How many does that include today? Why? Why do the innocent suffer unjustly? Why do babies get disease like they do? Sometimes terminal. Why did Adolf Hitler exterminate 6, 8, 10 million people? And Joseph Stalin? And so on. Why cancer? Why AIDS? And so on. Why? Why? One day, listen, when Jesus comes back, you will stand next to the one who is on that white horse, and He will answer the question of why. And for every one of you who has suffered somehow personally, you've suffered abuse, you've been a victim. Some of you have wondered, Why? Why did my husband treat me that way? Why did my wife abandon me? Why did this happen to me? One day you will stand next to the Almighty One, the Faithful and True, and you will feel in your heart satisfaction as He answers the question. The Bible says, brings retributive justice to all who are deserving. You think that one person is getting away with it all the time. They're not. One day God will call every man to give an account. In fact, in the book of Revelation, at the very end of the book, Jesus says this, Revelation 22, Behold, I am coming soon. My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what He has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Dear ones, my third application is this. If you're hurting this Christmas, if you're feeling the pain of rejection, of abuse, of being victimized somehow, I want to encourage you. Trust in Almighty God. He sees your pain. He cares about you. And a day is coming when the real Supreme Court will take its seat. And you'll sense justice has been done. Who is it that we see in the manger this Christmas? Is it the sweet little Jesus boy? Or is it the glory of God? And can Christmas, too, the return, can it happen even today? Absolutely. My last question is, are you prepared? If He were to come at the end of this service, before you made it to the parking lot, would you be ready? You see, the one we see in this manger isn't just cute. He's the King. He came in humility, but He's returning in glory. He took the wrath that we deserved, that we might receive the mercy that we don't deserve. And listen, believers, church, let that affect you this Christmas so that you can truly worship Him in spirit and in truth. And that you can share the message with someone else that He is coming soon. Let's stand together.