December 22, 2024 • 13 mins
Luke 2.8-20 | Ps Alex Huggett | 22.12.2024
Part of Advent 2024
© Bentley Baptist Church Inc.
www.bentleybaptist.org
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I wonder if you've ever been stuck and needed
someone to save you.
I was home alone once when myback gave out and started
spasming.
I wound up helpless on thefloor.
It wasn't serious, but it wasso painful I couldn't move,
(00:20):
couldn't do a thing, I couldn'teven roll over.
Fortunately, my phone was justwithin arm's reach and I was
able to call an ambulance.
Thank you, paramedics, forsaving me.
The angel said to the shepherdsthat Jesus the Savior was born.
What did they mean by Savior?
(00:42):
Who did he come to save?
And from what you know, a lotof people look for political
saviours, military saviours.
We do now.
They did back then, and perhapsthat's what the shepherds were
looking for a political saviour.
The Jewish people of Lomexpected a messiah who would
(01:03):
come and save them from thevarious empires that oppressed
them.
So, 600 years before Christ,the Babylonians had conquered
Israel, then came the Persians,then the Greeks and finally the
Romans.
And after centuries of foreignrule, the people of Israel felt
like slaves in their own landand they just wanted to be free.
(01:26):
They wanted a Messiah to comeand save them.
But Jesus came to save them andus from an even bigger problem
than Rome.
Now you might wonder what couldbe worse than an oppressive
empire.
Sometimes we find ourselvesunder the rule not of an empire,
(01:47):
but of compulsions or habits ordesires we don't really want
but can't seem to resist, notconsistently.
Now it might be something asinnocent as that second bowl of
ice cream that we know we'regoing to regret when we step on
the scales the next day.
Might be something a bit moreshady, like looking at those
(02:09):
images on the internet.
People say it's okay nowadays,but it still feels you're
leaving grubby.
It leaves you feeling grubby.
Or it might be more serious,like the rage that causes us to
lash out at a loved one becausewe're frustrated.
Later on we regret it, but wejust can't help ourselves.
(02:29):
Sometimes we try to resist andsometimes we just justify
ourselves.
But don't we all have thoughtsor habits or shame or guilt or
consequences that we wish wecould be free from?
And that's what the Bible callssin.
Is sin really worse than beingruled by an oppressive empire?
(02:54):
Would the Ukrainians today saythat sin is their own?
Sin, at least, is worse thanwhat's happening to them being
invaded.
The problem is, sin harms us atthe deepest levels of our soul
in all kinds of ways and, as wesee around the world, it leads
(03:15):
to harm to other people as well,harm like exploitation, broken
relationships, even war and evil.
And so sin is why we even haveoppressive empires.
Now we might try to downplay sinas no big deal, particularly
when it's my sin.
My sin's not as bad as otherpeople's sin, of course.
(03:37):
But you know, sin is a littlebit like alcohol to a driver it
seems harmless at the time untilthey run through a crowd of
people and the consequences arehorrific for everyone involved.
But it doesn't even have to beas drastic as that.
You know, this Christmas peopleare going to buy all sorts of
(03:59):
cheap crap, frankly to fillstockings that will soon be
forgotten.
Where does all of that stuffcome from?
Well, often it comes fromexploiting our earth and, even
worse, exploiting the poor.
And you see, sin lurks in theshadows, in all kinds of
(04:22):
disguises, and then sin locks usup in a prison we can't escape,
no matter how hard we try.
Ultimately, it leads us intoconflict with God, and that's
serious, because it doesn't justaffect us and our relationships
and other people.
It affects us and sometimesthem for all eternity.
(04:44):
God is a loving father.
He wants to welcome us all ashis children, but he's also the
final court for justice in thecosmos and, with all the
injustice and harm that sin does, it's not something he can just
(05:07):
let go.
I mean, think about this.
I want God to forgive my sins.
Right, you want God to forgiveyour sins.
Do we really want God toforgive the sins of those who
harm the people we love?
We really want God to forgivethe sins of those who harm the
people we love?
So how can we break free of sin?
(05:29):
Problem is, if we try to runfrom sin, usually we become
fugitives, hiding the truth fromourselves and from others.
So we try not to get caught,but you know what?
Mostly we're just like me,lying on my lounge room floor,
helpless and unable to move.
We can't escape.
Sin is a prison.
(05:50):
It's a pretty bleak picture,isn't it?
I'm sorry to be so negative atChristmas, but the good news of
Christmas only makes sense if weunderstand the bad news of why
we have Christmas in the firstplace, if we understand the bad
news of why we have Christmas inthe first place.
When I did my back in, I neededsomeone to take me to hospital.
Thankfully, I wasn't there forvery long, and that's really
(06:14):
what Christmas is all about.
The good news of Christmas isthat Jesus came to save us and
heal us from sin, so that we canhave a life of love and joy and
freedom and hope.
That's why the angels calledhim the saviour.
How does he do that?
Well, the story of Christmasisn't just about a baby, not
(06:36):
just any old baby.
It's about God entering ourworld in human form.
That's who the Christmas storysays Jesus was.
God became a baby in Mary'swomb, which is as mind-bending
as it sounds.
The good news begins withChristmas, but it actually ends
(07:02):
with easter.
Being divine, jesus was the onlyperson who never sinned and who
never deserved to be punishedfor sin, and yet, when he grew
up, he died an unjust death.
He was charged and punished forsins he never committed.
So how's that good news?
Well, in Australia, a lot ofour native plants can only
(07:26):
propagate when a seed falls tothe ground and is burned by fire
.
Pretty drastic.
But from that process comes newlife, and Jesus said he was
like a seed.
He died, but he didn't staydead.
He rose from death to life, andthis is how Jesus conquered sin
(07:48):
and death.
So we can be set free and havenew life, being sinless, not
having anything.
He deserved to die for himself.
Jesus could be the fall guy whowas punished for our sins In
death.
He infiltrated the ultimateprison, grabbed the keys and
(08:11):
unlocked the prison doors.
He became the doctor who curesus of the sin of disease.
And that's the great news ofChristmas.
The Saviour has come.
He's come to rescue us, ourrelationships and our world.
So how do we find that freedomin Jesus?
(08:35):
Well, when the angels left, theshepherds didn't waste any time
going to look for Jesus, and itwasn't hard to find.
Bethlehem isn't a big village.
It wasn't.
Then there wouldn't have beentoo many babies born.
Maybe Jesus was the only one,and even if so, I mean there's
not too many babies laid in amanger which is an animal feed
(08:58):
trough.
It's the last place you'dexpect to find the saviour of
the world and, in fact, the wisemen.
They went to Jerusalem expectingto find Jesus born in a palace.
But Jesus didn't come to therich and powerful, he came to
the poor and the humble.
Jesus' mum wasn't a princess,she was a peasant girl.
(09:18):
The angels didn't visit kingsor priests, they visited simple
shepherds.
The circumstances of Jesus'birth were very unusual, but he
wasn't hard to find.
In fact, god kind of made iteasy, at least for the poor and
humble, like the shepherds, butthey still needed to leave their
(09:41):
flocks and go and seek him.
And you know, god still makesit easy for us, but we still
need to go and seek him.
So how do we do that?
Well, we seek and find Jesusthrough faith, by believing the
message of Christmas that God inthe flesh has come to save us
(10:06):
from our sins, and not just us.
Ultimately, one day, our world.
He promises that if we seek himwith a sincere heart, we'll
find him.
He pulls us off the floor, setsus free from sin and gives us a
new life so we can know andlove God and others and do good,
(10:31):
and so that we can experienceGod's love, because sin not only
stops us or keeps us in aprison.
That prison keeps us separatedfrom experiencing the love that
God wants to pour out on us.
The angel's message to theshepherds is an invitation to
(10:52):
you and me as well, and so thequestion for us is will we come
and seek him?
And if you'd like to do that,just as a first step, I invite
you to pray this prayer with me.
You can do it silently or goaway and think about it.
The prayer is something likethis Lord God, I admit I have
(11:13):
sinned and I do need a saviour.
I believe Jesus Christ died formy sins and rose from death so
I can be forgiven and have newlife.
I turn away from my sins now tofollow Christ as my Lord and
Saviour.
Please forgive me, set me freeand give me new life in Jesus
Christ.
Amen.
If you prayed that prayer forthe first time, if you'd like to
(11:38):
ask more questions about it,you can grab me after the
service.
We're going to sing a couplemore carols first, or you can
visit our website We've got someinformation there or talk to
someone you came with.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for themessage of Christmas, the good
news that Jesus has come, thatGod has entered the world and
(12:05):
become one of us, not among therich and powerful, not among the
mighty, but among the weak, theoppressed.
You identified with us, but youalso used that weakness to
overcome the power of sin.
Father, we thank you.
(12:27):
I pray that you will set usfree.
Lord, may we experience theoverwhelming love, joy, peace,
hope that you have for usbecause of Christmas.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Thank you, team.
We're going to sing a few morecarols now.
(12:57):
We're happily here.
We're used to singing only onceafter this this is Christmas.
I wonder if you've ever been stuck and needed
someone to save you.
I was home alone once when myback gave out and started
spasming.
I wound up helpless on thefloor.
It wasn't serious, but it wasso painful I couldn't move,
(00:20):
couldn't do a thing, I couldn'teven roll over.
Fortunately, my phone was justwithin arm's reach and I was
able to call an ambulance.
Thank you, paramedics, forsaving me.
The angel said to the shepherdsthat Jesus the Savior was born.
What did they mean by Savior?
(00:42):
Who did he come to save?
And from what you know, a lotof people look for political
saviours, military saviours.
We do now.
They did back then, and perhapsthat's what the shepherds were
looking for a political saviour.
The Jewish people of Lomexpected a messiah who would
(01:03):
come and save them from thevarious empires that oppressed
them.
So, 600 years before Christ,the Babylonians had conquered
Israel, then came the Persians,then the Greeks and finally the
Romans.
And after centuries of foreignrule, the people of Israel felt
like slaves in their own landand they just wanted to be free.
(01:26):
They wanted a Messiah to comeand save them.
But Jesus came to save them andus from an even bigger problem
than Rome.
Now you might wonder what couldbe worse than an oppressive
empire.
Sometimes we find ourselvesunder the rule not of an empire,
(01:47):
but of compulsions or habits ordesires we don't really want
but can't seem to resist, notconsistently.
Now it might be something asinnocent as that second bowl of
ice cream that we know we'regoing to regret when we step on
the scales the next day.
Might be something a bit moreshady, like looking at those
(02:09):
images on the internet.
People say it's okay nowadays,but it still feels you're
leaving grubby.
It leaves you feeling grubby.
Or it might be more serious,like the rage that causes us to
lash out at a loved one becausewe're frustrated.
Later on we regret it, but wejust can't help ourselves.
(02:29):
Sometimes we try to resist andsometimes we just justify
ourselves.
But don't we all have thoughtsor habits or shame or guilt or
consequences that we wish wecould be free from?
And that's what the Bible callssin.
Is sin really worse than beingruled by an oppressive empire?
(02:54):
Would the Ukrainians today saythat sin is their own?
Sin, at least, is worse thanwhat's happening to them being
invaded.
The problem is, sin harms us atthe deepest levels of our soul
in all kinds of ways and, as wesee around the world, it leads
(03:15):
to harm to other people as well,harm like exploitation, broken
relationships, even war and evil.
And so sin is why we even haveoppressive empires.
Now we might try to downplay sinas no big deal, particularly
when it's my sin.
My sin's not as bad as otherpeople's sin, of course.
(03:37):
But you know, sin is a littlebit like alcohol to a driver it
seems harmless at the time untilthey run through a crowd of
people and the consequences arehorrific for everyone involved.
But it doesn't even have to beas drastic as that.
You know, this Christmas peopleare going to buy all sorts of
(03:59):
cheap crap, frankly to fillstockings that will soon be
forgotten.
Where does all of that stuffcome from?
Well, often it comes fromexploiting our earth and, even
worse, exploiting the poor.
And you see, sin lurks in theshadows, in all kinds of
(04:22):
disguises, and then sin locks usup in a prison we can't escape,
no matter how hard we try.
Ultimately, it leads us intoconflict with God, and that's
serious, because it doesn't justaffect us and our relationships
and other people.
It affects us and sometimesthem for all eternity.
(04:44):
God is a loving father.
He wants to welcome us all ashis children, but he's also the
final court for justice in thecosmos and, with all the
injustice and harm that sin does, it's not something he can just
(05:07):
let go.
I mean, think about this.
I want God to forgive my sins.
Right, you want God to forgiveyour sins.
Do we really want God toforgive the sins of those who
harm the people we love?
We really want God to forgivethe sins of those who harm the
people we love?
So how can we break free of sin?
(05:29):
Problem is, if we try to runfrom sin, usually we become
fugitives, hiding the truth fromourselves and from others.
So we try not to get caught,but you know what?
Mostly we're just like me,lying on my lounge room floor,
helpless and unable to move.
We can't escape.
Sin is a prison.
(05:50):
It's a pretty bleak picture,isn't it?
I'm sorry to be so negative atChristmas, but the good news of
Christmas only makes sense if weunderstand the bad news of why
we have Christmas in the firstplace, if we understand the bad
news of why we have Christmas inthe first place.
When I did my back in, I neededsomeone to take me to hospital.
Thankfully, I wasn't there forvery long, and that's really
(06:14):
what Christmas is all about.
The good news of Christmas isthat Jesus came to save us and
heal us from sin, so that we canhave a life of love and joy and
freedom and hope.
That's why the angels calledhim the saviour.
How does he do that?
Well, the story of Christmasisn't just about a baby, not
(06:36):
just any old baby.
It's about God entering ourworld in human form.
That's who the Christmas storysays Jesus was.
God became a baby in Mary'swomb, which is as mind-bending
as it sounds.
The good news begins withChristmas, but it actually ends
(07:02):
with easter.
Being divine, jesus was the onlyperson who never sinned and who
never deserved to be punishedfor sin, and yet, when he grew
up, he died an unjust death.
He was charged and punished forsins he never committed.
So how's that good news?
Well, in Australia, a lot ofour native plants can only
(07:26):
propagate when a seed falls tothe ground and is burned by fire
.
Pretty drastic.
But from that process comes newlife, and Jesus said he was
like a seed.
He died, but he didn't staydead.
He rose from death to life, andthis is how Jesus conquered sin
(07:48):
and death.
So we can be set free and havenew life, being sinless, not
having anything.
He deserved to die for himself.
Jesus could be the fall guy whowas punished for our sins In
death.
He infiltrated the ultimateprison, grabbed the keys and
(08:11):
unlocked the prison doors.
He became the doctor who curesus of the sin of disease.
And that's the great news ofChristmas.
The Saviour has come.
He's come to rescue us, ourrelationships and our world.
So how do we find that freedomin Jesus?
(08:35):
Well, when the angels left, theshepherds didn't waste any time
going to look for Jesus, and itwasn't hard to find.
Bethlehem isn't a big village.
It wasn't.
Then there wouldn't have beentoo many babies born.
Maybe Jesus was the only one,and even if so, I mean there's
not too many babies laid in amanger which is an animal feed
(08:58):
trough.
It's the last place you'dexpect to find the saviour of
the world and, in fact, the wisemen.
They went to Jerusalem expectingto find Jesus born in a palace.
But Jesus didn't come to therich and powerful, he came to
the poor and the humble.
Jesus' mum wasn't a princess,she was a peasant girl.
(09:18):
The angels didn't visit kingsor priests, they visited simple
shepherds.
The circumstances of Jesus'birth were very unusual, but he
wasn't hard to find.
In fact, god kind of made iteasy, at least for the poor and
humble, like the shepherds, butthey still needed to leave their
(09:41):
flocks and go and seek him.
And you know, god still makesit easy for us, but we still
need to go and seek him.
So how do we do that?
Well, we seek and find Jesusthrough faith, by believing the
message of Christmas that God inthe flesh has come to save us
(10:06):
from our sins, and not just us.
Ultimately, one day, our world.
He promises that if we seek himwith a sincere heart, we'll
find him.
He pulls us off the floor, setsus free from sin and gives us a
new life so we can know andlove God and others and do good,
(10:31):
and so that we can experienceGod's love, because sin not only
stops us or keeps us in aprison.
That prison keeps us separatedfrom experiencing the love that
God wants to pour out on us.
The angel's message to theshepherds is an invitation to
(10:52):
you and me as well, and so thequestion for us is will we come
and seek him?
And if you'd like to do that,just as a first step, I invite
you to pray this prayer with me.
You can do it silently or goaway and think about it.
The prayer is something likethis Lord God, I admit I have
(11:13):
sinned and I do need a saviour.
I believe Jesus Christ died formy sins and rose from death so
I can be forgiven and have newlife.
I turn away from my sins now tofollow Christ as my Lord and
Saviour.
Please forgive me, set me freeand give me new life in Jesus
Christ.
Amen.
If you prayed that prayer forthe first time, if you'd like to
(11:38):
ask more questions about it,you can grab me after the
service.
We're going to sing a couplemore carols first, or you can
visit our website We've got someinformation there or talk to
someone you came with.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for themessage of Christmas, the good
news that Jesus has come, thatGod has entered the world and
(12:05):
become one of us, not among therich and powerful, not among the
mighty, but among the weak, theoppressed.
You identified with us, but youalso used that weakness to
overcome the power of sin.
Father, we thank you.
(12:27):
I pray that you will set usfree.
Lord, may we experience theoverwhelming love, joy, peace,
hope that you have for usbecause of Christmas.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Thank you, team.
We're going to sing a few morecarols now.
(12:57):
We're happily here.
We're used to singing only onceafter this this is Christmas.
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