"That Thing That Took Place" Sermon: Luke 2:1-20

“That Thing That Took Place”
[Luke 2:1-20]
December 24, 2008 Second Reformed Church

Mountains. That thing that took place. Advent has led us to this place. As the hours pass into what we call “tomorrow,” Advent will be over and we will celebrate that thing that took place on that first Christmas.

In talking about the prophecies concerning Jesus, I asked us to consider looking at a mountain range, or at a number of objects over a great distance. As we look at them from the distance, they look like they’re right on top of each other, when, in reality, they are very far apart. So it is with biblical prophecy: we often find that a single prophecy refers to more than one event, often to events that take place years apart. We looked at the prophecy of a child being born to a “virgin” in the book of Isaiah, and we saw that the prophecy had to refer to the birth of a child in Isaiah’s time. We saw that the word that is sometimes translated “virgin” in Hebrew can refer to a young woman, so while it was a sign in the days of Isaiah, it was not the miracle that we associate with the birth of Jesus. (If the Lord is willing, on Sunday we will consider why Mary had to really be virgin and never had physical relations with a man before the birth of Jesus.)

We heard Luke’s record of the birth of Jesus; let us hear Matthew’s as well, because it mentions the fulfillment of this prophecy: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” (Matthew 1:18-25, ESV).

Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy. The birth of Jesus – of God Incarnate – is that thing that took place on that first Christmas – that thing that took place that was revealed to the shepherds as we heard from Luke.

Very quickly this evening, let’s look at our text and see four things about that thing that took place that we should know, and then consider two responses:

First, that thing that took place is good news of great joy for every type of people.

Some of the Jews of the first century had draw the wrong conclusion about the Promised Savior: some had come to believe that the Savior was only for the Jews, for the children of Abraham. Some had come to believe that the Gentiles, the non-Jews, were completely lost and unsaveable. We would never do that, would we? We would never think that such and such a type of person is beyond God’s Salvation in Jesus, would we? We would never think that it was so obvious why God would save me, but so and so is beyond that Hand of the Almighty, would we?

That was not the promise and the prophecy made to Father Abraham. Listen to what God said: “‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’” (Genesis 12:1b-3, ESV).

All the families of the earth shall be blessed – the Jews and the Gentiles; the Jews and the Non-Jews. That thing that took place is good news of great joy for every type of people.

Second, that thing that took place fulfilled the promise and the prophecy made to our first parents.

Earlier this year we looked at the opening chapters of the book of Genesis, and we saw that after Adam and Eve sinned, both as individuals and as our representatives, God punished the entire Creation, and every mere human born from that day forth is born a sinner, destined for eternal Hell. But we also saw, in the midst of the punishment, God made a promise – what the theologians call, “the first Gospel,” and we find it in the cursing of the serpent:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV).

We came to understand that this prophecy and promise was fulfilled in Jesus: in God being born of a woman, living, dying, and rising from the dead, defeating the devil, and securing salvation for all those who would believe in Him. That thing that took place fulfilled the promise and the prophecy made to our first parents.

Third, contrary to the popular American understanding of faith, that thing that took place does not call for blind faith – for an ignorant acceptance of what occurred.

Notice what we are told in this evening’s Scripture: the shepherds were out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks, when an angel appeared to them and told them the Good News of the birth of the Savior, and the angel gave them a sign by which they would know the Child. Then a multitude of angels joined in praising and glorifying God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”

They had been told the Good News, the fulfillment of prophecy, and then what? They said to each other, “‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this things that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’” The shepherds went to see the evidence. They went to check that this Baby existed, just as the angel had said. They went to see that thing that took place. They went to get proof.

Having faith does not mean turning off our brains. Yes, there are things that are beyond our comprehension, but most things we can understand and check to see if they are true. Remember how Paul complemented the Berean Christians – that they didn’t listen to his preaching and just accept it, they went back to the scrolls – to the Bible – and they checked to make sure that the things he said were true – that they matched up with God’s Word.

One of the greatest problems with Christians, and Americans in general, in the anti-intellectualism that we have embraced. We believe the news and the paper, but we are unwilling to read or think or investigate anything ourselves. I was talking to a friend the other day who was telling me that the Gospels contradict each other throughout, so they are not to be believed, and, in fact, there was little or no evidence for most of what they claimed. I asked her to tell me more about it, but she remember nothing – it was a PBS show she saw that said all these things. I told her I had actually read the Gospels and can’t find a single contradiction, and there is plenty of archeological and historical evidence to support almost every word of the Gospels. She told me she couldn’t believe that someone with so much education was so ignorant.

God is not offended when we seek to prove His Word to be true Read it. Learn it. Compare it to the historical, archaeological records and evidence. Compare one book of the Bible to another. See that it is all true – wonderfully true Beloved, that thing that took place does not call for blind faith – for an ignorant acceptance of what occurred.

Fourth, that thing that took place is amazing.

The shepherds found their way to the manger and saw exactly what the angel had told them, and they told Mary and Joseph and the others who were there everything that had heard and seen – about this Baby – the long-awaited Savior, Who is also God in the flesh. And our Scripture tells us that they were amazed.

Are we still amazed? Do we listen to the Christmas history and consider that the Almighty God, Who had never had a physical body, became enfleshed as a human being, to glorify the Father and to save all of us that are His? Do we still gasp out, like John, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are” (I John 3:1, ESV). That thing that took place is amazing.

Two responses to that thing that took place – two ways in which we ought to respond:

What did Mary do? “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” Knowing and believing in that thing that took place ought to cause us to ponder – to meditate – on what happened and what that means for us. What Mary did – what we ought to do – is to employ Christian meditation about the things of God – about what we are taught in the Scripture. When we talk about Christian meditation, what our text calls “treasuring” and “pondering,” we do not mean “emptying ourselves,” as Eastern meditation teaches. No, what these words literally mean – what we ought to do – is to “preserve them in our memory” – memorize Scripture and to “throw them together” or to “think them through in great detail, with great care, in comparison with others.”

Let us learn the Scripture. Study the Scripture. Work hard to understand the Scripture.

And then, what did the shepherds do? After they told everyone, “the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen....” Again, let us consider the words: glorifying – we may define that as “enhancing the reputation of one.” Like that telescope we have talked about, they looked through the lense which brought God more clearly before them, and they let others know – as they understood better and more about God and His Salvation, they told others, so others would better know God and His Salvation. And they praised Him – the responded to their knowledge of God by exclaiming His Worth and giving Him thanks.

As we learn more about God and His Salvation and know them better, let us tell others. Let’s not hold back, but exclaim His Worth and give Him thanks.

Where do you plan to be tomorrow? Who will you be with? Make sure Jesus is mentioned. Make sure everyone knows about that thing that took place. And make sure they know why it matters to you.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, we thank You for Your Incarnation, for becoming Man through the Virgin. We ask that tonight, and henceforth, we would not be bigoted about Your Salvation and that we would make an effort to know what things are really true. We ask that you would help us, that the Holy Spirit would teach us and help us to learn Your Word. And we ask that You would make us a people who love to tell others about You, to praise You, and to give You thanks. For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.