Christmas Eve Worship

We intend, D.V., to join together in worship tonight at 7 PM.  We hope to see you then!

No Thursday Night Study

Due to celebrations and worship services, we will not have our Thursday night Bible study tonight.  We will plan, D.V., to resume on Thursday, January 7th.

"Magnificat" Sermon: Luke 1:46-55

“Magnificat”

[Luke 1:46-55]

December 20, 2015 Second Reformed Church

            About two thousand years ago, the high priest of Israel, Zechariah, was visited by the angel, Gabriel, who told him that his wife, Elizabeth, who had been barren all these many years, would bear a son, who Zechariah was to name, John.  This son would be the forerunner of the Messiah – the fulfillment of the ministry of the prophet, Elijah.

            Six months later, the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Elizabeth’s young, teenage cousin, Mary, who was engaged to the carpenter, Joseph.  The angel told Mary that she would bear the Son of God Incarnate, Who is the Savior of God’s people.

            Mary asked how this could be since she had never had sexual relations with a man, and the angel told her that God the Holy Spirit would cause her to be with child.  As a sign, he told her that her cousin, Elizabeth, who had long been barren, was with child.  So Mary went to the house of Elizabeth.

            When Elizabeth saw Mary, her son, John, jumped up in down in her womb, praising God for the Child that Mary bore.  And Elizabeth praised God and Mary and the Child she bore, and she asked why she was given the privilege to have a visit from the mother of the Incarnate God.

            Mary responded by breaking out in song – in the hymn that was read this morning – a hymn which is known as the “Magnificat” – after the Latin for the word “magnify” – which is found in the opening words.

            Mary sang a song – which is largely based on quotes from the Psalms – magnifying the Lord God.  When we talk about “magnifying” something, we can mean one of two things:  we either mean we are using a microscope to make something very small visible to our eyes, or we mean we are using a telescope to take something immensely huge and frame it in a way that we can understand it.  It is the second way that Mary magnifies God – she sings of the Almighty, Infinite God, in ways that we can understand.

            Mary’s song – the Magnificat – can be divided into four stanzas.

            In the first we see, God is worthy of praise for what He has done.

“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.  For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;’

Mary looked at Who God is and proclaimed His excellences.  She rejoiced in God Who is her Savior.  She praised God and magnified Him for all He has done, and, especially, in that moment for choosing her – of “humble estate” – “no one special” – no one who merited the honor.  A pious Jewess that God chose for His reasons to give her the honor of being the mother of God in the flesh.

This honor she received causes us to say that Mary was blessed.  God blessed Mary in making her the mother of God Incarnate.  And we praise God and give thanks for Mary who obediently carried and raised the One Savior of all we who believe.  It was the highest call she could receive – to be the mother of God the Savior.

And so Mary magnified God, and we magnify God, and she praised God, and we praise God with her and thank God for blessing her and giving us the Savior through her.

What else shall we magnify and praise God for?  We praise and magnify Him for the Child Mary was given to bear and for Mary, whom God chose to bear Him.

God owes us nothing, and yet He has done such great things!

He has given us a place to worship.

He has given us heat, others to fellowship with, food to share, air to breathe, clothes to wear, places to have shelter, friends, family members, animal companions, the ability to speak and hear and taste and touch and see.

He has enabled us to move from one place to another, by foot and car and bus.

He has given us money and other gifts – in enough abundance that we can give in thanksgiving and share with others.

He has placed us in a country where we are not be killed for gathering and worshipping Him and His Son, our Savior.

He has given us light and music and Bibles and places to sit.

How can we be ungrateful?  How can we neglect to magnify and praise our God and Savior for Who He is and all has done for us?

Second, God’s lovingkindness is to all generations.

‘for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.’

This God Who blessed Mary with this gift of the motherhood of the Savior is the God Who did many great things for Mary.  He is the God Who is Holy.  He is infinitely exalted.  There is no greater being in all of existence, and He loves His people and does good things for them.

This God Who did great things for Mary, has done great things for all people, as Jesus said:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  For he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?  Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect’” (Matthew 5:43-48, ESV).

All people are called to repent and believe and receive God as their heavenly Father – the God Who does great things for all people.  And all people are called to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect – and in this context – that means that we are to do great things to everyone – not merely those we like, but for every single person that we can – we are to spend ourselves doing great things for all people that they would know God their heavenly Father.

Yet, we also ought to notice in this that Mary rightly says that God’s mercy is shown only to those who fear Him.

Every generation experiences the loving-kindness of God – God does not immediately kill us all the first time we sin – much less for being sinners.

But the mercy of God – which extends as far as forgiving the sins we sin against God – the only ones who receive that mercy are those who fear God – those who are in awe of God – those who rightly understand Who God is and what He has done to make the One Way of salvation.

This is God’s mercy:  “For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would even dare to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8, ESV).

This is God’s outrageous mercy – not that God came to earth and died to save people who were good and worthy of being saved – but that God loved us and sent His Son to save us when we still hated Him and sinned against Him and wanted nothing to do with Him.

Third, God’s Mercy is all the more striking when compared with His Severity.

‘He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has fed the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.’ 

Mary compares God’s Mercy with His Severity, and she begins by saying that all these things happen according to the Sovereign Power of God:

God scatters the proud – God takes the people who think themselves so grand and mighty and throws them away from where they held their claim.

God removes the mighty – kings, emperors, dictators, presidents – from their thrones – He takes away their power and position.

God exalts those who are nothing – she uses this wording for herself – she was – comparatively – no one – and yet God raised her up to be the one and only bearer of God in the flesh; Mary gave birth to her Creator.

God provides for the needs of those who hunger – God provides food for those who hunger after spiritual bread.  But to those who love money, God sends them away.  God is not a slot-machine no matter what some TV preachers would have us believe.

As Daniel said,

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.  He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; for he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him” Daniel 2:20b-22, ESV).

And Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12, ESV).

God is utterly Sovereign and raises up whom He wills and presses down and removes whom He wills.  Those who fight against God receive His Severity, as they deserve.  Those who receive God and His Word in humility, God will use to His Glory in lifting them up to where they do not deserve to be.  Such is the contrast between His Mercy and His Severity.

Lastly, God manifests His Mercy in keeping covenant with believers and their children.

‘He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our father, to Abraham and his offspring forever.’”

            What did God promise to Abraham and his offspring forever?

            God said to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3, ESV).

            And again God said, “I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.  And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:17-18a, ESV).

            God promised to look after Israel – the offspring of Abraham – and to bless every type of people through his family.

            Now, who is Israel?

            Paul wrote, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed.  For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but, ‘Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.’  This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring” (Romans 9:6-8, ESV).

            And Paul also wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16-17, ESV).

            Israel is all those who believe savingly in the Savior God sent.

            So, what we have is that God made a promise to Abraham that God would bless every people of the world by sending His Son to be the Savior for all those who would believe – that is, Israel.  By the flesh, Jesus, the Son of God, was born of the Jewess, Mary, and He secured salvation for people from every type of person – Jew and Gentile – throughout time and space.

            Some two thousand years ago, God chose Mary to bear the Son of God to be born in the flesh for us and our salvation.

            Mary responded to the confirmation of this promise by her cousin Elizabeth by singing a song – and as she praised and magnified God for Who He is and all He has done, we see:

            That God is worthy of praise for what He has done.  Shall we praise Him today?

            God’s lovingkindness extends to all generations.  Shall we rejoice in God revealing the Savior to us, among all His blessings to us?

            God’s Mercy is striking in comparison with His Severity.  Shall we humbly thank God for all we do not deserve from His loving and fatherly Hand?

            And God manifests His Mercy in keeping covenant with believers and their children.  Shall we thank God that His Promises and the Savior were not just for the Jews, not just for the first century, but for all types of people throughout time and space who would come to faith?

            Let us pray:

            Almighty God and Father, our souls magnify You, and our spirits rejoice in God our Savior.  We thank You for the song that Mary sang and for the promises regarding salvation in it.  As we celebrate the first coming of Your Son in the flesh on earth, we ask that You would help us to be joy-filled and amazed, always thankful, and ever-desirous to tell others that He is the One Way to Salvation.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

No Thursday Night Study

Due to celebrations and worship services, we will not have our Thursday night Bible study tonight.  We will plan, D.V., to resume on Thursday, January 7th.

Review: "Living with Intent"

Mallika Chopra has written a very engaging and honest book about her quest for living with intent -- Living with Intent:  My Somewhat Messy Journey to Purpose, Peace, and Joy -- she doesn't hide her struggles, but shows what she's been through and what she is still working on.

Intent, she defines:  "Intents are expressions of who we aspire to be as individuals -- physically, emotionally, spiritually -- as members of our families and communities, and even citizens of Mother Earth.  Intents are a way of defining what we want and asking the universe or God for help.  They're the seeds of what we yearn for in our lives, whether better health, meaningful relationships, or love" (3-4).

"Right intention says essentially:  treat yourself and others with kindness and compassion while Irving in alignment with your deepest values" (12).

Chopra tells her story and develops her practice of intent using the letters of the word to make an acrostic of method (20-21, and individual chapters):

Incubate:  Chopra says we ought to begin by quieting ourselves and looking within to discover what our intentions are at the root and then see where they lead.

Notice:  Next, we ought to notice what we are doing and seeing what we say and do and what of all those things give us meaning and purpose -- these will lead us on our "true path."

Trust:  Then, we listen and trust -- rather than criticize and judge -- the message that comes to us from the other in us.

Express:  Next, we ought to write, speak, or in some way make what we have discovered palpable that we can move forward.

Nurture:  As we continue forward, we need to give ourselves self-care and support, because we will fall and fail, as well as succeed and move forward.

Take Action:  once we have done these things and identified one or more intentions that we are passionate about, we cannot sit back and wait for them to come, we have to take action to bring them to us.

I agree with Chopra that there is value in sitting down and discovering what we really value -- rather than being tossed to and fro by the winds -- but knowing what is truly important, understanding those things, and making sure we get and pursue them.  In this, we make progress.

Each chapter has a section of reflections and practices -- so this could be a workbook for some time, leading one through the steps and guiding one to a purposed -- intentionally -- conclusion.

Her father, Deepak Chopra wrote the afterword, in which he includes his ten "keys to fulfillment" (229-234).

While I find value in this book and method, I find one assumption problematic:  the assumption that our intentions, led by the guiding of the ultimate within us, is good.

My problem is this:  what if humans are basically evil, selfish, and sin-inclined?  Should we really follow after what we want in our deepest heart of hearts?  Even if, let's say only 1% of  the human population would follow after evil naturally, do we want to tell them that they should follow after the evil that the universe fills them with?

Much as I like things the author wrote -- and even use them in my life -- I fear she does not take the natural wickedness of the human heart seriously -- and she should.

#LivingwithIntent

[I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This review appears on my blog and on Amazon.com.]

"Stones. Roots. Fruit." Sermon: Luke 3:7-18

“Stones.  Roots.  Fruit.”

[Luke 3:7-18]

December 13, 2015 Second Reformed Church

            Have you ever heard an ad like this:  “Lose twenty-five to forty pounds in thirty days with no change to your diet, no exercise, and no expensive pills”?  Unless you are going under the knife, this is fraud – because if nothing changes – nothing is going to change.

            A fraud is something or someone that claims to be something it is not.

            As Luke gives us an overview of John the Baptist’s ministry, we see John confronted the frauds who came to him to be baptized – and we see that people who are truly repentant and believe in the Savior must change.  “Repent” means to turn away and do something different – and if you are not doing anything different, it is proof that you are not repentant.

            Paul put it this way:  “What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means!  How can we who died to sin still live in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:1-4, ESV).

            We saw last week that John’s call as a prophet was to make the way straight – to remove any obstacles that would keep anyone from understanding that Jesus is God the Savior.  We said that we are called to do the same thing – proclaim the Gospel and remove any obstacles that we can to anyone’s hearing and receiving the Gospel.

            And all who hear the Gospel preached are called to remove the obstacles that they have and that they have put up in their lives to keep them from receiving the Gospel preached to them.

            And then, all we who have come by the straight way, the flat way, the smooth way, and received the Gospel, we are to continue to live as people who remove obstacles so others and hear and receive the Gospel.  By that, we mean that we as Christians are to be changed people – people who live differently from the way we lived – people who are noticeably different.

            The Pharisees and Sadducees who went to see John the Baptist were not different – they were not repentant – they were frauds.

“He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.  And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.”  For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.  Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.  Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’

John the Baptist was baptizing people for the repentance of sins – all people – including Jews – were being called by John the Baptist to repent of their sin – to stop sinning and not follow after sin again, but to live in ways that are pleasing to God.  And Matthew tells us that they were some of the Pharisees and Sadducees that came to John – acting like they wanted to be baptized – because they wanted to know where he got the authority – who gave him the right – to baptize and call people – including Jews – to repentance.

And God the Holy Spirit gave him the knowledge that they were frauds – and so he accused them – calling them vipers – serpents.  We remember that Satan came to Eve and tempted her while in the form of a serpent, and in the book of Revelation, we read of his fall:  “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world – he was thrown down to earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Revelation 12:7-9, ESV).

Like their god, these Pharisees and Sadducees were deceivers.  They misled the people and they misled themselves, and they were trying to deceive John the Baptist – asking him that he should baptize them.

When John asked them who warned them to flee from the wrath to come, he is being sarcastic – because they did not believe in the wrath to come – they believed that they were right with God and did not need to repent and believe.  So, John was asking them – effectively, “Who deceived you into thinking you could deceive God?”

There are ministers today who preach from their pulpits week after week, but don’t believe that the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God.  There are Sunday school teachers who don’t believe a word of the material they teach.  There are members of the church who don’t believe in Jesus and His Salvation, but they think since they go to church and go through the motions that it is enough.  They are deceived!  We may be deceived!  But God is not deceived!

John told them to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.  A believer – a Christian – will turn away from sin and strive not to sin again – a believer will do good works – a Christian will seek to obey God – in response – in thanks – for the salvation that he or she has received.

And John was ready for their objection:  “But we are the children of Abraham.  We are the chosen people of Israel.  We are right with God because we are part of the line and the lineage of Abraham.”

And John tells them to forget it – just as God made Adam from the dirt, God could raise up sons and daughters of Abraham from the rocks on the ground.  No one is saved by their blood or their heritage – salvation is by faith alone in Jesus alone.

As far as being saved – as far as becoming a Christian is concerned – it doesn’t matter if you have given up all your “bad” habits, it doesn’t matter if you love you spouse and family, it doesn’t matter if you are in worship every time the doors are open, as well as volunteering during the week, it doesn’t matter if you give half your money to the church, it doesn’t matter if you have memorized the whole Bible – none of that makes anyone right with God.  Those are all good things for Christians to do – but none of those things makes a person a Christian.

Once a person is saved – once a person believes in Jesus and His salvation – then the changes in our life – the turning away from sin and the doing of good works – helps to show that we truly are believers.

So John warned them – and we are well warned, as well – we are all like trees – and those trees that do not bear good fruit – those of us who do not prove ourselves to be Christians through the way we live – those of us who are frauds and think we are getting away with saying we are Christians – those of us who think they can deceive their way into the Kingdom – God will cut those people down and throw them into the fire.  Just as a dead or unproductive fruit tree is chopped down and burned, so God will judge all those frauds with all those who never believed and throw them into the punishment of Hell.

This message was not strange to the people of Israel.  This is what the prophet Isaiah said about the coming Savior:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion – to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3, ESV).

The prophecy – that they knew – was that the Savior would come to bring deliverance, blessing, and the Wrath of God.

The people at the Jordan responded by asking John what they ought to do in response to their repentance and belief in God the Savior:

“And the crowds asked him, ‘What then shall we do?’  And he answered them, ‘Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.’  Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’  And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than you are authorized to do.’  Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’  And he said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.’

Three groups of people are highlighted by Luke:

First, there was the crowd in general who asked what they should do in the way of good works – in bearing fruit – in showing love to God and their neighbors.

John told them if they had two sets of clothes and someone else had none, to give them a set of clothes, and if they had more than enough food and some else had no food at all, to share their food with them.

This is simply the command to love our neighbors:  not only are we to do nothing to harm our neighbors, but we are to seek to build them up in every way – and especially in the knowledge and receipt of the Gospel.  If we are believers and we desire to assist our neighbors and we have more than we need of something, and we know someone who truly has a need that we can fill, then we ought – in thanksgiving and love – and voluntarily – give to those who lack.

The second group was the tax collectors, and John told them to collect only what they were authorized to collect.

We may have negative feelings about paying taxes – we may even think it robbery – but what John is highlighting here is extortion.

Remember that Israel was occupied by Rome at this time.  In order to pay for all that was occurring in the Roman Empire, taxes were assessed on all those peoples that Rome had conquered – and Rome often employed native people to collect the taxes to be sent to Rome.  However, it became a regular sin among tax-collectors to charge more than they were told to that they might line their pockets.  They would threaten the people if they didn’t pay extra, Rome might hear they were being a problem or family members could end up in jail.

It was a situation where tax-collectors were doubly hated:  they were traitors to their country – working for their oppressor – and they were forcing people to overpay – they were stealing from their own people.

So John tells them to stop stealing – stop threatening and extorting and abusing the people for their money – and instead – as believers – as Christians – only charge what Rome said they should charge.  Be honest in their financial dealings with the people.

Again, we are talking about love of neighbor – treating people fairly.  We are called to do whatever work God has given us – to do it well – and whatever we produce, we are to sell at a fair price.  We are not to gouge each other financially.  We are not to pad the books or trump up false charges for our services.

The third group was soldiers, and John told them to be content with what they were paid and not to extort money from people by threats and false accusations.

 The military was not paid well, so one of the ways they got extra money was by threatening people with harm if they did not pay for protection or by bringing them up on false charges if they did not pay them.

They abused their position and authority to get more for themselves.

And there is the warning for us:  do not abuse the power you have.  Every one of us has power and authority over someone or something, and there is a temptation to just push a little bit if it benefits us.  But that is not love of neighbor.  Part of loving our neighbor is protecting those we have authority over – being fair with them – doing what we can to make their lives better.

So, John told the people that a proper response to repenting and believing the Gospel is to stop sinning, to turn away from our sinful pursuits, and, instead, we are to love our neighbor by using the abundance that God has given us to provide for those in need – and each one of us has more than we need of something that we can share with someone who doesn’t have what we have in abundance, we are to love our neighbors by doing whatever work God has given to the very best of our ability and fairly and honestly, and we are not to abuse our authority, but love and protect those in need.

In preaching in this way – in connecting the things of the Spirit with our everyday lives – the people wondered who John was.  They thought he must be a prophet – the way he dressed and talked – but these Pharisees and Sadducees who had been sent to find out about John wondered if he was something more – and if not – who gave him the right and the authority to preach and baptize.

“As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of his sandals I am not worthy to untie.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

John, the apostle, explains in his Gospel, that the Pharisees and Sadducees who had been sent to investigate John asked him if he was the Christ – God the Savior – and John told them he was not.  They asked him if he was the prophet Elijah, raised from the dead – and John told them he was not.  And they asked him if he was one of the other prophets, raised from the dead – and John told them he was not.  So, they asked him where he got the authority and who gave him the right to baptized.

He responded with the prophecy of Isaiah that we looked at last week – John was the Voice, prophesied to come before the Christ – to call people to prepare the way.

John told them that he had been sent to baptize with water for the forgiveness of sins – but he was not the Christ.  We might picture John speaking with awe about the Christ as he told them that the Christ is so much greater than he, that it would be too great an honor for him to unlace His dirty, poop-covered sandals.

How much greater must the Christ be that it was far too great an honor to unlace the sandals that had walked through the dirty roads and stepped in animal poop?  I don’t think any of you would think it a great honor to remove my shoes after I had stepped in poop – that is how much more glorious, and mighty, and holy, and awesome Jesus is than John the Baptist and any one of us!

Jesus is our Friend, but we ought never to become as casual as to think He is of the same stature as us.  He is the Almighty God – the One and Only Holy, Holy, Holy.

And the Christ – Jesus – John told them – was coming to baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.  The Christ was coming to illuminate and cleanse – like a fire –  and to send God the Holy Spirit to indwell all those who believe.

Christ did the work to cleanse us and illumine us through His life, death, and physical resurrection – He took on our sin and paid the debt for it – God’s Wrath upon Himself, and He live a righteous life and credited that to us, and forty days after His Ascension, He sent the Holy Spirit:

“When the day of Pentecost arrived they were all together in one place.  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4, ESV).

And on the day when the axe fells the trees that don’t bear good fruit – and they are thrown into the fire – the Christ will take His winnowing fork and thresh the wheat – putting the wheat in the barn and throwing the chaff into the unquenchable fire.

Before there were machine to get the kernels of wheat off of the stalks, farmers would cut the stakes down and bring them into the barn and beat them on the ground until the grain fell out.  Then they would take a large fork – like a pitchfork – and thrown the grain up in the air, and as they did so, the papery cover over the wheat – the chaff – would come loose and float away, and the grain would fall to the ground.  The farmers would take the grain to store, and the chaff – the useless, inedible coating – would be gathered up and burned.  Likewise, believers will be saved – and unbelievers – and frauds – will be thrown into the fire.  This is the judgment.

Our text ends with this comment:

“So with many other exhortations he preached the good news to the people.”

            And here we understand, without the bad news, the Good News doesn’t make sense. 

            The bad news is that we are all born at enmity with God – we all seek to follow after sin – we all go against God.  The result of never believing – whether outright not believing or being a fraud – the result is being thrown into the fire to suffer.

            The Good News is that – from before the beginning – God had a plan to save a people for Himself.  And God came to earth in the real human person of Jesus – that Baby Whose birth we celebrate at Christmas – He lived a perfect life, died, physical rose from the dead, and ascended back to His throne.  And all we who repent and believe in Him are made right with God through Him, and we will be with Him in His Kingdom forever and ever.

            And for now, we will live lives of turning away from sin and doing good works in thanks to God and in love for our neighbors – above all, telling everyone the Good News – that Jesus Christ was born on Christmas day.

            Let us pray:

            Almighty God, we thank You for sending Your Son to save us and all we who believe in Him and what He did on earth.  Help us always to be good witnesses to Him and His Gospel that others would see the good fruit we are bearing and truly desire to repent and believe in Christ, our God and Savior.  For it is in Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.