Messages from Malachi

SERMON NOTES

Sunday, December 12, 2004

"The Babe"
Passage: Luke 2:8-16

Name Above All Names Sermon Series

Rev. Jimmy Painter

Cresthill Baptist Church

Jesus is that name which is IS above all names! This morning we conclude this series of sermons with a message simply entitled, “The Babe.”

On this third Sunday of Advent, December 12th, 2000, and 4, I invite you to join me as we open our Bibles to Luke Chapter 2, verses 8-16. Come – let’s take a closer look at Him whose name is above all names, “The Babe” of Bethlehem. Let’s read it aloud in unison from our Power-Point screen:

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. ¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. ¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

Christmas calls us to focus our attention upon Jesus Christ. Christmas calls us to focus upon Jesus Christ, the Babe in the manger of Bethlehem’s barn. The Bible invites us to enter into the Nativity scene to take a closer look at the Christ.

When we look at the Babe of Bethlehem through the lens of Scripture, we not only see Mary and Joseph, shepherds and wise men, but upon a closer look we also see …

1. THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR (Revelation 22:16) Revelation, Chapter 22, verse 16 records these words from the lips of our Lord: ¹⁶“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (NIV)

Listen to how the Amplified Bible translates this text: ¹⁶I, Jesus, have sent My messenger (angel) to you to witness and to give you assurance of these things for the churches (assemblies). I am the Root (the Source) and the Offspring of David, the radiant and brilliant Morning Star. (AMP)

Verses 16-19 are best understood as a continuous speech of the risen Jesus to John entrusting him with the whole book of Revelation (Greek tauta, literally “these things”) as a testimony to deliver to the churches (the seven in Asia above all, but probably a wider circle as well). Having identified himself by name, Jesus further claims for Himself the title of the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star (v. 16), implying, first, that He is the Jewish Messiah from David’s line (compare 5:5) and, second, that His coming will mark the dawn of a new day (compare 2:28) and a new creation. (BibleGateway.com Commentary)

Bethlehem’s Babe is none other than the promised Messiah, the Christ of God! Bethlehem’s Babe is none other than Jesus, the Son of God, Name Above All Names, who by, through and because of His death and resurrection, a new day has dawned! “Old things have passed away. All things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) When we turn from our sins and turn to Jesus, the answer to our problem with sin, we become a new creation, and those who lay claim to the brightness of the dawning of THIS “new day”. This Christmas, take a close look at Bethlehem’s Babe, for He is the Bright and Morning Star; He is that Name Above All Names.

When we look at the Babe of Bethlehem, we not only see that He is the Bright and Morning Star, we also see that He is …

2. THE BREAD OF LIFE (John 6:35) John 6:35 tells us this: ³⁵Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (NIV) Jesus was born in Bethlehem. In Hebrew, Bet means “house” and Lehem means “bread”. The “BREAD OF LIFE” was prophetically born in the “House of Bread.” Jesus alone can satisfy that hunger in your soul. Jesus alone can “fill you up,” nourish your ravenous spirit, and satisfy your hunger for meaning, for purpose, for love, for life.

Dr. James Dobson relates a story of an elderly woman named Stella Thornhope who was struggling with her first Christmas alone. Her husband had died just a few months prior through a slow developing cancer. Now, several days before Christmas, she was almost snowed in by a brutal weather system. She felt terribly alone – so much so she decided she was not going to decorate for Christmas.

Late that afternoon the doorbell rang, and there was a delivery boy with a box. He said, “Mrs. Thornhope?” She nodded. He said, “Would you sign here?” She invited him to step inside and closed the door to get away from the cold. She signed the paper and said, “What’s in the box?” The young man laughed and opened up the flap, and inside was a little puppy, a golden Labrador Retriever. The delivery boy picked up the squirming pup and explained, “This is for you, Ma’am. He’s six weeks old, completely housebroken.” The young puppy began to wiggle in happiness at being released from captivity. “Who sent this?” Mrs. Thornhope asked. The young man set the animal down and handed her an envelope and said, “It’s all explained here in this envelope, Ma’am. The dog was bought last July while its mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift to you.” The young man then handed her a book, How to Care for Your Labrador Retriever. In desperation she again asked, “Who sent me this puppy?” As the young man turned to leave, he said, “Your husband, Ma’am. Merry Christmas.”

She opened up the letter from her husband. He had written it three weeks before he died and left it with the kennel owners to be delivered with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her. The letter was full of love and encouragement and admonishments to be strong. He vowed that he was waiting for the day when she would join him. He had sent her this young animal to keep her company until then. She wiped away the tears, put the letter down, and then remembering the puppy at her feet, she picked up that golden furry ball and held it to her neck. Then she looked out the window at the lights that outlined the neighbor’s house, and she heard from the radio in the kitchen the strains of “Joy to the World, the Lord has Come.” Suddenly Stella felt the most amazing sensation of peace washing over her. Her heart felt a joy and a wonder greater than the grief and loneliness. “Little fella,” she said to the dog, “it’s just you and me. But you know what? There’s a box down in the basement I’ll bet you’d like. It’s got a little Christmas tree in it and some decorations and some lights that are going to impress you. And there’s a manger scene down there. Let’s go get it.” God has a way of sending a signal of light to remind us life is stronger than death. Light is more powerful than darkness. God is more powerful than Satan. Good will overcome evil. “The people living in darkness have seen a great light,” the prophet said. “On those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16 NIV) (Robert Russell, writer and pastor, Preaching Today #195)

There are some here today and there are some listening on our web-site, who right now are not feeling very “merry” about Christmas. For some of you, this is your first Christmas without that special someone. Death may have taken them from you. Divorce may have taken them from you. A disease like cancer or Althzheimers may have taken them from you. Our war on terror may have taken them from you, as they are far away, fighting to protect our freedom. Today I want to say to you that your grief, your pain, your sadness, your sorrow is unbelievably great – but God is greater! The tears and fears and depression’s dark cloud is unbelievably great – but God is greater! Right now, call out to Him, cry out to Him, tell Him how you feel, tell Him how you hurt, tell Him, tell Him, tell Him all about it, because He’s there, He cares, and he can fill the emptiness in your soul this Christmas! He can sustain you and give you strength! This Christmas, take a close look at Bethlehem’s Babe, for He is the Bread of Life, that Name that is above ALL names.

When we look at the Babe of Bethlehem, we see He is the Bright and Morning Star. We see He is the Bread of Life. And we see Bethlehem’s Babe is …

3. THE BEGINNING AND THE END (Revelation 1:8) : The Bible says in Revelation the first Chapter, the 8th verse, 8I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (KJV) The Message version of God’s Word translates this verse to read, The Master declares, "I'm A to Z. I'm THE GOD WHO IS, THE GOD WHO WAS, AND THE GOD ABOUT TO ARRIVE. I'm the Sovereign-Strong." (MSG)

Who is the Alpha and Omega? Who is the Beginning and the End? Who is the “A” to “Z”? I’ll tell you who: it is the Babe of Bethlehem, “the God who is and was and the God who is about to arrive”! When you get past the tinsel and sparkle, the pageants, programs and parades, and you enter into Bethlehem’s Barn, cast your gaze upon a feed trough turned into a bassinet, and you come up close and look down, make no mistake about it – you are looking at God! And although He’s meek and mild and lying in a manger, Bethlehem’s Bible grew in stature and wisdom and favor, lived a perfect life, died for us, a perfect death, was perfectly raised from the grave, and now sits perfectly at the Right Hand of God the Father in Heaven. The Babe of Bethlehem is the Beginning and the End!

4. THE BRIDEGROOM (Matthew 25:1) : Matthew Chapter 25, Verse one records the introductory statement to one of Christ’s most noted parables. Matthew 25:1 says, “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” (NIV) This parable tells the tale of two groups – one who planned wisely and another who did not. One, who lived in anticipated readiness for the arrival of the bridegroom to take them to the wedding and another who did not. One group who was blessed – the other who was not. The Babe of Bethlehem is the Bridegroom, coming for the Church, His bride. That is why verse 13 of this parable in Matthew 25 warns, “Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Church, we need to be doing what Bethlehem’s Babe told us to do when He left this planet and went back to Heaven. We need to be doing what He told us to do, because He is coming again at an hour and time we know not when.

In 1983, the First Presbyterian Church of Concord, California, was in the headlines. Pastor Leon Thompson had convinced his 500-member congregation to purchase the pornographic theater adjacent to the church. The community was thrilled by the church’s gutsy move. The only catch was that the theater proprietor still had another several months on his lease. For the better part of a year First Presbyterian Church was the landlord collecting rent on a theater that showed X-rated adult films. Willing to be misunderstood and criticized, the church took the heat in order to guarantee that the theater would be closed down. Within two years the old Galaxy Theatre was the Presbyterian Community Center. Where once degrading sexual fantasies flickered on the big screen, Bible studies and recovery groups now met. In the actions of First Presbyterian Church, we see a reflection of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. To battle sin head on, he entered into our sinful world and risked rejection and being misunderstood in order to pay the price of our redemption. (Greg Asimakoupoulos, author and speaker, Naperville, Illinois)

If we were honest with ourselves, and if, for just a moment, we could keep it “real”, prior to our salvation, all of us were a lot like that theater, and Christ is a lot like that church. He was willing to enter into our filthy, disgusting, demeaning, lustful and yes, all to often pornographic obsessed lives, look beyond who we were to the clean and pure “Bride of Christ” we could be, and leaving Heaven, He said I do. And when cruel hands nailed His hands to the cross, He looked across the vista of time, saw us and said, “I DO.” And this Christmas the Bridegroom says to you, His Bride, “I still do.” That’s the Bridegroom. That’s Bethlehem’s Babe. That’s Christ Jesus, Name Above ALL Names. T/S: The fifth thing we see when we gaze upon Bethlehem’s Babe is that we see …

5. THE SERVANT (Philippians 2:5-8) : Hear the Word of the Lord recorded in Philippians Chapter 2, verses 5-8: 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! (NIV)

In his best-selling book, The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey contrasts the humility that characterized Jesus’ royal visit to planet earth with the prestigious image associated with world rulers today: Queen Elizabeth II visited the United States, and reporters delighted in spelling out the logistics involved: her four thousand pounds of luggage included two outfits for every occasion, a mourning outfit in case someone died, 40 pints of plasma, and white kid-leather toilet seat covers. She brought along her own hairdresser, two valets, and a host of other attendants. A brief visit of royalty to a foreign country can easily cost 20 million dollars. In meek contrast, God’s visit to earth took place in an animal shelter with no attendants present and nowhere to lay the newborn king but a feed trough. (Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, Zondervan, 1995)

Christ the king of Heaven left it all so that we might have it all. Why? Why would He do such a thing? Why leave all that to come and die for the likes of us? Why? He loves us! He loves me and He loves you, and He came not to be served, but to serve as our Savior. When you look upon Bethlehem’s Babe this Christmas, you’re looking at Heaven’s Royalty who put on earthly rags so that we might take off our earthly rags and put on Heaven’s royalty. He is The Servant.

6. THE BELOVED SON (Matthew 3:16,17) : The Word of God tells us in Matthew Chapter 3, verses 16 and 17 that, 16As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” (NIV) Bethlehem’s Babe is none other than the Beloved Son of Almighty God. Why did God the Father, looking down upon His baptized Son say, “with Him I am well pleased?” This true story may help with that question: About 20 years ago there was a house near the entrance of our subdivision that kept their Christmas lights burning long after the season was past. They burned through January. Even through the first of February those outside lights burned every night. Finally, about the middle of February I became a bit critical and said, “If I were too lazy to take my Christmas lights down, I think I’d at least turn them off at night.” But about the middle of March there was a sign outside of their house that explained why they’d left the lights on. It said simply, “Welcome home, Jimmy.” We learned that family had a son in Vietnam, and they had unashamedly left their Christmas lights on in anticipation of his return. Lights are a symbol of hope. (Robert Russell, author and pastor of Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, in sermon “Jesus Came to Be the Light,” Preaching Today #195)

I believe that God the Father was well pleased with His beloved Son, because He came into our dark world and our sin darkened lives as “The Light of the World.” To the broke, busted, disgusted and mistrusted, He offers light and life and hope. And that pleases God the Father, who doesn’t want to see anybody perish but that all would come to Him. (Re: 2nd Peter 3:9) Christ, Name Above All Names, is God’s Beloved Son.

The seventh thing we see as we gaze upon Bethlehem’s Babe this Christmas is this: we see …

7. THE SAVIOR (Luke 2:11) : Luke 2:11 records the Angels announcement to the shepherds and to the world. Luke 2:11 declares, Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” (NIV)

In his book, Detours: Sometimes Rough Road Lead to Right Places, Clark Bothern tells of a Christmas when his family encountered an unexpected house guest. A squirrel had fallen down their chimney into the wood burner stove in the basement of their Michigan home. Cothern writes: I thought if it knew we were there to help, I could just reach in and gently lift it out. Nothing doing. As I reached in … it began scratching about like a squirrel overdosed on espresso. We finally managed to construct a cardboard box “cage” complete with a large hole cut into one side, into which the squirrel waltzed when we placed the box against the wood burner’s door. We let it out into the safety of our backyard. Later, I thought, “Isn’t it funny how, before its redemption, our little visitor had frantically tried to bash its way out of its dark prison? It seemed that the harder it struggled in its own strength to get free, the more pain it caused itself.” In the end, he simply had to wait patiently until one who was much bigger – one who could peer into his world – could carry him safely to that larger world where he really belonged. That is what we need to Lord to do for us. (Clark Cothern, Detours: Sometimes Rough Road Lead to Right Places, Multnomah, 1999)

And do you know what? He will, if we’ll let Him. This Christmas, I invite you today, maybe for the very first time to look – I mean really look at the Christ of Christmas. Yes, He’s Bethlehem’s Babe, of whom we sing and celebrate. But He’s also a whole lot more. And He wants to be the whole lot more than just a date on your calendar and an excuse to throw a party. He wants to b your Savior, your LORD, your King, your God. This Christmas, come and sing, “Infant holy, infant lowly, for His bed a cattle stall; Oxen lowing, little knowing, Christ the Babe is Lord of all.” (Anonymous)