Divine Movement: A Christmas Story Full of Love
Focus: God uses divine interruptions and surprising direction changes to lead us to a different kind of love in Christ.
Divine Interruptions
A Different Kind of Love
Divine Purposes in Christ
Divine Interruptions
God is ordering our footsteps even when it feels like our future and destiny are out of our control.
Luke 2:1-7 ESV
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
We have confidence in the person of Jesus because as opposed to ancient mythology, his story is part of recorded, verifiable history.
His birth took place in the midst of the Roman Empire under the reign of Caesar Augustus.
*Though the secular world was moving without regard to God, God was using temporal events to bring about his eternal plan in Jesus.
God used the diversions and direction changes on a societal scale to fulfill his word, verifying the very place Jesus was to be born.
Micah 5:2 ESV
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
This was on top of God sovereignly arranging the very family line to which he would be born, to come as the prophesied eternal King of the nations, the Lord our righteousness.
In Genesis 12:3, to the patriarch Abraham God said,
Genesis 12:3 ESV
“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."”
God would later make the lineage of the Messiah more specific when he said through the prophet Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 23:5-6 ESV
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'”
*If we can trust God to sovereignly order the genealogies and world events throughout history to bring about Christ and his birthplace according to his word, we can also trust God with the intimate details of our lives which concern us.
Mary and Joseph would have to learn a new kind of love based not on feelings, but based on trust in God’s Word, God’s purposes, and ultimately God’s example.
How have recent personal or societal tensions encouraged or discouraged the love of God in your heart?
Why do I ask?
Because by looking at the advent we can discover God’s eternal plan in Jesus.
It was to bring us to a different kind of love - God’s perfect love expressed through Christ.
A Different Kind of Love
Through Christ, God extends his love to those who were once his enemies.
Luke 2:8-14 ESV
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"”
*Sometimes the direction changes that God brings are those of the heart to lead us to a different kind of love.
What was God demonstrating about the gospel through the shepherds?
God was demonstrating that he loves, and we are to love, those who the world does not.
“The shepherds’ lives were ironic. Their job was to care for the animals that would be sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people. Yet because of their handling of these dirty creatures, they themselves were unclean and thus prevented from keeping the ceremonial law. And because they were ceremonially unclean, they were often regarded as untrustworthy, irreligious, and poor in reputation. Nevertheless, it was also expected that one who did his job well, a good shepherd, would be willing to lay down his life for his sheep. A good shepherd was someone who cared deeply for the lambs under his watch, many of which were appointed to die on the altar of the Lord for the sins of the very people who looked down on the shepherds. The shepherds’ lives were, in effect, sacrifices.”
-Russ Ramsey
This is powerful because Jesus would be known as both the good shepherd (John 10:11) and the lamb of God who would (through his sacrifice on the cross) take away the sin of the world (John 1:36).
So Jesus would be the good shepherd who was introduced to the world through shepherds.
And what Jesus does is come to shepherd our hearts.
The Holy Spirit had Paul instruct the church:
Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
This type of love is a translation of the word Agape or its verb form agapao meaning to value, cherish and esteem.
It is the type of love that God has for us and that which we are to have for others.
This is a tall order and difficult for us at times to emulate because sheep bite.
But again, with the advent what might God be doing and about what is he actually concerned?
The answer: RECONCILIATION
The first and most important reconciliation that Jesus provides is between God and humanity.
*The shepherds lived on the outskirts of society, and their situation can remind us of a certain type of self-satisfied isolation (we don’t bother anyone and no one bothers us).
*Many people consider themselves like this in their personal lives and think their lack of disruptive interaction with the world excuses them from God’s sight and judgement.
However, God made it clear that he both sees and cares about those who hope to move through the world undiscovered and undisturbed.
Like the shepherds, we are all still sinners in need of a savior.
“In one of his diaries Kafka says something that many have taken to be the theme of The Trial: “The state in which we find ourselves today is sinful, quite independent of guilt.” In other words, we live in a world now where we don’t believe in judgment, we don’t believe in sin, and yet we still feel that there’s something wrong with us. Kafka was really on to something. Though we’ve abandoned the ancient categories, we still have a profound, inescapable sense that if we were examined we’d be rejected. We have a deep sense that we’ve got to hide our true self or at least control what people know about us. Secretly we feel that we aren’t acceptable, that we have to prove to ourselves and other people that we’re worthy, lovable, valuable.”
-Timothy J. Keller, Jesus the King: Understanding the Life and Death of the Son of God
It is only in our repentance and faith - looking to the wildness of God’s redemptive prescriptions found in Jesus - and the grace that would eventually flow to our lives through his sinless life, death on the cross and resurrection from the dead that we can be saved.
The second type of reconciliation that God introduces is between people through that same agape love.
Reconciliation takes love towards those who were once enemies.
This is the gospel.
Through the coming of Christ, God would break down the dividing wall of hostility between himself and humanity, and humanity and one another.
Ephesians 2:11-22 ESV
“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
The question is with whom in your family do you need to be reconciled?
What about in your friendship group, community, or in your heart (the social media world at large)?
Romans 5:10-11 ESV
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
**What proves to be supernatural is that we have a divine agape love for those about whom we would otherwise not be concerned or those in the world who would naturally be considered our enemies.
This is the divine love of God for all involved in the Advent account - from Mary and Joseph to the shepherds and the Magi.
And now to you and me.
Divine Purposes in Christ
Through Christ and his gospel, God reconciles those who would otherwise be estranged.
Luke 2:15-21 ESV
“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”
“There will be three effects of nearness to Jesus: humility, happiness and holiness.”
-Charles Spurgeon
We can say confidently that all of these were the result of the shepherds meeting Jesus.
***We can also see through the advent that the celebration of Christmas is meant to be more than a family affair.
We know that at the holidays that many times we want to be tucked away and retreat from the world with our nuclear units BUT…
Joseph and Mary had their very intimate moment interrupted repeatedly by visiting worshipers.
Through Jesus, God invites us and others into his Kingdom and family when we otherwise would not belong.
*There can be difficulties at the holidays when loved ones are missing.
This is the beauty of being invited into the extended family of God through Christ.
You are no longer alone.
But what if the sadness and distress comes from somewhere else?
What if it comes from your posture toward others in the world, or even more specifically, your world?
There can be another sadness if there is division or strife within the home or a perpetual angst in your soul towards the happenings of our world.
Jesus came with good news of great joy for you so that you can be set free. But how?
Jesus would later communicate in his ministry how to live out daily what we caught a glimpse of in the annunciation to the shepherds.
He would instruct his disciples this way:
Luke 6:27-36 ESV
“"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
Why is this possible?
Jesus came to introduce a Kingdom that sets people free from wickedness, selfishness, hatred, discord, division and strife - all fruits of the flesh.
Jesus came to introduce an eternal Kingdom where he will forever reign in justice, righteousness and love - thus our present circumstances are not our eternal destiny.
And if this is the case, I have the ability to receive God’s love, love Christ in return and love those who were previously estranged from me because of the gospel that has transformed me.
As Paul said to the Corinthian church:
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 ESV
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
In terms of the Kingdom, make sure that you are on the right side of history - Jesus and the Father’s eternal wisdom and purposes.
Matthew 10:34-42 ESV
“"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."”
Because in that Kingdom there is hope.
In that Kingdom there is peace.
In that Kingdom there is joy.
In that Kingdom there is love.
And just like the shepherds, we get to both meet the King and announce his good news to the world.
“When the church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first.”
-Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones
Jesus would be born sinlessly, live sinlessly and die sacrificially on the cross to pay the price for our sins.
Three days later he would rise from the dead to give forgiveness of sins and eternal life to those who would repent and believe the good news.
Let’s receive this good news and love the world by inviting them to meet Jesus every day after as we’ve been transformed by his love.