Bible, Joy

Joy To The World

When it comes to Christmastime, we love to hear the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph on the donkey. The baby being born in the stable and the shepherds and wise men traveling to see Him. We like our manger scenes but for some of us, that’s all the Jesus we want. This Christmas, Pastor Sean talks about how the Jews had been waiting for a Messiah to come and free them from Rome’s oppression. A Messiah that would show up with a sword and give them the political and social systems that they wanted. But when Jesus showed up, He was less interested in changing politics and more interested in changing people’s hearts. And this Christmas, many of us might want a Jesus that can change our circumstances, get us out of debt, or fix our marriages, but what we don’t want is a Jesus that will change our hearts.

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MESSAGE NOTES

Luke 2:25

Simeon, like all Jewish kids, knew to look for a Messiah

  • the general consensus was that the Messiah would be like David who rescued the Jews from Philistia.
  • Simeon took a minority opinion that the Kingdom of the Messiah would be in man’s hearts.

 

Luke 2:26-28 – He was waiting for the Messiah to show

  • God let him know that the Messiah would come before he died.

Luke 2:29-32 – His prophecy and praise.

  • I have seen your rescue of ALL people (not just the Jews).
  • This echoes what God said to Abraham, “all nations of the earth” (Gen 22:18).
  • He is a “Light” (not a warrior, victor, conqueror). Where do you need light? In dark places.
  • To reveal God (the path to independence) To God’s people?
  • THAT is how he’ll be glory to Israel.

Simeon believed the Messiah would be set up a Kingdom of the heart, Jews wanted a kingdom free of Rome.

  • God wasn’t sending Jesus to relieve the oppression of Rome in their land but the sin that was in their heart.
  • They crowned him King of Palm Sunday but after hearing him talk all week, they wanted to kill Him.

 

We want a God who will rescue us from debt, not pride.

We want a God to fix our spouse, not our heart.

We want God to take away the people we hate but not take away the sin in our hearts that He hates.

The truth is that Simeon would still be in a minority today.

APPLICATION:

I’m asking if you want 8lb 6 oz baby Jesus who stays in the manger and never confronts the real problems in the world.

OR

Are you willing to admit that maybe the evil in the world that God wants me to fight against is the evil in me?

When it comes to Christmastime, we love to hear the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph on the donkey. The baby being born in the stable and the shepherds and wise men traveling to see Him. We like our manger scenes but for some of us, that’s all the Jesus we want. This Christmas, Pastor Sean talks about how the Jews had been waiting for a Messiah to come and free them from Rome’s oppression. A Messiah that would show up with a sword and give them the political and social systems that they wanted. But when Jesus showed up, He was less interested in changing politics and more interested in changing people’s hearts. And this Christmas, many of us might want a Jesus that can change our circumstances, get us out of debt, or fix our marriages, but what we don’t want is a Jesus that will change our hearts.

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