Our Joy, His Glory

0:52Everyone in the orchestra is wearing black and white. They kind of all blend in together. The choir, of course, is all wearing their robes. And then in the middle of it all, you have conductor Marcello wearing this bright red turtleneck, waving his arms furiously throughout each piece. At his command, the orchestra begins to play. At his command, they speed up or they slow down. At his command, the music stops. And if he achieves his purpose, it brings joy to the listener. It brings glory to himself, usually in the form of a standing ovation at the end of the performance. Because that's his whole purpose as the conductor, is to bring joy to the listener. He wants to help them play together and sing together at the right time in the right way to make that beautiful music. Well, friends, during the Advent season, we've been preaching through the Gospel of Luke, and we've been considering all that God has done to bring his Son Jesus, the Christ, the Savior, into the world. And like a conductor directing a beautiful symphony, God has been directing all of the events of human history toward this moment that we are reading about in the Gospel of Luke. All of the events in human history have been leading to this moment to bring about our salvation. I love how Paul, reflecting on the work of God, talks about this moment in Galatians chapter 4. Take a look on the screen. Paul says, but when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.

3:00So that we might receive adoption as sons. So today in Luke 2, 1 through 20, we're going to learn this truth. God orchestrates all things for our joy and his glory. God orchestrates all things for our joy and his glory. We're going to see that in three parts. First, God orchestrates all things to fulfill his purposes. God orchestrates all things for our joy. And God orchestrates all things for his glory. So let's look now at verses 1 through 7, which we just heard, and we'll see that first truth. God orchestrates all things to fulfill his purposes.

3:52As you heard in these first seven verses, Luke records that the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus issued a decree that required every person in the empire to return to their hometown in order to be registered. And as you probably know, by the first century, the nation of Israel was under Roman occupation. It had been under Roman occupation for many years. And so Israelites like Mary and Joseph were required to comply with that decree as well. Now, they were both descendants of King David, and King David was born in Bethlehem about a thousand years earlier. And so, as you can see, The map behind me, they were going to be traveling from the region of Galilee in the north all the way down to the region of Judea in the south. Nazareth was in Galilee, Bethlehem was in Judea in the south. And as you may know, in the middle of those two regions was a region known as Samaria. And Samaria was, of course, filled with Samaritans. And Samaritans were people that were half Jewish and half something else because the nation of Assyria conquered Israel in the 700s and intermarried with them, producing this mixed race of people. And so any faithful Jew, they did not want to become ceremonially unclean, so they didn't want to come into contact with anybody that was not observing the Mosaic law. So what that meant was they often walked around Samaria, as you can see in this pathway depicted here on the map, adding about 20 miles to an 80-mile journey that was uphill the entire way. Jerusalem sits up in the kind of low mountainous region, and so to go up to Jerusalem, you're literally going uphill the whole way. And so what this meant is that Mary and Joseph are going to be traveling about 100 miles uphill on foot or on donkey while Mary is nearly nine months pregnant. At 15 to 20 miles a day, that's going to take about a week, and that's if they don't encounter any weather delays or hardships along the way. All of that because a king that they'd never met, they probably never would meet, issued a decree that had to be obeyed no matter what your circumstances were in life.

6:16But in Scripture, we learn that human beings are not ultimately in control of what happens in the world. Not even kings, not even emperors, not presidents or senates. God is in control of what happens in the world. Take a look at Proverbs 21. The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will. Caesar Augustus made the choice to issue this decree. But behind Caesar's choice to issue this decree is the God of the universe who turned Caesar's heart toward issuing the decree at this very moment to accomplish his purposes. In theological terms, we refer to this as divine providence. And what divine providence means is that God orchestrates all things to fulfill his purposes. That's what that means. And so I want you to trace the history with me and watch as God orchestrates all things to fulfill his purposes.

7:31Take a look first at Genesis 49, 10. As you know, Abraham is chosen by God to be the patriarch of his people. His son Isaac has a son named Jacob. Jacob has 12 sons. One of those is Judah. Listen to how God speaks of Judah, Jacob's fourth son. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

8:04Well, about a thousand years after those words are spoken, there is a man named David who is born in Bethlehem, and he is of the tribe of Judah. And look at what God says to David in 2 Samuel chapter 7. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

8:38Well, 300 years after that, God spoke these words that we saw earlier in Micah 5.2. But you, O Bethlehem Ephratha, 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. 700 years after that, the angel of the Lord appears to Mary, this young woman who is engaged to be married, and God says this to her through the angel, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

9:37Isn't that amazing? Over thousands of years, God makes this promise that a ruler is going to come from Judah. And then God raises up this man named David, who is from the tribe of Judah, who is from Bethlehem, and he promises him that there's going to come from his body one who is going to have a kingdom that is forever. And then he says that Bethlehem is the place that this king is going to be born. And then he tells Mary that she's going to give birth to this one, that his kingdom is never going to have an end. God makes all of these promises. But friends, Mary and Joseph are not from Bethlehem. They're from Nazareth, 80 miles to the north. And so isn't it a wonder that God turns the heart of Caesar Augustus at just the right time?

10:31And he issues this decree that requires them to go down to Bethlehem so that verse 6 can say in our text this morning, and while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Unless Caesar issues his decree, yet he didn't send out a tweet, unless he sends out this decree months in advance, so that it goes to every corner of the empire, unless it arrives in the town of Nazareth and is told to Mary and Joseph, unless Mary and Joseph are more like me than many of you and is a rule follower, and they say, we've got to go do this thing. It doesn't matter that Mary is nearly nine months pregnant. Unless they are guided every step of the way, the weather, no thieves, no bandits, no delays, every step of the way is just so that they arrive in Bethlehem in time for her to give birth. God orchestrates every last detail to fulfill his promises that he has been making for thousands of years.

11:40Friends, God is sovereign. He providentially orchestrates everything that happens in this universe to fulfill his purposes. And that is so important to remember. Because especially in a culture with a 24-hour news cycle, it Often feels like this world is completely out of control. Like, who is in charge? Who is running this place? Natural disasters strike, causing catastrophic damage and loss of life. Executive orders are issued, laws are passed, tariffs are instituted, nations go to war, the stock market rises and falls, fortunes are made and lost overnight.

12:37But behind all of it is an all-powerful, perfectly wise God who is orchestrating all things to fulfill his purposes. God is in control of all things, the good, the bad, and the ugly. And that would be a terrible thing if God were not perfectly good and wise and just. But he is. So you can trust God even when it seems like this world is out of control. Even when it seems like your world is falling apart. You can trust God. God is in control. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. I came across this verse. Last week in the book of Job, this is his friend Elihu speaking. Look at how beautiful this is. Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen.

13:48What comfort there is in that. Whether for correction or his land or for love, he causes it to happen. God orchestrates all things to fulfill his purposes. Join me now in verse 8, where we'll consider that second truth. God orchestrates all things for our joy. Verse 8. 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 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.

14:57Now, I know when you read this passage, it sounds like a good thing. Serene. We're picturing a cool night, a clear sky full of stars, a shepherd's kind of dozing off to the bleeding of the sheep. And I'm sure that there is some truth to that. I bet the shepherds had some quiet, peaceful nights on the job. But we must never forget that sheep are at the bottom of the food chain. They are dumb, they are defenseless, and they are tasty.

15:39They are under constant threat, especially in that part of the world, from lions, bears, wolves, hyenas, and jackals. Shepherds have to be vigilant. They have to be tough as nails. They've got to be courageous because they are constantly fighting off apex predators and pack hunters. And so, if you live outside in the elements and your job is to fight off apex predators and pack hunters, you are probably not scared by very much. So, it is significant that when the angel of the Lord appears to these shepherds and the glory of the Lord shines around them, the text says they are filled with. With fear.

16:32Filled with fear. The Greek implies they are scared to death. That's really something. That's the reaction of every person in the Bible who encounters God. It's one of fear. Woe is me, I am undone, says Isaiah. They're filled with fear, but the angel tells them, fear not, don't be afraid. Why? Because the angel says, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. I love that phrase. That's one of my favorite phrases in the Bible. Good news of great joy that will be for all the people. I want you to think about those different parts.

17:20First, the angel brought good news. We notice that the angel did not say, fear not, for behold, I bring you good advice. Good advice can be helpful, but it hardly warrants an angelic announcement or a heavenly host singing the praises of God. I mean, think about it. If Jesus was nothing more than a moral man and a good teacher dispensing good advice, you don't have to go to all this trouble. History has no shortage of moral men and good teachers dispensing good advice.

18:01Our problem is not that we do not know what to do, that we're lacking in just a little more instruction, a little more information, that if we just had another life hack or two, we would suddenly become godly people. That's not the case. Our problem is we know exactly what we should be doing, but we don't do it. That's what we learned last year in Romans 2: that God has put His word in our heart through the conscience, that every person alive knows the difference between good and evil, that you can look out at what has been made and you can conclude there must be a God. I must be accountable to Him, I must do right and not wrong. Everybody knows this. But the problem is, we don't do that, and we don't do that because of sin.

18:59Adam and Eve, our first parents, sinned against God. They passed down a sinful nature to us, and that has made us both unwilling and unable to obey God's law, to do what He commands, to love Him and to love other people. So we do not need advice. Advice is not going to help us. So the angel doesn't come bringing good advice. The angel comes bringing good news about something that's going to be done, something that's going to happen.

19:27Second, the angel brought good news. Of great joy. There is good news in the world, and then there is good news of great joy. Good news makes you smile, but good news of great joy makes you want to tell everybody that you know. You know the difference. You hear bits and pieces of good news every day, but you don't run around telling everybody about that. But there are things that happen in your life. Good news of great joy that you tell everybody you know, even people that you don't know well at all, because it's made you so happy. This is that kind of news.

20:14And then, third, the angel brought good news of great joy that would be for all people. When your team wins, this is going to be a hypothetical exercise for us. When your team wins, that's good news of great joy for you and for everybody who supports your team. But it's not good news of great joy for all people, that's for sure. When your team wins, everyone else is sad or is indifferent. They don't care. But in this case, the angel of the Lord is bringing good news of great joy for all people.

20:57Not just for the Jews, but also for the For the Gentiles, not just for the rich and for the people who were seemingly outwardly blessed, but for the poor, not just for the pious and the religious people, but for the irreligious and the sinner. It says, Good news of great joy for everyone on earth. So, what is this good news of great joy for all people? Look again at verse 11: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

21:41I want you to slow down and think with me for a moment about those words: Savior, Christ, and Lord. Those are familiar words to church people. A Savior is one who rescues or delivers from mortal danger. Christ is the Greek word for Messiah, a term that means anointed one. And Lord in the Bible is the title for God, the one who exercises supernatural authority over mankind. Now, many of us have grown up in church. We've been in church our whole lives. We've heard these passages dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Even if you didn't grow up, In the church, it's likely that you've been in church around this time of the year and you are familiar with those words. And so we can kind of breeze through it, like, yeah, yeah, it's talking about Jesus. That's cool.

22:43I wonder if you've seen the movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It came out last year. I highly recommend it. The acting is great. It's a lot of actors from the Chosen. And the script is hilarious. But most importantly, it centers on the message that we as Christians can become overly familiar with the Christmas message. And so the plot of the movie centers around these awful kids, the herdmans, who volunteer to act in a church's Christmas pageant to get free dessert.

23:23It's just awesome. But they've never heard the Christmas story before, like not once, not at all. They know nothing about it. And so they're blown away by the Christmas story. They don't have all of the background, the presuppositions, and the yeah, yeah, we've heard this a million times. So they hear the story and they can't believe that like people would put Joseph and Mary in a stable. They want to hang Herod. You'll need to watch it for yourself, but my point is that we read this passage and we're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, Savior, Christ, Lord, it's Jesus, we know. But we have. To slow down and appreciate the wonder of it all every year.

24:06What if you were hearing this message for the very first time? Try to put yourself in that position where you're thinking about hearing these words for the very first time. The God of the universe, the Lord of heaven and earth, who is infinite and has existed for all eternity, who has no beginning and no end, is going to be born? And this baby, this child who's going to be born in Bethlehem, a nowhere little town, is going to be the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one.

24:55That's happening here. Now? The thing that the prophets have talked about for thousands of years? And he's going to be the Savior, the deliverer, the rescuer of all people? You're telling me you don't have to be a religious person, you don't have to be a priest, you don't have to be a Levite, you don't have to join the Pharisees, you don't have to be rich, you don't have to be socially, upwardly mobile. He's going to save all people from their sin.

25:35Friends, if we'll just slow down and consider what's being announced by the angel, you can see exactly why it's good news of great joy for all people. This is what makes Christmas so special. This is what makes the Christian message different from every other religion in the world. No other religion in the history of the world has good news of great joy for all people. They just don't. They have advice. And you can do the research for yourself.

26:16Every religion tells you, except for Christianity, if you try hard enough to obey the advice of that religion, there is a chance that you could go to heaven or enjoy eternal life when you die. That is literally the message of every other religion. It's packaged differently, it's marketed differently, but every other religion is telling you the same thing. Try hard to be a better person, and hopefully, in the end, you will earn eternal life. That is not good news. That's bad news because we've all tried hard to be good people, haven't we? How well is that going?

26:57Despite our best efforts, we know. That we don't measure up. We don't meet the perfect and holy standard of a holy God. So we do not need good advice. We need good news of great joy for all people. And that news is good not just for these people in the first century. It is good news for us today, for people who have never seen Jesus like they did, or that they would. Look what Peter says in 1 Peter 1.

27:27Think about these words as written to us today. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. You believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, joy that is inexpressible. That's the result of faith in Christ. Friends, God orchestrates all things for our joy.

28:12Let's move on now to verse 13 and let's see that final truth. God orchestrates all things for his glory. Verse 13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of 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. 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 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.

29:28We've already seen that God orchestrates all things for our joy. But here we see that God orchestrates all things for his glory. And in this passage, you see a couple of words or their derivatives that are used over and over, glory and praise. And in Scripture, the words translated glory and praise are closely related. They both mean something like to speak of the excellence of a person or Object or event to declare them worthy of honor. That's what glory and praise mean. And so, here in our passage, it is God who is glorified. It is God who is praised. He is declared to be excellent. He is declared to be worthy of honor. And you see God being glorified in two different arenas by two different groups: the angels in heaven and human beings on earth.

30:35First, we see that God is glorified by the angels in heaven. Right after the angel of the Lord makes his announcement, we find a multitude of the heavenly host, that means lots and lots of angels, praising God. And what are they saying? Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased. Well, why is it that the angels are praising God? It is because of the good news of great joy that is for all people. The angels are rejoicing because God is fulfilling his promise to send a Savior to redeem us from our sins.

31:21In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells this series of parables: the lost sheep and the lost corn. And the lost son. And there's this refrain throughout the parables. We'll put this on the screen, Luke 15, 10. At the end of each parable, Jesus says, just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. One sheep, one coin, one lost son, there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.

32:04And friends, since that is true, that there's joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, is it any surprise that the angels break into a chorus of praise at this announcement? Because Jesus is not going to save one sinner. Jesus, through his life and death and resurrection, is going to save millions upon millions of people throughout human history. God is glorified in heaven by the angels for that reason. And then second, we see that God is glorified on earth by human beings. If you look back at verse 12, you see that the angel told the shepherds how to find the Savior. He'd be wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. An unusual scene, to say the least. And so they go with haste to see the thing that God had made known. And they find it exactly as the angel told them. And they share that experience with Joseph and Mary, who ponders and treasures these things in her heart. And then you see in verse 20, and the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

33:27The shepherds had the same response as the angels. After hearing and seeing all of this, they declared that God is excellent, that he is worthy of honor. And their reaction is just a small foretaste of what we find in Philippians chapter 2. In that passage, God is revealing what's going to happen one day at the second advent when Christ comes again. Take a look on the screen. Of Jesus, Paul says, Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

34:25Oh, friends, one day soon, every knee is going to bow. Before Jesus, every tongue is going to confess that he is Lord. Many of us have done that. We have bowed the knee to Jesus. We have confessed that he is Lord. But friends, if you have not done that, if you have not bowed the knee to Jesus as Lord, as Master, if you've not confessed Him as Lord and Savior, you need to do that now. There is nothing to be gained from putting that off. Because one day every knee is going to bow, every tongue is going to confess that He is Lord. And then it's too late. You will be standing before Him for judgment. And if He is not your Savior now, He will not be your Savior then. So you need to confess Him today as Lord and Christ to the glory of God the Father.

35:27On this night 2,000 years ago, the angels glorified God and the shepherds glorified God as well. And that gives us an opportunity to reflect on our own lives and ask the question: Are we? Are we glorifying God with every part of our lives today? Because that's what's required. I want you to think on these verses. Look at Psalm 86, verse 12. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

36:12My friend, are you glorifying God with your whole heart? Look at Psalm 63, verse 3. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. My friend, are you glorifying God with your lips? 1 Corinthians 6, 19 and 20. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you are bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. Are you glorifying God in your body?

37:08Paul sums all of this up well in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 31. He says, So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. God orchestrates all things for you. His glory, and we are called to glorify him with all of our lives. God is excellent, he is worthy of honor. Everything that we think, everything that we say, everything that we do should have the aim of glorifying God, who orchestrates all things for his glory and for our joy.

37:56If you've ever read anything by John Piper, you know that he is famous for the saying, God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. We were created to glorify God. And whenever we are most satisfied in him, that is, when we find our deepest and most full joy in him, he is going to be glorified most by our lives.

38:36But, friends, ever since our first parents fell into sin, we have been searching for joy elsewhere. They thought that joy could be found outside of God and outside of his good commands, and we have bought into that same lie. That ultimate joy can't be found in God and the good things that God has given to us. Ultimate joy is found in God. Elsewhere in someone or something else. And so we've spent our time, our energy, our money trying to find joy somewhere else. We've been seeking it and not finding it.

39:15That is why Jesus came. He came to bring us joy that could never be taken away because it's a joy that's not based on circumstances. It's a joy that's not based on whatever it is that's going on in your life. It's a joy that can't be taken from you because moths can't get to it and rust can't destroy it, thieves can't break in and steal it. It is a joy that is permanent. That is why Jesus came. That's what the angel said. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. And the joyful news is that through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, we can know the God of the universe. Not just today, in this life, on this earth, but for eternity. That through faith in Christ, we get to enjoy God and enjoy everything that God has made and given for eternity. Jesus said that he has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us. A room and a mansion and a new heavens and a new earth that are more beautiful. Beautiful and wonderful than we can ever imagine.

40:34We get to live with God in these new heavens and this new earth, a physical place with meaningful work, meaningful relationships, nothing tainted by sin or pain or sickness or death anymore. It is the most beautiful promise that's ever been made. And it's all true. And we know it's true because Jesus said it and Jesus rose from the dead. So, friends, understand that if you have not received Christ, He is the way to eternal joy. He is what you've been looking for wherever you've been looking for it. He promises a true and lasting joy because it's not based on the temporary and fading things of this world. It is based on his promises and his goodness. So receive him by faith today if you've not done that. Confess him as Lord. Confess him as Savior. Turn to him in faith.

41:36And if you are already a Christian, if you've already received Jesus as Lord and Savior, I want you to remember these truths that we discover in the passage today: that God has orchestrated all things for our joy and for his glory. Oh, my friend, God is in control of all things, no matter what it looks like in this world, no matter what it looks like in your life. When things seem to be falling apart, your finances, your relationships, your health, whatever it might be, God is in control of the good, the bad, and the ugly. All of the pleasure and all of the pain that we experience in this world are designed to point us to Jesus, who gives us a joy that can never be taken away. Every pleasure is the smallest foretaste of the joy that we're going to have for eternity in Him. And all of the pain that we experience, every last bit of it, is designed to point us to the hope that we have in Christ and the truth that one day all of those things are going to be made new. Every tear is going to be wiped away, and our joy can never be taken from us.

42:51We have the opportunity today to see and savor that truth. So I encourage you to do it. Savor the truth that God orchestrates all things for our joy and for His glory. Let's pray. Father, these kinds of passages leave us thinking, what kind of God is this? What kind of God cares about us? What is man that you are mindful of Him? That you would do all of these things for our eternal joy. You alone are perfectly kind, perfectly gracious, excellent, and worthy of honor. And so we worship you this morning, God. You deserve it.

43:56No other being is perfect like you. No other being is a Savior like you. Oh, thank you for bringing us the good news of great joy in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God, I pray for every man, every woman, every child in the room that has not received Christ as Lord. We pray that this morning would be the day that they turn and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. That you might be glorified and that they might know a joy that can never be taken away from them.

44:41We pray that this Christmas, the greatest gift they receive is salvation. We trust that you have been drawing them to yourself and we pray that you would do that and complete that work this morning. And Father, we pray that we would find you. Our greatest joy in you. We're sorry that we've looked elsewhere. We're sorry that we keep falling into the temptation to look elsewhere for that joy. I pray for every believer that we would return again and again to the everlasting fount of joy that is Jesus Christ.

45:26We know that we can drink from the water that He offers and never be thirsty again. Thank you, God, for your word and for the message of hope at Christmas. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.