[0:00] Take a seat. It's great to have you this morning. My name is Jonathan Smith. If I haven't met you before, I'm one of the pastors here at the church. It's great to be here with you on this great day as we come to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
[0:16] We're going to open God's Word in just a minute at Hebrews chapter 1. We're going to see what God has for us this morning. But first of all, I wondered whether you've ever really thought about why you're here this morning on Christmas Day.
[0:33] Why are billions of Christians and non-Christians for that matter around the world coming together to celebrate the birth of a baby 2,000 years ago?
[0:45] If you think about it, babies are born every day. Jesus was born into relative obscurity, really. I mean, he's born in a shed to a teenage virgin mum, into relative poverty, to a working class family.
[1:05] He's a regular kind of guy. I can tell you this much. We don't know heaps about Jesus in his early life, but he didn't actually look anything like most of the paintings you've seen of Jesus.
[1:17] So he's not a white, feminine kind of looking guy with feathered long hair, product, perfectly done, perfect teeth, matching handbag.
[1:28] He wasn't that guy. He wasn't that guy. I think in over the 50 video movies that have been made of Jesus, none of them have been played by a Jewish guy.
[1:39] Which is kind of weird because he was just a regular Jewish guy. He grew up, his dad was a chippy. He likely grew up swinging a hammer with his brother James. And he was a regular guy.
[1:52] I want you to think sort of hard yakka, overalls, red back boots, toolbox, lunchbox, thermos, hard hat.
[2:03] He's that guy. He's a typical kind of Jewish first century bloke. Never wrote a book.
[2:15] Never held a political office. Never travelled very far. A regular guy. So what are we doing here today? What are billions of people around the world doing today in celebrating the birth of a regular kid?
[2:34] We're going to see this morning the amazing truth that the Bible tells us. The incredible, miraculous truth that in fact Jesus Christ was fully man, fully human.
[2:51] A regular kid. A regular man. And at the very same time he was fully God. He was God in human flesh. He was God who broke into the world on Christmas Day as a baby in a shed.
[3:09] Jesus was fully man and fully God. And the reason he needed to be fully man and fully God was because he came. Not just to give us a good day to exchange presents and have a big lunch.
[3:23] Hang out with family and friends. He came so that 33 years later he would die on a cross for the sins of the world and rise to new life.
[3:38] He had to be fully man and fully God because only God could live a perfect life. Only God could be raised again from the dead and conquer sin and death.
[3:49] But only a man, a fully human man, could die on behalf of all people. Jesus was fully God and fully man.
[4:02] And that's why we celebrate his birth. That's why history is defined around his birth date. B.C. Before Christ. A.D. Anno Domini. The year of our Lord.
[4:13] One historian said, Jesus Christ is history. He's the most influential man who has ever lived. People universally acknowledge that.
[4:26] Believers and unbelievers alike. That's why we celebrate his birth. Because Jesus was fully God and fully man.
[4:37] Let's dive into this passage. It would be good if you had the Bible open. We're just going to go through it really slowly together. Verse by verse. So first I want to look at this. The aspect of Jesus as God.
[4:49] Jesus fully God. And I think too often at Christmas. We look at the baby in the manger. We see the mire windows. We see the Christmas cards.
[4:59] The nativity scene. And we think there's a baby in a trough. And we forget that Jesus. The baby Jesus. Is fully God.
[5:11] Fully God. Fully God. He's not just a kind of marginalized peasant Galilean baby. He is fully God.
[5:22] Even at that point. So let's have a look at what this passage from Hebrews says about Jesus being fully God. Verses 1 to 3. Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways through the prophets.
[5:37] But in these last days he has spoken to us by a son. Whom he appointed heir of all things. Through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being.
[5:52] And he sustains all things by his powerful word. First of all. Jesus is God's son.
[6:05] Jesus is the son of God. You see that in verse 2. In these last days he has spoken to us by a son. I heard an atheist recently debating a Christian guy.
[6:15] And he was like. What's so special about Jesus anyway? Aren't we all the children of God? We're all sons and daughters of God. So special about that son of God. The thing is.
[6:26] Jesus isn't just a son of God like we are. Sons and daughters of God. He is the son of God. See God is a trinity. He is father, son and Holy Spirit.
[6:38] And that means that the second person of the trinity. Who has been in existence for eternity past. And in perfect relationship with the father and the Holy Spirit. That son came to earth.
[6:49] Broke into human history as a baby in that manger. You need to feel the weight of that. That these people would have felt at that time. That's an amazing truth.
[7:04] So Jesus is God's son. The son of God. Secondly we see. He is the creator and heir of all things.
[7:14] Verse 2. But in these last days he has spoken to us by a son. Whom he appointed heir of all things. Through whom he also created the worlds.
[7:26] God created the worlds. The universe. And everything in it. Through his son Jesus. Scientists. Scientists.
[7:38] Almost universally today. Will acknowledge. That the universe. Had a beginning. A few short years ago. They would say. That wasn't true at all. They would have said that the earth has been around.
[7:50] The universe has been around. Forever. And in part. That was to counter the Bible's claims. In Genesis. The first book of the Bible. That in the beginning. God created. The heavens and the earth.
[8:01] The universe. But now. Scientists. Will almost universally say. The earth. The universe. Was created. Or it came about. It had a beginning. And the Bible says.
[8:13] That the God. Who created everything. Is the same God. Who was. Born. Of a virgin. On Christmas Day.
[8:27] You should never look at the nativity scene. The same way again. It's not just a helplessness. Little baby. In the manger. Though. Jesus was fully. Human. The same time.
[8:38] The creator of the universe. Was in that shed. Let's take a look. At the third point.
[8:50] Jesus Christ. Is the glory. And power of God. Verse three. He is the reflection. Of God's glory. glory. And the exact imprint.
[9:00] Of God's very being. And he sustains all things. By his powerful word. To the original readers of this. That would have been. Absolutely.
[9:11] Mind-blowing. God. And it should be to us too. He is the reflection. Of God's glory. He is the exact imprint.
[9:21] Of God's very being. He is God. And he upholds all things. By his powerful word. Jesus. Made the sun. Rise this morning. Jesus enables you.
[9:32] To take every breath. That you take. He upholds everything. By the power of his word. That is the Jesus. In the manger. Listen to this.
[9:47] A few verses. From Colossians. This is written by. A different guy. Named Paul. And he says. Some very similar things. About Jesus. Don't let your familiarity. With the Christmas story.
[9:59] Numb you. To how powerful this is. He says. Jesus. Is the image. Of the invisible God. The first born. Of all creation. For in him.
[10:09] All things. In heaven. And on earth. Were created. Things visible. And invisible. Whether thrones. Or dominions. Or rulers. Or powers.
[10:20] All things. Have been created. Through him. And for him. He himself. Is before all things. And in him. All things. Hold together.
[10:34] That's the baby. In the manger. God. It's this God. God of power. This God.
[10:46] Who created. The universe. The heavens. And everything in it. This God. Who upholds. Everything. By the word. Of his power. It's that God. Who came into this. Sinful. Broken.
[10:58] Precious. World. To die on a cross. For the sins. Of all people. To be raised again. For their salvation.
[11:09] To bring us into relationship. With God. He left that. Heavenly realm. Where he deserves to be. In glory. And embraced a shed. Working class family.
[11:22] No name. Hick town. He did all that. Out of love. That he might die.
[11:35] For all people. That's Jesus as God. According to this passage. Let's look at. Jesus the man. I want to reread for you. That's. That reading from Matthew.
[11:45] That we had this morning. Matthew's biography of Jesus. Recounting how Jesus was born. Into the world. Listen to these words. Once more. Matthew 1.18.
[11:56] Now the birth of Jesus. The Messiah. Took place this way. When his mother Mary. Had been engaged to Joseph. But before they lived together. She was found to be with child.
[12:07] From the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph. Being a righteous man. And unwilling to expose her. To public disgrace. Planned to dismiss her quietly. But when he had.
[12:18] Resolved to do this. An angel of the Lord. Appeared to him in a dream. And said. Joseph. Son of David. Do not be afraid. To take Mary as your wife. For the child conceived in her.
[12:29] Is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son. And you are to name him. Jesus. For he will save. His people.
[12:41] From sins. All this took place. To fill. What had been spoken. By the Lord. Through the prophet. Look. A virgin.
[12:51] Shall conceive. And bear a son. And they shall name him. Emmanuel. God. With us. God.
[13:02] With. Us. God. Breaking into human history. Taking on flesh. Being born as a human. God. With us.
[13:13] God. So what does this passage. In Hebrew. Say about Jesus. The man. Well it explains. The two main reasons.
[13:24] That he came. I'm going to look at these. To finish. First reason. He came. To die. It was death. By love. He came.
[13:36] To die. On a cross. Christ. Not many people. Are born. Knowing. That their. Life. Will end.
[13:48] At a certain time. In a certain way. Jesus lived his life. Knowing. That he. All the time. Was walking. Towards the cross. Jesus came.
[13:59] To make. As it says. Purification. For sins. By dying. On the cross. And second. To rise. From death. To defeat. Sin. Satan.
[14:10] And death. He came. To die. And he came. To rise. For our salvation. So let's take a look. At those two points. First of all. He died. To make purification. For sins.
[14:28] Says in verse. Three to four. He. Just lost my place here. When he had made.
[14:39] Purification. For sins. When he had died. On the cross. Made purification. For sins. He sat down. At the right hand. Of the majesty. On high. At the right hand. Of God. Having become.
[14:50] As much. Superior. To the angels. As the name. He has inherited. Is more excellent. Than theirs. He came. To make purification. For sins. On the cross. Then he rose.
[15:01] Again. For our salvation. Why did he come. To make purification. For sins. The bible. Is adamant. That every one of us. Who has ever lived.
[15:12] Since Adam and Eve. Our first parents. Sinned. In that garden. Every one of us. Has sinned. Fallen short of the glory of God. At some point in our life. Every one of us.
[15:22] Has lived our own life. In rebellion against God. And the bible tells us. That that sin. Fractures our relationship. With God. It cuts us off. From God. It means that we can't.
[15:33] Spend eternity. With him in heaven. Because our sin. Stands between us. And God. So what needs to happen. Is God needs to take the initiative. And that's what he did.
[15:44] Took the initiative. And sent his only son. Into the world. To die on the cross. To make purification. For sins. A bit later on.
[15:56] In Hebrews chapter 10. It says that. By Jesus blood. Shed on the cross. Our sins are purified. They're cleansed. They're forgiven. If we put our trust in him.
[16:09] That's why he came. The penalty for sin is death. And so every one of us. Deserves death. And deserves to have an eternity. Lived out. In absence from God's love.
[16:21] And blessing. That's what we deserve. That's the way it is. And it's perfectly right. And just. So what Jesus does.
[16:32] He dies on the cross. As a substitute. So that you don't have to die. An eternal death. Away from God. So that you can have eternal life.
[16:45] That's why he died on the cross. That's why he made purification. For sins. Secondly. He was raised. For our salvation.
[16:57] When he had made purification for sins. He sat down at the right hand of the majesty. The right hand of God. On high. Why did he need to do that? Because otherwise. He's just a poor marginalized Galilean peasant.
[17:10] Born in a shed. To a working class family. Who didn't really have a very. Influential life. Up until about the age of 30. Then he was killed by the Romans.
[17:21] The Romans won. The Jews triumphed over him. And that's it. It's a failure. God has been defeated. If he was God at all. But the story doesn't end there.
[17:34] Does it? Jesus. Jesus. Was raised. From the dead. To show his power over death. To show his power over sin. So he lived a perfect life.
[17:45] Sin and death couldn't hold him down. He was raised. And it was to show us. That God can raise you. And me. From death. When you die.
[17:59] At a point in the future. Jesus is going to return. And everyone who's died. Trusting in him. In what he did on the cross. The fact that he rose again. Every one of us.
[18:10] Is going to be raised. Just like he was. With a new body. Imperishable body. That can't die. That can't be injured. And we're going to live in a perfect creation.
[18:22] A new earth. Forever. Forever. That's the Bible's promise. That's why Jesus died. That's why he came in the first place. To die. And rise again.
[18:34] That's what Christmas is really about. It's how Jesus set off on his mission. To die for us. Well friends.
[18:48] Today is a great day. It's a joyful day. I want you to enjoy today. I want you to enjoy being with your friends and family. And eating too much. And getting presents.
[18:59] Enjoy that. But please. Don't rest. Until you have spent time. Pondering this story. The story of God breaking into the world.
[19:13] Into human history. The story of God. Coming as a man. To die. To die. For the sins of the world. For your sins. In order to bring you.
[19:25] Into a perfect relationship with God. God. If you're not a Christian. If you're not trusting Jesus. If you're not living out of that belief. That you have in Jesus Christ.
[19:37] I don't encourage you. And implore you. And. Almost command you. If I could. Plead with you. Oh. Not to rest.
[19:51] Until you've seen Jesus in this light. Jesus said himself. Anyone who comes to me. Whether you've been a prostitute. Or a drug dealer. Or just.
[20:01] An average. Aussie. Sinner. He said. Anyone like that. If they come to me. I'll never cast them away. I'll never reject them. So put your trust.
[20:15] In the God. Who came. To earth. In human flesh. Who lived a perfect life. Who died. The death. That you should die.
[20:27] So that you don't have to. And was raised. Just like he's going to raise you. If you put your trust in him today. I'd love to pray for us guys. So why don't we bow our heads.
[20:37] And I'll pray to finish. Father. Thanks so much. For this great day. The day when we remember. That night.
[20:48] That you came. And broke into human history. You put on flesh. You were born as a normal kid. In a bucket. You worked a normal job.
[21:02] As a chippy. And yet the whole time. You were God. In human flesh. We thank you for dying. On the cross.
[21:13] You didn't have to. We didn't deserve it. And we still don't deserve. Your grace and forgiveness. But I thank you. That you give it to everyone. Who turns to you.
[21:24] Even today. This would be a great day. Father. For many to give their lives to you. To be forgiven by you. And to start living in light. Of an eternity with you.
[21:36] I pray that you would move. And that people would do this. I pray it in Jesus name. And that you would be礼拒 Education 442.
[21:53] It's a殺bernation grape. Thank you. And that you follow Trump국und. Sydney 730 for a sketch. It can become a card. It's your name. And that you would agree. It's your name. And that you would agree. What is being spelled out in the book?
[22:04] It's upon the pen. And that you are going to be банth. I pray for you. What is going to be the name? What is singing?