Merry Christmas!

God Sent His Son

(1 John 4:9-10, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 25, 2016)

[9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us,

that God sent his only Son into the world,

so that we might live through him.

[10] In this is love,

not that we have loved God but that he loved us

and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The Birth of Jesus – The Love of God Made Manifest Among Us

The birth of a child – a manifestation of father and mother, yet more... image of God

God has commanded mankind from the beginning to “be fruitful and multiply.” The miracle of new life has always been a moment of wonder for parents—the unveiling, unwrapping, of a gift that is even more than a living pet. Who is this little one that has just been born? Where did he or she come from? The child shows signs of both father and mother, and yet is not just a combination of the two. The baby is a new self and even bears the marks of a heavenly father with an immortal soul.

Every child is a gift.

What a wonderful gift God gives to parents all over the world! To have a little one that is of you and of the one that you have chosen to love and serve... But also to have the duty and privilege of raising up this new being who is of God.

The birth of Jesus – a very unique manifestation

As amazing as this always is, the gift of a Messiah baby was more miraculous. In the case of Jesus, God was the only father. He was an entirely new beginning. Not just of a unique person, but of a whole new world and a completely new way of life beyond sin and death.

So that we might live through Him

A birth with a purpose

Parents should receive every child as heaven-sent. Jesus was heaven-sent in a new way. He was God from all eternity, now made man. Why did the Lord do it? In order to give a gift to you—a gift of a new universe where you could live without sin forever. Without the gift of Jesus, there would be no way for God to be God and for you to live in an unstained world. With the gift of Jesus there was now a way for you to live through Him.

The propitiation for our sins

How would that purpose be achieved? Propitiation for our sins

Jesus was born to be a propitiatory sacrifice. He became the second Adam—but now a representative man forever without transgression for what Matthew calls “His people.” This would be the only way for God to take people from the first world—so infected by sin, and to bring them to a new world without misery and death. He would take the just penalty that we deserve and atone for our sins. God's righteousness could be thus preserved and your rescue could be fully secured. This was a gift of God that you could never have given to yourself—a gift to be received by faith alone.

Not that we have loved God but that He loved us

What do we take home with us this Christmas morning – Not that we have loved God but that He loved us.

There are two dangers of self-preoccupation that you don't want on your Christmas list this morning. First, you cannot save yourself. That is a gift you could never have given since you do not have what it takes to be your own propitiation. Second, your part in receiving the gift cannot be permitted to eclipse the joy and love of God in giving the gift. As soon as we understand that we are to receive the gift by faith—that there is something we do—that we believe, there is the danger that we could imagine that our love for God is the primary story of Christianity. That is not the case. As John says in 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” This is a great Christmas take-away for us. His love for you is primary in every way. Your faith, your love, and your obedience is responsive—and even these good aspects of a changed life are His gifts to you. But first God loved you and gave His Son for you—for us.

We can use the gift of who we are to receive from the Lord... and to give.

What then are we to do with this precious gift of self as those who have been fearfully and wonderfully made? We can receive the Lord again and give away the gift of who we are to God and to others each day that God gives us.

Old Testament Reading—Isaiah 9:6-7

[6] For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

[7] Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Christmas Reading—Matthew 1:18-25 – [18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. [19] And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. [20] But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

[23] “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Glory to God and Peace to You

Glory to God!

(Luke 2:13-14, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 24, 2016)

[13] And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

[14] “Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

An angel

I have never seen even one angel, and so I was surprised when I was teaching a new members class to a handful of middle school kids a few years ago that one of them reported seeing an angel. Since then I have read other credible accounts of angel visitations. I am sure that I would be impressed with one experience like that, though I believe that a person can have such a remarkable experience and still reject the plain meaning of God's Word. The more amazing wonder from the standpoint of the Bible is when a person is brought from skepticism to faith. That has happened to me and to many people in this room.

The verses we are focusing on this Christmas Eve first mention an angel. An angel is a created being. They are in another realm that is normally not visible to us. Angels do not reproduce. There are as many today as there were 2000 years ago. They fall into two major categories: Elect angels and fallen angels. There is no Savior for angels. Their fall had something to do with pride and the plan of the Son of God to show His greatest power through His lowest humility. That fall is permanent, without any possibility of recovery. My favorite clarifying verse about angels: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)

People and angels were both created by God with the capacity to worship and serve Him. People do reproduce. There are many more of us on the earth today than there were 2000 years ago. All individuals are fallen, but some are chosen by God for rescue. There is a Savior for God's elect, and He is the topic of every true Christian sermon. He was also the One that an angel was talking about 2000 years ago to a group of shepherds when he said, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

A multitude of the heavenly host

This turning-point-of-history statement set off an amazing display in the heavens for that humble assembly of lowly people. If one angel visit would be impressive, what about the sudden appearance of “a multitude of the heavenly host praising God” in the air? Overwhelming.

That's what happened that night. Most unusual. This is not the Lord's normal way to accomplish His purposes. He most often works through very simple means (like talking and listening) rather than bringing about obvious spectacles that wow everyone for miles around. But for this amazing moment, He pulled back the veil late one evening between a dying world and a world of light inhabited by holy angels. Do not get lost in the special effects. What was the message that the army of heaven was proclaiming?

A message

First, “Glory to God in the highest.”

Then, “On earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.”

The world is full of spectacle. Last year's display is quickly unimpressive. It has to get bigger and better to attract our interest. How do we deal with a God who uses His power in such an understated way? How should we react on the rare occasion when He does the spectacular.

1. Listen to Him

The first thing we need to do is to pay attention. If He shows up by sending a multitude of heavenly angels singing His praise, He undoubtedly has something very important to announce. What is it?

2. Receive Him as the Highest One.

We need to resist the prevailing sin of emperors. Everyone is an emperor in a world that is trying to sell them innumerable products and services. If we can just have a moment of clarity, it should not surprise us that God is above us. He is the Creator. We are His creatures. We were not born to critique the Almighty, but to receive His Word, His gifts, and even Him. We cannot do that if we insist that we are the Highest One. That would be unseemly. Glory to God in the Highest. He is not only the highest in some super-spiritual space. He is the Emperor of Everything.

3. Embrace His terms for peace and favor through His Son.

Finally, the world-changing news from the Lord of Glory is very good news for a broken and guilty world. Though our sin was a declaration of war against God, He has responded with a singular offer of peace through His Son, Jesus the Messiah.

Let's look at Him as our Sin-Conqueror. For example, we all know this brief commandment: “You shall not steal.”

Who was this Jesus? Jesus and Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10)

Who is this Jesus? Jesus and the NYSE (Flash Boys by Michael Lewis, Eric Metaxas interview of Brad Katsuyama)

Who will this Jesus be? Jesus and a world that is entirely a gift—a world beyond scarcity... (Revelation 22:1-5). He is not only our provision for external scarcity but for all our poverty of soul. He is the fullness who fills all in all for those who are called his body. (Ephesians 1:23)

The Lord is well-pleased for you to receive this God-Over-All Jesus as your Savior and King tonight. He is your Redeemer through His life, death, and resurrection.

God performed the original Christmas miracle. He sent peace to us in person. The new world that began on that silent night in Bethlehem continues down to the present moment and beyond—even forever. May we live and breathe in heavenly peace. Merry Christmas!

Once again, and until we get it: Love one another.

Born of God

(1 John 4:7-8, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 18, 2016)

[7] Beloved, let us love one another,

for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

[8] Anyone who does not love does not know God,

because God is love.

One More Time (Until the next time...)

Twelve times the writers of the New Testament instruct us all to “love one another.” Apparently this is pretty important. And it is not just the number of times that should impress us, but the significance of some of those verses. We are told by Jesus to love one another “just as I have loved you.” (John 13:34 and 15:12) Paul, Peter, and John write of brotherly love within the church as a premiere God-given blessing. Not surprising in a way. After all, love sent Jesus.

Love is not a peripheral Christian duty. Love is at the center of our entire faith because of cradle and cross. As Paul wrote in Romans 5:8, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is what we believe, and this is how we must love. John has already stated that very explicitly, that our belief in name of God's Son Jesus Christ must be connected with loving one another. (1 John 3:23) See also 1 Corinthians 13 and Luke 15.

Love is from God

Therefore we are not surprised by this command. What is particularly helpful in our determination to love one another based on today's verses is our meditation on what follows.

1. Love is from God. Contemplating the source of a gift can be a help in properly valuing what you have received.

2. Whoever loves has been born of God. A life of love is a sign of spiritual life. Without spiritual birth no one can even enter the kingdom of heaven.

3. Whoever loves knows God. A life of love is a sign that someone knows God intimately. Everyone has an awareness of God (Romans 1), but not everyone is yet on friendly terms with Him. They may know Him as Creator and Judge, but will they know Him as a loving Father and an Eternal Provider? That's why the love sign referred to here is to one another in God's family.

4. God is love. Perhaps the most powerful argument for anyone who has any admiration for the Holy One of Israel: The God of the Jews IS LOVE. This is His essence. We need to follow Him.

Those who are born of God and know God, love one another in the body of Christ.

What is true love? Where does it come from, and how can we grow in loving one another? How have we become so confused about even the definition of love in our day? The Scriptures are clear that God is the source of love. We need to be born of God to be people of love. One obvious first point: If we want to grow in love, we must come to Him for His continuing aid.

Lot's of questions. Let's start here: True biblical love does not always feel pleasant. It is relational. God our Father has initiated a loving relationship with us through the work of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. God is most decidedly the superior in the relationship. He is the Supreme Authority over all. We are to love others, willingly suffering for their good. Though it may be unpleasant, we discipline little ones because we love. As we learn in Hebrews 12:3-11:

[3] Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. [4] In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. [5] And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

[6] For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

[7] It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? [8] If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. [9] Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? [10] For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. [11] For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. But it is hard to have loving wisdom in discipline. Luke 15.

God has no problem with disciplinary love. We have difficulty knowing how to imitate Him appropriately here and may accuse ourselves of being too harsh or not strict enough. Some practical thoughts as to how an adult should discipline a child based on Titus 2:2, “Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.”

1. Are you being sober-minded, dignified, and self-controlled? (Watch out for substance abuse, be well-rested, and not overwhelmed with life's other relationships that impact your behavior.)

2. Are you sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness? (Consider your own relationship with God. Is the Lord doing something with you through this incident with your child.)

One final question:

3. Are you following the true Voice of God in the Scriptures as the Supreme Authority over all?

The Father loved us through cradle and cross. Jesus loved us by coming, living, and taking the just punishment that we deserved. The Spirit loves us by His patient work in our lives, which we should receive as evidence of His love, and not of hate. The command to love is much deeper that a command to sentimentality. It is a directive to take the love relationship that God has with us, central to everything in Christianity, and to apply that in all of our relationships with each other in our families and throughout the church. Wow! May the Lord be our powerful aid. We are being called to love one another. May the God who is love fill us with the love of Christ.

Old Testament Reading—Haggai 2:20-23 – The Chosen Signet Ring

Gospel Reading—Matthew 5:17-20 – [17] “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. [18] For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. [19] Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [20] For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Building roads with a Friend who has friends

Listening to the Word of the Almighty

(1 John 4:4-6, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 11, 2016)

[4] Little children,

you are from God and have overcome them,

for he who is in you

is greater than he who is in the world.

[5] They are from the world;

therefore they speak from the world,

and the world listens to them.

[6] We are from God.

Whoever knows God listens to us;

whoever is not from God

does not listen to us.

By this we know the Spirit of truth

and the spirit of error.

God and you

God is in the body of Christ, and He is powerful. Our new life in Christ is from God. So much so that we can say that we are from God.

Friendship is the best environment within which a person can believe a new idea or grow in the living out of a new idea once embraced. Though God is so far above us in His nature and in the perfection of His attributes, Jesus calls us “friends.”

[John 15:13] Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. [14] You are my friends if you do what I command you. [15] No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Jesus came, that we might be friends with Him and grow in Him. As we grow in the experience of this friendship with God, we increasingly know the truth, and we speak and live out the truth.

The world

John writes not only about his brethren in the church. He refers to something called “the world.” What does he mean? Surely we all live in this world. Yes, but there is way of living that denies the existence of the Almighty who is so far above us and denies the fact that God has determined to be our friend through the life and death of His Son. The world will not receive Jesus as friend.

Those who are what John calls “the world” here reject these propositions. What does John tell us about the world? The church has overcome them through our association with the victory of Christ in His death and resurrection. The Spirit that the world receives is less that the Holy Spirit.

The world has people that are in it who are said to be “from” the world. They learn from the way of thought that treats God as less than He really is. This informs their speech and their lives. They also pass on their way of thinking and living to others. The world is filled with what John calls a “spirit of error.”

Listening and speaking

How does our relationship with God work? The church listens to and proclaims the Word of the Lord God Almighty. We receive the Scriptures as His voice. When they are faithfully expounded, we have truly heard from God.

Who do you listen to? The little children of God listen to His Word.

What do you speak? The little ones of Jesus speak as He speaks.

How do you live? The beloved of the Holy Spirit follow where He leads.

What is the role of the church in this and every era? Where do we find the power for living that we need in order to fulfill the mandate of dominion that the Lord has given to us? (Genesis 1:28) The Lord has blessed us with His eternal Word. By His Spirit we must listen well to His everlasting truth and proclaim it to all who have ears to hear His voice.

Friendship makes all the difference, but real friendship requires trust. When we lose our faith in a friend, there is a breech in the relationship. We no longer trust what our friend is saying. We learn not to listen to him with an open heart when he speaks. We no longer consider it safe to live as he lives. After a time we may easily give up on the friendship entirely.

In Jesus we have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24) He has touched us, and He is bringing us holiness. He has determined that we will be the light of the world. He places us on a stand so that others may see how one of His friends actually lives. That way others will come to give glory to our Father who is in heaven.

Do you want to be of some earthly good?

1. Be heavenly-minded through a friendship with Jesus and His friends.

2. Be engaged in the world as a friend of Jesus together with others who are friends of Jesus.

Being a friend of Jesus does not mean throwing away all your passions that touch upon secular things. You can love good roads and be a friend of Jesus like my friends Parsu and Hong Key.

Three ways to pursue friendship with Jesus and His church and to be engaged in the world:

1. Open your heart to the Word of God concerning roads, order, friendship, and so many other very related matters. Seem irrelevant? Not so. Roman roads were a key to gospel progress.

2. Pray to God about roads. He cares about it all, and He will give you other friends who care.

3. Give God the glory as you work together with His friends. (1 Corinthians 10:31) “If you eat...”

Old Testament Reading—Haggai 2:10-19 – Holiness and Blessing

Gospel Reading—Matthew 5:14-16 – [14] You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Antichrist spirits may promote a false Jesus to divide Christ and His church

The Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Antichrist

(1 John 4:1-3, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 4, 2016)

[1] Beloved, do not believe every spirit,

but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,

for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

[2] By this you know the Spirit of God:

every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

[3] and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.

This is the spirit of the antichrist,

which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.

Test the spirits

John instructs his beloved brothers and sisters in the church that they must test what different teachers are saying. He says specifically that the church should “test the spirits.” We want to follow the teaching that comes from the Spirit of God, but not every spiritual teaching is true.

John insists that many false teachers have gone out into the world. This was an accurate assessment in the first century and it has been true throughout the New Testament era. Not every spiritual teacher brings the truth. They need to be tested.

Jesus and the Spirit of God

How then is the church to “test the spirits” of those who claim to bring a message from God? John's answer is disarmingly simple and very important for us to take to heart. The Spirit of God is known by the way that He confesses the one and only Jesus.

Specifically, the Holy Spirit is intent on bringing this God-glorifying message: “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” The name “Jesus” was heaven-sent—a name for the One who would be the Lord's appointed salvation for real live sinners in the flesh. The I-AM—the Lord is our salvation.

The title “Christ” means Anointed One or Messiah. He has been chosen by the Father and marked with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. He is the long-awaited Prophet, Priest, and King. All of Old Testament history pointed to Him and prepared Israel to receive Him in the flesh as the only hope of God's chosen people.

“The I-AM is salvation” and “the Anointed One” has become a real man who knows you. He is the church's eternal Lord in human form now forever. Anything less than this confession is not a message that the Holy Spirit of God can ever endorse.

For this reason, the real Jesus of historic biblical Christianity is central to all true spiritual confession and all honest Christian living. He is the God/Man of all Christian light and heat.

While some may deny Jesus by a direct assault against His Name, this is not the only false antichrist spirit that may come to the church or emanate from the church. Some would confess the Word “Jesus” but then deny all the biblical content regarding His true being and His saving work. This can never be tolerated among those who claim to be the true teachers of the church.

Deny His Being: Some might affirm Jesus, but insist that He was not the I-AM. Others would suggest that the being Jesus was the Lord God, but that He only seemed to be a man.

Distort His Mission: Some might ignore the question of Jesus as both fully God and fully man, but insist on co-opting His Name to turn Him into a promoter of their own favorite agenda.

The only safe haven for the church is to receive the Word of the Scriptures as the absolute truth of God. Jesus is who the Word says He is. He has done what the Word says that He has done.

John insists that there are many spirits in this world. How are we to distinguish between the Spirit of God and some other spirit? The true Holy Spirit promotes the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Every spirit that will not bring glory to Jesus as our Lord and Messiah come in the flesh cannot be from God. But is the church in our day adequately discerning concerning the spiritual influences that fill our hearts, minds, and lives?

False prophets have brought us Jesus the Social Revolutionary Leader and Jesus the Positive-Thinking Inspirational Speaker. Neither of these false Christs knows anyone's name. Neither is the husband of the church. Such deceptions will undermine our right thinking of Jesus as the I-AM Lord, the Christ, who came in the flesh, and who has died, risen, and ascended into glory.

John uses the term “antichrist” in connection with false prophets and teachers. What exactly does he warn us about antichrist spirits in the two other passages in 1 John that contain “antichrist?”

First, a spirit of antichrist insists on Jesus without the church:

[2:18] Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. [19] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Second, a spirit of antichrist insists on the church without Jesus:

[2:22] Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. [23] No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. [24] Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

The real Jesus is with the church, and the real church is with the living biblical Jesus. What God has joined together let not man separate. We must insist on Jesus and the church being together forever.

If we would be careful to protect our marriages from those who would want to divide us from husband or wife, and we should, how much more should we be zealous for the union of the true Jesus and His church!

False teaching about Jesus will undermine the tender bond between the Lord and His beloved bride. We need to fight for the truth of our glorious husband and resist anyone who would make Him anything less than the center of our existence together as His people.

Old Testament Reading—Haggai 2:1-9 – The Spirit and the glorious house of the Lord of Hosts

Gospel Reading—Matthew 5:13 – You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.