Bowman Community Church
2025-12-24
  • Joy to the World
  • Angels We Have Heard On High (Gloria)
  • Hark The Herald Angels Sing
  • We Three Kings of Orient Are
  • What Child is This?

  • Introduction

    The title of my sermon is “Gloria In Excelsis Deo,” (more Latin, I know) meaning “Glory to God in the highest.” It’s what the angels sang when Jesus Christ was born.
    Christmas and all that came before it, and all that is coming after it, is being worked for this purpose: to glorify God. What Luke records for us is how God brought centuries of promises, prophecies, and plans together in one night, one child, for his glory and our salvation. Today, we’re going to trace parts of that story and see why the birth of Christ caused heaven itself to erupt in praise
    ** [The Word of the Lord—Amen.] **

    Text

    Luke 2:7–14 ESV
    7 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. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 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. 10 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. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 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!”

    Prayer

    What Happened

    This text punches into the height of the Christmas story. Here, Luke is telling us the story as he heard it from the eye witnesses.
    Luke opens with this:
    Luke 1:3 NIV
    3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
    From the very beginning, people were concerned with knowing what happened.
    Not just the night Jesus was born, but all that could known about what surrounded it—before and after. Luke’s Gospel was dedicated to providing just such an account.

    Zechariah

    Luke begins the story with an appearance of the angel Gabriel. This angel appears to a man named Zechariah, who describes himself as “old” and his wife as “advanced in years.”
    Luke 1:12 ESV
    12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
    This is the normal response of human beings to an appearance of heavenly beings in our dimension. Hold onto this thought for later.
    Luke 1:13 ESV
    13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
    Gabriel would go onto explain that his son, John, would be a great man before the Lord, who prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah.
    However, Zechariah doubted the angel; despite the supernatural encounter, he doubted the supernatural power. He did not receive the message.
    Luke 1:19–20 ESV
    19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
    A few things should stand out to us.
    First, that this angel stood in the presence of God. The point is: I come to you from the Almighty God. The Creator of the universe has personally sent me to speak to you. To say that this shows the importance of what was happening would be an understatement. Something was happening that had never happened before.
    Second, the messenger angel is announcing the ultimate messenger of God, which is Jesus. He and his work are the good news, and he came to preach that good news to us—humanity.
    Third, the ending of verse 20: “… my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” This is one of those things that we wish our minds were bigger so that we could truly wrap our heads around it. God is bringing together the story he has written, all according to plan. Christmas arrived right on time. It had been planned.
    Zechariah’s son would go onto preach the coming of God’s kingdom, and to prepare Israel to receive the Messiah.

    Mary

    Shortly after this, this same angel, Gabriel, appears to a woman named Mary:
    Luke 1:30–33 ESV
    30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 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, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
    Mary is then told that, though she had not gotten married yet, a child would be conceived in her womb, yet not by ordinary generation.
    Luke 1:35 ESV
    35 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
    I’m afraid that most people hear about the “Virgin Mary” but don’t know why it’s important. Why was this necessary? So that the child would be holy.
    You may remember from last Sunday’s sermon that all who are descended of Adam inherit the curse of sin, and its nature. Jesus is not the Son of Adam, but the Son of God.
    If you haven’t heard this next part, it will blow your mind.
    If we go all the way back to Genesis, right after Adam failed, Eve was deceived, and the Serpent lied, God pronounces the punishment on each of them.
    Speaking to the Serpent, he said:
    Genesis 3:15 ESV
    15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
    Did you catch it? God tells the future, here. He says, “Someone will descend from Eve who, though you will strike his heel, he will crush your head.”
    Christmas morning, the fulfillment of this promise shone in the world for the first time.
    The more we understand what came before Christmas, the deeper our amazement at God will be.
    Mary, because she received the messenger of God, was properly amazed, and responded:
    Luke 1:38 ESV
    38 “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

    Mothers Glorifying God

    Now, Mary was related to Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, and she went to visit her some time later. Elizabeth is pregnant with John and Mary is pregnant with Jesus.
    Luke 1:40–42 ESV
    40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
    Luke 1:43–44 ESV
    43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
    All sorts of amazing things are starting to happen, here, and even the babies are moving.
    Notice what Elizabeth said, “the mother of my Lord” had come. This is an amazing thing to say. Elizabeth could not have been talking about anyone other than God when saying, “Lord.” Both of these mothers received these events with joy, and gave glory to God.
    Luke 1:46–47 ESV
    46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
    So, things are happening, and they aren’t vague. The Christ was coming. The Messiah would soon be born. The Lord would be born in his world. Babies are leaping; the world is crackling with anticipation and holding its breath.

    Christ the Savior is Born

    After this, Mary stays with Elizabeth for three months, and then returns home.
    Some time later, Caesar Augustus of Rome called for a census to count everyone within their realm. Luke adds that,
    Luke 2:2 ESV
    2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
    Luke gives us these names and dates because this isn't a fairy tale; it's history. This really happened
    This event explains why Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but is from Nazareth. They left their hometown to register for the census.
    Luke 2:4 ESV
    4 And Joseph… 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,
    Are you ready for the next layer of importance?
    Joseph was a descendant of King David, to whom God made this promise, a thousand years before:
    2 Samuel 7:12–13 ESV
    12 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. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
    Who is the offspring of Eve who crushes the Serpent’s head? Jesus.
    Who is the offspring of David whose kingdom will last forever? Jesus.
    Exactly according to plan, Mary finds herself in Bethlehem, the city of David, and its time to meet this child.
    Luke 2:6–7 ESV
    6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 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.
    He had now come, exactly as God had promised.
    Micah 5:2 ESV
    2 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.
    Micah 5:3–5 ESV
    3 …when she who is in labor has given birth… 4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. 5 And he shall be their peace…
    700 years before his coming, the prophet Micah foretold that the Messiah would be born in… Bethlehem. This coming King would shepherd his flock and rule his people; his coming forth is from of old, from ancient days! He will be great to the ends of the earth, and he shall be their peace.

    The Shepherds

    700 years after Micah’s prophecy, we come to the Shepherds.
    The entire Christmas story is something humanity never could have invented, and it is all amazing, but I find something particularly stunning about what happens here.
    Some shepherds were doing what they always did, on what they thought was just another normal night. They were protecting their flocks from beasts and wandering away.
    Luke 2:9 ESV
    9 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.
    Once more, this is the natural response when we earthly creatures are confronted by that which lies beyond this world. Fear, despair, even pain.
    We can’t handle, understand, or deal with God or his ways because of our sin. We were made for God, and our hearts are restless until they find him, but sin makes it such that finding him is what we hate. What a pitiful state that is, isn’t it? A snake eating its own tail, a rabid animal hating water; the very thing we need is that which we despise. We were doomed.
    Romans 5:8 ESV
    8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
    Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV
    4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…
    2 Corinthians 7:6 ESV
    6 But God… comforts the downcast…
    Our sin put Jesus on the cross, and he died hanging on a cross of wood, carrying our shame:
    Acts 10:40–43 ESV
    40 But God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses… he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
    The death sentence that hung upon us all and for which there was no hope of escape; no hope of devising a way out or through it.. was going to be dealt with.
    Luke 2:10 ESV
    10 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.
    The hopes and fears of all the years would now be met in Jesus, that night.
    O holy night, the stars are brightly shining; it is the night of the dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
    Salvation from sin, hope for the future, eternal life—it was coming into the world.
    Life, not death, freedom, not slavery—the evil that held this world in a chokehold would now begin to be driven away.
    Luke 2:11 ESV
    11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
    A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
    Luke 2:13 NIV
    13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
    Luke 2:14 NIV
    14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
    Not allowing the night of his Son’s birth to go uncelebrated, the Father splits open the night sky and sends his angel armies to sing.
    He’s finally here! Peace has come to this broken world!
    Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices! O night divine! O night when Christ was born!

    Receive With Amazement, Give Glory to God

    The night Christ was born. A night truly like no other. For thousands of years, the people who Christ has saved and gathered together have lived out their years under the Sun in service to him. He has brought every single one of his people home. Glory to God in the highest!
    The unimaginable glory of angel armies in the night sky is a candle compared to the glorious light that shines in your heart when you come to Jesus.
    2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV
    6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
    Glory to God in the highest!
    In Jesus is life, and that life is the light for you and I. His light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
    Though it tries to resist it now, there will come a time when this world will end, and darkness will be done away with forever. Until then, there will be those who do not receive Jesus. Who doubt him, hate him, reject him, or laugh at him. In fact:
    John 1:11–12 ESV
    11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
    John 1:16 ESV
    16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
    There’s really only two applications of what I’ve said.
    If you’re a Christian, then let the wonder of this story nourish your heart. See the love of the Father for his Son, and his love for you in giving his Son. Let this fact fill your heart, and give glory to God in the highest.
    If you aren’t a Christian, then I plead with you to repent of your sin and come to Jesus. If you don’t know where to start, I invite you to pray with us now.

    Prayer

    Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing. Come, adore on bended knee Christ the Lord, the newborn King. 
    No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.
    O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin and enter in; be born in us today.

      • Isaiah 53:6ESV

      • Psalm 119:120ESV

      • Zephaniah 3:15ESV

      • Zephaniah 3:17ESV

  • Silent Night (Stille Nacht)
Bowman Community Church
mclugg@gmail.com
5303476130
http://www.bowmanchurch.org
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