Westtown Church
Westtown Church
Blessings of Salvation
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The announcement that God's long-awaited Messiah would soon appear caused hearers to praise God. This advent, Westtown reflects on these Songs for the Savior recorded in Luke 1 and 2 so that we may rejoice in Christ our Savior, the blessings He gives us, and enter more fully into His grace and power.
Blessings of Christ's Birth
Speaker 1And this Advent season , as a congregation , we are looking at songs for the Savior , and by that we mean that in Luke chapters one and two , when the announcement was made that the Savior was coming , that the people responded either in spoken or in sung exclamations of praise to God . And this morning we're going to begin by taking a look at the reasons that we should give thanks to the Lord is because of the blessings that Christ's birth brings to us , and we're going to see that that is a recurring theme throughout Luke chapters one and two . Now , to sort of set the stage to our passage this morning , you might remember that there is an elderly priest by the name of Zachariah who is married his equally elderly wife long beyond childbearing years , that the Lord appeared to him when he was serving in the temple and announced that the Lord was going to bless he and his wife with the birth of a child who we now know as John the Baptist . And because Zachariah responded in unbelief to that announcement of the angel , he was made mute until the time that the baby was born and then he resulted in giving praise to God . In between that time , the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and informed her that by the miraculous work of God , that without the benefit of a human husband , that she was going to conceive and give birth to the Son of God . So we pick up at that point in the recounting in the New Testament of the birth of Jesus .
Speaker 1So Mary receives this word and in Luke , chapter one , verse 39 , we read that in those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country to a town in Judah , and she entered the house of Zachariah and greeted Elizabeth . And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary , the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb . And why is this granted to me ? That the mother of my Lord should come to me . For behold , when the sound of your greeting came to my ears , that baby , the baby in my womb , leaped for joy , and blessed is she who believes that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord . Now , the record of Christ's birth is a record filled with extraordinary blessing and for all of us , for any that receive the good news and faith of Jesus' salvation , we are given blessing upon blessing upon blessing . Let's just highlight some of the interactions of the people when they receive this word . They either respond to God in blessing , or they bless one another , or they consider themselves blessed . In verse 42 , elizabeth exclaimed with a loud cry blessed are you , mary among women . Blessed is the fruit of your womb . Verse 45 , and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what the Lord cribs , of what was spoken to her from the Lord . And verse 48, . Mary goes on herself to rejoice in the goodness of God , she exclaims , for he has looked on the humblest state of his servant . For behold , from now on , generations will call me blessed .
Speaker 1Verse 64 , immediately after Zechariah's mouth is opened and he's no longer mute , his tongue is loosed and he spoke blessing God . And this is what he said . In verse 68 , blessed be the Lord , god of Israel , for he has visited and redeemed his people . After the birth of Jesus , when his parents present him in the temple , the aged prophet Simeon , aged priest Simeon , blesses them and said to Mary his mother behold , this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is opposed . So you see the announcement of the birth of Christ .
Speaker 1The coming of Jesus Christ is a period , a season of extraordinary blessing that God gives to all people who respond to him in faith . Now , this isn't gonna be an exhaustive list here that is being presented . We're just gonna look at a few that this passage provides . And even though this proclamation announces a new season of blessing , we should not think that these blessings did not exist in the Old Testament . They did , but there is a fullness that Christ brings to these blessings and we have to remember that a blessed life does not mean a carefree life . It does not mean that we will be exempt from problems and difficulties of living in this world or the struggles of our own personal sin . You might remember that when Simeon spoke to Mary and Joseph , he told them that Jesus would cause the rising of many , but also the falling of many . And you might remember that when Mary was told these and other things that her heart was pierced and knowing what was ahead for her son . So when we talk about blessing this morning , we remember they do occur in the context of real life , where there are difficulties , but the assurance for us is that even in the midst of those times of struggle and difficulty . We are richly blessed with blessings that can never be taken away from us . So what are these blessings ? You're gonna be familiar with them . I'm not gonna really be telling you anything new or novel today , but our prayer is that , and revisiting these things , that we will be refreshed in the grace of Christ anew . So let's look at these blessing , and the first one that we see is that Christ's coming blesses us with salvation . Like I said , this wasn't gonna be anything new , right , but we remember the extraordinary blessing that our salvation is and that we really should never tire of hearing of it .
The Blessings of Christ's Birth
Speaker 1In Luke , chapter one , in verses 28 through 33 , the angel Gabriel visits Mary and he says to her "'Greetings , o favored one . The Lord is with you . "'but she was greatly troubled at the saying "'and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be "'And the angel said to her "'Do not be afraid , mary , for you have found favor with God . "'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 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'" . We just finished the last three weeks in the book of Daniel , where we looked at secular kings that had expansive kingdoms , but through the challenges that they faced , they were shown that the Lord , indeed , is the king overall and his kingdom never ends and he has dominion forever . And now , with the birth of Jesus , it is being declared that he is this king , and we remember .
Speaker 1Scripture tells us that the kingdom of Christ isn't like the kingdoms of this world , it's . It's not based on the accumulation of political power , it's not made by political alliances , but Jesus kingdom , scripture tells us , is a kingdom of righteousness , of peace and of joy in the Holy Spirit . The kingdom that Christ brings is a kingdom of salvation that will rule over all as the benefits and the blessings of his peace extend far and wide . We continue in verse 43 . And this is and why is it granted to me , elizabeth , speaking , that the mother of my Lord should come to me ? For behold , when the sound of your greeting came to my ears , the baby in my womb leaped for joy and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord . Now , when we look at these verses , we see , for instance , mary being one who was the recipient of God's favor .
Speaker 1And there are those who will say that Mary was sinless , that she had to be in order to give birth to the sinless Son of God . You may have heard of the teaching of the immaculate conception . That teaching does not refer to the conception of Jesus . People think that that refers to Jesus being born without sin . It is actually a teaching of the Catholic Church that says that Mary was born without sin and remained sinless so that she could be the sinless vessel through which the Lord was born . But that is not what scripture says . Scripture said that Mary was the recipient of the favor of God . She needed God's grace herself . Later on , when she gives praise , she gives praise to God , my Savior . She claimed her need of a Savior as well , and so God didn't need Mary to be sinless in order to bring forth the sinless Jesus . He did that through the power of the Holy Spirit and bringing forth Jesus Christ for us . But the point is that Mary herself needed a Savior and blessed God for the glorious news that the Savior was to come , even through her . But in addition to that , we see that Elizabeth was one who also embraced this promise of salvation , this blessing of salvation that Jesus Christ was to bring . She acknowledged that the baby that Mary carried was in fact her own Lord . That just staggers the mind when we think about it . But Mary , excuse me , elizabeth acknowledged that Mary was carrying the Savior of the world , and she remarked how her own child , john the Baptist , leapt within her womb for joy at the arrival of Jesus and Mary .
Speaker 1Now again , we mentioned that these blessings existed in the Old Testament , but they come with a fullness that had otherwise been unknown up to this point . Sometimes people think that the people of the Old Testament were saved by doing good works , by fulfilling the moral law and keeping the Ten Commandments , but that's not how the plan of salvation worked in the time of the Old Testament . You might remember that Scripture says that Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness . He was circumcised , he had his sons , who were unable themselves at that early age to exercise faith , but they received what Romans 4 said was the sign of being justified by faith . And so the people of the Old Testament were saved in the promise of the Messiah to come .
Speaker 1We believe in the promise of the Messiah who has already arrived . So you think of , for instance , like an oak tree , a big , mighty oak tree . It started off as a little acorn , right and the DNA , and that acorn is the same as the DNA and that oak tree . They are essentially the same although they appear radically different . That's how God's promises worked in the Old Testament . When you begin in Genesis , chapter three , verse 15 , where God promises that the seed of the woman would conquer the serpent , that's the acorn promise , if you will . That is the basic deposit of the DNA of God's promise . And throughout the Old Testament , as God makes more and more of that promise known , it's like a little oak tree that sprouts from the ground and becomes a sapling until ultimately it's this full , beautiful oak tree that we see and know as an oak tree , but fundamentally they are the same .
Speaker 1So the people of the Old Testament were saved by faith as well . You could say that they had to have greater faith in us because they had such a limited knowledge , but it was sufficient for them . If they believed in that promise , they were saved . But when Jesus comes , he brings an extraordinary fullness to that promise where we see the outworking of God , and it's not just kept for the people of Israel , it's extended to Gentiles . We see the Lord working in a number of ways here that we'll take a look at in just a few moments .
Speaker 1But let's think just real , briefly , about this extraordinary blessing of our salvation If we believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior . What does it bring to us ? Well , scripture says that we receive the pardon of God , that we are declared forgiven , righteous , received in God's sight as righteous because of the righteousness of Christ credited to us . If we believe in the Lord , jesus Christ , as our Lord and Savior , not counting in any good that we can do to make ourselves acceptable to God , but completely in Christ , we are adopted into the family of God . We bear the name of God . We are co-heirs with Christ .
Speaker 1When we were , when our kids were little , one of our boys , his favorite hymn was a child of the king , and whenever we had a chance to sing hymns together in devotions or just driving along even though he had awesome parents , his favorite hymn was to sing you're supposed to laugh at that , thank you . His favorite hymn to sing was a child of the king . That just recounts that , of all the blessings that we share in this world , the most glorious of them is that we are considered to be children of God through faith in him , and so we know that we're adopted into the family of God and , as the recipients of Christ's grace , we're enabled to overcome the power of sin . We are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness , and we enjoy that extraordinary blessing . And there are many blessings that flow from all of that . Think of how , as a recipients of Christ's grace , we're assured that God loves us , we have peace of conscience , we have joy from the Holy Spirit and we are preserved in the grace of God . So that work he began in us now he will carry unto completion in the day of Christ . He will keep us to the very end as the author and perfecter of our faith . You see , some of the fullness of this blessing that Christ's birth brings to us and our salvation . This is why these women , in Mary and Elizabeth , exclaim and extol God for the greatness of His gift . But secondly , we see that Christ's coming blesses us with Christian fellowship to strengthen our faith . You see , while our faith is an intensely personal thing , it is never private when the Lord saves us . He makes us a part of His family . That's part of being adopted , is it ? We are the children of God . We are made a part of a family together , and the family of God should play a vital role in our growth and this blessing of salvation .
Speaker 1This is one of the things that I really enjoy about this passage is that we see how Mary and Elizabeth are mutually encouraging each other in their faith , and we have to realize the extraordinary challenges that these blessings that God gave to each of these women and their children would pose to them . We see in verse 39 , for instance , that in those days , mary arose and went with haste into the hill country , into a town of Judah , and Elizabeth , filled with the Holy Spirit , exclaimed with a loud cry blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb . And why is it granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me ? For behold , when the sound of your greeting came to my ears , the baby in my womb leaped for joy , and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord . So it's around Elizabeth's six months of pregnancy as an older woman , well beyond childbearing years , who received the promise that she would have a son , and she's been carrying John the Baptist for about six months . When the angel Gabriel delivers to Mary the news that she would bear the son of God .
The Blessings of Encouragement and Community
Speaker 1She went quickly to talk to another woman who was blessed with God in extraordinary circumstances to bear a child , and the two of them could relate to the challenges that they had together and they could encourage one another . You can imagine in that society , when childlessness was viewed as a sign of shame , about shame we consider them not to be blessed of God . That Elizabeth probably bore a bit of scorn throughout her life . Mary , being of child by the power of the Holy Spirit , was about to enter a season , you can imagine , of extraordinary public pressure and shame , as people would think that she had a child out of wedlock . And so these women are able to meet and to encourage each other and acknowledge the work of God in their lives and so encourage the other . It's an extraordinary picture of the way in which the body of Christ should operate today .
Speaker 1But when we get together it's not just for socialization , as fun and wonderful as that is , but that we would be sharing how God is at work in our lives , that we would seek to rejoice with those who are experiencing the blessings of God in their lives and when there are times of great sadness and they mourn , we mourn with them . That we might strengthen their hand . And the Lord In Jude , verses 20 through 22 , we read these words but you , beloved , building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit , keep yourselves in the love of God , waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life , and have mercy on those who doubt . People struggle at various points on our spiritual walk . We struggle , we have questions of faith , we wonder what God is doing as we face various challenges and adversities , and it may tempt us to think that God is doing something wrong , or God is not being faithful to his promises , or we may have a challenging situation with a unpleasant coworker or perhaps a unbelieving child who's gone wayward , and we struggle with these things and we can benefit greatly from the community of faith who seeks to strengthen us in our faith .
Speaker 1I was reminded of an article I read some time ago of . It was in the fall of the year and this single woman decided that she was gonna drive from some point in Alberta up into the Yukon . She wanted to take a trip to the town of Whitehorse and so she set out in her old beat up Honda Civic to make this dangerous journey up to the town of Whitehorse . And so she stopped for the night at a town and she checked in and she said to the clerk could you please give me a wake up call at five o'clock in the morning and the clerk gives her sort of the raised eyebrow , wondering what's up with this . And she didn't realize until she woke up the next morning and it was so foggy that she couldn't see anything that she couldn't start off on her journey . But so it's not the fuel full .
Speaker 1As she went downstairs to have breakfast , and as she was having breakfast she was started to talk to two truckers and they asked her where are you going ? And she said well , I'm going up to Whitehorse . And they said please tell us that you're not going to Whitehorse , and that beat up Honda Civic , this is a treacherous drive . And she , with responding with gusto , said yes , I am , even though it was quite uninformed . And so the truckers looked at her and they said well , then we're gonna have to hug you in . And she pushed back and she said you guys aren't gonna touch me . And they chuckled and they said no , no , no , we're not talking about that kind of hug , but one of us will be in front of you and you can follow the tail lights and one of us will be following behind you so that if you have any trouble , we'll be able to assist you .
Speaker 1That's a great image of what the Christian life is like . As we try to navigate the dangers of this life and roads that are treacherous , sometimes in ways that we can't see , we have brothers and sisters in the faith who are in front of us , showing us the way , and we have believers behind us that are supporting us and encouraging us that , if we start to divert , can get us back on track . The community of faith is a beautiful , wonderful gift that God has given us that we might be able to encourage one another in our faith . And finally , we see that Christ's coming blesses us with the fullness of God's word and spirit to lead us in his ways . And verse 39 , mary goes to visit Elizabeth in a town of Judah and Elizabeth , we read , was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed the blessings of Mary and the fruit of her womb . And then she says in verse 45 , blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what the Lord has spoken to her from .
Speaker 1The Lord Might recall that the close of the Old Testament to the opening of the New Testament is about 400 years time , and during that time the nation of Israel had no new word from God . In fact , many of them had thought God abandoned them , that God had become silent towards them and that God had lost interest in them . But with the coming of Christ , there is an extraordinary renewed work of prophecy and declaration of the word of God to the people of God . We see it in multiple ways , and in this passage the spirit of God fills Elizabeth , which is a terminology for the fact that she begins to prophesy and pronounce blessing upon Mary and the blessing that her child would give to the people of God . Now , of course , god's word was at work in the Old Testament . There are many ways that God reveals himself in extraordinary ways . Think of the burning bush as just one example of them .
Blessings of Christ
Speaker 1So what do we mean then ?
Speaker 1That the coming of Christ brings a fullness of the work of the spirit and of revelation in the word of God . Well , it's simply this there is no higher form of revelation that God has given us than Jesus Christ . John mentions in chapter one that he is full of grace and truth . He is the light in the life , that if we follow him and the word that he gives us , we will know the Father and the Holy Spirit . On the day of Pentecost , when the spirit was poured out on the church , that was a sign that the Father accepted the work of the Son and redeeming us from our sin . And the spirit was poured out on who Not just Israel , not just men , not just people of a certain age , but on people of variety of places , with variety of languages that they began to know the fullness of the spirit of God .
Speaker 1That wasn't just a blessing that came for a period of service and then left , but the Lord has entrusted to us the spirit of God and whom . We have great fullness and blessing . And so we have the full revelation of God as contained within the scriptures . We have the spirit of God to lead us and direct us in that wisdom , as extraordinary blessings and leading us into the fullness of Christ . And so we are blessed to be able to help people to grow in the word of God by the spirit of God . The Lord has made his ways known to us and we can follow him . So this Christmas season , as we think about gifts and the wonderful blessings of this time of year , may we remember the primary blessings that God has given to us and his Son the gift of salvation , the gift of the family of God , the gift of his word and his spirit , and may we utilize them regularly , may we encourage one another in them and so grow in the blessedness of God . Let us pray .