Well, it is good to be here with you all this morning, and I gotta say, it's a joy to be back. I was here a couple months ago, and I was here two weeks in a row. I preached the first week, and then the second week I came with our camp director. And I don't know which week had better preaching, but I'll leave that up to you guys. But it is good to be back with you. I hope that you had a great Christmas Day yesterday, and had a good time with family, those of you that were able to meet together. If you would, take your Bibles with me and turn to the book of Luke. This might be a surprise. You might be able to guess where we're going. We're going to Luke 2 this morning. And I just want to share with you something that has stood out to me in the Christmas story. It is a joy to be back. Randy was talking about the busyness of meeting with family, and I was looking at this past week and the week coming up, My sister and brother-in-law, so my parents live in Lake Odessa. My sister and brother-in-law came up on Saturday and were with us through Thursday morning. And they brought my nephew, who is turning a year old in January. And so, you know, we had My mom and dad there, so grandma and grandpa were having a great time with their first grandkid. And they were with us through Thursday. And then Thursday, they were getting ready to head out, and my grandparents showed up. So, we had the great grandparents, the grandparents, and then both, all the siblings that were there. So, it got really crazy Thursday morning, and then my brother-in-law and sister left, and my grandparents were there. through this morning. And then Wednesday, my family flies down to Florida, or excuse me, drives down to Florida for a wedding of a cousin. So it's a busy time of year. And sometimes I think about Christmas and I think, man, we are going to be doing a whole lot with family. I've got a lot of gifts that I need to buy. I've got a lot of gifts that I need to open, hopefully. And it's just a busy time of year. And if we're not careful, we can get really caught up in the busyness of the Christmas season. We can get really caught up in what the world says Christmas is really all about. Family, and gathering together, and showing love, and all those are, they're not bad things. But they can distract us from the most important thing. And that's just what I want to look at this morning and challenge you with. It is a joy to be here, and I thank God for your pastor. I've known Pastor Will not very long, but from what I've gotten to know of him, he's been such an encouragement to me. And I'm so thankful that he's allowed me this opportunity to come back and to share God's word with you. So if you look in Luke 2, we're just going to read through the Christmas story here to get started. It says in Luke 2, and it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria and all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, unto the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." And so it was that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. and it came to pass as the angels were gone away into heaven that the shepherds said one to another, let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child and all they that heard it. and wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart, and the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told unto them." This morning I want to draw your attention to this verse which has stuck out to me in recent years as I've heard this passage countless times. Our family has the tradition of reading this passage on Christmas morning. Before we do anything else, we'll read this passage. I don't remember when it was or what the occasion was, but there was one time we were going through this passage, and this verse caught my eye. It's verse number 18. And all they that heard it wondered at those things being told them by the shepherd. They wondered. I looked up the word wonder, and that word that is used in that passage has the idea of marvel. They marveled at those things which were told to them. So this morning I want to ask you a simple question. When was the last time you wondered at what God has done? When was the last time that you marveled at the Christmas story and what it really means? This morning we're going to take a look at this and it won't be too long, it won't be super in-depth, but I hope that it will be a reminder to you as we come to the end of this Christmas season. Let's pray and then we'll jump into it. Lord, I thank you so much that You are a God who sees all, who knows all. And Lord, before this world was ever even formed, You knew that we would be a race that would fall. That we would fall into sin, that we would fall away from You, and that we would need a Savior. And God, I thank You so much that You saw fit to send Your only Son to this earth to be born in a manger so that He could be born on a cross. Lord, I pray that as we look this morning at this wonder of the Christmas story, God, would You remind us of what it is that You've truly done for us. Would You challenge us not to forget the wonder of it all. Lord, would You guide us through this time. Would Your Word be preached. Would You be seen. And I pray this all in Your name. Amen. When last You wondered, As we go through this Christmas story, as we look at the Christmas story, and I'm sure many of you could quote it without looking or maybe with just a few hints here and there. Maybe you had the role when you were growing up in the children's Christmas pageant of quoting the Christmas story. I remember I was probably almost in high school. I think it was my last year in my church's Christmas play. And I had the role of quoting the entire passage of Luke 2 in the Christmas story. So I stood up there as an angel with my arms out and quoted the Luke 2 passage. And they had projected stars on the screen behind me. And apparently every time I turned my head, there would be stars flying across my face. That's the only thing my mother remembers about it. She doesn't know if I did well quoting it, but she just remembers the stars dancing across my face. You know, I think that most of us could quote Luke 2. And if we're not careful, we can think, well, it's a great story. But it's so much more than that. So much more. Sometimes I have to catch myself, because as I said, it's the first thing that we do on Christmas Day. So sometimes I get in the habit of, okay, we'll get through the Christmas story so then we can open Christmas gifts. But that's kind of backwards. Because what's really most important is remembering what Jesus did, what God sent Jesus to do. So when was the last time that you wondered? When was the last time that you marveled? I think about the shepherds in this passage. the shepherds who were minding their own business. There's a lot of characters in the Christmas story. And it's so amazing to think of all the backstory and people have been so creative in who this might have been. And if there was somebody in this passage that we see later on in the story of the Lord Jesus and His ministry on earth. And our minds can sometimes run wild with this. But it is interesting to think that there were men just doing what they were supposed to do. Just minding their own business, watching the flock. And I'm sure it was dark out. There probably wasn't a lot going on. There were stars in the sky. There was a very large star in the sky. But other than that, it was probably a pretty normal night. Until this angel appears out of nowhere. And tells them that the Savior is born. And that they need to go see it. It's not too far away. And then the sky explodes with a host of angels. I can't imagine what that must have been like. But to see these shepherds take that step of faith and go and see this newborn baby. And worship Him as the Lord Jesus. And then to go out and to tell others because they knew that what was happening was very important. And it must have been pretty exciting the way they told it because the Bible says that all they that heard it wondered. They marveled at those things that were told them. I probably would not have believed a shepherd that came and told me that he saw a sky full of angels that sang to him and told him that the baby Jesus was born. But they marveled, they're in awe. They wonder at it. What does this mean for us? As we look at this today, 2,000 years later, this Luke 2 passage, the word wondered, what does that mean for us? Well, I want you to think about this. When was the last time that you wondered at this story that this was not an act? When was the last time that you marveled that this was all planned? If we look at Galatians 4.4, and in fact, let's turn there together. Galatians 4.4. This passage, this verse, you've heard it quoted before I'm sure, but to stop and think about what this means. It says Galatians 4.4, but when the fullness of time was come. God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. The phrase, when the fullness of time was come, should not be missed when we're reading this passage, because this wasn't like the Lord looked at this world and said, It's probably a good time to send the Redeemer of man. It's probably a good time to send my Son so that man can have a chance at salvation and eternal life. It wasn't just, well, let's flip a coin and see if this is a good time. No, this was planned. Remember, the fullness of time. The Lord Jesus Christ was sent to earth. It was during the Roman Empire. Remember, they had the roads. All roads led to Rome is what they used to say back then. They had this road system that connected everything. They had a written language. They had all of these things that we would think, well, it was just a coincidence, but no, God knew that this was the time. Before this world was ever even created, He knew that man would need a Savior. And He ordained a time. And He led civilization to that time that He could send His Son, Jesus Christ, to be born in the manger. When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son. See, this was no accident. This was no happenstance. This was no coincidence. This was planned. It's marvelous. Not only was this planned, but we see that this plan revealed a purpose. If you will, turn with me to 2 Timothy. I'm going to have you keep your hand in Luke 2, but turn to 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy 1. And we're going to look at a few verses here. We often say that the Bible is the best commentary on itself, and it's true. But when you look at the Old Testament and the New Testament, it is staggering how many references are made to the birth of Jesus Christ. Whether prophecies, whether hearkening back, whether someone is quoting it, all of it directs itself to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's incredible. So 2 Timothy 1, look at v. 9 with me. Well, let's look at v. 8 actually. It says this. Paul is writing to Timothy. And this is the second letter that Paul is writing to Timothy. And he's trying to encourage him with some things. He's trying to help him. And he says in v. 8, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the Gospel according to the power of God. who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to life through the Gospel. This passage really sums up what we were talking about in the fact that this was planned. You see this in verse 9 where he talks about this purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. This was not something that just happened. It was planned. But not only was it planned, it was planned for a specific purpose. Verse 9 says that Jesus hath saved us, and hath called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace. And then it says in verse 10 that it is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ. See, the Lord had a plan. The Lord had a purpose for everything that was going to happen. And though we may not know what that purpose is, though we may not be able to understand that plan and its fulfillment and its fullness, we do know that God had a plan and it was made manifest through Jesus Christ. See, when Jesus Christ was born in a manger, there was hope. See, man had fallen away from God. You go back to Genesis and you read Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve. And you see Eve eat of the fruit and then give it to Adam and Adam eats of the fruit as well. And then they realize their nakedness and they're ashamed to walk with God. It's because of the simple act of disobedience that man has a sinful nature. And it wasn't just Adam that sinned. The Bible says that when Adam sinned, all have sinned. And it was that by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." So you and I were born sinners. There's nothing that we can do in and of ourselves to earn favor with God, to earn merit enough to get us to heaven. But the Bible does say that even though by one man sin entered into the world, by another came salvation. And when Jesus Christ was born in a manger, there was hope. You see, the Jews would look at the Messiah and they would say that He was the one who was going to free them from this oppression. The King Herod and the Roman Empire and those who were oppressing them. And Jesus was come to save them! But not in the manner which they thought. When you look at the life of Jesus Christ and you see the triumphal entry, they herald Him as a King that is coming to rule His people. And rightly so. I think they got it just slightly wrong because they thought He was coming to free them physically. Just a week later, He hangs on a cross and He says, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. And He frees them spiritually. He offers salvation through His death, His burial, and His resurrection. See, this was planned. And this plan had a purpose. It was to bring redemption to those who would accept Him as their Savior. And there's purposes beyond that. Not according to our works, v. 9 of 2 Timothy says, but according to His own purpose and grace. We who have been saved, who have adopted Jesus Christ as our Savior, who have accepted what He did on the cross as enough to cover our sin are now His heirs. And as such, we can live in Him and we can find grace in Him, and we begin the process of sanctification. That process isn't just salvation and then I'm done. It's a process of continually, daily, growing closer and closer to Jesus Christ. You will see all throughout Paul's writings and in Scripture, Paul talks quite often of the knowledge of God, the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. In fact, he says that there's a passage where he kind of gives his resume. Everything that he's kind of accomplished. And he says, everything that I've done is worthless when I consider striving to know God as best I can. None of that matters. And see, you and I, if we seek to really, truly know God as best we can, it starts by remembering what it is that He's done, and wondering, marveling at what He has done for you and me. So when was the last time you marveled? When was the last time you wondered at the plan that has been in place? What He did, the fullness of time that this was no accident, but it was planned before the foundations of the world were formed. It was planned with you in mind. When was the last time that you marveled that this plan had a purpose and the purpose was to give you eternal life? It's a sombering thought to think that when Jesus Christ hung on that cross, He died for the sins of the whole world. But in doing so, He died specifically for your sins. And specifically for mine. And to think of the realization that as Jesus hung on the cross, He thought about Max Barker, and every sin that he would ever commit. And he said, God, it doesn't matter what he does, I want to pay the penalty for all of that sin. It's a humbling thought. And yet, it was all planned. It was for the purpose of saving you and I. When was the last time that we truly wondered and truly marveled at this? So it leads us back to Luke 2. We look at these shepherds who marvel at Jesus Christ and what the angels have told them, so much so that they go and they see the babe, and they're so excited of what they've witnessed that they decide to go and tell everyone around them. I can imagine that they're running through the town, they're banging on doors, they're telling their friends, they're telling people that they see in the middle of the road what they've just witnessed, that there is a babe named Jesus Christ who was born in a manger, and these angels appeared in the heavens and told them that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. He was going to be their Savior. I bet that they were talking so fast that a lot of it was just one big long word. They were so excited about it. And those that they told simply wonder. They just marvel. So you and I, as we look back and we wonder at what God has done, as we marvel at what He truly accomplished, what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to respond? What is this supposed to lead us to do? Well, I think the shepherds provide a pretty good example of that. You see, when the shepherds were told that Jesus Christ was born, they go, the Bible says in v. 15, it came to pass as the angels were gone away into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass which the Lord hath made known unto us. They went and they sought the Lord. They sought the Lord's face. They went and they sought to be close to Him. So as you know what it is that Jesus has done for you, as you know, as you wonder, as you marvel at what it is that Jesus has accomplished for you and for me, I wonder, does it draw you closer to Him? Does it turn your heart to know Christ more? Does it prompt you to say, God, I want to find You. I want to walk daily with You. I want to be in Your presence to see Your glory. See, the shepherds went and they said, let us go find this babe, which we've been told of. It says that they came with haste. There was no hesitation. There was no second-guessing. There was no half-heartedness. It was a desire to see this baby Jesus. They came with haste and found Mary and Joseph in the bay. And when they had seen these things, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child." See, they sought the Lord for themselves. They sought to be in His presence. They sought to see His face. And once that had been accomplished, then they sought to tell others about it. They desired to witness what it is that they had seen. I wonder, I have a question, Does your knowledge of Jesus Christ, does your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, does it prompt you to want to tell others? Does the fact that you know that Jesus Christ who came to this earth and died on the cross 2,000 years ago, the one who was born in a manger, the one who had a star that led wise men to Him, the fact that you know that Jesus Christ personally, does it prompt you to want to tell others what you experienced and witnessed? It should. See, we can get so caught up in the busyness of the season and the gifts that we're buying and trying to make sure that everyone in our family has the same dollar amount of gifts, and yet we can get so lost in all of that and forget that there is a world. There's a world that's hurting. There's a world that is dominated by fear. And they're simply looking for an answer. And that answer is Jesus Christ. And you and I who know Him, who have seen His face, should have the desire to tell others. See, the shepherds came with haste. They desired to be in the presence of God. They desired to tell others about Him. And then after they do, it says this, In verse 20, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had seen and heard as it was told unto them. See, the shepherds, they sought to be with Jesus. They sought to tell others about Him, and then after they told others about Him, they sought to come back and worship Him. They sought to reflect on what it was that He had already accomplished. They sought to praise Him for who He was. So I wonder today, as you and I living in the 21st century, with all the busyness and everything that goes on, knowing what it is that happens, knowing the rest of the story, not like the shepherds where they knew that Jesus was come, and they knew that the angels had told them about it, and they knew that they got to see Him. But us who know the entire story from Genesis to Revelation, Those of us who know eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, when was the last time that we wondered? Truly marveled at what Jesus Christ has done. Truly marveled at the fact that this was always planned with a specific purpose and for a specific people. You and I. Has that led us to seek His face? To have fellowship with Him? To worship Him? Has it led us to tell others about Him? To witness to those around us? And has it led us to say, God, I can't get enough of who You are. I want to praise You for what You've done. You've already been so good to me. I was thrilled with the gifts that I got this year. I got some awesome gifts for Christmas. And sometimes I get caught up in the, man, God, thank you so much for these gifts. Wow, you've just been really good to me. I don't really say that until after I open the gift. I'll say, well, let's see how good God's been. And yet, if we simply were to pause for a moment, just reflect on what God has done, we would find ourselves saying, God, you've been so much better to me than I ever deserved. So my question for you today is, when was the last time that you wondered, truly wondered, truly marveled at what it is that Jesus has done for you? Don't let this Christmas season come to an end without remembering that Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners, as Paul says, of whom I am chief. Jesus didn't just come and be born in a manger because that's what was supposed to happen. Although it was. He didn't just come to be born in a manger because there were people that needed salvation, and there were, Jesus came to be born in a manger because He knew that you needed Him. Because He knew that you were destined for an eternity in hell. My friend, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, I pray that today, I hope today, you would talk to somebody about it. There's no greater decision that you can make. It's the greatest gift that's ever been given. Eternal life through Jesus Christ, and it is so simple to accept. But if you're here and you have, what are you doing now? Are you just kind of going through life and coming to church and doing the things you think you're supposed to be doing, or are you truly remembering, wondering, marveling at what God has already done? And saying, God, I want to praise You, I want to worship You, I want to know You better, and I want to tell others about You. Because that is why Jesus came, to save sinners, to save you, to save I, to give us the opportunity to have a relationship with Him. Would you bow your heads with me this morning? God, I thank You so much for Your Word. And Lord, I thank You that, Lord, hopefully all of us had great Christmases. and were able to enjoy some time with family or friends or just some time of quiet and rest. And Lord, I pray that we were able to get some great gifts too. But most importantly, Lord, I pray that we would not forget that what You've done for us is the greatest gift of all. That 2,000 years ago, as Luke 2 recounts, You were born in a manger. There were no trumpets. There was no fanfare. There were simply Mary and Joseph and you. Lord, I thank You that You chose to reveal to those shepherds what it was that was going on, so that they could come with haste, so they could see what it is that they have been told about, and they could tell others, which would prompt others to simply marvel. Lord, I pray that as we at Plainfield Baptist Church, Lord, as we as believers end this Christmas season, Lord, would we not forget to simply take a moment to marvel. That we would take a moment to reflect on what it is that you've done for us, for those around us. that we would worship You for it, and that we would witness to others so that they might know Your salvation and saving.