But while Matthew 1 verse 20 says, But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, being interpreted." Which being interpreted is God with us? Amen. Father in heaven, please bless these words to our hearts as we consider Christ today. Might he be exalted amongst us and would you work as what we call Christmas quickly approaches, there are differing views on how it is to be observed or not observed, and I will leave that to your own conscience. But either way, it is a great time of the year to preach the gospel, as the lost are more willing to talk about the Lord Jesus during this time of the year, and we should take full advantage of it. And I also can't see how it is wrong to recognize, as does the Bible, the glorious entry of Jesus Christ into time and space. Or in theology, we call it the incarnation of Jesus Christ, or God put on humanity. We just read in Matthew 1.23 boggles the mind and is by far the most amazing fact in human history that God became a man, and yet never ceased to be fully God, who is everywhere present. And yet, how can God, how can we fathom an infinite God that would come into the finite or would be everywhere present and yet restricted by the laws of nature and yet be in control and even defy the laws of nature? We can think about the effects that Jesus Christ had on history. Think about it. Nothing has been the same since Jesus Christ came to earth, the whole calendar revolves around Him. Every aspect of life in every part of the world has been affected in some way or another by the birth and life of Christ. than what we can imagine. Mankind would be utterly hopeless, groping in the dark for some meaning and purpose with no end but hell. Man, in all his great philosophical and religious wisdom, is doomed to misery and destruction without the hope of eternal life that is found only in Jesus Christ. But with the eternal hope of Jesus Christ, we can live in the worst situation known to man and have great hope of an everlasting blessing in Christ. We must recognize the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in scripture, right? It's in scripture, so as we work through scripture, we're going to come to it. Even though I don't believe that the Lord Jesus was born on December 25th, but I don't think that that makes it wrong to honor the Lord Jesus and His birth on that day. While at the same time, I don't think we should participate in what the world calls the Christmas spirit. I fear that the Christmas spirit is the spirit of materialism and worldliness and pseudo-Christianity that reduces Jesus Christ to a sentimental feeling. We as Christians do not need to find our joy in a certain time of the year. Now who wants to get all excited for the month of December, only to live in depression in January and February, as much as what is called Christianity does. But when the joy of the Lord is our strength, when we find our joy in knowing Christ, and knowing Him seated at the right hand of His Father in victory and glory, and we celebrate Him every day of the year, our joy can be consistently full, no matter what month it is. However, one big problem I have with how some celebrate Christmas is that the Lord Jesus is exclusively reduced to His humility, where many can only see Jesus as a man, and they fail to see Him in His glory, power as God. When angels proclaimed Jesus' birth to the shepherds, they proclaimed glory to God in the highest. In Luke chapter 1, when the angel appeared there in verse number 30, to Mary, and said, Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and he shall be called the Son of the Highest. He shall be called the Son of the Highest. of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." What a glorious proclamation of the exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ, even as the angels proclaimed glory to God in the highest, or they proclaimed that Jesus Christ would bring the most glory to God, or He would manifest God's glory like no other. by bringing peace and goodwill towards men, and ultimately by bringing His everlasting kingdom to earth. Praise His holy name. But Jesus Christ brought peace because He made reconciliation for our sins where we were at war with God. But Jesus Christ took the wrath of God upon Himself on the cross for His people, so that we can have peace with God. And thereby, God's good will is fully expressed in Christ saving sinners. In Matthew 1.21, we just read it, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." May we often, particularly when we consider Christ's birth, contemplate the Lord's condescension. You can't not, right? You're contemplating the lowering of Himself in His incarnation, or becoming a man in His birth. What an amazing thought it is to consider that one so high and so glorious would humble himself to such a degree. But we should not allow our meditation to stop at the manger, or even in his earthly ministry. But our thoughts of Christ should culminate, as we just read in Luke chapter 1, to their highest point in pondering Christ's majesty, or grandeur, or splendor, or supreme excellence. The three kings came to worship a king, and the angels proclaimed glory to God in the highest. And here we just read that His kingdom will be forever. And all of these texts revolve around the Lord Jesus' birth. Some may think that I am drawing a false dichotomy or incorrect contrast between our thoughts of Christ and His humility or humanity and earthly ministry versus His eternal exaltation or unsurpassed glory. And I can understand your position, because there is time to spend much of our exercise of our minds contemplating the humility of Jesus Christ. As I just mentioned, how can it be? How can God become a man, if that doesn't send your mind in a loop? then you're not really getting it, right? It's an incredible reality. How can the omniscient, all-knowing God stoop down and have to learn how to be a carpenter? How can the one who is infinitely worthy of all praise and honor be rejected, despised, and even crucified. These things seem to be oxymorons, or self-contradicting, or it seems impossible, or a contradiction that God, who is in need of nothing, because He owns everything, and everything consists or continues to exist by Him, that this God could be hungry or tired, and yet Jesus Christ was hungry and tired when He lived on earth. Yet God does not get hungry and tired. These contrasts cause the unbeliever to be further driven into their unbelief, but they cause the true follower of Christ to fall down in worship and adoration of the King of Glory. Each book of the Bible gives us a high view of Christ. I think the pinnacle, or the high point, is the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. Many are fascinated and intrigued by the prophecy in the book of Revelation the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. Or in Revelation 5.13, the Bible says, And every creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I say, blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. The theme of Revelation is the theme of the whole Bible, that everything will end for the glory of Jesus Christ. And that theme must be in the forefront of our minds as we interpret every book of the Bible, that this is the message. But for the remainder of the sermon, Let's examine several texts. You'll have to excuse me. I'm not working through my sermon as I normally would. But I pray you can follow along with me there in Hebrews chapter 1. Let's look at a few texts there and contemplate the high thoughts of Jesus Christ during this time of Christmas. But there in Hebrews chapter 1 and verse number 2, the Word of God says, you can put God in there, God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds. God has spoken through Jesus Christ being born and living on this earth and completing the gospel. Or as John says, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father. full of grace and truth. Jesus Christ is the expression of the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4.6 says, For God, who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The word face here does not mean that we need to know the physical appearance of Jesus Christ, but we identify people by their face, or the clearest distinguishing mark of a person is their face. The character traits and power and words and actions of Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospels and expounded by the Apostles and the Epistles foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament, these distinguishing marks or identifiers of Christ show us the glory of God, for God has revealed Himself in the clearest picture seen in the glory of His Son. Oh, we cannot speak too much of Christ, but certainly we can speak, and I have to say we do, speak too little of Him. To have a high view of Jesus Christ will cause all our theology to be lifted to a higher level, and consequently we will be brought to greater heights of worship and it is there that we find the supreme purpose of our existence is in worshiping God. Verse 2 of Hebrews 1 goes on and says that Christ has been appointed heir of all things. This is similar to what it says in verse 6 of the same chapter in Hebrews 1. He is the first begotten Lord. Colossians 1.15, the Spirit of God wrote, Who, Jesus Christ, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. Or in Colossians 1.18, what a precious passage that is. We should have that whole section memorized or very familiar with it. Verse number 18, it says, And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence In verse 15, this term, firstborn, you see it there in your Bibles, if you have it open there, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. There this word, firstborn, is the furthest thing from making Christ one who was created. This phrase is preceded by the statement of the fact that Jesus Christ is the exact image of God, or that He possesses the very essence of God, or is God. And verses 16 and 17 say that Christ is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. The Firstborn does not speak of a point in time when He came into existence, But it speaks of His preeminence, or ownership of all things would be the best way to say it. His ownership of all things. That's what the firstborn represents. Christ Jesus is preeminently firstborn of every creature, or He existed before all creatures, He has eternally existed, and He is the heir of all things. The heir, the firstborn, or He has ownership of everything. For now it seems as if some things are outside of His possession. But one day, soon, there will be no doubt that everything is His and is for Him and is to His glory. Do you see that? Everything belongs to Christ. It only appears that it doesn't. And I agree with Abraham Kuyper when he said, There is not an inch of any sphere of life over which Jesus Christ does not say, Mine." And thank God that Christ does claim all things because He will renew them, or create the new heaven and the new earth. This sin-cursed universe will be made new by Jesus Christ, for the glory of His name, and for the eternal enjoyment of His people. What a glorious truth! Verse 3 of Hebrews 1 goes on and says, if you turn back to Hebrews chapter 1, in verse number 3, who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." We're kind of just skimming through these, and you could say a lot more, but I'll say that Jesus Christ is the very brightness of God's glory, the express image of His person, He is the brightness of God's glory, or the majesty and perfections of God radiate from Christ, as does the sun radiate its heat on a midsummer day. He is the express image of God. This description reinforces what has already been said, that Jesus Christ is the exact imprint of God, or that He has the same attributes and essence and nature as does the Father. Verse 3 continues and tells us that Christ not only created all things, but He is sustaining all things. For not one molecule of our bodies would hold together for one second if it were not for Jesus Christ holding them together. And do you know how many cells are in the human body? 35 trillion cells in the human body, and they're all working together to keep us alive by We have not one heartbeat or breath that does not come from Him. And it's amazing to think that one so glorious, and so powerful, so majestic, was connected to an umbilical cord inside of his mother, and feeding off of his mother through that cord. Isn't that just incredible to think about? And yet it is the glory of the gospel that Christ was not only God, but He was fully man. He was born as any man would be born. And yet all this majesty was contained in this man. And look with me at the end of verse 3 in chapter 1 of Hebrews, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. When He had by Himself purged our sins is in this text to further support the argument, at least in some way, that Jesus is divine or that He is God. He paid for the sins of His people. It says, by Himself. He needed no one else. He did it by Himself. What being is of such worth that His blood could atone or pay for the sins of so many? Each of us have sinned so many times, they can't be counted. And yet Christ's blood paid for every last sin of every person who believes upon Him. This is staggering to consider. The worth of Christ, the value of His blood, even through Christ's death, has unspeakable, incredibly indescribable benefit for the saints. Yet, it is not primarily for our benefit, but for His exaltation which is for our benefit, by His grace. In that common verse in Philippians 2, verses 8 and 9, where the scripture says, And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name." In completing the work of redemption, Christ is seated at the Father's right hand. Jesus Christ earned this exalted position by His completing of every command of His in Ephesians chapter 1. Taught through it a few months ago. I think I read this passage just about three weeks ago. What a great passage it is in Ephesians chapter 1 in verses 18-23, it says, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all." Boy, I think we can read that passage every week. It's so glorious. And dear saints, the riches of our inheritance in Christ is Christ. For all that He has is ours, just as all that the husband has is the bride's. The two become one. Can we even imagine all the riches at God's right hand? The right hand symbolizes the strength and favor of God. The Lord Jesus is not just above all, but He is far above all in this world and in the world that is not seen. The more that Christ is exalted in our minds the greater our hope of eternity, and the more we can live with joy in the difficulties we experience now. Do not be cheated by a small understanding and appreciation of our great God and Savior. Do not minimize Him to the manger. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. His seated position represents His completed work, where there is nothing else that needs to be done to secure our eternal reward with Him and through Him and in all that He is for us. He is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. For there is none that transcend or excel His greatness. For there can be none that are great in any sense, in any real way, I should say, outside of His greatness. All majesty or greatness or excellence or all that is good or is worthy of praise resides in Christ. Noah being, it says in our text, much more, much better than the angels. He by inheritance has obtained a more excellent name than they, in verse 4. If you just flip to Hebrews chapter 2, Hebrews 2 and verse 8, It says, "...thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet, for in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him." But now we see not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, should taste death for everyone. and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons of the glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." Christ is Lord of all, and always has been, but His glory has not always been on display to men and angels as it is now, and as it will forever be. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is and will forever radiate the perfections of God, and our worship for all eternity will continually be increased by understanding Christ in the glory of the gospel. This is why this modern, man-centered gospel is no gospel at all, and it is a disgrace to the true gospel. The puny little man-made remedy for poor victims of sin is not the gospel. It is repulsive when we understand the true message of the glory of Christ in saving undeserving sinners. The true gospel is for the glory of God, and that glory is put on full display and the more we learn of His greatness, the more we are humbled before Him, and the more our affections, or what we desire, are detached. It's Colossians 3. It's Colossians 3. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. For Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on the earth. Let us set our affections on Christ, as we consider His incarnation, as we consider Him becoming a man. Setting our affections on Christ is done by meditation on His person, fixing our thoughts on His astounding glory and what He has done for us. Only then can we find our proper, of lowliness, for we now know the way up, and the kingdom of God is down." How uplifting it is when we are humbled at the feet of our Lord Jesus. Verse 5 of Hebrews 1 says that Jesus Christ is distinguished, or set apart, from all creatures, because the Father has declared this In verse 5, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee, and again I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. Angels and men are referred to as sons of God at times, or even gods. Men are referred to as gods in Scripture. In Psalm 82, I think it is, where Christ quotes that. Christ is the only begotten Son of God. God is our Father because we have been brought into union with Christ and we are thereby called the sons of God. But only Jesus Christ is the eternally begotten Son. This we have been over before. This is called the doctrine of eternal generation. One man defined the doctrine of eternal generation. This way, he said, the doctrine of eternal generation helps us define the sonship of God the Son. Eternal generation of the Son means that from all eternity past, God the Father has begotten has begotten God the Son, so that both are eternal and equal in power, glory, and majesty, but they also coexist in a self-differentiated relationship. Or they're two persons, one God. In London Baptist Confession of Faith, it says, the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father. the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son, all infinite without beginning, therefore but one God." Or the Scripture in John 1. You could read the whole prologue there, but in John 1. It says, No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father. He hath declared Him. Christ has declared God. This cannot be said of any man or angel, but Jesus Christ is of the same self-existent substance as is the Father. has eternally existed by their own power, that has no beginning or no end. Not only no end in terms of time, but no end in terms of scope. The God cannot be measured. and to solidify or to make sure that this truth is firmly planted in our minds, the writer adds one more detail to this truth in verse 6 of Hebrews 1, And let all the angels of God worship Him, worship the Son. And if angels are commanded to worship Christ, then without a doubt, so are men. For in our sinful state we are lower than the angels that we just read. Hebrews 2.8, which is a quotation from the book of Psalms. And who can demand worship but God? Then, in case anyone missed the Holy Spirit's point, in this passage we have the crescendo, or the grand finale, or the whole idea is summarized and clarified in verse 8. But unto the Son, he saith, Hebrews chapter 1, verse 8. 8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom. This is the Father speaking to the Son, and He calls Him God. And the Father also speaks of Christ's divine throne. This is a quotation from Psalm 45.6, and it is undoubtedly a reference to the Messiah. And the fact that this is a direct quotation of a Messianic prophecy gives it that much more weight, for what God has said, He has said it twice. And who dare question God? What stronger proof can we have the glorious person of the Lord Jesus than to have the Father speak with such clarity and with such force. Men of great influence and authority may make certain declarations of what is supposed to be true, but those statements can be called into question. But who would be so foolish as to challenge the declaration of God? It was the Lord Jesus' argument Where was it in John chapter 5, where he says, I have the witness of my Father of these things. And God says that Jesus Christ is seated on a throne in heaven as God. And one day He will be seated on a throne in Jerusalem, in the throne of David, even as we read in the beginning of the sermon in Luke chapter 1, speaking of Christ's deity and His kingship, His kingdom, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever in Luke 1.33. no end. That God says that Jesus Christ is seated on the throne, and is symbolizing that He is sovereign, or there is nothing. It doesn't even symbolize it. It means that He is sovereign, right? Or there is nothing outside of His power and control and rule. And His rule is forever. And this kingdom has no end in time nor scope. And God has exalted Him in every kingdom of this world, will and must come down, no matter how great it may appear. But the kingdom of the Lord Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting, because He is Alpha, Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty. So in conclusion, as we remember the Lord Jesus in the manger during this time of year, even in just a few days, let us not belittle Him, but let us remember that the One who was so lowly on earth, in His first coming is now forever ruling and reigning. That's the whole point of it, His kingship, His lordship, that Jesus Christ is Lord. And when God reveals this to us, when God reveals to us the majesty of who He is, what happens? that we gladly want to submit to Him. We gladly want our lives to submit to this sovereign King, this gracious King, this loving Lord, who beckons us to Himself. And we lay down our arms of rebellion, and we look to the King, the One who was born in such a lowly manner. It was amazing to think about the King of Glory, who was born in Bethlehem, to ultimately rule and reign forever. and we remember Jesus Christ and proclaim Him as Lord of all, as we remember His great humiliation in coming to earth and born as a man, and not just born as any man, but born as a lowly man, born in the feeding trough of an animal, born to poor parents, and grew up in a poor town, and was a blue-collar worker, as we would say, and was a man of great lowliness, yet. It was all designed for this purpose of Him being exalted and raised to this position at the right hand of the Father in great glory and majesty. And may we remember this as we contemplate the birth of Christ during Amen. Let us pray. Father in heaven, thank you for the blessed word of God. Thank you for the Lord Jesus, oh Father, that you sent the earth. And oh Lord, thank you for your blessing of your birth and you becoming a man. How shocking it is, Lord, and yet you are God and how you have completed the gospel. Lord, might we see you in your great glory. Yes, might we consider you humiliation, what a marvel it is, and yet it points us to your glory, Lord, in your everlasting kingdom, and might these things be real and alive in our hearts today. Might we speak them to others, Lord. I pray that you would please send us forth from this place, O God, in the power of the Holy Spirit with the love of Christ in our hearts, and Lord, might we speak of him. others, I pray in Jesus' name.