“The Glory of God’s Good Works”

Scripture text: Luke 2:1-20

With all of the thoughts being offered as to what Christmas should, or shouldn’t, mean to the world, have you ever wondered just what it might have meant to God?

From an article in Perspectives, "Is this the birth of the most wanted child in the world or the most unwanted child in the world; was this the birth of the most unexpected child; the most dangerous child; the most needed child in the world." --Perspectives,
November 1995, 24

Non Christians, and I dare say especially atheists, would probably agree with all of the negatives, while Christians would claim the positives. But perhaps Jesus was all of these things for the people of earth. From God’s perspective, though, I believe that this was the birth of the most promised and glorious child in all the world – the culmination of promises given throughout the ages! Just think of all the prophesy that surrounds this day:

Isaiah 7:14-16 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel…..”
Isaiah 9:6-7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…..”
Daniel 7:13-14 “..I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was let into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power, all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him…”
Daniel 9:25-26 “From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty two ‘sevens…”
Micah 2:13 (The prophet is speaking of deliverance) – “One who breaks open the way will go up before them…”
Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Malachi 3:1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me, Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come….”
Luke 1:30-33 - Gabriel’s message to Mary

For over 700 years, God had been promising the people that Messiah was on the way – and He didn’t tell them just once, but over and over. Now, while God is timeless, and we like to think that He is devoid of all emotion, this great plan had been in place since before creation, and I don’t see how the Lord could possibly have been taking the culmination of this phase of His plan calmly. This radical departure from everything that humanity had known, or at least had thought about their God, was about to turn the world upside down. The sacrifices that were made by people of nearly every nation would soon loose their importance. The purpose of all the Laws that everyone knew were required in this life would soon be completely changed. The “arms length” relationship between the masses and God would soon become an everlasting embrace.

How could our Lord God Almighty not give a hardy “Yes!”?

Oh, He knew that the next phase would involve living intimately with the people, that Jesus would be teaching things that would be so very hard to accept and that many would not accept, that God Messiah would have to live 30 years in the flesh, experiencing all of the struggles and pains and temptations that humanity did, and that the next phase would cause such agony for them both that it would be nearly unbearable.

But for now, this entry of God into the physical world could be nothing short of absolute joy! We hear that joy in the words of the angel – “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people .. a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
God with us – Immanuel! The plan had been set in motion and there was nothing that could stop it. God had been anticipating this day for millennia, and the prophet Jeremiah may have very well have been speaking of this when he related Yahweh’s words (29:11-14)“’I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.”

God has a glorious plan, and it has to give Him great joy to see us “call upon Him”, to “come to Him”, “to pray to Him”, “to seek Him” and “to find Him”.” We can no longer say with any truth or certainty that God doesn’t understand us, or our situation, or our life, or our temptations, because He has lived them – every single one of them.

Harry R. Boer writes “The Point of Christmas, is that the simplest soul [is told] that God understands him. It tells us that God identifies with our problems, sorrows, hopes, frustrations, joys. God knows them not because God made us, not because God is all-knowing, but because God became a simple soul. God became a human being. God who is the ever-blest second Person of the Trinity, became a person.
--The Reformed Journal, December 1975, 2.

God has given us a gift that is unlike any other. He has given Himself, and we can do nothing to prove our worth of that gift – we can only accept it. And that is what will give our Lord the greatest joy this Christmas season – to see our wide eyed amazement when we discover the blessings that come in receiving His Good Work!