In his sermon, Steve Hopkins explores the biblical account of the birth of Jesus as depicted in Luke 2:8-20, emphasizing the significance of the angelic announcement to lowly shepherds, symbolizing God's choice of the humble. The sermon reflects on the hymn 'O Come All Ye Faithful,' highlighting the call for Christians to joyfully and understandingly praise Christ, born the King of angels. Hopkins discusses the theological depth of the hymn, referencing the Nicene Creed and condemning Arianism, underscoring Christ's true divine and human nature. The sermon stresses the necessity of Christ's incarnation for reconciliation between God and man, portraying Jesus as the sole mediator. Hopkins encourages believers to see themselves as sinners in need of salvation, urging them to trust in Christ's redemptive work. He concludes by advocating for reflection on the Advent season, urging praise and adoration for Christ's mission to save humanity from sin.
If you would turn with me in your Bibles to Luke, the second chapter. If you would stand with me for the reading of the Word of the Lord, we'll read verses 8 through 20. Luke chapter 2 and verses 8 through 20. Let's read together. Most of us know this, I think, by heart.
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.
You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host 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 from them 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. And it 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 wondered at these 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." Let's pray. Father, our hearts are filled with joy and praise this afternoon as we consider the good tidings of great joy first announced by the angel to those lowly shepherds outside of Bethlehem, the good news of the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, which has also been made known unto us. And we thank you, God.
And we thank you for drawing us to your Son. And we thank you for the grace of faith to embrace Him who came into the world to live for us and who came into the world to die for us and who came into the world to rise again for us. And we ask God again that your spirit might be given in power to open our understanding and to fill our hearts with joy and Lord our mouths with joyful praise as we behold him born the king of angels Who came into the world to save us from our sins for we ask it in his holy name Amen and amen Let's be seated Our first hymn that we sang this afternoon was, O Come, All Ye Faithful. Number 151 in our Trinity hymnals. It is an anonymous Latin hymn from the 18th century to this day.
No one knows who wrote this hymn. O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels. O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him.
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 15, the apostle writes, I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. The Christian is to sing the praises of God from the heart, guided by the Spirit of God, and with understanding. We're to be understanding the things that we're singing. Our theology should always be weaved throughout our hymnology, and we should be awakened to the truths that are being revealed in the words that we're singing, in our minds ever engaged with the truths that we're singing, that are being sung.
The call of this particular hymn in our hymn was on page 151, Oh come all ye faithful, is a call to the faithful, to all the faithful in Christ Jesus, to behold Him who was born the King of angels, to put ourselves as it were back in Bethlehem, and to remember the lowly appearance of our Lord in that stable so long ago. Truly things which are despised of men have God chosen, as the Apostle Paul also says. When we sing, we remember the shepherds, as if we were there, we put ourselves back in that time, and our memories take us back, and we remember the shepherds abiding in their fields as we read in the text earlier, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And how the announcement comes not to princes and to kings, not to the rich and not to the mighty, but to poor shepherds, to men of low estate. Surely, again as Paul says, God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
The angelic announcement to the shepherds is the announcement that has long been awaited by the people of Israel. It is the announcement awaited by Israel of their long awaited Messiah, and it comes to these shepherds. Christ will be born in the city of David. He'll be born in the city of David just as the prophet foretold in Micah chapter 5 in verse 2. Turn there with me for just a moment and let's look at these words.
And again when we sing this hymn again, we'll be able to sing with understanding. Christ was born in Bethlehem of Judea, just as the prophets foretold. Micah 5 in verse 2 says, But thou, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, even from everlasting." In other words, it's a proclamation that Christ is coming, the Messiah is coming, He's going to be born in the city of David in Bethlehem, just as God has said through the prophet Micah, and he's going to be a deity. His goings forth have been from of old, even from everlasting. This is the Son of God who will be born.
It is good tidings, good tidings of great joy. Good tidings of great joy have been announced that would be not only to them, but to people all over the world, even unto us. The Christ has been born, not only the Savior of Israel, but the Savior of the world. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. When we sing, we remember the angel is suddenly joined with a triumphant multitude of the heavenly host.
The announcement by one and then joined by a multitude of the angelic armies of heaven. That's what the word hosts means, armies. And they're saying, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." That phrase is literally where it says, peace on earth or on earth peace, goodwill toward men, is literally peace on them upon whom God's favor rests. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace on them upon whom God's favor rests. Glory to God in the highest.
And on earth, peace on them upon whom God's favor rests. The call of this hymn is to the faithful everywhere to remember and as I said to put themselves as it were back in time, back in Bethlehem and to lift their voices in praise, along with the hosts of heaven, in joyful and triumphant praise, and to look on Him, to remember Him, to look on Him, to behold Him who was born the King of angels, the King of heaven and earth. The hymn says, Oh come let us adore him, Oh come let us adore him, Oh come let us adore him, Christ the Lord. Verse two goes on. It's one of my favorite verses in all of the hymns that we have in our Trinity hymnal.
Verse 2 goes on. We sang it earlier, God of God, light of light. Lo, he abhors not the virgin's womb, very God begotten, not created." The wording is straight out of the Nicene Creed, that ancient creed that was born out of controversy in the year of our Lord 325, when a not-so-scholarly scholar and presbyter by the name of Arius began to teach what has come to be known as the Aryan heresy. He taught that there was a time when Christ was not. He taught that though Jesus was godlike, he was not truly God.
That Jesus was just a created being, that he was made by the Father before the Father made anything else. Arianism was condemned at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, Anno Domini, the year of our Lord, 325. And thus the wording of the Nicene Creed goes like this, we believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten of God." Begotten here means of the same essence. He is the only nature born Son of God. We're all children by adoption.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, of his Father before all worlds. God of God, here's these words, God of God, light of light, very God of very God, that is truly God and true God of true God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made." Close quote. Verse 3 continues the call to praise, and look at the word exaltation. So, exaltation sounds a lot like exaltation, and we kind of get the two words I guess mixed up sometimes but though the word sounds similar exultation carries a different meaning. To exalt is to lift up.
To exalt is to rejoice in triumph. So exalt is to lift up. We exalt the Lord our God, We exalt Christ our King, we exalt, but we also exalt, we rejoice in triumph. We rejoice in the triumph that has come to us and has come to the world. Exultation, according to Webster, is, quote, lively joy at success or victory.
And of course, the victory here is the incarnation of the Son of God, that Christ has come in the flesh, that God the Son has taken on a human nature. And as the God-man, truly God, and truly man in one person has begun to dwell among men. It is cause for praise and exaltation, and it is praise for exaltation, to rejoice in the triumph. And so he goes on, sing choirs of angels, sing in exaltation. Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above, Glory to God in the highest.
The call is to sing the praises of God at the remembrance of the incarnation of the Son of God along with the angels of heaven. O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him. O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Verse four continues the theology, this biblical Christology.
Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning. Jesus, to thee be glory given. Some versions of the hymn say all glory given. Either way, The idea is equal glory with the Father and the Spirit as the second person of the Holy Trinity. To Jesus be glory given, equal glory to the Father, being co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
And then these words, word of the Father, now in flesh appearing, or that means as of late in flesh appearing. Some versions say now in flesh appearing, late in flesh appearing, it means of late in flesh appearing, now in flesh appearing. The word of the Father, this comes directly from John chapter one, verse 14, where the apostle John speaking by the Spirit says, and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, that is, the only eternally begotten of the Father, the only Son of the Father by nature, the only begotten of the same essence as the Father. Brothers and sisters, at Christmas, Christians all over the world are celebrating the incarnation, the enfleshment, the Word being made flesh, the incarnation of the eternal Son of God.
Why is this important? Why is it so important that, why did this have to happen? You know, when I'm preaching on the streets, I'll commonly refer to the passage where Jesus said, I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life, and no man comes to the Father, but through me. Jesus isn't just a way, He isn't just a truth, He isn't just a way to life. He is the way, the only way, the truth, the only truth, and the only life, the only way to God.
For God to be reconciled to man, and for man to be reconciled to God, there had to be a mediator between God and man who was true God and true man. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The only way was through one who is true God and true man in one person. 1 Timothy 2, 5 says, for there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. God the Son took on flesh to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Without His coming, there was no way for God to be reconciled to man and man to be reconciled to God. There could be no reconciliation without a God-man. So God the Son comes from heaven to earth. He takes on flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary by an operation of the Holy Spirit, and he comes on a mission to do for his people what his people could not do for themselves, what we could not do for ourselves. In the words of R.C.
Sproul, he lived a life we could not live, and die the death we couldn't die. Close quote, Only a God-man, only one who is true God and true man could live a perfect and a holy life. And only one who is true God and true man could die the death that Christ died, which was of infinite value and covered all the sins of all his people who would ever live. Only one who is true God and true man could do this. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
He lived a life we couldn't live. He died a death we couldn't die. And because he's risen, we will all rise again. In 1 Timothy 1.15, Paul writes these words, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This is the purpose of the advent of Christ, the first advent.
Christ is coming again. This is the purpose for the coming of Christ into the world. Christ Jesus came into the world on a mission to save his people from their sins, and he accomplished the mission for which he came into the world. But that's not all that that passage says. It's that passage that says, you know, this is a saying that's worthy of all that acceptation.
Everyone needs to accept this, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. The call of the Gospel is, repent and believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. God commands all men everywhere to repent and believe on His name. The passage goes on to say, Christ Jesus, this is the Apostles Paul speaking, came into the world to save sinners. It's a saying worthy of all acceptation.
Everyone should accept this. Everyone must believe this, in other words, to be reconciled to God. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And then Paul says, of whom I am chief. Of whom I am chief.
Paul saw himself as the worst of all sinners, and every true believer feels a similar way about himself or herself. Every true believer, when they look at their own life, they consider the things that they've done in their life, they consider the things that they've said in their lifetime, They consider the thoughts that they've thought in their lifetime. They feel a similar way as the apostle Paul felt. They feel a similar way about themselves. It's a humbling thing when we see our hearts as they are for the first time, and it's a gift from God.
It's a gift from God to see ourselves as we truly are. How do you see yourself? Was there a time when, like the apostle Paul, you began to see yourself not only as a sinner, but as the chief of sinners in comparison to others? It's a great gift. Remember the self-righteous religious guy in Jesus' day?
What does he say? He thanks God he's not like other people. He thanks God that he's not like even a guy that he sees weeping for his sins. He looks at others and He thanks God that He's not like even a guy that He sees weeping for his sins. He looks at others and He thanks God that He's not like them.
The true believer looks at others and sees himself as a chief of sinners. How or why? The justified man sees himself as a chief of sinners when in comparison to others, because he knows somewhat of his own heart. And he has a memory. He knows the things that he's thought and the things that he said and the things that he's done in his lifetime.
Others don't. Only God truly sees the heart of man, but he knows somewhat of his own heart. And so he humbly cries to God for mercy. Like the text collector in Jesus' parable, he beats on his chest, he says, God, be merciful to me a sinner. The person who has never really known Him, they don't really see themselves in that light.
They don't see themselves really as that bad. There's always condemnation on their lips for others, and especially when they compare others to themselves, well, I'm not as bad as this person. You did this, you did that. This person did this to me, this person did that to me. They can fully see the sins of others.
And in comparison to themselves, they're like that very religious man who's looking down on a penitent sinner, who's humbled himself before God, and whom God says went home to his house justified. And the inference is that the proud man is not justified. He doesn't go home to his house justified. The proud man who sees himself as good and others as a lot less good or evil. It doesn't go home to his house justified.
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I'm chief. That's our statement. Here's my statement of faith. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners like me, and I'm the worst. That's my statement of faith.
What's your statement of faith? The Word has been made flesh and dwelt among us, praise God. Jesus Christ has come into the world to save sinners. He that denies that Christ has come in the flesh is antichrist, the word says. But our Lord has come, He's come into the world, He's come into the world to save sinners, He has appeared to save sinning man.
The Word has been made flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Let us sing with understanding and with the Spirit and with humble hearts and with joyful hearts, when we consider what God has done for us in sending His Son into the world to save people like us, who could not save themselves. Oh, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. Our second hymn this afternoon was God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, someplace this English traditional Christmas carol at about 500 years old.
Again, as with O come all ye faithful, God rest ye merry gentlemen. The author is not known. The person who wrote the hymn is unknown. No one, there's no, if you look in your Trinity hymn, you won't see the author up to the left there. The writer of the hymn bids the Christian to rest in the person and in the work of Christ.
You know, when we come to see ourselves as we are, it disturbs us. But we're called to rest. We're called to rest in the person of the work of Christ. The hymn goes on to say, let nothing you dismay. To dismay, Webster says, is to discourage or to dishearten, to sink or depress the spirits.
Can also mean to terrify. Let nothing cause you to be discouraged or disheartened or to sink low or to be depressed in your spirit or to be terrified. The Christian needs not be discouraged or disheartened. Our spirits are not intended to sink or to go about depressed or terrified. The writer bids us to rest, to remember again that Christ has come into the world and the purpose for which He was born.
To save us all, to save us, to save us all, to save all His people, to save us all from Satan's power, from the power of the enemy of our souls. In Acts 26, 18, we read the writer of the book of Acts, Luke, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me, that is in Jesus Christ. To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, Jesus came, and from the power of Satan to God. This is what the hymnist is talking about. To save us all from Satan's power.
The power of Satan can't hold us. The power of Satan can't condemn us. Christ has delivered us, and Satan's legal power to condemn us has been taken away. The hymn goes on, to save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray. To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray.
It's saying even though we were gone astray. It's referring to Isaiah 53, 6, where the prophet says, "'All we like sheep have gone astray. "'Every one of us has turned. "'We have turned every one to his own way.'" That's true of every one of us. We've turned everyone to his own way.
That's true of every one of us. We've turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. We've all gone astray. Every one of us who has been graciously brought to the saving knowledge of Christ.
We look at our lives, we look at ourselves and we say, I was a sheep gone astray. I turned to my own way. I know what I deserve. But praise God, the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all to save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray, even though we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3 23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Come short, far short of the requirement of God for a perfect life, which was fulfilled alone by Christ. Remember Christ our Savior, says. Remember Christ our Savior that He was born on this day, that He came into the world, that Christ, the anointed of God, our Savior, which His very name means, Jesus means the salvation of Jehovah, God. Our Savior has come into the world and the purpose for which He was born to save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray, O tidings of comfort and joy, to comfort and joy. When we were, when we, as the apostle Paul was on the road to Damascus when we are awakened to our lost and to our dreadful condition, to that place where we see ourselves as we are in reality, offenders of God and breakers of God's law, sinners and worthy of God's castigation and eternal damnation.
When we see ourselves as we are in reality, as I said a moment ago, chief of sinners, then and only then can we look upon Christ Jesus and embrace Him in faith. Until someone once said, until we've heard the bad news and fully grasped it, the good news doesn't really sound like good news. First we have to see ourselves as we are in reality. Then the good news is really good. And we can look upon Christ and embrace Him in faith who came into the world to save sinners so that in the words of Calvin, being lost in ourselves, we may receive salvation from Him.
I'm going to close out here. We have other hymns that I want to look at in our next session next week. We'll continue to look at the theology of the hymns of Christmas. For now, remember the purpose for which the Son of God came into the world and rejoice at His coming. And I just encourage you to open your Bibles and read the passages of Scripture that deal with the advent of Christ and meditate on them and to open your hymnals and read the hymns of Christmas, and be encouraged.
Be encouraged, and be encouraged by the theology that is presented in these timeless hymns. Praise God we have them. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy. Let's pray. Father, truly you have put down the mighty from their seats and exalted those of low degree.
You filled the hungry with good things and the rich you've sent away empty even this day. Oh Lord, help us God to trust Jesus, to rest in the person and work of your Son. Let nothing us dismay. Let nothing discourage or dishearten or sink us, or our spirits or terrify us, Lord. Help us to, on the other hand, or in opposite of that, be encouraged and be heartened because Christ came into the world to save sinners like us and he accomplished the mission for which he came into the world.
Came into the world to save sinners and he accomplished the mission for which he came into the world. To save us from the power of the enemy of our souls, to save us from the just penalty, do us because of our sins, to save us from the wrath of God, which we all deserve. Christ came into the world, and we thank you, Lord, that He came into the world 2, 000 years ago, and that He lived a life we couldn't live, died a death we couldn't die, that we might be reconciled to You, God, by the God-man, Jesus our Savior and our Lord and our King, that we might be reconciled to you and be ushered into your presence one day, forever, with rejoicing and great joy. Thank you, Lord, for this truth. Thank you for Christ our Savior.
Thank you that Jesus came into the world to save sinners like us. And now help us God as we approach this table set apart from all others and eat of that bread and drink of that cup showing Christ died for us Lord. Help us Lord to just feed on Christ by faith, to truly trust in Him and Him alone, and let nothing us dismay, for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.