First Noel
We just sang the song The First Noel. The first line says:
The First Noel, the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
Noel is French for Christmas. So what was the first Noel that the angels did say? The answer is found 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. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 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. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 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.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 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 is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them (Luke 2:1-20).
Why Good News?
The virgin Mary gave birth to her first son, Jesus. He was born in Bethlehem (and all of this was predicted in the Old Testament – Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2). What was the main message the angel told the shepherds? The angel told them that he had good news; that the Savior, Christ the Lord is born.
Why is this good news? Because we all need a Savior. Each and every one of us have sinned against God. The bad news is that the soul that sins, it shall die. The wages of sin is death. None of us are righteous or good on our own. We’ve all lied, lusted, coveted and created false gods at one time or another. Even atheists make false gods. Their false god of there is no god, is their false god. We have all broken the 10 Commandments. We have all fallen short of the glory of God.
This is why we need good news. It’s why the angel told the shepherds the good news on that first Noel – the first Christmas. This is why we come out here and share the Good News with you. We live in a fallen world. We live in a world that is dying. I went to another funeral this week. We all have an appointment with death. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
We All Have An Appointment To Keep
We have this appointment to keep one day. Ecclesiastes 9:2-3 says: All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. 3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Every one of us was born to die. We all have a sinful nature. We have all sinned against God and there is nothing that you can do on your own to change that. You can’t bribe God. You cannot earn salvation. You can’t simply do more good than bad. You can’t stop the appointment with death that is coming your way.
You Can Be Made Right With God
But you can be made right with God. Your sins can be forgiven. That’s the good news the angel was talking about. A Savior has been born! Jesus was fully God and fully man. He was born of the virgin Mary. Christlived a perfect sinless life. The Messiah never sinned; not one time. Yet, He died as though He was a guilty criminal, even though He had never sinned! Jesus is the only Savior. He is the only sacrifice acceptable to God for guilty sinners like you and me. Only Jesus can save you because He is the only one who died to take away the sins of the world. 1 John 2:2: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
Jesus took the punishment that you and I deserve. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (1 Peter 2:24). God poured His righteous indignation, His righteous wrath out upon His owns sinless Son so that we could be seen as guiltless instead of guilty before God. It is the great exchange. The sinless for the sinful. The perfect sacrifice for imperfect sinners. The Just for the unjust. Jesus suffered, bled and died on the cross so that we could be made right, righteous before God. Not for any righteousness of our own, but through His righteousness alone.
Only Jesus Saves
Only Jesus saves and He saves through repentance and faith. You must repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus Christ. Don’t think that you have to (or that you even can) clean yourself up. You cannot make yourself righteous. You can be saved when God draws you to Himself through the power of the Holy Spirit. You can be saved when you admit that you cannot save yourself. When you confess and forsake your sins. When you cry out for Jesus to save you. When you surrender your life completely to Him.
This is why the angel brought good tidings of great joy. You can be saved. You can be cleansed from your sins. The wrath of God no longer has to abide upon you because Jesus gave His life as a ransom for many. In order to reach that point where He died on the cross saying with His last breath “It is finished”, Jesus had to be born. And born He was. Gloriously born to the virgin Mary a little over 2,000 years ago. Even the angels rejoiced that sinful people had a Savior who could take away their sins.
Easiest and Hardest Thing You Will Ever Do
Oh, but you must receive the most amazing gift, the greatest present of all time. It is the hardest and easiest thing that you will ever do (if you ever do it). If God is calling you right now, if He is convicting you over your sins and revealing the glory of Jesus to you, then all you have to do is cry out for Him to save you. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. That’s the easy part. Just as easy as a drowning man stops fighting and allows the life guard to pull him to safety.
But at the same time it is the hardest thing you will ever do. We all have a sinful nature. We are all independent and we don’t want anyone telling us what to do. Repenting and surrendering your life to Jesus is hardest thing that you will ever do (if you indeed ever really do it).
Because it is hard to admit that you are a sinner in need of salvation. It’s hard to swallow your pride and admit that you need help. It’s hard recognize that you were bought with a great price. That from the day you are saved and forever through all of eternity, you are no longer your own. You were purchased by the blood of Jesus. Our Lord said that you should count the cost before you become a Christian. Are you willing to deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Jesus daily? Are you willing to count the cost?
Are You Willing To Giving Up…
This means that you will have to give up going to the bars. It means giving up your sinful sexual relations that are an abomination to God. Yes, it means giving up pornography, raunchy tv shows and godless movies. It means giving up drugs or some other vice that you live your life for. Oh, it costs you to receive this gift that is freely offered.
Are you willing to really surrender your life to Jesus? If so, then we bring you good tidings of great joy tonight. You can be saved. You can have your name written in the Lamb’s book of life. You can receive everlasting life. You can become a brother or sister to us in our Lord Jesus.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).
Cry Out To The Savior
Call upon the precious name of Jesus and be saved. Cry out to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Cry out to the one who was born in a manager, lived a perfect life and took the punishment that you deserved. Cry out to Jesus and be saved. Repent and put your trust in Jesus – the Savior. Receive eternal life. This could be the best Christmas you will ever have, if you receive the good news of the first Noel. Submit your life to the Savior.
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on December 23, 2016)