He Will Save His People…

12-21-25

Hoonah-Hadley

Matthew 1:18-25

Call to Worship Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

Daily Verse Matthew 1:21

He Will Save His People…

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sin.” Should wisdom prevail today, we might just stand in awe and Holy splendor at this verse until it is received in the purpose for which it was sent. As Mary “was found with child of the Holy Spirit”, and, “for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit”, so it is with us that the dear Christ might enter in, in and only through the Holy Spirit. We can jump up and down, sing “What Child Is This”, pray, preach, decorate trees, exchange gifts, pack up the kids, head to grandma’s one more time, watch Rudolph, the Grinch and it’s A Wonderful Life with Jimmy Steward for the 76th time, but until the Holy Spirit moves in us, is conceived in us, received by us, we’ll never really grasp, live in light of the reason for the season. When we come to the knowledge of the truth that “He will save His people”, that we are “His people”, that the celebration of this birth is our salvation, then and only then will our hearts ring out “God rest you mer-ry, gen-tle-men; Let noth-ing you dismay. Re-mem-ber Christ, our Sav-ior, Was born on Christ-mas day, To save us all from Sa-tan’s pow’r When we were gone a-stray. O tidings of com-fort and joy, com-fort and joy! O tid-ings of com-fort and joy!” Let us not pass another Christmas, cut down another tree, until all the clamor of the world becomes in our hearts a “Si-lent night! Ho-ly night! All is calm, all is bright” and unto to each of us “Christ the Sav-ior is born!” Let us not rest until our Savior becomes our Lord and we can sleep in heavenly peace.

-2-

We have before us this morning the account of the single most profound event in human history, not withstanding Calvary and the empty tomb. We have all the elements necessary for a wonderful life. We have the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We have angels, a miracle and “a just man.” We have a dream, a Savior, and God with us. We have Mary, Joseph, who did what he was told. We have Jesus. Christmas won’t mean a thing if this child doesn’t find a home in us. The day will come and go, another dead tree at the curb, the annual trip back to the mall to return the gift that didn’t fit, the blow-up Grinch gets unplugged, stuffed in a box and put away where moth and rust corrupt. Soon we turn our attention to the clock striking 12, the ball dropping in Times Square and pray, hope 2026 will be our year. The gift is ever before us, wise men still seek Him, He is still saving lives, but a gift is only a gift if it is received. Our prayer this morning to the giver of life, the Savior of our souls, the one who knew us before the foundation of the world, “Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by Your daily visitation that Your Son Jesus Christ, at His coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for Himself.” Will there be room at your inn? Will He find in us a mansion, a dwelling place to abide, or will He find and old shed stuffed full of worthless, lifeless idols? The stage is set, all the main characters are in place. We can preach on a host of topics, we can invest our time in Mary, Joseph, angels or dreams, all worthy subjects, but not today, not while we are on God’s dime. Today, we have Jesus. The name of Jesus is honey in the mouth, a melody in the ear and joy in the heart. Spurgeon, “So inexpressibly fragrant is the name of Jesus that it imparts a delicious perfume to everything which comes in connection with it.” The name came from God, carried along by angels, given to Joseph to be made a household word among common people.

-3-

Matthew wastes no time in exposing the purpose for which he came. The New Testament begins, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ…” The Gospel according to Matthew is a spiritual book, complimenting the other gospels, working together to offer Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word, to all generations, to us today. Chapter 1:1-17 is the genealogy of the King, it is the recorded, historical fact, evidence that publishes its own verdict. We are not here to prove anything, but to glorify our King, Jesus Christ, but we will give you verse 17 to consider and do with as you like. “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until Christ are fourteen generations.” God’s plan and purpose are perfect in every way, leaving us in awesome wonder. Our lesson begins in vs. 18 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows…” Let us just pause for a moment and consider the stress we put on birthdays, yours and mine. What a big deal we make of and to what great lengths do we celebrate grandma’s birthday. Many of us still have the certificate with our little footprints to prove it. Our mannerisms, behavior, character and our parents’ thumb prints on the certificate prove we are indeed a chip off the old block. In a sense, that is what Matthew is telling us here, that Jesus Christ is His Father’s Son. It is the only birth in human history that ends in an empty tomb. There is no other birth that calms the sea, sheds light on the darkness, heals the sick, raises the dead, gives sight to the blind, forgives sin, finds the lost, comforts the broken hearted, redeems the wayward soul, and, among other things, prepares a place of eternal rest and glory for a chosen people. It is a gift that cannot be found in a box under a tree, but in a broken and contrite heart, elected, called, predestined before time began.

-4-

A Charlie Brown Christmas made its debut Dec. 9th 1965, an American animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M Schulz. In it Charlie Brown finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. Lucy suggest he direct a Christmas play, he accepts her proposal, chooses a puny Christmas tree as the centerpiece and is ridiculed by all the cast members. Charlie Brown confesses to Linus his depression, concluding he doesn’t really know the true meaning of Christmas. He becomes even more discouraged by his observations of Christmas’ commercialism. Snoopy decorates his dog house for a contest, Sally asks him to write a greedy letter to Santa on her behalf. Being scorned for the little tree, the cast walking away laughing, Charlie Brown asks “Does anyone know what Christmas is all about?” Linus VanPelt says “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about”. Linus walks to center stage, asks for a spotlight and begins to recite the King James Version of the annunciation to the shepherds in Luke 2:8-14. “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 around 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 Saviour, which is Christ the Lord…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, good will towards men.” The name of Jesus is the beginning of hope and the end of despair. It banishes fear. “He will save His people from their sins.” God commissioned His Son to save souls, “He will” is His guarantee. Your silent night, holy night depends on it. Amen.