Title: The Pain of the Nativity of Jesus
2013. 12. 1 Sunday morning worship service
Bible: Luke 2:34-35
Title: The Pain of the Nativity of Jesus
The season of Christmas is more enjoyed by unbelievers than by Christians. In any case, it is true that Jesus came to save the world and became a day of great joy on earth. However, at least believers who know Jesus properly should know the story of Jesus' Christmas and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.
First of all, December 25th, the date of Christmas, has no biblical basis. Before the 4th century, January 6 was considered the date of birth, but in AD 354 Pope Liberius declared the feast of the sun god (Mithra, the god of Egyptian worship) as the birthday of Jesus, and it became December 25 (in the 6th century, Confirmed by the Roman theologian Dionysius (533). Our Korean church has been celebrating Christmas since 1885 when missionaries arrived.
1. Bringing Salvation and Judgment at Christmas
Christmas, when Jesus Christ appeared in the world, cannot be regarded as just a joyous event. Listening to all the words of the Bible requires a reverent attitude. We are happy to be saved, but we also need to think about repenting for that salvation.
Luke 2:34 “Simeon … said, ‘Behold, this is set up to be a sign that many in Israel will be defeated or multiplied, and that they will be slandered’.
It means that there are people who will be saved by believing in Jesus, and there are people who will be judged by slandering Jesus. The gospel is the gospel to those who accept it and the message of judgment to those who reject it.
In the course of history that this gospel idea came to the world and spread, there were always pros and cons.
John 15:20 “If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they have kept my word, they will keep yours as well.”
When the apostles preached the gospel,
1) Acts 2:37 “When they heard these words, they were pierced in their hearts… Brothers, what shall we do?”
2) Acts 7:54 “When they heard these words, they were pierced in their hearts and gnawed their teeth at him.” They stoned Stephen and killed him.
2. The Christmas of Jesus is a great pain for you and your family
Luke 2:35 “And a sword will pierce your heart, so that the thoughts of the hearts of many may be revealed.”
The advent of Jesus aims to uncover the darkness of all the sins and their misery that have covered the world and bring them to repentance. For this reason, for the parents who gave birth to the baby, there was the absurdity of being conceived by the Holy Spirit from the time Mary was conceived, and the urgent evacuation of about 120 kilometers to Egypt at night to escape Herod's murder immediately after birth. When he succeeded in making him worse than his father, he received instructions again and fled to a town called Nazareth to live. From the beginning of his public life, Jesus had to suffer persecution. Finally, as Simeon had prophesied, they had to suffer the pain of great grief as if a sword were stabbed in the hearts of their parents.
For example, if we have a precious descendant in our family, and there is a plan from our superiors that this child is born and is destined to die for a great cause, can the whole family treat the baby with only joy on the day of the birth? It would be nice to raise them, but in the end, if you had a promise to die at the age of 33 for some big thing, how would you feel?
Matthew 20:28 “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Let us think of Jesus who came after Christmas.
What does Christmas mean to us? Let's recognize the pain of missions that we must spread with joy in our lives, born again with the gospel, and welcome the Lord born in our hearts with reverence, not just joy, like other people.