Hark, The Herald Angels Sing (Hymn)

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Charles Wesley (1739)

Hark!  The herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Refrain
Hark!  The herald angels sing,Glory to the newborn King!

Christ, by highest Heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.

Refrain

Hail the heavenly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Refrain

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

Refrain

Adam’s likeness, now efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.

Refrain

I know that Christmas is over now, but “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” is probably my favorite Christmas hymn, so I had to put it in.  There is more deep doctrine in this hymn than we can find in most Christmas sermons around the country this Christmas season.  Every verse is powerful and it is a joy to sing.  I only wish we would sing Christmas hymns all year long!

 

Christmas

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.  (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  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: )  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  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.  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 Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye 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, good will toward men.

Luke 2:1-14

This might be the day after Christmas, but let us live in the light of the Christmas story all year long.  Let us always remember and be thankful for our Saviour!

Christmas From Matthew, Pt. 12

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,  And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 

Matthew 2:3-6

In this last post from the Christmas story in the book of Matthew, we will look at a mistake that the people in the time of Jesus made and a mistake that the people in our time make.  When Herod asked the chief priests and scribes where Christ would be born, they immediately told him.  He would be born in Bethlehem.  They were even able to quote the exact passage of Scripture.

But they weren’t looking for Him.

They knew the stories.  They knew the prophecies.  They knew all of the things about the Saviour, but they were not looking for Him.  They were even the chief priests and the scribes.  They were the ones who should have been looking for Him and preparing the way for Him.  They should have been telling everyone else about Him and His coming.

But they weren’t even paying attention.

How descriptive of our society is that?  Everyone knows all about Christmas.  Everyone knows the story of the baby Jesus and has seen dozens of manger scenes.  Everyone knows the words to “Silent Night” and “Away in the Manger.”  Many people might even be able to say a few of the famous Christmas verses.  But are they really paying attention?  Do they really care?

We have Christmas in our heads, but do we have it in our hearts?

 

Christmas From Matthew, Pt. 11

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.  And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,  And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 

Matthew 2:3-6

In this passage in the book of Matthew, there is one small part of the story of Herod and the wise men that I had never noticed before this year.  We all know that when Herod heard about the coming King, he was angry.  We all know what Herod did to try to eliminate this newborn King.  But what I had never noticed was this verse: “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”  “…and all Jerusalem with him.”

Herod wasn’t the only one troubled by the thought of another King of the Jews.  “All Jerusalem with him” was troubled.  They were likely living well in the regional capital and probably didn’t want anything or anyone coming in and disturbing their routine.  They probably didn’t want anyone rocking the boat.

It wasn’t just Herod who was disturbed at the coming King.  It was all of the people around him, too.  The two ways in which people respond to the coming of Jesus cannot be more clear: there were those excited about his coming and who worshipped Him, and then there were those who were troubled at His coming.  Hopefully, we find ourselves in the correct group during this Christmas season!

Christmas From Matthew, Pt. 10

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.  When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.  And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Matthew 1:7-12

In this part of the Christmas story in the book of Matthew, we find a different reaction to Christmas that we are used to seeing.  Usually, people respond positively to Christmas, even people who do not know the Lord Jesus.  But there are those who hate Christmas, people who hate everything it is and everything for which it stands.

Herod was one of those people.  He thought that he was the “king of the Jews.”  Hearing of another “King of the Jews” made him nervous, and even filled him with a jealous rage.  He went so far as to issue a commandment that all of the male children in the area were to be killed, not sparing any.  It is a horrible thought to contemplate – hating the coming of Jesus so much that he was willing to kill many, many innocent babies.

Today, there are those who want to rule their own lives.  They do not want to submit to Jesus.  And those people, like Herod, hate the thought of Christmas.  They might not mind the presents and the lights and the festivities of Christmas, but they hate the true meaning of it.  Let us pray for those “Herods” around us this Christmas season, that they would come to know the Saviour – the true meaning of Christmas!

 

Silent Night (Hymn)

Silent Night
Joseph Mohr (1818)

Silent Night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child,
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus Lord at Thy birth.

Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

To me, this is the classic Christmas hymn and it always makes me think of my Grandma as it was her favorite Christmas carol.  It has been translated in numerous languages and has been a blessing to people at Christmas time for nearly two hundred years.  I once read an article about it that said that during the Christmas truce in World War I, the French, English and German soldiers all sang this song together, as it was the only one they all knew.  “Christ the Savior is born.”  That is what Christmas is all about!

 

Christmas From Matthew, Pt. 9

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Matthew 1:20, 24-25

In this telling of the Christmas story from the book of Matthew, we have already looked at Joseph and his character.  He was a good man who was engaged to a good woman.  But today, we will look at one thing that the Bible mentions that he did.

“Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him…”  Joseph simply did as he was told.  He was a good man and he was a thinking man, but all of that would have gone out the window had he ignored the angel’s advice.  Even after seeing and hearing the angel, he still could have rejected Mary.  But he did not.  He did as he was told.

At Christmas, we (rightly) look to the Lord Jesus.  We see Him everywhere and are constantly reminded of Him and His coming to earth for us.  But in all of our thinking about the Lord Jesus and in all of our worshipping the Lord Jesus, how are we doing at simply doing what He tells us to do?

It is not enough to simply acknowledge Jesus.  We need to obey Him.  It is not enough to simply decorate our houses with manger scenes and sing Christmas carols.  We need to dedicate ourselves to wholly follow and obey Him, just as Joseph did!

 

Christmas From Matthew, Pt. 8

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Matthew 1:20-23

As we look at the Christmas story from the book of Matthew, we see many different specific things about the birth of Jesus.  All of those things were done specifically “…that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet…”

There are many prophecies in the Old Testament about the coming of the Saviour.  All of those prophecies had to be fulfilled perfectly.  If they were not all fulfilled perfectly, it would cast doubt on the entire Old Testament.  If one prophecy were wrong, what else might be wrong?  If one prophecy went unfulfilled, what still future prophecy might go unfulfilled?  If the prophecies surrounding Jesus’ birth, life and death were even a little off, it would cast a serious doubt on the entire Bible.  Fortunately, none of them were wrong, none of them went unfulfilled, and none of them were even a “little off.”  They were all fulfilled, and they were all fulfilled perfectly.

We can rejoice in the Saviour this year at Christmas because we can have complete confidence in the Word of God.  It is perfect and we rest in it!

Christmas From Matthew, Pt. 7

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Matthew 1:20-23

As we look at the Christmas story out of the book of Matthew, one of the things that we notice is the method of coming into the world that God chose.

He could have come into the world in any way that He wanted.  He could have simple opened the skies and descended to earth as an adult, with trumpets sounding and angels singing.  But He chose not to do that.  He could have just “appeared” on the Earth, either as a child or as an adult.  But He chose not to do that.

He chose to come into the earth as all men (since Adam and Eve) come into the earth – by birth.  And, because man had sinned and has a sin nature, He skipped the man and came to the earth through the womb of a virgin.  It was a miraculous birth – the only one like it in the history of mankind.  But that is Jesus – miraculous.  He is the only one like Himself in the history of the Earth.

Jesus was born into the human race – the humblest of beginnings.  And He was born of a virgin – the most miraculous of beginnings.  What a wonderful Saviour!

Christmas From Matthew, Pt. 6

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:  for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Matthew 1:21-23

As we look at the Christmas story from the book of Matthew, we can look at the two names specifically given to Jesus.  The passage says, “…thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins”  and “…they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Jesus.

“He shall save his people from their sins.”  The name “Jesus” means “Saviour.”  That is a perfect description of Jesus.  He is the Saviour, and, as the passage says, He will save His people from their sins.

Emmanuel.

The name “Emmanuel” means “God with us.”  This is also a perfect description of Jesus.  It is hard for our human minds to comprehend, but God Himself came down, humbled Himself, became a man and walked around this earth as a man among men for over thirty years.  During that time, it was literally “God with us.”  We can also look at this name as being spiritual.  When we are saved, it is through Jesus that we can have “God with us” and “God in us.”

These names given to Jesus are perfect descriptions of what He is and what He does.  What a wonderful Saviour!