INTRO

RECAP

The reason we celebrate Advent/Christmas is that it is God’s greatest self-revelation of himself to us. IMMANUEL

Who God Is → Who We Are

“Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.”

Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father…”

John 14:8–9

Everything wrong in your life, every sinful emotion, negative thought, bad attitude… if you dig deep enough, all of it comes back to belief/unbelief about God as he has revealed himself to be.

Sinful acts always have their origin in some form of unbelief. Behind every sin is a lie. The root of all our behavior and emotions is the heart—what it trusts and what it treasures…

We sin because we believe the lie that we are better off without God, that his rule is oppressive, that we will be free without him, that sin offers more than God.

Tim Chester, You Can Change
  1. God is great, so I can live in hope. (don’t have to be in control).
  2. God is glorious, so I can live at peace. (don’t have to fear others).

GOD IS GLORIOUS…

Shepherds out in the field at night…

Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
among people with whom he is pleased!”

Luke 2:13–14, NET

Probably the most popular Christmas verses.

When they had sung this, they sang what they had never sung before. “Glory to God in the highest,” was an old, old song; they had sung that from before the foundations of the world. But, now, they sang as it were a new song before the throne of God: for they added this stanza—“on earth, peace.”

There had been no peace on earth since Adam fell. But, now, when the newborn King made his appearance, the swaddling band with which he was wrapped up was the white flag of peace.

Charles Spurgeon, The First Christmas Carol

Meaning of Glory

1 Samuel, weightiness

Our natural response to glory: wonder

…SO I CAN EXPERIENCE PEACE

1. Peace with God

2. Peace with ourselves

3. Peace with others

Let God have all the glory,
so we may have the peace. John Trapp (1601–1669)

I DON’T HAVE TO FEAR OTHERS.

We crave people’s approval or fear their rejection… and we sin.

In that moment, they’re what’s most glorious to us, holds the most weight.

Ed Welch, When Man is Big and God is Small, symptoms of the fear of man.

Any of those sound way too familiar?

The answer to the fear of man is fear of God.

Tim Chester, You Can Change

The fear of God is liberating. We’re free to love and serve people without being enslaved to them.

Those shepherds went into town… and left praising God and telling everyone what they had seen and heard—even though those people rejected them. How? Why? Wonder! Weight. Glory!

CONCLUSION

Whenever you see someone whom you fear or whose approval you crave, imagine God next to him or her. Which of them is more glorious, majestic, holy, beautiful, threatening, and loving? Whose approval really matters to you? — Tim Chester, You Can Change

There had been no peace on earth since Adam fell. But, now, when the newborn King made his appearance, the swaddling [cloth] with which he was wrapped up was the white flag of peace.

Charles Spurgeon, The First Christmas Carol

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6, NLT

May God give you peace with yourselves; may he give you good will towards all your friends, your enemies, and your neighbors; and may he give you grace to give glory to God in the highest.

Charles Spurgeon, The First Christmas Carol