Sermon Notes: What Would You Expect

Introduction

• Christmas Sermon focuses on the expectations we hold during the holiday season.
• Reflect on the anticipation of the Messiah during 400 years of silence before Jesus’ birth.
• Ask yourself: What would you expect?

Biblical Context and Prophecies

• Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV) foretells Jesus as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace.
• Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) describes the suffering Messiah who bore our sins and healed us through His wounds.
• The theme of separation from God is echoed in the exile of Israel due to their sin (Isaiah 43:1).

The Concept of Exile

• Exile is separation from God caused by sin.
• Genesis 3:23-24 (NIV): Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden, symbolizing spiritual death.
• Exile isn’t just physical but spiritual, illustrating humanity’s need for restoration with God.

Jesus’ Journey

• Jesus came to earth, experiencing exile on our behalf—not for His sin, but ours.
• He left the Father’s presence, bringing hope and redemption.
• Luke 24:46-47 (NIV): The Messiah’s mission included suffering, death, and resurrection to offer forgiveness.

Turning to God

• The call to turn to God is central to the Gospel.
• True repentance involves recognizing our separation from God and admitting our need for Him.
• When we turn to God, we are born again and restored into His presence.

What Does God Expect?

• The Gospel calls us to a life of allegiance to Jesus.
• Jesus serves as:
  • Prophet: Calling us from sin.
  • Priest: Mediating between us and God.
  • King: Ruling over all nations.

Reflection Questions

1. What are you expecting from God in your life, relationships, or circumstances?
2. Is the gift of salvation through Jesus enough, or do you expect more?
3. How are you sharing the message of turning to God with others this season?

Application

• Celebrate the birth of Jesus as the start of a journey that brings us out of exile.
• Trust that Jesus has made a way for us to be reconciled with God.
• Share the Good News of repentance and being born again with others.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for including us in Your journey and for the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Help us to turn to You fully, leaving behind our indifference and self-centeredness. May we trust in You as our Prophet, Priest, and King, walking faithfully in Your light. Amen.

Bible Verses Cited:

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)

But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

Genesis 3:23-24 (NIV)

23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Luke 24:46-47 (NIV)

46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

1. Books:
• The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel – A compelling look at the evidence behind the birth of Jesus and the significance of Christmas.
• God Came Near by Max Lucado – A beautifully written exploration of the incarnation and Jesus’ journey to Earth.
2. Videos:
• BibleProject’s Video on Exile – An engaging explanation of the biblical theme of exile and how it ties to Jesus’ role as the Redeemer.
• The Chosen Christmas Special– A dramatized depiction of Jesus’ birth and the anticipation of the Messiah.
3. Podcasts:
• Ask NT Wright Anything: Episodes on the meaning of the Incarnation and the hope of Christmas.

Sermon Title: What Would You Expect | A Christmas Sermon 

The holiday season here has a tendency to bring those expectations to the surface, and that’s how it was with the people of Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth. There was an anticipation of expectation. There was 400 years of silence from God. They had been hearing from God through the prophets for quite some time, for thousands of years, but then there were 400 years of silence, and they’re waiting for this Messiah. They just don’t know what to expect, and they’re waiting and waiting and waiting. That passage I read earlier from Isaiah nine, six and seven was just one example of the anticipation that they had of the Savior coming that was written 700 years before he came. That same prophet Isaiah also looked ahead to Jesus, bringing justice to the world. And then in chapter 43 of that same book, he talked about how the people of Israel were unfaithful to God. And that was one reason why they weren’t experiencing closeness to God is because they weren’t following after him and that judgment would come. But even so, even though they were not living for God, he would accept them back and he would deliver them. And then in Isaiah 53, even later on in that same book, he talks about how the Messiah was going to suffer and live a lowly existence and have a really an agonizing death. And that’s just one prophet out of many that spoke of Jesus in the Old Testament, but most often it referred to Jesus as the Messiah, the one who would be the ruler over all the nations, not to mention being that wonderful counselor and almighty God. He’d be a prophet calling people to turn from their sins. He’d be a priest being that mediator between God and man, and he’d also be their king. Just the greatest ruler over any nation, over any people. So with all that background, what would you expect? What would you be waiting for? What about you and me right now? What are we waiting for? What do we expect? What do we expect from God right now? What are you expecting? What are you expecting him to do? Not just for the holidays, but for your life, for your relationships, for your financial situation? There’s just so many areas for your health there are you expecting from God. See, we look at it at Christmas as a time when Jesus came to earth and he dwelt among us. And that’s right, he did. But he was on a journey as the choir was singing about. That journey was really a journey of leaving the father’s presence. He had been with the Father and he took a journey away from home. Home. There’s an important biblical concept that’s helpful to understand that the Jews at the time would’ve probably taken for granted because it was a part of their way of life. And that concept is the concept of exile. In the dictionary, it says that exile, a person who is exiled is a person who’s driven from their native place, banished. There’s hints of that even in Genesis, Genesis three, when Adam and Eve were exiled, banished from the garden, they were separated from the presence of God before that they were continually in his presence and then they were separated and that was due to sin. Another term that’s used often throughout the scripture is death. That’s separation is considered death. Spiritual death, separation from God is being spiritually dead. Adam and Eve experienced it. Cain experienced it. The whole world and the time of Noah experienced it. Babel, the time of Babel, they were dispersed. And Israel throughout their history were often exiled. And it was all due to sin, really an indifference towards God. I could take him or I could leave him. He’s over there, but right now it’s all about me. That’s really what exiled was all about. Oftentimes then God’s people would call out to him, and when they did, he heard their prayers and he always delivered them. Their sins were forgiven because they turned to God. That’s what he was saying is no longer be indifferent. Turn to me. They were no longer indifferent or self-sufficient. They recognized their need for God and their life and for their future. And in his sovereign power, they believed that he could deliver ’em, and he was the only one. So that when he did deliver ’em, they understood that at that point, when they turned to him that their sins were forgiven and turning to him and confessing their separation and their need to be restored. They were, in a sense, resurrected from the dead. They were no longer separated from God, but he drew them close. So that first Christmas day, really that journey that Jesus was on, he was exiled. He was experiencing exile due to sin, but not his sin, our sin. See, the birth of Jesus is significant because it shows that he experienced the same exile that we experienced. We live in a whole period of exile until we come to Christ. We live in separation from God, from birth. And Jesus was separated from the Father physically to planet Earth. And so he experienced that separation. In the gospel of Luke, there’s that manger scene that we’re all familiar with where the shepherds heard, and they came and there was Mary and Joseph and Bethlehem. They went there for the census and there was no room in the end. You remember all that Well. A little later in that book actually the last chapter of the book of Luke, Jesus appears in a different way. He had already been crucified, dead and buried, and the disciples were all together in a room and they were talking. Some of them had actually seen him alive and he had spoken to them, but then he had disappeared. And so they’re all talking this over in this room, when all of a sudden Jesus appears again and there he is. And this is one thing that he says to him. And Luke 24, it says, yes, as it was written long ago, that the Messiah must suffer and die and raise again from the dead on the third day with my authority. Take this message of repentance, this turning to God, to all the nations beginning in Jerusalem. Tell them that there is forgiveness of all their sins for all who turn to me all who turn to Jesus. So what are you expecting? Who was that in the manger that day? Have you given it much thought? Do you give it much thought on a daily basis? What was that all about? Or does it just come at Christmas time and then you try to push it aside and not pay too much attention to it? Another question is if God’s only gift to mankind was that he died to cure the problem of eternal separation, is that enough? Is it enough that he came to deliver us from the gates of hell? Could we complain about that? Or do we expect more? We’ve been given heavenly riches? Should we be grumbling about earthly poverty and illness? See, maybe the right question is what does God expect? Back to that passage in Luke, it says, take this message of repentance, this message of turning to God to all the nations, that there is forgiveness of sins for people that turn to Jesus. See, the good news of Jesus Christ isn’t only for our own personal benefit, although that’s a great benefit. It brings us hope. But we’re to let others know also of the good news, just like the shepherds did let others know of the birth of Jesus. See, Jesus is king over all the world. That’s a fact. And he’s calling men and women into allegiance with him and to follow him in his kingdom. There’s a new way of life that brings forgiveness of our sins when we turn to God. And Jesus has led the way to that. He coined the phrase being born again, brought back to life because we no longer need to be separated from God. We can be brought back into His presence through Jesus Christ when we believe in him. So even if right now you’re not a professing follower of Jesus, that you haven’t turned to him and believe in him, he’s calling you to allegiance as he’s called each one of us to admit that we’ve been living in exile. We’ve been living departed from him due to some sort of indifference towards God. Jesus won’t be taken halfheartedly. It’s either we follow him or we don’t. You take him or leave him. But when you admit that you have no other option, that you come to God and say, I need you, Lord, to be delivered. He’ll answer that prayer. He always will. He’ll always bring us into His presence. When we cast all our cares on him, he’ll take care of the rest. See, we’re all on this journey. Some of us who have accepted Jesus Christ, we are on a journey out of exile. We’re a member of his kingdom walking towards the Promised land for eternity with him. Jesus is the first to lead the way on that journey. Finding our way out of exile is to follow him. God desires that you and I move away from our indifference towards him, that we turn to him and acknowledge him. We do away with our self-centeredness and say, Lord, I want you as the center here as prophet, the one who calls me out of sin as priest because he is our priest. He is the one who is the mediator between us and Almighty God the Father, and he is the king. And that’s a fact. Heavenly Father, we thank you for including us on your journey and that you have led the way you have arrived in the Father’s presence. And Lord, for each one of us, that is possible too. I thank you for the hope that you’ve brought, not a hope necessarily that everything’s going to go well here on planet Earth, but Lord, that our hope is an eternal hope as we keep our eyes fixed on you. So Lord, I pray that for each one of us here today, as we turn to you, we’ll pay attention to that still small voice that says, follow me. Amen.

Original Sermon Date: 12/18/05

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