Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

We've been doing a short series in the last couple of sermons and then this sermon in the Him, Harke the herald angels sing. And we've been seeing like this this old hymn is such full of bible truths. It's so wonderful. Hope you've enjoyed it. I've been wanting to preach this series for for about 30 years.

And and never had the courage to do it until Ben came on board. And then Tom and they said, come on, let's go for it. So I've really, really enjoyed this. And you can hear those sermons. You can go on to our website and and find those ones.

We're on the last verse, but I'm gonna read all of them and then hand over to to to Ben. This is how it goes. And we're gonna sing this afterwards, and we're gonna sing this at the Carol service. And at the Carol service, we can hark it out nice and loudly. Hark.

Listen. Hark, the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king. Peace on earth and mercy mild god and sinners. Reconciled. Joy for all you nations rise, join the triumphs of the skies, with the angelic host proclaimed Christ is born in Bethlehem, Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king.

Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting lord, late in time behold income, offspring of the virgin's womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see hail the incarnate deity. Pleased as man with man to dwell Jesus, our emmanuel, Hark a herald angels sing glory. To the newborn king. Hail.

The heaven born prince of peace. Hail. The son of righteousness. Lightton life to all he brings risen with healing in his wings, mild he lays his glory by, borne that man no more may die born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birthmark. The herald angels sing glory to the newborn king.

Is that good? Let's find out what it means. Good morning, everyone. That's not what I normally sound like. Yeah.

We've sung it an awful lot recently. We're gonna sing it at least 2 more times today. We could easily get sick of it, couldn't we? But actually, What I hope is as we look at it now, we will just be taking up more and more with it, but we definitely need God's help with that. So let me just pray as we start.

Father, we we thank you for this song that we have, that we can sing together, that we can praise you with and encourage each other. I do pray that as we look at it now, you would warm our hearts with the lord Jesus with who he is and what he came to do, particularly because many of us will feel disappointed about this Christmas. And We come here perhaps with sorrowful, grieving hearts. So would you warm our hearts, please, once more, with Jesus, we pray in his name, amen. Okay.

We've got an expression that we use in everyday life. You've probably used it yourself definitely heard other people use it. And it's an expression that we use when we're absolutely in our element. You know that feeling, it's glorious, isn't it? When you're sat down, or you're standing, or you're about to do something, and you just know with every fiber of your being.

That it's what you were made to do. And you look up and you just go, I was born for this. I was born to do this. It's different for different people, but I think you know what I mean. Here's a picture of Matthew Cooper, when he was a baby.

It looks very different now, is it? You can still see him in that. Catherine sometimes talks about how Matthew was a frustrated baby. Until the day that he learned to walk. And actually, on that day when he learned to walk, he skipped the walking stage altogether, and just wanted to run.

Just wanted to run everywhere. And then after that, apparently, he was a much more content child because he was able to do the thing that he was born to do. If you know Matthew, actually recently, he ran a half marathon with virtually no training at all. And like I said, if you know him, you know he loves football, he loves tennis, and he just runs, isn't he? So in some ways, at least you could agree, Matthew Cooper was born to run.

And it looks like he ran quite a few pounds off as well once he was able to. When we first went into quarantine, a bunch of these sort of memes and things appeared online. Like quarantine, I was born for this. Staying at home all day playing video games. That's what I was made for.

And then there's also, like, some other ones about extreme introverts welcoming the rest of the world into their normal everyday lives. I never leave the house or see anyone anyway. Join me. It's great. And then there's a famous Joan of ArtQuote, which says, I'm not afraid.

I was born to do this. A lot of people have that Some people have it tattooed on themselves because they're crazy enough. Other people just sort of print out these posters and put it on their bedroom walls to motivate themselves, That's actually not the official quote. This is the real thing that was said and it's been condensed into the other thing. I do not fear men at arms, My way has been made plain before me.

If there be men at arms, my lord God will make a way for me to go to my lord dolphin. For that, I am come. I love that. For that, I am come. And so when we say I was born for this, it is just another way of saying, for that, I am come.

That is the reason I have come into this world. This thing that I'm doing is my purpose. This is the reason that I'm here. If you've seen the movie Irobot, you'll know that purpose and meaning, it goes laughing because it's a Will Smith film, and I love Will Smith. Irobot is a film, and there's a strong theme running all the way through about purpose and meaning.

And 1 of the main characters is an artificial intelligence robot called Sunny, And over the course of the film, he realizes that he's made differently from the other robots like him. But it's it's not until you come to a specific moment in the film where he kind of does something that you realize why he's born differently, why he's made differently to the others. And until that point actually, you don't really understand why he's different. You know he's the main character, you know something's gonna happen, but you have no idea what it is yet. I think that when it comes to Jesus and Christmas, that unless you know why Jesus was born, what his ultimate purpose is, why did he come at all?

And actually, just like the robot in our robot, You don't really know what's so special about him. You know, he he's nice to have Jesus, isn't he? He's nice to have his cute little baby. We have a picture of Sienna outside you have seen her as we as you came in. She's representing Jesus in our nativity.

Really cute photo. But why is it that we celebrate? Little cute babies Why do we have little wooden figurines? Really cute, little tiny wooden figurines of baby Jesus' and mangers that we have in our living room. Why do we bother with all of that?

There's 1 born every minute is in there. Certainly in this church, there's 1 born every 30 seconds. It feels like. We should start our own TV program. So is it possible to celebrate that Jesus was born without understanding why he's born?

What was he born for? Why on earth would God send Jesus into a tier 4 world? I mean, would any of us choose willingly to come into this world that we're in today, that we've woken up into. I don't think any of us would choose to come here. Let alone God who is in glory.

Actually, to his eyes, we're not in tier 4. We're in tier, this is Pete's. We're in tier 20 20. Every year, there's another tier of sin that infects this world, and yet he came into it, why on earth did he do that? Well, that's what's so helpful about this third verse of Park the Harold Sing, because it unashamedly proclaims why Jesus was born.

Born, born, born, it thunders. I love seeing in that verse. It's like born bullet point number 1, reason number 1. Born at point number 2, reason number 2, born, reason number 3. Jesus isn't just down to fill cute Christmas cards.

He's not just down on a kind of random state visit from heaven, or a safari tour through his creation. Still, I wonder what it looks like through human's eyes. In classical theology, the word given to why Jesus is here is mission. The mission of God. Jesus has come to complete God's mission.

And so really, the being born bit is just the means to the end of completing the mission. It's the beginning of the mission. It's not the end of it. He's born to do something. So he's born for a reason.

But before we look at what that reason is, I just want to look first of all at the man for the mission. This is my first point. Just be reminded again of who this person is completing God's mission. Hail the heaven born prince of peace, hailed the son of righteousness. This verse begins.

So Hebrews chapter 1 says, in the past, God spoke to our ancestors, through the prophets at many times and in various ways. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son. So throughout history, throughout Israel's entire history, He has chosen men and women who were born in this world, made out of dust. He's he's chosen them from among the people to speak to his people through. That's how he's done thing.

But the man for this mission is not earth born. He's heaven born, hailed the heaven born Prince of Peace. And we've talked about this over the last few weeks. The mystery of the incarnation that God who is in heaven. He's existed for all time.

And yet, he was born. He's he's god from heaven born into creation. And so, his body was knitted together in the same way that mine and yours was in our mother's womb, but his life did not come into being in his mother's wounds like mine and yours did. He is the prince of heaven the son of the king, the son of righteousness himself, who is begotten, begotten is 1 of these words that we bring out at Christmas time from the cupboard of Christmas things. And we start throwing it around, and most of us probably don't even know what it means.

But begotten means from the father, not created by the father, from the father. He is God. Jesus is God from all time, without beginning, knitted together in a mother's womb, made flesh. And if that's true, if Jesus is heaven's prince, the son of righteousness, then he shares in the same glory that the father has. Jesus said this in the gospel.

Now, let me share in the same glory that I shared with you before the creation began. Jesus shares in the same glory, so the Bible describes God as dwelling in unapproachable light. The angels have to hide their eyes from God's glory with their wings. This is the same glory Jesus shares with the father, the same glory that passed by Moses on the mountain, where in order for Moses to survive that experience, he had to be shoved in a rock, covered with God's hand, whose bigger hand are you gonna get to cover yourself with? And still after all of that, his face was shining.

With glory. That is the same glory that Jesus shares with the Father, and that is the same glory which he willingly utterly laid by to enter this world, mild he lays his glory by. God the father sends God the son, the prince of peace, the son of righteousness, who is adored in the highest heaven, and he has got to empty himself of all of that glory in order to complete this mission. Pete began the service with this passage from Philipp chapter 2. In your relationships with 1 another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, Being in very nature, God, did not consider equality with God, something to be used to his own advantage, rather he made himself nothing Some translations say he emptied himself by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness.

So in order to complete this mission that he's being sent on, the mission of God, Jesus, though he is God, has to lay that glorious side, to become nothing, just a speck human being. This is the man for this mission, heaven born, Prince of peace, who lays aside his glory. That's the man for the mission. So my second point, the mission. Born that man no more may die.

Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. I love thundering those verses when we sing, Hark the herald angels sing. Because this is why Jesus was born. This is the mission that he's been sent on. Born to stop the power of death in its tracks.

That's good news, isn't it? In this world that we're in today, born to raise us from the dead. That's even better news. Born to give us everlasting life, and he sort of accomplishes those things in that order. So let's look at each of these things, because So wonderful.

First of all, born that man no more may die to stop death in its tracks. John chapter 11 verse 25, Jesus is speaking to Martha at lazarus' funeral. He says, I am the resurrection and the life. The 1 who believes in me will live, even though they die. And whoever lives by believing in me, will never die.

So if you believe in Jesus, then even though you will die, you will have a new life in you. That's what Jesus says. And you will escape death, and you will live again. You will live, even though you die. Jesus says.

And to those who have this new life in Jesus, he says to you. So if you this morning have this life, if you believe in Jesus, This is what he says to you. This is great. You will never die again. Death will end.

He says to you, man will no more die if you believe in him. So without Jesus, the inevitable road that humanity is on, that humans are on, is towards inescapable death. We all say it, don't we? It's in films, it's in everyday language, we're all gonna die, we're all gonna die at some point, But without Jesus, there's no life on the other side of that death. And there's no sacrifice we can make either to kind of save us from that path.

You know a Christmas Carol. I only know the muppets Christmas Carol really, so it might be embarrassingly different from the real Carol. But in the Muppets Christmas Carol, it's salvation by works, isn't it? Because Scrooge is shown these dangers that he's heading towards. He sees his tombstone, and he goes, right, I've got fix up my life.

Right? I'm gonna have a massive Turkey with some muppets now, and then I'm gonna be a better person. And then suddenly, he's saved from that. That is not the gospel. There's nothing we can do scrooge that will save us from that tombstone.

You're heading towards it, and it's inescapable But if you believe in Jesus and is dying work on the cross, you will live. Because what Jesus achieved by dying on the cross was the forgiveness of our sins. We can't just draw a line in the sand and start living correctly now like scrooge, We need our sins forgiven. That is why Jesus was born. He had to be born in order to die, to forgive us our sins, to break the power of sin and death over us.

And that is good news, isn't it? That is good news. You know, Nigel Faraj tweeted Christmas has canceled and he blamed it on China like he would. But I think in our own minds and hearts in the last 24 hours, haven't we thought, oh, Christmas is over? Christmas isn't gonna be the way we want it to be now.

Oh, Christmas is ruined. But this news is greater surely than any Christmas we could imagine in this world. Whoever lives by believing in me will never die. That's what Scrooge needs to hear. Bourn that man no more may die.

Secondly, born to raise the sons of Earth. John says in John, 6 54, whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. So this is this resurrection life that Jesus was just talking about. This is this new life that he says we have by believing in him, because Now that the sin has been canceled against us on the cross, whoever partakes in that sacrifice by eating the flesh and drinking the blood, which is a picture of the Lord's suppler, which is a picture of believing in the Lord Jesus and being reminded of his sacrifice. So whoever partakes in that will be, and this is a great detail, personally raised up by Jesus.

He doesn't just say that person who believes in me will be raised up on the last day. Jesus says, I will raise up on that last day. So whose face are you gonna first see on that last day? Jesus' his face as he raises you from the dead. And he's got the authority to do that because he had the authority to take up his own life again.

He says that, I have the authority to lay my life down, and I have the authority to take it up again. He can do that, because he is God from all time from heaven. And so, because he came and died in his authority to pick up his life again, he's punched a hole right through death. There's a resurrection hole through death. And it's the river it's the river Jordan that's been parted.

You remember me preaching a few weeks ago in Elijah and Elijah, They parted the Jordan and went through it. That is a picture of what Jesus has done on the cross. Because of his empty grave, He's punched a hole through death. The river Jordan has been parted, and we can safely walk through to everlasting life on the other side. He has the authority to do that.

And if you want even more assurance that Jesus will raise you from the dead, then it's the same spirit that raised him from the dead that is in you, if you believe. So Jesus' empty tomb is a picture of your empty tomb. You can scribble out his name at the top and write your own name. You want to see a picture of your empty tomb? Look at Jesus'S.

Born to raise the sons of earth. What's most amazing about this line? And it struck me as I was thinking about this. I was taken up with the fact that God would raise us from the dead. He would personally do it.

He'd see face, all of this. But, of course, God can do that. Of course, he can. What really struck me as I was thinking about this is, who is it that he's come to race? The angels of heaven, the suns of Mars, or a different human race somewhere else that are much better than us, scrooges, He's come to raise the sons of earth.

Me and you. That's who he's come to raise. Sinful, wretched, rebellious people whose first thought at Christmas is I can't have that perfect picture Christmas that I wanted. He we're absolutely nothing before this Holy God. Why on earth would God send his son into this world to save us?

You might have seen Glen Scrivener's Christmas video at this animated thing, part of his speak life ministries thing. I don't know if you've seen or not. It's a child who goes into a shop and he picks up a snow globe. And it sort of represents Jesus looking at the earth. And before he comes in to save it, he gets the opportunity to try.

It's very odd. But it's basically trying to paint the picture that Jesus knew exactly what he was going in for. Jesus looked into this world and saw tear 50000000 of sin. And he saw the filth, and he saw our hardheartedness, and he saw our apathy, and he saw our wretchedness, and yet he still Why would God still come? I wouldn't come to this world.

I wouldn't even come to Tier 3, that lone tier 4. So why would Jesus do that? Because that is the love that the father has. For his sons and daughters in this world. Just think about the fathers of this church.

They would do anything for their children, wouldn't they? How much more is God gonna do for us? God our father sent God the son to raise the sons of earth. Thirdly, I should say number 3 there. Born to give them second birth.

So 1 Peter one:twenty 3. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and enduring words of God. So Jesus is born so that we could be born again. So the first birth that we have into this world is into a world that is decaying and perishing. Even with a vaccine, we are still perishing.

The Bible says that the world is in bondage to decay. And we felt that, haven't we this year? People have perished from among us people have perished in our lives. When we feel that, I think we tune in. When we go about our lives, don't we?

We're really death is hidden from us largely. But when we experience it, we suddenly see and we tune into just the brokenness of this world. We feel the bondage to decay. And so back to this life again, that Jesus says that you have if you believe in him, this new life that we're born into, the great news is that it is imperishable life. It would be the worst thing, wouldn't it, to be born back into this world, don't you think?

Re incarnation is a horror Why on earth would you want to be born back into this world? I want to be born again in a world that is imperishable, because that's what we want. We want a life that doesn't decay. We want a life that doesn't get sick. We want a life that doesn't have to experience social distancing or isolating or spending Christmas alone.

We want a life that doesn't have to experience the awful separation from death. Because that is the life that we were meant to be born into in all its fullness. So how on earth do we get this life? The second birth? Because that's what we all want.

Well, this passage says, through the living and enduring word of God, he says. Through the scriptures. The bible is from cover to cover about this mission that Jesus is on. That's what Jesus said. When he had that bible study to end all bible studies on the road with the disciples.

He opened up from the beginning and explained how all the scriptures are about him all of it is about God's mission, the serpent crusher, Jesus. From the very beginning, all of it is about this mission This father sending the son, the dying on the cross for the payment of sins, the raising again, the new life, all of that is through the living word of God. I've recently finished reading the Beal Kureshi's book. If you know Neal Kureshi, he was a Muslim. He became a Christian.

He wrote a book called seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. And in that book, he describes these really powerful visions and dreams that he had on the road to becoming a Christian. And I think sometimes, wouldn't it be great if God would just give me a dream? In fact, when I after I read his book, I put it down and I said, God, give me a dream tonight. Because that would be so helpful.

I don't know. It would just be good for assurance, wouldn't it? But actually, I should have rebuked myself, and he would certainly rebuke me because What he says that it was only God's merciful kindness to give him those things because they led him to the Scriptures. And it was when he opened the scriptures that he encountered the living God and the Lord Jesus Christ. And he described this amazing moment.

I mean, he was a devout sincere Muslim who would pray and open up the Quran and recite it. And he and all of that was just dead because the moment he opened up the He said it was like life being breathed into him. Because that is what the scriptures do. That is what God does as he speaks to us through them. And of course, Nabil died, didn't he?

A few years ago now? It's 20 18, I think it was. He had cancer. But as Jesus said, he will live, even though he died. He is gonna be raised up again at that last day Jesus himself because he believed in him.

And when he's raised from that life, he's gonna be born into an imperishable life, and Jesus will say to him, you will never die again. Born to give them second birth. So a summary of the missions. I'm skipping around with the verse a bit here, because now we go back up to the top. But light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings.

So Jesus brings light and life to us in darkness. When a dark world, he brings healing and comfort to those who mourn and suffer and are grieving. And he can do all of this because he's risen with healing in his wings, because he's risen from the gray, But in order to rise, he had to die. And in order to die, he had to be born. So this is the mission of God.

He brings light and life, but in order to bring it, he has to come down with it. That's the mission of God. That's what Jesus was born to do. That's why we celebrate a little baby, a picture of Sienna. She's such a cute baby.

We have a lot of cute babies in this church. We're a good looking church. But we don't just celebrate cute pictures of babies. We celebrate what Jesus came to do. The son of God was born to save the sons of earth.

Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings. So Finally, what is our mission then? Because that is amazing, isn't it? What Jesus has come to do? Lazes glory to do these things for us.

So what on earth have we got to do? Well, As Pete said, in this song, there are 3 things we're told to do. 1 is to heart, listen, another 1 is to adore. And then thirdly and finally, in this verse, we're to hail. Hail the heaven born prince of peace, hail the son of righteousness.

We're to hail Jesus. And to hail means to cheer, to salute, to greet, or to acclaim, basically, to welcome is what Hale means. Welcome Jesus says in Revelation chapter 3, here I am, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me. So if you're not a Christian, if you don't believe in Jesus in the way that he's described, I wanna ask you, have you heard the knocking of Jesus on your door?

Have you heard his voice in the scriptures? Maybe even through the lyrics of this song that we're looking at, have you heard his still small voice whispering to you? Because the thing about Jesus is he's not gonna barge his way through, though. It doesn't say, behold, I stand at the door and poof. I break through it and steal you out.

No, he says, behold, I stand at the door. You can keep Jesus shut out if you want to. Maybe you've shut him out all year. Maybe you've let Jesus sin, but then this you know, this year we've got. Nope, can't deal with it, can't deal with it, can't deal with it, and then slammed him back out again.

But I wanna ask you, do you know why he's knocking? Do you know why he's trying to call your name? He was born for you that you might live, even though you die. He was born for you that you might be raised on the last day and see his face. He was born for you, that you might have a second birth.

And eternal imperishable life with him. So hail him, greet him, welcome him, let him into your life. And for us Christians, this is a great reminder this Christmas, isn't it, to join the chorus of the angels, to cheer and salute him, even in tier 20 20. The tear to end all tears, we can still receive Jesus as our lord, and we can still give him glory, honor, and praise because he's worthy to receive He was willingly born into this world. I wouldn't be, Jesus was willingly born into this world.

And a fantastic way of getting ourselves to do this, because who feels like worshiping God sometimes in this world? Who feels like it? Not many of us very often, occasionally sometimes, but a great way to rally ourselves and to cheer God is to sing, isn't it? Because I often start a songwriter. Don't wanna sing this.

And then way. And then by the end of it, absolutely loving it and praising God. As we sing half the herald in a minute, yes, it's the third time we've sang it in 2 weeks. Yes, it's the first time you're gonna sing it today and you're gonna sing it later. But who could be sick of this son of God who come into this world?

Who could be sick of hailing the Lord Jesus Christ? So Let's I'm gonna pray, and then we're gonna sing the song. We'll go straight into it, so Pete won't come up before. But let's let's Yeah. Let's ask the lord now just to help us to hail him.

Father God, we thank you that when you looked at this world, you decided you loved us enough to send the Lord Jesus Christ. Though we're sinful, wretched scrooges who think we can change ourselves, who think we can shut the door on you, you still came. And we just give you so much thanks for that. Thank you that you were born to save us from death, to raise us to new life, that's imperishable. I pray that you would help us help us to stir our souls, to hail the Lord Jesus and greet him give him the praise and honor that he deserves.

So would you help us now as we sing? Help us at the Carroll Service later, we pray. And for any of us who don't know him, Would you warm our hearts to open that door to let Jesus sin and eat with us this Christmas? In his name, we ask, amen.