Title: The First Christmas Tree
Author: Mike Stone
Text: Matthew 1:1-17
An unusual thing happened recently in Southern Australia. A family returned from a trip, walked into their living room, and found a koala bear perched at the top of their Christmas tree! In a Facebook post, Amanda McCormick told the story and remarked, "Well that's something you don't see every day!" She added that the bear, "just wandered in and made herself at home."
Well today, in this First Christmas Tree, the family tree of our Lord, I want you to see something in that tree. But it's not a koala bear, a black bear, or a brown bear. In fact, it's a Lamb. And today I pray that He will indeed come in and make Himself at home.
There are three things we can see about the precious Lord Jesus as we gaze upon this first Christmas tree.
1. The power of His pardon
Sometimes when I look at our choir as they sing, I am overwhelmed by the mercy of God. People you would've never suspected would end up in the choir are there singing praises as a testament to His mercy.
Reading the opening verses of Matthew gospel gives me the same feeling. People who, when we first met them on the pages of OT passages, we would have never thought would have made it into the "chorus" of Jesus' family!
One writer said, "Jesus was sent by a God of grace to be a King of Grace...and the people He chose to be His ancestors reveal the wonders of grace and give hope to all sinners." (John MacArthur)
How do sinners like THAT get on a list like THIS? And more pointedly, "How do sinners like US get on a list like THAT?" Let me repeat that. We ought to ask how sinners like THAT get on a list like THIS. And the answer is important because it's the same way we can get onto the list of God's family.
A. They were redeemed by grace
Many churches have "singing Christmas trees." Well, if this tree could sing, it would sing, "Redeemed how I love to proclaim it...Lamb."
When our family gathers this Chris ...
Author: Mike Stone
Text: Matthew 1:1-17
An unusual thing happened recently in Southern Australia. A family returned from a trip, walked into their living room, and found a koala bear perched at the top of their Christmas tree! In a Facebook post, Amanda McCormick told the story and remarked, "Well that's something you don't see every day!" She added that the bear, "just wandered in and made herself at home."
Well today, in this First Christmas Tree, the family tree of our Lord, I want you to see something in that tree. But it's not a koala bear, a black bear, or a brown bear. In fact, it's a Lamb. And today I pray that He will indeed come in and make Himself at home.
There are three things we can see about the precious Lord Jesus as we gaze upon this first Christmas tree.
1. The power of His pardon
Sometimes when I look at our choir as they sing, I am overwhelmed by the mercy of God. People you would've never suspected would end up in the choir are there singing praises as a testament to His mercy.
Reading the opening verses of Matthew gospel gives me the same feeling. People who, when we first met them on the pages of OT passages, we would have never thought would have made it into the "chorus" of Jesus' family!
One writer said, "Jesus was sent by a God of grace to be a King of Grace...and the people He chose to be His ancestors reveal the wonders of grace and give hope to all sinners." (John MacArthur)
How do sinners like THAT get on a list like THIS? And more pointedly, "How do sinners like US get on a list like THAT?" Let me repeat that. We ought to ask how sinners like THAT get on a list like THIS. And the answer is important because it's the same way we can get onto the list of God's family.
A. They were redeemed by grace
Many churches have "singing Christmas trees." Well, if this tree could sing, it would sing, "Redeemed how I love to proclaim it...Lamb."
When our family gathers this Chris ...
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