Sunday Evening Worship Service
by Anthony McCool
December 12, 2021 · First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Luke 2:7-12, John 1:45-46, Matthew 2:11, 1 Kings 19:19

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/anthony-mccool--sunday-evening-worship-service-169
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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let's give the lord a great big hand class it's easy because he is worthy of our praise if i don't have anything else give me jesus thank you praise team and musicians let's keep that same spirit of worship as you make your way back to your seats and you can be seated across this house what singing what playing we have heard this evening what a tremendous blessing it is to step into god's house and be able to experience indeed the anointing but also the talent we're so very blessed and these musicians and these singers and our technical staff they they spend so many hours preparing um and learning and we just absolutely reap the benefits and the harvest of it and it's just such a tremendous blessing let's give them a great big hand the choir just absolutely amazing and what a tremendous word we heard this morning from pastor and mccool and then this past wednesday evening bishop mccool i was talking about uh the journey it takes and um kind of highlighting a couple of things he he said as i mentioned a few weeks ago pastor mccool and pastor whitley will get up and they're man you preached right from my notes god's just leading us on this sunday and sometimes i feel like that's never happened to me if pastor mccool preaches on uh hold on on sunday morning i'm usually talking about letting loose or if pastor whitley's talking about something i'm talking about the opposite but i just feel the lord over these past few months just leading us closer and closer into just a special place of of revival we we've maintained revival in this church but uh just what he's leading us in our families and just in our church body across our community and it's absolutely amazing if you have your bibles tonight if you would turn to the book of luke chapter 2 [Music] and we're going to begin reading at verse number 7 and we're going to read through verse 12. and she brought forth her first born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the end and they were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and lo the angel 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 was born this day in the city of david as savior which is christ the lord and this shall be a sign unto you and ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger i want to speak to us for a few moments this evening on nativity journey to jesus nativity journey to jesus right where you're at if you'd bow your heads and close your eyes and let's play over this word for this evening mighty god we thank you for the opportunity you've given us to assemble together to study your word lord as it has been spoken already in this christmas season where across this world individuals are acknowledging you coming to this earth and lord we do so tonight but we do not want to take it for granted we don't just want it to be some decorum or some tradition that we just put up during this season and then tuck it away until next year but lord we want to understand and acknowledge the reason you came to this world and who you came to in this world and reveal that to us and let us have a deeper understanding let us have a deeper love for your word in jesus name we pray amen in the christian tradition a nativity scene also known as a manger scene is the special exhibition particularly during the christmas season of art objects representing the birth of jesus and while the term nativity scene may be used of any representation of the very common subject of the nativity of jesus in art it has a more specialized sense referring to seasonal displays these are either using the model figures in a setting or reenactments called that we've even seen living nativity scenes in which real humans and animals participate nativity scenes exhibit figures representing the infant jesus his mother mary and her husband joseph other characters from the nativity story such as shepherds and sheep and angels may be displayed near the manger in a barn or cave and tended to accommodate farm animals and as described in the gospel of luke a donkey and an ox are typically depicted in the scene and the magi the wise men and their camels are also described as in the gospel of matthew and they're all accumulated together in one snapshot picture many also include a representation of the star of bethlehem and several cultures at other characters and objects that may or may not be biblical but are special none the less in rome vatican city christmas eve mass at saint peter's basilica also known as midnight mass is one of the most unique and exclusive events one could ever attend in rome even though there is a annual broadcast from the vatican which allows the faithful from around the world to view all of the pageantry of the mass from the comfort of their own homes it is said that nothing compares to going to mass at the vatican on one of its most sacred holidays the occasion is a festive one an evening that celebrates the birth of jesus christ there are hymns sung made trans uh transcendent thanks to the vast interior acoustics of the 16th century basilica the pope leads prayers in latin and the church itself is indeed a modern marvel with baroque statues golden decorations and st peter's dome all vying for the attention throughout the entire ceremony in bethlehem the church of the nativity or basilica of the nativity is a basilica located right there in the west bank and the grotto it contains holds a prominent religious significance to christians of various denominations as the potential birthplace of jesus and the grotto is the oldest site continually used as a place of worship in christianity and the basilica is the oldest major church in the holy land christian pilgrims from around the world have attended a christmas eve mass at bethlehem's church of the nativity built on the site where jesus christ is believed to have been born a more contemporary version of the nativity scene if offended you are sorry i am but across our nation nativity scenes will be placed on display some scenes will cause controversy because of where they are located scenes will typically depict the surroundings of a comfortable evening in bethlehem with the moon and star giving off an adequate dim light enough to illuminate the characters set out in front of a stable like covering barnyard animals of a donkey a sheep and perhaps a bull setting oh so solemn with a human-like smile on their face wise men the magi and their ornate colorful attire giving their gold frankincense and myrrh with their accompanying camels posing oh so appropriately shepherds in the corner holding up a staff with a portion of their flock acknowledging the newborn babe as well all surrounding a depiction of joseph and mary looking down at the newborn babe it is not my aspiration this evening to criticize nor diminish the beauty of a nativity scene for they are indeed beautiful and the purpose of a nativity scene is to provide us with imagery of the humble beginnings of how our savior came into this world the messiah was believed by many that he would be a militaristic type diplomat warrior much like king david who would unite an israeli federation and bring freedom and sovereignty back to the region against rome and anyone else that would attempt to take over the land and this humble scene as a reminder the messiah came and revealed himself for an even greater purpose and that was to bring sovereignty and freedom to every soul and redeem humanity again my point is to not diminish the beauty of the nativity nor to criticize it my point is that it is indeed imagery to us and an artistic depiction and rendition and i want to invite us this evening to take more from it than what we see in it not just be something we put up as ornate decoration during the season and my concern is as we view view the decorum and the romanticized versions of it that we see from rome to bethlehem to our own backyards and our neighbors across the street that it can be something that we have this cultural expectation on and something that we can either gloss over or never truly feel invited into what was actually taking place on that evening for its significant is placed on emmanuel god with us coming to us and it is to show and try to depict not only how he came to us but also who he came to i want you to know that the nativity is a snapshot a picture an artistic depiction of several events over a span of time it wasn't a comfortable evening it was cold the animals weren't standing at a halt and smiling over the new birth the wise men weren't there yet and it's unfortunate because perhaps their frankincense and myrrh could have potentially masked the aroma from that barn the rendition as mentioned calls us to acknowledge the humble beginning but it is equally important for us to understand the journey of faith it took for the characters of the story to get where they were to see jesus ever since the downfall in the garden god had worked to unfold his plan of redemption and throughout the centuries he used notice ordinary people to accomplish it in the fullness of time he chose mary and joseph or daenery people with extraordinary dedication to manifest himself and the world that he created eight centuries earlier isaiah had prophesied of this unusual aspect of god's plan to introduce to us a messiah a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name emmanuel this prophecy pointed to a divinely designed birth that would fulfill god's promises made in genesis 3 15. and the young virgin of whom isaiah prophesied was mary upon whom god's blessing and favor descended god valued mary not for her meager possessions but for her virtuous dedication the nation of israel sat on a strategic albeit tiny piece of real estate when compared to the vast region of the roman empire it occurred to emperor caesar augustus that he should order a mass census to confirm the greatness of his empire it fell upon the shoulders of cyrenius the governor of syria to administer a census within his jurisdiction and he decreed that every person small or great and you know the story must travel to the city of his birth to pay attacks and be counted centrally located at the intersection of two trade routes in the province of galilee nazareth may have had a questionable reputation for nathanael asks can any good thing come out of nazareth but another reason for nathanael's question could be that he knew the birthplace of messiah should be bethlehem as foretold by the prophet micah why then did philip claim this man from nazareth was the messiah in john 1 45 but such a thing was indeed possible jesus of nazareth was born in bethlehem the city of david because mary and joseph obeyed a nationwide decree of cyrenias to travel to their ancestral city and several years would pass before they would be able to turn to return back to nazareth jesus of nazareth came from common common stock and the words of max ricardo mary and joseph were common people who served an uncommon god we know little about mary and joseph prior to their call to serve as earthly parents of the christ child however scripture provides evidence of their character joseph was just a man he did not want to subject mary to shame and scandal due to her pregnancy his kindness and consideration of his betrothed and his submission to god's will exemplified his admirable character two millennia removed from the birth of jesus as we sit here this evening and we often think of the story of the birth of jesus in its romantic loftiness some how we get caught up at times in the idyllic thought of shepherds and angels and wise men forgetting what things must have been like for mary and joseph how humiliating to have your baby born in a barn the equivalent of a modern alley how stressful it was for joseph to put his morality in question by marrying mary if god coming to earth was less than cultural expectation or tidy emmanuel god with us we should not be stressed by life's imperfections god works in awkward settings and he reveals his glory far from center stage he does not depend on human institutions or cultural expectations in a sonnet written entitled crisis pregnancy by daniel corrin he writes down a dark alley below a crowded parking garage behind a big blue dumpster a young woman gives birth to a healthy baby boy this unplanned pregnancy came on her as a surprise but her new husband stuck by her through it all even though it was not his child things could have been better for them since he was a construction worker with a few years of seniority but money and status did not matter for them when they had to go out of town and could not find a place to rent anywhere in spite of these awkward beginnings and the gossip they had to ignore the newlyweds were determined to make this work even though he was older than she it's difficult for us to imagine the dilemma mary faced after the angel appeared to her and announced that she would bear the son of god and in her astonishment she asked how shall this be sing i know not a man further how would she explain this to her family and even worse her betrothed joseph the angel assured mary with god nothing shall be impossible when joseph learned of mary's pregnancy he worried about the scandal that would shock her family and the people of nazareth he decided to put his beloved away in private to save her from further public humiliation but an angel appeared to him in a dream calmed his fears and told him to proceed with the marriage mary and joseph were ordinary people who played key roles in this extraordinary story along with other ordinary characters the shepherds and the wise men and all of these experienced supernatural visitations and other phenomena their journey was part of their worship and in this christmas season when we celebrate jesus showing up let us remember the drama and speculation that surrounded it the humiliation of her baby boy being born in a barn the chastisement and source of gossip their relationship was with mary not being married their morality being put into question not knowing where they were going to spend the night the stress the uncertainty the travel the lack of resources the pains of childbirth their walk of faith in the midst of all of this discomfort their walk of faith faith in the midst of this gossip their walk of faith in the midst of seemingly no consequence initially for following what god had told them and commanded them to do let a manual god with us be proof that these infirmities that their heartache the weariness the troubling of the mind the physically demoralizing circumstances is the precursor to the miraculous when we walk by faith let them be proof that when you're going through and experiencing these things and you're continuing to walk in faith let it be known to you that it's only a matter of time before he shows up oh it's not going to be the way you imagined it to be it's not going to be the way i would have written out but when they traveled just as far as they could right there obeying god's command walking by faith you would think that god would have made a place for them to stay by all means but not even having room in the inn when they had gone as far as they could go emmanuel god with us came onto the scene and let this story resound to someone here tonight to know that he doesn't show up because you've got a picture-perfect hallmark movie place setting if you have your family around christmas time you need to hold them tight and hug them close but i want to talk to somebody tonight where if it seems that you might be potentially having trouble finding jesus in this season wondering if he's going to fulfill the promise that you've been given and if you feel there is a certain pressure that things have to look or be a certain way in this time maybe christmas is a time that floods your memories of special times with loved ones that are no longer with us pastor denny livingston once wrote a song that said this christmas brings a tear and maybe this particular one certainly does and maybe you might be dealing with some circumstances this very evening that's unrelated to the holiday all together but you're experiencing a difficult situation in your family you're suffering loss or you might be the source of speculation even though you are living out what god told you to do oh but tonight let any hardship oh but tonight let any heartbreak be proof that you will continue to walk faithfully if you will be faithful in your worship and in your journey that this is the atmosphere for god to reveal himself to you when jesus came he came into a mess when jesus came he revealed himself into some drama he didn't choose to arrive into a palace he didn't enter the scene with a great parade out in front of him but he came to ordinary people who said god i'm going to trust in you i don't understand why you're calling me here i thought i would at least have a place to say but when i've gone just as far as i can go my name's been put under question there's speculation surrounding me i don't have any more resources i'm physically tired my mind has been plagued but god i need you to show up right now and that mess that you're living in this very evening you're in the right atmosphere for the nativity to take place you're in the right foundation for jesus to show up [Music] onto the scene we don't read where mary and joseph were leaping for joy or running the aisles but their faith in their journey was their worship unto him and many of you under the sound of my voice your faithful dedication to his health through circumstances that are incomprehensible to me you've suffered loss suffered heartache all kind of tragic things but yet you would still come into his house and give him worship and give him praise and your testimony not just a snapshot of a sunday evening why the choir is up here singing and the music is going forth but the daily walk of his saints who's remained faithful over the years where they can look back over their life at the testimony and your journey is mighty worship unto the king of kings and the lord of lords and you testified to the fact that in those darkest of hours and then those lowest of valleys were the time and the atmosphere where god revealed himself and matthew 2 11 it states and when they were coming to 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 when jesus was born in bethlehem the heavenly host herald has heralded his arrival to shepherds who were tending their flocks on the outskirts of town and as soon as the angels departed the shepherds hurried to bethlehem to see this newborn king they rejoiced and glorified god and they spread the good news to everyone the heavens announced his arrival to the nations as a bright light his stars shone in the sky that light could have been a special star created just for that purpose or it could have been a major astronomical conjunction as ernest martin suggests in his book the star of bethlehem the star that astonished the world according to martin at least eight major conjunctions occurred during the time period in which most scholars believe jesus was born astronomical conjunctions occur when planets and stars because of the differences in planet rotational patterns seem to merge or align when viewed from earth creating unusually bright lights are causing lights to appear when they normally do not regardless of whether it was a special one-of-a-kind star or a rarely occurring natural phenomenon a group of foreign astronomers observed this heavenly pronouncement and grasped on to its significance they set out on a journey to find and worship the god whose birth the star had announced there was no room for them at the end but there were some individuals who were looking and seeking and searching and though they missed the birth right in front of them there were some foreigners from afar who were seeking after god and saw a light bro shine bright since the prophets had told them the messiah would be born in bethlehem those living in jerusalem should have been among the first to recognize the signs of his comings it seems however they notice nothing out of the ordinary until the traveling astronomers showed up the wise men brought it to their attention the majority of the people jesus had come to save were completely unaware he was living among them until a group of outsiders came looking for him only then did those whom the prophets had foretold of his coming try to find him and as the wise men resumed their search for the king the star reappeared and led them to his house and the reappearance of this guiding light reassured them of his presence and when they saw the star it says they they rejoiced with exceeding with exceeding great joy and when they entered the house and found him they bowed down before this newborn king and gave him the gifts and the christmas joy demonstrates the principle of our worship and as we watch and hear this century-old drama retold every december retold as we view the nativity scenes that we place up which are a snapshot of all of these stories unfolding the players show us yet again the one we worship the way we worship and the reason we worship just as the residents of jerusalem were unaware of jesus's coming until the wise men came looking for him it is possible that we can get so involved in our earthly pursuits that our worship evolves into ritual it can be possible that we are so blessed with all of these amazing things with amazing singing with amazing playing with choirs with revivals with anything you could ask for it is possible that we could enter into his house and just fold our arms and not worship with exceedingly great joy the way the wise men did knowing about god we could fail to seek for him only fervent worship born in truth manifested in spirit will keep our lives centered upon christ pastor jerry dean preaches a great message as only he can you know the orange i call them the orange dancing guys that we have that you you plug in and they just dance all over the place you'll see them out in front of car lots or you'll see them out in front of a business trying to get somebody's attention and you you plug them in and those inflatables just dance back and forth and there's a big smile on their face he preached a sermon one time when i was down there and he he had one of the huge 25 foot ones and he had it plugged in right behind him and he began to talk about his mission work overseas and the different churches he had been to and he made a statement it said that he's come to this conclusion he said the people that have less seem to worship god more and he would he would start preaching that to the crowd and if they weren't getting with him he'd turn that thing on and he called it judah because it was praising back and forth and he'd start preaching to that and he would kind of poke and prod at the audience a little bit if y'all aren't going to get with me i'm going to i'm going to preach to to judah right here dancing and he reiterated the fact that it seems everywhere he goes it seems where people have the less they tend to worship god the most let that never be said about first apostolic church and knoxville we have incredible blessings we have anything we can ask for but every time we enter into this building it's not ritualistic worship it's not an artistic rendition it's not just another sunday or a wednesday but we're coming in here to celebrate emmanuel god with us jehovah lord of hosts the savior that came to this world and he didn't come for a bunch of perfect people i said i wear a suit and tie to make up for the stupid stuff i say he didn't come up for a bunch of perfect people he revealed himself in an absolute mess he revealed himself in absolute chaos and that is the message of the gospel that he revealed himself to ordinary people he didn't come as a militaristic leader that was going to conquer this world in a natural sense but he came to die on a cross for each and every one of us and if you're here tonight and you've got a heartache if you're here tonight and there's turmoil in your life oh let that be known that you have set the scene for jesus give the lord a handclap of praise for jesus to show up and we must be like the wise men this evening who seemingly have every resource available but we're looking to the heavens we're we're looking to find him in every capacity we're researching we're we're reaching out any way that we can no one knows for sure how many people saw the star that led the wise men to jesus was it visible only to them could others have seen it had they been looking had they been studying had they been researching or could others have seen it had they been looking for it could could others have experienced seeing god manifest in flesh had they known somehow the wise men saw what others missed and they grasped its significance to the wise men the light was a call to worship no matter how smart you are no matter how much wealth or resources you have you must be led by the heavens and you must give him an offering of praise and worship it says the wise man worshiped with exceeding joy wherever it led them whatever it cost them they were determined to make the journey they were committed to worship they were not seeking political gain they were not interested in power struggles they used their skill and they used their knowledge to seek god and they followed wherever the light led them finally depicted in the scenes of the nativity the shepherds they probably were not as well educated or as wealthy as the wise men but their worship was just as valuable the wise men found jesus through the efforts of their work in astronomy while the shepherds heard about him through their work being attentive and having this spiritual experience with angels while they were working and first kings 19 19 not a story directly related to the birth of jesus but equally as portent it says so he departed thence and found elisha the son of shaphat who was plowing with 12 yoke of ox and before him and he with the 12th and elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him and we see these themes throughout the word of god and i don't say themes to denigrate the importance of it i'm talking about spiritual divine significance that god reveals himself to people jesus shows up to people who are working and know how to work we read about elisha while he was waiting for something he was working while he was working out in the field that's when he received the anointing and while he was waiting he was working while he was working he was praying the shepherds while they were out attending their sheep they were praising and they were getting the job done and they were on a night shift throughout the night ensuring that their flock was probably properly being protected and right there in the midst of their work right there in what culture would call the lowest of professions of that time that is who jesus chose to reveal himself to the wise man the shepherds and mary and joseph jesus shows up when we are busy working musicians if you would come at this time neither the angels nor the star brought jesus to the men but both groups of men had to leave where they were and go where they were directed to find him their journey was a part of their worship their journey brought them into the presence of god that is the true worshiper's reward jesus showed up to all of them differently jesus showed up to all of them in different ways jesus showed up to all of them at different times and just as the worship of the wise men and the shepherds brought them into the presence of the lord their worship forged a relationship between them and god a relationship that was stronger than their own love for life they could now endure anything and find him present in all things the call to worship still echoes today like the wise men we must leave where we are and follow the light to where the lord leads like the shepherds we must respond to those spiritual events that beckon us into his presence continuing to work and reach out while we wait not getting weary and well doing and as we do the new testament panorama of faith grows as our story your story ordinary people becomes woven into the picture and we take our place among the number of the faithful joseph and mary's journey and faithfulness through speculation their faithfulness through doubt their faithfulness through despair was part of their worship and it was the introduction the foundation the atmosphere for the miraculous to take place likewise whatever you're experiencing tonight whatever heartbreak you have whatever loneliness you have whatever isolation you have whatever drama that fills your life this evening always a much more adequate depiction of the nativity than what we have made it out to be and god is ready to show up right where you're at stand with me this evening [Music] i would be remorsed to say that many use the term son of god as a reason to picture jesus as a son in the way human beings exist as father and son this phrase and terminology is used many times in the new testament when referring to jesus some use the well-known verse in john 3 16 that a father figure god gave his young son jesus to die for humanity god gave his son yes but it did not happen as some perceive for i ask you this evening over everything that we've talked about and identifying the journey of faith of mary and joseph the wise men and the shepherds emmanuel god with us the redeemer and savior of this world what kind of god would he be if he let someone else die for his people the word begotten comes from the greek root word genomic which refers to the beginning of something it means i am born i am manifested the word son comes from the greek word wheels which is used to describe humanity or carrying the connotation of weakness and mortality this describes humanity or flesh there was a beginning to the body or flesh of god the begotten son this was not a different person from god but it was god taking on human flesh and coming to die for us [Music] he did not send anyone else he did not send a substitute for there was no one else capable of taking on the sins of this world he is the father and the son he's the creator and the redeemer and he's ready to show up in your chaos and you know the story of the life of jesus right after he was born threats on his life of all of those that were born the firstborn of that time then joseph and mary were told to go to egypt as a place of protection and you study that a little bit imagine telling these hebrews to go back to egypt with the messiah the place where they have festivals and jubilees about leaving there he tells them to go back to that place as a source of protection again without no resources again without no way of substance but they trusted in god's plan and that place that was a wicked place that place of oppression became a place of refuge and we know as jesus started his ministry right there at the wedding of cana we read that mary the mother of jesus was there and she tells the onlookers whatever he tells you to do do it i've experienced some things with him i i've dealt with a lot of different emotions as it surrounds to this young messiah and all i can say to you folks because he had to be 30 according to the ravenic tradition to begin his ministry and just trust me whatever he says to do you better do it and what again emotions would she be filled with as she would go and see her young baby boy who she had experienced so many different things with born in a stable fling to egypt all of the different persecution and all of the different heartache and all of the hate that had been thrown his way his mother what she saw him yes as the messiah but she also saw him as her son what would she experience as she would see him be crucified in the most humiliating of manners by the most powerful empire at this time voted on by the people that he was called to be the king of all of this humiliation watching him crucify but as some time would go trusting in god's plan [Music] his mother would find her way to the upper room and maybe she said peter i know it's been some days i know there's a lot of doubt i know there's a lot of weariness i know there's a lot of speculation but hey i've been here before and i want you to know peter you you preach maybe she encouraged peter a little bit and said hey disciples you all preach and remain faithful i've experienced this before and i want to tell you when you feel like you've gone as far as you can go that's when jesus that's when he's going to show up that's the recipe that's the atmosphere the drama the scandal the speculation the doubt the hate that's when jesus is going to reveal himself and right there in that upper room jesus mother mary would experience the day of pentecost emmanuel god with us jesus living inside of us as the holy spirit emmanuel shows up when we are at our end he shows up in the drama he shows up in the mess he shows up in the speculation he shows up in the family argument he shows up in the heartbreak he shows up in the chaos he shows up in the isolation he shows up in the anxiety and this atmosphere is a much more accurate depiction of where jesus will reveal himself than our ornate romanticize or disrenditions and i want you to know across this house whatever you're experiencing and whatever you're dealing with tonight he's ready to show up for you so across this house i want to open this altar for every single individual to first and foremost acknowledge emmanuel god with us and then to acknowledge why he came and who he came to and if you've got heartbreak in your life if you've got suffering in your life if you've got turmoil in your life you're in the right place at the right time and jesus is ready to reveal himself [Music] and his spirit is about to be poured out upon you your light is greater and he's going to give you peace and he's going to give you comfort when you've gone just as far as you can rising that's what he's ready to show