Date:   12/21/08

Text:   Luke 1:26-38

Title:   Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

Theme: We come to worship the Real Jesus.

Introduction:

  Can you tell which is the genuine polo shirt? How about the real jacket? And now, which one is the fish's eye and which one is a pearl?

  Every day I drive by a church called the True Jesus Church. Well, if there is true Jesus, then there must be a not true or fake Jesus. During the Christmas seasons, there are also many different Jesuses going around and sometimes it is hard to tell the real from the false ones. To some, Jesus is the cute little baby that never grew up. Perhaps we see him just as a little baby doll, like the doll we saw at the Christmas pageant last week. He's just a doll we can play with when we want to and put away when we're tired of him.

Or we're like Aladdin with a magic lamp. We rub the lamp, a genie pops out and gives us whatever we wish for. I want iPhone. Forget the iPhone, I want a million dollars. Sometimes we use the excuse "the devil made me do it." Maybe we also say, "Jesus told me to do it." Who can argue with that, right? Jesus told me to ask you out. Jesus told me to give me that toy. In the name of Jesus, many unimaginable things have been done, such as the crusades in the 11 th , 12 th and 13 th centuries. Some may regard Jesus as the freedom fighter, delivering us from political oppressions. There are also those who died for their loyalty to Jesus. So, Will the real Jesus please stand up?

  This morning, from the Luke passage, we want to see what the real Jesus is like. We go to the bible, because without the bible, we know very little about Jesus. A well known Jewish historian called Josephus wrote this probably towards the end of the 1 st century. “ …… Jesus, a wise man, who performed surprising works, a teacher of men who gladly welcomed strange things. He led away many Jews, and also many of the Gentiles. He was the so-called Christ. …….Those who had attached themselves to him at first did not cease to cause trouble, and the tribe of Christians, which has taken this name from him is not extinct even today.” This did not tell us much about Jesus. Therefore, if we want to know more about him, we have to turn to the Bible. So, who is the real Jesus? We want to identify some names in this passage that will help us have a better understanding about the real Jesus.

I •  The Favored One.

This word “the favored one” was used two times here. Yes, Mary was called the favored one, yet this also helps us to better understand Jesus. The favored one means specially loved by God, God's favorite. It's like you having a favorite toy, favorite game or favorite ice cream. Mary was called the favored one not because she is good or had accumulated many brownie points. This name was given to her, it was God's grace. In many cultures and religions, people have been asking: how can we human beings gain favor before the God above us? This question had greatly troubled Martin Luther in the 16 th century. He tried to be good and do good. He tortured his physical body in hope that this would please God. Then one day while he was studying the bible, Romans 5:1 appeared to jump out of the book and spoke to him, “ Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” All of a sudden he realized that we are the favored one from God's sight, not because of good works but because of faith in Jesus Christ. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God calls us the favored one.

  The false Jesus will say, if you give an offering every week, with a perfect church attendance, then you are favored by God. The real Jesus will say, you are the favored one because you are my children, not because of you are being good. I love you because you belong to me. So what about being good and doing good? Because we're loved by Him, because we are the favored one, therefore, we want to be good and to do good. So, don't let anyone tell you, if you are not good, then God will not love you. No, God has already loved you and called you and me the favored ones. We are his specially loved ones. We are all his favorite children

II •  Emmanuel

In vs.28, we read, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” In the Matthew narrative, the angel told Mary that her son will be called Emmanuel; which means, the Lord is with you. So even though we don't have the word Emmanuel here, the meaning is here. The Lord is with Mary. Today, our Lord, Jesus Christ is also with us. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples that he would be with them till the end of the world. The bible is full of promises that God is with his people.

Jesus is the Emmanuel; God with us. What does this mean to us today? When we are little, even when we are older, we want to be with our parents. During the holidays, most of us want to go home to be with our parents and siblings. When we know they are around, we feel safe and secure. I remember many years ago when Francis, my oldest son was 6 years old and I was a seminary student. That summer I stayed home to baby sit him and his brother, Robin, as Cynthia went to work. One day, Francis misbehaved and I had to spank him quite hard with my hand. He was hurt and cried, but it hurt me, both my hand and my heart. That afternoon, as usual, I took him and Robin walked to a nearby mall. I was pushing the stroller and Francis was following. I was still angry about what happened early that day. After walking for a little while, I felt something moving in my pocket. Then I realized it was Francis' hand. Even though he was spanked and he knew his dad was mad, he wanted to hold on to me, he wanted to know that I was still there for him. So I stuck my hand into my pocket and held his hand.

Jesus is with us all the time. He is with us when we are in good times, but he is also with us when we are in bad times. When we lost our jobs, when we are not happy, feeling sad and depressed, he is with us. There are times in life when we feel that we have let go of God's hand, we've drifted away from him. However, in those moments, God would be telling us that even though we feel we have let go of His hand, he has never let go of ours. He has always been there with us.

III •  Jesus

Vs.31, “ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” In Matthew's writing, he recorded that the angel also explained to Mary that the name Jesus means to save. Names usually have meanings. It's like you are called John or Sean meaning God is gracious. We have heard people sing; this sweet Jesus. Yes, he may be the sweet Jesus, but he is here to save us from our sins. This means that before God, we are all sinners. No matter how hard we try to be good and do good, we can never live up to God's standards. We are sinners and we live under the wrath of the Holy God. Have you ever tried to lift yourself up by pulling your pants or belts? Likewise, as sinners we can never save ourselves from sin and from God's anger. Jesus came into the world about 2000 years ago. He later died on the cross and 3 days later he rose from the dead. You see, as sinners, we only deserve punishment. But Jesus took our sins, so when he died on the cross, he was punished for our sins. Since he was punished, then we no longer have to be punished for our sins. He died on the cross to forgive our sins and save us from God's anger. This brings peace between us and God. this Jesus is not just a baby, but also our savior.

IV •  Son of the most high.

In vs.32-33, “ 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Did we hear this? He is Gracious, he is Emmanuel, he is the savior Jesus and now, he is the son of the most high, he is God and he is the king over all.

Now, if he is the king and rule over the entire world, what does it mean to us? When we are young, whom do we listen to? We listen to our mom, our dad, our parents. When we are a little older and starting school, we listen to the teachers. When we go to work, we listen to our supervisors. Now, if one of us receives a phone call from the president asking you to help him straighten out the country's economy, what would you do? It is hard to say no to the president of this country. Robert Gates was the president of the Texas A/M Univ. He was a good president, the students and the professors all thought highly of him. Then one day he answered a call from president Bush, wanting him to head up the Defense Department and to help bring the war in Iraq to an end. When the president of the country called, he listened.

What about the King over the entire universe? What if the King of the universe called you today? (Phone rings)

Pas. Mou: (embarrassed) Oh, it's my cell phone ringing. Sorry! (Pas. Mou takes out his cell and answers it)

Pas. Mou: Hello.

Voice-over: Hello, is it Tao?

Pas. Mou: Yes? (Pas. Hsueh keeps looking at Pas. Mou when he is talking)

Voice-over: This is King Jesus calling.

(Surprised, Pas. Mou turns to look at Pas. Hsueh. Smiling, Pas. Hsueh turns to speak to the congregation, Pas. Mou puts down the cell phone and continues with translation)

Pas. Hsueh: (Speaking to the congregation) What would you do if Jesus called you today? Would you listen to him? When he is our king, then the only thing we can do is to obey him, right? What is important in life is no longer what He can do for me, but what he wants me to do with my life. When he speaks, we listen and obey. And do you know what will happen when we obey him? In the second chapter of Luke, when the priest Simeon saw the baby Jesus and his mother, Mary, he said, “ “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” He is saying, this baby Jesus will cause many conflicts among the people.

Mary's heart will be hurt by what she will see with her own eyes. Later, when we read the scriptures, we are told that his disciples were called the ones who turned the world upside town. Why? You see, when we come to believe and follow him, he will turn our values upside down. We value and admire those with power, fame and wealth, and the successful. But he exalts the poor and humble. He gave us the command to love those unlovable ones. He wants us to pray for our enemies. It is so uncool. He further tells us that if we are to follow him, we need to take up our cross and follow him. This means that we need to be prepared to put down our pride, our egoes, sometimes even our self-interest and put him first. It is hard, but this is what is expected from the King to his citizens.

Conclusion:

  I read about the comedy Talladega Nights. Will Ferrell, the main character of the play said, “I like the Christmas Jesus best.” In a family prayer he said, “dear tiny Jesus, golden fleece diapers, with your tiny, fat, balled-up fist…” his wife gently reminded him, “Jesus did grow up, you don't always have to call him baby.” He said, “I like the Christmas Jesus when I'm saying grace,” so continued, “dear 8lb, 6oz, newborn infant Jesus. Don't even know a word yet. Just a little infant, so cuddly, but still omnipotent…..thank you for all your power and your grace, dear baby God. Amen.”

  Isn't it true that sometimes we too like the Christmas baby Jesus? He is so quiet and peaceful. Who knows, he might not even have cried at his birth. He is not demanding at all. Always the best boy in his neighborhood. However, when we start reading the bible, it is a very different Jesus, right? You see, the real Jesus is one who loved and accepted us in spite of our sinfulness. He is with us all the time, in the good and bad times. He is the one that saves us from sin and from God's wrath. Above all he is also our king, our lord. When we come before this Jesus, all we can do is to worship him, give our all to him and to listen and obey Him.