Substance of the Message

Driving home: And from that moment on, sin has always created in man this dread of God which produces a paralysis in any desire to approach Him and a dread to approach that God.

Martin distinguishes between Adam's pre-Fall awe and reverence for God, which allowed intimate communion, and the post-Fall dread and paralysis caused by sin, which led to aversion.

The world of spiritual reality, God himself in this strange and supernatural manifestation of his glory in that bright light was drawing near, not to sinless beings, but to shepherds who were sinners. And whenever God drew near to man in this kind of a peculiar manifestation of his presence, it always created a sense of dread. Now before man sinned, there was awe and reverence of God, but there was no dread of God. And there's a difference between those two things. When Adam was placed in the garden, made in the image of God, created in fellowship and communion with God, Adam knew what it was ...

7:47 - 9:12 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You see, you can never commune with God while you dread God. While you think God to be harsh and hard, and all judgment, and all wrath, and drawn to a consuming fire.

A hymn stanza is quoted to illustrate how contemplating God's holiness and justice without Christ brings terror, but seeing Emmanuel's face brings hope, joy, and removes slavish fears and sin.

The God who could have saved, who has summoned these shepherds into His presence to give an account for their sins, the God who could have charged them with all of their iniquities and only intensified their dread and their fear, is the God who sent His angels saying, stop being afraid. The good news I bring is designed to cancel all of that dread of God that is the outgrowth of human sinfulness. One has expressed it beautifully in the lines of the hymn in this way. Till God in human flesh I see, my thoughts no comfort find. The holy, just, and sacred three are terrors to my mind. But if Emman...

12:08 - 13:15 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The shepherds, unlike those who would intellectualize, immediately believed the sign and hastened to Bethlehem, demonstrating faith. Martin illustrates God's consistent method…

God used Moses' ordinary stick to deliver Israel from Pharaoh, demonstrating His method of using weak things for mighty purposes.

They knew their Hebrew history. And they knew that this was so much like God. The God who from the human side delivers His nation from the might of Pharaoh by the instrumentality of the stick in the hand of a shepherd named Moses. What is that in thy hand?

37:31 - 37:52 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The shepherds, unlike those who would intellectualize, immediately believed the sign and hastened to Bethlehem, demonstrating faith. Martin illustrates God's consistent method…

God conquered the mighty walled city of Jericho by having His people march and shout, illustrating His unconventional and seemingly foolish methods.

Just an ordinary stick. Became the symbol of God's deliverance. You remember when God was going to take the first big city in the promised land? What did He do?

37:57 - 38:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The shepherds, unlike those who would intellectualize, immediately believed the sign and hastened to Bethlehem, demonstrating faith. Martin illustrates God's consistent method…

God used a young stripling, David, and a small stone to defeat the giant Goliath, showcasing His preference for weak instruments to humble the proud.

And there's this big old giant strutting all around. Remember him? Who's Jehovah? Bad-mouthing Jehovah.

38:37 - 38:45 Read in full sermon

Driving home: It is the divine method to take the weak things of the world and the things which are not to bring to naught the things that are that no flesh should glory before God.

God whittled Gideon's army down to 300 men, who then defeated the Midianites with pitchers, lights, and trumpets, emphasizing God's use of seemingly foolish means to achieve victory.

That's the way God works. And there's the host of the Midianites. And Gideon goes out against them. And God says, you've got too many.

39:17 - 39:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not let the humility of Christ's birth and life be a scandal or offense to your sense of propriety, for pride will lead to the damnation of your soul.

Martin refutes the sentimentalized hymn lyric, asserting that Jesus cried like any other baby, emphasizing His full humanity and dependence.

Don't you ever sing that verse. The poor babe awakes but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes. That's rubbish. When a cow went woo and Jesus woke up, he cried as lustily as your little brother or sister ever cried.

43:56 - 44:14 Read in full sermon