The Sign or The Savior – Crossroad Baptist Church

The Sign or The Savior

12. And this shall be a sign to you; you shall find the Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

15. And after the Angels were gone from them into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.”

16. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger.

17. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.

Luke 2: 12, 15-17

Signs Serve a Purpose

The lyrics of a 1970s song by the Five Man Electric Band went something like this. ‘Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Blocking out the scenery, wrecking my mind. Do this, don’t do that – can’t you read the sign.’ The artists were questioning whether signs were even necessary; they viewed them as obstructions to nature as well as unnecessary rules.

Some signs can be extremely helpful when they are placed appropriately and followed wisely. They provide helpful information for those who seek direction and guidance. Signs communicate a message from someone and to someone. Signs point the way to a destination. Signs can even portray a picture of an intended result. Marketing uses three Cs of signage: Communication, conversion, and completion. Communication involves sharing the message. Conversion is the process of reaching the targeted audience and getting them to listen. Completion is when the targeted audience responds to the message with the intended action. In a nutshell, the sign is prominently placed to get the consumer to buy something even if they don’t really need it. Among the biggest advertisers are Amazon, McDonalds, and the automobile industry. One of the greatest feat of advertisers is to capture a spot on the Super Bowl each year. The whole point is to get someone to purchase the product.

The greatest advertisement of all time had nothing to do with food, clothing, transportation, or consumer goods. The greatest advertisement of all times was not placed outside some major metropolitan area. The greatest sign of all time was a living display that took place outside of a tiny town called Bethlehem. This sign was not to the well-to-do, high ranking officials, or business executives. This sign was given to poor shepherds keeping watch over their sheep at night. In a flash a multitude of Angels appeared on a hillside. They did not come to announce the end of the world but the beginning of everlasting hope. Their message is described in Luke 2, behold I bring you good news of great joy which shall be to all the people … for unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord… And this shall be a sign to you; you shall find the Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

No greater sign had ever been given than this one. First, it came directly out of Heaven from God. Second, the message was delivered, not by one Angel or ten, but by a multitude of Angels. (This meant, it was really, really important). Third, the sign revealed that the greatest event of all time had occurred, and the Shepherds were to be among the first to know about it. The sign was spectacular. The message was perfect. And the timing was on point. That was God’s sign of the ages. Responding to the sign would mean beholding the Perfect One. And this shall be a sign to you; you shall find the Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. One thing to note – the sign wasn’t permanent.

Signs are Powerful but not Permanent.

What would have happened if the shepherds got so enraptured by the sign that they never paid attention to the sign’s directions? Secondly, with the Baby as the sign, what if the shepherds only discovered the Christ Child and never followed Christ the Savior? Their sign would have been powerful for sure, but it would not have been permanent. It could only give good news but would have come short of the good news being applied. The sign, although wonderful, would have blocked the scenery of what God had planned for the entire race of mankind. The signs would have become the object of worship and eventually would have resulted in the loss of the soul. Signs are not permanent. God sends them that they might lead us to the Savior.

Here we are in the season of Christmas and many are focusing on the Signs and the Sounds of the Season. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year, but it is nothing more than a temporary sign. For those of us who have seen many seasons, we know that the season will change, and we will be back to the daily grind. As the seasons change so do our attitudes and our commitment to celebrating God’s Glory. What I am proposing in this message is not that we have permanent signs. I am proposing something greater – that we have a permanent celebration of the Savior.

Much like worldly advertisement, spiritual signs are just that – they are intended to get you to enjoy the product. The celebration of Christmas is one big sign. While it is good to celebrate Christmas, if you never enjoy the True Person of Christmas, you have missed the whole point. Let us revisit the shepherds abiding in the field and see how they responded to the sign. The question is whether they enjoyed the True Person or did they simply celebrate the sign? And after the Angels were gone from them into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Baby lying in a manger. The sign worked. They did not stay on the hillside. As a matter of fact, they left their sheep in a hurry to see for themselves.

What did they find when they arrived at the stable? In the words of noted author and pastor, Chuck Swindoll, they found the Christ Child but something more. They took one look at the environment in which Christ was born. He was not born in a palace, nor was he born in a military compound. Christ was born in a stable; his parents laid Him in a feeding trough used by sheep and oxen. The shepherds not only found the Child, but they also related to Him because they saw this Child as one of them. The stable environment they could relate to. Now they could relate to Christ, as “one among us.”

How did they respond to the Child? These shepherds to the Sign of Christ. They responded by telling others. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child. They got the message of Christ and understood that He was their promised Savior.

When we get the Message of Christ, we can then share that with others. This Christmas season gives us a tremendous opportunity to not only worship Christ but to also share Christ. Especially in this environment of the pandemic, the uncertainty in the world, and the weakness of mankind; we can share the eternal message of the Savior.

Why talk about the sights and sounds of Christmas when we can talk about the goodness of God that last forever? We can share with the world, the Joy of knowing Jesus and following Jesus. Like the shepherds, we have a holiday to tell others about the God we have believed in. They made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.Christ is not temporarily in the heart of true believers, He is there permanently. He is the One that we worship. Yes, we celebrate Christmas, but much more, we celebrate the Savior that is come into this world and into our hearts. He is one of us and He is One with Us, Immanuel. For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!

In Genesis, He’s the breath of life, In Exodus, the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He’s our High Priest, In Numbers, The fire by night
Deuteronomy, He’s Moses’ voice

In Joshua, He is salvation’s choice, Judges, law giver, In Ruth, the kinsmen-redeemer
First and second Samuel, our trusted prophet, In Kings and Chronicles, He’s sovereign

Ezra, true and faithful scribe, Nehemiah, He’s the rebuilder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He’s Mordecai’s courage, In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms, He is our morning song

In Proverbs, wisdom’s cry, Ecclesiastes, the time and season
In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover’s dream

Do you know Him?

In Isaiah, He’s Prince of Peace, Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
In Lamentations, the cry for Israel, Ezekiel, He’s the call from sin
In Daniel, the stranger in the fire, In Hosea, He is forever faithful
In Joel, He’s the Spirits power, In Amos, the arms that carry us
In Obadiah, He’s the Lord our Savior, In Jonah, He’s the great missionary

In Micah, the promise of peace, In Nahum, He is our strength and our shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He’s pleading for revival,

In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage, In Zechariah, our fountain

In Malachi, He is the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

Do you know Him?

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is God, Man, Messiah
In the book of Acts, He is fire from heaven, In Romans, He’s the grace of God
In Corinthians, the power of love, In Galatians, He is freedom from the curse of sin

Ephesians, our glorious treasure, Philippians, the servants heart
In Colossians, He’s the Godhead Trinity, Thessalonians, our coming King
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon He’s our mediator and our faithful Pastor

In Hebrews, the everlasting covenant, In James, the one who heals the sick.
In First and Second Peter, he is our Shepherd
In John and in Jude, He is the lover coming for His bride
In the Revelation, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Do you know Him

The prince of peace, The Son of man
The Lamb of God, The great I AM

He’s the alpha and omega, Our God and our Savior
He is Jesus Christ the Lord, and when time is no more
He shall reign forever and ever!