Good News - Christmas 2021 - Luke 2:10
December 24, 2021
December 26, 2021
POW camps… in any war… are not enjoyable places… life, if you can call it that, is harsh… lack of food, disease, cold, brutality…
Russian POW held by Germans - 57.5% death rate
German POW held by Russians - 35.8% death rate
American POW held by Japanese - 33% death rate
American POW held by Germans - 10.8% death rate
German POW held by Americans - 0.15% death rate
in one particularly brutal German camp… near end of 1944… most POW’s had come to conclusion they were never going home… in fact, that’s what the guards would tell them every day… you’re going to die here… you’ll never see your family again…
the loss of hope was easily seen in their faces… in their body language… in their attitude… and then one day it changed…
they were still starving… they were still sick… they were still scared… yet, guards noticed they were happy… they were smiling… they were talking… they were whooping and hollering…
what happened… a radio… a radio brought news into the camp… good news… happy news… hopeful news… nothing else changed but the news… news changes everything…
POW Bill Ross: for several evenings we tried to get something on the radio, but were unsuccessful… I fixed the aerial into position… after about 10 minutes of fiddling, we were about the give up the ghost when suddenly we heard ‘Scottish Regional’… I can never hope to put my feelings into words at this moment… I wanted to shout the news to the farthest point of that prison camp… every man in that room was bubbling with excitement… I took down as much as possible in shorthand… our fighter planes were doing great things over France and Germany… but the best news of all was our troops were going from success to success…
news changes everything… Allied forces had landed… Germany would be shortly defeated… prisoners would be set free…
Isa 51:14… “the prisoner is soon to be set free… he will not die… his food will not be lacking… for I am the Lord your God…”
Luke 4:18… “the Spirit of the Lord is on Me… He has anointed Me to preach good news… He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners…”
what happened… news happened… the power of good news awakened hope… nothing changed but the news…
Luke 2:8-20… “don’t be afraid… I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people… today a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, Christ the Lord… suddenly, there were angels praising God, glory to God in the highest heaven, peace to those on whom His favor rests…”
whether you realize it or not… we’re like those prisoners… held in bondage and slavery and the fear of death… things aren’t good… but the news has changed… and news changes everything…
Heb 2:14-15… “Jesus… thru His death… destroyed the one holding the power of death, the devil… freed those held in slavery all their lives by fear of death…”
you don’t have to die in the camp… the prison doors have been thrown wide open… your sin has been taken away… your guilt is gone… your ransom has been paid…
Isa 35:10… “the ransomed will return singing… crowned with joy… sorrow and mourning will disappear and they will be filled with joy and gladness…”
John 1:29… “look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world…”
Acts 13:39 AMP… “everyone who believes in Him is freed from all guilt…”
come let us adore Him is true… you can adore Him because He has set you free… from whatever holds you in bondage… this is the good news of His birth… good news for all people…
don’t know what news you listen to on a regular basis… but I know the news you listen to can change everything… bad news can make you crabby… anxious and fearful… bitter and angry… bad news can even divide and destroy family relationships…
but good news… good news brings joy… hope… excitement… delight… astonishment… contentment… peace… brings families closer together… heals relationships… and this is very good news…
Luke 2… “good news of great joy… after seeing the baby… they told everyone what had happened… all who heard were astonished…”
Acts 2:42-47… “all the believers met together… shared everything they had… worshipped together… shared meals with joy… all the while praising God…”
what bondage are you imprisoned to… what difficulties do you face on a daily basis… slavery will kill you unless you receive the gift of freedom brought to you by this little baby… don’t have to spend one more minute behind bars…
Psa 107… “let the redeemed of the Lord say so… others sat in darkness and gloom, prisoners in cruel chains… then they cried to the Lord… He brought them out of darkness and broke their chains apart… He sent His Word and rescued them…”
Cor 3:7… “where the Spirit of the Lord is… there is freedom…”
Gal 5:1… “for freedom, Christ set us free… don’t submit again to slavery…”