Chambersburg Bible Church

This year, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, may we consider the wonderful announcement from God – the birth of the KING of KINGS! Many times, our Christmas and Holiday celebrations detract our attention from this great announcement… for it was the birth of the King, sent to die, that wrought our freedom from sin and made THE way for hope in eternal life with God! This sermon preached by Pastor Gary Yoder focuses on that special announcement, to the Shepherds of Bethlehem in Luke 2, and to the wise men of the East from Matthew 2. Considering the miraculous events in both of these announcements should draw our hearts to the Almighty God as we celebrate the birth of the very God-Man, our Savior.

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• The Birth announcement to the shepherds
  • He shall be the source of good news of great joy
  • He shall be a Savior sent from God
  • He shall be the source of peace

Luke describes the first announcement in chapter 2, verses 8-14: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of 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 is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

• The Birth announcement to the Magi
  • He shall be served because He is a King
  • He shall be worshipped because He is God

Matthew describes the second announcement through a supernatural star in chapter 2, verses 1-11 : “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him… When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into 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.”

Consider the challenge from the Word of God regarding the announcement of the King’s Birth!

• Have you come to see that Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords?
• Are you worshipping Him and serving Him? He deserves all the praise and honor that we can give because of who He is!
• Have you experienced the peace that comes through faith? Are you at peace with God today?

Join us on Wednesday, December 23 for our annual Candlelight Christmas Carol & Hymn Sing! Although we will not be having a Christmas Eve Service this year, we hope that you and your family will join us on Wednesday night for fellowship in the candlelight as we sing the Carols of Christmas, praise our Lord and Savior, and spend some quiet time in Prayer. Immediately following our special service, we will have Christmas Cookies for all!

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Ben Fisler

Many times Thanksgiving Day is simply a time of eating tons of wonderful food, watching football, and spending time with family. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with any of these pastimes, but we truly need to focus on the reason for this holiday. In 1610 a group of believers in the Jamestown colony were suffering beyond belief due to the hostile weather condition. The group of settlers that had come across the ocean had been narrowed down from 409 to only 60 survivors. The group had prayed earnestly for the Lord to provide necessary provisions for them. In response to their prayers, a boat filled with necessities for daily living arrived. Many look to 1621 as the beginning of our Thanksgiving tradition, but 1610 was truly a time for thanksgiving.  Today we can be so thankful that these people took a stand for their Christian heritage. They truly provided a strong foundation for this country. 

Moving forward some 399 years later, we now have a matter to address in our own community–a threat to that Christian heritage.  That matter is the removal of the nativity from our town square. We truly need to rally around and make a statement that the reason we celebrate many holidays in this country is due to what Jesus Christ has done for us. It’s been exciting to see how the community is coming together and expressing faith in Jesus Christ as the reason for keeping the nativity. Whether you like it or not our forefathers have placed the Bible and Jesus Christ as the foundation for our nation. We cannot allow one man to destroy what we view as the reason for commemorating the various holidays that occur around the calendar year. But the exciting part about this is that whether people continue to keep the Bible out of schools, remove prayer from schools, force us to take down our nativity scenes, and no longer post the Ten Commandments in public buildings, no one can take away our personal salvation through Jesus Christ. And that is truly a reason to be thankful during this season of the year.