Christmas Eve Service
- Dec 24, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 16, 2025
2024
Born into the night Sermon Transcription:
I want to share a word with you that the Lord put on my heart for this Christmas service: Born Into the Night. Born Into the Night—as we were singing these songs at this Christmas time, one sentence just now, as we were worshiping the King of Kings, stood out to me and kind of received a question mark at the end, wondering in my heart as a pastor: can everybody sing this? That's my job—to make sure that you can sing this with all your heart, that it has become true for you, not in a way that you believe this is possible because of Jesus Christ, but actually seeing it so clearly with opened eyes of your heart, seeing it so clear that you can sing. He banished every fear of hell. That means that if Jesus comes to get you tonight, you know that you are coming home to the love of your life. It's not that you know that, of course, you're going to be welcomed into heaven. I was in church every Sunday. I came to the altar once or twice and fell on my knees and prayed with all my heart: Jesus, you can have my life. None of these things are a confirmation that God is working in your life.
But when Jesus Christ sends His Holy Spirit to come and live in your heart, and every fear is banished out of your heart—fear no longer exists in your heart—now you know that Jesus hasn't just come into the night, that Christmas night. Now you know Jesus has come into the night of your heart, into the darkness that used to be in your heart: the sin, the brokenness, the secrets that used to be hidden, or we sought to hide them. They were never hidden from God, but we sought to hide them because we were afraid that if all of our secret deeds were out in the open, we would be afraid we'd be rejected by people. But also, we wouldn't be good enough for God—not good enough to be loved by God. As we are today, we sang: He has banished every fear of hell, every fear of death, every fear—not most of them, not the greatest ones I used to struggle with—He's banished them. He came into your heart and said, you're not welcome here anymore; I banish you from this ground, from this person, from this heart, from this mind.
Here's what Luke 2:8-14 reads: As we look at this Born Into the Night, starting in verse 8: now they were in the same country, shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men." See, Jesus could have been born into this world at any time, any place, any situation, and He very intentionally picks this humble way to come into the world, born into a manger, a feeding trough of animals.
Born into a poor family, born while they’re traveling, because a king that was over them—an oppressive king from another nation—had come in and overthrown the power of the people of God, occupied their nation. Another king was telling them they had to be registered, and so the parents are on a journey out of their home, on the road. Jesus becomes born unto them on the road, in a humble place, but most of all, He is born in the night. He is born into that night, not during the day. He’s born into that night, and that night was changed. All of a sudden, in that night, a great light shone around them, and a shout of joy could not be contained by heaven anymore: "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men." That night changed, and a song was born, a rejoicing was born. The shepherds received an expecting heart; they began seeking until they found. The night was changed. And has your life been changed? For so many of us, going to a church has been a thing our parents brought into our life.
No parent can bring Christ into your heart. Has your life been changed? Has the night in your heart been changed? Is there no need anymore in your heart to hide away secrets? Is there no need anymore to feel ashamed of anything you’ve ever done wrong? Is there no need anymore to feel guilt for any of the sinful actions you have done in your past, possibly even today?
Has Jesus been born into your life yet, into your heart? Has fear been eradicated out of your heart, or have you heard about this Jesus, but He has not come to live in your heart yet? You have not been changed; you still love sin. You still have a love relationship with sin. It’s something that maybe you hide, maybe you keep it under wraps, and you have grown good at doing so. But if you’re honest, between you and God today. That earth-shattering change, where darkness turns to light, a quiet night turns into a joyful song, a stagnant night turns into a seeking until I find a real change—has that happened in your heart? Are you ready to be brought home to Jesus at any time in your life? Has Jesus been born into your life yet? Can you sing this: "That is my heart for you tonight"? Can you sing this? Can you sing, "Glory to God in the highest"? On earth, right here in my heart, there’s peace now. There’s peace. God has goodwill towards me despite who I am, despite who I feel to be. Jesus has come into the night of my heart. He has come into the night.
Here's what John 14:23 tells us. Jesus, speaking, said, "Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me he will keep My word. He will love My word. He will uphold My word. He will believe it. He will keep it. He will hold on to it. It, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. See, that is the promise of the Gospel: it can become Christmas in your heart. The expectation that God may do something one day in my life—God says, "This is going to come to pass." Those who believe the word of Jesus, when He said, as He was all grown up, took on all of our sins, and He said, "Now it is finished. Now it is paid for. Now there’s freedom for those that I love, those that keep His word, those that believe Him." That means there’s nothing you have to pay God for anymore. There’s nothing you need to hide anymore. There’s not a sin you are still guilty of anymore if you believe Jesus’ word, those that hold on to My word, those that keep My word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him. You won’t have to make your way to God. You won’t have to try and get closer to God. The Word says, "We will come to him and make our home with him."
Church, it is impossible to fall into the grip of fear. Listen to me: it is impossible to fall prey to the grip of fear. It is impossible to struggle under the pressure of anxiety and have the King of Peace live in your heart at the same time. This is the gospel. When Jesus comes to make His home with you, fear—even the fear of death, even the fear of hell—no fear can live in your heart anymore, because He banishes it. He says, “You’re not welcome here anymore. I paid for this person. I paid for their life. I bought them. I loved them, and I have come to make My home with them because they believe Me at My word.” You can know about this King for years. You may have heard about the star that foretold where He would be born, but has He come to you yet?
Has He made His home with you yet? Has it become Christmas for you? If I want you to remember anything of tonight, it is this: Jesus was born into the night. He is not offended with whatever darkness may be hidden in your heart, maybe for so long. He’s not offended to enter into your night. He’s not offended to enter into the darkness of your heart. He’s not asking you or expecting you to clean it up a bit and to get your life together before He is willing to shake and stir up your entire life, banish that night with a great light, and banish the fear with great peace. He’s asking you to believe Him at His word: “I already paid for you. I already loved you. I already came into this world. Am I allowed to come and live in your heart? Will you believe My word?”
Matthew 11:27-29, Jesus speaking again. This is what He says: "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills. To reveal Him: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, that I’m gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. You will find rest for your souls. When Jesus was born into this world, the angel sang it: "Peace on Earth, good will towards man, Jesus brought heavenly peace into this world. He wants to come and live in your heart today. He wants to give you that peace. He wants to give rest to you so that you don’t feel you have to change. You don’t feel you have to be any different. You feel so loved by God the Father that you will be able to say, "God, I give You my life. I trust my life to You. Whatever You need to change, go ahead, Lord. I trust You now. I trust You." He wants to bring peace, not just in this world; He wants to bring it into your heart.
-Pastor Stan Mons
