Heaven Breaks In: Heaven is Here!

Heaven Breaks In! Christmas Eve Eve       Pastor Brad Myers

Heaven is Here!                                                December 23, 2025

Merry Christmas!

Series: Heaven Breaks In!

Tonight: Celebrate Heaven is Here!

Different feel to it.

• Noise of the season begins to fade
• Rush slows down.
• Lights dim just enough for us to breathe.

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Tonight, we’re not here to rush through a familiar story. We’re here to remember a holy truth that still changes everything.

Always Virgin Birth: Talk of the season…

Luke 2:1-7 (ESV) Birth of Jesus Christ

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.

• Rome is counting people to assert power. Control & taxes
• God is preparing a break in to redeem people

• Betrothed: Legally married by Jewish customs before a ceremony.
• Marriage not consummated:  after Jesus’ birth.

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Inn: Hotel or Motel?

• Greek: Inn is kataluma.
  • guest room, lodging space, upper room, place to stay

Francis of Assisi: (13th century) Catholic preacher: Nativity Scene

What was likely happening

• Joseph returned to family in Bethlehem
• Homes multi-room dwellings
• Guest room “Inn” (kataluma) probably already taken; other relatives
• Homes lower portion: (animal at night) had a manger
• Mary gives birth there: not rejected, but accommodated humbly
• Probably issue of space, not cruelty.

But Why a birth at all? Why did Jesus have to be born?

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God chose to enter human life which means a human experience.

• Not all human experiences: cell phone, ride a bike, drive a car, etc.
• Experience what we all share: Being Born, learning to walk & talk, family, part of community, working and making friends,
• Fully human means full human experience.
  • Jesus didn’t enter through a back door
• Jesus needed to be born human to be human.

The Virgin birth was the beginning of Jesus breaking into humanity — but not the fullest expression of it.

• Virgin birth was the beginning
• But Jesus didn’t finish “breaking into humanity at birth
• Birth alone didn’t complete God’s work.

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We ask: Why a virgin birth?

We’re really talking about virgin conception.

• An Act of Creation. Unexpected; just like anything going from non-existence to existence.
• Mary’s pregnancy completely unexpected.
• Mary was asked to do something she never asked for.

Science can’t answer

Q) How did we get something from nothing?

Think about this: One of two scenarios

• There has never been nothing: means always been something.
  • If there’s something there’s someone.

• OR, there was nothing then there was something.
  • Someone’s responsible in bringing something out of nothing.

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Notice: Jesus story

My Thought: God breaks in with a new creation amid an old creation.

• Example: In the middle of a well-lit day God says, “Let there be new light”
• Immediately: Heaven Breaks into Mary and Jesus is in the womb.

Mary asked How? Question is not how, but who?

The “Who” is in the creation story

Genesis 1:2 (NIV)

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

The same Spirit was hovering over Mary and convinced her there would be new life within her.  New life broke in but now different from the old life

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SO..

Thought: The virgin birth highlights the humanity of Jesus as a human birth; but the deity of Jesus breaks in at the virgin conception.

Now we have

John 1:14 (NLT)

So the Word (Jesus) became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

• God is now with us!

Heaven Breaking In unfolds over time

• Christmas is when God newly entered humanity as human
• Easter is where humanity was redeemed.
• Day of Pentecost is where the power of Jesus’ life was released into us.

Q) SO, why a birth at all? Why did Jesus have to be born?

A) So, Heaven could break into our lives fully human and fully God at the same time!

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Follow up question we should be asking….

Q) Has Jesus now stopped breaking into humanity?

A) He Hasn’t! Jesus now is born again within us.

John 1:13 (NLT) (exact)

We are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.  A Newly created birth!

Romans 10:13 (NIV)

for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Born again!

Prayer