Love came down at the first Christmas
Portraits of Faithfulness at Christmas • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsThe Birth of Jesus was a unique event that split time. His birth is a demonstration of the Love of God
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The Birth of Jesus was a historical reality (Luke 2:1-7)
The Birth of Jesus was a historical reality (Luke 2:1-7)
Explanation: Luke takes pains to anchor the birth of Jesus in the stream of time. He points out that Jesus was born during the reign of the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. Luke also records that a man named Cyrenius was the governor of Syria. These are two real people who lived in specific places at specific times.
Luke also gives the commonplace governmental activity of taxation as the reason for Joseph and Mary’s reason for travel. In addition, Luke details the specific regions and towns they started from along with the region and town to which they traveled.
Illustrate: Fairy tales start out with “once upon a time in a place far away.” Fairy tales are imaginary events that occur in imaginary places; the birth of Jesus was a historical event, anchored in time and space.
Argument: There are skeptics who claim that Jesus was a myth, that he never actually lived. They are of the opinion that the biblical writers created the idea of a “Jesus” for their own efforts to control people.
The historical reality of Jesus has been firmly established. The evidence for the physical personage of Jesus has been more closely examined than for any other person in history. The only reason a person concludes that Jesus was not a real person is because he or she doesn’t want to accept His teachings
Application: As a believer in Christ you are on solid ground for the reality of Jesus as a historical person. Refuse to be confused or misled by those who claim Jesus is a made up, mythological idea.
The Birth of Jesus was Supernatural (Luke 2:8-14)
The Birth of Jesus was Supernatural (Luke 2:8-14)
Explanation: Jesus entered this world in the way of all other children. and was fully human. Unlike any other child this world has ever seen, Jesus was also fully God. The birth of Jesus was not only historical reality, it was a supernatural wonder!
The birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of prophecy
The birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of prophecy
isa 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
micah 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
gen 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.””
numbers 24:17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.”
The birth of Jesus brought the Creator into the Creation
The birth of Jesus brought the Creator into the Creation
Explanation: The birth of was supernatural in that the Eternal God came into His own creation by taking on the form of a human. In the process He did not lose any Divinity; He added the aspect of Humanity. One body, two separate essences - the Divine and Human in perfect harmony! We may be able to say the words, but to say we fully understand this is beyond our capabilities. The Infinite who is unlimited by time and space assumed a finite existence!
Make no mistake - Jesus DID NOT come into existence for the first time in the Bethlehem manager. He IS the Eternal God who has always been and will always be.
Isa 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The dual natures of Jesus was prophesied about 750 years before His birth: The child was born, but the Son was given.
The Christmas star has already been mentioned, but just for clarity, the star appeared for the first time the night He was born. God had the star appear to announce Jesus’ arrival to the world. Most did not make the connection, but the Magi did. They saw his Star from their homes in Persia and took the time to find out what it meant. They most likely had access to Daniel’s writings from the Babylonian captivity. Even though it took them about two (2) years, they made the journey to Bethlehem to bring gifts and worship the King.
Closer to the manger, other supernatural events were taking place: The Angel of the Lord (probably Gabriel) appeared to a group of shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus (v. 9) The shekinah glory was manifested and these guys were scared!
The Angel, a supernatural being, added to the wonder of the moment by informing the shepherds that the Messiah had been born, he also gave a sign for them to check, and then a host of angels appeared with the Divine message of peace and good will towards mankind because the Christ-child had arrived.
Application: The birth of Jesus was supernatural - no other birth in recorded history occurred in such a miraculous fashion. Not one other religious leader in the world has had such a glorious entrance! The birth of Jesus is in a category by itself!
We can be confident in worshiping the Christ. He is worthy of our worship because He is Emmanuel - God with us.
The Birth of Jesus was a time of Rejoicing and Praising (Luke 2:15-21)
The Birth of Jesus was a time of Rejoicing and Praising (Luke 2:15-21)
Explanation: After the angels leave the shepherds decided to go check out the news for themselves. They were probably only a couple of miles from the birth place so they went. And they did not waste time getting there. The text states “they came with haste” (v. 16)
Illustrate: Rainer’s story of going to see their first grandson. His wife was a slow-mover for family vacations and such - took a long time to get her stuff together and then stopped on the route every chance she got. They got the call from the daughter that she was in labor earlier than expected. The grandmother to be looked at Rainer and said “Let’s go!” It was a 9 hour drive and he thought they would not even be close. Nana was in the car in less than thirty minutes and only had him stop for gas and the bathroom breaks!
Argument: MOTIVATION makes a difference! The shepherds wanted to experience the Messiah for themselves. They heard about Him, they they went to Him. They not only encountered Him, they worshiped him and then went and told others. The text does not explicitly state that they worshiped the Christ child, but it does state that were “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (v. 20).
This indicates they received the news as truth and passed it on to others. Scripture indicates that “they made known abroad the saying which was told them” (v. 17)
Application: The shepherds accepted Jesus as their Savior and then told others the Good News. The Good News of the Gospel is that a Savior has come and He brings forgiveness from sin. Jesus came to this world to “seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10) and we who have received the Good News CAN share it with others.