12-24-14 Christmas Eve Worship

The Sweetest Story

FirstB Children

Advent Wreath, The Christ Candle

Kim & Jeff Cooper

The Light of Christmas & Caroling, Caroling

Teddy Snow and daughter & Robin (need her last name from Teddy)

Joy to the World, Away in a Manger

Congregation

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Megan & Abby Pato

Christmas Offering / O Holy Night

Congregation

Mary, did you know?

Amber Vance & Sandy Hacking

                              “Christmas Eve: The Christ Candle” / Luke 2:1-20

Pastor Jeff Cooper

Be born to me

Heather Etcheverry & Elianne Mae Henken (aka. Baby Jesus)

Candle light service / Silent Night

Congregation

 

A special Thank you to Sandy Hacking and the FirstB Praise Team, Tech Team, our greeters and ushers.

 

Please join us this Sunday at 9:30 am or 11:00 am for a reprise

of a condensed version of “It’s a Wonderful Life – The Musical.”

12-21-14 Fourth Sunday of Advent: The Angel Candle

 

Scripture                                                1 John 1:1-4

          That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.

The Angels of Christmas

Luke 2:8-15  The MESSAGE
          There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."  At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.  As the angel choir withdrew into heaven

Luke 1:8-20                                   Zechariah’s Angel

It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear. But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you — many will delight in his birth. He'll achieve great stature with God. He'll drink neither wine nor beer. He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb. He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God. He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics — he'll get the people ready for God." Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman." But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news. But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time — God's time."

 Luke 1:26-38                                         Mary’s Angel

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you.  She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called 'Son of the Highest. 'The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever — no end, ever, to his kingdom." Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months' pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her.

Matthew 1:18-25                                   Joseph’s Angel

Joseph, engaged to Mary, discovered was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus — 'God saves' — because he will save his people from their sins." Joseph woke up and did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary and named the baby Jesus.

Angelic warning to the Wise Men and Joseph about Herod

Matthew 2:11-12

Overcome, the scholars from the East knelt and worshiped the infant king. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.

Matthew 2:13-15

After the scholars were gone, God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him." Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod's death.

Matthew 2:19-22

Later, when Herod died, God's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: "Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead." Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel.

           Interesting that the church in the Americas did not widely celebrate the birth of Jesus until recent times; while the biblical account shows angels intervening with a message on 7 occasions. That is huge. Angels are messengers – There is a message to tell – and the church is God’s angelic messenger today.  We need to proclaim the Christ-mass event from the roof tops.  WHY?

Here the rest of 1 John 1 -

1 John 1:5-10

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.      1 John 1:1-2     That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

          DON’T MISS THIS: JESUS WAS BORN, SO THAT WE COULD BE RE-BORN

John 3:3-21

Jesus told Nicodemus, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.  Jesus answered “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

      Let me make it simple – here is what the angels came to tell us – that God’s son was born so we could be reborn – and here is what being reborn looks like:

 ‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas
       By Tony Cooke and David Beebe

‘Twas the fight before Christmas,
And all through the house,
Not a creature was peaceful,
Not even my spouse.
The bills were strung out on our table with dread,
In hopes that our checkbook would not be in the red.
The children were fussing and throwing a fit,
When Billy came screaming and cried, "I’ve been bit."
And Momma with her skillet, and I with the remote,
She said, "You change one more channel and I’ll grab your throat."
When on the TV there arose such a clatter,
I sat up on the couch to see what was the matter.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
The cable was out, it was my worst fear.
"The Cowboys, the Celtics, the Raiders, the Knicks,
Without the sports channel I’d soon need a fix!"
And then in the midst of my grievous sorrow,
I remembered the times I had promised, "tomorrow…"
"Not now, my children, but at some soon time,
Dad will play with you, and things will be fine."
Now under conviction, I looked at my wife,
Where was my kindness? Why all the strife?
My heart quickly softened; I now saw my task,
Some love and attention was all they had asked.
I gathered my family and called them by name,
And told them with God’s help I’d not be the same.
We’ll keep Christ in Christmas and honor His plan.
No more fights before Christmas – on that we will stand.
My children’s eyes twinkled; they squealed with delight.
My wife gladly nodded; she knew I was right.
It was the fight before Christmas, but God’s love had come through,
And just like He does, He made all things new.

12-14-14 Third Sunday of Advent: The Shepherd Candle

1 John 4:13-16

          We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

Luke 2:8-20     (NIV)

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

          Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

When in scripture do you see a multitude of angels announcing anything to a group of people? We see the multitude of angels in heaven singing praise to God in eternity.  By eyewitness account when else other than to announce God coming into the world have you heard of angels announcing anything?  I can’t think of any – Angels, one or a few have appeared and usually to an individual – but a multitude to a group – I can’t think of any.

Since creation this was the most important event in the history of the world – and as God spoke in the beginning, so God now speaks with a LOUD voice to announce world redemption to the group of people he thought could best deliver His message – shepherds.

Understanding by having the mind of Christ

1 Corinthians 2:9-16     (The MESSAGE)

That's why we have this Scripture text:

No one's ever seen or heard anything like this,

Never so much as imagined anything quite like it —

What God has arranged for those who love him.

          10 But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.  The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God — except that he not only knows what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.

          14 The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can't receive the gifts of God's Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit — God's Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God's Spirit is doing, and can't be judged by unspiritual critics. 16 Isaiah's question, "Is there anyone around who knows God's Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?" has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ's Spirit.

          Every Christmas season we talk about the shepherd’s low position on the societal totem pole.  It is true. The shepherds were not held in high esteem, they were not wealthy, they were not invited to the “in” parties.

Sheep raised on the hillsides around Bethlehem may well have been destined for temple sacrifices in Jerusalem, only six miles to the north.  Jeremias describes a shepherd's life: "The dryness of the ground made it necessary for the flocks of sheep to move about and to stay for months at a time in isolated areas, far from the owner's home. Hence, herding sheep was an independent and responsible job; in view of the threat of wild beasts and robbers, it could even be dangerous.

Some of Israel's great heroes were shepherds -- Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. Both Psalm 23 and Jesus compare God's care to that of a Good Shepherd. But in the First Century, it seems, shepherds had a rather unsavory reputation. Shepherds were not allowed to fulfill a judicial office or be admitted in court as witnesses.  A midrash on Psalm 23:2 reads, "There is no more disreputable occupation than that of a shepherd."  Philo, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher of Alexandria (25 BC - 45 AD), wrote about looking after sheep and goats, "Such pursuits are held mean and inglorious.”

The shepherds to whom the angels appeared were from a despised class.  "Keeping watch" is a combination of two related Greek words. The verb is phulasso, "to carry out sentinel functions, watch, guard.” The noun is phulake, "the act of guarding." Together they carry the idea of "keep watch, do guard duty." The shepherds made sure that the sheep were safe from wandering off and injuring themselves, as well as dangers from thieves and wolves.

How would the shepherds know that the angel's message is true?

"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (2:12)  "Sign" is the Greek noun semeion, "a sign or distinguishing mark whereby something is known, sign, token, indication." The sign consists of two elements. The baby is:

Wrapped in cloths, and

Lying in a manger.       (Amber & Sandy enter)

"Baby" is the Greek noun brephos, "a very small child, baby, infant." The phrase "wrapped in swaddling clothes" (KJV) or "cloths" (NIV) translates the Greek verb sparganoo, "to wrap in pieces of cloth used for swaddling infants, wrap up in cloths." These were "strips of cloth like bandages, wrapped around young infants to keep their limbs straight". There is nothing unique about being a baby being wrapped this way. There were likely other babies in Bethlehem wrapped in cloths that night. However, the second sign was that the newborn would be found in a manger -- that was unique! The Greek noun is phatne, "manger, crib, feeding-trough." A manager would indicate the location in some kind of stable.

In other words – this baby was like any other baby ever born in the history of the world and this baby is unique among every other baby born in the world – his bed is a feeding trough for animals.

1 John 4:13-16        (Music begin)

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

MUSIC:   God with us – Amber & Sandy

INVITATION

William Dix wrote a poem called “The Manger Throne” over 100 years ago when Christmas was barely celebrated even in churches. It was eventually added to a tune hundreds of years older called Greensleeves. He wrote the poem from the point of view of strangers walking up to this baby in a manger they had heard about and asking themselves the question – which is now the title of the song: “What child is this?” Do you know him?

12-07-14 Second Sunday of Advent: The Bethlehem Candle

1 John 4:4-12

          You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

          Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

If there is a subject that has been historically near and dear to the hearts of believers through the centuries it is the return of Jesus Christ. Without a doubt the return of Christ is going to be an exciting event! Through the years there’s been a lot of debate about it. There’ve been false Christs, false prophecies, false teachings, date setters and more, but they’ve all been wrong. Some people spend their entire lives trying to figure out everything they can about the end times and the second coming of Jesus. They’ve got charts and graphs and a storehouse of Scriptures memorized. They can debate the debaters. They can tell you who the two witnesses will be, where the antichrist lives and what the bride’s going to eat for dinner, but I’ll have to right here: I’m not one of them. I don’t mind telling you I don’t have it all figured out. As far as I’m concerned, I have enough concern for today – wait the bible tells us to live one day at a time – Phil 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

That is not to say don’t study end times scripture, don’t learn all you can about the return of Christ – we need to know that we HAVE a future – so that we can live today – in light of eternity.  How do we do that – by realizing that we were born out of town.

Where were you born? What were the circumstances around your birth?  I was born 8-23-1959. To Phyllis & Richard Cooper.

I was born at Mt Carmel West.

It was the hottest part of summer

Dad was a sweeper salesman and my mom was a stay at home mom.

Dr. Chosy & Dr. Buttler

Parents not in a good relationship – dad gone most of the time.

Very middle class – Columbus West side – much like twin falls.

Georgian Heights  /  585  /  house  /  baseball  / red rover & Red light green light & mother may I and capture the flag.

          I love my upbringing – I love where I lived – I get home sick for it.  But that is not my home – I was born out of town.  My home is in heaven – Georgian Heights in Columbus Ohio, Elgin Illinois, Kansas City Kansas, Mt Vernon and New Albany Ohio, Twin Falls, Idaho – none of them are my permenant residence – my address is in God’s Kingdom located in the only place a person can live forever – HEAVEN.

          How do I know that, because I know the only person who can take me there and I can relate to him because he too was born out of town.

BETHLEHEM

The city of Bethlehem, located about six miles southwest of Jerusalem, is the birthplace of our Savior Jesus Christ. Meaning "house of bread," Bethlehem was also the renowned City of David. It was there in young David's hometown that the prophet Samuel anointed him to be king over Israel (1 Samuel 16:1-13).

And in Micah 5, the prophet foretold that Messiah would come from the small and seemingly insignificant town of Bethlehem:  Micah 5:2–5   But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth... And he will stand to lead his flock with the LORD’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. Then his people will live there undisturbed, for he will be highly honored around the world. And he will be the source of peace...

          Jesus should have been born in Nazareth – the home town of Mary and Joseph. (Census)

Luke 2:4-7

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Bethlehem was an unimportant village with some important Biblical people associated with it. Naomi and Ruth (a Moabite through whom Jesus comes) they go to live in Bethlehem.

Jacob’s wife Rachel was buried in Bethlehem.

Jesse of Bethlehem had 7/8 sons – the last was a boy named David whom Samuel anointed as the second king of Israel.

          As unimportant as Bethlehem was, some important people were already associated with it when the most important person ever was born there – but remember he too was born out of town – OH I DON’T MEAN NAZERETH TO BETHLEHEM!  I MEAN HEAVEN TO EARTH.  Jesus was born WAY out of town. Don’t live beneath your privilege.  God has a greater home you were originally designed for but you chose to design your own home – How is that working for you?  Come, come home, Jesus is waiting – come home.

The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world.  We are from God – and our home is with Him!

11-30-14 First Sunday of Advent: The Prophecy Candle

          I am going to be in a play this week – a musical based on the 1946 movie It’s a Wonderful Life’ produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story "The Greatest Gift", which Philip Van Doren Stern wrote in 1939 and published privately in 1945. The film is considered one of the most loved films in American cinema and has become traditional viewing during the Christmas season.

The film stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up his dreams in order to help others and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and how different life in his community of Bedford Falls would be had he never been born.

          How would other people’s lives be effected if you had never been born – if you never existed?  I have a small family, but the world would not be blessed with my children; my son-in-law would not have his amazing wife.  There are some people who may not have come to a life saving faith in Jesus Christ.  We all could think of how others would be effected if we had never been born.   It begins to show us how much our life matters.  I am not talking about how life would be for others if we died, but if we had never been born.

          What would life be like if Jesus of Nazereth had never been born?  If the census had been taken and Mary and Joseph went there as an engaged couple. You likely would never have even heard about a town in Israel called Bethlehem. God could have waited at least another 2000 years and we would not know life abundant and eternal – we would not have intimate communion with God that we enjoy through Christ.  How do we know Jesus is God’s son?  How many other humans have had their birth prophecied and fulfilled?

1 John 4:1-2

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

          The first advent candle is about prophecy – telling that Jesus was coming into the world before he came into the world.  There are prophecies in the Jewish Bible or our Old testament, that found fulfillment in the birth of Jesus the Messiah 2,000 years ago.

Isaiah foreshadowed the virgin birth of Jesus

Bible prophecy: Isaiah 7:14
Prophecy written: Between 701-681 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: About 5 BC

In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet Isaiah addresses the "house of David," meaning the family and descendants of King David, and speaks of a virgin being pregnant with a child, and giving birth to the child. Isaiah says this in the context of it being a sign from God. He also says that the child would be referred to as "Immanuel," which means, "God with us."

The New Testament books of Matthew and Luke record details involving the birth of Jesus, who was born about 700 years after the time of Isaiah, saying that he was born of the virgin Mary and is the Son of God. Because he is the Son of God, Jesus literally can be referred to as "God with us."  (Remember what Joh is writing to protect the church against – Gnostic teaching).

Non-Christian scholars have challenged this interpretation. They say that the Hebrew word "almah," which is the word that Christian Bibles often translate as "virgin," actually means "young maiden" or "young woman." However, the Old Testament uses the word to refer to young, unmarried women, and that unmarried women were culturally and religiously expected to be virgins.

Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem

Bible prophecy: Micah 5:1-2
Prophecy written: Sometime between 750-686 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: About 5 BC

In Micah 5:2, there is a prophecy that reveals that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah.

In the book, 100 Prophecies, by George & Ray Konig: "The prophecy is effective in a simple way: It eliminates all other cities and towns throughout the world as a place in which the Messiah could be born. It narrows the possibilities to one tiny village just south of Jerusalem."

And throughout the span of the past 27 centuries, from the days of the prophet Micah up through the present time, Bethlehem is credited as being the birthplace for only one person who is widely known throughout the world. And that person is Jesus Christ.

The New Testament books of Matthew and Luke name the town of Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. Matthew 2:1-6 describes the birth of Jesus as the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy.  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.  When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

In recent years, however, some non-believers have attempted to discredit Matthew's interpretation of Micah 5:2 by claiming that the prophecy refers to a person named Bethlehem, not a town name Bethlehem. This claim has been widely circulated on the Internet by a college professor who describes himself as a former Christian minister.

The first problem with this claim appears in Micah 5:1. In that verse, the prophet establishes that he is speaking of Bethlehem the town, not Bethlehem the person, by setting up a context in which he contrasts the great city of Jerusalem with the humble town of Bethlehem.

A second problem with the claim is that there is also evidence outside of the Bible that shows that Micah 5:2 was regarded as a Messianic prophecy involving the town of Bethlehem. Here is an excerpt from the Jerusalem Talmud, which is a collection of Judaism-related writings completed about 1600 years ago: "The King Messiah... from where does he come forth? From the royal city of Bethlehem in Judah." - Jerusalem Talmud, Berakoth 5a.

Micah 5:1-2:

Marshal your troops, O city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel's ruler on the cheek with a rod.  "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

The Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah

Bible prophecy: Genesis 49:10
Prophecy written: As early as 1400 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: About 5 BC

In Genesis 49:10, Jacob is blessing his 12 sons. This blessing was also a prophecy. Jacob told his son Judah that his descendants would be rulers and that one of his descendants will be an ultimate ruler. According to the NIV translation: "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his." Christians acknowledge that this is a reference to Jesus Christ, whose kingdom will have no end. Jesus was born about 2000 years after Jacob died. Jesus' ancestry is traced back to Jacob's son, Judah, in Luke 3:23-34. (Joseph’s lineage) Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, (Skip further back in the linage…) the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham.

and in Matthew 1:1-16     (Mary’s lineage) This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:  Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, ³Judah the father of Perez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse, King David.  (skip to…) Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,  and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Genesis 49:10:  The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.

The Messiah would be a descendant of King David

Bible prophecy: Jeremiah 23:5
Prophecy written: Sometime between 626-586 BC
Prophecy fulfilled: By the birth of Jesus about 2000 years ago

In Jeremiah 23:5, as well as in other Bible prophecies, we are told that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David.

The New Testament books of Matthew and Luke trace back Jesus' genealogy to King David. (Some scholars believe that the genealogy in Matthew is Jesus' legal line, through his adoptive father, Joseph, and that the genealogy in Luke is Jesus' bloodline through Mary).

Jeremiah 23:5: "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.

Isaiah 41:21-23 - Jehovah challenged the idols to prove they are gods. God can show us what will happen, declaring things to come hereafter. Man cannot, but God can. If idols cannot, then they are not gods.

Isaiah 42:8,9 - “I am the Lord; that is my name!   I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.  See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

Jesus himself prophecied things that came to pass - further evidence that he is God.

John 13:19 "I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.' "From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.

Mark 14:27-31   “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd,     and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”  But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

          What if First Baptist Church of Twin Falls had never been born?  How would life in Twin Falls have been different over the past 109 years? Do you realize how important this church is to our community?  Do you know how many lives have been saved for eternity because faithful people have made sure that this church not just survives, but thrives. If you think church is just somewhere you go you are sadly mistaken.  Church is who we are and what we do with our lives that make a Jesus impact upon the world.  Because we are here, Jesus can be born in the hearts of others who may not come to know him any other way.  Praise God as FirstB brings Chirstmas to those in need.

11-23-14 Children, give thanks!

1 John 3:1-2

         How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Who here was ever a child?

Who here ever had or currently has a child or children?

Who here has grandchildren?

Who here has great grandchildren?

Proverbs 17:6  Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

Actual prayers of Children

Dear God, if you watch in church on Sunday I'll show you my new shoes.

God, please take care of my family and take care of yourself. If anything happens to you, we're gonna be in a big mess.

Dear God, in Bible times, did they really talk that fancy?

God, maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they each had their own rooms. It works out OK with me and my brother.

God, I went to this wedding and they were kissing right there in the church. Is that OK?

Dear Jesus, It must be super hard to love all the people in the world, especially my brother.

Dear God, are you invisible or is that just a trick?

God, I want to be just like my daddy when I grow up but not so hairy.

God, did you mean for giraffes to look like that or was it an accident?

Dearest God, we read Thomas Edison made light but in Sunday school they said You did it. I bet he stole your idea.

Dear God, I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday night. That was really cool.

Dear Lord, I don't think anybody could be a better God, and I am not just saying that because You are God already.

How awesome it is to be a child. How awesome it is to be a child and have great parents.  How awesome it is to be a child whose Father is the King – a loving caring generous King. Children of the King have much to be thankful for.

John 1:10-13

 The word/Jesus was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to

become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

7 verses of thanksgiving

Ephesians 5:20              Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18         Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Psalm 100:4                            Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Philippians 4:6              do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Psalm 116:17                 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

1 Corinthians 1:4           I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ.

Psalm 95:2                     Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

CONCLUSION

Psalm 8

     O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory above the heavens.  From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

11-09-14 Walkin’ in the Light

                                                          1 John 1:5-10

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Ps 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

1 John 5a    This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:

More messages have been sent in the past 24 hours across the globe than there had been sent between the birth of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ and the birth of “the king” Elvis Presley. What am I saying? With texts, email, facebook, not to mention a plethora of other e-mediums as well as the old letter and stamp variety and a telephone call, more messages are delivered and received then anyone in the bible could have fathomed. In verse 5 John says “This is the message…” OR the reason I am writing to you or speaking to you is this. The words are about to come that describe why he is writing a letter at all.

It is a message he and others have heard.  This is not John’s message.  This is a message from someone else that John and others have heard and want to repeat. So much so, in a day when pen and ink were not readily available, where sending a message was not a few mouse clicks or thumb types away, John thought this message was important enough to write and send and circulate so many people could hear it and do what he was doing, repeat the message for other – like I am doing for you now.

The message is one they have heard from “him” – who is “him”? 1 John 1:1-3 (appropriately from the bible version called the MESSAGE) From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in — we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands.  The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, this important message worth repeating is form God’s son, Jesus Christ.  Here is that message from Jesus to the early church, and to the church today: 1 John 1b God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

We know that God is many things. But the important thing to know about God at the moment is that God is light.   How important is light to our lives?   Gen 1:1-5   In the beginning

God created the heavens and the earth. 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. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day. First thing created was light, because without it, darkness rules and life is not possible.

1 John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  What happens when you walk in darkness? You walk cautiously, you walk slowly, you walk blind. You run into things, trip over things, can’t find things. Walking in the dark is DANGEROUS.  If we say, we and Jesus are like this (fingers crossed) but walk in the darkness we are lying to ourselves.

1 John 1:7     But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we walk in the light, we not only get to walk with God but also know what heaven is like on earth through fellowship with each other.  And we live KNOWING our sins are wiped out by the blood of Jesus!

1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

          One of the greatest joys in life is to know you are walking well with God (walking in the light). The problem is, we get in the way.  I want you to know for certain that you are walking right with God.  Let’s experience 1 John 1:9 (pray for and declare forgiveness)

*******************  You have received that forgiveness through no effort of your own – it is the work of Jesus on the cross.  For Jesus, that work took a lot of effort.  We don’t apply effort to be forgiven, we apply effort because we are forgiven.

When Pat Riley coached the Los Angeles Lakers from 1982 to 1990, the team won four NBA championships. In taking over the New York Knicks in 1991, Riley inherited a team with a losing record. But the Knicks seemed able to play above their abilities and even gave the eventual champions, the Chicago Bulls, their hardest competition in the play-offs.

How does Riley do it? He says his talent lies in attention to detail. For example, every NBA team studies video and compiles statistics to evaluate players' game performances. But Riley's use of these tools is more comprehensive than that of his rivals. "We measure areas of performance that are often ignored: jumping in pursuit of every rebound even if you don't get it, swatting at every pass, diving for loose balls, letting someone smash into you in order to draw a foul."  After each game, these "effort" statistics are punched into a computer. "Effort," Riley explains, "is what ultimately separates journeyman players from impact players. Knowing how well a player executes all these little things is the key to unlocking career-best performances."

     Why a story on effort?  Knowing the light – even having the light is not enough – we MUST shine the light for others. We have work to do.

John 8:12    When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Matt 5:14-16        "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Keep the Light Burning

On the coast of Norway is a lighthouse where a keeper lived with his two children. One day he went to the distant shore for provisions. A storm arose, and he was unable to return. The time for lighting the lamp came, and Mary said to her little brother, "We must light the lamp, Willie." "How can we?  We ain't big enough." But the two children climbed the long, narrow stairs to the tower where the lamp was kept. Mary pulled up a chair and tried to reach the lamp in the great reflector; it was too high. Groping down the stairs, she ascended again with a small oil lamp in her hand. "I can hold this up," she said to her little brother. She climbed on the chair again, but still the reflector was just beyond her reach. "Get down," said Willie; "I know what we can do." She jumped down, and he stretched his little body across the chair. "Stand on me," he said. And she stood on the little fellow as he lay across the chair. She raised the lamp high, and its light shone far out across the water. Holding it first with one hand, then with the other, to rest her little arms, she called down to her brother, "Does it hurt you, Willie?" "Of course it hurts, but keep the light burning." Are we keeping the light of God's love burning in the world even though it hurts?