12-23-18 Through the eyes of the angels

4th Sunday of Advent  

Scripture  1 Timothy 3:16

Consider the Christmas story through the eyes of the angels.

1.    The angels saw Christ in heaven.

Extracted from the first Christmas Carol: 

1 Tim 3:16

          Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

Angels pinnacle of creation in heaven as humans are pinnacle of creation on earth.

Angels are not God - Can’t see all things, be all places or have all power. They long to look into the things of God.

Before time began, some participated in the great rebellion and lost their heavenly position.

Before the son of God entered earth - the created angels saw him in heaven as described by Isaiah:  Isa 6:1-3  In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."  John says this is Jesus whom Isaiah was talking about John 12:41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.

Speaking of the prophet, Peter write: 1 Peter 1:12  It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Jesus steps down from his throne in view of the angels and disappears from their sight. Where did he go? He took on the form of flesh conceived as an embryo in a young woman’s body in Israel over 2000 years ago.

However - after 9 human months of time - angels get to see where he went

2.    The angels saw Christ in the manger.

          Left His glory - who was with God and was God - is found lying as a helpless baby lying in a manger. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. Imagine Gabriel going first to witness the Nativity scene and making haste to go tell the shepherds this good news of great joy - While he is delivering that message an entire heavenly host are sent to see the Nativity and they are filled with inexpressible joy and quickly join Gabriel giving praise to God before the shepherds.

3.    The angels saw Christ in the desert.

At the end of fasting 40 days the Devil tempted him. Desperately hungry and weak, he is greatly tempted. Triumphant but exhausted: When the devil went away, angels ministered to him.

Matt 4:10-11  Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

4.    The angels saw Christ in the garden.

The angels know the pathetic failure of humans from the paradise garden to the time of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.

Luke 22:41-44  He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."  43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Without the angel, Jesus would not have been able to bear this night. The angel who had seen Christ’s glory in heaven and now seeing him alone, in great anguish and pain. The angel comes to give him strength to make it through what he is about to face.

5.    The angels saw Christ on the cross.

Jesus was arrested: Matt 26:53-54  Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

6.    The angels saw Christ at the Resurrection

Angels were the first to witness the incarnation and first to witness the resurrection. The angels must have been chomping at the bit to show Satan & Jesus’ followers that THE Christ had won.

Matt 28:2-7 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.   His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

             When he rolled the stone and SAT on it he turned it from a sealed death chamber to an open cave - possibly identical to the one he had been laid in at his birth.

7.    The angels will see Christ at the Second Coming.

Matt 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.”

    

Rev 5:11-12  Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

VIII. We are to tell the nations what the angels have seen.

          We don’t tell the nations only what we have seen. We must preach among the nations what the angels have seen. Not our perspective but the truth of angels. Add to that, what we have known that the angels do not. Angels have not experienced redemption - going from sinner to saint.

Conclusion

We should share the angels' sense of awe in worship.

12-16-18 First to Know - First to Go!

3^rd Sunday of Advent

Scripture                                                    Luke 2:8-20

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

9 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. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

          13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "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." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 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.

          THE text to tell the story of Jesus birth is where? Luke 2:1-20. What, or who, is that story most about? Jesus? Yes, but largest content of the story focuses on the shepherds…vs 8-20.

Very odd part of the story - The story is told in the past tense but from the perspective of “as it is happening now.” Except verses 17 & 18 - They are future but have already happened.

17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

          It appears they went on an immediate short-term mission trip and told everyone about what had happened. What I would love to see is at least one of these shepherds showing up somewhere in the rest of the gospels or even better in the book of acts.

          Something like this: Paul and Barnabas came to Philippi and were amazed that there were already a group of fellow Jews who had put their faith in Jesus. They enjoyed worship and fellowship with one another and had recently been welcoming some gentile converts among them. Several were traveling to nearby cities and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and how they too could find salvation in him alone. As Paul and Barnabas asked how the church in this city began, several people mentioned a man named Joseph and they could find him at work in the fields outside the city. Paul and Barnabas went at once and found Joseph who was on a hillside tending to his sheep. When they asked him how he came to faith, Joseph shared how he was a young shepherd just beginning to follow in his father’s footsteps as a shepherd and was still living with him out in the fields near Bethlehem when one night the sky turned brighter than the brightest day and it scared the sheep and terrified every last one of us who were on the hillside that night. I am sure this would be hard for you to understand Paul, but the light was so bright we nearly went blind. Out of that great light God spoke to us through an angel who told us not to be afraid. It was a little late for that warning but all we could do was listen. He went on to tell us that God’s messiah, the one we had all been waiting for according to the scriptures, had been born. He told us we could know he was telling the truth by looking for a sign - that we would find this baby messiah wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger in our own town of Bethlehem. Then it really happened -the entire sky was lit up as far as the eye could see and angels sang the glories of God. As fast as they had come, they were gone. My dad stayed to watch all the sheep and the rest of us ran into town and searched all over till we found Mary and Joseph and their baby lying in a manger exactly as the angel had said. After sharing our story with the parents, they then told us about how they had each been visited by an angel and were convinced this baby was God’s messiah as Mary had never been with a man but had been conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. After hearing their story and seeing baby Jesus, we returned to my father in the fields, singing and praising God as we ran, and told him that everything was exactly as the angel described it. Since then I have been telling the story of how Jesus came into my life, and all about the things Jesus did and said throughout Galilee, Samaria and Jerusalem and how he gave his life as a ransom for our sins and though he died, God raised him from the dead after three days, that he returned to heaven and has promised to return for us one day.

That is the story I want to read in the scriptures, but it is not there. The shepherds drop out of sight. However, we do know according to Luke’s testimony, that the shepherds did go around telling people about Jesus, and those who heard them were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Outside of Mary, Joseph, Zachariah, Elizabeth and their families, these shepherds were the very first to hear about and then see God’s salvation. Then, they were the first to tell others this good news.  They were the first to know and the first to go.

LUKE 2:8-20

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. Shepherds took turns keeping the night watch. The job was that of protection: to lie across the sheep fold opening “the gate” or watch for predator animals. The exact people God planned for were on that night watch. The timing was not accidental.

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. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  When the angel appeared bringing terror, they may have considered running but had nowhere to hide - the glory shone around them. They were a captive audience. They were assured there was no reason to fear and every reason to rejoice: Near by a Savior has been born. Not a baby who will grow up and become a savior, rather the baby born is already a savior. This was the one promised they had been waiting for but would have never expected to be the first to hear and see him. Winning the recent billion-dollar lottery would have been nothing compared to what was happening to them. They were given a sign - something that distinguishes one thing from another. As Jews they were familiar with God using signs to distinguish one thing form another - even Jewish circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and the Jews. The sign was specific - a babe wrapped in cloths lying in a manger in Bethlehem. What if the Romans hadn’t controlled Israel? What if both Mary and Joseph were not in the lineage of David? What if David hadn’t been from Bethlehem? What if Augustus hadn’t required a census? The Romans were ok with your current address for the census, the Jews required a return to your ancestral home. God orchestrated centuries of activities to be certain that when Mary was 9 months pregnant she would make a difficult journey and had a window of only a few days for her to give birth as they would have returned to Nazareth had Mary been pregnant a week longer.

          The Savior has been born for them - then for Israel “all the people” - then for the whole world 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "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." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. (17-18) 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. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

This is where we learn they are not only the first to know but also the first to go!

We are back to that odd part of the story: In the midst of this story, we are told what they would later do - spread the word concerning the savior. But we never hear of these shepherds again. But the savior himself is not done with the shepherd motif being of vital importance in spreading his word. He even calls himself the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11) And after his resurrection…we see this scene:

             

FEED MY SHEEP

Do you know about Peter’s final conversation with Jesus? He no longer told him to be a fisher of men. He asked Peter 3 times if he truly loved him. Each time Peter answered yes, you know that I love you. Jesus’ expected response (especially after he had just given them another miracle catch of fish) would have been - go fish for men. Instead Jesus said to him - “Feed my lambs, take care of and feed my sheep.” Arguably the greatest of the disciples was commissioned to GO and share God’s story of salvation, not as a fisherman, but as a shepherd. When you know, it’s time to go!

 

SEPARATE SHEEP FROM GOATS

Matt 25:31-46

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

          Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'  "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'  He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

          It was no accident that the shepherds were the first to know that the savior had come into the world for all people or that they were the first to go and spread this good news. The fisherman has now become a shepherd to spread that good news through caring. Jesus became the good shepherd to spread the good news through his words and actions. We are called, now that we know this good news, to become like the shepherds and spread the word that a savior has come into the world and wants to come into each person’s heart and life.

          Spreading that good news begins with what we do here today - we worship him. We bring an offering of worship to our King. No one on earth deserves the praises that we sing. Jesus, may You receive the honor that You're due. O Lord, I bring an offering to You.

12-9-18 Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

CLICK VIDEO: Heart grew 3 times its size that day

Scripture                                                            Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2     "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."

FIRST MENTION OF BETHLEHEM (Benjamin is born) (Slides Tomb 1, 2, 3)

Genesis 35:18-20     As she breathed her last — for she was dying — she named her son Ben-Oni. But his father named him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's tomb.

SECOND MENTION OF BETHLEHEM (Izban becomes Israels leader) (Slide Izban)

Judges 12:8-10     Jephthah led Israel six years and died. 8 After him, Ibzan of Bethlehem led Israel. He had thirty sons and thirty daughters. He gave his daughters away in marriage to those outside his clan, and for his sons he brought in thirty young women as wives from outside his clan. Ibzan led Israel seven years. Then Ibzan died, and was buried in Bethlehem.

THIRD MENTION OF BETHLEHEM (Ruth comes to Bethlehem) (Slide Ruth)

Ruth 1:1-2     In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.  Ruth 4:11-12  Then the elders and all those at the gate said, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah."

FOURTH MENTION OF BETHLEHEM (Samuel anoints David as King) (Slide David)

1 Samuel 16:1     The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

FIFTH & SIXTH MENTION OF BETHLEHEM (Bethlehem confirmed as the birthplace of the Messiah) (Slide Herod and Magi)

Matthew 2:1-6     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 in the east 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 Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 [Micah 5:2] "'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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

SEVENTH MENTION OF BETHLEHEM (Jesus born, Angels/Shepherds/Magi)

(Slide Nativity)

Luke 2:1-20 & Matthew 2    Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem to be taxed. Jesus is born in Bethlehem. Herod has the babies killed in Bethlehem. Shepherds go into Bethlehem to see the Christ child. Wise men come and worship Jesus.

LAST/EIGHTH MENTION OF BETHLEHEM (Slide Galilee)

NOT ALL KNEW ABOUT JESUS’ BIRTH

          Christmas was not celebrated during Jesus life. In fact, most people knew nothing about Christ’s birth. The world was NOT PREPARED for the birth of the messiah -- John 7:40-42 On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet."  Others said, "He is the Christ." Still others asked, "How can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"

Bethlehem = House of Bread

3 examples of preparation

Speaking of bread, since Thanksgiving our house has been a mess. To prepare for Christmas, we have had to clean, rearrange, decorate, hang lights, put up a tree, clean some more. Like you, with family coming to our house I want to prepare a place that is comfortable, yet festive. Now that I have grandchildren I think more about having lights out side to give that sense of wonder and specialness, preparing our home for them to experience love and joy. Making sure there is fuel for the fireplace and decorations that speak to family but also to the incarnation of Christ. Each of us in our own way, big or small, are preparing for Christmas.

A young lady preparing for a special date will go to stores to buy the right outfit, the perfect earrings, that special perfume and will spend time applying makeup and doing her hair preparing for her date and anticipating his knock on the door.

          A person hoping for that dream job will update their resume, pick out an appropriate outfit, make sure their breath is clean, study the company to whom they are applying, and show up early for the interview to show dedication.

There are many things in life we prepare for.  The song “Joy to the World” says “Let every heart prepare him (Jesus) room.” What does that even mean? How can we prepare room for Jesus? We can’t go into heart surgery and have the doctor cut a little cave out of our heart - if we did that we would die. Or we’d all be walking around with a tiny Jesus in our heart and we’d all have heart burn. No - “Let every heart prepare him room” means make room spiritually, not in a literal physical sense. Spiritually make room in your soul (another word for heart). In fact our soul was designed only for God. It’s not that we  fill our soul up with things and don’t’ have any room for Jesus. We fill up the rest of our life to the neglect of our soul.

Psalm 62:1     My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

Ps 63:1     O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Ps 84:1-2     How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Ps 103:1-2     Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Ps 130:5-6     I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Ps 143:6     I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Matt 16:24-26     Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

The most popular hymn of Christmas is "Joy to the world."

The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98. The song was first published in 1719. Among those who have recorded a version of the song...The Supremes in 1965, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Mariah Carey, Nat King Cole, Neil Diamond, Clay Aiken, Whitney Houston, The Jonas Brothers, and the A Capella group Pentatonix to name a few.

It is a great song, and as Christians we gather around that which announces JOY.

Our culture has developed a common phrase of what we wish someone..."Merry Christmas."

Great greeting. there's nothing wrong with being merry.  However, being “merry” is something we can easily ‘check out’ of. JOY is something we ‘check in’ to.

In fact, as the song is announcing that Joy has come to the world through the Lord, we are invited into that joy:                  Joy to the World , the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room,

And Heaven and nature sing.

The center piece of this verse says, "Let every heart prepare Him room."

When it comes to preparing for Christmas...so often times people express feeling frustration and tension in this season... a conflict between consumption and contentment... between activity and adoration... between rushing and reflection.

Common challenge heard is how busy everyone can feel.

Christmas... can be a challenge to be as focused as we'd like to be.

There's a lot of activities that this season can bring:

• Get a tree, decorate the tree.  /  • Get out the lights...put up the lights.

• Decorate the house...the outside...the lawn.  /  • Baking

• Shopping for gifts, wrap the presents, attach the tags and put on the bows.

• Time to make plans for the out of town trip.  /  • Get cards...address cards...mail cards.

An elderly widow decided it was too much trouble to get all of her kids and grandkids Christmas presents, so she decided to send them a check with a card. A few days after she mailed all the cards, she discovered she forgot to include the checks in the cards. Imagine all those kids opening a card from grandma with (no money) but a note inside that says, “Buy your own presents.”

> When we're busy...it's easy to forget something.

But get this, the answer is not “do less”. Because next year or next week you are going to be busy again. The answer among all that business is to stop seeing it as busyness and start seeing as an opportunity to let your heart prepare him room.

          When hanging the lights - reflect on the light that was coming into the darkness. When shopping for and wrapping gifts think about the greatest gift that came into the world that first Christmas and still comes to you today. When purchasing, preparing and eating all that holiday food, remember that Bethlehem is the house of Bread where the bread of life was born. When you are going from one party or family gathering to another, enjoy the relationships God has given you, because the alternative is to be all alone.

          Do you get it? Your heart/soul is attached to your body and mind - it is not some separate entity - it is the essential part of who you are. Instead of allowing all those externals crowding Jesus out of your heart - embrace them as a way to prepare your heart for Him.  It involves a change in attitude, not in activity. You can use any excuse to tell Jesus there is no room in your Inner being, or you can invite him in to all of that activity with you.

          The less we prepare our heart for Jesus and the more we keep him away, the more our soul becomes a dense wilderness and a drought ridden desert. It is then we need to hear: Isaiah 40:3-5 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

          Making your heart the new Bethlehem is exactly where the gospel of Jesus begins according to the gospel of Mark 1:1-5

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way— a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

CONCLUSION

We prepare room for Jesus while Jesus is preparing a room for us: John 14:1-7

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

12-02-18 Prophetic Prognostication Predicts a Foreknown Forecast:

1^st Sunday of Advent

Prophetic Prognostication Predicts a Foreknown Forecast:

The Messiah will be born and laid in a manger.

Scripture    Micah 5:1-5a

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying God and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. (Luke 2:20)

As it was told them - we will come back to that!

When was the last time you looked at Christmas either through the eyes of a child or the eyes of a new Christian? We are in the final month of our 2018 theme “BEHOLD! I am making all things new!” I want to help us see Christmas as though it were the first time - as though it were new to us. That will be difficult for most because our eyes have glazed over with Christmas cheer. As it Comes to Santa and all the extemporaneous make-believe part of Christmas we could look at that through the eyes of a child. But for the real Christmas - the God in a manger on His way to a cross Christmas, we need to see as through the eyes of a new believer.

USA Today, based on the PEW Research Institute reports 9 in 10 U.S. adults celebrate Christmas. However, a growing number of Christians discount key elements of the biblical Nativity story.

Just three years ago, 51% of U.S. adults said Christmas for them is more a religious holiday than a cultural one. But that has slipped to 46% in the new Pew survey. President Trump’s demand that Americans all say “Merry Christmas,” which drew cheers at his rallies, now draws shrugs from most U.S. adults: 52% say it doesn’t matter how they are greeted in stores and businesses.”

The survey also finds a “striking shift” in the overall share of people — down from 65% in 2014 to 57% today — who believe four key elements of the biblical Nativity story.

• Jesus was born to a virgin: From 73% to 66%.

• Baby Jesus was laid in a manger: From 81% to 75%.

• Wise men, guided by a star, brought Jesus gifts: From 75% to 68%.

• An angel announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds: From 74% to 67%.

          This suggests that even Christians need to see Christmas new again. We need to be reminded of the truth of Christmas. SO:

“Prophetic Prognostication Predicts a Foreknown Forecast” What kind of a sermon title is that? Why not - Joy to the World or Christmas time is here again?

A crazy 5 word title where each word means essentially the same thing. I don’t care if you remember the title, I want you to remember the redundancy of it. Those 5 words are saying over and over and over again that God had a plan - Through different people at different times in different locations God said, I am coming to do something NEW.  praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.  God, through the angel said Jesus is coming. the angel was prognosticating, predicting, forecasting what he foreknew by prophecying to the shepherds that their lng awaited savior had been born and was near by lying in a manger.

Prophets were not just Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijad and such, rather angels, Abraham, Noses and other also prognosticated that God was doing some new thing in the future.

Moses in Gen 3:15    And I will put enmity between you (Serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Cain & Able / Jesus & Satan.

          The moment Sin entered in God had a plan to overcome it and He gave Moses the exact words to predict what would happen when Jesus would be hanging on a cross over a thousand years later.

WHY?

Why did God have prophets and specifically prophecy about Jesus birth? To create faith. David Coresh, Jim Jones, Buddah, Mohammad, Joseph Smith did not have predictions of their birth - life - ministry - death - resurrection - coming again. ONLY JESUS.

Let’s look: Micah 5:1-5 (Not just Micah 5:2)

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. (Matt 27:30-31 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.)

          2 "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." (Matt 2:1-2   After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.  John 17:5   And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.)

          3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. (Rom 3:29-30   Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too.)

          4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.    (John 10:11    "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.)

 

          5 And he will be their peace.    (John 14:27   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.)

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.

Matthew 1:21-23   She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

          Luke 1:31-33    You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

HEROD TRIES TO KILL JESUS

Jeremiah 31:15

This is what the Lord says: "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more."

Matthew 2:16-18

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Hosea 11:1     “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matthew 2:19-20

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

OTHE PROHECIES

In the genealogy recorded in Matthew’s first chapter, we discover the fulfillment of several other Old Testament prophecies. Jesus was from the line of Abraham (Genesis 12:3), Isaac (Genesis 26:4), Jacob (Genesis 28:14), Judah (Genesis 49:8–12), Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), and David (Isaiah 9:7). But that’s not all. A search through the rest of Scripture reveals dozens of other details prophesied about the Messiah, including the following facts:

·        He would enter Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt (Matthew 21:4–10; Zechariah 9:9).

·        He would be betrayed by a friend (John 13:18; Psalm 41:9).

·        The betrayal would be for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–16; Zechariah 11:12).

·        The money would be used to purchase the potter’s field (Matthew 27:3–10; Zechariah 11:13).

·        The Messiah would die a sacrificial death for us (Matthew 27:50; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Daniel 9:26; Isaiah 53:8).

·        He would die with criminals but His burial would be with the wealthy (Matthew 27:57–60; Luke 23:33; Isaiah 53:9).

·        He would rise from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Psalm 16:8–11; Isaiah 53:10).

·        He would say certain words on the Cross. He would be mocked, and people would gamble for His clothes (Psalm 22:1, 8, 18).

Many other prophecies could be listed that were perfectly fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. These were not lucky guesses made by fraudulent prognosticators; they were precise predictions made by the all-knowing God of the Bible who repeatedly demonstrated that He has perfect knowledge of all past, present, and future events. Consequently, we can be completely confident that He will always make good on His promises and that those future events He has foretold will certainly come to pass.