The Birth of Jesus
- Christmas means different things to different people
- Examples
- Christmas is marked by the birth of Jesus Christ
- It is a historical event
- There are eye witness accounts
- All these accounts come together in glorious harmony
- Luke 2:1-7
- A simple and factual account of the birth of Jesus Christ
- God has orchestrated history for Christ to be born at the right time
- It had been prophesied:
- A descendant of King David
- Had to be born in Bethlehem
- A census was to take place - historical fact
- Mary & Joseph from Nazareth were betrothed
- King's David throne was fragile - Joseph was the last of the line
- God was going to bring them both to Bethlehem
- God spoke to Joseph and an Angel spoke to Mary
- The Jews prized their genealogies
- Joseph traced his lineage back to King David
- The baby was born at the right time
- This was an event planned by God
- Luke's account was a simple account
- Awesome details
- The account is non sentimental and unembellished
- Certain details are not included
- Examples
- A basic account - but beauty in simplicity
- An awesome event portrayed in a very simple way
- They are a poor couple - the lowly circumstances of the birth
- The manager - an animal feeding trough
- The young age of Joseph and Mary
- The isolation of Joseph and Mary
- God is sympathising with the world
- We are a fragile human race
- Our world has some many problems
- There is a mountain of sin but God still came
- Jesus was unknown
- Poor Jewish shepherds initially
- The astronomers came later
- Few visitors
- Nobody recognised that the Son of God had come into the world
- What a selfish world
- Can you imagine turning away a vulnerable, pregnant, young lady
- How do we treat others and God?
- Do we say "no room in my life..."?
- He was despised and rejected
- Herod sought to kill the Christ child
- Nazareth did not want to know Jesus
- He was eventually put on a cross
- The ignorance of man
- Jesus was wrapped in swaddling cloths
- Jesus was laid on a wooden manager
- Jesus was later laid on a cross
- God stepped into history
- That we might be forgiven if we believe in Him with all our hearts
- That He should be number one in our lives
- That we might know the peace of God in our lives
- That we might become rich (in God)
Closing Remarks