Sermon Central
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Advent 2021 - Christmas Sunday - Pointing Fingers
Contributed by Stephen Belokur on Dec 18, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: Is it OK to point literally or figuratively? There is a lot of pointing going on in the nativity story, the Gospels, the rest of the New Testament and in the Old Testament. What is the pointing all about? It's all about Jesus!
Christmas Sunday - Pointing Fingers
Please stand with me as we go over our current memory Scripture:
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
And our memory Scripture “refresher” verse(s) is(are):
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Today we will be reading from Luke 1:5-17
When you were a young child did you ever hear your Mom or Dad say to you, “Stop pointing! It’s not polite to point!”
Some things should not be pointed at.
This is especially true when it is a person you are pointing at.
But pointing isn’t always bad …
You might be pointing -
- to a person who has some form of physical trait that is unusual
- because you are trying to show a rescue person where someone broke through the ice on a lake
- to a cashier line in Walmart that has no one in it!
- to a thief who is being chased by the police
- to someone standing on the roof of a burning building waiting to be rescued
There are many reasons why you might point at a person; some reasons are good and some reasons are bad.
What is this? (Hold up a Bible)
Who does it point to?
Please join me in your Bibles as we read Luke 1:5-17
(Prayer for help)
So, what do we see here?
We see and elderly priest with and elderly wife and they are childless.
We also see that they are righteous in the sight of the Lord.
It was a great honor for Zechariah to be chosen to take the incense into the Holy Place in the Temple.
Gabriel appears to Zechariah. Gabriel is not there to impress Zechariah. Gabriel is not there to startle or terrify Zechariah.
Gabriel was there for one purpose.
Gabriel was there to inform Zechariah that he and Elizabeth would have a child who would, “go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah … to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zechariah knew exactly what this message meant. It meant that his son would be the forerunner of the long awaited Messiah!
How did he know that? He knew the Holy Scriptures!
He knew that the son he was about to have would point Israel to the Messiah, and that meant that the Messiah would soon be on His way.
Gabriel was pointing to John who would point to Jesus!
Sometimes it’s OK to point!
Just listen to John pointing at Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
That’s pointing and that’s good! Sometimes pointing is OK!
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Next we see Gabriel again speaking to Mary as it is recorded in
Luke 1:30-32 where it says,
“(Gabriel) said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you … will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”
What was Gabriel and his message pointing at?
Was it Mary, a righteous young woman? No.
Was it the miracle of a virgin birth? No.
Well, then, what was Gabriel pointing at>
Gabriel came to deliver a message about the coming Messiah!
Gabriel was pointing to Jesus, the Messiah Who “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, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.”
Gabriel was pointing to Jesus!
Sometimes it’s OK to point!
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Next we come to Joseph who would be the earthly father of Jesus. In Matthew 1:20-21 it says,
“An angel of the Lord appeared to (Joseph) in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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.’”
Joseph is about to make a decision based on partial information.
An angel instructs Joseph in a dream.
Joseph does as he is instructed.
Is the angel to be praised? No. That’s not the point.
Is Joseph to be admired? Yes, but that’s not the main point.
