Behold The Messiah Series

Behold the Messiah!

Thesis: We need to behold the Messiah at Christmas and make sure we are focused on Him.

Texts: Luke 2:10,11 " 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."

Introduction:

Christmas is here once again and with it comes the hustle and bustle of all it’s preparations and programs. All the decorations, and hoop la. The TV. Specials, the Christmas movies, the adds, adds-and sales and sales! The red suits and reindeers. The grinches and the scrooges! The anxiety, the stress, the debt and Oh the debt. The seasons becomes a blur and we sigh at all its WEHHH! But is this really Christmas?

Poem: Adapted from "Can this be Christmas?"

Can this be Christmas?

What’s all this hectic rush and fuss?

Where do all these crowds go in such a hurry?

They speed by so fast they look blurry!

They sit at the lights getting ready to take flight!

They dash into the store and then flash out the door!

Why all of the lights shining so bright?

Why all these trees that make me sneeze?

Why this is Christmas. Christmas in deed!

So this is Christmas, do you say?

But where is Christ on Christmas day?

Has he been lost among the throng?

His voice drowned out by empty song?

He’s been replaced and now receives no embrace.

This poem reflects how a lot of people approach Christmas today. We are coming into Christmas tired, exhausted, frustrated and overwhelmed. The crowds at the stores have pushed out joy. The attitudes of overworked workers have affected us as they snap at the customer because they are stressed out. Share about incident at Best Buy. The traffic jams at malls. How your brother is worn out because of the mad rush on cheese. It was a cheesy deal!

But what we really need to do this morning is sit down and take breath and behold the Messiah. We need to once again embrace the true meaning of Christmas. Lets behold the story of Christmas:

Christmas was first talked about over 2,000 years ago. Lets look and behold the Messiah’s birth.

I. Look at the prophecies! Wow what a preview!

a. Jesus would be born of the seed of woman - Prophecy

i. Genesis 3:15 " And I will pit enmity between you an the woman and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

ii. Fulfilled in Matthew 1:20 and Galatians 4:4 refers to and states, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law."

b. Will be born of a virgin - Prophecy

i. Isa. 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 (means God with us)."

ii. Fulfilled in Matthew 1:18, 24, 25 "She was found with child of the Holy Spirit…Then Joseph…did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus."

c. Will be born from the Seed of Abraham - Prophecy

i. Genesis 22:18 " In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

ii. Fulfilled Matthew 1:1 "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."

iii. Also Galatians 3:16 " Not to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ’And the seeds, ’ as of many, but as of one,’ And to your Seed,’ who is Christ."

d. Will come from the family line of Jesse - Prophecy

i. Isaiah 11:1 " There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots." Also (Isa. 1:10).

ii. Fulfilled Luke 3:23, 32 " Jesus, …the Son of Jesse."

e. Will come from the House of David - Prophecy

i. Jeremiah 23:5 " Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ’That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a king shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the land."

ii. Fulfilled Luke 3:23, 31 "Jesus,…the Son of David…" many others.

f. Will be born in Bethlehem - Prophecy

i. Micah 5;2 " But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to me the one ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.’

ii. Fulfilled in Matthew 2:1 " Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea."