Go Joe!! (Christmas 2013)

Go Joe! (Sermonette)

Matt. 1.18-24

December 8, 2013

Chester, IL Chester FBC Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker

A There is arguably no more comforting to the Christian than the fact that God is sovereign.

1 Sovereignty is the supremacy of authority/rule.

a Christians believe that their Master is Lord of all creation—the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands—the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that throne...for it is God upon the Throne whom we trust.

b Christians know that under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that sovereignty overrules them, and that sovereignty will sanctify them all.

2 For the believer, there are no such things as accidents, coincidences, or random events.

a We believe . . .

aa Psalm 103:19 (NASB) The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.

bb Psalm 115:3 (NASB) But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.

cc Psalm 100:3 (NASB) Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

dd Job 42:2 (NASB) "I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

b We believe that everything that is done or will be done is controlled by the sovereign hand, authority, rule of our God.

B Everything about the Christmas Story was planned, predestined, foreordained before God said, “Let there be light.”

1 He promised to send a Savior/Messiah who would save His people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21 (NASB) 21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

a He promised the Savior would be a human & not an angel

Genesis 3:15 (NASB) 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

Hebrews 2:16 (NASB) 16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.

aa He promised the Savior would be a Jew & not a Gentile

Genesis 12:1-3 (NASB)1 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Numbers 24:17 (NASB) 17 "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth.

bb From the tribe of Judah

Genesis 49:10 (NASB) 10 "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

cc From the family of David (2 Sam. 1.1-17.)

dd Born of a virgin (Is. 7.14) in Bethlehem (Micah 5.2.)

Isaiah 7:14 (NASB) 14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Micah 5:2 (NASB) 2 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity."

b A.T. Pierson said, “History is His Story.”

aa President James Garfield said, “History is the unrolled Scripture of prophesy.”

bb In God’s sovereignty He controls the events of history to fulfill His purposes.

2 In the Lukian account of the birth of Christ we find Caesar Augustus calling for a census requiring families to return to their hometown to be counted

Luke 2:1-4 (NASB) 1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,