Good News Worth Hearing!

Reading: Matthew chapter 2 verse 21:

“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord”

• Ill: Our English word “News” is an acrostic.

• The letters stand for “North, East, West & South”

• Christians believe there is no greater news;

• Than what was declared that first Christmas.

• News that transcends social, cultural, and geographical boundaries.

• News that even spans time and will never go out of date!

ill:

• Now although I am only speaking on one line; from one verse of the Bible;

• That doesn’t nescercery mean I haven’t got a lot to say!

• Story told of a long winded preacher, who just went on and on and on.

• People in the congregation kept dropping hints by looking at the clock on the wall,

• By looking rather dramatically at their wrist watches;

• Be still the preacher carried on, ignorant of the congregations desire to go home.

• One man who had just had enough;

• Started waving his watch at the preacher but all to no avail.

• In his anger he threw it,

• But it fell short of the platform and hit somebody sitting on the front row quite hard.

• The person it hit turned round and was heard to say;

• “Hit me again I can still hear him!”

• Well I shall try not to out stay my welcome;

• But I want us to see 3 things from this important statement in Luke chapter 2 verse 11.

(1). A Specific time: “Today”

ill:

• On this day 19th December 1154:

• King Henry II (of England crowned.

• Henry II, first of the Angevin kings,

• And was one of the most effective of all England's monarchs.

• One historian calls him;

• “The very first of that name and race, and the very greatest King that England ever knew,”

Okay, I can see your impressed, so let’s me plod on:

• On this day 19th December 1686:

• Robinson Crusoe leaves his island after 28 years (as per Defoe)

• On this day in 1843

• Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol."

• On this day 1941:

• Hitler takes complete command of German Army

• On this day 1955:

• Carl Perkins records "Blue Suede Shoes"

• On this day 1984: Zhao Ziyang & Margaret Thatcher:

• Signs agreement with China to return Hong Kong to China in 1997.

• Each day of our calendars are marked by great events or happenings;

• That took place on the same day but in a previous time period.

WHEN DEALING WITH THE BIBLE:

• We can be confident that we are dealing with real people; in real situations,

• Events that actually happened in a real historical setting!

Ill:

The Bible does not mentioned the date of Jesus' birth:

• Although it provides many details of the circumstances surrounding His birth.

• We know for certain that Jesus was not born on December 25th year 0.

Although this is the date that is seen as the pivot point of history:

• Every event and year before Jesus' birth counts down to it,

• And every event and year after his birth counts up from it.

Ill:

• In the 6th century, The monk Dionysius Exigous (Di-on-ye-sus Ex-I-gous)

• Which sounds impressive and important but it actually means: ‘Dennis the short’.

• Was commissioned by Pope John 1st to set divisions.

• Dennis studied the records and set the divisions

• E.g. BC, Before Christ:

• E.g. And AD, Anno Domini, "the year of the Lord".

His Gregorian calendar was flawed and he apparently missed the birth of Christ by a few years.

• The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus;

• Accurately recorded Herod's death in his writings ‘The antiquities of Josephus’.

• So Christ's birth would appear to have taken place;

• Some four years before the traditional date.

But the New Testament record helps us to fix the year if not the date:

• According to Luke's gospel account, he records two important details:

• He tells us that Quirinius (cir-in-i-us) was governor, and that he took a census.

• Historians can put the different pieces of information puzzle together;

• And they can now fairly accurately place the birth of Christ somewhere around 7 to 6BC.

• So although we may know approximately the year Christ was born;

• There is no way anyone can accurately predict the month or day:

• We simply do not know!

• We do know however that December 25th was chosen simply to hijack a pagan festival.

Ill:

• In A.D. 597 St Augustine landed in Ebbsfleet in Thanet, Kent.

• He had been sent by Pope Gregory to convert pagan England to Christianity.