Miracle & Mystery Of Christmas

The Miracle & Mystery of Christmas — Isaiah 9:2-7

• The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

• Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

• For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

• For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

• 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, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

• Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

I. The Miracle of Squishi

a. This is pictured in the widow’s cruise of oil that Elijah multiplied – abundance in a small space

b. Clostrophobic examples:

i. Tight space for you to squeeze in? Crowded elevator?

ii. I had MRI for back troubles and they had to put butter on my stomach to make sure they could get me out

c. If you want to have the greatest example of compression it is in Bethlehem

d. Listen to the prophet describe the size of God: Isaiah 40:12 “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?”

e. His size extends beyond the vastness of the universe –

i. Larger than the luminous heavens

ii. Grander than the galaxies

f. Hurling the milky ways with the command of His voice, He “clostrophobicized” Himself to cram into the womb of a 14 year old virgin.

g. The Great God of the universe, that if He were to stretch out His arms would literally shake galaxies, crammed His fullness into the manger in Bethlehem

h. God, who is omnipresent – everywhere fully at the same time because time and space are not able to confine Him – shrink-wrapped Himself in human skin and bone in the baby boy in Bethlehem

II. Miracle of the Virgin Birth

a. Foretold since the Garden, through the prophet Isaiah, comes a great stumbling block of the Christian faith

b. Mary’s experience is unique among women of all ages

i. Not only was she an innocent virgin, but she carried her maker inside her

ii. While the wonder of pregnancy is always joyful and miraculous, inside this teenager’s womb was kicking the feet that would crush the head of the serpent

iii. Inside Mary were moving the hands that would be pierced to redeem all of sinful humanity

iv. Inside Mary were the hands that fashioned Adam from the dust of the earth

v. The cry that Mary heard that Christmas night was from the voice that spoke “Let there be light” and tossed stars into their sockets with the power of His Word

c. Mary was not a surrogate, the power of God caused conception from the Father’s DNA and the Mother’s so that Jesus was fully God and fully man

d. Is He God or is He man?

• On His Daddy’s Side On His Momma’s Side

• Heavenly Father Earthly Mother

• Son of God Son of Man

• Before Abraham Seed of Abraham

• Root of David Earthly Mother

• Eternal Temporal

• Was Word Preached Word

• Walked on Sea Walked by Sea

III. Mystery of His Fullness

a. Jesus did not have just a “piece” of God, but in Him was the fullness of the Godhead bodily

b. He was not “half God” and “half man” but He was the full nature of the Almighty –

i. You see His Omniscience in view when He is 12 years old and is astounding the thought leaders of His day with his knowledge of the Word (Himself)

ii. You see His Omnipotence in view when He commands the sea and it obeys Him

iii. You see His Grace in view when he mends the sick with His powerful word

c. But He is fully human – facing weariness, temptation, suffering daily

i. In his sinless life, He shows what it is to be human