New Look At The Nativity

A New Look at the Nativity

Intro: Anyone get up to go shopping on Friday morning?

I did...GPS deal, directionally challenged.

Also looking for the right nativity set...did you know Walmart no longer carries these?

Thankfully I did find one, a very special...unable to find in your local store.

Share it this morning before we even decorate our house.

Anyone here decorated yet?

Who has a nativity?

Hopefully this morning you will get a new fresh look at the nativity and the story behind it.

Pray first...

1.Mary and Joseph

Stories in Matt and Luke, two genealogies for each.

Same until after Solomon...meet back up at Jesus’ birth

Not an accident, I believe ordained by God.

If not for captivity, these two might have met up for marriage and a stay in the palace as king and queen.

God had other plans...You ever notice that?

His plans are best...when we submit and surrender then others are blessed.

2.Jesus-makes nativity the nativity

Christ is what makes Christmas “Christmas”

No longer selling nativities at Walmart! Sam wouldn’t recognize store today.

No matter how hard society tries, you can’t take Christ out of Christmas...tell someone Merry Christmas!

3.Cattle...reminder of how he came, humbly.

Not in glory in splendor like He reigns today and will return in, but in the most meager of circumstances.

Why? So He can get us.

Not just as creator, but as the God-man, Emmanuel: God with us.

He went through what you and I have gone through with 2 exceptions:

Sin; he experienced pain, loneliness, loss and even temptation, but never sin...b/c of the 2nd exceptions

Payment of sin for all mankind

4.Shepherd...only invited guests, imagine what went through minds of Angels

Really? It’s that time? Incarnation?

Where? All the great cities? Alerting the kings and queens?

Glory in every sky?

What? A pasture?

A shepherd? You know those are low paying jobs, no real power there except over a bunch of sheep?

Just what God intended, because salvation isn’t for the proud, but for the humble.

5.Wise Men....Not from “Orient Are”, not politically correct, from Persia and not there at Christmas...traveling at our house.

6.Not every one...Herod, Matthew 2; you ever feel like someone is out to get you?

As a pastor, some times I have to shake hands instead of hugging, easier to see daggers that way.

God gets it!

Been there, seen it, done it...more than once.

Mainly because the last character in my nativity...

7.The Dragon...Rev. 12:1-9

The pinnacle of creation prior to mankind...and he knew it.

He rebelled and was cast out for all eternity.

Now his goal is stated in John 10:10...

He tried to take over heaven, and will do it again...don’t think he doesn’t know how to push your buttons, ESPECIALLY at Christmas when it should be about Jesus.

He tried to take over...he isn’t alone though, is he?

Maybe we don’t try to take over the kingdom of heaven, but we try to take over the throne of our hearts...influence of our sinful natures.

His goal though...steal, kill and destroy.

If he can keep one from Christ...destruction

Or if he can get us off our game and us back on our thrones, others die.

Who is on the throne of your heart?

Especially at Christmas...keep Christ in Christmas, begin with Him in your heart and life.

Born again believers...easy to take Christ out at this time of year too.