The Christmas story
Matthew 1:18-25
Introduction-
We are in the 4th week of advent- Each week we lit a candle of the advent wrath and here we are in the final week.
Tuesday night at our Christmas Eve service, (7pm) we will light the Christ candle- Christ fulfilling the promise of God.
The Christ candle is lit to symbolize the light of Christ coming into the world and displacing darkness.
It is the risen Christ bringing life to a dying world.
How many are aware of Christ at Christmas?
How many take the time to share the story of Christ before we rip open presents and forget it was his birthday that we are to be celebrating?
Matthew 1:18-25
Prayer-
The Christmas story recorded with all the characters- Mary. Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth, and of course Jesus-
Mary-
Young Jewish girl pledged to be married to Joseph.
Living out her life as she was planning a wedding.
An angel of the Lord appears to her and says that “she is highly favored by God and the Lord will be with you.”
She is troubled by that- who would not be?
She is told that she will conceive a baby and you will name that baby Jesus.
She is told that it will be given her by the Holy Spirit of God. “Do not be Afraid”
She is told that her cousin Elizabeth will have a child in her old age- “Nothing is impossible with God”
“I am the Lord’s servant, Mary answered, May it be to me as you have said.”
Mary had to have some faith! Mary would have a little lamb and His name is Jesus!
Joseph
Young Jewish boy pledged to be married to the love of his life.
Planning a wedding and finding out that she is pregnant with a child that is not his. (Nobody had to tell him why it was not his child.)
He has plans to divorce her privately and move on.
Angel of the Lord appears to him and says “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife because the child she would conceive is from the Holy Spirit of God.
It is to fulfill the prophecies of God.
I don’t know about you but that is a God thing right there! It is a God thing to happen and it is a God thing for the both of them to believe God that He would do these things.
Elizabeth
Cousin to Mary, who is old and has no child would have a child named John (later John the Baptist)
He will be great and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit of God
Zechariah
Angel of the Lord appeared to Zachariah and told him what’s happening.
He asks “How can I be sure of this? My wife and I are old!(It is not like we have not been trying)
Luke 1:19- “The angel answered, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you the Good news.”
Because … you did not believe me, you will not be able to speak until the birth of this child has taken place.
Because you doubted Zechariah, you will not spread your doubt until after I fulfill the birth.
Last week I said the greatest proclamation ever made- “Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Mark Lowry/Song Mary did you know-
Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.
Joseph did you know that the greatest gift ever wrapped up would be Jesus in a manger.
Wrapped up in swaddling cloth and given to mankind as the savior of the world and you would have the responsibility to raise him.
During the darkest times in the history of Israel, a prophet named Isaiah proclaimed the hope of the coming savior about 700 years before his birth. Against a backdrop of hopelessness, Isaiah told the people about a messiah that would come to save his people. It would become the greatest story ever told. The messiah would come as a baby born to a virgin and his name would be called Jesus!
God with us-
God help us
God we need you
That God would come… even after we messed things up!
Only God! God never gave up on us!
God’s love showed up and desires to touch each and every one of our lives with salvation and a personal relationship with Him!
Last week, God got a hold of a young man’s heart in service and wouldn’t let go. This young man cried from the singing of the worship songs till I closed the service- He was being deployed and God got a hold of his heart!
God we need you!
2019 saw many celebrities pass away. Touching our lives in many different ways
Bart Starr G. B. Packers QB
Gloria Vanderbelt Fashion designer
Eddie Money Singer
Valerie Harper- Actress
Tim Conway Comedian
Lee Iaccoca Only GM to lead 2 out of the 3 Big Auto companies
John Havlechek
Doris Day Actress
All these names and there are countless others that have died, but none of them came so that you and I may live except Jesus-
Immanuel “God with us” only one- Jesus
We know the Christmas story and all the characters- but if we are not careful, we forget all were born but only one sent! (repeat)
Mary and Joseph could only do what they did because God empowered them with divine power and divine faith-
LL Bean commercial where the guy says I am gonna do… what am gonna do!
Catchy- only because God was in the Christmas story from front to back-
Old Testament to New Testament- Jesus
From Abraham to Jesus- prophesy fulfilled to the minute details.
King Herod trying to destroy the plan of God- Matthew 2:8- “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him”
Lies dripping from his mouth
Magi being warned in a dream that they were not to tell Herod
Angel of the Lord speaking to Joseph- “Get up, he said, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
I ‘m Gonna do what I’m Gonna do!
Christmas is a God thing!
This is how Jesus the messiah came- Greek word for birth is Genesis “Beginning” God makes a plan to redeem mankind and nothing or nobody will get in the way of making it happen.
Speaks to Mary
Speaks to Joseph
When God was talking, they were listening- Joseph took Mary home as his wife- did not have intimate relationship with her until after the baby was born- and they gave him the name of Jesus!
“Joseph, take Mary as your wife because the child she is carrying is conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. She will give birth to a son, you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Israel’s founding father, Abraham, receives a promise that “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Israel is God’s nation that not only receives blessing from him but also is to be a blessing “all people on earth” I will make you a light for the Gentiles that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
That is why that baby Jesus, who is now savior of the world has brought salvation to all who call on the name of Jesus!
That is why we know for a fact that Jesus loves each and every one of us and does not want any of us to perish but have everlasting life.
“For God so loved the word that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
If you are looking at the manger and you still see Jesus as a baby, you are living in the past, because Jesus is the savior, who is now called wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus, the son of God reigns – He is the hope that this desperate world is needing, and He came to make things right if you would accept the gift of salvation.
Satan, “Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, For God is with us.”
Someone should be shouting Jesus right now!
If you are saying Jesus + anything else you missed it.
It is not Jesus + a new Job
It is not Jesus + a spouse, money, new home.
It is just Jesus!
Jesus is enough!
“My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
God is enough! The Christmas story is God is enough!
“I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength.”
It is written throughout God’s holy word-
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
He is enough! “For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
What do you need this morning? Jesus!
Savior-Jesus
Shepherd, comforter, sustainer- Jesus!
Healer?
Need God to be with You? Jesus!
Most of us know him as savior- but we need Him to be Lord- surrender to Him and allow Him to do what is needed in our lives to accomplish all that He wants for our lives!
He is here this morning! God has shown up in this place!
They say that many people are open to Jesus in December- why? Because in our messed up lives, we take time to look at Jesus! He wants to speak to us- he desires to meet us where we are at and take us to where we need to be-
I’m closing, but not before I give the Lord a moment to speak to us-
“For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!
He has done all He can do- The rest is up to us- we have to respond.
If you are a believer, I am asking you to be praying for souls right now- if you are not a believer, I am inviting you to receive the greatest gift ever given, and His name is Jesus.
Illustration-
As most of you know I accepted the Lord at 14 years old whole surfing through the channels for a baseball game and Billy Graham was on TV. I made fun of him with my brother and the more I watched, the more God got a hold of my heart. That was a God moment! From 14-early twenties I struggled with my relationship with the Lord because I never made Him Lord! The moment of oh ha came when I was sitting in a church service and God got a hold of me… everything! I not only knew of Him, I knew Him! I no longer had to fight every Sunday if I would go to church. I did not wrestle with being obedient. I did not get hung up on things that I did not understand. I drew close to the things that I did understand and He changed my life! Forever!
Maybe that is what you want this morning, surrender to Jesus all those things.
Grab this-
If you do not understand how Jesus came, you will not understand why he came. If you do not understand why Jesus came, you will not put value on him.
