Sunday, December 23, 2018

Answering Christmas – Part 3: What Led Up to Jesus’ Birth?


Answering Christmas – Part 3:
What Led Up to Jesus’ Birth? - HOFC
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org, or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on facebook at House of Faith Church

SERMON INTRODUCTION
Over the next few weeks we will be discussing the truths and falsehoods of Christmas, to gain a better understanding of the scripture, and how we can joyfully celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior without offense to God.

The series will focus on what I consider to be “keys” to understanding.

As Christians, we need have no fear of those who hate and despise the Word of God, and we need not have any fear of those who cry “foul”, or in other ways try to make a mockery of God.

The series will answer important questions about WHEN Jesus was born, WHY Jesus was born, WHAT led up to His birth, WHO Jesus was born for, and the most important key of all understanding, HOW do you KNOW Jesus?

My goal in this series is to answer once for all, all of the questions, doubts and misconceptions about Christmas, Jesus’ birth, why we celebrate and return this season to the former glory and celebration we remember from our youth!

Family, love, peace, time together, and a celebration of the bond formed between Christ our Lord and those who belong to Him!


SERMON SERIES
Part 1 - When was Jesus Born?
Part 2 - Why was Jesus Born?
Part 3 - What led up to Jesus’ Birth?
Part 4 - Who did Jesus Die For?
Part 5 - How do you Know Jesus?


TODAY’S SERMON
Part 3 - What Led Up to Jesus’ Birth?


SCRIPTURE READING
The Bible's first and oldest written prophecy, given directly by God, is found in the opening chapters of Genesis. It alludes to the miraculous birth of Jesus.

The Messiah is prophesied to oppose the devil, overcome his attacks and ultimately seal his eternal fate. Genesis 3:15 states, 

“I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

The birth of man's Savior, more than two thousand years ago, is one of the most pivotal events to have ever occurred in the universe!

This appearance of Jesus, referred to as the Incarnation, is an eternal witness of perfect love.

 It shows that God's love is so profound that He was willing to make the greatest sacrifice, through the birth of His Son, and take the greatest risk, in order that His greatest creation could live forever with Him.

The following is a short timeline of the events leading to the birth and early years of Jesus.  The times given are approximates that most scholars agree on, and simply help with the order of events, and do not in any way try to serve as a specific date timeline.


                  I.            6 BC
a.      The Gregorian Calendar
                                                                         i.      We spoke in the first sermon of this series about the errors that were miscalculated in the Gregorian calendar, and that the calendar itself is wrong by approximately 4 years or so.

                                                                      ii.      6 BC is another approximation for our timeline of events

                                                                   iii.      Probably around May or June

b.     Zacharias
                                                                         i.      A man named Zacharias begins his work at Jerusalem's temple during the "course of Abijah (Abia)" (Luke 1:5, 8 - 9)

                                                                      ii.      While fulfilling his priestly duties, the archangel Gabriel (likely on Pentecost) visits Zacharias. This powerful angelic being informs him that his barren wife Elizabeth will miraculously bear him a son. This son, to be named John, will be filled with God's spirit from conception and will be raised under the Nazarite vow (Luke 1:5 - 15).

                                                                   iii.      Because Zacharias doubts the truth of what the angel states, he is rendered unable to speak until the birth of John (Luke 1:18 - 20, 57 - 64). John the Baptist, in early June, is conceived (Luke 1:23 - 24).


c.      Mary
                                                                         i.       Gabriel, during Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, is sent to a young virgin named Mary in the city of Nazareth (Luke 1:26 - 27). She is betrothed to a man named Joseph. The archangel informs her that she will miraculously conceive and give birth to (through the power of God) the Savior of mankind (verses 28 - 37)!

                                                                      ii.      Mary, though amazed at what she is told, accepts God's will for her (verse 38) and Jesus is miraculously conceived in her womb. She then leaves Nazareth to spend about three months (Luke 1:39 - 40, 56) with her cousin Elizabeth.


               II.            The Birth of John the Baptist
a.      Mary leaves Elizabeth
                                                                         i.       Mary leaves Elizabeth and travels back to Nazareth (Luke 1:56). Elizabeth then gives birth to John between February 27 and March 11, six months before the arrival of Jesus (Luke 1:26, 36).

                                                                      ii.      Zacharias, on the day his son is circumcised, is able to again speak after he writes down that his name should be John (Luke 1:59 - 64).

                                                                   iii.      Joseph soon discovers that his espoused wife Mary is three months pregnant (Matthew 1:18). Although he believes she has committed adultery (punishable by death, see Leviticus 20:10), he considers saving her through a private divorce (Matthew 1:19).
                                                                    iv.      An angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him the child in Mary's womb was miraculously created by God. Joseph believes the angel and decides to stay married to Mary. He also chooses not to “be with” Mary until after the birth of Jesus (verses 20 - 25).


b.     The Small City of Bethlehem
                                                                         i.      When Mary and Joseph arrive in order to pay Roman taxes and be counted for Census, the city is flooded with people (Luke 2:1 - 3). The couple, since all available lodging in the city is taken, must stay in a stable. Jesus is born in this location and laid in a manger (verse 7).

                                                                      ii.      The Lord's birth occurs between August 27 and September 9, with it highly likely occurring (due to its symbolism) on Saturday, September 2. This Saturday is special, in that it is Tishri 1, or the first day of Hebrew civil year 3757. It is also the Biblical holy day known as the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah).


c.      An Angel Proclaims to the Shepherds
                                                                         i.       An angel proclaims to shepherds tending their flocks that man's Savior has been born (Luke 2:8 - 11)! He also tells them that the unique location of his birth, along with what he is wrapped in, will be the sign that they have the right child (verse 12).

                                                                      ii.      The shepherds, after countless angels appear in the sky to praise God, travel into Bethlehem to look for Jesus (Luke 2:13 - 16). Jesus, on the eighth day after his birth, is circumcised in obedience to God's law (Leviticus 12:3, Luke 2:21).

                                                                   iii.      The Magi arrive in Jerusalem. The size of their caravan, which includes armed soldiers, alarms both Herod and the city (Matthew 2:1 - 3). Herod immediately sets out to gather all the city's chief priests and scribes (verse 4).

                                                                    iv.       After Mary's forty days of impurity after Jesus' birth are completed (Leviticus 12:1 - 4), she and Joseph travel to Jerusalem so that Jesus can be presented to God in the temple (Luke 2:22 - 24). While at the temple Simeon blesses the family and gives several prophecies (verses 25 - 35). A prophetess named Anna recognizes the Savior and tells others concerning him (verses 36 - 38). The family heads back to Bethlehem.


           III.            The last we know of Jesus’ childhood
a.      Herod demands
                                                                         i.       Herod tersely demands the priests and scribes tell him where the Messiah's birth is to take place (Matthew 2:4). They quote to him Micah 5:2 where it states he will come out of Bethlehem (verses 5 - 6). He then arranges a secret meeting with the Magi and finds out the star they originally saw in the sky appeared two years ago.

                                                                      ii.      Herod reveals to the Magi that the King they are seeking (Jesus) is in Bethlehem. He requests that after they find exactly where the child is located they come back to Jerusalem to tell him (Matthew 2:7 - 8).


b.     The Star
                                                                         i.       The star the Magi saw, which had disappeared, appears again when they leave Jerusalem! It shines and moves before them such that it leads them directly to a home (not a stable!) where they find Mary and Jesus (Matthew 2:9 - 11). They present their gifts to the family.

                                                                      ii.      The Magi, although they had planned to return to Jerusalem and report what they found to Herod, are warned in a dream not to do so. They take another route back home that bypasses Jerusalem (Matthew 2:12).


c.      Joseph and his dream
                                                                         i.       Joseph, right after the Magi leave, is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt until Herod dies (Matthew 2:13 - 15). This is done because Herod will soon seek to murder the Christ child.

                                                                      ii.       Herod, falsely believing that the Magi are mocking him by not coming back to Jerusalem after they worship Jesus' birth, flies into a rage. Remembering that they told him they first saw the star two years ago, he orders all male children in Bethlehem (AND the surrounding areas!) two years old or younger murdered (Matthew 2:16 - 18). This impulsive and murderous act fulfills prophecy (Jeremiah 31:15).


CONCLUSION
The time we read of Jesus is when Joseph and Mary take him to Jerusalem and Jesus goes to the Temple without them and teaches the teachers.

After which, we do not read anything until just before the beginning of His ministry.

So, What are the Odds?

Let’s look at two of the specific prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament.
“You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.” (Micah 5:2, NLT)
“The Lord himself will choose [a] sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel-‘God is with us.'” (Isaiah 7:14, NLT)
Now, before considering ALL the prophecies, you have to stop and ask yourself how many people in the category of potential Messiah throughout history were born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem.
In the case of hundreds of detailed prophecies being fulfilled by one person, we are talking about virtually impossible odds.
When forensic scientists discover a DNA profile match, the odds of having the wrong person is frequently less than one in several billion. It would seem we are in the same neighborhood of odds, and numbers of zeros, in considering a single individual fulfilling these prophecies.
Professor of mathematics Peter Stoner gave 600 students a math probability problem that would determine the odds for one person fulfilling eight specific prophecies.
(This is not the same as flipping a coin eight times in a row and getting heads each time.) First the students calculated the odds of one person fulfilling all the conditions of one specific prophecy, such as being betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver. Then the students did their best to estimate the odds for all of the eight prophecies combined.
The students calculated that the odds against one person fulfilling all eight prophecies are astronomical-one in ten to the 21st power (1021).
To illustrate that number, Stoner gave the following example: “First, blanket the entire Earth land mass with silver dollars 120 feet high. Second, specially mark one of those dollars and randomly bury it. Third, ask a person to travel the Earth and select the marked dollar, while blindfolded, from the trillions of other dollars.”
It’s important to note that Stoner’s work was reviewed by the American Scientific Association, which stated, “The mathematical analysis … is based upon principles of probability which are thoroughly sound, and Professor Stoner has applied these principles in a proper and convincing way.” 
With that as an introduction, let’s add six more predictions to the two we’ve already considered, giving us a total of Professor Stoner’s eight:
Prophecy: The Messiah would be from the lineage of King David.
Jeremiah 23:5
600 B.C.
Fulfillment: “Jesus … the son of David …”
Luke 3:23, 31
4 B.C.
Prophecy: The Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.
Zechariah 11:13
487 B.C.
Fulfillment: “They gave him thirty pieces of silver.”
Matthew 26:15
30 A.D.
Prophecy: The Messiah would have his hands and feet pierced.
Psalm 22:16
1000 B.C.
Fulfillment: “They came to a place called The Skull. All three were crucified there-Jesus on the center cross, and the two criminals on either side.”
Luke 23:33
30 A.D.
Prophecy: People would cast lots for the Messiah’s clothing.
Psalm 22:18
1000 B.C.
Fulfillment: “The soldiers … took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said, ‘Let’s not tear it but throw dice to see who gets it.’ ”
John 19:23-24
30 A.D.
Prophecy: The Messiah would appear riding on a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9
500 B.C.
Fulfillment: “They brought the animals to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.”
Matthew 21:7
30 A,D.
Prophecy: A messenger would be sent to herald the Messiah.
Malachi 3:1
500 B.C.
Fulfillment: John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not know.”
John 1:26
27 A.D.
The eight prophecies we’ve reviewed about the Messiah were written by men from different times and places between about 500 and 1,000 years before Jesus was born. Thus there was no opportunity for collusion among them. Notice too, how specific they are.
Bible scholars tell us that nearly 300 references to these specific prophecies of the Messiah were fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
The odds against one person fulfilling that many prophecies would be beyond all mathematical possibility.
It could never happen, no matter how much time was allotted. One mathematician’s estimate of those impossible odds is “one chance in a trillion13.



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Sunday, December 16, 2018

Answering Christmas – Part 2: Why was Jesus Born? - HOFC


Answering Christmas – Part 2:
Why was Jesus Born? - HOFC
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org, or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on facebook at House of Faith Church

SERMON INTRODUCTION
Over the next few weeks we will be discussing the truths and falsehoods of Christmas, to gain a better understanding of the scripture, and how we can joyfully celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior without offense to God.

The series will focus on what I consider to be “keys” to understanding.

As Christians, we need have no fear of those who hate and despise the Word of God, and we need not have any fear of those who cry “foul”, or in other ways try to make a mockery of God.

The series will answer important questions about WHEN Jesus was born, WHY Jesus was born, WHAT led up to His birth, WHO Jesus was born for, and the most important key of all understanding, HOW do you KNOW Jesus?

My goal in this series is to answer once for all, all of the questions, doubts and misconceptions about Christmas, Jesus’ birth, why we celebrate and return this season to the former glory and celebration we remember from our youth!

Family, love, peace, time together, and a celebration of the bond formed between Christ our Lord and those who belong to Him!


SERMON SERIES
Part 1 - When was Jesus Born?
Part 2 - Why was Jesus Born?
Part 3 - What led up to Jesus’ Birth?
Part 4 - Who did Jesus Die For?
Part 5 - How do you Know Jesus?


TODAY’S SERMON
Part 2 - Why was Jesus Born?


SCRIPTURE READING

One of the most profound mysteries of the Bible is why Jesus had to be born a flesh and blood human. Why did He have to live a sinless life as a human?
The first goal sought by Jesus being born as a human has a great deal to do with the uniqueness of His and God the Father's existence.
The Godhead, composed of the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, have always, and will always, possesses perfect, holy character. The moral laws they revealed to mankind are fundamental to their divine nature and are the embodiment of perfect love.
Since it is they who maintain and enforce these rules throughout all things they created, nothing less than a member of the Godhead (e.g. Jesus) can redeem anyone from the penalty of breaking them.
The divine Being we refer to as Jesus, the God of the Old Testament, had to be born of a woman and be like us in order to save us.
As the Person through which the Father created all things (John 1:1 - 3, Colossians 1:16), His life is worth more than the lives of all humans. His sacrifice, therefore, completely pays for all sins (Hebrews 2:9, 10:10, 12, 14).
Since Jesus was the Giver of the Law to humanity, He also could take in His own Person the penalty resulting from that law, and stand in humanity’s place for it.
So, why was Jesus born?

                  I.            JESUS, BORN TO ESTABLISH A NEW COVENANT
a.      Malachi 3:1 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.”

                                                                         i.      The Lord revealing in Old Testament prophecy that He would send a messenger (John the Baptist), to prepare the way for the coming Lord in human form as Jesus.

                                                                      ii.      Hebrews 8:6-13 “But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said:

(Jeremiah 31:31-34)
 “The days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
    and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.

10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
    after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
    and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.

11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”

13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

                                                                   iii.      Since the Cross, there is no need for the Old Testament, which was in fact inferior, and meant to be temporary until God’s plan for Christ came to fruition.


b.     Jesus was born
                                                                         i.      to both end the Old Covenant defined in the Old Testament and establish a New Covenant with man made possible by his sacrifice. This new agreement with man promises, upon repentance and obedience, an eternal life full of love and happiness.

                                                                      ii.      It is not “new” as in thought or planning...rather, new to us, but God’s plan from the very beginning, revealed throughout scripture from the earliest verses.


c.      To Preach the Gospel and Train Others
                                                                         i.      Mark 1:14-15  After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

                                                                      ii.      Luke 9:1-2 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

                                                                   iii.      Luke 10:1-3 the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.”

                                                                    iv.      Christ needed to be born and conduct a ministry on earth in order to be the first one to herald the good news of God's Kingdom and to train others to do the same after his departure.


               II.            JESUS, BORN TO REVEAL & GLORIFY THE FATHER
a.      John 1:15-18  (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”

                                                                         i.      Matthew 11:27-29 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

                                                                      ii.      John 17:1, 4 “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.

                                                                   iii.      “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”


b.     Jesus was born
                                                                         i.      in order to personally reveal the Father (Matthew 11:27).

                                                                      ii.      By his miracles and perfect obedience, Christ drew man's attention to the Father.


c.      Fulfilling Prophecies
                                                                         i.      Luke 18:31  Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.”

                                                                      ii.      Matthew 13:34-35 “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

                                                                   iii.      Not only did Jesus fulfill roughly thirty prophecies on the day he was crucified, he also fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies regarding where and how the Savior would be born, the ministry of the Messiah and so on.

                                                                    iv.      Over 400 Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled
1.      Though some argue Jesus did not fulfill “all” the prophecies in the Old Testament, in one aspect they are correct.  However, the ones He has not fulfilled WILL be fulfilled, when God’s timing has come pass.  These prophecies all have to do with after the end-times.



           III.            JESUS, BORN A MERCIFUL HIGH PRIEST
a.      Having therefore a great High Priest, Who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God

                                                                         i.      Hebrews 4:14-16 “since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

                                                                      ii.      Hebrews 7:25-26 “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”

                                                                   iii.      Hebrews 10:11-14 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”


b.     The High Priest
                                                                         i.      in the Old Testament stood as a mediator between God and man. In addition to his regular duties at the temple, he had to enter the Holy of Holies once a year and sprinkle blood on the Ark's mercy seat in order to make an atonement for the people's sins.

                                                                      ii.      Jesus had to be born of a human in order to qualify as mankind's merciful High Priest in heaven. He had to experience the same temptations we do in order to be man's perfect intercessor with God the Father.

                                                                   iii.      On the Sunday after his resurrection (John 20:11 - 17) he ascended to heaven and offered his own blood as full payment for sin so that we can be forgiven.


c.      Destroying the Work of the Devil
                                                                         i.      1 John 3:8-10 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.”

                                                                      ii.      Hebrews 2:14-18 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.17 For this reason he had to be made like them,[k] fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

                                                                   iii.      One of the "great" works of the devil was the deception of Adam and Eve. Their sin brought separation from God and death to the human race (Genesis 3:19, 1Corinthians 15:21 - 22).

                                                                    iv.      Jesus Christ needed to be born and be the perfect sacrifice for sin in order to make possible man's reconciliation with God. This reconciling with God, through the forgiveness of sin upon repentance, nullifies Satan's efforts to thwart God's plan of salvation.


CONCLUSION

God’s great plan for man is to ultimately have a creation made in His image, who have 100% free will and who choose to be righteous and obedient to the holy law 100% of the time.

Jesus Christ was born in order to make this possible for those who accept His sacrifice, confess and repent of their sins, and obey what the Lord commands, thus receiving the Holy Spirit, through whom we have the power unto obedience!


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