MICAH 5:2
“O Little Town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie,
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light,
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”
I. God chose a little town in which the Savior was to be born.
II. God chose a little town and a peasant couple.
“For Christ is born of Mary and gathered all above,
While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love.”
III. God chose to enter the world as a helpless infant.
“How silently, How silently, the wondrous gift is given;
So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still?
…the dear Christ enters in.”
Why did God choose to enter the world a tiny, helpless infant?
1. To humbly identify with our struggles and sympathize with our pain.
2. Demonstrated His power and wisdom
3. Demonstrate how God still normally works in our lives.
"O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in; be born in us today; We
hear the Christmas angels, the great, glad tidings tell. O come to us, abide with us; Our Lord Emmanuel."
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Week 2: a Christmas Carol..."Joy to the World"
II Corinthians 7:4 reads “…in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.”
This song was not inspired by the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus, it was actually inspired by Psalm 98. Psalm 98 reads, “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the LORD, the King."
There is joy when the King is received.
"Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let earth receive her king; let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing.”
The wise men received Jesus as king. “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route” (Matthew 2:11-12).
There is joy when the Savior reigns.
"Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains, repeat the sounding joy:"
There is a difference between receiving Christ and allowing Christ to reign.
QUOTE: Someone said “You can keep one foot in two different canoes for a while but eventually you’re going to get real uncomfortable.” And you can keep one foot in the church and one foot in the world but I guarantee you—you will not be joyful for very long!
There is joy when the sinner repents.
"No more let sins and sorrow grow. Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found."
Sin ALWAYS promises happiness but it delivers sorrow.
SIN BRINGS A CURSE AND SORROW!
But there is a wonderful experience of joy when a sinner genuinely repents.
Acts 3:19: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,”
There is joy when the truth rules with grace.
"He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove, the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love."
There has to be a balance of truth and grace for there to be joy. And you only find that in Jesus Christ!
Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “I don’t condemn you but go and don’t sin any more.”
He said to the greedy, deceiving Zacchaeus: “I want to go to your house,” but your house is going to be vastly different from now on…”
And Christ says to us, “I want you to speak the truth…but speak it in love! I want you to stand for what is right—but do it with compassion.”
This song was not inspired by the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus, it was actually inspired by Psalm 98. Psalm 98 reads, “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the LORD, the King."
There is joy when the King is received.
"Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let earth receive her king; let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing.”
The wise men received Jesus as king. “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route” (Matthew 2:11-12).
There is joy when the Savior reigns.
"Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; while fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains, repeat the sounding joy:"
There is a difference between receiving Christ and allowing Christ to reign.
QUOTE: Someone said “You can keep one foot in two different canoes for a while but eventually you’re going to get real uncomfortable.” And you can keep one foot in the church and one foot in the world but I guarantee you—you will not be joyful for very long!
There is joy when the sinner repents.
"No more let sins and sorrow grow. Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found."
Sin ALWAYS promises happiness but it delivers sorrow.
SIN BRINGS A CURSE AND SORROW!
But there is a wonderful experience of joy when a sinner genuinely repents.
Acts 3:19: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,”
There is joy when the truth rules with grace.
"He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove, the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love."
There has to be a balance of truth and grace for there to be joy. And you only find that in Jesus Christ!
Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “I don’t condemn you but go and don’t sin any more.”
He said to the greedy, deceiving Zacchaeus: “I want to go to your house,” but your house is going to be vastly different from now on…”
And Christ says to us, “I want you to speak the truth…but speak it in love! I want you to stand for what is right—but do it with compassion.”
Monday, December 7, 2009
Week 1: A Christmas Carol -“Hark the Herald Angel Sings”
What biblical Truth can we learn from this Christmas Carol?
I. The first stanza - Announcement of Jesus' birth.
"Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled."
Luke 2 that says, “There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shown round about them and they were terrified! But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ, the Messiah, the Lord! This will be a sign to you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’”
II. The second stanza - Who Jesus Is.
"Christ by highest heav'n adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord! Late in time behold Him come, offspring of the virgin's womb: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail, the incarnate deity; Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel."
His deity (Jesus is God)
His incarnation
His virgin birth
The humanity of Jesus
III. The third stanza - What Jesus does for us.
"Hail! heav'n born prince of peace!
Hail! the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris'n with healing in His wings."
Jesus brings light
Jesus brings life
Jesus brings healing
Jesus brings victory over death
I. The first stanza - Announcement of Jesus' birth.
"Hark! The herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled."
Luke 2 that says, “There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shown round about them and they were terrified! But the angel said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ, the Messiah, the Lord! This will be a sign to you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’”
II. The second stanza - Who Jesus Is.
"Christ by highest heav'n adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord! Late in time behold Him come, offspring of the virgin's womb: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail, the incarnate deity; Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel."
His deity (Jesus is God)
His incarnation
His virgin birth
The humanity of Jesus
III. The third stanza - What Jesus does for us.
"Hail! heav'n born prince of peace!
Hail! the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris'n with healing in His wings."
Jesus brings light
Jesus brings life
Jesus brings healing
Jesus brings victory over death
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