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Luke 2:1-21
John 3:16–18 - Can I get you to just unplug for a few minutes? - Just shut it all down for a few minutes and be in this moment. - This could be the most significant moment of your whole Christmas season. Definition of Love – - God love - Marriage love - Sexual love - Parental/Child love - Friendship love - Subject love - Enemy love - Strong affection for another arising - Affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests - Warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion - To hold dear, cherish - To like or desire actively: take pleasure in - To thrive in[1] - Unselfish, loyal, and benevolent intention and commitment toward another.[2] Resources – Gas consumption yeehaw… oil prices down. The source of love – God I John 4:13-19 - How is love perfected? - It is the maturing in your mind that you are deeply loved yourself. - When you grasp the fact that you are deeply loved it becomes natural for you to love back because you are a new creation. - Love is not based upon doing. - It is based upon knowing. - I know God loved me first… then He sent His Son. - God sending His Son was the byproduct of His love for me. - If I asked most anyone out here, “How do you know your mate, your friend, your family loves you?” You would answer by telling me what they do/have done for you. - What if I say, “I just know! I believe they do.” - Why do I have to come up with a list of things they have done? - I could also come up with a list of things they haven’t done. What if true love is just the fact that you know you are loved? - A) The Bible tells me God is love. - B) The Bible tells me the same Spirit lives in me. - If A & B are true then I am capable of loving as God loves. John 13:34-35 I Peter 4:8 [1] Mish, F. C. (2003). Preface. Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc. [2] Lanier, D. (2003). Love. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1054). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
Matthew 2:1-12
- We know that the magi were wise men from "the East," most likely Persia, or modern-day Iran. - This means the wise men traveled 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ child. - These priests paid particular attention to the stars and gained an international reputation for astrology, which was at that time highly regarded as a science. - Their religious practices and use of astrology caused derivatives of the term Magi to be applied to the occult in general and led to the English term magic. - Most likely, the magi knew of the writings of the prophet Daniel, who in time past had been the chief of the court seers in Persia. - So, these magi were men who: 1) Read and believed God's Word 2) Sought Jesus 3) Recognized the worth of Christ 4) Humbled themselves to worship Jesus 5) Obeyed God rather than man - They were truly wise men! Luke 2:40 2 wisdoms – 1) The human quality which enables the planning and successful achievement of a desired goal. It may be expressed as technical skill, practical instruction and astuteness in political affairs. 2) True wisdom includes spiritual discernment and, above all, the reverence and knowledge of God.[1] James 3:13-18 Wisdom - The quality of knowledge, discernment and understanding characteristic of God himself. True wisdom, seen in the ministry of Jesus Christ, is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Scripture affirms that true human wisdom is a gift from God and points out the folly of trusting in mere human wisdom.[2] Job 12:13 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 1 Corinthians 2 How do you pursue wisdom? - A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew.[3] James 1:5 Proverbs 8:10-12 Proverbs 9:9-12 Proverbs 13:10 - Surround yourself with wise and proper counsel. What does this look like inside of a community of believers? Colossians 2:2-3 Final words to the beloved… Proverbs 2 Prayer… Ask for wisdom… Ephesians 1:17 [1] Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser. [2] Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser. [3] Green, M. P. (Ed.). (1989). Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 sermon illustrations arranged by topic and indexed exhaustively (Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file.). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.
Isaiah 9:6
Luke 2:8-15 peace – noun 1. freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility. 2. freedom from or the cessation of war or violence. Bible Dictionary – peace - The state of harmony that is available to believers through having a right relationship with God and others and is especially associated with the presence of the Holy Spirit.[1] Matthew 3:16-17 - The Spirit is likened to a dove, the symbol of peace. - God said His Son brings peace. What do you do when you come home? - You look to see who is home with you. - Can I tell you one of the crazy things about men? - They like to be “shouldered”. - They like having someone near them. John 14:27 - Jesus distinguished His peace from peace as the world understands it: the absence of war on earth. - Matthew 10:34 - What He brought instead was reconciliation between God and man. - Matthew 10:32-33 - Paul concludes in Romans 5:1 Fear settles in when there is a sense that God is distant. - Jesus knew He was leaving his disciples. - He knew that fear was about to set in their thoughts. John 20:19-23 Peace is the abolishment of fear. Galatians 5:22-26 “How do I get this peace?” “What does it mean to walk with God?” Genesis 5:18-24 RA Torrey answers the question “What does it mean to walk with God?” - To walk with God means to live one’s life in the consciousness of God’s presence and in conscious communion with Him, to have the thought constantly before us, “God is beside me,” and to be every now and then speaking to Him, and still more listening for Him to speak to us. In a word, to walk with God is to live in the real, constant, conscious companionship of God. We read that Enoch walked with God, not on a few rare occasions of spiritual exaltation, such perhaps as most of us have known, but for three hundred consecutive years after the birth of Methuselah (Gen. 6:22). It is possible for us to have this consciousness of the nearness and fellowship of God in our daily life, to talk with Him as we talk to an earthly friend; yes, as we talk to no earthly friend, and to have Him talk to us, and to commune with Him in a silence that is far more meaningful than any words could be.[2] Isaiah 26:3 John 16:33 - You will suffer… but there is still peace. - Stick with Me. Philippians 4:4-9 Romans 15:13 [1] Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser. [2] Torrey, R. A. (1917). The Voice of God in the Present Hour (pp. 245–246). New York; Chicago; Toronto; London; Edinburgh: Fleming H. Revell Company. |
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