Sunday, November 28, 2010

The Birth Of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1.1-25

The great events of human history (His Story) are creation, the fall of man, the establishment of Israel, the Word of God given to us, the Birth of Jesus Christ, the death and resurrection of our LORD, His Ascension, the establishment of the Church on Day of Pentecost and the one yet to be fulfilled: The Second Coming/ The Return of Jesus Christ to the earth.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about- vs.18
Before we look at that this morning:

1. This is WHY the Birth of Jesus Christ Came About
It was not an afterthought or an alternative plan because the Old Covenant did not work. The Old pointed to the New.
All human history is measured by this great event.
Genesis 3.1-8, 14-15
Revelation 13.8 the Lamb Who was slain from the creation of the world
Many songs have been written about this. God sent His Son Jesus to be born. It was something that was part of His Plan from eternity.

2. This is WHEN The Birth of Jesus Christ Came About.
It wasn't December 25, 0000BC More likely in early winter to early spring around 4BC The date was not recorded. It followed 400 years of silence from the Old Testament and 4,000 years of human history, thus the 4 Sundays of Advent. We celebrate His coming the first time and the waiting and joy that LORD has come!
Galatians 4.4 But when the time had fully come, God sent His son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law.

3. This is WHERE the birth of Jesus Christ Came About.
Micah 5.2 Bethlehem, Judah, Israel
House of Bread
City of David
Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin is buried there.
Boaz's fields
Least among the clans of Judah
Insignificant, out of the way place- often where God works- Jesus' first miracle.

4. This is HOW the Birth of Jesus Christ Came About.
Virgin Birth
Isaiah 7.14
It was a miracle. Miracles cannot be explained.
Jesus' birth and resurrection is beyond description.

5. This is WHAT the Birth of Jesus Christ brought about.
John 1.11-14 The New Birth John 3
Becoming children of God. We are not "all God's children!" We must be born from above. My new granddaughter Maddie looks like her mom and dad- children look like their parents, act like them. Our behavior shows whose children we are. When we are born again we begin to become like God, Our Father.
Our names are written down in heaven, the Lamb's Book of Life.
The love the Father has lavished upon us!

Love God.
Love one another.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Give Thanks

Psalm 107.1-3

Today we celebrate the eternal goodness of God and the love of God with our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. It is a celebration. In the scripture reading this past week you read about The Feast of Ingathering (Exodus 23.16) It was a time of celebrating God's blessing upon the nation in providing them with food to eat and strength to work.

In the Psalm we just read we are told to "Give Thanks"
He has redeemed us. He has gathered us from the nations.

We Gather Together
Give Thanks to the LORD.
1. For the Basic Blessings of Life. I Timothy 6.8
"... if we have food and clothing we will be content with that."
Food, shelter and clothing- Give thanks tot he LORD for these things
The first year the pilgrims gave thanks for the treasures of the sea (clams) and corn (5 kernels were their daily allotment before the harvest came).
We ought to give thanks for every meal. I love that our nursery school teaches that and we have story after story about the little ones going home and telling parents to do it before they eat.
Over my mom's sink when I was growing up:
Thank God for dirty dishes,
They have a tale to tell.
While others are going hungry,
We're eating rather well.
Give thanks for life's daily blessings, basic blessing-
William Bradford, governor of the Plymouth Colony, proclaimed the first day of Thanksgiving in 1623: To all ye Pilgrims: Inasmuch as the Great Father as given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, beans, squashes and garden vegetables and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our consciences; now, I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and little ones, do gather at the meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the daytime on Thursday, November ye 29th of the year of our LORD 1623 and third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Plymouth Rock, there to listen to ye pastor, and render thanksgiving to Almighty God for all His blessings." This was after half of them died that first winter).
1779- George Washington proclaimed Thanksgiving a National Holiday to be a day of public prayer and thanksgiving... for the favors of Almighty God. the Author of everything good.
October 3, 1863- Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation: Observe this last Thursday of November as a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father Who dwelleth in the Heavens.
Give Thanks to The LORD...
2. For Family Exodus 20.12 Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land
Before the forming of a government, God had family honored. It is the first commandment of human relations. The home is where values are taught and right and wrong instilled. The home is where manners and kindness are put into little hearts. Respect and honor your father and mother and you will honor life in all other relationships.
Our own flesh and blood.
The family of God around the world.
The church here. Philippians 1.3-11
God's love
His Grace- people who love the LORD.
Give Thanks to the LORD for:
3. His Indescribable Gift II Corinthians 9.15
Indescribable= describing things when words fail, speechless with delight and love
Give Thanks for the Indescribable, for God sending His Son Jesus Christ
Give Thanks for Him coming to die on the cross
Give Thanks!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

A Bond Servant

Exodus 21.1-7

As we look back on the literal things which were happening in the Old Testament, we see they foreshadowed things in the New Testament. This servant who willingly stays on at the Master's House is one of these types.

Colossians 4.7 diakonos- the servant of a king
Colossians 4.12 doulos- one who gives himself up to another's; will disregards his own interests an attendant.

What does it mean to be a Bond Servant of Jesus Christ?

1. Serving The Master vs.2-4
Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are wearied and burdened, and I will give rest. 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. For My Yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11.28-30

* It is a privilege to serve the LORD, our Master.
Only those who belong to Him can. We are serving the King of Kings.
*There are many blessings in serving Him.
My Dad taught SS for many years. One of his students from that little Nazarene Church in Queens 50 years ago is now a PhD teaching future pastors and Christian workers in a Christian University. Another number of his students are now pastors including me. Many are Christian men and women in the business world whose light shines for Jesus. My son-in-law's aunt taught Sunday School for 50 years as well- 11 pastors came out of her classes.
*Coach's wife taught Sunday School in the Dutch Reformed Church in East Meadow. She mentioned to me this week how much she learned herself. That is what happens when you serve the Master.
*A good number of kids from youth groups from years gone by are in touch on Facebook- so good to see them connected and loving Jesus.
*It is a joy to serve the Master. To be in touch with eternity.
As we sang this morning, "Things done for Him are eternal, the Master will multiply them.

Serving the LORD is not without its challenges but when you are in His Household, the Household of Faith the joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8.10) You get to see wonders.

Being a Bond Servant of Jesus Christ means...
2. Love for the Master v.5
In this situation the servant would have served the Master for 6 years, then decided to stay on permanently. As we serve Him we grow in our love for Jesus. II Corinthians 5.14 For Christ's love compels us.
*It is joy to work for someone you love. It is a labor of love. Working at my parents' with my brother's kids.
*It is a blessing to do what you enjoy doing. What He has gifted you with.
*Serving Him out of a heart of love is out of this world.
We've entered the eternal realm- the rewards are in heaven I Timothy 6.17-19
Being a Bond servant of Jesus Christ... means

3. Belonging To The Master -v.6a
His mark is on us, the mark of love.
He takes care of us. We eat at his table.
I Corinthians 6.20 You bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. We belong to Him to do His will, not ours.

Being a Bond Servant of Jesus Christ means...

4. A Servant For Life. - v.6b
There is no retirement from serving God if you are true servant. Your work may change but you will serve Him until He calls you home.
Day By Day, I Need Thee Every Hour, Moment By Moment
Giving ourselves fully to God. Psalm 40.6-7
for life = everlasting, continuous, perpetual, unending future.

The best way to live in this life is as a Bond Servant of Jesus Christ
We will enjoy the life to come if we live that way here.




Sunday, November 7, 2010

Draw Near To God

Exodus 20.1-21

Turn to I Corinthians 10.1-13, as a commentary on Israelite in Exodus.

The manifestations of God's majesty and power and holiness terrified the people. This was to show then how important obeying God's law, which being given, was. The Ten Commandments dealt with life and death issues. They were etched in stone and carried along with the nation in Ark of the Covenant to show their permanence. Jesus spoke about the way to love and told us in the Sermon on the Mount that the wise man builds his house on the rock- upon the Ten Commandments - upon Christ Himself. The foolish man builds his house upon the sand.
The rock doesn't move- it has a firm foundation.
The sand (man's wisdom which is constantly changing) fell apart in the storm while the house built on the rock stood firm. So build your house on the LORD Jesus Christ.

Breaking the commandments, disobeying God's Word, results in spiritual death. Think about this matter of bearing false witness:- death of reputations, death of relationships...

The law was being given and the people were to listen. There were boundaries around Sinai but they failed to draw close. While Moses was on the mountain (and while they were being fed bread from heaven each day), God intended for the nation to listen in. They chose not to and ended up sinning against the LORD. Let's learn from their example.

1. The Law Had Been Given. vs.1-17
It was both spoken and written (as it was recorded by Moses). The Ten Commandments came from God's Throne in heaven to His people on earth.. Jesus taught us to pray to our Father in Heaven, "May Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The obedience to the Commandments is an answer to prayer. When you pray it, think of this.

The law was given with extraordinary terror but Jesus came from the Father full of grace and truth.

The terror and them being written on stone tablets show their permanence- Don't tamper with this document- it has been written on stone, rack that cannot be torn up or made void. If someone tries and tears it up then only tear themselves up. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away."

2. The People Distanced Themselves From God. v.18
Not the LORD's intention, He had commanded that they not touch the mountain of try to come up on it. The limits were not to keep them far away but to allow then to come as close as possible without death.
James 4.8 Come near to God and He will come near to you.
They stayed at a distance = remote place, far, distant lands. Egypt was still in them as we will soon see in chapter 32.

3. The Nation Did Not Want To Hear God's Voice. v.19
The terrors of Sinai reveal the need of Calvary
Amos 8.11 a famine for hearing the words of the LORD
We see in their cry this desire for a mediator, which would be Jesus Christ. Yet when He came they rejected Him.
It would have been better at this point that they would have stayed and heard God's voice directly. They distances themselves so they wouldn't hear it and disaster followed.
We can still fear God and draw near... in fact...

4. Test Draw Us Close Or Drive Us Away From The LORD. vs.20-21
Through love and reverence a deep desire should come to each of us not to sin.
They were not to fear being struck by lightening but there are eternal consequences for breaking God's laws.
Hebrews 12.14-29
Psalm 145.18-19 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth, He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.

How to draw near to God: Listen to His Word, Call upon Him in reverence and love...
Now walk with God.