The Time Came

The Time Came Luke 2.4-8 The time came for the baby to be born. God had this planned from the beginning of time. It is noteworthy that all human history is measured by the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. History is His Story. We will see when we all get to heaven. The Birth of Jesus Christ is the pivot of human history His Story He set up His Kingdom, God's kingdom, a spiritual kingdom which will never end. Kingdoms rise and fall but His Kingdom endures forever. The Kingdom of God as we shared last week is among us! Jesus said that in order to enter the kingdom of God you must become like a little child. He came into the world as a Baby. Kingdoms of this world begin with conquest militarily. There are memorials set up all over for the battles. The memorial for the beginning of this kingdom of is The manger in Bethlehem and the Cross in Jerusalem! 1. The Baby He is Christ the LORD. Christ the anointed and appointed one. The LORD God God's Son Time Days were accomplished the day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night of the last day of this present age, the day Christ will return from heaven, raise the dead, hold the final judgment, and perfect his kingdom used of time in general, i.e. the days of his life. Time Galatians 4.4 that which is (has been) filled a ship inasmuch as it is filled (i.e. manned) with sailors, rowers, and soldiers in the NT, the body of believers, as that which is filled with the presence, power, agency, riches of God and of Christ that which fills or with which a thing is filled of those things which a ship is filled, freight and merchandise, sailors, oarsmen, soldiers completeness or fulness of time fulness, abundance a fulfilling, keeping The time had fully come for Jesus' birth. This was not just the end of Mary's pregnancy. This was a whole new world order. The Kingdom of God was coming. The days were accomplished. The time came for her to give birth. This the LORD entering earth as a Baby, as King of Israel and King of Kings. Roman Roads were ready for the Gospel. The nation of Israel was occupied territory. There was no room for Mary and Joseph because it was the time of the census. Taxation was foremost in everyone's mind. Taxation without representation and more than that. The nation of Israel came from a family. The land was divided with the names of those sons and their descendants inhabiting it. It had been taken over by Rome and now they were being charged taxes in their own land. Place Bethlehem Let's go to Bethlehem. This was the words of the shepherds who went and worshipped Christ, the newborn King. Let's go Nazareth (Actually no one said this. "Nazareth?! Can any good..?") Let's go to Jerusalem. This was the words of all who went to worship the LORD. All Jews said this. Now under the New Covenant - Whoever calls upon the Name of the LORD will be saved. If you were going to launch a worldwide religion in the first century this little land bridge which connected Africa, Asia and Europe was the place! History of Bethlehem Jacob buried Rachel there. Ruth and Boaz met there. David watched the flock of his father Jesse there. Jesus was born there. He was the second King to be born there. This He was born King of the Jews, King of Kings, He will reign over the world in His Father's Kingdom. So this Baby in the manger born that night in Bethlehem where no one save a few shepherds came and saw is the main Figure of all Human History. 2. Born Born of Mary Born into this world. Stable of an Inn The census made it so. Bethlehem was overcrowded Swaddling clothes Manger A feeding trough for animals. Jesus was born homeless and the people who first came to worship Him lived in tents at best. Homeless men this week One in Barnes and Noble checking on each other about the cold coming. The time came... 3. Christ the LORD The Words of the Angel to the Shepherds The time had come for the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One to be born. The time had come, the time the prophets foretold. The time they longed to know themselves. I Peter 1.11 CEV The Spirit of Christ was in them and was telling them how Christ would suffer and would then be given great honor. So they searched to find out exactly who Christ would be and when this would happen. Our times in are in His Hands... Rev. Art Hughes and Betty The time had come for Christ to be born. The time is now for salvation. The time is approaching for Him to come again.

The King of Kings and His Kingdom

The King Of Kings and His Kingdom Luke 1. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The LORD God will give Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end. There is an old hymn which is entitled "More About Jesus Would I Know" This Advent has had me focusing on Him more than ever before. I am taking in the whole nativity but my eyes and heart have been fixed on the Baby in the manger more than before. He is the Hope of world. He is the Light of the world He is the Savior of the world. He is the Bread that comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world. We are going to talk about Him again this morning. Today from Luke's Gospel... Luke tells us that he carefully investigated all these things. He interviewed people, may have even gone to locals and locales and walked around. He was a doctor. He was used to observing people. He saw things others did not see. He had an ear for things. Two doctors in my family are like that. It is amazing how they view us... they see things we do not. We have the Word God breathed through him and that he wrote as he was moved by the Holy Spirit. We are told in this account: 1. Jesus was Born Of Mary. -v.31 The first part of this verse was a usual happening for married women but Mary was a virgin. Yet we see here the natural with the supernatural. This is often how God works. We must avoid extremes. A missionary I admire wrote, "Work like everything depended upon you. Pray like everything depends upon God." Jesus came into the human race the way all of us came in, born of a woman. This is how the Word became flesh. He experienced the whole of the human predicament. He became one of us. We became followers of His. The Parable of the Birds. The Angel Gabriel told her this. Angels are real and at work today. My granddaughter, Maddie. Pastor Jerry this past week, "Do you believe in angels?" So the Holy Spirit moved on Mary and she became with child through that action. A miracle! The Virgin Conception and Birth. Isaiah foretold it over 700 years before. Isaiah 7.14 Behold the virgin will be with child and you are to give Him the Name Immanuel, which means, God with us. Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph. When he was told in a dream how Mary became pregnant he took her home as his wife but had no union with her until after Jesus was born. So Jesus came into a family. He knew what it was to have a father on earth who was not his biological father. He knew what it was to be born and grow up in a family. He embraced our living. 2. Jesus is The Son of God. -v.32 He was and is the Son of God forever. He became Mary's Son. That is an important distinction. He is God. John 1.1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1.14 The Word became flesh and lived for a while (tabernacled) among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Son, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Angel, Gabriel told Mary in v.31c she was to give Him the name Jesus. He will Great. God is great. He will be called the Son of the Most High. Demons trembled. Mark 1.24 "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" Matthew 8.29 "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" Acts 19.15 One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?" The Centurion At The Cross Mark 15.39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" Peter in Caesarea Philippi Matthew 16.16 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Mary's Son was the Son of God before He became her Son. 3. Jesus is David's Son. -v.33 God's promise to David I will build you a house. II Samuel 2.11 "‘The LORD declares to you that the LORD Himself will establish a house for you: 12When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before meb ; your throne will be established forever. A Kingdom that endures forever... Psalm 145.13 Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. the LORD is faithful to all His Promises and loving toward all He has made. I Corinthians 4.20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. The King of Kings and His Kingdom When Jesus taught us to pray to our Father in heaven, "Your Kingdom come..." He did so knowing that we would be here 2,000 years later. His kingdom is expanding today. He wants us to be part of it in more ways than we can imagine. It is tied into His Birth. As seekers of His Kingdom we invite Him to be part of our work, our family, our neighborhoods, our world, our lives and even "our" church, which is His. Acts 1.3b He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. I would love to have been a part of these Bible Studies. No wonder John wrote that the world would not have room for the books that would have to be written. We only know what we are told here. It was about the Holy Spirit empowering the disciples to spread the Word around the world. Do I see signs of God's Kingdom breaking through in the world all around me? Or am I too focused on the darkness? Do I need to look at things differently? God help us! God's promise through the Prophets Bethlehem Micah 5.2 Of the increase of His government... forever Isaiah 9.7 4. The fulfillment of God's Promise to David Isaiah 9.7b He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. God's promises are greater than we can imagine. More than we could ask for. Descendants of Jacob- Children of Abraham by faith The family keeps multiplying. I think that is one of the reasons we rejoice when a person receives Christ. The promise resounds back 2,000 years to John's Gospel (As many as believed He gave right to become children of God) , 3,000 to David (building a house-family)and 4,000 to Abraham (all the people's on earth will be blessed through you and your descendants) God's family makes up God's Kingdom but His Kingdom rules over all or overrules. So as those shoeboxes go out to children in nations where there is oppression and famine and disease... third world countries... His Kingdom is ruling in those boxes of love... As you go out and let your light shine... His Kingdom is ruling in this present darkness. As we share the King of Kings, as we seek His Kingdom He brings more people in and redeems their lives from the pit. Christmas is about Jesus, God's Son, Mary's Son, Son of David King of Kings and LORD of lords Jesus, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace Jesus, Beautiful Savior, Glorious LORD, Emmanuel, Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.

God's Work In His Son's Birth

Matthew 1.18-25 I love how God brought Jesus, His Son into the world! Almost off the radar! How does God work? Quietly, almost unnoticed at times. Simply, quietly.... Look at what has happened... The Advent Conspiracy Video Here in this little church... The 29 shoeboxes went out around the world The Haiti Express... Lifelong friends giving this week... So encouraging. I cannot tell you how that blesses me. We have not asked them. They have just given out of their hearts! Trip set for January 20th The Sunday Morning Message Last Week: France, Germany, Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, China, Estonia, India, The Netherlands Last Night With the Spanish Church... Incredible meeting. Next month Rudy will bring an immigration attorney. No doubt one of the most exciting things happening last night on the Island was right here. The Kingdom of God All quietly happening while the world turns, while our nation spends $500 Billion this month on Christmas gifts. Big things/Little Things God so often is at work and we don't realize it. Genesis 28.16 "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." We look for big display and fail to see God at work in the little things, the small things. I am convinced that in God's kingdom today there millions of small things happening that we do not know about, God's people living out His Word. Bible Studies, Short Term Mission Groups, Prayer Groups Don't ever under estimate the one on one with people: John 3 and 4 were about 2 people. The exchange between two is how much of God's work is done. Jesus does not see us as one of the multitude. Everyone He called He called personally and everyone He healed He healed one on one. The only massive thing He did was to feed the 5,000. He meets us face to face, where He can deal with us as individuals. I was in King Kullen this past week. One of the cashiers I know, Sue, told me as I went through the self serve lane (I love using that- reminds me of the days when I worked in the grocery store!), "I was walking home with groceries the other night (her car was being repaired) and this young man from your church stopped and gave me a ride. He saved me walking a mile. This is going on all over the world. No one noticed. Pastor Chuck Smith wrote, "Sadly, that numberless host of unseen Christians across the centuries who have subsisted and denied themselves on and off the mission field, living in scrupulous integrity- the George Mullers, Hudson Taylors, and C.T. Studds- does not even gain a flicker from the media spotlight. These great lives pass in quiet anonymity." This is the way God works. He works in a mysterious way His wonders to perform. He works through people who know Him but are not known by many. He works behind the scenes weaving things together. He works through humble simple people. This is the story of Christmas! His Word being fulfilled. The Word becoming flesh. Jesus being born. He worked in this way in Jesus coming to earth. 1. God used a couple living in Nazareth to bring His Son Into The World. They were virtually unknown in Israel before this event. I love how God uses names. While the world may not know people, God knows. He knows us better than we know ourselves! From our time in the Psalms these past few months we have discovered: He knit us together in our mother's womb. He knows the thoughts we will have before the chemicals of our brains come together to form them. He knows us perfectly, better than we know ourselves. He knows the number of our days. God cares deeply about us. God used Mary a young woman pledged to be married to a carpenter from Nazareth in Galilee. Galilee was sort of the upstate New York. Jerusalem was sort of the New York City only infinitely more. The wise men came to Jerusalem. I want you to see the insignificance of this couple. Those are the people God uses. Remember when you were called... 1 Corinthians 1:26-29King James Version (KJV) 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in His presence. We would have never known about this couple if it were not for Jesus. Think of all the people you know because of Him! Then think about how He came. 2. No one took note of Jesus being born that night in Bethlehem. Think about it. God, coming into world He created. A few shepherds came. It took place in a terribly inconvenient time for Israel, a Roman Census. It was not like our censuses every ten years. Its main purpose was to remind the people that they were under Roman rule and so was their money. It was primarily a way for the Empire to let the people know they were under control of the Empire. People were complaining about this, the travel inflicted upon them and the taxes they had to pay. God entered this world virtually unnoticed. He came quietly amidst great profanity. He came as a baby. There are no mentions of a huge crowd because there simply were none! Radio City 6,000 people last week, each day over 20,000 people hear the account of Christmas from God's Word Rockefeller Center 1,000's for the tree lighting on Wednesday Night, millions across the nation Both places had Christmas Carols sung... The Harlem Gospel Choir Back to Bethlehem... Human Inconvenience is often part of His plan. How about this verse in Psalm 119.140? "Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and Your servant loves them." 3. After this glorious birth for the next 30 years apart from the journey to Egypt and the things that happened in the temple when He was 8 days old things settled into a routine life in Nazareth. Isn't this the carpenter's son? Matthew 13.55 He lived in Nazareth is virtual obscurity (as was said of His cousin John, the Baptist) until the time came for Him to appear publicly to Israel. Don't diminish the holiness of the routine of life. God is at work even in and through the routine. God never wastes time. Look at what God is doing or you will miss the joy He has for you! Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.... The Kingdom among us, The Kingdom coming Look for the LORD in the things people who do not know Him overlook... In the sunrise, in the sunset, the moon which He has set in place! Wise men look to the skies for His first appearing, they still do for He's coming again! Welcome to readers and hearers of The Sunday Morning Message today from Germany, France, Hong Kong, The Ukraine, South Africa, Albania, Brazil, The United Kingdom and from .Malaysia