What are the odds?

Finding a 4-leafed clover = 1 in 10k

Being struck by lightning= 1 in 700k

Being attacked by a shark= 1 in 3.5mil

Becoming President of US= 1 in 10mil

Winning the Lottery= 1in 300mil

Meteorite landing on your house= 1 in 180 trillion

What about the man we are about to celebrate?

What are the odds of 8 prophecies?

Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matt. 2:4-6)

Forerunner of Christ (Mal. 3:1; Mark 1:2-8)

Enters on a Donkey (Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:4-11)

Betrayed by a friend (Ps. 41:9; Luke 22:21)

Betrayed for 30 pieces (Zech. 11:12; Matt. 26:15)

30 pieces to buy Potter’s field (Zech. 11:13; Matt. 27:3-10)

Silent on trial (Is. 53:7; Mark 14: 60-61)

Crucified (Ps. 22:16; John 19: 17-18)

1 in 10^28

Scholars estimate over 300 prophecies fulfilled!

Jesus either is who He claimed to be or he’s not.

December is a season where a lot of people focus on themselves, but let us look to the person who deserves to be celebrated.

John 6: Feeding the 5k

After Jesus was healing a bunch of sick people, he went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee. But a large crowd follow him because they saw that he was healing sick people. So Jesus and his disciples go up onto this mountain. But at some point Jesus sees this large crowd coming to him. His disciple Philip sees them too and is like, “How we going to feed these people, there's not a Dollar General around here. 200 Denarii worth of bread is not enough to feed this group.” Then Andrew is like, “Hey Jesus, there's this kid with a sack lunch of five barley loaves and two fish but what's that for so many people.” But Jesus has them sit down in groups anyway. The Bible says that in this crowd were 5000 men so this could actually have been 15,000-40,000 people when you include women and children. And so Jesus prayed over the bread and loaves and there wasn't just enough food to feed the crowd but there were leftovers, 12 baskets full. After this Jesus makes the disciples leave by boat for the other side of the sea.

John 6:22-41

The next day after the disciples leave, the crowd realizes that Jesus isn't there anymore and so they decide to go to Capernaum looking for jesus. And when they get to the other side of the sea and they see Jesus they're like “There you are. Wait how’d you get here?” since the disciples only took one boat and you didn’t get in. But look at verse 26:

John 6:26 “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

How often are we like this crowd?

“Hey, God. You came in clutch that one time. Anyway you can do that again?”

Do we celebrate Jesus for what he has done for us or who He is?

Matt. 2: Wise men come to baby Jesus

Shortly after Jesus was born in Bethlehem some wise men from the East came to Jerusalem. These wise men or Magi were highly educated Royal advisors. They had learned that there was going to be this King, this Messiah, and he would be found by looking for a sign in the Stars. And when they saw that sign, that star, they went to worship this king that had been prophesied. They left their own king to look for one they had read about. After, traveling possibly for months with a caravan of people and gifts for this King. We get to verse 11:

Matthew 2:11 “And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

They worship this child, not for anything he has already done but for who he is already, The Promised King. Immanuel, God with us. Their creator.

Let us be like these wise men, and worship and celebrate Christ because of who he is and the things he will do.

This season its easy to focus on the things given instead I challenge you to focus on the One who gives life, and life more abundantly.