God’s Procreation For Mankind
God's Plan Of Redemption • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Over the last two weeks we have examined…
God’s Promise For Mankind
God’s Providence For Mankind
Today, we are going to be turning our attention to the fulfillment of that promise and all the providence God looked over to bring about the fullness of time wherein the Father could send his only begotten son.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law
But, before we dive into the meat of this lesson, I had mentioned that I would make sure to take time to explain the statement I had made in both previous lessons.
That statement had to do with why we should not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday.
So let’s begin there.
Religious Holliday
Religious Holliday
Is Jesus The Reason For The Season?
Is Jesus The Reason For The Season?
For many, if not most, in the realm of Christendom Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ.
And before I go much further with this point, let me say, I am not against celebrating Jesus’ birth as this lesson will bear out, what we ought to be against is the unauthorized celebration of a religious holiday.
Let me explain.
As you all know, we must have authority for everything we do, and celebrating the birth of Christ as a religious holiday is no different.
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
God is not unfamiliar with religious holidays and authorizing them.
Under the Law of Moses, God authorized several religious holidays.
The Passover
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Festival of Trumpets
The Festival of Shelters
Therefore, if God desired for us to celebrate the birth of Christ as a religious holiday, he most certainly could have and if he had, he would have specified the requirements of such.
But, God did not authorize such, because the birth of Christ, though amazing as we will talk about, was not the focus.
The birth of Jesus was only an ends to a means, which was to allow Jesus to become the propitiation for our sins.
Summary
Summary
So the reason we ought not celebrate Christmas a religious holiday is not because…
Jesus was not actually born in December.
People have turned it into a commercial event.
The reason we don’t is simply God has not authorized it to be celebrated as a religious holiday.
Another thing that has become obvious from the abuse of a holiday is all the misconceptions concerning the birth of Christ that have become ingrained in peoples heads.
So, let’s start with the actual…
Birth Of Jesus
Birth Of Jesus
The Misconceptions
The Misconceptions
The birth was a miracle.
There is no doubt that Jesus’ conception was a miracle and even prophesied about.
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
This was because, not only was Mary a virgin, but the Holy Spirit is the one that made Mary conceive of the child Jesus.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
Though the conception was a miracle the birth was like every other human born of woman and not a miracle.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law
The three wise men at Jesus’ birth.
We don’t know how many wise men there were.
There could have been two or more, we only know there was more than one.
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem
We also do not know how old Jesus was at this point.
It is likely at least a year old or older since they came from Babylon.
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.
The Actual Birth
The Actual Birth
The reality is there is very little information about the birth of Jesus.
We know he was born in Bethlehem.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
We know that it took place near an inn where he was placed in a manger.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
We know only a few shepherds were told of Jesus’ birth at the time of his birth.
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Summary
Summary
Why is there so little information about his birth only four verse in reality.
Because the focus of the gospel accounts isn’t on the birth or early days of Jesus, but on his ministry, preparation for his sacrifice, and his sacrifice.
Brother Coffman wrote, “The marvel is that he should consent to become a man at all, not that he should pass through the process of conception and birth as well.”
It’s with that I want us to consider a very important question.
What If Jesus Had Not Been Born?
What If Jesus Had Not Been Born?
What Would The World Look Like?
What Would The World Look Like?
The world would be without its one and only sinless human being.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
The world would be without its greatest moral teacher of all time.
14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
The world would be without its most appealing and enduring portrait of God.
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
The world would be without its most powerful testimony of God’s love.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
The world would be without its exclusive way back to the father.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
The world would be without its atoning sacrifice for sin.
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
The world would be without its ultimate victory over the grave.
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Summary
Summary
The world would be a miserable place indeed, one without hope.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters the birth of our Lord and Savior is most magnificent.
Let us never lose sight of the fact that without that birth there is no salvation for mankind and we are all but most pitiful.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
32 Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
