The Christmas Story (Part 1)
The Christmas Story Part 1 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 6 viewsLukes account of the birth of Christ
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The Christmas Story (Part 1)
The Christmas Story (Part 1)
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
“And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”
And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,
and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
TEXT: ,
Background
I. Birth of John the baptist foretold
—Zacharias, of the division of Abijah and Elizabeth were blameless
They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
luke 1:6
—They were both very “advanced in years” (vs 7)
--Zacharias was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense
—Angel Gabriel (see verse 19) appeared
And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
luk 1
(Altar of incense is in the Holy Place, not Holies of Holies)
Altar of incense symbolic of the prayers of God’s people
Incense was to be burning on it always and maintained twice a day
It was considered holy (, 38)
Only the High priest could perform these duties ()
“In the Bible, to be at the right side "is to be identified as being in the special place of honor" Wikipedia
—Zacharias petition had been heard, he and Elizabeth will have a son to be named John
—John will be the fore-runner of the Messiah
—He will be filed with the Holy Spirit while in his mother’s womb
—He will go in the spirit and power of Elijah
“It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
—Zacharias doubted, Gabriel mutes Zacharias until prophecy fulfilled
—Elizabeth becomes pregnant and keeps herself in seclusion for five months
II. Birth of Jesus foretold
—Sixth month (Month of Elizabeth’s pregnacy
—Gabriel sent to Nazareth
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Engagement: First stage is Covanent
The wife was purchased for a price set by the father
Engagement: Second Stage was Betrothal
Both were legally married but have not become one
Husband would be regarded as son-in-law
Engagement: Third stage is Wedding
Tyndale Bible Dictionary Marriage, Marriage Customs
If a bride was found to have committed adultery, the husband was thought to be entitled to a divorce. This was also the case if he even suspected her of infidelity. He could also divorce his wife if he felt that she had violated normal morality, had become apostate, or had been less than efficient in the management of her household. If a woman refused her husband his conjugal rights for a period of at least one year, she could be divorced. Other grounds for divorcing a wife included insulting behavior to a husband or his relatives, contracting an incurable disease, or refusing to accompany her husband when he moved the domicile to a new area.
Tyndale Bible Dictionary Marriage, Marriage Customs
Generally, the bride left her parents when she married and went to live with her husband’s clan, as Rebekah did (Gn 24:58–59). The phrase “to marry a wife” is from a root meaning to “become master” (Dt 21:13), and the wife frequently treated her husband as, and referred to him as, master.
They were generally not married until they co-inhabited for seven days
(That’s why Samson’s marriage was not considered complete ()
NOTE: We will be in heaven during the tribulation - 7 years!
Joseph was of the lineage of David
And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
“Coming in” - possibly her home
Luke
“The Lord is with you” - speaks of God’s grace and Mary’s favor with God
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
luke 1
“Do not be afraid” Why would Mary fear?
Joseph not around
She was perplexed
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
Could Mary have felt she was about to be raped?
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
3
Tyndale Bible Dictionary Marriage, Marriage Customs
If a bride was found to have committed adultery, the husband was thought to be entitled to a divorce. This was also the case if he even suspected her of infidelity. He could also divorce his wife if he felt that she had violated normal morality, had become apostate, or had been less than efficient in the management of her household. If a woman refused her husband his conjugal rights for a period of at least one year, she could be divorced. Other grounds for divorcing a wife included insulting behavior to a husband or his relatives, contracting an incurable disease, or refusing to accompany her husband when he moved the domicile to a new area.
Adultery is punishable by death ()
The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
“Come upon” same as in
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Gabriel tells Mary of Elizabeth
“And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
Possibly to get away from the presumption of adultery
2
Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,
Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
4
Mary exalts the Lord
Mary rejoices in humility ()
Mary stays about three months - probably until the birth of John
And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.
III. Birth of the Messiah
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.
Luke
Standard Bible Dictionary Augustus
Roman emperor Caesar Augustus (43 B.C.—A.D. 14). His great-uncle, Julius Ceasar, named him as heir to the Roman throne.
A census could take up to ten years to complete
This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
Quirinius was governor of Syria two times. Between 12-2 BC and beginning about AD 6
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
luke 2
Why Bethlehem? He was from the linage of David
Bethlehem probably had about 300 people
And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
Firstborn - suggesting she had others
No room in the inn - mean a guest chamber or lodging place - not a hotel
No mention of an inn-keeper
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
luke 2
Region - outside of Bethlehem
Shepherds probably sleeping - sheep in a gated pen, shepherd sleeping at the gate
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
An angel - not a multitude - stood before them
“glory” very apparent, worship, glorious, praise”
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
“Fear not” NOT mentioned 365x in the Bible but about 178
We should not need to hear it 365x
The good news is for all people and will bring great joy!
“This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
The baby in wrapped in cloths and in a manger is a sign - suggesting this is not the norm
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Multitude of angels - praising (not singing) God
Multitude of angels - praising (not singing) God
-God is praised for sending his son
-Man gets peace for receiving his son
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”
So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
“go to Bethlehem” - they were outside of it
“they came in a hurry” - A small town, not many babies
“Manger” - specifies the location - probably a cave
When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
“Made known the statement” - proclaimed the Messiah
But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
1
“Made known the statement” - proclaimed the Messiah
Mary treasured and pondered
Luke emphasizes Mary’s perspective, Matthew Joseph’s
The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Are we giving glory to God for His precious gift to us