Three Powerful Truths for Meditation at Christmas-Time

Holiday Sermons  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
0 ratings
· 29 views
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
View more →
Three Powerful Truths for Meditation at Christmas-Time
Luke 2:19
Luke 2:19 NLT
19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
(Gk)

η δε μαριαμ παντα συνετηρει τα ρηματα ταυτα συμβαλλουσα εν τη καρδια αυτης

19 ἡ δὲ Μαρία πάντα συνετήρει τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα συμβάλλουσα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς.

Luke 2:19

Kept (συνετηρει [sunetērei]). Imperfect active. She kept on keeping together (συν- [sun-]) all these things. They were meat and drink to her. She was not astonished, but filled with holy awe. The verb occurs from Aristotle on. She could not forget. But did not Mary keep also a Baby Book? And may not Luke have seen it? Pondering (συνβαλλουσα [sunballousa]). An old Greek word. Placing together for comparison. Mary would go over each detail in the words of Gabriel and of the shepherds and compare the sayings with the facts so far developed and brood over it all with a mother’s high hopes and joy.

29.1 συντηρέωb: to exert mental effort in storing information so as to have continual access and use of it—‘to cause oneself to be fully aware of, to keep in mind, to remember.’ ἡ δὲ Μαριὰμ πάντα συνετήρει τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα συμβάλλουσα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς ‘Mary kept all these things in mind and thought deeply about them’ Lk 2:19. An equivalent of ‘to keep in mind’ may be ‘to keep thinking about’ or ‘to continue to think about’ or even ‘not to stop thinking about.’

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 59.23 πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν; ἅπας, ασα, αν

59.23 πᾶςa, πᾶσα, πᾶν; ἅπας, ασα, αν (alternative form of πᾶς):2 the totality of any object, mass, collective, or extension—‘all, every, each, whole.’ τότε οἱ μαθηταὶ πάντες ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ἔφυγον ‘then all the disciples left him and ran away’ Mt 26:56; ἦλθεν ὁ κατακλυσμὸς καὶ ἦρεν ἅπαντας ‘the flood came and swept them all away’ Mt 24:39; ὥρμησεν πᾶσα ἡ ἀγέλη κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ ‘the whole herd rushed down the side of the cliff’ Mt 8:32; οὕτως πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται ‘this is how all Israel will be saved’ Ro 11:26; σοὶ δώσω τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην ἅπασαν ‘I will give to you all this power’ Lk 4:6; ὁ … πᾶς νόμος ‘the whole Law’ Ga 5:14; πάντα γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστιν ‘for everything is yours’ 1 Cor 3:21.

30.7 συμβάλλωa; ἐπιβάλλωe: to give careful consideration to various implications of an issue—‘to reflect on, to think about seriously, to think deeply about.’

συμβάλλωa: ἡ δὲ Μαριὰμ πάντα συνετήρει τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα συμβάλλουσα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς ‘Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them’ Lk 2:19.

ἐπιβάλλωe: καὶ ἐπιβαλὼν ἔκλαιεν ‘and as he thought seriously about this, he cried’ Mk 14:72. For another interpretation of ἐπιβάλλω in Mk 14:72, see 68.5.

Notes for 2:19

53 tn The term συμβάλλουσα (sumballousa) suggests more than remembering. She is trying to put things together here (Josephus, Ant. 2.5.3 [2.72]). The words “what they might mean” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

INTRODUCTION:
συντηρέωb: to exert mental effort in storing information so as to have continual access and use of it—‘to cause oneself to be fully aware of, to keep in mind, to remember.’ ἡ δὲ Μαριὰμ πάντα συνετήρει τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα συμβάλλουσα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς ‘Mary kept all these things in mind and thought deeply about them’ . An equivalent of ‘to keep in mind’ may be ‘to keep thinking about’ or ‘to continue to think about’ or even ‘not to stop thinking about.’
πᾶςa, πᾶσα, πᾶν; ἅπας, ασα, αν (alternative form of πᾶς):2 the totality of any object, mass, collective, or extension—‘all, every, each, whole.’ τότε οἱ μαθηταὶ πάντες ἀφέντες αὐτὸν ἔφυγον ‘then all the disciples left him and ran away’ ; ἦλθεν ὁ κατακλυσμὸς καὶ ἦρεν ἅπαντας ‘the flood came and swept them all away’ ; ὥρμησεν πᾶσα ἡ ἀγέλη κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ ‘the whole herd rushed down the side of the cliff’ ; οὕτως πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται ‘this is how all Israel will be saved’ ; σοὶ δώσω τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην ἅπασαν ‘I will give to you all this power’ ; ὁ … πᾶς νόμος ‘the whole Law’ ; πάντα γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστιν ‘for everything is yours’ .
ῥῆμαc, τος n: a happening to which one may refer—‘matter, thing, event.’
λόγοςh: οὐκ ἔστιν σοι μερὶς οὐδὲ κλῆρος ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ ‘you have no part or share in this thing’ .
ῥῆμαc: ἐπὶ στόματος δύο μαρτύρων ἢ τριῶν σταθῇ πᾶν ῥῆμα ‘every matter may be upheld by the testimony of two or three witnesses’ .
καρδίαa, ας f: (a figurative extension of meaning of καρδία ‘heart,’ not occurring in the NT in its literal sense) the causative source of a person’s psychological life in its various aspects, but with special emphasis upon thoughts—‘heart, inner self, mind.’1 ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ‘you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart’ ; τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ φανερὰ γίνεται ‘the secret thoughts of his heart will be brought into the open’ ; ἕκαστος καθὼς προῄρηται τῇ καρδίᾳ ‘each person (should give) what he has decided in his heart’ ; κατὰ δὲ τὴν σκληρότητά σου καὶ ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς ‘because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath’ .
It is often possible to render καρδίαa by a number of different terms depending upon the immediate context, for example, ‘mind,’ ‘intention,’ ‘purpose,’ or ‘desire.’ In many languages it is quite impossible to use a term meaning ‘heart,’ since such a term may not lend itself to figurative extension in meaning. Often the equivalent of καρδία is ‘liver,’ while in a number of languages it is ‘stomach’ or ‘bowels.’
INTRODUCTION:
Our text states that Mary diligently worked to keep all of the events (including actions, words, people, etc.) catalogued and ready for retrieval deep in her heart and mind, and thought deeply (pondered) continually about them all in order to understand what all of these things meant.
If Mary needed to give this kind of thought to the people, words, and events she experienced that first Christmas, we, too, need to do some deep level thinking on some truths in and related to the Christmas story.
Notice three of these powerful truths:

I. GOD'S GRACE WAS AMAZING - IN SENDING THE SAVIOR ()

Luke 2:11 NLT
11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

A. We have a sin problem ()

Romans 3:23 NLT
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
1. We are sinners by birth and by choice. ()
Romans 5:12 NLT
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

B. We are in a helpless condition ()

Romans 6:23 NLT
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

C. God has provided a radical remedy to our problem.

1. ()
Galatians 4:4–5 NLT
4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.
2. ()
Luke 2:34–35 NLT
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

II. MANKIND HAS NO ROOM FOR JESUS ()

Luke 2:7 NLT
7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

A. There was no room when Jesus was born.

1. Even though the birth of Jesus had been prophesied, people were not looking for him to come.
a. Even the people who were supposed to be Jewish scholars were not looking for His arrival.
b. A multitude of scriptures predicted the Messiah’s coming-
His birthplace ()
Micah 5:2 NLT
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.
His Davidic linage ()
Jeremiah 23:5 NLT
5 “For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.
The Timing of His coming ()
Daniel 9:24–25 NLT
24 “A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.

B. There was no room for Jesus when he walked the earth.

1. His own people (Israel) rejected Him ()
John 1:11 NLT
11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.
2. The religious leaders rejected Him. ()
Mark 15:13–14 NLT
13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!” 14 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

C. There is no room for Jesus in the celebration of his birth in our world.

1. The world today ignores the significance of Jesus’ birthday, in favor of secular celebrations.

III. GOD CHOOSES COMMON PEOPLE FOR UNCOMMON TASKS. ()

Luke 1:30–38 NLT
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.” 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

A. It is not necessary to understand God's methods.

1. Mary did not understand how God was going to accomplish the birth of the child the angel was telling her about.
2. Faith is the key. ()
Hebrews 11:1 NLT
1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
a) Are you willing to trust Jesus even though you do not understand the "how-to's?"

B. It is not necessary to know where it will all lead.

1. Mary had no idea where this would lead her or her son-to-be.
2. Remember that wherever God leads, his grace is sufficient!
()
2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

C. It is necessary to submit to his will. ()

Luke 1:38 NLT
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
1. God can do uncommon things through common people who will surrender to him.
a) He has used uncommon people Like Peter, James, John, Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, etc.
CONCLUSION:
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more