Micah 5:2-4 Prophesy of Jesus' birth

Prophesy regarding the birth of Jesus

Micah 5:2-4   8 Century B.C.

Isaiah 9:6-7 Somewhere between 740 to 680 B.C.

Isaiah 7:14

Luke 1:26-38      10 months B.C.

Isn’t it amazing that God used the ancient prophets to provide notice of Jesus’ coming?

What can we learn about God from these prophesies?

                He is eternal

                He has always known that we would need to be redeemed

                He has always had a plan to save us

                His plan came to pass, and we can have confidence that the whole thing will be fulfilled

Jesus coming was prophesied, announced, and occurred. He showed up, lived a sinless life, then gave himself on the cross to pay the price for our sins. You have accepted his salvation, and in this joyous season we celebrate that amazing part of God’s plan that brought Jesus to us.

I’d like to ask you to think back over this past year, since last Christmas. There have been weddings, funerals, graduations, births, successes, challenges, and life has gone on. I’d like to ask a few of you to share how knowing Jesus has made a difference in your life over the past year or in other words, how has your relationship with the savior shown up this past year?

As we celebrate Jesus birth this year, I challenge you to think beyond the manger and to the presence of Christ, living in us day by day.

John 14:16-29 - Holy Spirit

Role of the Holy Spirit

Is that the  prompting of the Holy Spirit, or  coincidence, or just my own selfish desires?

John 14:16-29

What do these verses say about the Holy Spirit?

· Jesus asked the Father to send Him

· He is with us forever

· He is the spirit of truth

· The world does not see per receive him

· He abides with us and will be in us

· He is the Helper

· The Father sent Him in Jesus name

· He will teach us all things

· He will help us remember what Jesus has said

How can this person we are describing help us understand God’s will?

Romans 8: 26-28

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;  and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Ephesians 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Genesis 1:2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Isaiah 30 - God's will

God’s Will

How to know God’s will – After the fact.

Walking by faith – Sometimes the “Faith” part of our walking with the Lord is to use the tools God has given us (education, wisdom, knowledge, common sense, etc.) to decide on a given course of action.

Hannibal Smith – A Team -Have you ever heard the saying, “I love it when a plan comes together”.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will confirm to us that we have made the right decision in a very special way.

There are a couple of scriptures where we can see how God confirms the rightness of obedience after the fact. Let’s look at those this morning:

Exodus 3:10-12

¹⁰ Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” ¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” ¹² And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

Two Promises: I will be with you; I will give you a sign

How did giving Moses a sign after he obeyed the command help Moses?

Have you ever had a situation where you were sure you did what God wanted – but only after the dust had settled?

Isaiah 30:19-22

¹⁹ People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. ²⁰ Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. ²¹ Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” ²² Then you will desecrate your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, “Away with you!”

Passage written for Judah, and speaks prophetically about Christ’s coming and the work of the Holy Spirit. The OT context for this passage is Isaiah telling Judah they would be punished for worshipping Idols, they would then turn back to God and he would hear and answer them.

God has not changed. He sometimes molds us and allows us to grow in our reliance on him through adversity.

Do we look at adversity and affliction as bread and water?

How can adversity help us to hear that voice saying “This is the way; walk in it.”?

Psalm 127 Prosperity

Prosperity Comes from the Lord.

A Song of Ascents, of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.
² It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors;

For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

What does it mean for the Lord to build the house?

Solomon talked about Vanity in Ecclesiastes.

2:12-17 Wisdom is vanity

2:18-23 Work is vanity

5:10-11 Being rich is vanity

Ultimately he says in Ecclesiastes (12:13) Fear God and keep his commandments.

Children

Blessing and a responsibility

³ Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.
⁵ How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Blessing

Tim speaking at Graduation Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Responsibility

How do the blessings and responsibilities of being a parent impact you?

How can fulfilling the responsibilities of parenthood be a blessing?

Psalm 73 Good things/Bad people

Why do bad things happen to good people?

1.       No one is good, except God. Mark 10:18

2.       We are all sinners.

3.       Prosperity, good health, good relationships, are all results of obedience to God – Wrong!

Sometimes bad things happen as a consequence to sin or unwise choices.

Sometimes things happen that seem bad, but are not really bad when you look at the long view.

Sometimes we walk through difficult circumstances so that God can be Glorified.

John 9. Read 1-9.

Was it mean for God to make this man bear blindness for many years, just so that He could cause a controversy with the Jews?

V13-41 Read

Jesus used this encounter to give sight to the blind man and force the Pharisees to see who He was.

They chose not to acknowledge his Deity.

How do we handle the “bad things” that come our way?

1.       Is it the result of sin? Is God punishing us?

2.       Is this something that God us using to bring Glory to Himself?

a.       Yes – recognize it

b.      Not sure – Trust in His goodness Mark 10:18.

Psalm 34 - David in despair

Have you ever heard of the saying, Praise your way out of despair?

1 Samuel 16:7-13 – David Anointed to be King.

What do you think was going through David’s mind during that ceremony?

How do you think he visualized his ascent to the throne?

1 Samuel 17:41-54 David Kills Goliath

VICTORY! How do you think this event fit into David’s idea of how he would become king?

Was he saying, “I love it when a plan comes together”.

1 Samuel 18:20-30 David Marries Michal, Saul’s Daughter

One more step in the process. Marrying the King’s daughter. Not only that – she loved him.
David then goes through a long series of events – 15 years worth – where he flees Saul. He comes back, then leaves, multiple times. His ascent to the throne of Israel is looking pretty shaky. He goes through trial after trial. The passage below is one of the lowest of the low points.

1 Samuel 21:10-end and 22:1-2.- The bottom falls out – David flees Saul.

This is about the time David writes Psalm 34. He is in the pit of trouble. For many of us, despair would beat us down to a pulp. Let’s read this Psalm.

Psalm 34.

·         It is an acrostic with all but the last verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

·         V7 The angel of the Lord – the Pre-incarnate Christ. Camping around those who fear Him.

o   HA - Card

 Does praising God in time of trouble help? Why? How?

What do these verses claim that God can and will do?

·         Interesting side note: senses used

V5  looked

V8 Taste

11 Listen

V12 see

V13 tounge (taste) Speaking (hearing)

V15 eyes of the lord, ears open

Psalm 23

David pictures the Lord in the role of shepherd. What did the ancient shepherd do?

Is there a modern equivalent to the shepherd for us?

Like many of the Psalms, David is praying in a way that acknowledges God’s goodness, regardless of his current circumstances. This is the perfect prayer to pray when we are nowhere near green pastures or quiet waters. This prayer helps to remind us that God is loving, caring, and generous even when our circumstances would shout otherwise in our ear.

Verbs – V2,3

Makes me lie down

Leads me

Restores

Guides

V6. We can be sure of God’s love for us.

How can we experience the certainty of dweling in the house of the Lord forever?