Dover Assembly of God
Two weeks we began to study Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus. We didn’t get to finish that, but I want to kind of build on that for a moment.
But before we get there, we have to understand what is going on. As we know there are many prophecies given in the Old Testament that tell us about the birth of the Savior.
Genesis tells us that because of the fall (sin of Adam and Eve) that fellowship with God had been broken but that there is coming a time when that will be restored.
If you remember the order of events, Satan had tempted Eve, she gave in and Adam followed.
God showed up and had to find them because they knew they sinned.
After pushing the blame onto the snake, God addresses the snake.
Genesis 3:15 NLT
So we see here that any offspring of Adam & Eve will be enemies of God.
Jesus refers to the Pharisees as having the devil as their father. All of us, before we came to know Jesus were enemies of God.
Her offspring here refers to Jesus. The word in the KJV and the NIV is seed (singular). So all people at this point are enemies of God, because of their sin.
We or they had no relationship with God. But there was coming a time when her offspring (Jesus) would crush the devil’s head in other words defeat him and once again restore man to being in a relationship with God the father.
So all throughout the Old Testament, God drops hints and nuggets of info that remind them of this savior that was coming to restore that relationship.
But God said in the Law, in the meantime while you wait for this savior to be born, keep this law. By keeping the law, you are showing me that you are waiting and trusting in what will come in the future.
So if we jump back to where we started two weeks ago, remember that Israel had not heard from God in over 400 years. The rise of the Pharisees and Sadducees took place and they were teaching the people incorrectly.
People were dispersed throughout the area. Most Jews were Jews in name only, not really following God. Pharisees said since they were Abraham’s kids, they were following God.
But Jesus said no, if you really followed Abraham, you would know me. Following God for the Pharisees and Sadducees was following what they themselves thought about God.
What sounded good to them, rather than following God’s word.
Ray Comfort did a study and we taught on it last year. He went around asking people what they thought God was like. Their answers were almost always a God that liked everything they liked and didn’t like anything they didn’t like. In other words, they were inventing their own God.
That’s called idolatry. You are making an image of God that pleases you. Not the God of the Bible. That’s exactly what these Jewish leaders did--invented their own idea of God. A really dark spiritual time.
But in this dark time, there were a few who trusted in those prophecies and were waiting for this Messiah.
So now, let’s go back to Luke chapter 2.
Luke 2:25 NIV
Not everyone was an isolator, and not everyone followed the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Luke 2:36-38 NIV
For the most part, the Jews weren’t really living with the hope of salvation.
They weren’t living expecting their Messiah. They were stuck in the mode of doing the law outwardly, but not really having a heart for God.
But scattered amongst those were the few that were really expecting God to show up. They were living in anticipation of receiving God’s promise.
As we mentioned last week, in God’s perfect time, he did the impossible to fulfill the promise to his people.
~ He made a virgin become pregnant.
~ He used an unbelieving king to make an entire nation of people move to get 2 people to where He needed them to be.
Why would God go to all the trouble just to make this happen?
The answer is found in the most famous verse in the Bible.
John 3:16-17 NIV
Man was created to be in a loving relationship with God our father. We as a people for the most part have rejected that relationship.
Sometimes I feel God would be perfectly within his right to reject us and start over, but God is long suffering, not wanting any to perish, but all to come. . .
Remember what He said to Moses when the Israelites disobeyed for the 100th time? Step back Moses, I’m wiping them out and starting over with you.
But Moses interceded for the people and God didn’t wipe them out.
He is long suffering. . . but not infinite. There will come an end to his long suffering.
That’s why the Bible says . . .
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 NLT
Romans 13:11 NLT
God loved each of us so much that he was willing to give us the present of His son as our way of restoring the relationship that we lost.
What type of gift is this?
Isaiah 9:6 NIV
Look at all the attributes of Jesus.
He is called wonderful. This means “a wonderful thing”
Counselor - “to guide or give purpose”
Mighty - “a valiant, excellent, champion”
When Jesus was born, God’s plan of salvation didn’t just start then, but it came to fruition. God presented His gift to the world.
The long awaited savior that would restore men back to a relationship with God had arrived. But as we find out as we study God’s word, man’s broken relationship with God wasn’t strictly with the Jews.
All people in every country everywhere were in need of a path to being restored to being a child of God.
Christmas time is usually a time when most people think about God-things.
Family comes around and maybe you remember going to church as a kid on Christmas. Maybe all the decorations and the manger scenes make you think about Jesus a bit.
Whatever the case, Christmas is a time when we remember the gift that God gave to us.
Let me ask you, how many have bought something that you just can’t wait to give to someone and see their reaction? You took time to think about it. You spent your money on it. You sacrificed something you could have had in order to give it to someone else.
You may give it last, or maybe it’s the first one because you can’t wait. In either case, what you give them is a reflection of your feelings for that person. You give that special gift because you love that person and really want them to be blessed.
God gave each of us the best gift he could give. Think about it, God could give anything, he’s God.
It wouldn’t have been a hardship to give material things. He’s God, it doesn’t cost him anything to give you money or things. None of that would have cost God anything except maybe a second of saying the word.
It’s like a millionaire giving you a $5.00 gift card to McD’s that his secretary bought for him.
If your gift is a reflection of your love for that person, what does that say about God when his gift is something that is priceless?
Let’s say I have 100 gifts. Enough for everyone here today. And I cannot wait to see the expression on your faces when you open them.
You may look up here and agree with me that yes, these are in fact, gifts and yes your name is on one of them.
And let’s say I tell you to all come forward and pick up your gift.
You may believe the gift is there, you may believe the gift is for you, you may even believe that you really need that gift to help you in your life.
But if you do not come up and take it, your life will not benefit from it and I will not see that blessings you could have had in your life.
You see as we mentioned before, each one of us is an enemy of God until we receive the gift of His son, that he freely gave on Christmas.
John 1:12 NIV
You see, not everyone is a child of God. There is no universal family of God. Just because we are alive and are good people does not make us in God’s family.
Only those who actually come and take the gift have the right to say they are God’s kids.
Only those who receive him have that relationship restored.
God gave his best gift.
The one gift that would cost God something. A gift that was of value to God, to each of us in hopes that we would open it and take it to ourselves and have that relationship with God restored.