12/30/2018
The Presentation of Christmas
Salvation is A Person
Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise Him, He was named Jesus, (Hebrew-Yehowshuwa) the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived.
Consecration Is Dedication
Luke 2:22-24 When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord; as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”, and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
Spiritual Sensitivity Directs You
Luke 2:25-28 There was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel & the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying…
Christmas Gifted The Whole World
Luke 2:28-32 Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a Light for revelation to the Gentiles & for glory to Your people Israel.”
Destiny Is Determined By Christmas
Luke 2:33-35 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Prophecy IS The Testimony Of Jesus
Luke 2:36-38 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Revelation 19:9-10 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'” He added, “These are the true words of God.” At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy!”
God Moves MANY Different People
Matthew 2:1-3 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the One Who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east & have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed & all Jerusalem with him.
Those Who Should Seek Don’t
Matthew 2:4-6 He called together all the people’s chief priests & teachers of the law & asked them where the Christ was to be born, they replied “In Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.'”
Fake Followers Offer False Worship
Matthew 2:7-8 Then Herod called the Magi secretly & found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem & said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go & worship Him.”
True Worshippers Are Led To Him
Matthew 2:9-12 After they had heard the king, they went on their way & the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary & they bowed down & worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures & presented Him with gifts of gold & of incense & of myrrh.
Satan Always Try’s To Exterminate The Promise
Matthew 2:13-15 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. So was fulfilled what the Lord said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Actions Reveal True Intent
Matthew 2:16-18 …having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, so he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem & its vicinity who were two years old & under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping & great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more!”
God Leads Through The Head of The Family
Matthew 2:19-23 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt & said, “Get up, take the child and his mother & go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child & his mother & went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee & he went & lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”