12-18-2022 – “Why Do Most People Miss Christmas?”

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December 18, 2022
“Why Do Most People Miss Christmas?”

One week from today, most, if not all of you, will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the Reason for Christmas; an yet, most of the world’s 7,900,000,000 people will not celebrate the birth of God’s Son this year, just as the majority of people didn’t celebrate His birth, when He was born to Mary, in Bethlehem, over 2,000 years ago.

The majority of the world’s people today reject or neglect God’s greatest gift of love to us, His own Son.

The shepherds, on the night of Christ’s birth, were given a marvelous message

(Luke 2:11),

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”

(Luke 2:14),

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to [all people] on whom His favor rests.”

The first time Jesus came, He arrived in the flesh of a baby, born to a virgin, and only a few shepherds came to witness the Savior’s birth. After seeing the baby, we are told

(Luke 2:17-18),

17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

the shepherds went out telling everyone they met about what had happened, just as God’s angel had told them.

How about you? Have you taken time to share the good news of Jesus Christ? Or perhaps have you been stressed out because of personal or family problems, health issues, worries about the economy, or maybe you’ve just been to busy enjoying the season but haven’t taken the time or opportunity to tell someone the true meaning of Christmas [Christ, Holy One; Mass, a religious observance], i.e., Christmas is in honor of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Lord and Savior.

Scripture tells us that when Jesus returns, everyone in the world will see and worship Him

(Revelation 1:7),

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will worship Him, and will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”

Jesus came the first time as a helpless baby boy; but He will return

(Revelation 19:16),

16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

as the “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS,”

(Philippians 2:10-11)

“at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

The Christ child was called Immanuel [God with us], and given the name Jesus [God’s salvation]; He is the only means of forgiveness and eternal life, for all people, for all time. In the body of Jesus, God lived among us, died for our sins, was buried, and then rose from the grave, just like He said that He would

(cf. John 10:17-18;

17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.

18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

Luke 24:45-48).

45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,

47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

48 You are witnesses of these things.

The majority of people in the world today will miss Christmas this year, next year, and forever. How can that be? How can anyone miss Christmas, given the history, the amount of publicity, and the commercial promotions that this holiday receives every year?

For those of us who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, Christmas is a time to focus on His birth. But even we can get caught up in all the activity of Christmastime, forgetting to worship the Savior who has come.

Was He really born in December? Probably not, as most biblical scholars do not consider December 25th to be the date of Christ’s birth, and there is absolutely no biblical support for that date. So where did that date come from?

Actually, it was decided upon by the church Bishops in Rome (4th century A.D). At that time, a majority of the earth’s inhabitants were sun worshipers who praised the sun god for our seasons and our crops. They held feasts at the time of the winter solstice (a time when the days are shortest); they built large bonfires in order to implore the sun god to initiate longer days, and as the days grew longer, there was much rejoicing and celebration.

For the Romans, the month of December marked the Festival of Saturnalia, as

John MacArthur writes in his book

(GOD WITH US:The Miracle of Christmas, pg. 50),

“Our focus On December 25 came from the Roman holiday called Saturnalia. This was a pagan observance of the birthday of the unconquered sun. Saturnalia began December 19 each year, which, in the northern hemisphere, is when the days start getting longer, [the celebration] continued with seven days of wild revelry. Many of our Christmas customs have their origin in Saturnalia, which was marked by feasting, parades, special music, gift giving, lighted candles, and green trees. As Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, the pagan holiday was given Christian connotations. In 336 A.D., Emperor Constantine declared Christ’s birthday an official Roman Holiday. Some church leaders, such as Chrysostom, rebuked Christians fore adopting a pagan holiday, but December 25 has endured as the date we celebrate Christ’s birth.”

It is believed by historians that the first Christmas tree was instituted by Boniface, an English missionary to Germany in the 8th century, who supposedly sought to replace the practice of sacrifices being made to the god Odin’s sacred oak, with a fir tree that was decorated in honor of Christ. There are also credible accounts claiming that Martin Luther was the first to introduce a Christmas tree lighted with candles.

The name “Santa Claus” is a contraction of St. Nicholas, an actual Christian bishop in Asia Minor during the 4th century, who was known for his extraordinary generosity, and was later associated with the giving of presents at the end of the year. It is said that St. Nicholas was adopted in the Netherlands as the patron saint of children, and on St. Nicholas eve, the children would put out their wooded shoes filled with hay for the saint’s white horse, only to find them filled with small toys and candy the next morning.

With all these historical renditions (whether true or not) of what goes on during Christmastime, is it any wonder that so many people are confused and miss Christmas? The biblical story of the birth of Christ is overshadowed by a multitude of traditions and celebrations today; but the reality is, most of the people who were there when Christ was born in Bethlehem, missed it. The Scriptures record several reasons why the people in and around Jerusalem 2000 years ago missed Christmas, as well as why most of those living today miss it.

Self-importance…

In Matthew 2:1-3,

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Matthew 2:7-8,

7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

we meet Herod, the so-called king of the Jews (by his own proclamation); he was fearful of the One born in Bethlehem, who was the true King of the Jews. The Greek word translated “troubled”

(Matthew 2:3)

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

means, “to be agitated” or “stirred up,” “panicked”. Herod was afraid of baby Jesus-.

Herod was cruel and merciless. He was incredibly jealous, suspicious, and afraid of losing his position and power. Fearing a potential threat, he had the high priest Aristobulus (his wife’s brother) drowned, after which he provided a magnificent funeral where he pretended to weep. He then had his wife killed, then her mother, and then two of his own sons. Five days before his death (about a year after Jesus was born) he had a third son executed.

But his most barbaric act

(cf. Matthew 2:16)

16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.

was the slaughter of “all the male children who were in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas, from two years old and under.” By doing this, he hoped to kill Jesus, who was the major threat to his throne; the One who the magi said had been born the King of the Jews.

Herod missed Christmas because of he was a megalomaniac: unwilling to give up his self acclaimed authority, power, prominence, and control; like many people today who want what they want when they want it, and anyone preventing them from getting or keeping it, becomes an enemy and a threat. They won’t come to Christ because they think He will force them to give up or change-the way they live.

The psychologists, social gurus, and the media tell people to do their own thing, to be the master of their own fate, to determine their own destiny. The world is full of self professed kings who won’t recognize, let alone kneel before, Christ, so they miss Christmas just like Herod did.

Indifference…

Once Herod learned from the magi that a child would be born King of the Jews

(see Matthew 2:4-6),

he gathered “together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, [and] began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet, “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler, who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

The chief priests consisted of the high priest, the captain of the Temple police, and the priests-with teaching and leadership skills (Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes). They knew the Messiah was to be born in “Bethlehem,” as per the prophecy of

Micah 5:2.

2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Too little to be among the clans of Judah,

From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.

His goings forth are from long ago,

From the days of eternity.”

The Jewish nation had been waiting for their Messiah to come, at the time of Christ’s birth, they had been waiting hundreds of years for a deliverer to come, they are still looking for Him for these religious leaders were unwilling to travel to Bethlehem to find out if the Messiah had indeed been born.

They missed Christmas because they were indifferent, they just didn’t care. They had all they wanted, and they didn’t need a Messiah. These self-righteous overseers of the law, had hearts that were filled with pride, and there was absolutely no room for the Son of God in their religious system.

When Jesus grew up and began His ministry, they hated and despised Him, and even plotted His murder. Jesus exposed their prideful indifference in a stinging rebuke

(Matthew 9:12-13),

“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

When the Pharisees held a feast, they invited self-righteous people; but Jesus welcomed sinners who were desperately aware of their need for a Savior.

Many people today miss Christmas because they don’t have any interest in the Savior; they don’t understand the depth of their own sin and their need to be saved; and so they reject the truth

(cf. Romans 6:23),

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

that the wages of sin is death, leading to an eternal hell. They ignore God’s remedy for sin, because they reject what the Bible says

(Romans 3:10-12),

10 as it is written,

“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS;

THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

that there is no one who is righteous, not one; we have all gone our own way, and we deserve the wrath of God.

Religious Activity…

Luke 2:20

20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

tells us the after seeing the baby Jesus, “The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” Out of all the people in Jerusalem, God singled out shepherds to receive the great news about the birth of Christ. Shepherds were a despised group because they couldn’t maintain all the ceremonial washings and religious activities.

The majority of the people in and around Jerusalem missed Christmas because they were very religious, busy with rituals and ceremonies, so they missed Christ’s birth.

Religion will damn a soul to hell more than anything else, because false religion gives a person a counterfeit sense of spiritual security, or rightness with God.

People are deceived in cults and world religions that talk about God, talk about Jesus, and even reference the Bible, but they don’t teach that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is Creator, Sustainer, Lord, Savior, and Judge over all. Most of the world’s religious people are lost, just like the people of Jerusalem who missed the birth of their Messiah, while they were performing religious acts of piety.

Idolatry…

Most of the Greco-Roman world missed Christmas because of their idolatrous worship of a multitude of gods. It is no surprise that the midst of their pagan idolatry they missed Christmas.

Read Acts 17:22-31…

22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.

23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;

25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;

26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,

27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’

29 Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.

30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,

31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

About 20 years after Jesus ascended into heaven, Paul is in Athens standing before the Areopagus (the council or judiciary of Athens, who judged the beliefs and behaviors of men), similar to the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.

These men are worshippers of many gods and Paul tells them that he is going to introduce them to the god who was unknown to them.

He tells them about “The God who made the world and everything in it.” The God who doesn’t live in temples or need manmade things, for He is the Creator of all things; and in fact, He made from one man [Adam] every nation on all the face of the earth, determining when and where and how long they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him, and know Him, and become children of God.

Paul declares that until Jesus came, God overlooked the ignorance and idolatry of all who did not know God, but now He has commanded that everyone repent and believe in Christ, who died and rose from the dead, showing Himself to all who would believe in Him for salvation

(cf. Romans 10:9-10,

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:13).

13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

The world today is still full of people who worship their own manmade gods, not statues made of gold, silver, wood, or clay, but idols still the same: money, cars, boats, houses, land, power, prominence, good looks, good health, etc., all these are equal to the idol worship of the first century A.D., leading people to miss Christmas.

Over-Familiarity…

Even the people of Jesus’ home town missed Christmas.

Luke 2:39-40 says,

“When they [Mary, Jesus, and Joseph] had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. And the Child continued to grow and became strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”

When Jesus returned to Nazareth, He was unnoticed, like any other Jewish child; and even though Jesus spent thirty years of His life in Nazareth, the residents failed to recognize Him as the Savior.

See Luke 4:16-17,

“And [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written

(Luke 18-19, (x-ref: Isaiah 61:1-2),

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.’

Luke 4:20-22,

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

Luke 4:28-30,

“And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.”

The people of Nazareth missed the Christ of Christmas, because they knew Jesus as Joseph’s son, not as their Messiah. Most of us know people who were raised in a Christian home, who don’t believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Over-familiarity can blind people from the truth, i.e., when you’ve heard something so many times, without believing it or confirming it in your mind and heart, such over-familiarity can often breed indifference and/or contempt.

Needless to say, there are many reasons that people miss Christmas: their misplaced self-importance, indifference, religious activity, idolatry, and over-familiarity. But truth be told, behind all those so-called reasons is the real problem: unbelief. How sad it is that most people continue to reject God’s Son, Jesus Christ, for Salvation.

Luke 2:10-11,

The angel said to [the shepherds] “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Acts 2:21,

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,”

Acts 4:12,

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Matthew 1:23,

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

Matthew 1:21,

“You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Please don’t miss Christmas! Believe in and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, right now, right here, and you will be a child of God forever!

John 3:16,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life,”

(John 1:11-12),

“He came to His own [the Jews], and [they] did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,”

(John 10:28),

“I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish.”

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

12-11-2022 – “The Wonderful Names/Titles Given to Jesus”

Bible Text: Luke 2:15-21 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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December 11, 2022
“The Wonderful Names/Titles Given to Jesus”
Luke 2:15-21

About 2700 years ago, one of God’s prophets (Isaiah) wrote about the future birth of a male child to a virgin; and about 700 years later, a young woman, named Mary, said to be a virgin, gave birth to a male child in Bethlehem, in Judea; the baby was named Jesus [God’s Salvation] and was called Immanuel [God with us].

This child would be the only source of salvation for mankind, and He would also be the fullness of God in human flesh. God told the world ahead of time, so that when it happened people would believe in His Son for the forgiveness of their sins.

Isaiah 7:14,

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth: it is a compound word formed from the words Christ [the Holy One], and Mass [a gathering for religious observances], i.e, Christmas celebrates the good news that the Savior has come to earth.

The next time you go to a large store or a shopping mall, consider the following, “If you weren’t a Christian and didn’t know about God’s Son, is there anything out in the public marketplace that would point you to Jesus?” Probably not!

Last week we read, in Luke 2:1-14, how God moved Caesar Augustus to order a census that would eventually bring Joseph, and Mary (who was pregnant with Jesus), to travel to their ancestral home town, Bethlehem, near Jerusalem; while they were in Bethlehem it came time for the baby to be born, and Mary wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger [a feeding trough used by animals].

We read how God used an angel to announce the birth of His Son to some shepherds who were out in the fields watching over their flock at night. The angel declared to them the good news that indeed the Savior had been born, and He is Christ the Lord.

The shepherds were instructed to go to Bethlehem and search for the newborn baby, who would be wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. At that moment a large number of angels appeared praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among upon whom God’s favor rests.

Read Luke 2:15-20…

15 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.”

16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

After the angels had departed, the shepherds, believing what they had been told, determined to go to Bethlehem to this thing that had happened. It is unlikely that all the shepherds would have left the sheep, but instead, that some would have stayed to guard them, while the others went to see this thing which had happened.

The shepherds went quickly, no doubt with great excitement, and they found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby. Bethlehem was a small village and it is unlikely that many, if any other babies at all, were born that night; and surely, there was not but one newborn baby who was laid in a manger.

Although there is no recorded dialogue between the shepherds and Mary and Joseph, not must have been an amazing conversation as the shepherds recounted all the angel had said, and then the sudden appearance of a multitude of angels praising God and giving glory to Him for what He had done: sending His own Son who would be the Savior of the world.

Perhaps Joseph and Mary shared some of their own encounters with God’s angel and who was said to them? All we know is that after the shepherds found and looked upon Mary, Joseph, and the baby

(Luke 2:17),

“they made known the statement which had been told them”

(Luke 2:11),

“today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

It would seem that the shepherds went about with great excitement telling everyone the the long awaited Messiah, the Savior, had been born. God used these lowly shepherds as the first witnesses of Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:14 says,

“all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.”

It is interesting that although the testimony of the shepherds seemed to cause people to be amazed and to wonder about what the shepherds were proclaiming; but there is no record in the Scriptures of anyone else finding their way to the place where baby Jesus was born; not would seem that no one else sought out the Savior who had been born, who is Christ the Lord.

Mary

(Luke 2:19),

“treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

Mary deeply considered all that had been said and had been done considering the birth of God’s Son; God’s redemptive plan, purpose, and provision had sent the Savior to redeem all those who would trust in Him, believing Him to be the Savior!

God’s words through the apostle John speak volumes concerning this One born that night in Bethlehem, and those who believe in Him

(see 1John 2:12-14)…

12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake.

13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.

14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

The Christians life, from the moment we are born-again into the family of God, is a continual growing in our knowledge of Christ.

As John MacArthur writes

(New Testament Commentary, Luke 1-5, page 164), “From being a spiritual child, who only knows God the Father and forgiver of sins, to being a spiritual young man, well grounded in biblical truth, to being a spiritual father, with a deep understanding of God’s person.”

We continue to grow in our knowledge of Christ and will never reach a place where we know all things or mature to the level of not needing to grow anymore, as we see in the life of Paul, the most expressive and aggressive proponent of Christ in the Bible, who continued to grow and desire

(Philippians 3:10),

“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”

The shepherds near Bethlehem that night had a marvelous and supernatural evening that would no doubt, forever change their lives. But by the end of that long night

(Luke 2:20),

they returned to their flock, “glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.”

Read Luke 2:21-24…

21 And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord

23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”),

24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.”

It has been eight days since the birth of Jesus, and according to the law of Moses, it is time for Him to be circumcised

(Genesis 17:9-14)

9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.

12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

through which God set Israel apart from all the other nations in the world. Circumcision also provided the benefit of decreasing the possibility of bacteria being transferred from man to woman; it is a fact that Jewish women have lower rates of cervical cancer and other diseases, then do women in other cultures, and this is attributed to the fact that all Jewish husbands are circumcised.

The practice of naming a son on the day of his circumcision is not an Old Testament requirement, but had become common place, perhaps because Abram [exalted father] received his new name Abraham [father of a multitude] on the same day he was circumcised

(cf. Genesis 17:5,
5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

Genesis 17:23),

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him.

and God made a covenant with him (the Abrahamic covenant through circumcision) by which all of Israel was identified and set apart as the Nation of God.

Jesus’s name had been previously given to Mary

(Luke 1:31),

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus,”

and also to Joseph

(Matthew 1:20-21),

“Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’”

Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning “Yahweh saves,” or the “Lord’s Salvation”.

John 3:16,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:6-9,

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

Galatians 4:4-5,

“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

Isaiah foretold some wonderful names to be given to the Christ Child.

Isaiah 9:6c,

“And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor…”

This speaks of God’s Supernatural Wisdom.

The New Testament records Jesus’ encounters with a variety of people; and that He always knew just what to say, for He spoke the words and wisdom of God.

Temple guards were sent to arrest Jesus

(John 7:46),

46 The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.”

but they returned to the Chief Priests without Him, saying, “No one ever spoke the way this man speaks.”

Matthew 7:29,

“He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

Only Jesus can make sense out of life’s confusion and provide hope for eternity; and yet, most of the world turns to the counsel of psychiatrists, psychologists, philosophers, astrologers, and other so-called experts, instead of to God’s Word.

1Corinthians 2:14-16,

“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, provide eternal, authoritative, sovereign, divine, and supernatural wisdom for all who believe.

Isaiah 9:6d,

“And His name will be called Mighty God…”

This speaks of God’s Sovereign Power and Strength for all of eternity.

Deuteronomy 10:17,

“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”

Revelation 1:8,

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:17-18,
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,
18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

God forgives sin, grants eternal life, answers prayer, heals broken hearts and bodies, defeats Satan, brings order to the chaos and purpose to the confusion in our lives; all this, while sustaining the universe and preparing eternity for those who belong to Him.

Isaiah 9:6e

“And His name will be called Eternal Father…”

This speaks of God’s Eternal and Intrinsic Nature as the Originator and Giver of Life.

Psalm 90:2,

“Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

John 10:30, Jesus said,

“I and the Father are one.”

John 14:6-7,

“Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.’”

Colossians 1:15-20,

“He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

Jesus is God the Son, equal with God the Father (who is Immortal, Invisible, Eternal, and the Creator of all), and God the Holy Spirit (who is Immortal, Invisible, Eternal, and the Creator of all). Jesus Christ has made God the Father known to us.

John 1:1,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14,

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:18,

“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

Only true Christians (believers and followers of Jesus Christ, the One who was crucified, resurrected, and is coming again: that Jesus) can rightfully call God their Father, for it is only through belief in God’s Son that we can become God’s children, forever!

Isaiah 9:6f,

“And His name will be called Prince of Peace…

This speaks of God’s removal of enmity, condemnation, conflict, chaos, confusion, anxiety, fear, and oppression, replacing these with God’s Perfect Peace. If you know Jesus, you have God’s Peace; if you don’t know Jesus, you don’t have God’s Peace!

Romans 5:1-2,

“Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.”

Except for the first few days of Creation, before the curse of sin came upon creation, there has not been peace on earth; but God continually provides Peace in the hearts of everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Jesus Christ is God’s greatest Gift to the world. He is not only the Reason for the Christmas Season, He is Christmas. As you celebrate this Christmas season, consider all that has been said in God’s Word about God’s Son. Christmas celebrates the good news that the Savior has indeed come to provide forgiveness for sins and eternal life to all who will believe in and follow Him.

No wonder Paul declares

(2Corinthians 9:15),
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable Gift!”

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

12-04-2022 – “The Savior is Born, He is Christ the Lord”

Bible Text: Luke 2:1-14 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above is the
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December 4, 2022
“The Savior is Born, He is Christ the Lord”
Luke 2:1-14

Read Luke 2:1-5…

1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

4 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,

5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

Although Caesar was an unbelieving Gentile, God used him to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

We find that Old Testament prophecy recorded in the New Testament, when Herod gathered the chief priests and scribes to ask them where the Messiah would be born, and they responded

(Matthew 2:4-6)

4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,

ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;

FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER

WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’”

by quoting Micah 5:2,

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

Notice in Luke:2:7

7 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.

it says, “in those days,” referring to what was written in

Luke 1:5,

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

“In the days of Herod, king of Judea.” Herod reigned as king in Judea from 40 B.C.—4 B.C., and he died when Jesus was just a toddler, after Joseph had been told by an angel, to go to Egypt because Herod was trying to kill Jesus

(Matthew 2:13),

“Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”

The decree for a census to be taken of all those in the Roman Empire, was most likely for the purpose of the taxation of all those under the rule of Caesar [lit. emperor] Augustus [lit. revered, esteemed]. His actual name was Gaius Octavius and he was born in 63 B.C. Note: His mother was Julius Caesar’s sister, making him heir to the throne after Julius Caesar was assassinated.

Luke also tells us that this census was during the reign of Quirinius as the governor of Syria, and that everyone must go to their own home town to register. Joseph and Mary went up from Nazareth [1140 ft. above sea level], to Bethlehem [near Jerusalem, which is 2500 ft above sea level.

Luke calls Bethlehem “the city of David,” because that is where David had ruled as king

(2Samuel 5:7,

7 Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David.

2Samuel 5:9),

9 So David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward.

“David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David.” “So David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built all around from the Millo [meaning boundary, terraced wall] inward.”

As we have talked about before, both Joseph and Mary were from the ancestral line of David: Joseph (Jesus’ legal father) through David’s son Solomon

(Matthew 1:6,

6 Jesse was the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.

Matthew 1:16),

16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

and Mary (Jesus’ biological mother0 through David’s son Nathan

(Luke 3:23,

23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,

Luke 3:31).

31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,

This gives Jesus both the legal right and the blood ancestry to rule on the throne of David.

Sovereignly God moved Joseph and Mary to be in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus birth, so as to fulfill the prophecy concerning the birthplace of the Messiah.

Read Luke 2:6-7…

6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

7 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.

We are not told how long Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem before Jesus was born; all we know is what Luke tells us here, that it came time for Jesus to be birthed and so He was born and Mary wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger. There is no mention of a mid-wife, or angels present, or a voice from heaven; only that Mary and her husband Joseph were alone, near a place where animals were fed, when it was time for Jesus’ birth.

Jesus, like any other baby born in Israel, was wrapped in cloths to keep his arms and legs straight and to provide warmth. He was not wrapped in royal cloth worthy of His divine nature, neither was He placed in a royal bassinet with gold and silver accents; but instead, He was placed in a manger [an animal feeding trough].

We don’t know exactly where Jesus was born; just that it was “not in the inn, because there was no room.” The Greek word kataluma, here translated “inn,” is a general term meaning lodging place, or shelter; it could have been a campground, a way station, or a public shelter where caravans or travelers stayed.

The word kataluma is also used in

Luke 22:11,

11 And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’

where it is translated as, “guest room,” where Jesus and the Twelve celebrated Passover; and in Luke 10, Jesus tells a parable about a good Samaritan helping a Jewish man who had been beaten and robbed

(Luke 10:34),

“by bringing him to an inn and [taking] care of him.”

A different Greek word is used by Luke in that parable, the word pandocheion (pronounced pan-dokk-i’-on), and it is translated “inn.”

Let me try to resolve this: both of these words can be used to describe some sort of shelter or lodging, but kataluma is mostly used to describe a public or free sleeping space; whereas, pandocheion is usually rendered when speaking of a paid lodging.

Luke 2:7

7 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.

says this is Mary’s firstborn son, meaning, she had other children, as we talked about last week

(Matthew 13:54-56),

“[Jesus] came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us?”

The point Luke is making is, when God’s Son came into this world, in the flesh of a baby boy named Jesus, He was born in a rough place without any of the comforts of home, perhaps in a shelter, a campground, or even a cave…

Jesus said

(Luke 9:58),

“The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head,”

(Philippians 2:5-7),

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men,”

(Mark 10:45),

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Read Luke 2:8-14…

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

10 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;

11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

It is very appropriate that the good news of the Savior’s birth be announced to shepherds who were caring for the sheep to be used as sacrifices for the sins of the people.

Shepherds were at the bottom of the social/religious ladder, as there were often uneducated, unable to keep the Sabbath regulations, and therefore ceremonially unclean, and considered to be unwholesome and dishonest, to the degree that were not allowed to testify in court (along with tax collectors). And yet two of the most prominent men in Israel’s history were shepherds: Moses and David.

In the Old Testament God is referred to as the Shepherd of Israel, and Jesus says

(John 10:11),

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep,”

and Peter, the first pastor in the Church of God

(1Peter 5:4)

4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

calls Jesus the “Chief Shepherd.”

Luke 2:8-11

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

10 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;

11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

tells us that the shepherds were in the vicinity of Bethlehem, out in the fields. It was the normal practice to let sheep graze during the day and then to move them to a protected area in the evening, a sheepfold, where they would be safe from predators and or thieves. It was here that the angel of the Lord appeared before them, and the brightness of the glory of God shined all around them. It must have been frightening for those shepherds.

Note:

God’s glory had been manifested to Israel in the wilderness when the tabernacle was dedicated, and then again when the temple was dedicated. But because of Israel’s sin and rebellion against God, God’s glory left the temple and departed Israel until this very night in the fields surrounding Bethlehem.

An angel manifesting God’s glory was announcing the good news of the Savior, who would redeem from humanity those who would believe in and obey this child now born in Bethlehem. The angels tells the shepherds not to be afraid, for they are proclaiming the very best news, “which will be for all the people, for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

God singled out these lowly shepherds to be the first witnesses of the salvation that had come to earth, for God the Father sent His One and Only Son to be the Savior of the world, as John wrote

(1John 4:14),

“We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”

The frightened shepherds

(Luke 2:12)

12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

are given a sign to look for in the city of David, in Bethlehem (they are to find a newborn baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger), proving this is indeed is the Savior, Christ the Lord. There would not have been many other babies born in a village of that size that night, let alone one who had been placed in an animal feeding trough. That should narrow down their search for Jesus.

Jesus’s name means “the Lord is salvation,” or ”the Lord saves,” meaning He is the Savior. Remember how Joseph was told by the angel

(Matthew 1:21),

“you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Jesus came to resolve, to remedy, to do away with by His own willful sacrificial death, mankind’s major problem, sin; and by His own sovereign resurrection He demonstrated eternal life for all who believe in and follow Him.

The title “Christ,” is an exalted title meaning “anointed one,” or “holy one,” He is the Messiah [Hebrew], the Christ [Greek], the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords. In

Revelation 1:7-8, the return of Christ is in view,

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

To say that the Christ Child is Lord, is to say He is God. When used as a reference to Jesus Christ [Greek kurios = Lord], conveys all that is implied by the tetragrammaton YHWH [pronounced Yahweh] the Hebrew name of God transliterated in four letters which the Septuagint [the Greek version of the Old Testament] translates as kurios.

This is the name of God

(Exodus 3:14-15),

“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’; and ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.’ God, furthermore, said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”

(The most common fundamental confession of Christianity is,

“Jesus is Lord”

(1Corinthians 12:3),

“no one can say, [truthfully] ’Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”)

Look again at Luke 2:13-14…

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

While the angel is speaking to the shepherds, a multitude of angels appear, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” A large number of angelic hosts are giving praise to God in heaven, for the peace God is granting to those on earth upon whom God’s favor rests. The peace of God is only realized through faith in God’s Son, who is Christ the Lord, Savior of all who believe in Him.!

Colossians 1:19-20,

“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Romans 5:1,

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 13:20-22,

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Pastor Mike
>’(((><

11-27-2022 – “Mary Exalts the Lord Her God”

Bible Text: Luke 1:39-50 | Speaker: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: book study of Luke | Above are the
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November 27, 2022
“Mary Exalts the Lord Her God”
Luke 1:39-50

At our last time together we studied the awesome interaction of the angel Gabriel and a young virgin named Mary to whom he said

(Luke 1:31-32),

“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,”

Luke 1:35,

“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.”

Mary humbly and obediently believed all that Gabriel told her, saying

(Luke 1:38),

“may it be done to me according to your word,” and then we are told Gabriel left her.

Today we pick up the narrative in

Luke 1:39-40…

39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,

40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

Mary immediately set off for the hill country of Judah; remember what Gabriel said to her

(Luke 1:36),

“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.”

Mary “went in a hurry” to see her aunt, no doubt to confirm that all this was really true. Mary herself would have been newly pregnant as she began the 3-4 four day journey south (80-90 miles0 from Nazareth to the hill country of s (about 5-6 miles from Jerusalem). Note: archeologist believe Judah (where John the Baptizer was born) may very well be the same area as Bethlehem (where Christ would be born, six months later than John).

Mary made the journey to her aunt Elizabeth and uncle Zacharias’s house. Greeting Elizabeth, she no doubt told her all that had happened with Gabriel’s announcement to her; and Elizabeth no doubt told Mary of Gabriel’s announcement to Zacharias (at the temple), and all that had happened, i.e., Zacharias was stuck mute and still couldn’t speak

(Luke 1:20).

20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

To hear Elizabeth’s account of her miraculous conception, and now in her sixth month of pregnancy had to be affirming to Mary concerning her own pregnancy.

Read Luke 1:41-44…

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

As Mary told Elizabeth about what had happened to her, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped, and at that moment she was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to declare that Mary was blessed above all women because of the child she carried in her womb.

The filling of the Holy Spirit is often followed by a proclamation of the Word of God. Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit at the birth of his son John

(Luke 1:67),

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

and he began to declare a marvelous prophecy

(Luke 1:68-79),

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,

69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us

In the house of David His servant–

70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old–

71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES,

And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;

72 To show mercy toward our fathers,

And to remember His holy covenant,

73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,

Might serve Him without fear,

75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS;

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation

By the forgiveness of their sins,

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,

With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

79 TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH,

To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

about what John would fulfill concerning the coming Messiah (Who happened to be John’s younger cousin).

As some of you will recall from our Wednesday night Study in the Book of Acts, on the day of Pentecost, the believers

(Acts 2:4),

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

“were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak [in other languages, not their own,

Acts 2:8-11],

8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?

9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretans and Arabs–we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”

“as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”

Here in Luke 1:42-45,

Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and she cries out in a loud voice a hymn of praise for Mary who has been given this greet honor, and a praise for the child in her womb, God’s Son, the Lord and Savior of all; Elizabeth praises Mary’s Son

(Luke 1:43), as “[her] Lord,” declaring Christ’s deity.

43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

That Elizabeth should be so blessed is overwhelming to her, to be in the presence of God’s Son, her own Lord and Savior, in the womb of Mary, is over whelming to her

(Luke 1:44),

“For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached her ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”

Elizabeth now proclaims more blessing upon Mary, not just because Mary will give birth to God’s Son, but also because of Mary’s faith in believing what the angel told her, that God would fulfill His greatest gift to all of humanity. Mary no doubt believed in her heart what the writer of

Hebrews 11:6

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

declares, that “God exists and God is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Let me be clear about something: Although the Roman Catholic Church teaches and observes in its liturgy that Mary is the “Mother of God,” the “Queen of Heaven,” and that she is a co-redeemer, with Christ, of sinful humanity and an intercessor who hears and receives our prayers. No such teachings are found in God’s Word.

Mary is not the mother of God, because God is eternal in nature, and God was never conceived or born, for He has always existed. Mary was the mother of the human Jesus, not the mother of His eternal nature. Mary was a sinner in need of salvation, just like you and me; but Mary’s humble faith and obedient submission to God’s will, is an example of greatness to all believers for all time.

Mary would be horrified that anyone would consider her to be equal with Christ in any way; the very idea that Mary can receive prayers or praise, the confession of someone’s sins, or the granting of forgiveness leading to salvation, is the worse kind of heresy and is antithetical to teaching of God’s Word.

Read Luke 1:46-48…

46 And Mary said:

“My soul exalts the Lord,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;

For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

Mary, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, expresses the proper attitude of true worship. This section in Luke is called The Magnificat, which translates as, to magnify, to celebrate, to highly esteem, to praise, to glorify.

Mary is experiencing and expressing her supreme joy in the Lord. Notice, she declares how her soul exalts the Lord and her spirit rejoices in God her Savior. The words soul and spirit are interchangeable, as they refer to the whole inner person, i.e., the fullness of worshipping God with all that you are in Christ.

You can only worship God if you have received forgiveness for sins and eternal life.

Notice in Luke 1:47,

47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Mary’s renewed spirit praised the Lord, God her Savior, for she was a sinner like everyone else, in need of the Savior. God’s mercy and grace had been given to and received by Mary and her soul and spirit was rejoicing.

Deuteronomy 6:5,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

Matthew 22:37,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

Mark 12:30,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

Luke 10:27,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.”

When Jesus was talking with the Samaritan woman about worship that is acceptable to God, He told her

(John 4:23-24),

“true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for… God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Mary is worshipping with her heart, soul, mind and strength, or might (this is internal fortitude, spiritual strength of character, firmness of purpose, strength of mind, i.e., steadfast intent to bring praise, honor, and glory to God).

Romans 12:1-2,

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Colossians 3:17,

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Colossians 3:23-24,

you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

Look again at Luke 1:48a…

48 “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave;

For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed.

Mary is so thankful for what God has done, that He would choose her, from all the women in the world, to have the blessing of carrying and giving birth to God’s Son.

Mary was just an ordinary girl, growing up in a nondescript village, far from the main travel routes that led to Jerusalem.

Mary calls herself “His [God’s] bondslave” [this is the feminine form of the Greek word for slave. Mary is the first one in the New Testament to call herself a slave of God. Even though she was the mother of the Messiah, she reached no special place of prominence among those first Christians.

Acts 1:13-15,

“When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together).”

Read Luke 1:49-50…

49 “For the Mighty One has done great things for me;

And holy is His name.

50 “AND HIS MERCY IS UPON GENERATION AFTER GENERATION

TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

Mary now begins to praise God for all He has done throughout the ages, verse 50 is quoted from

Psalm 103:17,

17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,

telling how God’s salvation will be offered to all who fear Him, to all who revere His Name and seek to do His will, while giving glory to Him and Him alone.

Read Luke 1:51-53…

51 “He has done mighty deeds with His arm;

He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart.

52 “He has brought down rulers from their thrones,

And has exalted those who were humble.

53 “HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS;

And sent away the rich empty-handed.

Mary speaks of God’s mighty deeds in destroying the proud and wicked (e.g., the Philistines, Canaanites, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, etc.), while at the same time giving aid to the humble, to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for God alone is sovereign and worthy of praise and worship.

Isaiah 65:13,

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ’Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.’”

Read Luke 1:54-55…

54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

God went out of His way to care for Israel (like a loving father cares for a wayward or prodigal son), time after time Israel turned away from God and did evil in His eyes, and yet God continued to love them.

Jeremiah 29:11-14,

“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

Mary closes this prophetic proclamation of praise to God in

Luke 1:54-55,

54 “He has given help to Israel His servant,

In remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

by speaking of the covenant God made with Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and the Tribe of Judah, through whom Jesus Christ would ultimately be born to a descendant of David, in the town of Bethlehem, to a virgin named Mary.

God’s covenant to Abraham would be made effectual through the death of the Child Mary was carrying in her womb; the Lamb of God who dies for our sins, so that everybody who believes in Him receives forgiveness for sin and eternal life.

Notice. in Luke 1:55,

55 As He spoke to our fathers,

To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

that God’s promises are “to Abraham and his descendants forever.” This is not talking about the nation of Israel or those who have descended from the blood line of Abraham; this is talking about eternal descendants, those who have been born again by the Spirit of God, through belief in Christ.

Galatians 3:26-29,

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

Read Luke 1:56…

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home.

Luke 1:26-39

29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.

30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

32 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;

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 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.

36 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.

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

38 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.

39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah,

tells us that when Gabriel visited Mary with the news of her conception by the Holy Spirit, it was during the sixth month of her aunt Elizabeth’s pregnancy, at which time Mary hurried off to Judah to see Elizabeth, where she stayed “for about three months,” and then she went home to Nazareth.

Next Sunday we will read through

Luke 2:1-20,