Episodes
Wednesday Dec 27, 2017
The Coming of the King: Luke 2:4-5; various texts
Wednesday Dec 27, 2017
Wednesday Dec 27, 2017
The Coming of the King
Luke 2:4-5, 10-14; various texts
Why Bethlehem?
- Was Jesus’ birth in the Bethlehem a matter of coincidence or was there more to it?
- Bethlehem has a rich history before the birth of Jesus
- It is near where Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, was buried (Gen. 35:19)
- One of the minor judges, Ibzan, was a Bethlehemite (Jdg. 12:8-10)
- A Bethlehemite girl was the victim of a sever lack of hospitality by the men of Gibeah (Jdg. 19-20)
- An irony lost on the people of Bethlehem in Jesus’ day
- It was the hometown of Naomi and became the adopted home of Ruth
- And it was the hometown of David
- Because of its connection with David, Bethlehem became associated with the coming Messiah (Mic. 5:2-5a)
- Thus, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem was not coincidence
- But rather, part of God’s orchestrated plan
- And a clear declaration that Jesus came to be Messiah!
What is Messiah?
- Messiah is the promised king of Israel
- From the lineage of David
- Called Christ in Greek
- The expectation of the Jews of Jesus’ day was that Messiah came to conquer Israel’s enemies
- Seen as Rome in that time period
- But, the people’s expectations were wrong
- Something He was suspected of (John 7:42)
- Something He was mocked for (Mark 15:32)
- Something He was arrested for (Luke 23:2)
- Jesus came to be Messiah
- The king who would win victory over the enemies of God’s people
- The king who would bring peace (Isa 9:6-7)
- But, the enemy was not Rome or some human institution
- It was sin & death
- And the peace He offers is not simply a lack of conflict
- But real peace with God (Rom 5:1)
- That was the message that the shepherds heard that night over 2000 years ago (Luke 2:10-14)
So What?
- Do you know Jesus as King?
- Do you have peace with God through Jesus?
- That is what why we celebrate this time each year
Meditation Verse: Luke 2:14
Monday Dec 11, 2017
The Coming of the Savior. Luke 2:10-14
Monday Dec 11, 2017
Monday Dec 11, 2017
The Coming of the Savior
Luke 2:10-14, various texts
Why a Baby?
- Why did we need this child to come into the world the way He did?
- If God wanted to step into human history, could He had done so without becoming human?
- Or could He had simply come as an adult?
- Not if He wanted accomplish part of Jesus’ mission
- To be a Savior for humanity (Luke 2:11-12)
- Jesus coming as a baby was a sign that He came to be our Savior
- He came to be human in every way, so that He might experience every aspect of humanity
- In order to sympathize with us (Heb. 4:15)
- Thus, the rags & manger
- Before this, Jesus did not know what poverty was like
- As, God owning all things
- Before this, Jesus did not know what powerlessness was like
- As God, being all-powerful
- So, He took on the lowest, most vulnerable of humanity to know what it was truly like to be human (Phil. 2:6-8)
- And He invites us to do the same
- He came to be human in every way, so that He might experience every aspect of humanity
- In order to redeem it all (Titus 2:14)
- In order for Jesus to do His redemptive work on the Cross, He needed to be an appropriate substitute for us (Heb. 2:17)
- Before this, Jesus did not know what poverty was like
- Thus, the rags & manger
- In order to sympathize with us (Heb. 4:15)
The Great Savior
- Jesus came to be our Savior because we needed saving
- From our sins
- From death
- From ourselves
- That’s why He is named ‘Jesus’ (Matt. 1:21)
- It means “The Lord saves”
So What?
- We celebrate Jesus coming to be our Great Savior
- Saving us from our sins, death, and ourselves
- Are we trusting Him to do this in us?
- And declaring it to the world!
Meditation Verse: Matthew 1:2
Monday Dec 04, 2017
The Coming of the Great Shepherd: Luke 2:8-14, various texts
Monday Dec 04, 2017
Monday Dec 04, 2017
The Coming of the Great Shepherd
Luke 2:8-14, various texts
Why Shepherds?
- Why did God choose shepherds to first hear the good news about the birth of Jesus?
- In that day, shepherds were social outcasts
- There is a strong link between shepherds and Israel’s history
- Abel was a shepherd (Gen. 4:2)
- The Patriarchs of Israel were all shepherds
- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
- When the Israelites moved to Egypt under Joseph because of a famine in Canaan
- They were given the land of Goshen to live in because it was good land for herding sheep (Gen. 46:34)
- And the Egyptians detested shepherds
- Moses served as a shepherd to his father-in-law (Ex. 3:1)
- David was a shepherd before he was king (1 Sam. 17:34)
- They were given the land of Goshen to live in because it was good land for herding sheep (Gen. 46:34)
- The image of the shepherd became associated with the leaders of Israel ( 27:17; 2 Sam. 5:2, 7:7; 1 Kgs. 22:17; 1 Chr. 11:2, 17:6; 2 Chr. 18:16; Ps. 78:71)
- And was often used as a lament when there were no one godly to lead, especially during the time of the Prophets ( 10:2; see also Jer. 22:22; 49:19; 50:44; 51:23; Ez. 34:5, 8; 11:16-17)
- But God is also described as a shepherd (Isa 40:10-11; see also Gen 49:24; Ps. 23; 28:9; 80:1; Jer. 31:10; Ez. 34:15)
- And the promised Messiah is described as a shepherd (Ez. 34:15-16, 23-24)
- God sent the angels to these shepherds to declare the coming of the promised Shepherd who would:
- Seek the lost
- Bind up the injured
- Strengthen the weak
- Bring justice to the oppressed
- And who to better recognize a good shepherd than other shepherds
The Great Shepherd
- Jesus claimed to be God’s shepherd (John 10:14-15)
- Sent by the Father
- Taking care of His sheep
- Who, in turn, listen to His voice (John 10:4)
- And follow where He leads
So What?
- We can celebrate because Jesus came to be our Great Shepherd
- Seeking the lost, binding up the injured, strengthening the weak, and bringing justice to the oppressed
- Are we listening to His voice like good sheep?
Meditation Verse: John 10:14-15
Version: 20240320