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My name is Rick Renner,
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and today I'm going to
read the Christmas story
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with my wonderful wife, Denise.
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But I want to tell you that I
have a book called - Christmas
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The Rest of the Story. It is fully illustrated.
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It will just bring to life
the story of Christmas,
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and you will learn
things you've never heard
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before in Christmas - The Rest of the Story.
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But Denise, let's get started.
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In Luke 1:26, and the Bible says,
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And in the 6th month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God
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unto a city of Galilee named
Nazareth to a virgin espoused
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to a man whose name was
Joseph of the house of David.
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And the virgin's name was Mary.
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But Denise notices says she was a virgin
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and she was a espoused to man whose name was Joseph.
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Well, the espousal process among the Jews was very serious,
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and in fact, they took
marriage so serious,
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They took one year to prepare for marriage.
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If people were more
serious in their approach
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to marriage today, we were
probably have less divorces.
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But they took one year.
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And during that year, the
woman was to plan, she was
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to prepare, she was to learn from older
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women how to be a wife.
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And during that year, it was
forbidden to have any kind
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of sexual relationship
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between the young man and the young woman.
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So this was a year of separation.
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It was also a year when
they were showing to God
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that they were consecrated
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and they were not going to
sexually violate themselves,
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and God was watching.
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And it was during
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that year period when
they had no sexual contact
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that Mary became pregnant.
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And of course this was
quite an amazing event.
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And the Bible tells us in verse 28,
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And the angel came in unto her
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and said, Hail, thou thou art highly favored.
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The Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women.
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And when she saw him, she
was troubled at his saying
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and cast in her mind what manner
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of salutation this should be.
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Well you can imagine, Mary
at this time was probably
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between 12 and 14 years old.
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Well just imagine: a 12 to 14-year-old girl,
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and suddenly the angel Gabriel shows up
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and the Bible says that she was troubled
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and cast in her mind.
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She was amazed at what was
taking place. Verse 30:
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And the angel said unto her, Fear not Mary;
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for thou hast found favor with God.
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But Denise, how does God choose people?
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Does God just write their names down and put them in a bag
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and treat it like it's a lottery and shake up the names
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and reach down and pull out a name
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and say - oh - this is the person that I'm going to use.
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Why did God give special favor to Mary?
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And the answer is, God had been watching
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Mary. He saw was a dedicated young girl.
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And in fact, as I share in
my book, Christmas - The Rest
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of the Story, she had been trained from childhood
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by her parents that God had a special plan for her life.
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And she grew up as a very
dedicated young girl,
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believing she was raised to
be the handmaid of the Lord.
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She believed that; she was
waiting for her assignment and
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because she had prepared her heart
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and she was waiting, God tagged her
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to become the mother of Jesus.
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That is just amazing.
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And the verse goes on to say in verse 31:
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And behold. By the way - the word behold in Greek means,
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and wow, even the angel was amazed by this.
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You could transit it - And wow, this is amazing,
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thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shall bring forth a son,
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and thou shalt call his name Jesus.
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And the name Jesus means savior, deliverer.
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That's who he is.
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That's who he was then that's who He is
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now. He's our savior and he is our deliverer.
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Then in verse 32: and he shall be great
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and shall be called the son of the highest.
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And the Lord God shall give to
him the throne of his father,
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David, and he shall reign over
the house of Jacob forever
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and of his kingdom.
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There shall be no end.
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And then in verse 34, Denise,
Mary asked a logical question;
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Then said Mary unto the angel - How shall this be seeing
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that I know not a man?
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When Mary says, seeing that, I know not a man,
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it means she'd had no sexual
relationship with anyone.
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So how was this possible? But
notice what Mary did not say.
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She didn't say this couldn't be.
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And in fact, we find Mary
has a receptive heart.
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She's asking questions,
but she's not arguing.
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And when God gives us an assignment in life, we don't need
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to argue with the Lord.
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It is okay to ask for clarification. And Mary says, how?
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How shall this be seen that
I know not a man? Verse 35:
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And the angel answered and said unto her -
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The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,
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and the power of the highest
shall overshadow thee.
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Therefore, also that holy
thing that shall be born of
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shall be called the Son of God.
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And then we find Mary's response in verse 38;
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And Mary said - Behold the handmade of the Lord,
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be it unto me according to thy word.
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And the angel departed from her.
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And when Mary said, be it unto me according to thy word,
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it was in that very moment
when she agreed with God
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that she conceived the Son
of God inside her heart.
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And Denise, that's how we're born again.
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When we agree with God
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and we say, be it unto me,
according to your word,
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be the Lord of my life.
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In that very moment, the
Holy Spirit comes into us,
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and the Son of God is born in
us just in a very similar way
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as it occurred with Mary.
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But this was the moment
when she conceived the Son
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of God in her womb.
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Isn't that amazing?
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It's amazing, Rick.
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And I was thinking as real as it was
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that she received the seed of God,
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that's as real as it is
when we open our heart
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and we say, Jesus, I
want give you my life.
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I receive you. I believe your word.
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And he comes into our life just as real
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as he came into the Virgin Mary.
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That's amazing. But then we're going
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to continue Luke 2:1, which says,
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And it came to pass in those days
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that there went out a
decree from Caesar Augustus
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that all the world should be taxed.
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Well, prophecy said
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that the Messiah would
be born in Bethlehem,
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but Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth,
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which was quite a ways from Bethlehem.
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And they had no natural
reason to go to Bethlehem.
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In fact, Bethlehem was
barely a dot on the map.
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It was a village of about 200
people, maybe some say 150.
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It was just a very small place.
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But according to scripture, that is
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where the Messiah was going to be born.
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But there was no reason for Mary
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and Joseph to go there,
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especially at the moment
when she was about
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to give birth to a baby.
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And suddenly Caesar
Augustus issues a decree.
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The whole world should be taxed.
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A better translation will
be - the whole world should be
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re-registered.
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And what he did was give an
order for everyone to return
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to their original hometown, to re-register so
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that they would know how
large was the Roman population
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and what was the tax base.
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So suddenly the whole
world is in movement.
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And it is amazing that
it happened at this time.
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There was no reason for Joseph
and Mary to go to Nazareth,
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but God needed to get them there.
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And now we find God was willing to move the whole world
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to inconvenience the whole planet, to get Mary
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and Joseph where they needed to be.
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Because Rick, that was prophesied over
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and over again that he would be born in Bethlehem.
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And that's amazing
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because God, the word says that he directs the steps
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of a righteous man,
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And he does
Well, Rick,
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he was definitely directing their steps and
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and changing the whole system of the world for
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that one event to fulfill that prophecy.
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And can you imagine
the complaining people
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who must have said, Ugh,
why do we have to go back
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to our hometown?
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People had to take vacations
they didn't want to take.
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They had to close their businesses.
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They had to leave education.
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People moving around, moaning,
groaning, complaining.
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What is this all about?
But God was moving.
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And Denise, sometimes God will move Heaven
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and Earth to get us where we need to be.
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And sometimes we might complain
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and we don't understand
that God is moving,
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but God was moving Heaven
and Earth just to get Mary
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and Joseph where they needed to be
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so Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.
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And my friends, I wanna tell you
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that God has a plan for your life.
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And God is so committed to
you fulfilling that plan,
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he will move Heaven and Earth to get you
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where you need to be.
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And you know, Rick,
the word Bethlehem means
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a house of bread - house of bread -
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and he was the heavenly bread coming down from heaven
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for all of us.
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Denise, also think about Mary
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because she was 9-months pregnant right
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at the point of birth.
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Now she's loaded onto the back of a mule
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and she's traveling all
the way from Nazareth.
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This was multiple days. Now
you've carried three babies.
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You know what it's like to be pregnant.
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Just imagine if you were
put on the back of a mule
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and you walked for days and
days and days bouncing up
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and down, up and down, up and down.
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I can't imagine
God was even willing
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to inconvenience them to get
them where they needed to
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be. - That's true.
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And sometimes God inconveniences us
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because he's getting
us where we need to be.
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And he's got a greater plan.
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And he directs the
steps of a righteous man.
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But we read in verse 2:
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And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor
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of Syria and all went to be taxed.
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And the word, all, in Greek
is all encompassing.
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No one excluded. Every single
person in the Roman Empire had
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to be re-registered with the government.
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And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city.
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Verse 4: And Joseph also went up from Galilee out
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of the city of Nazareth, into Judea to the city of David,
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which is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house
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and lineage of David to be taxed with Mary,
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his espoused wife, being great with child. Verse 6:
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And so it was that while they were there,
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the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered.
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And she brought forth her firstborn son
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and wrapped him in swaddling clothes
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and laid him in a manger
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because there was no room for them in the inn.
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Well, when people hear that phrase -
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there was no room for them
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in the inn, people often think, well,
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they were just too poor to afford a room.
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Well, there were only about 150 - 200 people in Bethlehem
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to start with, and hotels usually were empty rooms on the
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second floor of homes.
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Well, everyone was coming
to Bethlehem to re-register,
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and by the time that Mary
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and Joseph got there,
all the rooms were taken.
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So they began to look for
some place to find refuge.
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And if you look at greeting cards,
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00:11:37.830 --> 00:11:41.970
and if you look at paintings,
usually we see Jesus
246
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as a little baby in a
barn with Joseph and Mary.
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But the fact is, Jesus was born in a cave.
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And all around Bethlehem, even today, there are caves
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that were used as barns in the 1st Century.
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And today, when you visit the Church
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of the Nativity in Bethlehem, below
252
00:12:00.730 --> 00:12:05.350
that sanctuary is a cave
where Jesus was born.
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So now Joseph takes his wife
into the back of that cave,
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they find a warm place.
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And it's while they were
there that verse 7 says,
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She brought forth her firstborn son.
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Well, the reason he's called firstborn is
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because he was her first child
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and he was the only
child born supernaturally
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because she was conceived
with Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
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But Denise, when you read Matthew 13:55
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and 56, it says that afterward Mary had other children;
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she had a son named James, a son named Joseph.
264
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She had a son named Simon.
She had a son named Jude.
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And Matthew 13:56 said, that she had girls - plural.
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So there was a whole family of kids,
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but Jesus was the first born
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and the only one that was
conceived by the Holy Spirit.
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The other kids were born naturally.
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But it says she brought her firstborn son
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and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.
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You know, Denise, when we
were growing up, that was one
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of my favorite parts of the story.
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We would say, oh, she wrapped
him in swaddling clothes
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and laid him, him in a manger.
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No one ever told me what swaddling clothes were.
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I just thought they were baby clothes.
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But in fact, these are the little bandages which shepherds
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used to wrap around the
legs of newborn lambs
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to protect their little legs.
281
00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:32.980
And now here is Jesus, born in a barn, a place normally
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where little lambs would be being born.
283
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He was laid in a manger
which was made of stone.
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It was not made of wood.
285
00:13:39.430 --> 00:13:42.400
In fact, today if you go to
the Church of the Nativity,
286
00:13:42.400 --> 00:13:45.160
there is still a stone
manger there in the cave
287
00:13:45.160 --> 00:13:46.930
below that site.
288
00:13:46.930 --> 00:13:49.660
And when Jesus was born,
they looked for something
289
00:13:49.660 --> 00:13:51.700
to wrap the little baby in.
290
00:13:51.700 --> 00:13:54.100
And all they could find were
the little bandages in the
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00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:57.010
cave, which were normally used by shepherds
292
00:13:57.010 --> 00:13:59.440
to wrap the little legs of newborn lambs.
293
00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.900
So now Mary takes those bandages
294
00:14:01.900 --> 00:14:04.990
and she begins to wrap Jesus in bandages
295
00:14:04.990 --> 00:14:09.280
and claws normally for little born lambs.
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Well, here we find that Jesus very first appearance,
297
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he appears as the lamb of God - the lamb
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00:14:17.710 --> 00:14:21.520
of God - to take away the sin of the world.
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That's fantastic,
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Right
301
00:14:23.690 --> 00:14:24.523 line:15%
It's amazing. It is so.
302
00:14:24.523 --> 00:14:27.430
Everything in this story is just amazing.
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And it says in verse 8:
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00:14:29.650 --> 00:14:31.360 line:15%
And there were in the same country,
305
00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.880 line:15%
shepherds abiding in the field,
306
00:14:33.880 --> 00:14:36.700 line:15%
keeping watch over their flock by night.
307
00:14:36.700 --> 00:14:40.090 line:15%
Verse 9: and low - the Greek word means - wow!
308
00:14:40.090 --> 00:14:42.220 line:15%
The angel of the Lord came upon them,
309
00:14:42.220 --> 00:14:44.350 line:15%
and the glory of the Lord
shone roundabout them,
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00:14:44.350 --> 00:14:45.850 line:15%
and they were sore afraid.
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00:14:45.850 --> 00:14:49.210 line:15%
And the angel said unto them - Fear not for behold
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00:14:49.210 --> 00:14:52.370 line:15%
I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be
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00:14:52.370 --> 00:14:55.940 line:15%
to all people. For unto you
is born this day in the city
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00:14:55.940 --> 00:14:57.680 line:15%
of David a savior -
315
00:14:57.680 --> 00:15:00.860 line:15%
it also means a deliverer -
which is Christ the Lord.
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00:15:00.860 --> 00:15:05.330 line:15%
Verse 12: and this will be a sign unto you -
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he was speaking to shepherds -
318
00:15:07.340 --> 00:15:10.580 line:15%
this shall be a sign specifically unto you.
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00:15:10.580 --> 00:15:14.330 line:15%
You will find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes,
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00:15:14.330 --> 00:15:16.370 line:15%
lying in a manger.
321
00:15:17.450 --> 00:15:19.160 line:15%
Why did the angel appear
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00:15:19.160 --> 00:15:21.530 line:15%
to this particular group of shepherds,
323
00:15:21.530 --> 00:15:25.310 line:15%
and why were these swaddling clothes asigned especially
324
00:15:25.310 --> 00:15:26.750 line:15%
to this group of shepherds?
325
00:15:26.750 --> 00:15:31.070
Well, in the fields nearby were Levitical fields
326
00:15:31.070 --> 00:15:34.910
where Levitical shepherds raised little lambs, which were
327
00:15:34.910 --> 00:15:37.970
to be used as sacrifices in the temple.
328
00:15:37.970 --> 00:15:41.390
And they raised hundreds
and thousands of them.
329
00:15:41.390 --> 00:15:44.870
And their job is to be very
vigilant, to be diligent,
330
00:15:44.870 --> 00:15:47.300
to watch over those little Passover
331
00:15:47.300 --> 00:15:49.370
lambs that are being born.
332
00:15:49.370 --> 00:15:52.400
So now the shepherds are out
in the field watching over
333
00:15:52.400 --> 00:15:53.990
to the lambs that are gonna be slain
334
00:15:53.990 --> 00:15:56.120
for the temporal sin of mankind.
335
00:15:56.120 --> 00:15:58.790
And the angel of the Lord appears to them
336
00:15:58.790 --> 00:16:01.550 line:15%
and the equivalent of saying, Hey guys,
337
00:16:01.550 --> 00:16:04.130 line:15%
you're looking at the wrong lamb.
338
00:16:04.130 --> 00:16:05.270 line:15%
The real lamb
339
00:16:05.270 --> 00:16:08.420 line:15%
of God has just been born
in this city of David.
340
00:16:08.420 --> 00:16:10.730 line:15%
And this will be a sign to you.
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00:16:10.730 --> 00:16:12.350 line:15%
You'll know him
342
00:16:12.350 --> 00:16:14.060 line:15%
because when you see him,
343
00:16:14.060 --> 00:16:16.340
he'll be wrapped in little swaddling clothes.
344
00:16:16.340 --> 00:16:20.630
He will look like a little lamb wrapped in those bandages,
345
00:16:20.630 --> 00:16:21.800
lying in a manger.
346
00:16:21.800 --> 00:16:25.820
And when you see him, that's
how you'll be able to identify
347
00:16:25.820 --> 00:16:29.540
that is the real lamb of
God that has been born
348
00:16:30.470 --> 00:16:32.390
to take away the sin of the world.
349
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Is that amazing?
350
00:16:33.470 --> 00:16:35.240 line:15%
Oh, it's amazing, Rick.
351
00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:38.300
And that the angels
would announce all that
352
00:16:38.300 --> 00:16:39.890
to the shepherds,
353
00:16:39.890 --> 00:16:43.010
which they are the like the
lowest in society, right?
354
00:16:43.010 --> 00:16:44.900
Well, no, these were
very important shepherds.
355
00:16:44.900 --> 00:16:46.760
These were Levitical shepherds
356
00:16:46.760 --> 00:16:48.560
who had a very great responsibility,
357
00:16:48.560 --> 00:16:50.510
but they were looking at the wrong lambs.
358
00:16:50.510 --> 00:16:53.750
And we know that after Jesus
was born, some days later,
359
00:16:53.750 --> 00:16:55.490
he was circumcised
360
00:16:55.490 --> 00:16:57.770
and he was dedicated to
the Lord in the temple.
361
00:16:57.770 --> 00:17:01.580
And then when you come to the very end of Luke 2,
362
00:17:01.580 --> 00:17:03.650
the Bible tells us in verse 39:
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00:17:03.650 --> 00:17:06.680 line:15%
And when they had performed all things according to the law
364
00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:09.290 line:15%
of the Lord, they returned into Galilee
365
00:17:09.290 --> 00:17:12.050 line:15%
to their own city, Nazareth.
366
00:17:12.050 --> 00:17:14.900 line:15%
But wait, where are the Magi?
367
00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:17.480 line:15%
There's no Magi in this chapter.
368
00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:20.690 line:15%
Well, to find the magi, you have to go
369
00:17:20.690 --> 00:17:22.880 line:15%
to Matthew 2.
370
00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:25.130
So let's go to Matthew 2.
371
00:17:25.130 --> 00:17:28.040
And in Matthew 2:1, the Bible says,
372
00:17:28.040 --> 00:17:31.790 line:15%
and when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days
373
00:17:31.790 --> 00:17:35.570 line:15%
of Herod the king, behold - there's that word behold again.
374
00:17:35.570 --> 00:17:40.010 line:15%
Wow! There came wise men from the east
375
00:17:40.010 --> 00:17:41.030 line:15%
to Jerusalem.
376
00:17:41.030 --> 00:17:45.350 line:15%
Well, this is the word, Magi and Magi were king makers.
377
00:17:45.350 --> 00:17:49.050 line:15%
These were powerful, powerful individuals with one word,
378
00:17:49.050 --> 00:17:51.630
they could install a king; with one word,
379
00:17:51.630 --> 00:17:53.460
they could depose a king.
380
00:17:53.460 --> 00:17:56.880
And now they have come
from the east to Jerusalem,
381
00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:59.820
and as they come into
the city of Jerusalem,
382
00:17:59.820 --> 00:18:03.300
they are saying, and the Greek tense mean - saying
383
00:18:03.300 --> 00:18:04.470
and saying and saying -
384
00:18:04.470 --> 00:18:07.080
Where is he that is born king of the Jews
385
00:18:07.080 --> 00:18:09.930 line:15%
for we've seen his star in the East
386
00:18:09.930 --> 00:18:12.300 line:15%
and we are come to worship him.
387
00:18:12.300 --> 00:18:13.560 line:15%
In verse 3 says;
388
00:18:13.560 --> 00:18:17.970 line:15%
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled
389
00:18:17.970 --> 00:18:20.250 line:15%
and all Jerusalem with him.
390
00:18:20.250 --> 00:18:22.260 line:15%
Do you know why Herod was troubled?
391
00:18:22.260 --> 00:18:26.400 line:15%
Because he had had a rendezvous with Magi some years earlier
392
00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:28.740 line:15%
who tried to depose him.
393
00:18:28.740 --> 00:18:33.600 line:15%
And the last time he saw
Magi, it was a bad experience.
394
00:18:33.600 --> 00:18:36.540
And now Magi, who have the power to install
395
00:18:36.540 --> 00:18:40.890
or to depose a king, are come riding into Jerusalem saying,
396
00:18:40.890 --> 00:18:43.920
and saying, and saying, it kind of paints the picture that
397
00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:47.550
as they came through the crowd, decorated in all their royal
398
00:18:47.550 --> 00:18:51.660
regalia, a whole caravan with them carrying treasures.
399
00:18:51.660 --> 00:18:53.550
They were saying to the crowd as they passed
400
00:18:53.550 --> 00:18:55.350
through the city, where is he born,
401
00:18:55.350 --> 00:18:58.260
King of the Jews saying and saying, and saying, where is he?
402
00:18:58.260 --> 00:18:59.760
Does anyone know where he is?
403
00:18:59.760 --> 00:19:01.110
And Herod was troubled
404
00:19:01.110 --> 00:19:04.770 line:15%
because it looked like once again, they were
405
00:19:04.770 --> 00:19:06.420 line:15%
going to depose him.
406
00:19:06.420 --> 00:19:09.330
And the Bible says all of Jerusalem was troubled with him.
407
00:19:09.330 --> 00:19:12.870
That is because Herod was paranoid about somebody
408
00:19:12.870 --> 00:19:14.070
taking his throne.
409
00:19:14.070 --> 00:19:19.050
And every single time there
was allegedly a Messiah born
410
00:19:19.050 --> 00:19:22.500
or a rival king, Herod
began killing people.
411
00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:25.350
And so the people of Jerusalem said, ay yi, yi,
412
00:19:25.350 --> 00:19:27.210
here we go again.
413
00:19:27.210 --> 00:19:29.010
Another king has been born.
414
00:19:29.010 --> 00:19:30.930
Herod's gonna begin killing people.
415
00:19:30.930 --> 00:19:34.290
And that's why all of Jerusalem was troubled with him.
416
00:19:34.290 --> 00:19:35.850
In verse 4 says;
417
00:19:35.850 --> 00:19:37.710 line:15%
And when he had gathered all the chief priests
418
00:19:37.710 --> 00:19:41.160 line:15%
and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them
419
00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:43.170 line:15%
where Christ should be born.
420
00:19:43.170 --> 00:19:47.250 line:15%
And they said unto him; In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus,
421
00:19:47.250 --> 00:19:48.420 line:15%
it is written by the prophet.
422
00:19:48.420 --> 00:19:51.780 line:15%
And thou Bethlehem in the land
of Judah, art not the least
423
00:19:51.780 --> 00:19:53.070 line:15%
among the princes of Judah.
424
00:19:53.070 --> 00:19:55.800 line:15%
For out of thee shall come a governor
425
00:19:55.800 --> 00:19:58.080 line:15%
that shall rule my people, Israel.
426
00:19:58.080 --> 00:20:00.510 line:15%
Verse 7: Then Herod,
427
00:20:00.510 --> 00:20:03.420 line:15%
when he had privily called the wise men, inquired
428
00:20:03.420 --> 00:20:05.040 line:15%
of them diligently,
429
00:20:05.040 --> 00:20:10.040 line:15%
what time the star appeared.
Why did he want to know that?
430
00:20:10.230 --> 00:20:14.700
Because he knew the star appeared when the child was born.
431
00:20:15.540 --> 00:20:18.540 line:15%
And if he could determine when the star appeared,
432
00:20:18.540 --> 00:20:22.350 line:15%
then he would know exactly how old was this child.
433
00:20:22.350 --> 00:20:27.030
And the Bible tells us in verse 8: Then he sent them
434
00:20:27.030 --> 00:20:29.130 line:15%
to Bethlehem and said, Go
435
00:20:29.130 --> 00:20:32.010 line:15%
and search diligently for the young child.
436
00:20:32.010 --> 00:20:35.250 line:15%
And when you have found
him, bring me word again
437
00:20:35.250 --> 00:20:37.410 line:15%
that I may come and worship him also.
438
00:20:37.410 --> 00:20:39.210 line:15%
Well, we know from the text
439
00:20:39.210 --> 00:20:41.250 line:15%
that Jesus was about two years old.
440
00:20:41.250 --> 00:20:42.630
And in fact, the word child
441
00:20:42.630 --> 00:20:45.930
that is used here describes a
toddler that's just learning
442
00:20:45.930 --> 00:20:48.010
to talk and just learning to walk.
443
00:20:48.010 --> 00:20:50.020
Well, two years have passed.
444
00:20:50.020 --> 00:20:51.490 line:15%
Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
445
00:20:51.490 --> 00:20:53.500 line:15%
that now the family has gone home
446
00:20:53.500 --> 00:20:55.180 line:15%
and they're living in Nazareth.
447
00:20:55.180 --> 00:20:57.190 line:15%
And by this time, Jesus is old enough
448
00:20:57.190 --> 00:20:59.680 line:15%
that he can tug on his mother's skirt.
449
00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:02.710 line:15%
He's learning to talk. He's
a toddler by this time.
450
00:21:02.710 --> 00:21:06.700 line:15%
And what they don't know is that Jesus
451
00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:08.680 line:15%
and the family have returned to Nazareth.
452
00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:11.140
They think they're still in Bethlehem.
453
00:21:11.140 --> 00:21:13.060
And that is why in verse 8:
454
00:21:13.060 --> 00:21:14.860 line:15%
And he said to them, go
455
00:21:14.860 --> 00:21:17.530 line:15%
and search diligently for the young child.
456
00:21:17.530 --> 00:21:19.810 line:15%
And when you have found
him, bring me word again
457
00:21:19.810 --> 00:21:22.930 line:15%
that I may also come and
worship him also. Verse 9:
458
00:21:22.930 --> 00:21:26.320 line:15%
And when they heard the king, they departed and lo,
459
00:21:26.320 --> 00:21:28.690 line:15%
the star which they saw in the east went
460
00:21:28.690 --> 00:21:30.580 line:15%
before them, till it came
461
00:21:30.580 --> 00:21:33.130 line:15%
and stood over where the young child was.
462
00:21:34.060 --> 00:21:36.160
They were on their way to Bethlehem.
463
00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:38.470
But the star led them differently.
464
00:21:38.470 --> 00:21:41.050 line:15%
And you know Denise, sometimes in life,
465
00:21:41.050 --> 00:21:43.240 line:15%
people will direct us to do one thing,
466
00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:46.000 line:15%
but the Lord will lead us
to do something different.
467
00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:48.760 line:15%
And now we find that though
Herod dispatched them
468
00:21:48.760 --> 00:21:52.720 line:15%
to Bethlehem, the star led
them in another direction.
469
00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:54.340
Where did the star lead them?
470
00:21:54.340 --> 00:21:56.770
Well, the answer is in verse 11.
471
00:21:56.770 --> 00:22:00.670 line:15%
And when they were coming
to the house - wait a minute.
472
00:22:00.670 --> 00:22:02.380 line:15%
Where was Jesus born?
473
00:22:02.380 --> 00:22:05.860 line:15%
He was born in a cave.
He was born in a barn.
474
00:22:05.860 --> 00:22:09.550
But by the time the magi show up, Jesus
475
00:22:09.550 --> 00:22:14.110
and his mother and stepfather
are living in a house.
476
00:22:14.110 --> 00:22:17.080 line:15%
It says that when they
were coming to the house,
477
00:22:17.080 --> 00:22:19.000 line:15%
they saw the young child. Again,
478
00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.790 line:15%
the Greek word here describes a toddler.
479
00:22:21.790 --> 00:22:24.100 line:15%
They saw the young child with Mary, his mother,
480
00:22:24.100 --> 00:22:26.140 line:15%
and fell down.
481
00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:28.300 line:15%
The word fell down means to collapse.
482
00:22:28.300 --> 00:22:32.560
So I want you to imagine - the
holy family is living in their
483
00:22:32.560 --> 00:22:33.640
house in Nazareth.
484
00:22:33.640 --> 00:22:37.900
Suddenly the door opens and in walks Magi.
485
00:22:37.900 --> 00:22:39.640
We don't know how many Magi there were.
486
00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:43.240
Some say 3, some say 12, we're really not sure.
487
00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:44.590
But it was a vast number.
488
00:22:44.590 --> 00:22:48.550
And Magi, because they were so powerful
489
00:22:48.550 --> 00:22:51.640
and political, never traveled alone.
490
00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:53.830
They traveled in caravans.
491
00:22:53.830 --> 00:22:56.920
So it wasn't three little lone kings.
492
00:22:56.920 --> 00:23:00.520
It was three mighty king makers traveling
493
00:23:00.520 --> 00:23:04.030
with a whole entourage, a complete caravan.
494
00:23:04.030 --> 00:23:08.860
And now these mighty political
powerful individuals walk
495
00:23:08.860 --> 00:23:10.960
through the door into the house,
496
00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:12.700
and they're in front of them,
497
00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:17.700
they see the child, and the Bible says they fell down.
498
00:23:17.740 --> 00:23:19.990
Their Greek means - they collapsed.
499
00:23:19.990 --> 00:23:23.860
This was the king of kings. A king so great
500
00:23:23.860 --> 00:23:26.560
the stars even announced his birth.
501
00:23:26.560 --> 00:23:29.290
And they had been waiting for two years
502
00:23:29.290 --> 00:23:32.290
to see this young child.
503
00:23:32.290 --> 00:23:35.440 line:15%
They saw the young child
with Mary, his mother,
504
00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:38.260 line:15%
and fell down and worshiped him.
505
00:23:38.260 --> 00:23:40.690 line:15%
And when they had opened their treasures,
506
00:23:40.690 --> 00:23:41.890 line:15%
and the word opened in Greek,
507
00:23:41.890 --> 00:23:44.860 line:15%
Denise describes a grand opening.
508
00:23:44.860 --> 00:23:47.270
This was not three little boxes with gold,
509
00:23:47.270 --> 00:23:48.830
frankincense, and myrrh.
510
00:23:48.830 --> 00:23:50.420
In fact, here we find the plural
511
00:23:50.420 --> 00:23:51.680
version of the word treasure.
512
00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:54.800
It's treasures. It was cargo.
513
00:23:54.800 --> 00:23:57.260
They brought treasures and
treasures and treasures
514
00:23:57.260 --> 00:24:00.410
and treasures when they came
to see the greatest king
515
00:24:00.410 --> 00:24:02.360
that had ever been born.
516
00:24:02.360 --> 00:24:07.100 line:15%
And they opened their treasures and they presented unto him.
517
00:24:07.100 --> 00:24:08.600 line:15%
And the word presented, in Greek
518
00:24:08.600 --> 00:24:12.110
Denise, carries the idea of a great presentation,
519
00:24:12.110 --> 00:24:14.120
a great presentation.
520
00:24:14.120 --> 00:24:17.330
And they brought him gifts: gold,
521
00:24:17.330 --> 00:24:19.910 line:15%
frankincense, and a myrrh.
522
00:24:19.910 --> 00:24:22.880
Well, gold is a gift for a king.
523
00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:24.890
They were coming to see a king.
524
00:24:24.890 --> 00:24:27.290 line:15%
Frankincense was very, very expensive.
525
00:24:27.290 --> 00:24:31.550 line:15%
And in fact, frankincense was as expensive as gold.
526
00:24:31.550 --> 00:24:35.540 line:15%
And frankincense was used in the temple as a part of prayer.
527
00:24:35.540 --> 00:24:39.470 line:15%
This was high priestly frankincense and myrrh.
528
00:24:39.470 --> 00:24:42.980 line:15%
Myrrh was a perfume but it was also an embalming solution.
529
00:24:42.980 --> 00:24:46.490
And so in these three gifts, they were presenting gold
530
00:24:46.490 --> 00:24:50.510
for a king, frankincense for a priest,
531
00:24:50.510 --> 00:24:55.280
and myrrh prophesying about his eventual death on the cross.
532
00:24:55.280 --> 00:24:59.090
Wow! And being warned of God in a dream
533
00:24:59.090 --> 00:25:00.800 line:15%
that they should not return to Herod,
534
00:25:00.800 --> 00:25:03.350 line:15%
they departed in their own country
535
00:25:03.350 --> 00:25:06.410 line:15%
another way. They went from the north of Israel back home
536
00:25:06.410 --> 00:25:08.660
and completely bypassed Herod.
537
00:25:08.660 --> 00:25:11.630
And Herod was furious with this.
538
00:25:11.630 --> 00:25:14.510
We read this in verse 16: Then Herod,
539
00:25:14.510 --> 00:25:17.360 line:15%
when he saw he was mocked of the wise man,
540
00:25:17.360 --> 00:25:20.150 line:15%
was exceedingly roth and sent forth
541
00:25:20.150 --> 00:25:22.910 line:15%
and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem
542
00:25:22.910 --> 00:25:25.700 line:15%
and in all the coasts there
off from two years old
543
00:25:25.700 --> 00:25:28.040 line:15%
and under, according to the time,
544
00:25:28.040 --> 00:25:31.790 line:15%
which he had diligently
inquired of the wise men.
545
00:25:31.790 --> 00:25:36.350
But here we find Jesus was
at least two years old at the
546
00:25:36.350 --> 00:25:37.970
time the Magi showed up.
547
00:25:37.970 --> 00:25:40.730
Now, Denise, this was a shock to me
548
00:25:40.730 --> 00:25:43.850
because when I grew up
on our Christmas cards,
549
00:25:43.850 --> 00:25:47.570 line:15%
in the paintings, in all of
our church nativity scenes,
550
00:25:47.570 --> 00:25:50.630 line:15%
we always had the shepherds
and the wise men, and Jesus
551
00:25:50.630 --> 00:25:53.750 line:15%
and Mary and Joseph and
the angels all in one spot.
552
00:25:53.750 --> 00:25:56.810 line:15%
But in fact, these were different events that were separated
553
00:25:56.810 --> 00:25:58.490 line:15%
by two years.
554
00:25:58.490 --> 00:26:00.320
So when Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
555
00:26:00.320 --> 00:26:02.450
that's when the shepherds came
556
00:26:02.450 --> 00:26:04.340
and they saw Jesus lying in the manger,
557
00:26:04.340 --> 00:26:07.250
wrapped in swaddling clothes,
which was the signal.
558
00:26:07.250 --> 00:26:10.400
This is the real lamb of God.
559
00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:12.500 line:15%
You guys have been
looking at the wrong lamb.
560
00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:16.010
The real lamb of God has
been born in Bethlehem.
561
00:26:16.010 --> 00:26:19.400
Finally, the holy Family
went back to Nazareth,
562
00:26:19.400 --> 00:26:23.810
and two years later, the Magi
arrive in Jerusalem saying,
563
00:26:23.810 --> 00:26:25.100
Where is he born
564
00:26:25.100 --> 00:26:26.660
King of the Jews.
565
00:26:26.660 --> 00:26:28.970
Herod dispatches them to Bethlehem,
566
00:26:28.970 --> 00:26:31.700
but the star leads them to Nazareth.
567
00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:34.550
When they came into the house
568
00:26:34.550 --> 00:26:37.970
and they saw the young child, they knew
569
00:26:37.970 --> 00:26:41.540
that was the greatest king ever born.
570
00:26:41.540 --> 00:26:45.570 line:15%
The ruler of all rulers,
the leader of all leaders.
571
00:26:45.570 --> 00:26:48.990 line:15%
And by the way, another reason
they knew about Jesus was
572
00:26:48.990 --> 00:26:51.660
because Daniel had lived in Babylon
573
00:26:51.660 --> 00:26:54.210
and Daniel's prophecies
had influenced them.
574
00:26:54.210 --> 00:26:57.600
And they knew that eventually
a star would appear
575
00:26:57.600 --> 00:27:00.780
that would announce the
birth of the Messiah.
576
00:27:00.780 --> 00:27:02.820
Holding onto Daniel's prophecies
577
00:27:02.820 --> 00:27:06.390
when they saw that star, they
knew the Messiah had been born
578
00:27:06.390 --> 00:27:08.880
and they began collecting
all their treasures
579
00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:09.990
and all their gifts,
580
00:27:09.990 --> 00:27:13.200
and they began to make the
long Trek from where they live
581
00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:15.030
to the land of Judea.
582
00:27:15.030 --> 00:27:19.350
And finally, they came to Nazareth, entered into the house,
583
00:27:19.350 --> 00:27:22.350
and they presented their gifts to Jesus.
584
00:27:23.700 --> 00:27:27.480
So Denise, all of this
began when Mary said - Yes.
585
00:27:28.350 --> 00:27:30.900 line:15%
She said, be it unto me,
according to thy word.
586
00:27:30.900 --> 00:27:34.440 line:15%
And in that moment, she
conceived the Son of God.
587
00:27:35.310 --> 00:27:37.560 line:15%
And I'm thinking about you and me.
588
00:27:37.560 --> 00:27:40.620 line:15%
If we want wonderful things
to happen in our life,
589
00:27:40.620 --> 00:27:44.100
let's take this Christmas
as a moment to say - yes -
590
00:27:44.100 --> 00:27:46.740
to whatever it is that
God's asking us to do.
591
00:27:46.740 --> 00:27:48.420
And rather than argue with him
592
00:27:48.420 --> 00:27:52.620
and say, this is impossible,
let's do the same as Mary.
593
00:27:52.620 --> 00:27:54.510
Let's say, Lord, if that's
what you want me to do
594
00:27:54.510 --> 00:27:56.190
with my life, I will do it.
595
00:27:56.190 --> 00:27:58.530
Be it unto me, according to thy word,
596
00:27:58.530 --> 00:28:02.610
and we will conceive all the power, all the strength we need
597
00:28:02.610 --> 00:28:06.420
to do whatever it is that God has asked us to do.
598
00:28:22.260 --> 00:28:24.840 line:15%
This program was made possible by the giving
599
00:28:24.840 --> 00:28:27.870 line:15%
of the God called partners of Renner Ministries.