Mary Had A Little Lamb “The true miracles of Christmas”
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Good Morning and Merry Christmas New Life Family
Congratulations to Devon and Grace Johnson with the birth of Margot
INTRO:
If Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29)
and Mary is the mother of Jesus
Does that mean that Mary had a little lamb? LOL
MESSAGE: “Mary Had A Little Lamb” The true miracles of Christmas
MIRACLE # 1: The Birth Of Jesus
MIRACLE # 1: The Birth Of Jesus
Jesus was conceived miraculously of the Holy Spirit with the Virgin Mary
When Jesus was born his parents wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger.
Survey of adults in America revealed that in:
1994 78% of people communicated they believed in the virgin birth
2007 75% of people communicated they believed in the virgin birth
2014 73% of people communicated they believed in the virgin birth
2017 66% of people communicated they believed in the virgin birth
From 2014 to 2017 the percentage of white mainline protestants who believe in the virgin birth has declined from 83% to 71%
The greatest drop was seen in young adults 18-29 (From 70% in 2014 down to 54% in 2017)
So, does it really make any difference whether Jesus was born of a virgin or not? Absolutely!
If Jesus was not born of a virgin, then the Bible must be dismissed as unreliable.
14 reasons the virgin birth is important: i preached that last week at our 8:30 service
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.
4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,
19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Why would Jesus the Son of God, the Creator of the universe desire to be born into a world that he created and that rebelled against Him?
It’s very simple…To Become The Ultimate Passover Lamb
In some regard you could say that Mary became a shepherd to the Lamb of God
Bethlehem has a rich history of shepherds:
Boaz
Obed
Jessie
David - a shepherd, lowly and overlooked, born in Bethlehem, anointed in Bethlehem as the king of Israel, ruled from Jerusalem where Jesus would be crucified.
Jesus a descendant of David was born in Bethlehem
Shepherds - often paralleled and symbolized the coming Messiah and were the first evangelists of the good news.
Show pics of my trip to Israel and share the history of Bethlehem and the Shepherds.
PIC: Cave of Bethlehem (shepherds would have visited a cave)
PIC: Valley between Bethlehem and Jerusalem (very rough terrain)
PIC: Cave with shepherds and Mary and Joseph
Mishnah - Oral tradition or interpretation
One rule was no sheep could be raised within 4 miles of Jerusalem
Another rule, sacrificial lambs had to be born within 5 miles of the temple in Jerusalem
This cave in Bethlehem is 4 1/2 miles from the temple in Jerusalem
On the jewish holy days the high priest would travel from the temple down through this valley in search of the perfect lamb to be sacrificed in the temple.
The sacrificial animal, which was either a lamb or goat, had to be a male, one year old, and without blemish.
So to prevent injury on the way back to the temple they would wrap the lambs in swaddling strips of cloth and carry it back, and then unwrap it for sacrifice.
COMMUNION: Ushers go ahead and pass out the communion
Pass out the elements please
Passover Lamb
14 When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table.
15 Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins.
16 For I tell you now that I won’t eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”
17 Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves.
18 For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.”
19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
This beautiful picture of Jesus’ birth and miraculous life, ultimately led to world rejection and a brutal death. But it didn’t end there; God the Father would intervene with a world transforming Miracle…The Resurrection of Jesus!
MIRACLE # 2: The Resurrection Of Jesus From The Dead
MIRACLE # 2: The Resurrection Of Jesus From The Dead
Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice in Jerusalem, after his death they wrapped in burial cloths and laid in a tomb.
Jesus was born in the city of David (David’s birth place); He also died in the city of David (David’s capital of Israel; Jerusalem).
BUT THEN…God, miraculously moved the stone covering the tomb and raised Jesus back to life.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!
19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.
20 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.
21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man.
22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
SALVATION CALL:
Do you belong to Christ?
Have you experienced this new life?
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Salvation is a free gift, that seems to be hard for wealthy and powerful people to grasp. (think of the banquet, he gathered people from the highways and byways of life)
CONCLUSION:
It was shepherds, that were trusted with the message of Jesus first.
Now it is those who belong to Christ.
Will we spread the “Good News”?
Will we be the light of Jesus to the dark world?
16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.
Silent Night / Candle Lighting
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Extra Notes:
Why is Bethlehem called the city of David? That is what Jerusalem is called.
In the Books of Samuel, Bethlehem is mentioned as the home of Jesse, father of King David of Israel, and the site of David's anointment by the prophet Samuel.
God chose shepherds to be his evangelists and to share the gospel; the lowly; David a shepherd even became King of Jerusalem the place the Messiah would eventually be sacrificed for the sins of the world.
Bethlehem was David's birthplace and the place where Samuel chose him as the future king to succeed Saul.
The prophet Micah foretold the birth of the Messiah at Bethlehem, although it was only a small town.
Luke may have been making a political statement by naming Bethlehem the city of David. Herod rebuild the temple and tried to be the “King of Jews” but Jerusalem was filled with corruption
Jesus would later challenge Herod’s claim to be king, and assert that Herod’s temple, with its wealth and corruption, was not the center of religious life.
Jesus cleansed the temple of its moneychangers that took advantage of peasant pilgrims and enriched the temple cult ( Matthew 21)
He confronted the high priest and the Sanhedrin who claimed to represent the interests of the people before a righteous God.
By calling Bethlehem the city of David, Luke highlights Jesus’ opposition to the powers that be in Jerusalem.