Epiphany
Notes
Transcript
Handout
I’ve always thought of the 12 days of Christmas as something leading up to Christmas, starting on the 13th and going to the 25th. This isn’t the case though. The 12 days of Christmas start on 25th and push forward with days of celebration and feasting until January 6th.
January 6th is a day that isn’t widely celebrated in our churches today, it is one that is still celebrated in the Orthodox and Catholic churches but not so much in the western Protestantism. The 6th of January is known as the feast of Epiphany and originated around the 4th century.
In fact when we speak of Advent, we are usually speaking of the time leading up until Christmas, but in the 4th and 5th centuries advent was a time for new believers to devote themselves to prayer and fasting for 40 days leading up to the feast of Epiphany at which there would be a great baptism for the new believers.
So today we are going to look at the celebration of Epiphany.
Epiphany means revelation. Something that was once hidden has now been revealed. There are three separate events in the life of Jesus that were mainly looked at.
The coming of the Magi, the wedding feast at Cana, and the baptism of Jesus.
These three events are when Jesus revealed Himself to gentiles, when He revealed his power, and when He was revealed as the son of God.
The Magi
The Magi
Matthew 2:1-12
This is when Jesus was revealed for the first time to the gentiles.
Magi was a priestly term that came from the area or Media or Persia.
Daniel 4:7
7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation.
In the early Greek translations of Daniel, the word for astrologers was translated as magi.
It is most likely that the Magi were Zoroastrianism priests who’s job was astrology, interpreting things from the stars.
Now astrology is wrong, looking for sign in the stars and the skies. However, the heavens to attest to the fact that their is a God.
Psalm 19:1-2
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
No one can stand before the marvelous works in creation and say that their is no God. The bible says only a fool says that their is no God.
From this we know that God created the stars, and set them in motion.
Kepler discovered planetary motion. That mathematically you could figure out where the stars would be because the universe moves orderly, the way that our God who is a God of order designed it.
Even though we aren’t to be looking to astrology to tell us our future, God revealed something of Himself in the skies. That He would be born. These magi who were probably pagans knew enough about the stars to realize that God was doing something and came to worship the king.
At the feast of Epiphany Christians celebrate this event, that God had made Himself known to gentile nations.
If the magi studied enough to know that a king would be born and had the faith to travel great distances to meet Him (probably between 500-1000 miles). Facing a great expense and the danger of bandits and other hazards, how much less excuses do we have who have all the evidence laid out as history.
What extent are you willing to go to because of your faith in Jesus. The Magi traveled probably between 500 and 1,000 miles because they believed God was doing something.
The Baptism of Jesus
The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:13-17
Matthew 3:13-17
(don’t read yet)
Something to consider, is why John was baptising.
John 1:30-31
30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
The reason that John was baptising was 1. to prepare the way of the messiah by calling people to repentance, 2. so that the messiah would be revealed!
Matthew 3:13-17
We see at the baptism of Jesus, his true identity is revealed.
He is beloved of God, He is the Son of God.
With Him, God is well pleased.
He isn’t fallen such as us, where all of the “good” things we try to do, aren’t actually for the glory of God and are the same as filthy rags.
The things that Jesus does, God is well pleased with.
When God is well pleased with us, it isn’t our righteousness He is pleased with but the righteousness of Jesus that allows us to do things that are pleasing to God.
But with Jesus, God was pleased.
Here at the baptism, Jesus was being revealed.
John 1:33-34
33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
The purpose of the baptism, was to reveal the one who would baptise not with water, but with the Holy Spirit.
34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
John’s reaction to realizing who Jesus is, He bears witness of Him.
When we speak of Epiphany, this is it. Jesus’ true identity is being revealed to all who are there and also His cousin.
When people see Him for who He is, we cannot help but bear witness because coming in contact with almighty God will be a life altering experience.
Have you been changed by God?
If so, how has it impacted your life?
Are you bearing witness to who Jesus is? That He is God?
If you have actually been changed, then you will not be able to help but bear witness to the Son of God.
The Wedding Feast at Cana
The Wedding Feast at Cana
John 2:1-11
John 2:1-11
First we see Jesus being revealed to the gentiles, then we see the identity of Jesus being revealed. This last passage is Jesus revealing His power.
v.3
The wine runs out.
Mary, it told us at His birth she took all these things and treasured them in her hear. Here she is telling Him, the wine has run out…like she’s expecting something.
v.11
This is the first sign that He did, and His disciples believed in Him.
This was the first time that Jesus showed His power.
The miracles that Jesus did were to give authentication that He was who He said He was.
He claimed to be God, He revealed that by showing that He could do things that only God could do.
When you think of the 12 days of Christmas, as we approach January 6th. I want you to remember that we serve not only a great and awesome God. But one who has revealed Himself to us. He has made Himself known that we might believe in Him, and bear witness.