The Christmas Story

Luke 1: 26-39 & 2: 1-20

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’

“But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

“And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’ Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’

“Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.  For with God nothing will be impossible.’ Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

“So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’

“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

“Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

In the verses from the book of Luke we see the account of the birth of Jesus. Of course, many of us know that Jesus was born; this is a fact of history, but for many we don’t know why He was born. We know that Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem. Over the past few weeks as I have studied and listened to other Pastors who know a lot more than I, I have learned that Jesus was born in a place called the Tower of the Flock.

The Tower of the Flock is mentioned in Genesis 35:21. After Rachel had died in verse 19 giving birth to Benjamin, Jacob pitches his tent in a place called the tower of Eder.  The full name is Megdal Eder, or the Tower of the Flock.  It is still there and can be seen today. The Tower of Eder is where the lambs that were destined for sacrifice were born.  Only lambs born at the Tower of the Flock were used for sacrifice. In Micah 4:8 we are told this:

“And you, watchtower for the flock, fortified hill of Daughter Zion, the former rule will come to you, sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.”

We see here that Sovereignty will come out of the watchtower of the flock.  Jesus was born here, in a place about four miles outside of Jerusalem.  In this place, the Tower of the Flock, the shepherds lived outside with the sheep all year.  They only came inside when the ewes were about to give birth.

These shepherds were ‘priest-shepherds;’ they would have kept the area ceremonially clean, and this was all that they did.  They watched over and cared for the lambs that would be the Passover lambs, according to ICEJ (International Christian Embassy Jerusalem).

This means the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem who first heard the Good News from the angels were not ordinary shepherds, but served the sacrificial system of the Temple.  These men served the Mosaic covenant, a foreshadowing of the new covenant.  And these men were now confronted with the reality of the eternal light to which their ministry had been pointing all these centuries. It was declaring a new era of salvation!

So, when we see the angels addressing shepherds in Luke 2:14-15, they were actually speaking to the shepherds that only cared for the sacrificial lambs.  These lambs, when born, were wrapped in “swaddling clothes”—cloth strips, and put in mangers or stalls so that they would not be harmed.

The lambs had to be spotless and have no blemishes so that they could qualify for being sacrificed.  These shepherds then came from the fields and saw a baby boy, born at the Tower of the Flock and wrapped in swaddling clothes.  They immediately knew that He was born to be sacrificed.  They went and told many about the wonder they had seen (Luke 2:17).

And this is what Christmas is about.  God sent His Son into the world that we can be saved. Jesus, the sinless God in the flesh, Jehovah in the skin of a man, came to show His love for us and to die for us.  Our perfect sacrifice on the cross, He took our punishment and bore our shame, our beatings, our nails, our spear and our deserved wrath.  Jesus, God Himself, died for us so that we can live with Him forever.  Glory to God in the highest!  He has offered us peace on earth.

Have you trusted in Jesus as your Savior?  Have you asked Him to save you?  Are you accepting God’s love for you and giving Him your life?  He gave His for yours.  Even in the last few moments on the day of His death, while in agony and pain, Jesus gave hope to a dying thief.  We find that in Luke 23:40-43:

“But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’  Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

This man admitted that he was justly condemned.  He admitted that Jesus is God, and then he asked Jesus to remember him as He entered His kingdom.

Jesus promised him that “TODAY” he would be in Paradise (verse 43).  This is what Jesus came to do, to pay for the sins of us all and to offer us a place in Paradise with Him.  This offer is as available today as it was that day almost 2,000 years ago to the thief on the cross.

Sadly, one of the thieves rejected the offer and missed Paradise.  He was so close but yet so far.  He could see Jesus and yet missed Paradise.  Many of you will be the same way. You can see Jesus.  You will go to church Christmas day.  You will see the baby in a manger and forget the Christ on the cross.  You will receive the gifts under the tree but reject God’s gift that hung on a tree to pay for your sins and mine.

Trust Jesus today; follow the example of the thief.  Admit that you are a sinner, confess and believe that Jesus is God and then call on Him to save you.  He will!

“.. that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Romans 10:9-13).

Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

FB: Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

 

 

Jerusalem is God’s Earthly City Capital

Lesson 21: Zechariah Chapter 8: 18-23

 “Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Peoples shall yet come, inhabitants of many cities; The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, and seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also.’ Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

Man, do we live in exciting times! Today is December 9, 2017. On Wednesday, December 6^th, President Trump declared that the USA will now acknowledge that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel. This is a historic announcement.

For all intents and purposes, Tel Aviv has been the recognized capital of Israel since Israel re-formed as a nation in May 1948. Even after the Six-Day War in 1967, when they retook Jerusalem, no one wanted to defy the Palestinian Authority and declare that Jerusalem was the ancient and rightful capital of Israel. Well, with the USA declaring that recognition and planning to move its embassy to Jerusalem, there is no longer any doubt.

Out of courtesy I asked one of the co-workers about how his week was going after having a day off and not seeing him for a day. He commented that his week was good except for the idiocy that President Trump did in Israel. I forgot that he was a Muslim. He is from Egypt. I commented that I was good with it.

So, the stage is gradually being set for the return of Jesus to rule the whole earth from Jerusalem. The Muslims may squawk, and they will, loudly. There may be bombs and rallies and suicide bombers, but the stage is set. Let us not forget that the Antichrist will also seek Jerusalem from where to rule the earth. Satan knows enough of the Bible to know that Jerusalem is God’s earthly city capital.

The prophecies of Zechariah that we are to explore today deal with the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus. This will be a time of peace on earth when Satan is caged in a pit for 1,000 years. The period of time is described this way:

Revelation 20:1-3 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.”

During this time, there will be some other really cool things that will happen. There will be no infant deaths, and living to 100 will be commonplace.

Isaiah 65:20 “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred, And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.”

Even the animals will be at peace.

Isaiah 11:6 “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them.”

And as we mentioned before, Jerusalem will be the political and spiritual capital of the earth. 

Isaiah 2: 2 “Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.”

So, what we have witnessed over the past few days is just the beginning, as we see the world being set up for the next phase. The New World Order that has been prophesied by Presidents Bush Sr. to Obama, by the Pope, and by the leaders of the EU will be put in place. For now, President Trump is being used of God to set up the pins of God’s prophecies, just so God can knock them down and show His Omniscience. He truly does know the end from the beginning, and He truly has control of tomorrow.

Truth and Peace, verse 19

Today, in our time, truth does not normally bring peace. For instance, if we tell the truth about the ‘transgendered lie,’ there is no peace. The truth is that there are only TWO (2) genders, Male and Female. There are no others, just XX and XY. No amount of surgery, medications, hair growth or hair removal, no amount of hormone therapy or anything else will change that. When we get up and state this truth, it causes a fight and a war. Governments are trying to squelch the freedom of speech for the truth.

But in the time when Jesus rules the earth from Jerusalem, there will be peace and truth. We are called to love peace and truth. In fact, we are to be peacemakers here on earth until Jesus returns. 

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

We are called to search the scriptures—the truth—God’s written declared truths. In the Bible are the truths of creation, life, death, hope, the future, the present and the past. In the Bible are the truths of how to run a business, how to run a family and how to run a country. The Bible shares truths on how to pick your spouse, your friends and your enemies. The Bible has been proven to be true in its science, its history and its geography.

With this truth, those of us who also have Jesus as our Savior are able to find true peace. We have peace in daily life, the peace that Jesus is in control and that He will never abandon us no matter how it may feel or hurt. We have the peace of God in us through His Holy Spirit that carries us when we cannot go on any longer. We have a peace that transcends human understanding and sight.

One day soon this kind of peace will be available to everyone. Jesus will be the clear and present standard of truth; the Bible will still be the Book, and He will usher in an era of peace that we only see movies about. There is no Utopia without Jesus. This is the problem of the New World Order; they want to get peace without Jesus, and that is an impossibility.

All the World will seek the Lord, verse 22

Wow, what if this were true now? What if all the nations simply just sought the Lord? What if they consulted the Bible before making laws and executing judgment? What if each company had to build their business model on Biblical principles of integrity, openness, and serving the poor? What if the economy operated on Biblical financial principles so that all personal debts were wiped out every seventh year? What if we gave people a fresh start and did not burden the next generations with our stupid decisions?

But we still have some leaders that seek the Lord. In all of our governments, even here in North America, we have a few persons who seek the Lord as they perform their governmental duties. They are few and far between, and they are often drowned out, but they are there. The day will come, and soon, when the nations of the world will seek the truth from Jesus. They will travel to Jerusalem and seek Jesus. They will ask for the eternal wisdom of the Almighty God. What a world that will be!

God is with Israel, verse 23

We are told that in that day, not too far from now, 10 men will seek a Jew and ask to go to Jerusalem with him since they know that God is with them. God has been with the Jews since Genesis 12: 1-3 when He called out Abram to follow Him. He has overseen and superintended the Jews for 4,500 years. He has protected them, cared for them and preserved them.

Yes, they have been hurt, killed, maligned and scattered by many all over the earth. God has allowed them to suffer horrendous crimes at times, and still they are His. We see this in passages such as the following:

Deuteronomy 7: 6-8 “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples; but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers; the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

Psalm 105: 8-15 “He has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance,’ when they were only a few men in number, very few, and strangers in it. And they wandered about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people. He permitted no man to oppress them, and He reproved kings for their sakes: ‘Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.’”

Over and over again and again, the Lord makes it clear that Israel is His and those that hurt them do so to their own detriment. God is with Israel even today. They are surrounded on every side by millions of Muslims all clamoring for their destruction, but they cannot do anything lasting – maybe a few rockets here and there, and a skirmish now and then. But they cannot get rid of Israel ever again out of their place, because God is with them.

God can never abandon the Jews, JESUS IS A JEW.  He cannot abandon Jesus. We in the New Testament church are called to pray for Israel, and to wait for the coming of the Lord.

Psalm 122: 6-7 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces.” 

As we come to the season to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, please remember that He was born as the King of the Jews. The first time He came as our Messiah, to take away our sins. The next time He comes, He will arrive as the rightful King of the Jews. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

Missionarybaptistchurch76@ yahoo.ca

FB: Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church