Andrew Fountain - Jesus, the Light, is born into this World

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I’m going to show a ten min video of clips taken from the Nativity movie
- I actually own the full movie, but what I’ve done here is put together a set of free clips and trailers from the internet
Three main points from the video
1. The world was not very pleasant place to live in those days (Romans etc.)
2. Mary was a virgin—which had lots of complications! (we often don’t really think about these)
3. Mary and Joseph were very ordinary people with emotions like the rest of us.

I want to talk about one point that the video made, that Jesus was born of a virgin
Now why would that be important?
- some people say it’s just a metaphor
Actually, everything hinges on this.
- If Joseph, or someone else, was Jesus’ father, then really there is no point to Christianity
- Jesus was just a good man
- His teachings are just something to be put alongside other good teachings
- His death was no more than a good man dying, as good men often do

We have to reach up to something better
- Somehow mankind has to rise above itself by our own effort
Our only hope is for God to reach down and help us.
- Jesus’ birth was a result of God reaching down to us, rather than we reaching up to God

Mat 4:16 “the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
How do you get rid of darkness
- If I have a box here, filled with darkness,
- how should I get rid of it?
- open the box!
Shine the light

The birth of Jesus was a wonderful free gift of God
He was willing to become one of us in order to help us
This is why it had to be the way it did, with
- being born in a dirty animal-building
- having shame associated with his birth
- as he grew up having to work with his hands and not being wealthy
If he had been born into some great king’s household, then he could not have identified with you and me
Finally his death was able to pay the price to rescue billions of people because it was not an ordinary human death

what happens if I have a box full of creepy crawly insects and I shine a bright light into it?
Some people came to Jesus and he took away their darkness and gave them light
Some people hated the light
John 3:19–21
1. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.
2. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
3. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.”
What are you going to do?
Come to the light and have your dark hearts dealt with!