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Week 1: Prophecies and Preparations for Jesus’s Coming
Preparation of the World
Prophecies from Genesis to Malachi
Focus on Isaiah
Week 2: God Takes a Human Body
The Messy Line of Jesus
Historical setting of the world Jesus was born into
The Reason why God took on a human body
Week 3: John’s teaching in 5 Steps
5. Now Jesus sends us!
4. So we need to depend totally on Jesus
3. Jesus totally depended on power “from above”
2. We must be born “from above”
1. Jesus came “from above”
The Christmas Story in the Four Gospels
Matt
Mark
Luke
John
Event
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Intro
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Mary becomes pregnant
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John the Baptist’s birth
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Jesus born
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Shepherds
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Simeon & Anna at the temple
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Wise Men Visit & Escape to Egypt
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John baptizes Jesus
Goal for today:
To find the reason for the unusual facts of the story, and how we are expected to respond to it.
The Unseemly Birth Circumstances of the Messiah
Jesus is born
The Shepherds visit
How should we respond today?
Luke 2: Jesus is Born (CSB)
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered.
This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
So everyone went to be registered, each to their own town.
Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David,
to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant.
Luke 2: Jesus is Born
While they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2: Angels & Shepherds
In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
Luke 2: Angels & Shepherds
But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:
Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”
Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people with whom he is pleased!
Luke 2: Shepherds visit
When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the feeding trough.
After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child,
and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and pondering them.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.
Humble birth
Jesus said to Philip: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” [John 14:9]
Is the Father like this, or just Jesus?
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice,
and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? [Mic 6:8]