What happened at Christmas

— Luke 1 & 2, Matthew 1 & 2

 
 
Click here to advance the slides.
Then use the right → and left ← keys on your keyboard to go forwards or backwards.

• Andrew Fountain — Dec 18, 2011

The Promises

• God promised to Eve that one of her descendents would destroy evil forever
• God promised to Abraham that one of his descendents would cause blessings to come on the whole world
• God promised to Jacob that this mysterious one would come through his son Judah
• God promised to Moses that this coming one would be great prophet like him
• God promised to David that…

Promised Messiah

• God messiah’d (anointed) David as king
• and promised that there would be a future Messiah/Anointed/Christ coming
• Same word:
  • “the Messiah”
  • “the Christ”
  • “the anointed” (as king)

Creation declares God’s Glory

• Psalm 19:
  “The heavens declare the glory of God,
  the sky proclaims his handiwork.”
• But Jesus came to give us a much fuller revelation of God
• So what does Jesus’ coming reveal about God?

Humble birth

• 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
• Jesus said to Philip: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” John 14:9

New Creation

• What does this tell us about the New Creation?
• A lot of things are reversed from our Old expectations

Overview of Matt 1:18-2:23

1. Mary becomes pregnant (of the Holy Spirit) and Joseph has a vision
   • Jesus born in Bethlehem
2. (approx 1 year later) The convoy of wise men from the East
   • Found the child in a house with Mary and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh
   • Didn’t report back to Herod, —angered him
3. Supernatural warning and escape
   • Escape to Egypt from murder of all children up to 2yrs
4. (April, 4 B.C.) Herod dies, the family returns …to Nazareth
   • Supernaturally warned in a dream

Our response: Philippians 2

5. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,
6. who though he existed in the form of God
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be grasped,

Philippians 2

7. but emptied himself
   by taking on the form of a slave,
   by looking like other men,
   and by sharing in human nature.
8. He humbled himself,
   by becoming obedient to the point of death
   — even death on a cross!
9. As a result God exalted him
   and gave him the name that is above every name,

Philippians 2

1. Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy,
2. complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.
3. Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.
4. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.