After The Angles are Gone

    Luke 2 10-20

 1.     Saviour to Praise vs 20

a.     For His Person

b.     For His Past

c.      For His Present

d.     For the Prospect of His Return

2.     Story to Proclaim vs16-20

a.     Their Experience

b.     Their Excitement

c.      The Effect on them

3.     Service to Perform vs19

     a.     Mary’s Duty as a mother

1)     Feed – Right & Regular

2)     Fresh Clothing – Clean

3)     Fit Dwelling – Place to live

b.     Mary’s Devotion as a mother

c.      Mary’s Delight as a mother

 

 

What Child is This?

Matt. 22:42

A hymn sung a lot at this time of the year is titled, "What Child is This?" That's a very important question. Some people called Jesus the son of David, the subject of our text.  Others called him the son of Joseph. That was a mistake. The Bible points out the difference between the physical relationship of Joseph and Mary to the Lord in Luke 2:33 (in the King James Bible; most other newer "perversions" butcher the verse). 

The Bible calls Him

            1. The son of David

            2. The son of Mary

            3. The son of Man

            4. The Son of God 

I want to look at those four titles, of which variations are given in scripture, and point out four different aspects of the Christ-child. 

 

 I. As The Son Of David, He Was The Sovereign Child 

Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 

Luk 1:31-33 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

     A. He was the rightful king 

     B. He was the rejected king 

     C. He is the RETURNING king! Amen!  

 II. As The Son Of Mary, He Was The Supernatural Child 

Mar 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.    Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

     A. This birth was seemingly impossible 

     B. This birth was stedfastly investigated

        1. By Joseph    2. By the shepherds    3. By the wise

        4. By Herod     5. By angels     6. By the devil     7. By God Almighty 

     C. This birth was supremely important  

III. As The Son Of Man, He Was The Servant Child 

Mat 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 

Phi 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

As the SERVANT child, the Lord Jesus Christ 

     A. Shared the problems of the flesh

        1. Physical weariness

        2. Hunger and thirst

        3. Physical pain      However, He never SINNED! 

     B. Submitted to the purpose of the Father 

     C. Showed a pattern for us to follow

        1. Obedience

        2. Patience

        3. Ministry to others 

 

 IV. As The Son Of God, He Was The Saviour Child 

Mat27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.   As the Son of God 

     A. He was the only sinless man who ever lived 

     B. He was the only sacrifice that could TAKE AWAY sins 

     C. He is the only Savior who can take you to heaven -  Jn. 14:6!!

Christian and His Concern

DAN 3:1; 5; 12

I. As the end gets closer, the days will get darker.

How will the devil try to manipulate and squeeze you? Through . .    

            A. Emotional Enticement

                        1. The music of adultery, drugs, death

                        2. Love or Lust? Who can tell?          

            B.  Social Inducement

                        Going against the tide . . .

            C. Governmental Enforcement

            D. Spiritual Defilement

                        1. Satan doesn't want causalities; he wants converts.

                        2. We are looked upon as un-American if we don't  

accept everyone's religion. 

II. As the days gets darker, the saints need to shine brighter.  Dan 3:13 -

Pressure to conform presents opportunities to stand. Why did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stand?

            A. They had a settled faith. My mind is made up!

B. They had a strong faith. Dan 3:17

C. They had a steadfast faith. 3:18

                        1.Hebrews ll:32-39--and others were tortured.

2. "Faith is not as much receiving from God what you desire as it is accepting from od what He gives."

                        3. Rom 8:35-39  

III. When the saints shine brighter, the world sees clearer. Dan 3:24-25 -       

A. Cleansing of the Saints - "The only thing that the fire burned off  them was what the world put on them."

B. Company of the Savior - "Jesus did not come to get you out of trouble. He came to get into trouble with you."

            C. Conviction of the Sinner -- Dan3:28

THE CHRISTIAN AND HIS CHURCH

HEBREWS 10:19-25

One of the great problems of the 20th century is that people who call themselves godly  are neglecting the church.  Sunday is not the weekend .

Some people only go to church 3 times in their life, when they are - Hatched (throw water)  - Matched (throw rice) – Dispatched (throw dirt)

WHY WE SERVE THROUGH THE LOCAL CHURCH

1. Let us Worship together (v. 19-22.

Salvation does not come by learnng lessons from the life of Christ but by receiving life by the death of Christ.  God wants us to worship not because of what worship does for God but for what worship does for us.

A man becomes like what he worships. First the man molds the idol, and then the idol molds the man.  God wants us to become like Him.  

Worship is all that I am responding to all that He ls.

2. Let us Witness together (v.23).  

What does it mean when you walk through the doors of your church? I still believe!

            “The faith that fizzles before the finish had a flaw from the first.” 

3. Let us Work together (v.24). 

"I had a good  preacher as a teenager, yet I don't remember a sermon he preached.  But I do remember Mr Shultz, Mrs Tucker, Mr Grissom. These folks invested something in me, and they exhorted me." 

When we go to church, we say "God is important to me, and you are important to me." 

Ill: A man wanted to empress a girl wrote her a letter everyday for 365 days, she married the postman. 

What if someone says, "Jesus, yes; the church, no"? I say “you can't separate the head from the body.

 

                             The Christian and His Country

 

As someone wrote:
It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician, Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the VETERAN, who salutes the Flag, Who serves under the Flag.

Today we want to honor all our armed service veterans. To you, veterans, we owe a debt of gratitude because you were willing to go, to serve and to give on behalf of the United States of America! God bless you!

Now let’s think about what it takes to be a veteran of the faith of Christ, something we all need to be and do.  

 

First let me remind you that you can’t become a Veteran unless you have enlisted in the fight. Salvation is our enlistment.

I. OBEY THE COMMANDER    Luke 6:46

Some people have authority and some just pretend to have authority. Some people have authority and some just “wanna be” in authority.  Our President has authority. While we may not agree with everything he does or says, he is still our Commander-in-Chief. We must support him in prayer. 

      

Our ultimate commander-in-chief is the Lord Jesus Christ!  Eph 1:22  Christ is the head of the body, the church. WE NEED TO LISTEN TO HIM!

II. ENGAGE THE ENEMY  I Peter 5:8-9

 Some church members do more shooting at one another than they do the real enemy.  We Christians are at war, but we are not to be at war with one another! When we fight with one another we are only helping the enemy. The devil loves church fights, etc. We need to fight against such things by fighting against him!  Eph 6:12;  I Pet 5:8  Our real enemy is Satan. We need to fight against him. We do that by bringing in the big guns of prayer, Bible study, church, giving, serving, etc.

III. FIGHT TO THE END   Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:12-14

The Christian life is not a matter of coming to church on Sunday morning and then forgetting all about the faith the rest of the week. It’s 24/7.  Brothers and sisters, we are called to fight in a war, not sit around and gripe about what we don’t like in life or in the church.

II Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight.” Have we? Will we? Will we ‘til our dying day?
CON: War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight is a miserable creature…”

There are some things are worth fighting for: our freedom in America and our freedom in Christ!

God bless the USA! God bless our US veterans! And God bless the veterans of the Christian faith!

CHRISTIAN AND HIS CAREER

EPH 6:5-8

How can your job be a temple of devotion and a lampstand for witness to the Lord Jesus Christ?   "God takes ordinary people, puts them in ordinary places, and then does extraordinary things with ordinary people."

I. The Virtue of Everyday Work          

A. Every day is a holy day. All ground is sacred ground. And all service is to be to Jesus.  Col 3:11 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

B. "Every Christian is in full-time Christian service."  Col 3:22-24 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

C. llustration of Daniel--taken into captivity as a slave 

II. The Victory of Everyday Work           

A. The dog-eat-dog work environment of today.  Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world,but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.  Phi 2:14-15 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.

            B. Leading separated lives does not mean living in isolation.

            C. How do we let our light shine?

                        1. Don't brag.

2. Don't nag.   Col 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace,   seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

                        3. Don't lag.    "It's a sin for a Christian to do less than his best."

4. Don't sag. 1 Pet 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. 

III. The Value of Everyday Work 

A. Pro 14:23a In all labour there is profit . . . "All work has eternal significance. Work is not a punishment for sin."  

            B. Bloom where you are Planted.  Jer 29:4-7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.     

C. The darker the night, the brighter your life will shine.  "The greatest mission field in the world is where Christians go to work every Monday morning."

Themes of the Bible 

 1. Preparing the World for Jesus. (O.T.)

    Politically, Religiously, Economically, Geographically, and Prophetically

2. Presenting Jesus to the World. (Matt - John)

    Birth, Life, Sermons, Teachings, Parables, Miracles, Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Ascension.

3. Preaching Jesus to the World. (Acts)

    Peter, Paul, Stephen, and Phillip.

4. Platform of Doctrine. (Romans)

    Reprobate Mankind, Redemption, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Responsibility.

 5. Problem Involved & Resolved.  (1 Cor & 2 Cor)

    Contentions, Carnality, Corruption, Confusion.

 6. Possessing Christ. (Gal, Eph, Phil, Col,)

    Heavenliness & Happiness

 7. Predicting the Future. (1 & 2 Thess)

    Rapture, Resurrection, Review, Reunion, & Reward.

 8. Pastoral Care. (1 & 2 Tim. & Tit)

    Responsibility for New Babes in Christ.

 9. Practicing Our Faith. (James)

    Doers Not Hearers Only.

10. Practical Living. (1 & 2 Peter)

    Suffering Here & Reigning There.

11. Principle of Love.  (1, 2, 3, John)

    Fellowship, Faithfulness, Fullness.

12. Preservation of the Faith (Jude)

    Certain Men-Creeping Men-Condemned Men.

13. Prophetic Program. (Revelation)

    7 Churches - Jesus in the Midst.
    7 Seals - Jesus Worthy to Open the Book
    7 Vials - Jesus A Lion Not A Lamb.

Be Responsible and VOTE

 

“Bro Dave,” some have ask, “Who did you vote for?”

·        I voted for the most pro-life candidate, because God hates the shedding of innocent blood. (Prov.6:17)

·        I voted for the most pro-marriage candidate, because God instituted marriage between one man and one woman. (Matt 19:4-6)

·        I will vote for the most pro-Israel candidate, because God blesses those who blesses Israel & curses those who don't! (Gen.12:3).

·        I voted for the most pro-debt reduction candidate, because the borrower is servant to the lender. (Prov.22:7).

·        I voted for the most pro-work candidate because God says that if any would not work, neither should he eat. (2 Thess.3:10)

·        I voted as close as I can on God's Word. (2Tim.3:16).

·        Knowing that whoever gets elected, God is the one who puts all men in authority. (Dan.2:21).

For me, my decision has been made. Be sure you make yours by Election Day!

 

Basics to Prayer

 

Have you struggled with prayer? Does prayer seem like an exercise in eloquent speech that you just don't possess? 

 

Prayer is not a mysterious practice reserved only for preachers and the religiously devout. Prayer is simply talking to God. Believers can pray from the heart, freely, spontaneously, and in their own words. If prayer is a difficult area for you, learn these basics principles of prayer and how to apply them in your life.

 

1.      What Does the Bible Have to Say About Prayer?   The Bible has a lot to say about prayer. The first mention of prayer is found in Genesis 4:26

 

2.      What is the Correct Posture for Prayer?  There is no correct or certain posture for prayer. In the Bible people prayed on their knees (1 Kin 8:54), bowing (Exo 4:31), on their faces before God (2 Chr 20:18; Mat 26:39), and standing (1 Kin 8:22). You may pray with your eyes opened or closed, quietly or out loud—however you are most comfortable and least distracted.

 

3.      Should I Use Eloquent Words?  Your prayers need not be wordy or impressive in speech.  Mat 6:7  Ecc 5:2

 

4.      Why Should I Pray?   A.  Prayer Develops Our Relationship with God.  If we never speak to our spouse or never listen to anything our spouse might have to say to us, our marriage relationship will quickly deteriorate. It is the same way with God. Prayer—communicating with God—helps us grow closer and more intimately connected with God. Zec 13:9  Joh 15:7   B.  The Lord Instructed Us to Pray. One of the simplest reasons to spend time in prayer is because the Lord instructed us to pray. Obedience is a natural by-product of discipleship.  Mat 26:41  Luk 18:1  Eph 6:18

 

5.      What If I Don't Know How to Pray? The Holy Spirit will help you in prayer when you don't know how to pray. Rom 8:26-27

 

6.      Are There Requirements for Successful Prayer?  Yes, there are some requirements found in the Bible for successful prayer.  Successful prayer requires:

       • A humble heart  2 Chronicles 7:14
       • Wholeheartedness Jeremiah 29:13
       • Faith Mark 11:24
       • Righteousness   James 5:16
       • Obedience  1 John 3:22

7.      Does God Hear and Answer Prayer?    Yes, God hears and answers prayer. Here are several examples of this promise from the Bible.  Psa 34:17   Psa 91:15

8.      Why are Some Prayers Not Answered?    Sometimes our prayers are not answered. The Bible gives several reasons or causes for failure in prayer:

       • Disobedience - Deuteronomy 1:45; 1 Samuel 14:37
       • Secret Sin - Psalm 66:18
       • Indifference - Proverbs 1:28
       • Neglect of mercy - Proverbs 21:13
       • Despising the Law - Proverbs 28:9
       • Bloodguiltiness - Isaiah 1:15
       • Iniquity - Isaiah 59:2; Micah 3:4
       • Stubbornness - Zechariah 7:13
       • Instability or Doubt - James 1:6-7
       • Self-indulgence - James 4:3

Sometimes our prayers are refused. Prayer must be in accord with God's divine will.  1 Joh 5:14

 

9.      Should I Pray Alone or with Others?  God wants us to pray together with other believers.  Mat 18:19  Luk 1:10  Act 1:14   God also wants us to pray alone and in secret: Mat 6:6 Mar 1:35 Luk 5:15-16 Luk 6:12