Saturday, December 23, 2017

The Real Story of Jesus Birth



The Real Story Of Jesus’ Birth


Video Link
Power Point Link



Text Matthew 2, Luke 2


Read Luke 2 and Matthew 2 and then answer the following questions

Where was Jesus born?
Bethlehem of Judea

Why was he born her when His earthly parents lived in Nazareth?
A taxing was order by the emperor and all had to return to their hometowns to be counted.

Who announced his birth?
Angels

Who did they announce it to?
They announced it to the Shepherds.

Where were they told to look for the baby?
They were only that the baby would be lying in a manger, which meant the family were staying with animals, could have been a shallow cave, or a stable.

In Matthew 2 where did Joseph and Mary live when the wise men arrived?
In a house, no longer with the animals, but probably a rented house.

How many wise men were there?
We are not told, only that there were three gifts. This has lead to the idea of three wise men but all we  really know is that there was more than one.

Why did Herod have all the children murdered?  Why 2 years old and down?
This was dating back from the time the star appeared.

So how old then was Jesus when the wise men visited?
The wise men’s visit is around 2 years after Jesus was born. Jesus is no longer a babe but a young child, a toddler, as Matthew points out.




THE PLACE:
          Mary and Joseph returned to Bethlehem because of a census ordered by Augustus and carried out by Cyrenius/ Quirinius, governor (Legat) of Syria. Quirinius was legat of Syria in 6 AD. Many bible historians hold the opinion he was in office 13 years earlier and newer research found there was a census ordered by Rome in 12 BC, which was concluded after 8 or 7 BC. Orders spread out over an entire empire took time, Syria was at the eastern edge of the Roman Empire.

     THE YEAR:
          Jesus was born during the reign of King Herod. Herod the Great ruled from 39BC to his death in 4 BC. Mary and Joseph fled with Jesus to Egypt after the visit of the wise men. In those days no weekend trip and it is assumed they stayed one winter before they heard of Herod's death and returned to Nazareth. So, taking in consideration the census that ended in 7 BC and the death of Herod in 4 BC. Jesus would have to be born between 12 and 5 BC. Today most place his birth at 7-5 BC.

     THE MONTH:
          Luke 2,8: "That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village guarding their flocks of sheep"... During winter nights sheep were normally held in stables. They were only left in the fields during warmer spring or summer nights.

The Real Wise Men

History of the Magi
According to Herodotus, which lists the names of the six tribes or castes of the Medes, the Magi were a hereditary caste of priests. They were highly influential in Median society until the unification of the Median and Persian Empires in 550 BC, after which their power was curtailed by Cyrus the Great and by Cyrus' son Cambyses II. The Magi revolted against Cambyses and set up a rival claimant to the throne, one of their own, who took the name of Smerdis. Smerdis and his forces were defeated by the Persians under Darius I. The Magi continued to exist in unified Persia, but their influence was limited after this and other political setbacks, and it was not until the Sassanid era (AD 226–650) that they would again achieve prominence.

The Book of Jeremiah (39:3, 39:13) gives a title rab mag "chief magus" to the head of the Magi, Nergal Sharezar.   It's also believed by some Christians that the Jewish prophet Daniel was "rab mag" and entrusted a Messianic vision (to be announced in due time by a "star") to a secret sect of the Magi for its eventual fulfillment (Daniel 4:9; 5: 11). - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi

How did the Magi Know about the Messiah?

          The above article is right in that Daniel left a message but wrong in that is was secret. The message was prophetic and would become clear when the time was fulfilled.

          The prophetic passage is found in Daniel Chapter 9, the 70 Weeks Prophecy and is the key to all Biblical prophecy and give the exact date when the Messiah would be born.

What is the purpose of the seventy weeks?
Daniel 9:24  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (Temple) 70 x 7 = 490 years

How does 2 Chronicles 36:20 fit in with Daniel 9? 
2 Chronicles 36:20   And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:  21To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years (70). 

How long is the “week” in Daniel 9?
From Hebrew word shabuwa, meaning seven, or a period of seven (days or years), heptad, week.

How many years then are we actually looking at?
70 weeks x 7 years = 490 years

When event begin the 70 weeks?
Daniel 9:25   Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

When would Messiah be revealed?
At the 69th week.

Now how do you suppose the appearance of the star brought the Magi to the prophecy given over 400 years before?
They saw the star and went back to the prophecies they had recorded. They found the prophecy by Daniel and going backward from the 69th week knew they would be looking for the baby.


Restoration of  Israel
538-424 BC
From command
to rebuild
Neh 2:1-8
445 BC
7
Weeks
to rebuild the wall

Nehemiah receives permission to rebuild the wall.
49 years

Start of God's Countdown
Unto Messiah  Zech 9:9
Mt 21:1-12,14-17 Mr 11:1-11
Lu 19:29-44
Joh 12:12-19
30 AD
62
Weeks
 434 years

Jesus born
450 years

Jesus Revealed
483 years
Four
Centuries
Between
Testaments
Messiah cut off after 69th week
Mt 27; Mr 15;
Lu 23; Joh 19
City Destroyed  70AD
Matthew 24:1-2

Jesus
Crucified

Church
Age


He shall confirm the covenant for 1 week Daniel 9:27
1
Week
Begin of Tribulation
7 Years


Great
Oblation to cease, The abomination of desolation
Daniel 9:27
Matthew 24:15

Midpoint
3 1/2 years
Tribulation



Jesus Returns

Second Coming



The Real Star

Probably the star was a miracle from God, rather than a natural event, still if God chose to use a natural event like a comet or a nova there are some interesting historical events that could fit the description of a star as given in Matthews account.

Defining the word star used by Matthew in chapter 2:2 “Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”
The word star in the original Greek is …
Aster. It is a general term for any kind of heavenly body, i.e. a star, a planet, an asteroid, a comet, or a meteor. 

Possible celestial events

In 12 BC Halley’s Comet was charted by the Chinese started on Sept 10th and continuing for the next 56 days.

In 7 BC the Babylonian astronomers recorded a triple conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, an event that only occurs once every 900 years.

In 5 BC Chinese and Korean astronomers recorded a “broom” or “bushy” star which appeared from March 10th to April 7th. The term “broom” or “bushy” star referred to a celestial event that was not a regular star or planet like a comet or nova. Later in the same year the Chinese recorded another “broom” star this one definitely a comet with an observable tail.

Another conjunction of planets moving though the Zodiac took place in 3 BC which the astrologers of the time would look upon as signaling great changes in the world.


Strengths and Weaknesses
·       Halley’s Comet of 12 BC
The time is before most would say the birth Christ could have occurred. Also, the comet that year was barely brighter than a normal star and would have not attracted much attention from the magi of Babylon whose records would noted it years before.

·       The 7 BC conjunction of the planets
In this conjunction the planets Jupiter and Saturn would have moved within two diameters of the moon from each other three times, on late May, then in September and finally in early December. Jupiter was considered the King of the planets and Saturn was the protector of the Jews by the astrologers of the day.

The problem with this event is the plural conjunctions of the “stars” rather than a singular “star.” Had the planets moved closer together so that they appeared as a single star to the naked eye the language would fit closer that used by the magi when they asked Herod for directions to the Messiah’s birth.

·       The 5 BC “Stars” of the Chinese and Koreans
The star that appeared from March to April was not a comet for it did not move. The best explanation was that it was a nova which would make it brighter than the normal stars and would appear and even reappear as the sun that created the nova could have multiple explosions separated by months or years.

If this event has a weakness it is in the novae themselves. The magi, Chinese and other astronomer/astrologers of the time would probably not think a nova a major portend of great change since they appear about every ten years somewhere in the sky.

·       The conjunctions of 3 BC
To those familiar with astrology the movement of the planets during this time would signal great change and depending on the interpretation of the signs could point to a new world ruler.
The problem with this view is the need for astrology and its very careful interpretation.  Astrology by its very definition must be understood through the interpretation of the astrologer. This would vary greatly between astrologers of Rome and the magi of Babylon. There is not much evidence that the magi used such astrological interpretation to look for the Messiah of the Jews. It would be much more likely that any great events foretold by the stars through astrology would be interpreted with the Roman Emperor Augustus in view rather than anyone from the conquered and inconsequential nation of Israel.

The other problem with this view is the lateness of the date. Most historians believe Herod died in 4 BC and since the birth of Jesus had to occur before Herod’s death any “star” event in 3 BC would be too late.


Conclusion
I am more than content to believe that the “Star of Bethlehem” was a miracle of God, especially when you consider the second reappearance that led the magi to the stable.

If, however God used a natural celestial event in conjunction with the birth of Jesus I would lean towards the 5 BC star and the later appearance in that same year or the next of a comet with it’s tail pointing directly down toward the stable.

However, what is paramount in the real story of Jesus birth is not the exact date or time, but the historical reality of the event. Jesus came into the world as foretold thousands of years before and by multiple 100s of scripture. Jesus was truly born, lived and died and that same historical reality give us more confidence in the scripture and in the other prophecies that are still to be fulfilled.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Walking With The Shepherd #6: My Assurance



Walking With The Shepherd


Psalms 23:6 My Assurance



Audio Link




            Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Introduction:


Sir Walter Raleigh was a famous explorer, poet and writer. He was instrumental in exploring the New World land of Virginia and in making tobacco popular. In 1618 he was arrested and beheaded in the tower of London. They found in his Bible these true and striking lines, written the night before his death:

            Even such is time, that takes in trust
            Our youth, our joys, our all we have,
            And pays us but with age and dust;
            Who in the dark and silent grave,
            When we have wandered all our ways,
            Shuts up the story of our days.
            But from this earth, this grave, this dust,
            My God shall raise me up, I trust!


   I wonder how many of us would have that kind of confidence facing our own death? In the years I have been a Christian and the years I have pastored I can say that I have met and know many Christians who because they knew the Good Shepherd also knew the peace and assurance that comes with that relationship. It is the subject of this sermon the last in our series on Psalms 23.
My Assurance. Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.



The Good Life Now


Boasting on the Shepherd

Phillip Keller writes, "The sheep with such a shepherd knows of a surety that his is a privileged position.  No matter what comes, at least and always he can be perfectly sure that goodness and mercy will be in the picture.  He reassures himself that he is ever under sound, sympathetic, intelligent ownership.  What more need he care about?  Goodness and mercy will be the treatment he receives from his mater's expert, loving hands.  Not only is this a bold statement, but it is somewhat of a boast, an exclamation of implicit confidence in the One who controls his destiny."

            The sheep has traveled with the shepherd from the winter fold to the summer mountain pastures.  He has been through the thunderstorms and the attacks by wild animals.  Through it all the shepherd has protected and dealt with every trial.  Always when the sheep needed help or confidence the shepherd was there.  Looking out over the flocks, his presence a constant source of comfort.
Do We Realize How Good it is to Have Jesus?
           
 How often do we, as New Testament sheep, stop and boast of our shepherd?  Do we fully grasp the concept that all I really need in this life is to have Him near me? 

            Many Christians seem to be more interested in what the shepherd can do for them than having the shepherd with them.  They cannot see past the food and water to see the one who provides and leads. 

Scripture: Matthew 6:25 Jesus once said, "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
He is telling them and us to quit worrying about the peripherals and to start concentrating on the things that mattered. 
            In physical matters and especially in spiritual matters the source of our "life?" is Jesus!  Life itself was more important than clothes or food and God was the source of that life.

Illustration: Mary, Martha & Jesus

Scripture Luke 10:38-42, the story of Martha and Mary.
Martha was probably the oldest daughter.  This meant she was responsible for caring for any guests.  In this culture there was no greater shame than not taking care of your guests.  Martha was upset by Mary's seeming disregard for this important duty.

Was Mary wrong in not helping? Not unless you want to argue with Jesus.
Was Martha wrong in wanting to serve the Lord?  No, not at all.  She was only worried and concerned to the point of distraction from spending time with the most important guest she had ever had.  Time with Jesus was more important than doing things for Jesus.

Jesus said, "One thing is needful?  He was needful and knowing him personally would mean much more than serving food to Him.

            Scripture: John 11:17-27.  What is revealing about Martha leaving the home during her own brother's time of mourning?  At a time when even greater pressure to do what is right was on her she left all those who had come to mourn and went to the only one who could comfort her heart. She went flying to Jesus.
We all need to ask ourselves, "Am I aware of the presence of Jesus in my life right now?"  It is not a matter of doing things that Christ would want us to do, but of living with and through Christ.  This is the real understanding of goodness and mercy.  It is in the person and presence of the Shepherd.

Transition

Now in the second half of the verse, David moves from the life he has in the present to the life he will have forever.

The Good Life Forever

Basking at home

            Now we come to the final thought, the last phrase, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  The sheep are returning back to the safety of the shepherd's fold and as they reflect upon the year that has preceded, they realize how good it is to dwell with in the shepherd's house. 

            The word house used here means a dwelling place, a place of habitation.  It can refer to houses for people, a shelter for animals or even our bodies as a dwelling place for our souls.  To David it meant dwelling in the household of the shepherd, a place of protection, security and eternal love.  Nothing that he could ever encounter would take away his confidence in dwelling with his shepherd forever.

Assured of Going Home

What of us?  Are we in the “house of the Lord?” Do we belong to this household of faith? 
I have to enter in by the door of the sheep if I am to belong. There is only one way into the fold.  I must enter "through the gate."  I must accept Jesus as the only way of forgiveness and salvation.  I must open my heart to Him and allow Him to deal with the sin there.
Only a complete trust in the Shepherd who gave his life for me can bring his shed blood upon the sin of my life and make me righteous before God. 
Only a sheep who has experienced the forgiveness and cleansing of God can be a member of God's house.

            Once I experience the ownership of Jesus as my shepherd, I also should know the confidence of the eternal security that comes from belonging to the Creator of the Universe. 

            Some are never sure they can be sure, but isn’t that really a distrust of our Shepherd.  It means we do not believe He can do what He has promised.

Scripture: Eternal Security, Eternal Assurance

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.

John 10:28-29  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Romans 8:37-39  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

Psalm 37:23-24  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

Hebrews 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Philippians 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Illustration: The Assurance of Saints and Sinners


AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Three years after the nation's foremost atheist vanished in a still-unsolved mystery, her diaries will be auctioned off to pay creditors and back taxes.
            There are some 2,000 pages of handwritten material from Madalyn Murray O'Hair scheduled to be auctioned on Jan. 23. The pages open a window into the mind of a woman who won the 1963 Supreme Court case barring prayer in public schools and who tried to remove the phrase "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency.
            O'Hair wrote often about money problems and sometimes about her desire for power or political office. At least a half-dozen times, sometimes set off in a separate box, she pleaded: "Somebody, somewhere, love me."
            Most often, she was the fiery woman who rarely lost an argument or an interview.
"We eat what we like, do what we like, like whom we want and gripe and beat hell," she noted in a volume from the early 1950s.
            O'Hair, her son and her granddaughter vanished in 1995. There were allegations that they took more than $600,000 from one of several atheist organizations she founded. She was 77 and suffering from diabetes and heart disease. The Internal Revenue Service seized her home and possessions for back taxes. Her back taxes and other debts totaled more than $250,000.
            O'Hair's wrote of her ambitions: "I want money and power and I am going to get it. By age 50, I want a $60,000 home, a Cadillac car, a mink coat, a cook, a housekeeper. In 1974, I will run for the governor of Texas and in 1976, the president of the United States."
            There was melancholy, too: "I think atheism is done for this time. I have failed in marriage, motherhood, as a politician. ... At age 58, I have never had a bedroom of my own."
   In the end Madeline Murray O’Hair was murdered by one of her employees at American Atheist along with her son and her granddaughter. Their bodies were cut up put in barrels and buried at a remote ranch, they were not found for 5 years after they had disappeared.

            Let me contrast that with another murder, the murder of Dietrich Bonhoeffer a Lutheran Pastor who had the nerve and courage to oppose Adolf Hitler in Germany in the late 1930 and throughout WWII. When other pastors either fled or shut up for fear of being arrested Bonhoeffer stood up in his pulpit and preached against the genocide and tyranny of Hitler. He even worked against Hitler as a spy and with the underground resistance. He was arrested and on April 9th 1945, he was hanged with piano wire in a Nazi concentration camp. If fact it was the last execution order Hitler signed before he took his own life.

   The last record we have of him was written by a fellow prisoner at the camp.
 “Sunday, April 8, 1945, Pastor Bonhoeffer held a little service which reached the hearts of all. He had hardly finished his prayer, when the door opened. Two evil-looking soldiers came in and barked: ‘Prisoner Bonhoeffer, come with us!’ The words meant only one thing, the scaffold. As he bid his fellow prisoners good-bye, he said, ‘For me this is the beginning of a new life, eternal life.”

   What a contrast, what a difference one life filled with despair and pain in the midst of freedom and money, the other courage and joy in the midst of prison and the certainty of a coming death. One life lived in denying the love of God, one life lived in declaring the love of God.

Conclusion:

How assured are you?
Are you sure that you belong to God's flock?  If you are then can you confidently boast as David did, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!” 
If you cannot then you have not really learned to trust the shepherd.  First come in through the door, Jesus Christ. Then walk with him, journey out to the pleasant pastures and through the dark valleys.  Look for him there by the still waters and in the green pastures and when you’ve traveled to the tablelands you will know as David did the love and care of the Good Shepherd.