Friday, December 24, 2010

The events behind the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ

Christmas is now in every corner of the metropolitan. People are excitingly bustled on their shopping galore. Lights are sparkling everywhere. Parties and get-together is all around. And of course, traffic jam is all over the land. Ah! That’s how we celebrate this special occasion.
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This holiday season is indeed in everyone’s psyche at this moment but before we hook ourselves in a festive mood brought by Christmas, let us pause for a while to reflect on the true essence of this most awaited event of the year. Let us have a little time to know why we celebrate this special occasion – the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ (though based on the description written in the bible, Jesus Christ was not born in December but who really knows the exact date? What’s most important is that we celebrate the birth of our savior. If those non-Bible believers respects Christmas, how much more those who truly believed in Jesus Christ?
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As we prepare our tables for the Noche Buena, let me give you some insights on the events behind the birth of Jesus Christ. This was preached by preacher Benjie Reyes in one of our Sunday evening worship a year ago and I feel that it’s worth sharing it with you.
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1. Satan tried to stop the birth of the seed
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As early as the Old Testament time, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ was already prophesied. In the book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve fell into sin, God gave the prophecy about the seed. Let us read the verse below:
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Genesis 3:15 (KJV):
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
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In the verse above, God speaks about Jesus Christ as the seed of the woman and the anti-Christ as the seed of the serpent. Because of this prophecy about the seed of the woman against the seed of the serpent, Satan did everything just to keep it from happening.
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a. Killing of Abel
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Satan watched warily every man that pleases God. And because Abel pleased God, Satan has put a seed of covetousness on Cain which in effect leads Cain into killing his brother Abel. However, God knows this and he gave Adam and Eve another son, Seth, who is our ascendant. Please read the following verses:
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 Genesis 4:9 (KJV):
“And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?”
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Genesis 4:25 (KJV):
“And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.”
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b. Killing of male children during Moses time
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The pharaoh, during the time of Moses, has been the instrument of Satan to avert the first prophecy of God about the woman’s seed.
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Exodus 1:22 (KJV):
“And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”
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c. Breaking of David’s Royal chain
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Jeremiah 22:30 (KJV):
“Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.”
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The prophecy by Jeremiah above speaks of the breaking of David’s royal chain. Israel was conquered by other nations several times and the kingdom under David’s line ceased to exist as the Bible says, “…for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.” This was the consequence of the sins that David’s descendants have wrought when they ruled wickedly over Israel.
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However, the devil was shocked when he learned that God was not limited to one line. David had another son named Nathan who had never made it to become a king. His generation was taken care of God to preserve the seed of David.
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2 Samuel 5:13-14 (KJV):
“And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,”
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If we would read the book of Matthew and Luke about the genealogy of Jesus Christ, we could see that they speak of different grandfather of Jesus. It is because during that time, the woman has no rights in the society. The Heli that was mentioned in the book of Luke was the father of Mary which was espoused to Joseph.
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Luke 3:23-31 (KJV):
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,”
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d. Killing of children during Herod’s time
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When the time has come and the birth of the Messiah has taken place, Satan still tried his best…
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Matthew 2:13-16 (KJV):
“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.”
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2. Old Testament Prophecies were fulfilled
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a. He would be born of a virgin
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This prophecy was written in the book of Isaiah and Matthew which are 800 years apart.
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Isaiah 7:14 (KJV):
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
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Matthew 1:22-23 (KJV):
“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
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b. He would be given the throne of David
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2 Sam 7:11-12 (KJV):
“And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.”
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Psalms 132:11 (KJV):
“The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.”
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Isaiah 9:6-7 (KJV):
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
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Luke 1:31-32 (KJV):
“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 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:”
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3. Mary’s Confusion
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a. She doesn’t have any boyfriend
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During those early times, when a woman got pregnant without a husband, she will be stoned to death because of the embarrassment she had brought to her family. Just imagine the confusion of Mary when the angel said that she will be having a baby without even knowing a man whom he may call her husband and the father of her baby.
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Luke 1:34 (KJV):

“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
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b. The archangel reassured her
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Luke 1:35 (KJV):
“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
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4. Joseph’s Fear
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a. He was surprised of Mary’s pregnancy
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Matthew 1:19 (KJV):
“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.”
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b. He arranges to make Mary his legal wife
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Matthew 1:24-25 (KJV):
“Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”
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If it not had been for Judah’s sin, Joseph could have been the rightful king of Judah when the time Christ was born. It was he and not Herod who had the credentials to sit upon the throne of Israel.
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The lessons we could learned from these events are:
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1. Let us not be discouraged if we are undergoing trials because God is in control. In the past events, Satan did his best to prevent the prophecy from happening but our Lord Jesus Christ still has been born. In times of trials, God is just checking our attitudes.
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Romans 8:28 (KJV):
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
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2. Let us continue to labor for the Lord. Mary continued to nourish Jesus despite the fact that He hadn’t shown any greatness, being the son of God, during the early years of His life. If we would read the life of Jesus Christ in the bible, the first miracle of Jesus was in the wedding at Cana where He turned the water into wine. The same is true in our time today, where doing wrong is acceptable but doing right is strange. We should not let the world affects us. Instead, let us be the shining lights to move the lives of the people around us.
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1 Peter 4:10-11 (KJV):
“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
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3. Christmas is all about JESUS and not about us!
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Let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas -- our Lord Jesus Christ! I have notice that Santa Clause has been the center of attraction during Christmas in the children because of gifts giving rather than Jesus Christ who gave the greatest gift of all -- His life!
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Merry CHRISTmas to all!

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