The birth of Christ fulfilled many OT prophesies. But there are many more to be fulfilled when He returns.
Luke 2: The Birth of Jesus Christ
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Jesus Presented at the Temple
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord")
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,
28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."
33 And his father and his mother marvelled at what was said about him.
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed
35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,
37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favour of God was upon him.
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom.
43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.
46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress."
49 And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.
51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man.
Luke 3: John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
10 And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?"
11 And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise."
12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"
13 And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do."
14 Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."
15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,
16 John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,
20 added this to them all, that he locked up John in prison.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Things to think about…
1. The birth of Jesus has such stark contrasts, Luke 2:1-21. We see the humility of humanity mixed with the awe and wonder of angelic spirits praising God and giving Him glory, vss 13, 14. A manger, shepherds and a small town is combined with the hosts of heaven proclaiming the wonder of the most incredible event that has ever happened on earth. God took on human flesh. How does this impact you? Consider it again today, how incredible the incarnation of Christ really is for our world.
2. Consider these two older saints Simeon and Anna in Luke 2:22-38, who were both waiting for the redemption and salvation of Israel. Note that they both speak of thoughts being revealed, vs 35 and giving thanks for redemption vs 38. They were not espousing a great military figure to get rid of the Roman occupation of Israel. Note where they both were… in the temple. Those who are constantly in the presence of God have a more intimate understanding of His character and purpose. Have there been times when you have tangibly felt the presence of the Lord? What did you receive from Him at that time?
3. Luke 2:41-52 is the only piece of information we have in the scriptures of the character of Christ as a boy. Here he is at 12 years of age and His chief desire is to be in His Father’s house listening to the Word of God. I don’t think it is wise to keep those who are around this age away from hearing the preaching of the Word of God. I know Jesus is different from all other 12 year olds, but I think we can make a reasonable case here. Certainly by the time our kids are teenagers – they can sit in church and hear the message. Mind you it helps if the preacher makes the Word of God interesting and applicable so that a 12 yo can rejoice in it.
4. John the Baptist’s ministry, Luke 3:1-22 is one of fire and grace. He speaks words of reason and grace as he fulfils his ministry of preparing the way for Christ, as Isaiah had said he would. He is very practical in his ministry and clearly well regarded, as many come out to be baptised by him. He humbly confesses that he is not the Christ. He says that when the Christ comes, He will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire and that he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire, Luke 3:16,17. Christ breathed on the disciples to receive the Spirit, but we know Acts 2 was where the Holy Spirit was poured out more generally on all disciples of Christ.
5. Why is the genealogy in Luke 3 different to the genealogy in Matt 1 for the family line of Jesus. Surely they should be the same. How could Luke get it so wrong? Or was Matthew wrong? Can they both be right? Yes. In all likelihood Matthew was following the Kingly line from David. Luke is following the biological line from David. There have been other interpretations as well including one being Mary’s line – Luke and one being Joseph’s line - Matt. The main point being that both show Jesus as coming from the line of David and Him being the fulfilment of David’s greater son.
Vision Point
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for wisdom and clarity with some restrictions lifted.
2. Continue to pray for doctors and nurses on the front line of this pandemic across the globe.
3. Pray that as restrictions are lifted that businesses may return and people who have lost their jobs may return to gainful employment..
4. Sunday’s fb live messages for Kids church and – “The greatest ever – John the Baptist” Psalm 32Luke 3, 7, Ps Jay.
5. Our online Chuwar Kids at church program – that our kids still feel connected to church and love worshipping Him.
6. Pastoral care. Pray people feel connected in this isolation period. Been great catching up with people at the Bean Redeemed café.
7. Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
8. Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times. Pray especially for people to be stable with respect to mental health.
Praise Points.
1. Finances being maintained and donation to Café roof. Thankyou!
4. Streaming and fb live being done very well by Dan and the technical team. Thanks Doug, Dan, Jesse and Peter. Thanks worship team.
5. Infection curve continues to drop below 1% infection levels. as a response to the virus in Australia
6. Praise the Lord churches are functioning well in this environment and the gospel is going out in the media.
7. Encouraging online comments – the church is still functioning well and people are being cared for.
Announcements
1. Pray about offerings to help with putting a roof over the café. Our temporary white shade is coming to the end of its life. $6k required for a new roof. $2k has been donated.
2. No members meeting for May – but an update of ministries and finances etc.
3. New church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Kids Church now streamed live at 9:00am every Sunday morning via CBC’s fb page.
