Transcript December 13- Promise and Truth

Part 3
Review:
God gives grace to a woman (Elizabeth) who
has known disgrace her whole life
God brings social disgrace on a woman (Mary)
who had her whole future planned
Review:
It has always been God’s plan that those who
have received grace would share it with
those in need
Review:
I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you
have said- Mary
How I see myself determines how I handle
God’s call on my life
Review:
Jesus lived in light of the cross, as do his
followers
The promises of God never negate the
circumstances of living life in the real world,
but they do guarantee the presence of God
Review:
Christ’s birth is announced first to unclean,
untrustworthy, socially-outcast shepherds
Jesus spent his life running after the outcasts.
His people ought to do the same
On the eighth day, when it was time to
circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the
name the angel had given him before he
had been conceived- Luke 2:21
…God sent his Son, born of a woman, born
under law, to redeem those under law, that
we might receive the full rights of sons…so
you are no longer a slave- Gal.4:4-6
Christmas is, at its core, the destruction of
religion
• Jesus= “Jehovah saves,” or “God is salvation”
• Jesus lived under the Law perfectly- something
we couldn’t do- to save us from the requirements
of the Law
Christ is the end of the law, so that there may
be righteousness for all who believe- Romans
10:4
Christmas is, at its core, the destruction of
religion
• Religion produces slaves who serve out of fear
and masters who worship in arrogant selfexaltation
• The Faith produces sons and daughters who
humbly serve out of gratitude
Temple- Jerusalem. 5 miles away
When the time of their purification according to
the Law of Moses had been completed,
Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to
present him to the Lord (as it is written in the
Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be
consecrated to the Lord”)…
…and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what
is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves
or two young pigeons”- vs. 22-24
Purification= 7 days, 8th day circumcision, 33
days more until presenting an offering
Expected offering: lamb
Permitted offering: doves or pigeons
The firstborn son was offered to the Lord, then
“bought back” with the sacrifices
God’s firstborn Son bought us back with his
sacrifice
What has Mary sacrificed?
What has Joseph sacrificed?
What we give God is nothing compared to
what he’s given us
What is more, I consider everything a loss
compared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose
sake I have lost all things. I consider them
rubbish, that I may gain Christ- Phil. 3:8
What did Paul give up?
What did Paul give up?
How did it compare to what God had given
him?
What did Paul give up?
How did it compare to what God had given
him?
Skubala- excrement (vulgar word in the Greek)
Nazareth= 100-200 people
Jerusalem= Tens of thousands of people
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called
Simeon, who was righteous and devout.
He was waiting for the consolation of
Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It
had been revealed to him by the Holy
Spirit that he would not die before he had
seen the Lord's Christ…
Consolation= paraklesis- comforter, encourager,
advocate, one who comes alongside as a
helper
OT Teachers referred to the coming Messiah as
“Consolation.” NT calls the Holy Spirit
“paraklete”
…Simeon took him in his arms and praised
God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace”
Dismiss= let die
Peace= eirene- rest, quietude, set at one
again/made right
…For my eyes have seen your salvation…
Who is Jesus?
…For my eyes have seen your salvation…
By implication, what is Jesus not?
Jesus did not come to teach moral truths
or start a religion. He came to explode
religion and begin the process of
transformation
…For my eyes have seen your salvation, which
you have prepared in the sight of all people,
light for revelation to the Gentiles and for
glory to your people Israel”- vs. 28-32
• Revelation- I will…make you a light for the
Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation
to the ends of the earth- Isaiah 49:6
…For my eyes have seen your salvation, which
you have prepared in the sight of all people,
light for revelation to the Gentiles and for
glory to your people Israel”- vs. 28-32
• Glory- the culmination of God’s promises
fulfilled to Israel, showing God’s favor to
his people
Let’s end Old Yeller before Travis gets the gun
The child's father and mother marveled at
what was said about him. Then Simeon
blessed them and said to Mary, his
mother…
“…This child is destined to cause the falling
and rising of many in Israel, and to be a
sign that will be spoken against, so that
the thoughts of many hearts will be
revealed. And a sword will pierce your
own soul too”- vs. 33-35
Jesus will be divisive (falling and rising)
Why?
Jesus will be divisive (falling and rising)
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring
peace to the earth. I did not come to bring
peace, but a sword. For I have come to
turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter
against her mother, a daughter-in-law
against her mother-in-law - a man's
enemies will be the members of his own
household’”- Matthew 10:34-36
Jesus will be divisive (falling and rising)
Truth divides
The only other course of action is to let the
world stay under condemnation and error
Jesus will be a “sign that will be spoken
against”
Sign= semeion- miracle, supernatural
wonder
…sign that will be spoken against, so that
the thoughts of many hearts will be
revealed…
My heart is revealed by how I respond to
Truth
My heart is revealed by how I respond to
Truth
• Ignore
My heart is revealed by how I respond to
Truth
• Ignore
• Mock
My heart is revealed by how I respond to
Truth
• Ignore
• Mock
• Rage Against
My heart is revealed by how I respond to
Truth
•
•
•
•
Ignore
Mock
Rage Against
Lie About
My heart is revealed by how I respond to
Truth
•
•
•
•
•
Ignore
Mock
Rage Against
Lie About
Receive
My heart is revealed by how I respond to
Truth
• Receive- demands adjustment of life
according to the Truth
When Jesus is revealed, the response
indicates the condition of the heart
When Jesus is revealed, the response
indicates the condition of the heart
The greatest problem is not that Jesus is
revealed and rejected, but that religion
is revealed rather than Jesus
Anger over Xmas
Gross materialism
Consumer mentality
Impatience and rudeness
What do these things reveal about Jesus?
“…And a sword will pierce your own soul
too”- vs. 33-35
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of
Asher. She was very old; she had lived
with her husband seven years after her
marriage, and then was a widow until
she was eighty-four…
…She never left the temple but worshiped
night and day, fasting and praying.
Coming up to them at that very
moment, she gave thanks to God and
spoke about the child to all who were
looking forward to the redemption of
Jerusalem- vs. 36-38
Shepherds were…?
Anna is…?
Who is God choosing to speak for him?
Why?
Between the shepherds and Anna the
prophetess, the gospel is going out
before Jesus can even turn over by
himself in his crib
When Joseph and Mary had done
everything required by the Law of the
Lord, they returned to Galilee to their
own town of Nazareth. And the child
grew and became strong; he was filled
with wisdom, and the grace of God was
upon him- vs. 39-40
Takeaways:
Christ is the end of the Law so that there
may be righteousness for all who believe
Am I under Law or Jesus? Is my
righteousness based on what I do or what
Christ has already done?
Takeaways:
“What we give God is nothing compared to
what he’s given us”
Do I look at my service to God as something
“above and beyond?” Or the normal
response of a heart that has been
changed by God’s love?
Takeaways:
Am I responding to Truth? (Word, prayer,
church, fellowship, worship)
What does my response say about the
condition of my heart? What do I need to
do?