Mysteries And Miracles Of Christmas - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ, son given from heaven. He is going to minister the individual and the nation. He is mighty God. He's one of the ages he will bring peace to individuals and in the whole world eventually he will be born in Bethlehem and exist in all eternity, and he will do this during our sins, and then die so I'll stop.

I know he's on unusual the ways born. I noticed both the man and God. I know it was born of a virgin and you're saying he's gonna rule.

How does he do these things, what is he going to do joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work this past week I fascinating worry about a man in Wales who sought to win the affection of a certain woman to marry him for 42 years he saw more than 40 years. This persistent rather shy man slipped a weekly love letter under his neighbor's door, but she continually refused to speak to him because they had a little fight all those years before after he had written 2184 love letters to her. He decided then that he go have enough courage. He went over and present himself in person at her door. He knocked on the door of the woman and he asked her first her hand in marriage and into his delight and surprise. She accepted after 42 years to think about what do you think about it.

Seems like a hard understand are kind of weird story until you realize that that's exactly in a sense, what happened was God. God sent love letters for hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of years to the people of Israel and then eventually he showed up at their door, but I like the woman in Wells. They rejected him ever thought about it that way but from Genesis to Malachi. We get a sense of what God's heart is for people. I want to start today just in Genesis chapter 3 Genesis 3 in the fall of man, just to show you one thing that happens early in verse 15, and God is speaking to the serpent after the fall from Adam and Eve and he says in verse 15 and I will put enmity between you and the woman between your seed and her seed and he shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel.

This is the first prophecy in the Bible the very first prophecy occurs in Genesis and it's given by God and basically it's God's prophecy to say how God will solve man's fall, what is God's solution to bring a man bringing sin into the world now.

What's interesting about this is that that he follows it up.

The seed of the woman there. He follows it up to the book of Malachi, with 300 more prophecies 300 prophecies about God solution.

The seed of the woman of the Messiah of Israel, the Savior of the world. This is when God starts this whole relationship.

So the first question I want an answer from the Old Testament today is what kind of man is the seed of the woman the reason I want to do this is for this reason so much around the Christmas story for you and me has turned into something we don't think about very much were so used to it, we get Christmas cards with the verses on it and Emily reading God and that's nice but I want us to think about it today from one of the two points of view. One is the utter mystery and impossibility to truly understand the depth of what Christmas is and to the miracle. I think we need to look at it from a little bit different so what kind of man would this be so, I want to go to Isaiah chapter 7 Isaiah chapter 7 and is probably the only verse or two.

You're familiar with in Isaiah 7 because your seed on Christmas cards so you read it and it makes a nice story and I want to look at verses 13 and 14. It says there then in verse 13. Then he said, listen mellow house of David is a slight thing for you to try the patience of men that you're now been to try the patience of God as well is a woman explained what God's going to do this is Israel being once again ready for captivity in total rebelling against God and he said here's God solution.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin will be with child, and bear a son, she will call his name Immanuel.

Now the sum I want to talk about this to me asking this question I were to babies come from. Okay usually always always you know any virgins it had babies. This is an incredible thing when you think about this is a virgin is going to have a baby.

Now we see this reinforced a worker version. Alma is awarded can you mean young maiden but the New Testament makes it minutely clear, but he said a virgin is going to have it.

She's going to bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel to come to later, God with us. She's going to VeriSign and she's going to call him God with us.

Now those of you have children and you can have a son or daughter. How many of you said I think what we'll call Ms. God with us, and how is my mentor this my little guy. He's God with us knowing names her child that part Emmanuelle. That's what is going to do is going to tell him, God with us now. What's interesting about this is incredibly precise. He's going to be a male and don't forget Isaiah's writing about 700 years before Christ is born. So just imagine someone writing about somebody's going to have the day about 200 years before Columbus left Europe to discover America. That's how long before it was written. We see it is just part of the Bible so know someone it was, let's look at the kind of man he is.

Chapter 9 of Isaiah in verse six we get a little bit more information. Isaiah writes for a child will be born to us a son will be given to us. This gives a little bit more information why we call Emmanuelle a child is born, just like culture want to born, but a son is given, so now we start getting this idea that this this is the son of God the son is not born the son's eternal but he is going to be given to us and he says and the government will rest on his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful Counselor, mighty God, eternal father, Prince of peace. So now it's wanting to describe this child born of a virgin and the son who was given to us and he says look at these characteristics one is going to be called wonderful Counselor, the idea behind that is not just for the messianic notion that he's coming to the nation Israel and what he means that everyone individually is the wonderful counselor who give wonderful, give the kind of wisdom. Only God can. Secondly, he's mighty God that's scary. He will be called mighty God. Now please understand if you were just a human baby. No Israel. No one in Israel would view her child as mighty God, you're not going to do that, but he is and the reason is is a son that is given, then, is a characteristic of his which is difficult for us often as eternal father, and I think it's difficult because we know the Trinity. Why would the sun be called the father, but I think that misses the point. What he's talking about is the father opportunity. That's what he is talking about.

He is the father of eternity.

He is, that the Lord of the ages.

That's what he means when he says eternal father and he is the Prince of peace. So he makes the statements God's letting them know how the seed of the woman is going to come and how unusual the seed of the woman will be born of a virgin. We know that later because that means we you have no sin nature will be sent by God the father. We know that we have the spirit he will call mighty God we start seeing something is a picture. The next question would be where does it come from. From our point of view and so I want to turn with me to Micah chapter Micah chapter 5 now Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah. So again, this is written 700 years before Jesus comes and he's going to tell the nation Israel wears a Maasai come from. So he says this in verse two, he says, but as for you, Bethlehem, Africa not only stop there. One of the problems we have.

Understanding this context is you have your own notions about Bethlehem that's that's on's big beards.

Bethlehem will sing this year a little ton of Bethlehem is Bethlehem's a special place its Bethlehem, not to the Jews when he said that that's that's not special it's it's incredibly nonspecial cover him as one thing about that with the Jews even notice how Jesse lived there and because Jesse lived in Bethlehem, he had a son named David so becomes the city of David is as nondescript as a place could be. It's not even in the same world as something I Jerusalem now chapters in the past. Maybe help us understand is to the context of what is happened Bethlehem would be like the Messiah of the Savior of the world being born in man, check. You know I mean it won't.

He's going be born in man shack Louisiana all that's the case, it's a nondescript place. Notice what Micah writes on, he says, but as for you, Bethlehem Africa too little to be among the clans of Judah, you have no reputation, and Judah law you're just too little for that he says from you.

One will go forth for me to be the ruler in Israel, and his goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Get more information is going to born in Bethlehem but notice again.

The same idea. He is going to be a ruler in Israel okay will got a king like David going to be more visual. But then he says his goings forth from long ago, from the days of eternity is eternal know he's an eternal being who happens may want to be able to rule over Israel, and he was born specifically in Bethlehem and he was sent from heaven. You see, as each one of these things. So to play yourself out theologically is called the high processes the union of the God man, but this is such a mystery.

If you understand that you understand more than me for sure and let me know what is a high processes but we theologians say it is that Jesus Christ is 100% human and 100% God and that's 200%. You understand that I don't is 200% is not half God, half man. He's not like that is one of the percent God is 100% man.

It's a mystery cypress diocese but notice how unique this is.

This is all done by miracles of God. So what we learned in these two verses is he's going to be virgin born it's going to be good. I son given from heaven. He is going to minister the individual and the nation. He is mighty God is Lord of the ages he will bring peace to individuals and to the whole world.

Eventually he will be born in Bethlehem and exist in all eternity, and he will do all this during our guilt sins, and then die for us is a lot of stuff is not done with me to Isaiah back to Isaiah chapter 53. And here we see, what will he do like I know he's under unusual the ways born.

I know he is both a man and God.

I know he was born of a virgin and you're saying he's going to rule how how does he do these things, what is he going to do so.

Chapter 53 of Isaiah. Isaiah writes, who is believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed, and then he says this, for he grew up before him like a tender shoot like a root out of ground on the parts gone.

He had no stinky form or majesty that we should look upon them more parents that we should be attracted to think of when you think of Jesus and images using mine.

I'm guessing it's wrong. I think you're probably believing whatever 15th-century Renaissance painter thought with who Jesus was, like some emaciated guy was real handsome with real long hair often blonde with blue eyes. Jesus didn't have think Jewish men don't have blue eyes know he doesn't affect. Notice how is described.

Imagine running home to your parents and talking about either a girl or a guy you met and you said I'm telling your mom and dad. She looks like a root on the ground mean it's amazing how may vacations be taken said that we gotta stop by and see that tree because we want to see that root autograph is so amazing that's his description he has no stinky form or majesty that we would look upon him as her parents were not attracted to them at all know who would be attracted how's Lucifer look he's George Clooney, Brad Pitt type guy is handsome how sealing the inside is dead men's bones see the son of God, showing up in the person of Jesus Christ is exactly the opposite is below average looking on the outside but inside, full of grace and truth is exactly the opposite. That's what Isaiah tells us now notice that how we respond to in verse three he was despised and forsaken a man a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we did not esteem for the people think.

When I first saw not much. Remember the line. What good come out of Nazareth.

It wasn't like it. You see, have you seen him now.

It says he was despised, forsaken no good wonder after all these love letters that God sent over all that period of time telling you the uniqueness of them, born of a virgin sent from God they could wait to see him but they did so. Here's what happens. First, for sure. You are greasy himself bore our sorrows. He carried yet we ourselves esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted with that mean when he finally crucified and they were glad they did. They thought he got exactly what he deserved from God and while he was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.

The chastening of our well-being fell upon him by his scourging we are healed because all of us like lost sheep of gone astray, each of us is turned his own way, but the Lord is because the iniquity of us all the phone knowing you and I read what you think of the cross right when Isaiah wrote that there wasn't any crucifixions is just telling you what's going to happen. He had no idea it is to the cross. He described it perfectly, but there were no crucifixions in his frame of mind.

So now we know how is going to do this is going to die as a substitute that's going to fulfill the prophecy of Genesis 3, so I guess the best way to look at it. What are the odds of this happening we can even estimated a mathematician, not that long ago decided with the computer to help him. He wanted to figure out what were the odds be up 60 prophecies concerning Christ coming to pass 6360. He said the odds of 60 prophecies coming to pass is one in 1+157 zeros after it even think what that number would mean six zeros is 1,000,009 billion 157 zeros after it. That's the odds out what that Elyse should make us think is one event, one amazing event. This is how this happened. You see there's a mystery and a miracle to this and what's amazing is, in spite of all these things when he showed up at the man from Wellesley and knocked on the door of the hearts of the people that reject just like today people just generally are 2000 years later and how does the world deal with something so phenomenally supernatural and amazing is the birth of Christ, how you deal with minister in Western cultures of hot how does the world deal with it while about Santa Claus.

That's the way to go with what is have Santa Claus try that seal that works I will decorate this this prep a lot of decorations that we could let shop to withdraw as the shop now when you shop online. I'm economist is doing good just to all the shop except with the parties is get drunk. I mean, that's a great way to celebrate know we just substituting we can events too big to ignore. So we just make substitutions know my prayer for all the people I know the only see it that way is sore, they become like the Grinch is one of the great Christmas characters and me, and I remember the Grinch. Remember as a got on in the story near the end it said that the Grinch thought of something that he hadn't thought of before.

He said one of Christmas.

He thought doesn't come from the store. One of Christmas perhaps means more. It does mean more, and means a lot to see. The question comes down to who is see when you start thinking of a virgin giving birth God sending his son, the high processes Christ unique characteristics of this is an event of enormous mystery and miracle we are so familiar. You don't really think about possible government on the radio ministry or fellowship nor if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time. Remember, a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online at that website you will find on today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio program, had Fellowship in the Word.

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