The Heart of Christmas

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The Heart of Christmas An Unwanted
God in a Needy World Luke
21-7
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(No Transcript)
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Sour Apple Perfume?


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Luke 21-3

• 21 - In those days Caesar Augustus issued a
  decree that a census should be taken of the
  entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census
  that took place while Quirinius was governor of
  Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to
  register.

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Caesar Augustus

• Real name is Octavian
• Reigned from BC 27 until AD 14
• Given the title Caesar or Ruler Augustus
  (Majestic, Awesome)

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Quirinius

• Military leader
• Roman governor under Caesars authority
• Ruled over the Middle East and Israel

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Luke 24

• 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of
  Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the
  town of David, because he belonged to the house
  and line of David.

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Matthew 25-6

• But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by
  no means least among the rulers of Judah for out
  of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd
  of my people Israel.

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Luke 25

• 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was
  pledged to be married to him and was expecting
  a child.

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Luke 26-7

• While they were there, the time came for the baby
  to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her
  firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and
  placed him in a manger, because there was no room
  for them in the inn.

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Isaiah 532

• He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
  nothing in his appearance that we should desire
  him.

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• Who was in the Manger
• on that first Christmas?

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• Christmas is the day when
• God broke into our world.

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• 1. The angels knew who Jesus was/is.

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Luke 130-33

• 30 Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor
  with God. 31 You will be with child and give
  birth to a son, and you are to give him the name
  Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called
  the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give
  him the throne of his father David, 33 and he
  will reign over the house of Jacob forever his
  kingdom will never end.

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Matthew 120-21

• 20 Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take
  Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived
  in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give
  birth to a son, and you are to give him the name
  Jesus, be-cause he will save his people from
  their sins.

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• 2. The wise men knew who Jesus was/is.

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Matthew 21-2

• 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,
  during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east
  came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one
  who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his
  star in the east and have come to worship him.

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• 3. Jesus knew who he was/is

The Son of God
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John 1025-30

• 25 The miracles I do in my Father's name speak
  for me 27 My sheep listen to my voice I know
  them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal
  life, and they shall never perish no one can
  snatch them out of my hand.

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• 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is
  greater than all no one can snatch them out of
  my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."

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• 31 The Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but
  Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great
  miracles from the Father. For which of these do
  you stone me?"
• 33 "We are not stoning you for any of these,"
  replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because
  you, a mere man, claim to be God."

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• 3. Jesus knew who he was/is
• Son of God Son of Man

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Matthew 2663

• 64 - The high priest said to him, "I charge you
  under oath by the living God Tell us if you are
  the Christ, the Son of God."

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Matthew 2664

• 64 "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus goes on to
  say, But I say to all of you In the future you
  will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand
  of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of
  heaven."

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Daniel 713,14

• 13 "In my vision at night I looked, and there
  before me was one like a son of man, coming with
  the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient
  of Days and was led into his presence.

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• 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign
  power all peoples, nations and men of every
  language worshiped him. His dominion is an
  everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and
  his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

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Matthew 2664

• 64 I say to all of you In the future you will
  see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of
  the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of
  heaven.

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Luke 520-21

• "Friend, your sins are forgiven." 21 The
  Pharisees and the teachers of the law began
  thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who
  speaks blasphemy ? Who can forgive sins but God
  alone?"

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• 4. Jesus followers knew who he was/is.

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Titus 213-14

• we are waiting for the blessed hope the
  glorious appearing of our great God and Savior,
  Jesus Christ

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Romans 95

• Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!
  Amen.

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John 2026-27

• A week later his disciples were in the house
  again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors
  were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and
  said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to
  Thomas, "Put your finger here see my hands.
  Reach out your hand and put it into my side.
  Stop doubting and believe."

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John 2028

• Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

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• I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the
  really foolish thing that people often say about
  Him I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
  teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.
  That is the one thing we must not say. A man
  who was merely a man and said the sort of things
  Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.

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• He would either be a lunatic--on a level with
  the man who says he is a poached egg--or else he
  would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your
  choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of
  God or else a madman or something worse. You
  can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him
  and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His
  feet and call Him Lord and God.

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• But let us not come away with any patronizing
  nonsense about His being a great human teacher.
  He has not left that open to us. He did not
  intend to.
• C.S. Lewis

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• As our view of Jesus
• becomes more accurate,
• so does our view of God, ourselves
• and others around us.

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• He is Immanuel
• God with us

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• He is God with us in our joy.

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• He is God with us in our sorrows.

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• He is God with us in our sufferings.

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• Who is Jesus to you?