I Sam 23:718

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EXPERIENCING
CHRIST
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Tragically enough

• some people miss Christ
• in Christmas
• (and the other 364 days of the year, too!)

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BAD
"SUBSTITUTION!"
EXAMPLE
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BAD
"COMMERCIALIZE!"
EXAMPLE
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BAD
EXAMPLE
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BAD
"OPPOSITION!"
EXAMPLE
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GOOD
EXAMPLES
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What can we learn from
MARY?
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Luke 126-38

• God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a
  village in Galilee, 27to a virgin named Mary. She
  was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph,
  a descendant of King David. 28Gabriel appeared to
  her and said, Greetings, favored woman! The Lord
  is with you!

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Luke 126-38

• 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary wondered what
  the angel could mean. 30Dont be afraid, Mary,
  the angel told her, for you have found favor
  with God! 31You will conceive and give birth to a
  son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be
  very great and will be called the Son of the Most
  High. The Lord God will give him the throne of
  his ancestor David. 33And he will reign over
  Israel forever his Kingdom will never end!

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Luke 126-38

• 34 Mary asked the angel, But how is this
  possible? I am a virgin.

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Luke 126-38

• 35 The angel replied, The Holy Spirit will come
  upon you, and the power of the Most High will
  overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be
  holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 37
  For nothing is impossible with God!

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Mary said,
I am the servant of the Lord so let it be to me
according to your word."
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From MARY we can learn
"Confused"
"Wondering"
"Disturbed"
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
FAITH!
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What can we learn from
JOSEPH?
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Matthew 118-20

• 18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His
  mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to
  Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while
  she was still a virgin, she became pregnant
  through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19Joseph,
  her fiancé , was a good man and did not want to
  disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the
  engagement quietly.

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Matthew 118-20

• 20 As he was planning this, an angel of the Lord
  appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of
  David, the angel said, do not be afraid to take
  Mary as your wife. For the child within her was
  conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21And she will have
  a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will
  save his people from their sins.

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Matthew 124

• 24 As soon as Joseph woke up, he did exactly
  what the angel of the Lord had told him to do,
  and took Mary as his wife.

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From JOSEPH we can learn
OBEDIENCE!
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What can we learn the
WISE MEN?
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The
Zoroastrian Astrologers from Persia
willing to give their riches and risk their
lives in pursuit of spiritual truth!
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Matthew 21-2

• 1 About that time some wise men from eastern
  lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2Where is
  the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as
  it arose, and we have come to worship him.

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Matthew 29-12

• 9Then the wise men went their way, and the star
  they had seen in the east guided them to
  Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over
  the place where the child was. 10When they saw
  the place where the star stopped, they were
  filled with joy! 11They entered there, and saw
  the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed
  down and worshiped him. Then they opened their
  treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold,
  frankincense, and myrrh. 

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Matthew 29-12

• 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to
  their own country by another route, for God spoke
  to them in a dream, and warned them not to return
  to Herod.

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From the WISE MEN we can learn
SPIRITUAL HUNGER!
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What can we learn from
SIMEON ANNA?
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Luke 225-32

• 25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem
  named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and
  eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and
  rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was with him 26and
  had revealed to him that he would not die until
  he had seen the Lords Messiah. 27That day the
  Spirit led him to the Temple.

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Luke 225-32

• When Mary and Joseph came to present the baby
  Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28Simeon
  was there. He took the child in his arms and
  praised God, saying,

29 Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in
peace! As you have promised, 30I have seen your
salvation, 31which you have prepared for all
people. 32He is a light to reveal God to the
nations, and he is the glory of your people
Israel!
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Luke 236-38

• 36 Anna, a prophetess, was also there in the
  Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the
  tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband
  died when they had been married only seven
  years. 37Then she lived as a widow to the age of
  eighty-four.

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Luke 236-38

• Anna never left the Temple but stayed there day
  and night, worshiping God with fasting and
  prayer. 38She came along just as Simeon was
  talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began
  praising God. She talked about the child to
  everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God
  to rescue His people in Jerusalem.

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From SIMEON ANNA we can learn
PATIENT ENDURANCE!
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EXPERIENCING
"FAITH!"
"OBEDIENCE!"
"SPIRITUAL HUNGER!"
"PATIENT ENDURANCE!"
CHRIST
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Ephesians 316-19

• 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited
  resources he will empower you with inner strength
  through his Spirit. 17Then Christ will make his
  home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your
  roots will grow down into Gods love and keep you
  strong. 

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Ephesians 316-19

• 18 And may you have the power to really
  understand, as all Gods people should, how wide,
  how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19
  May you experience the love of Christ, though it
  is too great to understand fully. Then you will
  be made complete with all the fullness of life
  and power that comes from God.

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EXPERIENCING
CHRIST