The Presentation of The Christ

Luke 2:21-35

The Christ Event Part Four

V. 21-24...After Jesus was born and at the appointed time Joseph and Mary being just and devout Jews observed all the ceremonies of the Law of Moses. There were four altogether:
1. Circumcision on the 8th day; the sign of the covenant, Gen. 17:10
2. Naming the child; Jesus, as the angel said, Matthew 1:21,25
3. Purification of the mother; 40 days later, Lev. 12:2
4. Presentation of the child in the temple; Num. 3:12,13
This was done because Jesus was born "under the law" Gal. 4:4,5
He was born subject to the law (not above it) and obeyed it perfectly. He had to in order to be the sinless sacrifice for sin.

V. 25-27...Of all the characters of the Christmas Story, Simeon is one of the most overlooked, yet most interesting. The wise men and shepherds had their place in the story, but they came and went and said nothing memorable or profound. Simeon’s words are heavy, and loaded with divine insight.
Three times in these three verses The Holy Spirit is mentioned in connection with Simeon:
v. 25...Holy Spirit was upon him
v. 26...Holy Spirit revealed to him he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
v. 27...The Holy Spirit led him to go to the temple at the very time that Jesus would be there.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ and point men to Him, Jn. 16:13,14.
...and here we see the Spirit doing just that.
Simeon takes the baby in his arms and speaks. He has three themes; salvation, missions, and prophecy.

V. 29,30...Now Simeon is ready to die. Very few of us are ever ready to die. After all, we come into this world kicking and screaming and go out clinging to the very last breath. However, we can be prepared to die, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.
"Depart" has several meanings: to release a prisoner, set sail in a ship, take down a tent, II Cor. 5:1-8.
No one is ready to die until they have seen the Lord’s Christ through the eyes of faith. Death, for God’s people is a matter of closing your eyes and seeing the light. Death isn’t fatal for the Believer.

V. 31,32...This had to be inspired for this would have been a very unusual statement for a Jew. Messiah would bring the light to the Gentiles...Isa. 60:1-3
Simeon sees the salvation of God going out to all people, not just the Jews.
Jesus has restored the glory to Israel; Shekinah glory, the presence of God in power and majesty.
Ezekiel saw the glory depart...Ezek. 10:4, 18; 11:22.

but Jesus brings the glory of the Lord back to the temple by His presence.

There were three temples:
Solomon’s temple, which was destroyed by Babylon; Jews exiled because of sin
Zerubbabel’s temple, which was so inferior many Jews wept remembering the old one.
Herod’s temple, which stood in Jesus day. 40 year renovation by Herod wasn’t even completed when Jesus was born, or when He was crucified. His death on the cross put the priests and temple out of business and made it obsolete.
There is no verse in the Bible which speaks of the glory of God coming into the second (Zerubbabel’s temple) or the third, Herod’s Temple.

Jn. 1:14...When Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus to the temple it was the first time in over 700 years that the glory of God came into the temple. Lk. 9:32

V. 34,35...As a true prophet, he tells the good and the bad; both the Bitter and the Sweet aspects of the coming of the Savior. Too many people only think about Jesus at Christmas time; the sweet baby meek and mild who brought joy and peace.
There is a "feel good, gospel lite" that many want. But not even Jesus made people feel good all the time. Many opposed and hated Him,...His own people, Jn 1:9-11.

Simeon said, "This child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel."
I used to think that this meant that many would reject Christ and fall to eternal destruction, and many would receive Him and rise in the resurrection to eternal glory.
That’s true. Jesus is the chief cornerstone; but to some He is the stumbling stone of offense.
But that’s not what Simeon is saying here. Read it closely...He is talking about many Jews who would "fall" in conviction of their sins, and repent and then "rise again" in salvation.

Even today many stumble over the meaning of the cross. It is Bitter-Sweet.
He was a "sign which shall be spoken against" or, contradicted. It’s still going on today: In government, public schools, and the entertainment industry to name a few.
In some places it is illegal to post the 10 Commandments, or for Chaplains to pray in Jesus’ name, and to pray at all before ball games and graduations. Why? Because Christ is the sighn spoken against.
The College of William and Mary removed the cross from its chapel because it was offensive to some, and wanted to be more inclusive of other religions.
Books and movies like: The Passover Plot, Last Temptation of Christ, and the DaVinci Code are all blasphemous works of heresy. Why? Because Christ is still a threat and the sign spoken against. Many would rather believe Hollywood than God.

Your response to Christ will reveal the true thoughts of your heart. There must be the bitter conviction before there can come the sweet salvation. "What think ye of Christ?" Matthew 22:42

The Incarnation of The Christ

Matthew 1:18-25

The Christ Event, Part 3

We begin this morning first of all by reiterating what has become our church motto which is:
"The Bible is true. Even the parts we do not understand. We do not criticize the Bible; but the Bible criticizes us. We do not correct the Bible, the Bible was given to correct us.

It is important that we establish the ground rules because today we come to that sermon in our series "The Christ Event" which deals with the incarnation of Christ.

Ever since the first century there have been those who have either rejected, mocked, or ignored this great doctrine but as we will see, it is important that we understand and believe this critical teaching of the Bible. In this sermon we will examine the fact of and the purpose for the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

First of all, let’s define the term:
In the incarnation of Jesus Christ, God the Son assumed a human body and nature. Without ever ceasing to be God, He became a man, temporarily setting aside His glory, but not His deity. It was the union of perfect God and perfect man in the person of Jesus Christ. Not only was this a miracle, it was unique to Jesus Christ alone.

It must be made clear that we are not talking about reincarnation. Reincarnation is a pagan, heathen, false teaching which says that we are subject to a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth until we reach the perfect state. The false prophet Edgar Cayce, Henry Ford, and Gen George Patton (as well as some of the poets) all believed in reincarnation, but the Bible settles the issue once and for all in several passages, Heb. 9:27, Lk. 16:26, and Eccl. 12:7.So, if you insist on believing a lie that’s your decision, but you cannot use the Bible to support reincarnation.

The Fact of the Incarnation

The incarnation of Christ is taught plainly in the Bible. In the Christmas Story of Matthew 1:18-25 the angel of the Lord makes a few things plain:
1. The child is conceived by the Holy Spirit, and Joseph should not be suspicious of Mary,...

v. 18-21.2. The child was to be named Jesus, and the purpose of his coming into the world is to save his people from their sins...v. 213. This is a fulfillment of the prophecy given by Isaiah over 700 years prior,...v. 22,23; see also Isaiah 7:14

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II Cor. 1:20 tells us that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the promises of God. In other words, at Christmas God kept His promise by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Savior of mankind,...Gal. 4:4,5.
In the incarnation God identified with the human race... Matt. 7:23; Lk. 3:23-33...and in so doing put away sin, and the fear of death...Lk. 2:10; Jn. 16:33; Matt. 23:20

The Purpose of the Incarnation
1. The incarnation was necessary so that God the Son have a body so he could experience the same temptations we do...Heb 4:15Not long ago there was a religious, although idolatrous, fad going around called angel worship where people were actually praying to and singing hymns to angels.
The angel Gabriel cannot sympathize with us in our temptations, because he has never known temptation in the flesh.
Now comes the Son of God who assumed a fleshly body like ours so that he could experience all the trials, infirmities, and temptations we do.
In other words, God knows what you and I are going through, and He is able to help us. Heb. 2:18.

2. It was necessary that God the Son have a body in order to endure bodily suffering and death
If he were God and not a man, he could not die. And if he was not God His death could not have infinite value.
If Jesus was God only, He could not have died. If He went to the cross just as a man, his death would have meant no more than the death of any other man.
Some say Jesus was just a good, moral man; others say He was a great teacher who died for His cause, others say He was just a prophet, one among many. But the Bible says He was the Son of God who died in our place to satisfy God’s wrath on sin, I Jn. 1:7.

3. It was necessary that God the Son live out a life in a human body so that His righteousness could be imputed to us.
When Christ died on the cross, He died for our sins. The righteous law of God was broken and the law had to be satisfied, just like in our civil courts.
On the cross, our sins were placed on Christ and He suffered and died in our place as though He were the guilty party.
When we repent of our sins and place our faith in Christ a divine transaction takes place, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to our account. And the old account really was settled long ago.
This righteousness only comes to us through faith in Jesus Christ.
There are those who believe we can work for and earn all or part of God’s righteousness but the Bible says it comes only by faith, Eph. 2:8,9.

It means that we don’t do "church stuff" in order to be saved, but because we are saved. Not because he have to, but because we want to. But, if the incarnation is false there is no reason live a moral life.

The incarnation makes the rest of the Bible make sense; How Jesus could do miracles, why demons feared Him, how He could die for forgive sins.

Preparing for the Messiah
Galatians 4:1-7

The Christ Event, Part Two
December 16, 2007

"Are you ready for Christmas? is a question we hear a lot at this time of year.

Your answer will probably be one of three responses: "Yes, I am" or "No, I'm not" or "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem the world (especially the Jews) had long been awaiting the coming of the Messiah, and God had long been planning the birth of His Son in that manger.

Lk. 2:1-5 Caesar Augustus decreed that all the world must be enrolled for tax purposes. A census would to be taken and everyone had to return to their hometown to be enrolled.
Caesar didn’t know it, but he was actually being used by God to get Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem so Jesus could be born there according to the prophet Micah 5:2.

No other nation in all the world, and in all of human history had the blessed opportunity that Israel had. Of all the nations on earth, God had chosen them to be His special people. God gave to Israel:
His laws, priesthood, and temple to teach them righteousness and how to worship rightly and how to deal with their sins
The prophets and the covenants to teach, and comfort them
The Holy Scriptures to comfort, instruct, and warn them
The judges, and kings to give leadership, stability, and direction. And in spite of all this they turned their backs on God.

The prophets had done their prophetic work,
The priests had done their priestly work, and
The kings had done their political and kingly work and it all served to prove that mankind could not be brought savingly to God by keeping the law, or by obeying the preachers and kings because they were incapable of it.
Ezek. 7:24-27...As a result of their disobedience, God turned them over to the wrath of man but even that served His purposes. Then came 400 years of "Divine Silence."
For four centuries after Malachi no prophet spoke or wrote, no angel was sent with a message. There were no dreams or visions sent by God to anyone in Israel.

But just because God was silent, it does not follow that He was inactive. God was orchestrating and moving in world events to prepare the world for the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

During this time Alexander the Great conquered the known world in 12 years and united Europe and the Middle East into one culture.
Greek became the universal language of writing and commerce.
National and cultural barriers were broken down; ideas from all over the world were accepted
The OT was translated into Greek and people other than Jews began to read the holy scriptures.

Then the Romans conquered the Greeks; and thanks to the Greek and Roman Empires the world was one.
Pax Romana...The Peace of Rome. Rome ruled thew world with an iron fist, and crushed any uprising anywhere in its empire.
Lex Romana...The Law of Rome. A legal system that civilized the world.
Via Romana...The Way of Rome. Rome built an elaborate system of highways of over 50,000 miles and a postal system.
Travel was free and the roads were open to the public, patrolled, guidebooks and maps, stables and inns were everywhere.
This was the the shape of the world when Jesus was born into it: peace and safety, one language, one monetary system, great roads, and a great postal system.
A situation like that would make the spread of the gospel so mush easier wouldn’t it?
Because there were great roads and travel was free and easy Paul could travel anywhere without even a passport
Because there was one universal language, the apostle Paul could preach everywhere he went and be understood. He wouldn’t have to learn a new language everytime he crossed into a new country.
Because there was a good postal system in place Paul could write letters to the churches all over the empire and communicate God’s Word to them. Paul puts it like this, Galatians 4:4,5

So, the time was just right when the Son of God came into the world born in Bethlehem.
This is no myth, or legend. It is historical fact.
When everything was just right in the world, God broke His 400 year silence with the cry of a baby in a manger. That baby, the virgin born Son of God grew up to become the Prophet, Priest, and King and came to earth to redeem us from the curse of the law and our sin.

I. God sent forth His Son...Jesus didn’t come from the world as we did, He came into the world. He was always God the Son and the Son of God. Jn. 3:16

II. Made of a woman...He who had no mother in Heaven,had no father on earth. It was the seed of the woman that was to bruise the serpent's head, Gen. 3:15. With the birth of Christ, God became man in order that man might be brought back to God.

III. Made under the law...Man had broken God’s law and Jesus came not only to be subject to it, but to obey and fulfill it perfectly. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves, lived a perfect, sinless life.

IV. To Redeem...He then offered that perfect life as a sacrifice on the cross as an atonement for our sins. In doing so He accomplished our redemption, I Peter 1:18,19
Jesus Christ fulfilled all the prophecies and promises of God, lived the perfect, sinless life, and gave that life on the cross for our redemption so we could be adopted into God’s family,
Gal. 3:26

Have you received the Son of God by faith? Are you really ready for Christmas?

The Prophecies of Christ

The Christ Event, Part One

Isaiah 7:14; 9:6,7

December 9, 2007

Dr. H. Leo Eddleman was the wisest man concerning the Scriptures I ever knew.
- He and his wife were missionaries in Israel prior to the outbreak of WWII, but they were then called home by the U. S. State Department.
- He earned Phd. in Hebrew, and became a professor at Southern Seminary in Louisville.
- He was president of Georgetown College, and also president New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Criswell Center for Biblical Studies
- When I met and knew him he was a professor of Old Testament at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College. He could lecture the full hour without a Bible or notes of any kind, and did many times.
One day as I walked by his study door he invited me in and we began to talk. He asked me, "Of all the events around the life of Christ, which is the most important? Is it His virgin birth, sinless life, His death on the cross, His resurrection, or His ascension back into Heaven?"
He could see I had no clue as to how to answer, so he answered it himself. "All aspects of the life of Christ are equally important. You cannot eliminate a single one of those events in the life of Christ and retain the gospel message. They all stand or fall together. So, taken all together, I prefer to call it the "Christ Event."

Today I am beginning a series of sermons called the "Christ Event." Between now and Easter I plan to preach on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ from the prophecies until His death, resurrection and ascension back into Heaven.

Of all the gods in history, only one had his birth, life, and death foretold in his own "holy book." This is one way we know the Bible is the true, inspired Word of God,...fulfilled prophecy.
Isa. 7:14...Immanuel was promised to Israel
A "sign" was a miracle which signified God ‘s intervention in human affairs. King Ahaz was under attack and rather than find help in Egypt, Isaiah was telling him that God could deliver him and Israel from the enemy.
But remember the most important rule about reading any O.T. passage is, "What does this teach me about Jesus?"
When the prophecy becomes history, the history becomes prophecy.
This verse looked forward to over 700 years in the future to the birth of Christ.
But it would be no ordinary birth,...a virgin would give birth to the Son of God, Matt. 1:23.
In heaven He had no mother, on earth He had no father.

Isa. 9:6,7...Immanuel’s Character
To the Hebrews, a person’s name had a meaning and indicated his or her character.
Names given by God were especially significant:
Isa. 8:3,4, the prey speeds. Those who preyed upon Israel would temselves be destroyed.
Many names and titles were given to the Messiah:
His personal name is "Jesus" which means, The one who saves.
Another is "Immanuel" which means, God with us.
In our text we see four more titles given; Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace.

What was true then is still true today. There was conflict between God and His people:
They were not looking to their God for His counsel and wisdom, they were trusting in their own might instead of the power of God, they had forsaken the eternal for the temporary, and as a result they had no peace.

The Prince of Peace...Hate is strong that mocks the song of peace on earth, goodwill to men.
ILLUS...Our presidents have been men who have tried to broker peace in the world. And the result has been wars and rumors of wars; WW II, Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Storm, 9-11, Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention the sabre rattling going on in North Korea and Iran.
Every evil, maniacal, tin-horn dictator is invited to address and is even applauded in the United Nations, but the doors of the UN are shut tight against Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. And we wonder whay there is no peace on earth when the Prince of Peace is kept out as an unwelcomed, uninvited intruder.

Rom. 5:1,2...The Good News is that the Counsel, Power, and Love of God that the nations reject can be received by individuals by faith in a personal, saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Man-made peace treaties are fragile and easily broken.
The peace God gives to the soul is not only real, it is also eternal.
The guilt is gone, and we are justified by faith in Christ.
Friendship and love replace guilt and conflict.
Add to this the access we have to God through Christ, and here the apostle says is where we stand,...firmly and safely.
...and in Christ is found our only hope for God’s counsel, power, love, and peace.