Pastor Tim Brown Calvary Chapel Fremont Sunday December 19, 2010

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Christmas Hope

Genesis 3:15

Christmas is the favorite time of the year for so many because of the decorations/lights/music/food/anticipation/stores/gifts/ caroling/friends/family/parties/desserts.  It’s the favorite season because it comes closest to the world as God meant it to be.  How did God mean the world to be?  God/man in fellowship and man/man in fellowship – people thinking about God and people thinking about people.  Before sin, that’s exactly the way it was.  But disobedience to God led to alienation from God/disappointment w/ one another.   

The Problem   Genesis 3:1-14, 16-19

Satan lied: God is holding out on you, He’s not giving you His best.

They ate/saw/hid/blamed/experienced the curse.

Three beings in C3 – God/Satan/humankind

Bible drama: Satan seeks to draw humankind further into his world/ God seeks to draw us into His world.  God’s 1st move in drawing us back is the promise given in this chapter.  This is not primarily a moral drama of good v bad – it is a spiritual drama: where is the allegiance of your life?

The Promise   Genesis 3:15

The promise is that of a person/a person who hates what Satan has done/a person who will undo what Satan has done.  The enmity passes from the woman/serpent to seed/seed.  Jesus is the seed of the woman and the Pharisees are the seed of the serpent (you brood of vipers).  Promise: Satan will be delivered a death blow and his hold on humankind will be broken.

The Hope

Genesis 4:1    He looks like a bruiser…

Genesis 5:29  He looks like a bruiser…

Isaiah 9:1-7  The Bruiser is yet to come…

The hope of Messiah, a Savior from bondage of Satan/guilt of sin, was kept alive throughout the OT into the NT.

The Fulfillment

Annunciation to Mary       Luke 1:26-38

Why Mary?

    * She was a virgin – the prophecy of Isaiah 7 called for this.  But there were many godly young women to choose from.  Why Mary?
    * She was engaged to Joseph/heir of David.  If Israel had been an independent nation, Joseph would have been the king of Israel because he was of the Davidic dynasty.

Annunciation to Joseph      Matthew 1:18-25

Betrothal: Legal relationship that preceded the wedding by about a year

Pregnancy: 1st thing Joseph thought of wasn’t a miracle.  How could you do this?  Who?  An angel told you what?  Crushed/shamed/confused…

Visitation: If Mary had told him of Gabriel’s announcement, he didn’t believe her for he needed an angelic visitation himself.

    * It was important that Jesus be conceived in him, too.  It wouldn’t do to have Joseph resentful toward Jesus.
    * His 1st reaction wasn’t one of vengeance/anger.  He carefully considered how to deal w/ the apparent failure of Mary.  What a great example of being quick to hear/slow to speak/slow to anger.  His compassion brought Jesus into his house.

Birth of Jesus         Luke 2:1-7   Bethlehem prophesied

Proclamation to shepherds     Luke 2:8-20

Note the contrast between vv11-12:  Savior/Christ the Lord – lying in a feeding trough.  He’s in Room 18 of the Motel 6 in Milpitas next to the shell station.   

This brings us to the role of angels

    * What if Mary had become miraculously pregnant and Gabriel hadn’t announced it?  She would have gone crazy wondering how this could have happened/she must have been w/ a man and blocked it from her conscious memory.   
    * What if an angel hadn’t explained to Joseph what occurred?  He would have had an offense against Mary from beginning.
    * Would a baby in a feeding trough ever been adored as Christ by shepherds unless the angels showed up in a chorus line and announced it?

W/o angels:

    * No one would have been able to convince Mary that her pregnancy was a miracle from God.  Mary would have said, “I know you’re trying to be nice, but I must compromised myself and have blocked it from my memory.”
    * Mary would not have been able to convince Joseph that her pregnancy was from the touch of God on her life.
    * Joseph would never have been able to convince the shepherds that the baby lying in the feeding trough was Israel’s Messiah.
    * Heaven had to convince Mary/Joseph/shepherds – that this is Christ the Lord.
    * I can’t convince you that Jesus is your Savior/Christ the Lord - heaven has to do this.  John 16:7-9

The Gospel

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

Died/buried/raised/appeared

God has a gift for you – salvation.  But He can’t give it to you unless you’re convinced you need it.