The Fulness of Time, Part III
ISAIAH 9:1,2
In Luke chapter 2 Jesus was born in a very dark time in the Roman Mediterranean world. There had been about twenty years of civil war, farms were neglected, towns damaged, wealth stolen. Administration and protection had broken down, robbers and kidnappers made travel very dangerous. Business was bad, interest rates were high, mortality was low. The Roman soldiers were cruel and abusive. The people WERE walking in great darkness.
Caesar did bring some peace and stability to the situation but at a great cost. He demanded absolute power and control over everything and everybody. In fact, the census was one way to get everyone registered and taxed at the same time! After four hundred years of silence from God and the Roman oppression, the people were ready for a"Savior." You can understand their thinking in that it would be military salvation. This was their history. If there was a military victory they would of course still be under the Law and the Pharisees and Sadducees would still be in power. Jesus was not what they were looking for. A change of heart as foretold in Ezekiel 36:26,27 was more than most of them were willing to do. Tradition ruled. But God, in the fulness of time, sent Jesus to be the light of the world.
1,2,3 Caesar was the head of the Roman Empire. A very powerful man, but still under God's control of course. Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 80 miles. This is a long, costly, dangerous, journey by foot, and donkey. Why would a couple make this trip, especially with Mary being very pregnant? The census was a way to do this but it also fulfilled the prophecy in Micah 5:2-5a. Who is in charge here? God! History is His story. 4,5 Since Joseph was from the line of David they went to Bethlehem to register and pay taxes too.
6,7 The time came for the baby to be born. Mary wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a feeding trough. In a manger with more than likely, just Joseph and Mary. No fanfare, no crowds. Is Jesus humble or what! Is He teaching us humility here? Yes, He is! Jesus came from glory we can't imagine to a baby's body in a feeding trough in a sin-sick world. There is no greater contrast that I can think of than that! Caesar gives a command and thousands respond and come. God sends His Son to two people in a manger. His ways are definitely not our ways. Compare Caesar and Jesus now! Caesar is long gone. Jesus is alive and well and bringing more people to Himself than ever before. Praise the Lord! It may not seem like it right now but, the Light is closing in on the darkness.
8,9 Let's get into this next awesome scene. As the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, an angel of the Lord stood before them. Not in the sky but right before them. The Glory of the Lord surrounded them. Wow!
10 They, just like Zacharias and Mary, were afraid. The response was the same, Do not be afraid! Look, I bring you good news of great joy for all people. Angels are messengers of God. If you are His, you need not fear what they say. Now, shepherds were not exactly royalty. They were low-class citizens. Gen. 46:33,34. But again, God's ways are not our ways. Aren't you glad?
11 The good news is that the Savior is here! He is born in Bethlehem!
12 He will not be in a palace but in a manger.
13 Suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host appeared and were praising God. The shepherds were surrounded by thousands upon thousands praising God. This is the news of the ages. The Alpha and the Omega, the great I am, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and the Redeemer of mankind has come to earth to dwell among us. Can you just imagine being one of the shepherds? What a wonderful blessing from God to the lowly shepherds! Do you think they believed this baby was the Messiah? Yes hey did!
14 And what are the angels saying? Glory to God in the highest. The praise goes all the way to the throne of God. The highest it can go. God gets the Glory in this story in chapters one and two. This is important and is what we should do. Give Glory to God! And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. This is one of those verses that seems difficult to translate. Peace among men of goodwill may be closer to the original.
15,16 That was totally awesome! Let's go see this baby that the Lord told us about. They hurried to town and found their way to Mary and Joseph and Jesus.
17,18 They told Mary and Joseph what the angel told them about this Child. All who heard about it wondered at these things. The loathsome shepherds spread the Good News. Everyone can be a messenger of God.
19 Mary treasured these things in her heart. God was beginning to fulfill what Gabriel told her about her son. 1:32,33. She was the proud mother of the longed-for Messiah. Look at what came about as a result of her obedience.
20 Glorifying God!
21 Jesus was born under the Law. Remember that Jesus fulfilled the Law.
22-24 Their purification. Mary had to wait to present Jesus to the Lord. Exodus 13:1,2. Jesus was holy to the Lord. If you could not afford a lamb, you would sacrifice a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.
25 Simeon was righteous and devout and the Holy Spirit was upon Him. Just like Zacharias, Elizabeth, and Mary.
26 He was looking for the consolation of Israel because the Holy Spirit revealed to him he would not see death till he had seen the Lord's Christ. The Holy Spirit wants to reveal things to us too. Are you righteous, blameless, and devout? Are you seeking the Lord in your life? Do you love the Lord and have a close walk with Him? These are the people that He will reveal the things of God. He wants to do this for us.
27,28 Simeon came in the Spirit to the temple and took the baby Jesus in his arms and blessed God.
29-32 Lord let Thy bond-servant depart in peace. The Lord kept His word to Simeon. I have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared. We can have peace in death too because of Jesus. All peoples. Vs.10. A light for the Gentiles and the glory of Israel. It would be revealed to the Gentiles by the Holy Spirit that Jesus was the Savior. Jesus was Jewish and came to them first. He did glorious miracles among them. He was the light of the world shining on them.
33 His mother and father were amazed at these things that were being said about Him.
34,35 Simeon blessed them and prophesied by the Holy Spirit. The fall and rise of many. Those that would reject Him and those that would accept Him and many hearts will be revealed. Matt.10:32-37, 21:44. A sign to be opposed. Literally, a target to shoot at. A sword shall pierce your soul. This is the first shadow to darken all the things that Mary treasured in her heart.
36,37 The prophetess Anna never left the temple. Serving night and day with fasting and prayers. She was a devout woman. You can serve the Lord by fasting and praying.
38 She gave thanks to God. She spoke of Him to all those looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. In these dark times, people were looking for the promise of God to His people. Are you looking for the Lord in these distressing times we are in?
39,40 They returned to Nazareth and the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom. The grace of God was upon Him. Are you standing in the grace of God through Jesus?
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Are you righteous, and blameless before God? As we have seen, these are the people that God speaks to and works through as part of His story. No matter what the circumstances are or how evil this world becomes, together we CAN be a part of history in the making.
So, are you being led by the Lord in these dark times?
Are you learning humility from the Lord Jesus?
Are you afraid of what the Lord may ask you to do or to believe?
Do you give glory to God when He does wonderful things in your life?
Have you told anyone what great things the Lord has done for you?
Are you hungry for God? Are you spending time in His Word and prayer and fellowship so that you can grow in the wisdom and the knowledge of the things of God?
The world is getting darker as we speak. These are distressing times for multitudes of people all over the earth. Jesus, the Light of the world, will overcome the darkness someday. Right now, He can overcome your darkness. His Light will penetrate it if you acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord of your life. Please ask Him today!
In Luke chapter 2 Jesus was born in a very dark time in the Roman Mediterranean world. There had been about twenty years of civil war, farms were neglected, towns damaged, wealth stolen. Administration and protection had broken down, robbers and kidnappers made travel very dangerous. Business was bad, interest rates were high, mortality was low. The Roman soldiers were cruel and abusive. The people WERE walking in great darkness.
Caesar did bring some peace and stability to the situation but at a great cost. He demanded absolute power and control over everything and everybody. In fact, the census was one way to get everyone registered and taxed at the same time! After four hundred years of silence from God and the Roman oppression, the people were ready for a"Savior." You can understand their thinking in that it would be military salvation. This was their history. If there was a military victory they would of course still be under the Law and the Pharisees and Sadducees would still be in power. Jesus was not what they were looking for. A change of heart as foretold in Ezekiel 36:26,27 was more than most of them were willing to do. Tradition ruled. But God, in the fulness of time, sent Jesus to be the light of the world.
1,2,3 Caesar was the head of the Roman Empire. A very powerful man, but still under God's control of course. Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 80 miles. This is a long, costly, dangerous, journey by foot, and donkey. Why would a couple make this trip, especially with Mary being very pregnant? The census was a way to do this but it also fulfilled the prophecy in Micah 5:2-5a. Who is in charge here? God! History is His story. 4,5 Since Joseph was from the line of David they went to Bethlehem to register and pay taxes too.
6,7 The time came for the baby to be born. Mary wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a feeding trough. In a manger with more than likely, just Joseph and Mary. No fanfare, no crowds. Is Jesus humble or what! Is He teaching us humility here? Yes, He is! Jesus came from glory we can't imagine to a baby's body in a feeding trough in a sin-sick world. There is no greater contrast that I can think of than that! Caesar gives a command and thousands respond and come. God sends His Son to two people in a manger. His ways are definitely not our ways. Compare Caesar and Jesus now! Caesar is long gone. Jesus is alive and well and bringing more people to Himself than ever before. Praise the Lord! It may not seem like it right now but, the Light is closing in on the darkness.
8,9 Let's get into this next awesome scene. As the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, an angel of the Lord stood before them. Not in the sky but right before them. The Glory of the Lord surrounded them. Wow!
10 They, just like Zacharias and Mary, were afraid. The response was the same, Do not be afraid! Look, I bring you good news of great joy for all people. Angels are messengers of God. If you are His, you need not fear what they say. Now, shepherds were not exactly royalty. They were low-class citizens. Gen. 46:33,34. But again, God's ways are not our ways. Aren't you glad?
11 The good news is that the Savior is here! He is born in Bethlehem!
12 He will not be in a palace but in a manger.
13 Suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host appeared and were praising God. The shepherds were surrounded by thousands upon thousands praising God. This is the news of the ages. The Alpha and the Omega, the great I am, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and the Redeemer of mankind has come to earth to dwell among us. Can you just imagine being one of the shepherds? What a wonderful blessing from God to the lowly shepherds! Do you think they believed this baby was the Messiah? Yes hey did!
14 And what are the angels saying? Glory to God in the highest. The praise goes all the way to the throne of God. The highest it can go. God gets the Glory in this story in chapters one and two. This is important and is what we should do. Give Glory to God! And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. This is one of those verses that seems difficult to translate. Peace among men of goodwill may be closer to the original.
15,16 That was totally awesome! Let's go see this baby that the Lord told us about. They hurried to town and found their way to Mary and Joseph and Jesus.
17,18 They told Mary and Joseph what the angel told them about this Child. All who heard about it wondered at these things. The loathsome shepherds spread the Good News. Everyone can be a messenger of God.
19 Mary treasured these things in her heart. God was beginning to fulfill what Gabriel told her about her son. 1:32,33. She was the proud mother of the longed-for Messiah. Look at what came about as a result of her obedience.
20 Glorifying God!
21 Jesus was born under the Law. Remember that Jesus fulfilled the Law.
22-24 Their purification. Mary had to wait to present Jesus to the Lord. Exodus 13:1,2. Jesus was holy to the Lord. If you could not afford a lamb, you would sacrifice a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons.
25 Simeon was righteous and devout and the Holy Spirit was upon Him. Just like Zacharias, Elizabeth, and Mary.
26 He was looking for the consolation of Israel because the Holy Spirit revealed to him he would not see death till he had seen the Lord's Christ. The Holy Spirit wants to reveal things to us too. Are you righteous, blameless, and devout? Are you seeking the Lord in your life? Do you love the Lord and have a close walk with Him? These are the people that He will reveal the things of God. He wants to do this for us.
27,28 Simeon came in the Spirit to the temple and took the baby Jesus in his arms and blessed God.
29-32 Lord let Thy bond-servant depart in peace. The Lord kept His word to Simeon. I have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared. We can have peace in death too because of Jesus. All peoples. Vs.10. A light for the Gentiles and the glory of Israel. It would be revealed to the Gentiles by the Holy Spirit that Jesus was the Savior. Jesus was Jewish and came to them first. He did glorious miracles among them. He was the light of the world shining on them.
33 His mother and father were amazed at these things that were being said about Him.
34,35 Simeon blessed them and prophesied by the Holy Spirit. The fall and rise of many. Those that would reject Him and those that would accept Him and many hearts will be revealed. Matt.10:32-37, 21:44. A sign to be opposed. Literally, a target to shoot at. A sword shall pierce your soul. This is the first shadow to darken all the things that Mary treasured in her heart.
36,37 The prophetess Anna never left the temple. Serving night and day with fasting and prayers. She was a devout woman. You can serve the Lord by fasting and praying.
38 She gave thanks to God. She spoke of Him to all those looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. In these dark times, people were looking for the promise of God to His people. Are you looking for the Lord in these distressing times we are in?
39,40 They returned to Nazareth and the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom. The grace of God was upon Him. Are you standing in the grace of God through Jesus?
THINGS TO CONSIDER
Are you righteous, and blameless before God? As we have seen, these are the people that God speaks to and works through as part of His story. No matter what the circumstances are or how evil this world becomes, together we CAN be a part of history in the making.
So, are you being led by the Lord in these dark times?
Are you learning humility from the Lord Jesus?
Are you afraid of what the Lord may ask you to do or to believe?
Do you give glory to God when He does wonderful things in your life?
Have you told anyone what great things the Lord has done for you?
Are you hungry for God? Are you spending time in His Word and prayer and fellowship so that you can grow in the wisdom and the knowledge of the things of God?
The world is getting darker as we speak. These are distressing times for multitudes of people all over the earth. Jesus, the Light of the world, will overcome the darkness someday. Right now, He can overcome your darkness. His Light will penetrate it if you acknowledge Him as Savior and Lord of your life. Please ask Him today!
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