December 25, 2009

  • sermon 12 26 09 more on Luke one relating to OT prophecy...review and some more thoughts

    Christmas sermon for Sabbath 12 26 09

    REVIEW: From the Christmas story in Luke, the first 2 chapters, this year I have emphasized the correlation of the Old Testament prophetic words and what is found in these two chapters.

    I especially emphasized the following:

    1.  The birth of Jesus connected with the promises made to Abraham and to his seed:

    Mary’s words:   Luke 1:  54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

    Zacharias’ words:  Luke 1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

    72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.KJV

    To know what God raise up in Christ to remember his holy covenant, we must know what He promised  to Abraham:

    God to Abraham:  Gen 12: 1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;I will make your name great,and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse;and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

    --He will become a great nation

    --God will bless him

    -- The name of Abraham will be great

    --Abraham will be a blessing

    --God will bless those who bless Abraham; He will curse those who curse Abraham

    --All peoples on earth will be blessed through Abraham

    What does it mean to be blessed and to be a blessing?

    Dictionary.com:: Note that “blessing” is both a noun and a verb…so you can BE it , do it, and have it given to you.

    1.    the act or words of a person who blesses.

     

    2.

    a special favor, mercy, or benefit:  

     

    3.

    a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.

     

    4.

    the invoking of God's favor upon a person:

     

    5.

    praise; devotion; worship, esp. grace said before a meal: The children took turns reciting the blessing.

     

    6.

    approval or good wishes: The proposed law had the blessing of the governor.

    Origin:
    bef. 900; ME blessinge, -unge, OE bletsung, bledsung. See bless, -ing     1

    Synonyms:
    2. advantage, boon, gain, profit, bounty.

      AC_FL_RunContent = 0; var interfaceflash = new LEXICOFlashObject ( "http://sp.ask.com/dictstatic/d/g/speaker.swf", "speaker", "17", "15", "", "6");interfaceflash.addParam("loop", "false");interfaceflash.addParam("quality", "high");interfaceflash.addParam("menu", "false");interfaceflash.addParam("salign", "t");interfaceflash.addParam("FlashVars", "soundUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fsp.ask.com%2Fdictstatic%2Fdictionary%2Faudio%2Fluna%2FB04%2FB0410600.mp3&clkLogProxyUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.reference.com%2Fwhatzup.html&t=a&d=d&s=di&c=a&ti=1&ai=51359&l=dir&o=0&sv=00000000&ip=400c750a&u=audio"); interfaceflash.addParam('wmode','transparent');interfaceflash.write(); /blɛs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [bles] Show IPA

    bless–verb (used with object), blessed or blest, bless⋅ing.

    1.

    to consecrate or sanctify by a religious rite; make or pronounce holy.

     

    2.

    to request of God the bestowal of divine favor on: Bless this house.

     

    3.

    to bestow good of any kind upon: a nation blessed with peace.

     

    4.

    to extol as holy; glorify: Bless the name of the Lord.

     

    5.

    to protect or guard from evil (usually used interjectionally): Bless you! Bless your innocent little heart!

     

    6.

    to condemn or curse: I'll be blessed if I can see your reasoning. Bless me if it isn't my old friend!

     

    7.

    to make the sign of the cross over or upon: The Pope blessed the multitude.

    Synonyms:1. exalt, hallow, glorify, magnify, beatify.

    approval, approving, boon, grace, thanksgiving

    thesaurus opposite:

    Condemn, curse, damn

    Main Entry:

    bless

    Part of Speech:

    verb

    Definition:

    grant, bestow

    Synonyms:

    celebrate, endow, favor, give, glorify, grace, laud, magnify, praise, provide

    Antonyms:

    deny, disallow, disapprove, refuse, veto

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.KJV

    n  Abraham will be blessed of God

    -          Abraham’s seed will be multiplied like the stars and the sand

    -          Abraham will “possess the gate of his enemies,i.e., overcome them

    -          All nations will be blessed through his seed

    -          More on “possessing the gate of his enemies””

    -          Inheriting “the land”:

    -           Gen 15:He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." 8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" 9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates —  19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

    -          Gen 26:44 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

    -          Gen 35:11 And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."

    -          Ps 105:8 He remembers his covenant forever,the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant he made with Abraham,the oath he swore to Isaac.

    -          10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,to Israel as an everlasting covenant: 11 "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit." NIV

    -          Ps 37:27 Turn from evil and do good;then you will dwell in the land forever. 28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.They will be protected forever,but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; 29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

    o   Isa 60:10 "Foreigners will rebuild your walls,and their kings will serve you.Though in anger I struck you,in favor I will show you compassion. 11 Your gates will always stand open,they will never be shut, day or night,so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations — their kings led in triumphal procession. 12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;it will be utterly ruined. 13 "The glory of Lebanon will come to you,the pine, the fir and the cypress together,to adorn the place of my sanctuary;and I will glorify the place of my feet. 14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you;all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the LORD,Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15 "Although you have been forsaken and hated,with no one traveling through,I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations. 16 You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts.Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior,your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,and silver in place of iron.Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,and iron in place of stones.I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler. 18 No longer will violence be heard in your land,nor ruin or destruction within your borders,but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. 19 The sun will no more be your light by day,nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,for the LORD will be your everlasting light,and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun will never set again,and your moon will wane no more;the LORD will be your everlasting light,and your days of sorrow will end. 21 Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever.They are the shoot I have planted,the work of my hands,for the display of my splendor. 22 The least of you will become a thousand,the smallest a mighty nation.I am the LORD;in its time I will do this swiftly."

    -          Ezek 36:22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.

    -          24 "'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 30 I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. 32 I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel! 33 "'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. 35 They will say, "This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited." 36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.' 37 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, 38 as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

    -          Gen 15: 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates —  19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

    -          God promises Abraham the land

    Gen 18: 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

    --Abraham will be a great and powerful nations blessing all other nations

    Those of us IN CHRIST are heirs of the promises to Abraham:  The same promises are given to us through Christ, Abraham’s seed:  Gal 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

     

    Jesus Christ being the fulfillment of the eternal kingdom coming forth from the throne of David:

    2.  Jesus inheriting the throne of David:

    Luke 1: 30 But the angel said to her, "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." NIV

    enesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. NIV

    Num 24:12 Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13'Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD — and I must say only what the LORD says'? 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come." 15 Then he uttered his oracle:"The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, 16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,who has knowledge from the Most High,who sees a vision from the Almighty,who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: 17 "I see him, but not now;I behold him, but not near.A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.He will crush the foreheads of Moab,the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.   18 Edom will be conquered;Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,but Israel will grow strong. 19 A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city."

    Ps 45: 6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

    Ps 89:3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,I have sworn to David my servant, 4'I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.'"…… 35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness —and I will not lie to David —  36 that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;

    Jer 33:19 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 20 "This is what the LORD says: 'If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant — and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me — can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.'" NIV

    Dan 2:44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands — a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. NIV

    Mic 5: He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  5 And he will be their peace.

    -          Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things ; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. KJV

    -          1 Sam 2:6 "The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. 7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.

    -          Matt 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' NIV

    -          Matt 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'   45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 

    -          Rom 8: 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. NIV

    -          Rev 2: 26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'-just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

    Dan 7: 18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever — yes, for ever and ever.' ……………….. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints , the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.'

    3.  (New on 12 26 09)Jesus Christ came to be the one to fulfill all the Old Covenant promises, i.e., to fulfill the blessings spoken of to Abraham; HOWEVER, the blessings go to those who receive him, not to those who reject Him!

    Luke 2:  25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.3 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

    Isa 28: 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

    Matt 21: 42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

    43 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."  45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

    Isa 8: 13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,he is the one you are to fear,he is the one you are to dread, 14 and he will be a sanctuary;but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many of them will stumble;they will fall and be broken,they will be snared and captured.

    Rom 9:30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33 As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

    1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."   7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,"   8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message — which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.