Sunday Recap for 12/24 – Big Picture Question: “Who is the king of God’s people?”
Sunday, December 24, 2017, Evident Grace Fellowship looked at Luke 2:1-7:
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
With those scriptures, we looked at this Big Picture Question:
Who is the king of God’s people?
And we found these 3 answers to our Big Picture Question:
- In the line of David
- Fully Man
- Full of Sorrows
In the line of David
Luke 2:1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While Caesar Augustus was trying to measure the breadth of his kingdom, he was also establishing preparing to hand it off to an heir. Little did he know that his efforts were enabling the fulfillment of God’s promise that the promised heir in the line of David would be born in Bethlehem. In that arduous journey, the Savior of mankind was going to be born, a king in the line of David.
Fully Man
Luke 2:6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
Our Savior had to be fully man as well as fully God. The writers of scripture wen to great lengths to teach us all that necessity.
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life
1 John 4: 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God
And the hope of this truth is that we now have a faithful high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, yet was obedient as we were not.
Hebrews 2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Because Jesus was a man, all the human experience is redeemed. As Gregory of Nazianzus, the theologian who helped us understand the Trinity better than any other said, “That which he has not assumed he has not healed.”
Full of Sorrows
Luke 2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Jesus, our Savior, was born, not in a home, but in a stable. Mary and Joseph could not find a family to take them in, Jesus was born among the animals. This was the beginning of a life of sorrow that culminated in His death on the cross for our sin.
Big Picture Question: Who is the king of God’s people?
Truth: Your King is Jesus, born in the line of David, fully man, and full of sorrows.
Application: Live knowing that Jesus is the royal son of David who took on flesh, to pay the payment of your sin.
Action: Resolve to honor Jesus in the coming year by sacrificing and serving someone who doesn’t like you.