WeAreIBC

Now Come the Days of the King
Luke 1:1-20
1. The board is set.
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”MIC 5:2
2. The pieces are moving.
, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." “LK 9:58
3. We come to it at last.
“Now then, tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.” 2 Sam 7:8

Mary Christmas
Luke 1:26-45

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2

I. Help is on the way

“And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” 2 Samuel 7:16

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

II. All things are possible with God

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.


III. God keeps ALL of His promises to you

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

Don’t Give Up
Luke 1:5-25

Micah 4:2-3
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.


Malachi 4:5
5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.

(Luke 1:5-25)
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

1. Unrealized Dreams
2. Unexpected Answer
3. Unfortunate Response

Galatians 4:4-5 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

THE NECESSITY OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH
Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14

I. Why we believe in the virgin birth.

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” Genesis 3:15 NASB

almah
bethulah

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23“BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” 24And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” Matthew 1:22-25

II. Why the Virgin Birth is Important

Atonement for our sins required a perfect sacrifice.

“The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.” Exodus 12:5

III. We are all sinners.

“So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.” Romans 5:18

IV. Jesus knew no sin.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor. 5:21

This is a supernatural event

Mary said, “How can this be, when I have not known a man.” Luke 1:34

Luke 1:37, “For with God nothing is impossible.”

“and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

The Faithfulness of God
Daniel 9

1. Learn to look at things from God’s perspective through His Word.

v. 1-3, 13

“I will praise the Lord no matter what happens.” Ps34:1


2. Choose to believe that God is faithful to His promises because of past faithfulness.

v. 4-6, 15-16

The sun is faithful to rise each morning is reflective of the creator who is faithful to you and I. (picture of sunrise)


3. Look to God’s Character for assurance.

v. 7, 17-19

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Hope: True or False? Jeremiah 29:4-14

Believers must avoid false hopes from false prophets when things seem hopeless (v.4-9)
Believers must listen to God's Word when things seem hopeless (v.10-11)
Believers must turn back to the LORD who is their true hope when things seem hopeless (v.12-14)

1. Be careful who you listen to and in what you put your hope
2. Derive your hopes and dreams from God's Word alone
3. Make repentance and faith in Christ a daily lifestyle

“Heaven – How Do I Get There?”
John 14:1-6

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus said, Trust me, not yourself.
“You, believe in God; believe also in me.”

He is trustworthy because of:
Of His supernatural identity.
He said, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father."

He is trustworthy because of:
His impeccable integrity. “He was tempted in every way just as we are and yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

He is trustworthy because of:
His keen intellect.
“No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied. (John 7:46)

Jesus is worthy of your trust because of:
His miraculous power. “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles.” John 14:11

Jesus is worthy of your trust because of:
His sacrificial death
“God laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

He is trustworthy because of:
His bodily resurrection,

Luke 24:1-8 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen!”

Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

Jesus said:
Put your focus on Heaven not on earth. “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

Jesus said”
…Be confident you’re going there and don’t doubt…You know the way to the place where I am going,”

Here’s a sobering Biblical fact…The majority of people are not going to Heaven.
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14

How do you follow Jesus?
How can you be assured of eternal life?

Admit that you have sinned and separated yourself from God
“all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory,” Romans 3:23

Believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Confess that Jesus is the Lord of your life. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Demonstrate your allegiance to Christ by repenting of sin and being baptized into Christ. Acts 2:38 reads, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

A Light for the Nations

1. God wants both your Waldo and the world
2. You always win when you witness
3. Jesus is too big for the Tri-county area
4. The Light is most bright in the darkest of night

Acts 13:47
“The Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

The Mercy of God
Jonah

1. Practice first time obedience. 1:1-3, 3:1-3
2. Develop a heart like God’s for people. 1:17, 2:10, 3:10 4:2
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
3. Remember that it is about God not you. 3:5, 4:4-11
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth.

17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. - Jonah 1:17

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. - Jonah 2:10

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. - Jonah 3:10

2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. - Jonah 4:2

5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. - Jonah 3:5

4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”
5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.
6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.
7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.
8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”
10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.
11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” - Jonah 4:4-11

Go And Tell
Mark 5:1-20

1. We are given the same command

2. We are given the same method

3. We are given the same message