First Baptist Church
Fairbanks, Alaska
805 Sixth Avenue
(907) 456-4923
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Fairbanks, Alaska 805 Sixth Avenue (907) 456-4923 |
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“An Ordinary Night” Christmas 2007Luke 2:1-20 Mark Howdeshell (December 16, 2007) Luke 2: 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Introduction The ordinary…….things that are common, things that we are used to, things that are… ordinary. We have our ordinary foods, our ordinary routines, our ordinary TV shows, our ordinary lives. What would happen if the “extraordinary” happened? Extraordinary can be defined as something unexplained, something not “normal”, something above and beyond what we expected. How would you respond to the extraordinary? Ordinary can mean many things to many people. What is ordinary to you may be extraordinary for me. Jesus deserved to be born as a King, yet He came to the earth and was born in a stable. He deserved to be born to royal parents, yet He was born to simple parents. Look at the following pictures of ordinary versus extraordinary… Heart of the Matter Jesus often turns our ordinary into extraordinary to touch our lives. It is through the extraordinary that we “pay attention” and see Jesus for who He really is. The Meat of the Message
i. Betrothed or pledged to be married 1. Much more than an engagement 2. Could only be broken by a divorce 3. No sexual relations ii. Mary was an ordinary girl…until she was visited by Gabriel 1. Righteous or devout in the Jewish law 2. Still a virgin 3. Ordinary reaction-- scared when visited by Gabriel 4. Immediately sought after wise counsel iii. Joseph was an ordinary man…until his “wife” was found pregnant 1. Righteous or devout in the Jewish law 2. Deeply cared for Mary 3. Ordinary reaction--contemplated divorce, without exposing her to the public disgrace and stoning that Jewish law called for 4. Visited by an angel in his dreams
i. Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census ii. Every person had to travel to their home town to register
i. Jesus Christ was born just like anyone else ii. Had to wrap Him up and keep Him warm
i. Shepherds watched their flocks 1. Protect against predators 2. Keep together ii. Were accustomed to the night-time sky iii. TERRIFIED at the events that occurred
i. Mary conceived as a virgin 1. Visited by the angel, Gabriel 2. Extraordinary news! 3. Extraordinary response though she was afraid a. Intelligent question b. Favorable response ii. Joseph found his wife pregnant! 1. Compassionate response showed his character 2. Visited by angel, Gabriel 3. Extraordinary response and took Mary as his wife
i. Decree made that enabled all of the earlier prophecies of the Messiah’s birth to come true! ii. By using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 1017. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That is the equivalent of covering the state of Texas with specially marked silver dollars 2 feet deep and having a blindfolded man finding 1 special coin.
i. God’s Messiah born into the world ii. God became Man and dwelt among us
i. Angel of the Lord appeared ii. Glory of the Lord shown around them iii. The birth of Jesus revealed to the Shepherds iv. The original Hallelujah Choir suddenly appeared and praised God 1. Best concert of all time reserved for the shepherds 2. Spontaneous praise by the angels v. Extraordinary response to the overwhelming events 1. Let’s go see! 2. Recognized it was the Lord 3. Didn’t question why God told them and not someone else
i. God chooses to work through the ordinary today ii. Extraordinary results from ordinary situations is His specialty
The Bottom Line During this Christmas season, remember the days of the ordinary people on that special night so long ago. It was the night that God chose to make the ordinary come alive and change the world forever. It is a world that was changed for you and for me. It was the gift of God, for the people of God, given through the love of God. Enjoy it, share it, revel in it, and praise God for it. Merry Christmas! INVITATION Let us all join together this morning at the front of the sanctuary and praise Him through song and prayer. Enjoy the fellowship of your brothers and sisters and expect the extraordinary out of the ordinary. |
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