the paradox of christmas

When God Himself came to earth, He was not the leader of the largest empire. We should not judge an end by its beginning, because the babe in the manger will one day return in full glory. He gave up what He had so that we might receive what we need. Look at Isaiah 9. Now, mark it, friends. “And no man was able to answer Him a word, neither dared any man from that day forth ask Him anymore questions.”. I draw your attention to Matthew chapter 1, and I want to show you something. Yet even with all of his earthly authority and riches, Caesar was just a man. That was John’s message about the coming Messiah: foreboding, judgmental, damning. And here he  - the last of the great prophets and the greatest who ever lived, according to Matthew 11:11 - was imprisoned. “And the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David; and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.’”, And Mary had the same problem the prophets did. Now watch this. Never had a relationship with a man, how could I have a baby?’ The angel answered and said unto her, ‘The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.’”. Oh, no. Luke 3:2, regarding John, says, “The word of God came to John.” So when John proclaimed the Messiah, it wasn’t his opinion, it was revelation. Now, why did He do that? The innocence makes us rejoice because it delivers us from guilt. Did you know that the Old Testament is loaded with apparently contradictory prophecies about Christ? “And Judah illegitimately begat Phares and Zara of Tamar.” Now notice this: “Phares begat Esrom.” Now that’s two. © Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, Inc. | All rights reserved. So you say, “What’s so paradoxical about that? Don’t let Satan hustle you into believing that you can pay “tokenist homage” to Jesus and get by. When you think about Christmas, you think about a baby. He was also King and Creator of the Universe who left his kingdom and became like us. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. And he moved Antipas to rule in Galilee and Perea. Shiloh means the one whose right it is, the coming king, the ruler. The prophet says, “No offspring of Jechonias will ever rule.” Now, how in the world can you resolve the prophecies for a king through David and the prophecy that no son of Jechonias will ever rule? In fact the divine paradox of Christmas is partly represented in the paradox of our humanity. You remember the vision that Isaiah had? I want you to notice that God’s a forgiving God. What is He saying? Now that’s Jechonias, same man - sometimes called Jehoiachin; others, Jechonias, Coniah; same person. “And Jacob begat Joseph,” - now watch - “the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus.” Did you know that it says, “And so and so begat, and so and so begat, and so and so begat, and so and so begat, and Jacob begat Joseph, and Joseph begat Jesus.” Is that what it said? So the prophet says Bethlehem. “What are you doing here?” You see? Downloads are available… Did you know that? It says there, “Of which salvation,” - and of course this is the salvation that Christ brought - “of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what person,” - you should write that in probably if it isn’t there - “searching what person or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ who was in them did signify when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow.”. “Aram begat Aminadab” - four. And a third says sprout town, Nazareth. Sometimes a paradox … There was only one man in all Israel who had to be His father, a man named Joseph, the only man who could be, the firstborn of Jacob who had the right to rule. Bethlehem. No one really understands it and Christ knew it was a difficult problem. And here Peter quotes Isaiah 8, Isaiah 28, and Psalm 118 - the three I just read. Please respond to confirm your registration. Genesis 3:15, the Messiah would be the seed to the woman. Once wise men came to worship Jesus, and today fools have parties of wickedness, ignoring all that Jesus came to accomplish. Such amazing prophecies prevent wicked men or overzealous disciples from falsely fulfilling them. Ah, but Moses also wrote this in Deuteronomy 23:2, “A bastard shall not enter the congregation of the Lord, even to the tenth generation” - up to the tenth generation. Now notice it says in verse 10, “the prophets enquired and the prophets searched diligently.” Says in verse 11, “The prophets searched.” What were they searching? But” - watch this - “for a stone of stumbling, for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” Now, here is coming of Messiah. He’s saying, “You go back and remind John of some other prophecies I have to fulfill first. It can also be called the contradiction or better yet “the seeming contradictions” of the Christmas story. A long time ago, one silent night loudly proclaimed God's love for us. Verse 21 says, “He arose, took the young child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. I want you to notice, if there was a king in Israel - and there wasn’t a legitimate king - if there was a legitimate ruling king in Israel, it would have been Joseph, the father of Jesus, because he came in the kingly line. Let me give you another one. And then all of a sudden He is precious. Isaiah 8:14, “And He shall be for a sanctuary. Here quoting from Isaiah is our Lord. The Messiah was to be a king. at times during the year, struggles to draw enough people to justify a church service, it is truly paradoxical that people flock to church on December 24 to hear the nativity story. Jeremiah 22, verse 29 - well, 30. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive.” Now, friends, you don’t have to know much to know that’s supernatural. He was born as a poor and obscure child in Bethlehem. You see, everything that John had said about the Messiah, he received from God. The birth of Christ was either the most glorious event in the world or it is the damnation of a man’s life and his destiny. But which descendant received the kingly right? What is this Christ to you this Christmas? On Christmas, we give thanks and celebrate Christ humbling himself and being born a baby boy in order to die for the sins of the world (John 1:29). And John didn’t understand it, because John didn’t understand that that was also a part of the prophecy; or he had forgotten. Mary didn’t come through Solomon. And the record of that encounter is in the 11th chapter of the gospel of Matthew. And in verse 10, he said, “The axe is laid to the root of the trees. We become wise by becoming fools for Christ's sake. Genesis 22:18, the seed of Abraham. He failed to see how the resolution of such a conflict existed. Because if Joseph had begotten Jesus, Jesus would have inherited the curse of Jechonias and never been able to reign. The Word is dumb—the mirth of … “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them” - Matthew 22:41 - “saying, ‘What think ye of Christ? A child born of a woman who is God? The New Testament comment is quoting this; uses the word “virgin.” And could you imagine that it says this: “The Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Series Information. Thirdly, the paradox of Messiah’s home. I mean, Moses wrote that down.” Well, listen, Moses wrote a few other things too that must have confused him. “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son,” - now here is the amazing - “and His name shall be called Immanuel.” You say, “What’s so important about that? They were searching their own writings to figure them out. And verse 6 is a gentle rebuke: “And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in Me,” - or shall not stumble because of what I am doing. Messiah will be the seed of David. But still the kingly line, but nobody reigns, just the kingly line. Four, the paradox of the right to the throne. We should make room in our hearts for others, so that we can find room for Jesus. “Judah acknowledged them and said, ‘She hath been more righteous than I, because that I gave her not to Shelah my son.’” You see, when a Jewish son died, if there was an eligible son left, his wife was handed over to that eligible son. Psalm 118:22 says, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.” And there you have the idea of the cornerstone. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. The bait is placed. $20.00. “Solomon, Boaz” - seven. How could a stumbling stone and a rock of offense be a precious cornerstone?”. He shall not” - again he says in verse 2 - “enter the congregation of the Lord.” Twice in one verse. As you may be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into full effect on 25th May 2018. “And after they were brought to Babylon, then Jechonias begat Salathiel; Salathiel begat Zorobabel; Zorobabel begat Abiud; Abiud begat Eliakim,” and on and on it goes. The Paradox of Christmas (worship order) A weekday chapel service plan for the season of Christmas with the full text of a short meditation on the Paradox of Christmas. “But Jacob” - verse 16 - “begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”. - “who believe. We sent you an email. People say, “There’s no grace in the Old Testament.” Don’t you believe it. Genesis 49:10 - there’s 50 chapters, so it’s near the end. Jesus was. God did it so there couldn’t be a counterfeit. This is when my guide for the day said what he did. How could a child be born who is The Mighty God? Bethlehem. “The breach is upon you.”, “And his name was called Pharez.” And afterward came out his brother that had the scarlet thread upon his hand. Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef's sermon. Christmas Special: The paradoxes of Christmas. He could never inherit David’s throne. One of the greatest verifications of the Christian faith, I think, are the diverse and apparently contradictory prophecies. Joel 2:32, “It shall come to come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved, on the name of Jehovah.” Romans 10:13, Paul points to Jesus and says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And he applies that passage to Jesus. He gave up what He had so that we might receive what we need. That means of His volition, unasked - “the Lord Himself shall give you a sign.”. Thank You for all that You teach us through Your unusual ways. Jesus absolutely nailed the Pharisees to the wall in this particular passage. Guest. The prophet again says Egypt. But it is strangers and aliens and outcasts who receive him. Look at 1 Peter 1:10. So you see, John had that problem. Especially in the Christmas season when we read about your “conception by the Holy Spirit, “ and about you being “the Son of God.” We have questions, Lord. The Septuagint uses it a virgin. In our familiarity with the Christmas story it can be easy to miss the dramatic paradoxes. You can celebrate it with joy only if you believe and that stone is precious; because if you do not, Christ is a stumbling stone. Prayer: Father, I thank You for the paradoxes of the Christmas story. We triumph by first surrendering to God. Our Christmas is a dazzling display of wealth beyond belief as millions of people spend millions of dollars to ignore the true meaning of Christmas. Those two letters mean “God.” Immanuel means “God with us.” Notice you have a paradox: a son who is God. How could one person be all of that: the seed of the woman, the Son of man, the Son of God, the Son of Abraham, or the Son of David? Mary didn’t descend from Jechonias’ line, no. He can solve that problem, I can’t handle it. When the bait is grabbed, the sticks snaps the trap and kills the victim. At the tenth generation, the curse was removed. He shall be great, shall be called the Son of the Highest.” There’s none higher. Did you know there are only four women mentioned in this genealogy up to Mary? Description A long time ago, one silent night loudly proclaimed God's love for us. The story of Christmas at once shows the lengths to which God will go to save us and the lengths to which man will go to reject him. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. When John had head in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?” John says, “Are there two messiahs?” When John heard the things that Jesus did, he couldn’t justify those with that he had said Jesus would do. When he wrote, David wasn’t born. Matthew chapter 3, here came John fulfilling the prophecy, preaching. He is offensive to you who do not.”. And you can study the passage, it’s definitely the same man. Now just imagine, here’s the prophet saying, “Messiah will be king. Vivienne Hill … You say, “Well, why couldn’t there a king?” Go back to Jeremiah 22, I’ll show you fascinating prophecy. Did you know there is no way that Old Testament prophets could ever have understood the fullness of the coming Messiah just on the virtue of the apparent contradiction in their own prophecies? But when he heard Archelaus did reign in Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.” If Archelaus doesn’t take over Judea, Joseph goes there and Jesus is not from Nazareth. Again I say to you, men didn’t write the Bible, or they never would have written that. Matthew 2:1, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east.” And why did they come? He is a rock of offense. Part 1. You say, “What’s so significant about this? Mary’s line came through Nathan, another son of David. And by some whim, Herod changes his will and orders what he orders, and it fulfills absolutely the Word of God. The Paradox of Christmas Dr. Michael Youssef emphasizes the beautiful paradoxes of Christmas—that Christ became poor that we might become rich; that we can only be free by becoming bondservants of Jesus; and other apparent contradictions of the faith that actually conceal wonderful Truths about who our … The Babylonian captivity ended the ruling of Israel’s own kings. Let’s look at 30. “And he knew her again no more.” He ceased from the sin. He healed the sick. Ten generations later, clean and pure. © 2021 Grace to You. Yet the greatest paradox in the entire Bible is found in the birth of Jesus Christ. No man of his seed shall prosper sitting upon the throne of David and ruling any more in Judah.”. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”. He was the seed of the woman, virgin born without a human father. Sizes. “The sceptre will not depart from Judah,” - in other words, there will be no king outside the line of Judah - “nor a lawgiver from between his feet” - very vivid picture of progeny there - “until Shiloh come;” - Shiloh means the one to whom it belongs or the one whose right it is - “and unto Him shall all the gathering of the people be.”. The Paradox of Christmas. A child born without a father, “A virgin shall conceive.”. A paradox is an apparent contradiction that conceals a profound Truth—and the Bible is filled with paradoxes. “Thus saith the Lord, ‘Write this man childless.’” Now, that doesn’t mean he’ll never have children. The first Christmas was a poor one: a manger, a stable. International orders will be charged a flat rate of $5.95 per pound. And there was John. Watch. Man uses that vulnerability to attempt to destroy him. “Solomon begat” - here comes all the list of the kings of Judah: “Roboam; Roboam begat Abia; Abia begat Asa; Asa begat Josaphat; Josaphat begat Joram; Joram begat Ozias; Ozias begat Joatham; Joatham begat Achaz; Achaz begat Ezekias; Ezekias begat Manasses; Manasses begat Amon; Amon begat Josias; Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren about the time they were carried away to Babylon.”. In fact, John was so confused that when he was a prisoner, he sent some of his disciples to Jesus. You say, “Are there anything in these genealogies of interest?” Oh, fabulous. He quotes them all in one passage. Horrible. But he didn’t know it. Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” I can handle that. That’s right. Listen to Matthew 22. Verse 1, “Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God. They could never be counterfeited. It is the Jesus of the gospels. For the world, it is mass confusion, furious rushing around, and a rising suicide rate. In his humanity, he was descended from a royal dynasty, the bloodline passed down to his mother Mary and his earthly parent Joseph from King David and his wife Bathsheba. Let me give you another one. Father, we know that the resolution of Isaiah’s paradox of the stone is simply faith, that we who believe in You as Lord and Savior, to us Thou art precious indeed, a precious cornerstone upon which to build our lives. Our attention, of course, is drawn to Christmas. We can learn from the paradoxes of Christmas: We should not judge things by appearance, because God hid His greatest gift in a humble package. Of whom? And I want to show you just this illustration. Look at verse 16. He has been replaced by a huckster named Santa Claus, who takes what’s valuable and gives tinsel in return. Notice the antecedent to “His” and the antecedent to “Him” in 41 is Christ. If Scripture is true, it better be. He said Himself in Luke 19:10, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He is the Son of God. Well, Moses must have scratched his head and said, “How can it be in Judah, when Judah is an illegitimate offspring? He was to inherit David’s throne. Unto you therefore who believe He is precious, unto them who are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. Caesar was the wealthiest man on earth; Jesus was one of the poorest. Getting 10% Off. “The government shall be upon His shoulder. From Pope Benedict’s “Urbi et Orbi” Christmas Day 2012 message: “[God’s] all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a child, has entered the human family. Abraham begat Isaac, Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Judah and his brother.” And how we come to Judah in verse 3? There’s a child; He is human; He is God. 1 2 She hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. Now watch. ." “Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said he’s blinded their eyes, hardened their hearts. How could one person be stumbling stone, rock of offense, cornerstone, precious stone, tested stone, sure foundation - and then Daniel throws in, just to make it extremely difficult - a smiting stone? Whoever this king is, he’s going to come from what tribe?

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