WORSHIP

DECEMBER 09, 2012

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT BETHLEHEM SUNDAY The second Sunday of Advent is Bethlehem Sunday. The city of Bethlehem is mentioned about 45 times in the Old Testament and 8 times in the New Testament – all in the Gospels.

LIGHT BETHLEHEM CANDLE PRAYER HYMN #178

O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM

Bethlehem is a city located within the territory allocated to the tribe of Judah, and Judah who was Jacob’s fourth son. Both King David and Jesus were born in Bethlehem, though David was raised there as well. Long before the Israelites took the Promised Land, Jacob and his wife Rachel were on their way to Bethlehem when she gave birth to Benjamin, the second of her two sons. This is the first time Bethlehem is mentioned in the Bible. Sadly, in giving birth to Benjamin, Rachel died, and Jacob buried Rachel just outside Bethlehem. By the way, Rachel’s last child, Benjamin, was the twelfth and final son born to Jacob, and it was after Benjamin’s birth that God gave Jacob the name ‘Israel’ and said his twelve sons would became the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel. Though Bethlehem is mentioned in Joshua and Judges, it’s next significant reference comes in the book of Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite and the daughter-inlaw of Emilech and Naomi – an Israelite couple who left their home town of Bethlehem, with their two sons, and moved to Moab because of a famine in Judah. While in Moab, the two sons married, and then Emilech and his two sons died. Following the death of her two sons, Naomi returned to her hometown, Bethlehem, and Ruth came with her. It was in Bethlehem that Ruth met, married, and settled with her second husband Boaz. Now the point of this story is that Ruth, a gentile woman (Moabite), married Boaz, a Jew, and in so

doing became the great-grandmother of David. Here is the progression: Ruth had a son named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David. It may interest you to know that Jesus’ lineage includes four Gentile women, in this order: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Rahab was Boaz’ mother. Boaz married Ruth, who was the grandmother of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David. Finally, David’s wife, Bathsheba was the mother of Solomon. I am not sure why God worked Gentile mothers into Christ’s lineage, but it does show us, even before Christ’s birth, that God’s salvation of mankind is universal, rather than confined to the nation of Israel. As I already said, David was born and raised in Bethlehem, and he was anointed King of Israel in Bethlehem. Now there are many wonderful parts of David’s story that we could consider, but the one part that is especially significant to this Advent Sunday is the fact that David is the only person, in all of human history, who was given a promise from God that his kingdom, or the rule of his family, would last forever (II Samuel 7:12-16). Sadly, from the time of David’s death until the birth of Christ, the descendants of David who ascended to the throne of David did not fulfill God’s requirements for perpetuating the rule of David’s family forever. However, God did not break His promise, but rather He fulfilled it in Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus, God’s only son, who is a direct descendant of David though the bloodline of his mother, Mary, and the family lineage of his father, Joseph, became the descendant of David qualified to fulfill God’s promise to David about his family ruling forever. From David onward, Bethlehem was known as the City of David and represented David’s kingly position, his right to rule, and his power to rule – which now is applied to Jesus who is not only the true king but also the eternal king of God’s people everywhere and for all time. Bethlehem is about five miles due south of Jerusalem and approximately seventy-five miles south of Nazereth (think of the trip Joseph and Mary took to get there). In Hebrew, the name “Bethlehem” means “House of Bread.” In History, the place of Bethlehem speaks of David’s rule as King over God’s people. Therefore, today, we will look at both these great truths concerning Jesus: His role as King and His role as the Bread of Life.

BETHLEHEM SPEAKS OF THE KINGLY RULE OF CHRIST: JEREMIAH 23:5-6 The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. [6] In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. PSALM 89:3-4 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.'" HYMN #184

HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING

DANIEL 7:13-14 I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. [14] And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. ZECHARIAH 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. LUKE 1:31-33 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. PSALM 24:7-10 Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. [8] Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. [9] Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. [10] Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty – he is the King of glory.

HYMN

WE WILL GLORIFY

JOHN 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Notice, Jesus states that he was born to be a king. According to the rules of kingdoms, to be born to be a king you had to be a direct descendant of the previous king, or at least one of the previous kings, and preferably, the first born son. In a unique way, Jesus fits both of these requirements. He was a direct descendant of David through Mary, his mother. And He is the first born son of His father, God, who is the King of Kings, the Ruler of the universe, and the God of god’s. Truly, there is no one greater than God. Returning to the statement by Jesus that He was born to be a king, look at the words of the magi when they asked Herod for help in finding Jesus. They said: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him (Matthew 2:2-3). And why was Herod and all Jerusalem troubled? Because Herod was an Edomite by birth, which means he had no right, by nationality or lineage to be king over God’s people. In fact, he was made king by Rome. But the greater point here is that even the magi knew that Jesus was a king by birth rather than by appointment or by election or by deposing the current king and taking his place or by conquering some other king’s kingdom. But there is more. Jesus was not only born a king, He was born King of the Jews, and from the Cross and Resurrection onward, Jesus is the King of God’s people everywhere. READ

REJOICE THE LORD IS KING

If we are God’s people, then Jesus is our King. And if He is our King, then He has absolute authority over us – even though we have the ability to do as we please. Yet we are fools not to willingly do what pleases our King, for we answer to Him, not to ourselves or anyone else. So then, how should we live with Christ as our King? Paul answers this question in a manner that points directly to the kingly rule of God in Christ.

I Timothy 6:13-16 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, [14] that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, [15] which He will bring about at the proper time – He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, [16] who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. So how should we live? Paul says we are to keep the commandment, or God’s word, without stain or reproach. Or as Peter says, we are to be holy in all our behavior as God is holy. Or as Jesus said, we are to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Or as James said, we are to submit to God, resist the devil, and draw near to God – cleansing our hands and purifying our heart. HYMN

JOY TO THE WORLD

I Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

BETHLEHEM SPEAKS OF CHRIST AS THE BREAD OF LIFE: The word Bethlehem means “house of bread.” Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, that is, in the “House of Bread” has become to us the Bread of Life. And so, not only has God come down from heaven as Jesus Christ, He has also come down from heaven as the new manna, that is, as the Bread of Life. Consider these words of Jesus’ to the crowd that came looking for him: JOHN 6:26-33 "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. [27] Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." [28] Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" [29] Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." [30] So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? [31] Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" [32] Jesus

said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. [33] For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." [34] "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." Though there are many varieties of food, the general purpose of food is to grow life, sustain life, and strengthen life. Yet when it comes to spiritual food, our human tendency is to choose pop and candy over healthy food and dessert over the main course. Speaking through Jeremiah, God said: “My people have committed two evils: (1) they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, (2) to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). Here in John 6, Jesus warns us away from such foolish eating and urges us to eat the Bread of Life – which is Christ, himself, the true spiritual food from heaven. Peter speaks of this kind of eating when he said: “Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation (1 Peter 2:2). HYMN

ANCIENT WORDS

So how does the Bread of Life grow us up, sustain us, and strengthen us? Let me point out just two ways. First, by speaking to us the truths we need for living a godly life day by day. And second, by dwelling within us. As for speaking to us the truths we need for godly living, it is essential that we accept them by faith. Now when I speak of accepting them by faith, I am not speaking of believing in these truths in some theoretical way, but in the most practical and therefore applicable way possible. For it is as we put the truths of Christ into practice that we gain life, grow life, sustain life, strengthen life, and enter into eternal life. As James makes abundantly clear, for faith to save, it must transform us from what we were as unbelievers to what we are supposed to be as God’s reborn children. In other words, faith that saves produces appropriate accompanying action (James 2:14-26). The same is true when we eat the Bread of Life for the truths spoken to us by Jesus gives us life, grows our life, sustains our life, strengthens our life, and leads us to eternal life as we put them into practice. The second way the Bread of Life grow us up, sustain us, and strengthen us is by taking up residence within us. In other words, Christ not only speaks to us,

He moves in and lives in us – enabling us to live like He lived. Paul captured this great truth in Galatians 2:20 . . . “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Jesus referred to himself as the “Bread that came down from heaven.” This was in reference to the manna God provided for Israel in the wilderness. As you recall, Israel needed a miraculous provision of food and water while they traveled through the wilderness on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. God provided both. For food, He supernaturally provided manna. But He only gave them enough for each day – to teach them dependence on Him, which in turn would strengthen their faith. God did not want Israel to look for security in what they could accumulate. In this same way, Jesus is our bread – our provision in relation to living the Christian life. And though he only gives us enough provision to meet the need of the day, he does it this way for the same reason God did this with Israel – to nurture our dependence on Him and build our faith in Him. HYMN

THY WORD

With these wonderful truths still in our ears, lets read – John 6:35-40 [35] Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. [36] But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. [37] All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. [38] For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. [39] And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. [40] For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:51a "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever."

CHORUS #36

I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE

The Fire's Work “And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” – based on Malachi 3:3 The house of King Solomon, son of David, had goldsmiths, goldbeaters, and refiners aplenty. Gold was so abundant in his kingdom that silver had little value – it was said that silver seemed as common as stones. The great and the small came from many lands to ask Solomon for his advice and to listen to his wise words. They paid him in gold for what they heard. Solomon's trading ships brought back gold from the fabled land of Ophir. Kings paid him tribute in gold from the mines of Egypt, Mrica, and Arabia – mines whose locations are lost but whose names remain. Certainly, King Solomon's goldsmiths would have known that the gold they prepared and purified for the king's golden throne and for his warriors' golden shields, for his golden goblets and spoons – that very gold had already been refined and separated from tons of rock through natural processes or through the hard labor of thousands of slaves. Scattered, far-flung, above and below the earth's surface, gold lay pure, never rusting, bright and shining. It was there in streambeds as golden nuggets, washed up from below the earth's surface and separated from rock and gravel through the tumbling and washing of water. It was there as tiny flakes in the sand or dirt, recovered only by the long, tiring, and dirty work of prospectors who swirled and washed the dirt to separate out the gold. It was there deep below the earth, running through the rock like miniature golden streams. The slaves of Solomon's time could only get it through backbreaking work. In the mines, they broke the rock with hammers or cracked it by throwing water on rock faces that had been heated by fire. Then they pounded and crushed the chunks into tiny pieces that could be washed to separate out the gold. Even then, the gold that came into King Solomon's workshops was not perfect enough. It was not the "pure gold," the "refined gold" that was required for the most precious works of art and worship. The gold for those pieces had to be purified and refined further until it was entirely gold.

Because gold melts easily and is nearly ten times heavier than water, it was purified by fire. The melted gold would sink to the bottom of the cup, and impurities would rise to the top where they could be easily removed. Like the goldsmiths of Ur, Egypt, Nubia, Troy, and Greece, Solomon's goldsmiths could beat and hammer gold into incredibly thin sheets to cover wood objects so that they looked like solid gold. They could spin pure gold into thin threads and weave it into Solomon's royal robes. The goldsmiths, gold-beaters, and refiners of King Solomon's kingdom spent their lives to bring gold forth in purity, fit for a king's use. Gold is valuable because it is rare, beautiful, and hard to mine. In fact, gold was one of the gifts brought to Jesus by the wealthy magi who followed His star. If all the purified gold, from all time, were melted together into one cube, it could fit within a baseball diamond. Gold does not rust or tarnish. The silver jewelry found in ancient tombs is black with tarnish, while the gold objects still shine brightly. Gold can be formed and shaped and stretched like no other metal. A piece of pure gold the size of a sugar cube can be pounded thin enough to cover the floor of a small room or stretched into a thread fifty miles long. With heating and reheating, silver and iron and copper become unmanageable. Gold can be worked and reworked, melted and remelted, stretched and beaten over and over, and it never loses its glitter or its obedience to the hands of the goldsmith. Though gold is found in the dirt, it is made fit for a king through breaking, heating, beating, and stretching. The apostle Peter, a friend of Jesus, wrote that our faith is of “greater worth than gold.” Our faith, like our love, is a precious gift which we can offer God, if we will. Yet faith seems such a poor gift, so little of it pure and so much of it rubble. But God lovingly accepts our gift and makes it an "offering in righteousness." Then He sets about the task of purifying us as a goldsmith's fire refines gold. He works for our good through all the sadness and sorrow, the trials and tribulation that come into our life and that hurt so much. But when He has tested us in the fires of His love, we "come forth as gold," pure and precious in the sight of God – not by our power, but through His grace. HYMN

REFINER’S FIRE

Ephesians 1:3-14 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight [God] made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in [Christ] with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In [Christ] also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Christ, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. HYMN ANNOUNCEMENTS:

SHOUT TO THE LORD