BibleTalk Notes- We Believe Therefore We Speak, 1

BibleTalk September 24th, 2010
God’s Compelling Good News—We Believe Therefore We Speak!
Part 1, The First Moment: Jesus’ Birth

You know, when you have a great discovery or you’re struck with a brilliant idea don’t you just have to talk about it? Remember the story of Archimedes and density? The king wanted to know whether his crown had actually been made out of all the gold he sent to make it with and when the water displacement test hit Archimedes in the public bath he ran naked to the palace shouting Eureka!!

Have you ever been so excited about something that you just HAD to run and tell somebody?

I found 4 Great “Moments of Discovery” about Jesus where we see bursts of talking about Jesus: Jesus’ Birth, Jesus introduction to the world (the epiphany), the inception of the church (Pentecost), and the conviction based maturing speech of those who hear the word and hold it in their hearts. We’ll consider each of these moments briefly and finish with an ancient warning to the watchmen of Israel.

Good news about Jesus’ Birth
Luke is filled with stories of people rejoicing over baby Jesus!!
Elizabeth Luke 1:39-45
39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"
Mary Luke 1:46-49
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
Zechariah Luke1:67-75
68"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed his peple.
69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
The Angels (God) Luke 2:8-14
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
The Shepherds
Anna and Simeon Luke 2:28-32
28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."
Matthew also mentions the Wise Men who came from afar and brought gifts for the baby.
This is the Jesus most people are willing to believe in and talk about, but just like a baby: if your faith doesn’t grow from this point something is wrong. It’s comfortable to stay at this stage of faith, however: there’s no challenge, no sacrifice, just rejoicing and music and lights and gift-giving. But did Jesus ever command us to give him a birthday party? That idea grows more by the opportunism of merchants who see it as a way to boost sales than because people are trying to please God.

Are we at the baby Jesus level of faith? Are we comfortable just talking about and enjoying the baby Jesus or are we committed to Jesus the man, the son of God who conquered Satan and takes on the sin of the world??

That’s the BibleTalk this week! Next week The Second Moment: Jesus the man, revealed to the world!!