- Micah 5:2-4
- The Romans issued the census but the plan was ____________ all along.
- That is would move Joseph and Mary to ____________
- At the exact time ____________ was to be born
- That was not the agenda of the Romans
- God is greater than the Romans.
- Luke 2:1-7
- (Luk 2:1 ESV) In those days a decree went out from Caesar ____________ that all the world should be registered.
- (Luk 2:2 ESV) This was the first registration when ____________ was governor of ____________.
- a historical milestone
- Caesar Augustus lived from 63 bc – 14 ad
- Syria
- A Roman province
- Cobbled together to include:
- ____________, Samaria, Idumea
- It was put under the thumb of Quirinius for the purposes of taking a ____________
- This comes in a time known as the Pax Romana
- Roughly 27 BC to ____________
- (Luk 2:3 ESV) And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
- (Luk 2:4 ESV) And Joseph also went up from ____________, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of ____________, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
- (Luk 2:5 ESV) to be registered with ____________, his betrothed, who was with child.
- Remember, Joseph is in the line of David
- On the side of Solomon
- An heir as it were to the throne
- Bethlehem is the city of David
- (Luk 2:6 ESV) And while they were there, the time came for her to give ____________.
- We do not have details for the timeline of the journey or the birth
- It could have been within ____________ of their arrival or ____________.
- We do know they stayed in Bethlehem for sometime, possibly ____________.
- (Luk 2:7 ESV) And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a ____________, because there was no place for them in the ____________.
- The innkeepers name was:
____________________________________
- The address of the inn was:
____________________________________
- The actual building where Jesus was born was a:
____________________________________
- This paints a picture of poverty
- Of a humble birth not fit for a king.
- Surely if they knew, the innkeeper would make room for God!
- But they didn’t. Why?
- God ____________ His Son to Mary
- And Joseph, The shepherds, The wiseman, Even to Elizabeth, And John the Baptist knows even before he is ____________.
- Yet the innkeeper, whoever he may be, missed it. Herod could not find him. And many people in Bethlehem had no idea.
- It was as if there was a shroud of ____________ around this whole thing.
- Matthew 11:25-30
- General Call:
- Romans 10:10-15 – be saved
- Romans 10:16-21 – not all will be saved
- John 3:16 – be saved
- John 3:17-21 – but people love darkness and reject the light
- That’s the general outward plea, very different than the inward call that saves.
- Hearing vs believing
- Effectual Call:
- Sinners never look to obey God on their own. Until they are transformed by the ____________ ____________ they have no yearning for the things of God.
- Matthew 11:27
- John 6:36-40
- Romans 8:28
- Man’s Fallacy: Corruption
- Humans are ____________ so their thoughts are ____________ and their conclusions will be ____________ as well.
- It is not until we are divinely altered by the Holy Spirit that the ____________ of ____________ impacts us
- And our ____________ are transformed
- Our hearts are ____________
- Our sins are ____________
- We are fully justified before ____________
- The effectual calling of God changes our corrupt minds
- By ____________ Grace
- For ____________ Glory
- The Solution:
- First: Pray
- For those who do not know God
- Second: Share
- What God has done for them in His grace.
- Third: Study the Bible
- We study the Word, teach the Word, share the Word
- Fourth: Be thankful for all that God has done
- 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
- 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17
- 1 Peter 5:8-10
- Everyone had a place, except for ____________.
- He had no place for His birth
- He had no place for His burial
- Jesus had no place in this world of sin.
- This world was not His ____________
- He came for a purpose with a plan from God.
- In like fashion, this world is not our ____________
- In Christ we have another home.
- A ____________ home.
- An ____________ home prepared for us.
- Because of Christ we are justified before God
- As sinful men and women there is no room for us in heaven.
- In the presence of God we have no place. ____________ makes us right before God.
- John 14:1-6
- And for those who believe
- There is no longer room for them in this ____________.
- We are are ____________ out, set ____________, made to be different from the sin-stained world we are part of
- To us the ____________ will say: We have no room for your kind here
- But our Lord will say: Well done my good and faithful ____________.
- So praise Him this week
- For His amazing grace
- For His loving mercy
- For His generous gift of salvation
- And for His granting you faith to believe
