Welcoming Christ the Newborn King ~ Luke 1:26-38!

November 30, 2014 ~ New City Church of Calgary ~ Pastor John Ferguson!

Intro: The old Hide & Seek game: Ready or not, here I come! Ready or not, Christmas season is upon us.!

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As of 4:30pm Friday, one local radio station will be playing nothing but Christmas music. !
Its starting to feel a lot like Christmas. ~ What does that mean? !

For some, its the most wonderful time of the year. For others, b/c of strained relationships or the death of loved
ones, it is the most dreaded time of the year. !

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For Christians, the Christmas season is / or should be all about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. !
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NCC marks two important days on the church calendar: Advent & Easter, because each marks an amazing,
life-defining, earth-shattering miracle: Advent: the Incarnation; Easter: the Resurrection. !

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Welcoming Christ the Newborn King ~ Luke 1:26-38!
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Be on the lookout for language indicating (1) the royalty of Jesus, & (2) the rule of Jesus!
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26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin
betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgins name was Mary. 28 And
he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! 29 But she was greatly troubled at
the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, Do not be
afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a
son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And
the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob
forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. !
34 And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin? !
35 And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holythe Son of God. 36 And behold, your
relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called
barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God. 38 And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.!

Q: What does it mean for Jesus to be king, and what is the significance of his kingdom? And what does that
mean for us living today in 21st century Calgary? !

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His Royalty: Jesus is King & Lord of All!

A. He will be great // But what does this mean? Many people recognize the greatness of Jesus.!
1. Napoleon Bonaparte: I know men; and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man.Between Him !
and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison.Alexander, Caesar,
Charlemagne, and I have founded empires.But on what did we rest the creations of our genius?
Upon force!Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die
for Him.!
2. John Ortberg: Jesus impact was greater a hundred years after his death than during his life; it was
greater still after five hundred years; after a thousand years his legacy laid the foundation for much
of Europe; after two thousand years he has more followers in more places than ever.!
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3. A direct challenge to the reigning king at the time: Herod the Great who when he heard of the birth
of Jesus, plotted his death. !
4. Many people speak highly of Jesus, but not highly enough. !
B. His Title: Son of the Most High (vs. 32) / The Son of God (vs. 35)!
1. Historical Context: The reigning emperor of the time, Ceasar Augustus, was known as the Son of
the Divine, or the Son of God, upon the Roman deification of his father. Theological context: Jesus
was / is divine (cf. 2 Tim. 2:13).!
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2. Objection: Prof Teabing in The Davinci Code, Jesus establishment as the Son of God was
officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicea [325AD]. until that moment in history,
Jesus was viewed by his followers as a mortal propheta great and powerful man, but a man
nevertheless. !
Answer: What do the Scriptures written in the 1st century say? !
Mark 1:1, The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.!
Mt. 14:33, And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God.!
Mt. 16:16, Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. !
John 21:31, these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.!
Luke 1:35, the child to be born will be called holythe Son of God.!

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II. His Reign: Jesus is the King of Gods Kingdom!
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A. The Promise Made: 2 Samuel 7:12ff!
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I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his
kingdomI will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son. And
your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established
forever. !

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B. The Promise Anticipated: Psalm 2!

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C. But what is this kingdom of God? !

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As for me, I have set my King in Zion, my holy hill. I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to
me, You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your
heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.!

1. Its about the kind reign of God descending in and through King Jesus to a broken and bent world.
Its not just that our relationship with God is broken and needs fixing. Its that the whole world is
broken and needs the healing that comes when Gods rule is embraced and applied. !
2. The Kingdom of God vs. the kingdom of darkness (HT: Albert Wolters, Creation Regained, 66ff).!
church, family, politics, business, art, education, journalism, thought, emotion, environment,
creation, entertainment, sports!
3. Two Illustrations: Narnia: Aslan is on the move. / The Lion King: Scar vs. Simba!
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Application:!
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1. Wise men & women still worship him. !
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(1) Matt. 2:1-2, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold
wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who was born king of the Jews? For
we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.!
(2) John 20:28, Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God! !
(3) Titus 2:13, our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.!
If it is true that God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, then that changes everything. Jesus
becomes our starting point and ending point. He is our Lord, our God, and our Saviour. !
Let every heart prepare him room. !
(1) Cf. Joy to the World : Joy to the world! The Lord is come: let earth receive her King; let every heart
prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing!
If Jesus is King of kings, that means that you are not.!
(2) E. Peterson, The kingdom of self is heavily defended territory.!
(3) Abraham Kuyper: There is not one square inch of the entire creation about which Jesus Christ does
not cry out, This is mine! This belongs to me!!

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Does God have the right to rewrite the script of your life? !
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Conclusion: !
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Over the next three weeks Advent leading up to Christmas, we are going to consider what the kingship of
Christ means for us living today in 21st century Calgary. In particular, we are going to learn the significance of
the Lordship of Jesus Christ over three areas of our lives that compete with him for absolute loyalty of our
hearts: money, sex, & power. !

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Ready or not, your King is coming. !
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Let every heart prepare him room.

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