I want us to notice the Prophet Zacharias today. He's the father of John the Baptist. We must read a little paragraph of the Gospel of Luke to get the whole picture. This godly man, as you will see, was a priest. "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course. According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:5-17

The announcement has been made!

A little boy is to be miraculously, to parents of old age, born!

And he will walk in the spirit of Elijah!

He will be a "prophet" of God!

All this seems quite standard to our ears. After all, God can do anything! Here's another of the Bible's many "special" birth accounts. Remember, God in Scripture is always the One Who opens some wombs and closes others.

But the timing of this birth is one of its most outstanding features!

No prophet of God has been born for many years now!

Historically speaking, God's last prophet was in the Old Testament era, Malachi by name. And that was four hundred years ago ... as the angel spoke to Zacharias that day! Four centuries, forty decades, a long time!

Folks, the United States is not that old yet, not four hundred years. In fact we're just a little over half that age!

No wonder Zachariah was amazed! "He said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings." Luke 1:18-19

Think of the excitement at home when this priest got off duty! A baby in a home of a godly elderly couple!

A Prophet of God! In fact Jesus said of this baby prophet: "Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist." Luke 7:28

Here's my point today!

God can wait.

Between Malachi, who rebuked Israel sternly for her sins, and John the Baptist ... no one spoke for God because darkness and apostasy and spiritual coldness had settled on the earth as few times ever before!

Yet God's clock was still ticking!

Then, in God's Own Way, here it happens!

Another Man of God!

Another real Preacher, a true Prophet, the greatest of all!

In fact, the Forerunner of Jesus Himself!

Hundreds of years of seemingly ... nothing!

Then Wow!

Here comes John the Baptist!

We too, now listen, we too have been living in years of relative silence by Almighty God. Jesus for two thousand years has been in Heaven, sitting at the Father's Right Hand, making intercession and serving as Advocate for His people.

Lifetimes of silence!

But get ready!

Some day, just like with Zacharias in that Temple scene we all just read, news is going to come.

God will have acted again!

Overtly!

God will have spoken once more!

Audibly!

Yes, after all these centuries one day Jesus is coming again!

A Trumpet will be heard!

A Voice will sound!

The Church will be "caught up" to meet the Lord in the air!

Just because it's a long time coming ... does not mean God's Program will not be fulfilled!

It could happen today!

It will happen some day!

I close with the Bible's last prayer. It fits perfectly our Lesson this morning. "Even so, come Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20

Amen!

                   --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

Zacharias was working when God came to him. No telling what you will be doing ... or me! But indeed the next Event of God is imminent. That means it could happen any second!

Talk about a break in the silence!

LESSON 3, DECEMBER 9, 2012:

She is the Mother of John the Baptist. Remember, he was born six months prior to Jesus. And apart from the Gospel of Luke we would know nothing about her, Elisabeth by name.

And what a name this is!

It's Hebrew, of course. The first syllable is "El," one of God's main Old Testament Titles. It essentially means "all power." And then the "sabeth" part of her name is the Hebrew noun "sheba," meaning a "promise or oath!"

If this lady lives up to the meaning of all this ... she certainly will be holy! Dedicated, constantly aware of the faithful God in Heaven Who always keeps His Promises!

Wow!

Luke chapter 1 tells us Elisabeth was the wife of the priest Zacharias, but also she's a direct descendent of Aaron himself! What a heritage. John the Baptist has priestly blood in his veins!

Luke adds of her, "She was righteous and blameless!"

But also ... barren, even though older in age.

As soon as Elisabeth learns of her coming baby boy, via an angelic appearance to her husband while he was on duty at the Jerusalem Temple, she ... "hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men." Luke 1:24-25

Here's the Lesson today.

How "deep" she must have been in the things of God!

She goes into seclusion five months!

Twenty-one weeks or so!

Doing nothing but communing with her Lord!

Rejoicing over God's Goodness!

Delighting in the fact that God "looked" upon her!

This is what I am saying, just like Mary the Virgin "pondered" the Birth of her Son Jesus ... so did Elisabeth!

What a spiritually high-quality Mother John the Baptist enjoyed!

The man who is the Forerunner of our Saviour!

Elisabeth here reminds me of Mary, the one whose Sister was Martha. Contemplative in nature.

Loving the Lord with all her heart.

In busy America we all perhaps need to sometimes slow down and "think!"

And reflect on the great God we know!

Five months!

With God.

Can't we take five minutes occasionally?

                 --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

Moses spend forty years alone with God.

Paul three years in Arabia too.

And these two men wrote more Scripture than any other two men in all history! Time with God ... precious and profitable too! Or so it appears. Elisabeth raised the greatest Prophet who ever lived, according to Jesus anyway!

LESSON 4, DECEMBER 10, 2012:

Here's how the Gospel of Luke introduces its Christmas chapter. "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed." Luke 2:1

Jesus is soon to be born, and Luke talks politics!

The ruling Roman Emperor is mentioned in Scripture, simply because in a very negligible way his life, his administration, "touched" the Life of our Lord. Albeit when Baby Jesus was yet unborn!

This man's full name was Gaius Julius Caesar Octavius Augustus. He came to power amid much intrigue and treachery. He's the one who defeated the rebels Anthony and Cleopatra, resulting in their suicides. He even captured Alexandria, in Africa mind you!

During Augustus' reign, for the first time in two hundred years, the doors of the Temple of Janus were closed! He was the god of war! Peace had come to Rome!

Such skill had earned this Gaius Julius Caesar Octavius the Title by which we now know him, "Augustus." In Latin that's "Sebastos," literally meaning something like "reverend!"

They were quite close to worshipping the man!

He was a ruler who encouraged trade, culture, architecture, education, a great promoter of unity. He instituted in Rome its first library.

And of course he was a polytheist, many gods and goddesses were objects of his faith.

Yet he was married to the same lady for fifty-two years, without the least "hint" of any moral impropriety either!

He was one of the hardest working rulers Rome ever knew!

He ended civil war in the empire!

He drove the pirates out of the Mediterranean Sea!

Oh, one more thing I'd like to mention about this complex man. He ordained that every fourteen years a record of the Empire's population was to be tallied. That meant counting, as our Text Verse today says, "the whole world!"

Wow!

And this is the Caesar who rules when Jesus came to earth, when the Virgin Birth occurred.

Yet Scripture records no negative reports of the man, not that I can find anyway. No political mud-slinging. No critique of his policies or views or worldview.

He had some good and some bad traits I'm sure.

Conservative in ways, liberal in others.

Yet God used him, maybe even giving him a love for numbers (as in census taking) ... to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem just in time for Jesus to be born there!

That's the city in which the Saviour must enter this world, in a little Baby's Body!

Micah the Prophet, five hundred years earlier, had promised so. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Micah 5:2

Caesar Augustus, thanks for helping!

Truly indeed, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will." Proverbs 21:1

God's Work goes forward, no matter who is in power governmentally!

That was true in Rome's heyday.

And it's still true in this so-called modern world!

From Augustus to Obama ... what Paul said still holds true. "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God." Romans 13:1-2

Hey folks, God is still Almighty!

Omnipotent!

And Jesus is still coming again!

Psalm 75:6-7 applied to Augustus Caesar ... and to every person in authority since him! "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another."

What a great God we serve!

Let's all live for Jesus today.

             --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 5, DECEMBER 11, 2012:

We often think of Bethlehem, the town in which Jesus was born. That's partly because of the place it occupies in Scripture, being named five hundred years before the Virgin Birth! Micah the Prophet shares this, "Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel." Micah 5:2

But today I'd like to talk about Mary's hometown, Nazareth. Luke tells us: "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary." Luke 1:26-27

In fact, Jesus was raised for the most part in Nazareth. Matthew 2:23 teaches us: "And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene."

But Nazareth was such an out-of-the-way place! So very insignificant! Located in Galilee, the city possessed virtually no fame or honor! In John 1:46 someone asked, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"

Of the sixty-three villages of Galilee mentioned in the Jewish Talmud, Nazareth is not to be found! Of the forty-five towns mentioned by Josephus, again Nazareth does not make the list!

It's population was thought to be no more than a few hundred, total! And its people may have even numbered less than a hundred, according to some sources.

But that's where Mary lived!

And Joseph.

And eventually, Jesus.

Oh, one more thing. The name Nazareth is Hebrew, of course. "Netzser" is its root, so say the teachers. It means a "shoot" or a "branch" growing off the trunk of an old thought-to-be-dead tree! One that had been cut down a long time ago!

Something dead ... now giving life!

I wonder if the little city of Nazareth, just like Bethlehem which means "House of Bread," might not give us a "foretaste" of future things concerning our Lord?

Nazareth, his hometown, a picture of Death ... then Life!

Let me now prove this. Isaiah the Prophet, writing seven hundred years before Mary conceived, compared Israel, the dynasty of David, to a dead and cut-down tree trunk! Just a "stem" of what had once been!

But then, the Prophet promises: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." Isaiah 11:2-3

The word "Branch" I just underlined is Hebrew "netzser!" The very word that gives us Nazareth!

Nazareth's leading Citizen, Jesus the Son of God, fulfills the very meaning of that little village's name!

He is the "Branch" God raised up!

To die for our sins.

To be raised again from the dead.

To some day occupy the Throne of David.

To rule and reign forever!

Nazareth ... Nazarene ... Death then Life!

That's the Story of Jesus.

Every sinner was dead ... 'til Jesus saved his or her lost soul.

Now we are alive in Christ for all eternity!

He is the Nazarene!

                --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 6, DECEMBER 12, 2012:

Here's what the Angel said to Mary, even naming her Boy before He was born! "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus." Luke 1:31

That Name, to us now, is special!

To Mary it would have been quite common, thousands of little Jewish boys having been so called through the years.

"Yeshua" is the Hebrew spelling. Or more fully, "Yehoshua," being exactly the name of the Old Testament hero "Joshua!" It precisely means "Jehovah is salvation."

When this same Angel told Joseph about this soon coming miraculous Birth, this fact was added: "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

See the "likeness" to Joshua, the name grammatically means just that, "to save!" And Jesus came to redeem sinners!

Amen!

But what a minute!

Something else about Joshua.

He was a warrior! He is known as one of the greatest Jewish fighters who ever lived!

He's the man who took over when Moses died. He's the one who led Israel into the Promised Land! He's the one who defeated the giants of that territory! He's the one who brought victory!

And here's the surprising note today, and the point of this short Lesson. Jesus too is a "warrior!" First John 3:8 teaches us: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."

That's quite a victory!

Jesus our Saviour ... named after a victorious man of war!

Jesus has conquered Death, Hell and the Grave, in addition to defeating the Devil!

He has vanquished our sins too ... by the shedding of his Own Blood on the Cross!

And in Heaven today He wears Crown upon Crown!

Rightly so ... He's earned the Honor!

Right now let's some of us thank the Lord Jesus for being both the One Who "saves" and the One Who gives us the "victory!"

He indeed is the greater Joshua!

              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 7, DECEMBER 13, 2012:

We call them "angels." A few of them we know by name, these majestic creations of God.

Today I'd like to talk about Gabriel. We believe he's the one who made the "Christmas" announcements! Plural because I'm including the one about John the Baptist too.

Therefore Luke 1:26-27 becomes our focus today. "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary."

The noun our New Testament uses for "angel" is spelled "aggelos" in Greek. But the "g" here sort of sounds like the letter "n" when pronounced. The word is used well over two hundred times in the Bible.

And what does it mean?

Simply this, a "messenger." An "envoy," probably being derived from the root verb "ago," meaning "to lead," as in being the first to bring good tidings to a people!

An angel is thus one of God's little errand runners, specifically in the area of communication. "Telling the Story," in other words!

But now, what was the Story, the Message, the Truth that Gabriel the Angel shared with Mary?

Luke tells us exactly: "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus." Luke 1:30-31

The Messenger told the Virgin that she was going to be with child, make that Child. That the Holy Spirit, Almighty God, would be the Father of the Baby! And that the Little One Would be the Saviour of the world!

Talk about being an accurate Messenger!

About preaching it straight!

Thank God for the Angel and the Fact he proclaimed! "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus."

Would anyone mind? I'm going to call this "The greatest Sermon ever preached." Or "The greatest Fact ever announced."

God coming to earth!

Literally!

Physically!

Without a human father!

Via a miracle, a virginal conception and birth!

Again ...  "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus." 

Wow!

Let's thank God today for angels.

Then let's thank Him for every other faithful messenger He has, including your Preacher!

The accuracy of the Word of God is vitally critical!

Oh, here's another accurate life-changing statement too, only from human lips as guided by the Holy Spirit. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:9-10, God's Perfect Plan of Salvation.

Thank God for His Grace!

And the Truth it provides!

And those who faithfully tell it, including that Angel long ago who appeared to Mary the Virgin.

Christmas, praise the Lord.

            --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 8, DECEMBER 14, 2012:

Have you even thought about the fact that we have two different accounts of Jesus' Birth in the New Testament?

Both Matthew and Luke tell us about the grand Event. Of course, gloriously, we have four Accounts of Jesus' full Ministry, four Gospel biographers!

As I was studying earlier today, focusing on the Birth Narratives of Jesus, it became more obvious than ever than Matthew's details and Luke's differ in several places.

Notice I did not say that they "contradict" each other, not for a second!

These two men, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, simply emphasize separate details about our Lord's Virgin Birth, including events both preceding and following it.

More about this, Lord willing, as our Lessons develop for the next few days. But basically this much can be said with authority. Matthew tells us the Story from Joseph's perspective. Luke relates Mary's side. And both preach the Birth as a Miracle of God!

Both believe Jesus is God come to earth!

Both believe He is the Saviour of the world!

Both proceed to tell of His sinless Life and vicarious Death and literal Resurrection from the grave!

And both believe that the Message of Jesus, the Gospel of Christ, is Good News indeed, worthy of being told again and again and again. Until every tribe and family and nation know about this Wonderful Saviour, God The Son!

Today, thank God for the Birth of Jesus!

Thank God for Mary the Virgin.

Thank God for Joseph her husband.

And most of all, thank God for His Plan of Salvation.

Here are Paul words to a man eager to trust Jesus. They still apply all these years later. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:31

Amen!

               --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 9, DECEMBER 15, 2012:

I told Debbie yesterday that this year Joseph had been more in my focus than even Mary!

It appears that when this man first learned that his espoused wife, the lady to whom he was engaged, was expecting a baby ... he had no idea that the Coming One was little Jesus, the Son of God.

On the contrary, Matthew writes: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things ....

Wow!

I base my conclusion on the Greek verb used for "though" in our Text. It's "enthumeomai" and blends a form of the root noun "thumos" with a prefix for a stronger emphasis.

And "thumos" means?

"Passion, anger, wrath, indignation, very strong feeling, emotionally so!"

Joseph was in turmoil, upset, maybe even angry! Yes, Joseph actually thought his wife had been unfaithful to him!

He was going through the agony of such a startling development! Tossed and turned by feelings, worries, decisions, consequences!

What should he do?

To expose Mary would have been dangerous. She in the extreme could have been stoned to death, by an unruly mob. In fact, the Mosaic Law not only allowed such a punishment, but really seemed to demand it! Leviticus 20:10, "The adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death."

Maybe a less stringent response was in order!

Then Joseph hit on his solution to the problem anyway.

He would just "put Mary away." Using the verb "apoluo," he planned "to loose" Mary from the engagement. Virtually "to divorce" her, quietly and without fanfare.

Yes, that's what he would do.

What he must do.

This would be the kind course of action! So much so that the Holy Spirit here calls Joseph a "just" man, one who was "trusting" in the coming Redeemer to wash away his sins. And one who was living a "right" life in the eyes of God. Notice that the legal thing to do, the stoning, was not followed ... and the gracious thing to do, quiet separation, was planned! Yet God still commended the young husband for his planned response.

God has always been a God of Grace!

There's more to the Story of course, much more, but for today we will thank God that Joseph did not seek to harm Mary in any way.

That plan could have resulted in harm to the Baby as well.

As we all know Who that Baby was, very God come to earth in a little human body!

Kindness.

Understanding.

Concern for the unborn.

Joseph indeed was a good man.

And behind all this one can easily see the Hand of God at work! Hebrews 10:5, alluding to Psalm 40, has Jesus saying to God the Father, "A body Thou has prepared Me!"

Joseph did not stand in the way of that great Plan!

Now Jesus has come.

Jesus has died.

Jesus has raised Himself from the grave.

Jesus is Saviour.

Jesus will wash away the sins of anyone who sincerely trusts Him to do so. John 1:12 says this: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."

Amen!

           --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 10, DECEMBER 16, 2012:

All we who accept the Bible literally realize that Joseph was not the Father of Jesus. Our Lord's Birth was miraculous, overseen and enacted by God Himself. Mary was the willing vessel, the Virgin through whom God worked.

Yet Joseph did marry Mary! And he did aid in the rearing of that Holy Child! Of this the Bible is certain.

Now naturally we Fundamentalists downplay the position Joseph had in the family. He is, again, not Jesus' Daddy.

But still ... I wondered several times yesterday ... did Joseph have some kind of impact on our Lord's Life?

Jesus did become a carpenter, if you remember. That was certainly Joseph's occupation too!

Social scientists tell us that any boy is greatly influenced by the Male Figure who lives in his home.

And I believe Jesus was too!

When our Saviour told that wonderful story, one of the greatest parables ever uttered, about the Prodigal Son ... and that patient, kind, sweet, forgiving, generous Father who forgave his boy ... who was our Lord's "model" for that account?

Maybe the kind Joseph, Mary's Husband?

And when Jesus one day was preaching, He asked his congregation: "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?"

Who is this reasonable, approachable, and again generous Father?

Again, it may have been Joseph whom our Lord had in mind!

And likely a dozen other examples exist in the New Testament.

Yes, Joseph was a valuable member of the team!

We certainly never forget Mary at Christmastime.

Nor should we forget her husband!

Thank God today for Christian Dads.

Thank God for Christian Husbands.

And as we tell the Nativity Story this year, don't omit the man who believed Mary, married her, and helped raise God's Son!

Amen.

             --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 11, DECEMBER 17, 2010:

"Blessed," that's the word very often used to describe the Virgin Mary. In fact Luke's Gospel records Elisabeth using this term three times in a single paragraph, applying each to either the Holy Mother or to the Child soon to be born, to Jesus.

"And Elisabeth spake out with a loud voice, and said, Mary, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." Luke 1:42-45

Threefold blessing, what a benediction!

However two different terms are used here, two Greek words for "blessed." The Holy Spirit is again being quite versatile.

The first two "blesseds," those referring to the Mother and the "Fruit of her womb" translate the word "eulogeo." It means in essence "to praise" someone. "To say good things" about him or her! To pronounce prosperity upon that individual!

The third "blessed," describing Mary's believing faith, represents the Greek adjective "makarios," meaning "happy." But in this sense, in antiquity being only used of the gods and goddesses of those polytheistic lands, "happy as the gods!" Christian Scripture took the term, Jesus used it often in the Beatitudes for example, and adapted its meaning into this: "as Happy as the Lord Himself," because He through His indwelling Spirit lives within us! And He was certainly living in Mary at that time!

Blessed, blessed, blessed!

But look what this blessedness got her!

Pain and sorrow and grief and as Simeon said "a sword through her heart!" Yet of course too the blessedness promised included joy and peace and victory and relationship with Almighty God and His Son, Mary also being led by the Holy Spirit!

One well known author called this "the paradox of blessedness!"

God's blessing are indescribably wonderful, glorious, heavenly!

But they also entail some hardship too!

Paul was blessed with hundreds of "revelations" from God! Fourteen whole New Testament Book's worth! But along with the positive side of those honors ... was a "thorn in the flesh" to keep Paul humble in the midst of all that glory!

I've noticed that in praying the Jabez Prayer, First Chronicles 4:9-10, that God answers it for sure! With many delightful blessings ... but also with some hard times to mature us for further advancements from God!

To pray to be blessed is automatically to ask for bright situations ... and a few dark ones as well. God balances His blessings it seems!

That's why the Christian life involves tons of blessings, smiles form God Himself ... and also its fair share of trials and tribulations and heartaches.

Then I wonder ... Is there a Passage of Scripture that might tie together my thoughts here today?

Maybe so. I think James 1:2-4 does, at least to some degree. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

Here's the blessing; Maturity in Christ, being "perfect in Him." Also possessing "all joy" according to James.

Here's the downside, the prerequisite; many "divers, various temptations and trials!"

Again: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:2-4

Christian friends, enjoy God's blessings today.

And trust Him to care for all the details of those blessings too, including the trials that may accompany them!

            --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 12, DECEMBER 18, 2012:

Let's think about that long journey Mary and Joseph made, from Nazareth to Bethlehem, long ago.

Luke gives us the details: "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." Luke 2:4-5

Several sources I've used say the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem would have been a nine day trek! With a lady expecting her first Baby! The expression "great with child" utilizes a Greek blend meaning "swollen inside," their concept of pregnancy.

There is some discussion in the textbooks about the route Joseph would have taken. Two schools of though dominate that topic. One is that Joseph and Mary would have detoured around Samaria and walked a twenty to thirty mile additional trail, all because of hatred for a certain race of people.

But I'm thinking, along with other conservative preachers and teachers, that they would have followed the more direct roadway. Again, Mary will give birth any day. And thirty more miles would have equaled two more days of travel!

So, I wondered, as they traveled ... what sights might they have seen? Did they pass any interesting areas on this government mandated mission?

Yes!

They would have walked some of the same roads Abraham did, years earlier of course!

And been near the place Jacob slept that night when he dreamed of that Ladder going to Heaven!

They were also near that well where Jesus would some day tell a Samaritan woman about everlasting Water and eternal Life!

They would have encountered the same terrain Elijah and Elisha did, retracing their footsteps literally. No doubt Joseph and Mary would have talked about the great acts of God these men displayed.

They, this young couple, also would have come near Shiloh, where Joshua set up that temporary Tabernacle to the God of Israel!

And they may have discussed that every event in the Old Testament, from Abraham to Jacob to Elijah to Joshua ... pointed to the Very Soon Coming Little Baby Boy Who already rested in Mary's Womb!

Son to be born!

Virgin Born at that!

What a trip.

What scenery.

What history.

What a Saviour!

What parents too.

And what a great God Who so loved this lost world!

By the way, next time you travel think about any great spiritual event or events that may have occurred along your path. Such things might be worth a stop, a conversation, a learning time with the family!

A few months ago Debbie and I did this in Dallas, Texas. After preaching one morning we headed west a hour or so ... and I stood in the pulpit of one of my heroes! One of the greatest Bible expositors our Country has ever seen.

On the journey!

Abraham's unnamed servant, the one who procured a Bride for Isaac, said of his success, "I, being in the way, the Lord led me!" Genesis 24:27

Wow!

Next time you're "in the way," remember this verse and let the Lord also lead you. There might be an interesting place nearby ... on your trip serving the God Who saved you!

               --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 13, DECEMBER 19, 2012:

It's so strange how a person can study a portion of Scripture for years, like the Christmas Story, then suddenly "see" some truth that had escaped his attention for all that time!

Something "fresh" to ponder. Of course that's one of the traits of the Living Word of God!

I guess I never knew how very long that trip was, the one Joseph and Mary undertook as they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the City where Jesus was prophesied to be born.

About eighty miles, most sources say a nine or ten day walk! At least for a mother-to-be, heavy with child. And while a donkey may have been used on the trek, no Gospel says so explicitly. Even Luke, who would have been most likely to tell us such.

Leaving Nazareth in the north, walking almost due south ... through Samaria ... to the little village of Bethlehem. Again, eighty miles, up to ten days!

Through where?

Samaria!

And do remember, based on much Scripture including John four, the Jews and the Samaritans had no dealings with each other. Class hatred existed, a form of racism I guess. So much so that many Jews refused to travel through Samaria at all! They, at much cost in time and effort, detoured the land, staying in more friendly territory!

But not Joseph!

And it's okay with Mary too, apparently!

Straight through that vile countryside! That's the prevailing opinion of conservative scholarship anyway.

Preacher, what's the point of all this?

That in Jesus' home, where Joseph and Mary raised the godly little Boy, no prejudice existed toward the Samaritans ... or anyone else it seems.

And I am positing that their loving attitude toward all people impacted Jesus as well. There was not a hateful Bone in His Body, "whosoever will" was His constant Motto!

Here's a synopsis of Jesus and His links to the Samaritan people ... according to the Gospel Stories we possess.

One day He chose deliberately to walk through Samaria! He met a woman, a heathen Samaritan, who was "thirsty!" And Jesus told her about eternal Life, eternal water as he phrased it! Yes, the John chapter four "woman at the well" was a Samaritan!

Then another time Jesus was teaching, using one of His majestic parables. We know that beautiful Story now simply as the Account of the "Good Samaritan!" Unheard of in those days of Jewish supremacy, a good Samaritan? Such a term could only come from the lips of a man who had been reared in an unbiased home!

Yet again Jesus healed ten lepers one day. And only one of them had the character to "thank" the Lord. The grateful one was ... yes ... a Samaritan! Our Lord wanted this Story included in Luke chapter seventeen to reveal a Samaritan looking good, not bad spiritually!

Jesus loved everyone, including the socially impoverished!

That's the Nature of our Great God!

And that certainly was Jesus' attitude, in keeping with His upbringing!

Parents, our attitudes influence our families!

In fact, our attitudes really "make" our children's attitudes too.

Jesus ... lover of us all!

Hallelujah.

              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 14, DECEMBER 20, 2012:

I need one more day to talk about that marvelous journey Joseph and Mary undertook as they slowly traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, shortly before Jesus was born.

"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child." Luke 2:4-5

Eighty miles or so involving at least nine or ten days on the road!

But Oh, the scenery they beheld!

One author I've studied this Christmas went to the Holy Land just to retrace the steps of that now famous couple. He verifies the geography I'm about to share with you. It's accurate.

As Joseph led Mary and her little unborn Child out of their hometown, little insignificant Nazareth, he would have soon been traveling through the plain of Jezreel, including the Jezreel Valley. This is the location of many a battle in Old Testament times. And one future one, Armageddon!

Look at this! Traversing one of the world's premier battlegrounds, locations of war and bloodshed, is the little Coming Prince of Peace!

Next they would have, exiting the valley, begun to see mile after mile of olive trees! Tens of thousands of them, planted in groves along the roadside. Trees grown to produce that precious oil of the olive. Oil to light lamps at night, to cook their food day after day, and to make their faces shine according to Psalm 104:15.

But also oil to "anoint" Israel's Holy Men, priests and such! Wow, the unborn Baby again is None Other than God's "Anointed One," the very "Messiah" to come! We can't help but wonder if Mary and Joseph thought of this as they passed that area.

But days later an even more glorious sight would have become visible. A few hours before reaching Bethlehem ... Jerusalem would have appeared! The City where most of the Nation's major business and religious activity occurred. The City that thrilled the soul of every Jew!

And the City where the little Baby of Mary's was to die! To be crucified! To lay down His Life a Ransom for sinners! The place where Mary's heart would break, being pierced emotionally by that sword Simeon would soon mention to the little couple.

Goodness!

What a trip, what a travelogue, what an itinerary! And the Baby is not yet born even ... Virgin Born at that!

Battlefields ... here comes the Prince of Peace!

Olive trees ... prepare your precious ointment ... Jesus the Messiah is on the way!

And Jerusalem, just outside your walls ... the Son of God will die to save your inhabitants from their iniquity!

In fact, He died for the whole world.

We just though everyone might today enjoy learning about what Joseph and Mary saw on their way to the place where Jesus was born!

Praise Him today!

Oh come let us adore Him ... Christ the Lord!

          --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 15, DECEMBER 21, 2012:

What Mary the Virgin did not see!

What she did not know!

That night Jesus was born, miraculously, Mary knew the Real Father to be Almighty God Himself.

But she also knew she was extremely tired, having traveled at least nine days from Nazareth to Bethlehem, great with child.

She knew she was in hard labor.

She knew Joseph had doubted her, only changing his mind and heart when the angel of God appeared to him.

She know folks were already "talking," questioning whether this Child was illegitimate or not. The Pharisees later told Jesus He was born of fornication! See John 8:41 for the details.

Mary also knew that her own family members were not excited about the circumstances of her pregnancy! Where is her Mother mentioned in this whole scenario?

Lonely Mary.

Far away from home, with apparently only Joseph by her side.

No doubt she knew many dark, troublesome facts that night long ago.

But yes, there were some things this sweet virgin girl did not know. Good things this time around!

She did not know the angels were singing!

She did not know the shepherds were on their way!

She did not know Wise Men were planning a journey to worship the Child, the newly born Son of God!

She did not yet fully know that not only would Jesus die for our sins and be buried for three days and nights ... but that He would subsequently be literally, bodily raised from the grave, from the dead!

Praise the Lord!

I may be writing today to someone who only sees the "dark side" of some situation. You may only "know" the discouraging side of your story.

But let me assure you, if you belong to this Virgin Born Jesus Christ, there is a "bright" side to your situation as well!

God knows what you're facing!

He will answer your prayers!

He loves you and "cares," is vitally interested, in you and your heartaches!

What Mary did not know made all the difference in the world to her ... just a short time later!

And what we may not yet know, the half has never been told, will brighten our hearts and lives forever and ever!

Jeremiah 29:11 has God saying to His people the Jews: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Amen!

          --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 16, DECEMBER 22, 2012:

When the angels appeared to the shepherds that Night long ago ... here's what they said: "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:9-14

The little Baby Boy about to be born, the Child of Mary the Virgin, came into a dark world. Dark politically, spiritually, materially, and in nearly every other way too.

But look at what's said about Him!

He is to be a Saviour!

He is Christ, the Messiah!

He is the Bringer of Peace and Good Will!

This little Baby?

What promises!

What hope this provided!

Mary herself also knew something of her Child's, God's Son's, future.

Gabriel told her: "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." Luke 1:31-33

Named in advance, Jesus!

He will be Great, Jesus the Great!

He is eternally "the Son of the Highest."

He is to be, at some point, "King of the Jews!"

What a Story, what a set of facts!

All pertaining to a little still unborn Baby, at least when these promises were made. Both those uttered to the Mother and to the lowly shepherds!

What's I'm saying today is simply this, Jesus' whole Life and Ministry and Work were centered around and were a fulfillment of God's prior Promises!

Jesus, to those who believed in Him, was the Essence of Hope!

As the old Christmas Song says of Him, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight."

Mary thus ... lived by Hope!

Her Boy was lost at age twelve in the Temple! Yet Mary has "hope" ... He is not harmed or dead. He is the Hope of the world, the Saviour who will redeem mankind!

Her Son is accused by the religious establishment, such foolish charges as being a winebibber, a glutton, a demon possessed man, a child of fornication, but Mary can look through all these lies and "hope" for God's Word to be fulfilled! That wicked crowd is talking about the future King of Israel!

And finally that terrible day when Her Son was killed, murdered, crucified! Mary still held to a sliver of "hope!" He will arise from the grave! He will yet, God promised, be the Prince of Peace! The Son of God, God the Son, is eternal!

Point is ... Mary lived by "hope!"

We Christians today still live that way, by hope!

The blessed hope, Paul called it.

Then as I conclude today's Lesson, I learned a new Verse yesterday. About "hope" of course.

It's in, of all places, the Old Testament Prophecy of Zechariah. "Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee." Zechariah 9:12

God called His people, "prisoners of hope!"

Captive to hope!

Living a life bound to the "hope" that God always keeps His Word!

Hope in Almighty God!

Hope in Jesus as Saviour!

"Prisoners of Hope!"

May we always be this ... until we see Jesus!

              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 17, DECEMBER 23, 2012:

When the angels appeared to the shepherds that wonderful night of Jesus' Birth two thousand years ago, they delivered a message of cheer. One of good news ... to the whole world!

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:8-11

Now let me emphasize one part of the message, glorious words from the mouth of one of the angels serving that night: "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."

Notice the underlined words ... to all people!

What to all people? Jesus will be "the Saviour, Which is Christ the Lord." Again, angelic words, yet clearly truth delivered from God's Himself.

We Christians should be so thankful today for the fact that the Gospel is "to all people."

Jesus died for everyone.

The Atonement is absolutely unlimited.

Isn't that thrilling?

We can tell any man or woman we see ... anywhere ... anytime ... that Jesus loves him or her! That God sent His Son for the propitiation of their sins, of all humankind!

Oh yes!

The Christmas Story, the Incarnation and Virgin Birth of Jesus ... is for everyone!

Praise the Lord!

            --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 18, DECEMBER 24, 2012:

Let me show you something interesting, thrilling really, in the Gospels' Accounts of the Birth of Jesus. Luke carefully tells us how a group of "shepherds" were told of the arrival of the Baby Who was God ... and only Luke tells this in fact! "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." Luke 2:8

Then Matthew, giving the details of the unique Virgin Birth from a totally different perspective, informs us of the arrival of a group of "Wise Men." The Greek noun used here is "magos," or "magi." Matthew 2:1 says: "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem."

Matthew says nothing about the shepherds nor does Luke mention the Wise Men! Yet both authors are giving us accurate and infallible statements concerning Jesus' Birth.

Then why the difference here?

I think this is one reason. "Shepherds" were always poor, uneducated people. Men who lived with their animals at times for weeks without end! Smelly, dirty individuals, not admired by society!

And the Wise Men were just the opposite. Highly educated, religious, the elite of the population, and as a result ... wealthy!

Look at this!

Jesus, even from His Birth drew people from the highest to the lowest levels of life!

The poor came to him.

The rich did too.

Because He came to die for everyone!

We should be delighted that salvation is NOT for sale! It is, in fact, a GIFT from God! A Gift each person must receive in order to be born again.

Jesus says, "Whosoever will."

The Virgin Birth says, "Rich or poor!"

Our Lord loves everyone alike!

           --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 19, DECEMBER 25, 2012:

The little word is only used in the Bible three times, at least translated as "manger." In one other place its Greek equivalent is found, there being rendered "stall," Luke 13:15.

It is spelled "phatne." It means a "crib," most often for an animal.

All three of the noun's occurrences are in reference to Jesus' Birth. Luke 2:7 provides us a good example: "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."

They laid Baby Jesus in an animal's "feeding trough."

But remember this. The noun "manger," again spelled "phatne," is derived from a root verb, "ptaeomai," which means "to eat!"

Jesus, God's Son ... resting in a place where animals eat!

And three times Luke reminds us of this fact, our Lord in a "manger."

Is there a spiritual lesson here?

Of course there is!

Jesus, all His Life, was and still is associated with FEEDING people! In fact, He is the very Bread of Life!

As early as John chapter four our Lord was already talking about having "meat to eat" that no one else knew.

Jesus taught His followers, those whom He called to preach anyway, to "feed" God's sheep! The very idea behind the word "pastor" involves feeding others.

How appropriate!

Jesus only a few minutes old ... and in a "manger."

God feeds us yet today ... through His Word, through His Son ... through our Churches and Preachers!

John 6:35, our Lord's talking: "And Jesus said unto them, I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger."

Today when someone reads or mentions the "manger," telling the Christmas Story, think about the "feeding" business in which Jesus entered long ago!

And remains yet today.

              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 20, DECEMBER 26, 2012:

The shepherds, professionally a lowly group of men, heard about the Birth of Jesus from angels!

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:8-14

This is an example of our Lord's love for everyone, even the "nobodies" of life. This reminds me of Mark's Verse about the "common people" hearing Jesus so "gladly," Mark 12:37.

But the real beauty of this account, regarding the shepherds anyway, is what they did after the angels' appearance.

"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." Luke 2:15

But there's even more, not only did they go to Bethlehem, it's how they went that's so impressive!

"And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger." Luke 2:16

Look at this enthusiasm!

"With haste!"

Oh, may each of us as we adore the Lord do so without delay!

May we adore Him "with haste" too!

The Greek word used for "with haste" is literally a verb, "speudo." It means "to earnestly desire." Then it came to mean "to do something quickly!"

Hence, "to make haste."

When it comes to church attendance on the Lord's day, or reading our Bibles faithfully, or speaking a word for Jesus to some lost person ... let's, like these shepherds, "make haste" serving our Lord!

Amen!

           --- Dr. Mike Bagwell