How good are you at recognizing greatness in people? In high school did you correctly guess the most likely to succeed? Like most of us you probably missed your guess at who would be the most likely to succeed. Don’t feel bad. Even Jesse could not conceive his son David would become a king. Any of his other sons he could imagine as a king, but not David. Later David became the greatest king of Israel.

Here is a question in recognizing greatness. Who was the greatest man of the Old Testament? If you look the answer might surprise you. It is Melchizedek. Wow and he is only mentioned twice in the Old Testament Genesis 14:18-20 and Psalms 110:4. We get a little more about this mysterious king found in Hebrews 5:1-11, 7:1-4. A study of his life also has some profound teaching for us to live by.

One Scottish preacher, Bill Freel said that if you grasp the significance of Melchizedek you have entered into a spiritual wonderland.

In Geneses 14 Melchizedek is observed historically. In Psalm 110 he is spoken of prophetically and in Hebrews 7 Melchizedek is applied doctrinally.

Here is a little background from Geneses 14. Abram is in a battle against four kings that captured his nephew Lot. Abram won the battle and rescued Lot, received the spoils of the victory of the battle.

He was met by Melchizedek the priest of the Most High God. This mysterious priest is also the King of Salem. A king and a priest. This is a unique combination to be a priest and a king. Abram gave a tithe, a tenth to this priest/king.

So far we still don’t know too much from the three verses in Genesis 14. But Jesus uses Psalm 110 to silence his critics, the Pharisees, recorded in Matthew 22:44. Whose son is the Messiah David? How could David call him Lord? The Messiah would be in the order of Melchizedek. This is an awesome prophecy.
Hebrews 7 lays out the doctrinal significance that I want us to look at. The principle of tithing precedes the law by hundreds of years. Abraham (Abram) paid tithes to the priest of the Most High God, not under the law.

Abraham the friend of God the father of faith, who believed God and it was credited as righteousness, tithed.

We find that Melchizedek is a type of Christ. God inspired the Bible. The significance of Melchizedek would be hinted at in Psalm 110 and expounded in Hebrews 7. Jesus is the Prophet, Priest and King. The Priesthood was determined by being a descendent or heir in the line of a priest. Both Moses and Aaron were descendents of Levi. The Old Testament priests must trace their heritage to Levi. Not Melchizedek.

Genealogy is significant in the priesthood, but not a word about it for Melchizedek. The left out genealogy is called the inspired omission. Hebrews 7:3 says Melchizedek was without beginning or end. The ironic thing is that Hebrews is a book asserting that Jesus is our high priest. Jesus can’t trace his linage to Aaron or even to Levi. He is from the tribe of Judah.

Jesus is a priest on the basis not of ancestry, but power Hebrews 7:16. There is so much in this Preist-King Melchizedek. Melchizedek means King and Tsedek means righteousness. He is the King of righteousness. He is the King of Salem. The word Salem means peace.

Melchizedek is the King of Peace. The prophesies of the coming Messiah often use the image of righteousness and peace. It is a fitting type of the Messiah to come, King of righteousness, King of Peace.
The writer of Hebrews never mentions that Melchizedek brought bread and wine. At the last supper these become symbolic of the body and blood of Christ.

Melchizedek is the Old Testament type of Christ. Abraham giving tithes to Melchizedek typified New Testament Christians giving tithes to Christ. Now symbolically even Levi, the great grandson of Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek. Under the Mosaic Law the Levites received a tithe. The principle of the tithe precedes and transcends the ceremonial law.

Hebrews tells of the superior high priest in Jesus. In chapter 8 we have a better covenant. In chapter 9 we have a better sanctuary. In chapter 10 we have a better sacrifice.

It is better for us to bring tithes to Jesus Christ who is the eternal high priest. It is better than the tithes of the Old Covenant system. We are children of promise, spiritual heirs of Abraham. We are blessed to bring our tithes to the present day high priest of the Most High God, Jesus.

If the temporary priest received tithes Hebrews 7:8, then how much more the eternal priest receives them. Mechizedek is a type of Christ and Abraham a type of Christian tither. Here is the place of tithing in God’s plan. It is here before the law, “Abraham gave a tenth of all,” a tithe.

Tithing began before the law and continues after the law. Christians ought to tithe. The minimum standard for Christian giving is the tithe, one tenth. Hebrews 7 underscores that tithing is an eternal principle.
We should give our tithes to Jesus not out of law, but love. It is a moral principle.

Jesus said in Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

God will bless you when you give your tithe with the right motive. It is no wonder that the Macedonian Christians begged for the opportunity to give. (2 Corinthians 8:3) As we give God blesses us.

See also Jacob’s Ladder

Last year I found our advent reading too long for young children. I revised this to make a “light” versions for shorter advent readings.

1-Dec Isaiah 9:6-7
2-Dec Isaiah 42:1-4
3-Dec Isaiah 53:1-6
4-Dec Micah 5:2
5-Dec Isaiah 7:14
6-Dec Isaiah 49:6
7-Dec Galatians 4:4
8-Dec Matthew 1:18-23
9-Dec Matthew 1:24-25
10-Dec Matthew 2:1-2
11-Dec Matthew 2:3-6
12-Dec Matthew 2:7-12
13-Dec Luke 1:1-4
14-Dec Luke 1:5-20
15-Dec Luke 1:21-25
16-Dec Luke 1:26-33
17-Dec Luke 1:34-38
18-Dec Luke 1:39-45
19-Dec Luke 1:46-56
20-Dec Luke 1:57-66
21-Dec Luke 1:67-80
22-Dec Luke 2:1-7
23-Dec Luke 2:8-12
24-Dec Luke 2:13-15
25-Dec Luke 2:16-20

Christmas with a four year old
Again the season’s rolled around

Christmas with a four year old
This time we have the routine down

Wait, who’s that crawling on the ground
Oh my, that’s a ten month old and what has he found?

Christmas with a four year and a ten month old
Now this is gonna be fun.

Christmas with a four year old
And starting over at square one.

Christmas broke 400 years of silence from God, big time. Sometimes people use the phrase silence is golden. Well prior to Christmas there was lot’s of silence. It is called the silent period where for 400 years God was silent. The Old Testament ended with Malachi and people waited for the Messiah. There is no recorded word from God for four centuries. No one was saying, God has not spoken for 400 years, isn’t this golden?

Now suddenly at Christmas God was speaking abundantly. He spoke to Joseph, Zechariah, Mary, Simeon, shepherds, the wise men. The pressure from the long silence had been building for 400 years and suddenly at Christmas the lid blew off. The response was praise. When we focus on Jesus and we look at the real meaning of Christmas we must Praise God. Christmas is something that was anticipated for generations.

There seems to be a common theme of praise that first Christmas when Jesus was born, whether it was:

Mary
Simeon
The Angels
The Shepherds
Joseph
Elizabeth
Anna
Zechariah, who praised God after 9 months and 8 days of his own silence
The Wise Men
John the Baptist, who leaped with joy praising God in the womb.

They all break out in praise to God. It was like a volcanic explosion of praise after God spoke again after 400 years.

We need to remember what we celebrating at Christmas and why we’re celebrating Christmas.

We have certain expressions at Christmas: Jesus is the reason for the season, Keep Christ in Christmas.

Let’s look at those involved in the first Christmas and see how they praised God.

Praise God for Who He Is

There are so many aspects of Christmas to enjoy, but we need to keep before us who should be the focus of our celebration. Christmas is a time to focus on Jesus. We remember his birth, his coming to earth. There should be a response in us. That first Christmas morning they praised God for his attributes.

One Christmas Eve the telephone rang in the office of the pastor of the church in Washington, D.C. that President Franklin Roosevelt attended. “Tell me Reverend,” the voice inquired, “are you holding a Christmas Eve service tonight?” When advised that there would certainly be a service that evening, the caller asked, “And do you expect President Roosevelt to attend your church tonight?” “That,” explained the Pastor patiently, “I can’t promise. I’m not sure about the President’s plans for this evening. But I can say that we fully expect God to be in our church tonight.

Angels Luke 2:13-14. What an angelic choir of praise that first Christmas morning. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men. It was a great company of angels.

Marry Luke 1:46-56
In Mary’s praise she focuses on her humility and the greatness of God. At Christmas we should humble ourselves and exalt God

Mary’s song highlights the attributes of God:

His Power
Luke 1:52, He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble.
What a great God who brings down the mighty rulers and lifts up the humble. Mary definitely felt she was one of the humble God lifted up. She said in Vs 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me

Mercy vs. 50,
50His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

Holiness 49b holy is his name
— holy is his name.
After the Angel Gabriel announced that the forerunner to Jesus, the one who would come in the spirit of Elijah this same one that Malachi talked about 400 years when four centuries of silence fell, would be born to him Zechariah became silent. He could not talk for 9 months and eight days. I am sure he never thought isn’t this silence golden. The silence made for bottled up praise. As soon as Zechariah’s tongue was loosed there was nothing but praise. Luke 1:64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.
In Luke 2:33 Joseph along with Mary marveled at what was said about Jesus. He was in awe of God.

Praise God for His Sovereign Plan

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent his Son. (Galatians 4:4)

Christmas is about God sending His Son to earth. Christmas is God’s plan in God’s perfect time. Christmas is his initiative and our response is to praise God. God orchestrated events from the fall of man in Genesis. The genealogy of Jesus is wild. Rehab the prostitute, Uriah’s wife and many who are unlikely candidates to part of God orchestrating his plan for the coming Messiah. God never lost control

The Mathematical Odds of Jesus Fulfilling Prophecy
To show that coincidence is ruled out by the science of probability. Peter Stoner says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, ‘we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. “That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that that many silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep.

“Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man.”

Stoner considers 48 prophecies and says, “we find the chance that any one man fulfilled all 48 prophecies to be 1 in 10 to the 157 .
The estimated number of electrons in the universe is around 10 to the79 th power. It should be quite evident that Jesus did not fulfill the prophecies by accident.”
(From Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell).

God ordered his plan. The city was foretold, Bethlehem and known by the Bible scholars. Of Israelis 12 sons Judah chosen. Born of a virgin and on and on to have 48 prophesies that Jesus fulfills.

Praise God for His Mighty Salvation

We need a savior. We need Jesus. We need Christmas.

Simeon
Simeon has been waiting faithfully for God to break through in history and show his salvation. This is an amazing faith given the fact that for four hundred silent years people waited for this, never seeing the savior they waited and hoped for. “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon Him.” (Luke 2:25)

But God broke the silence speaking to Simeon. Verse 26 “It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” Luke 2:3-31,
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people,

Simeon took the tiny baby Jesus in his arms and started praising God. Simeon can go in peace. He has seen his savior. Not only has he seen Jesus, his savior, but the savior of Israel and the good news of great joy for all people, the savior for all.

There was also an 84 year old widow named Anna at the Temple when baby Jesus was presented at the temple. Anna praised God when she saw Jesus because everyone who was looking for redemption, the savior has come, praise God.

Zechariah Luke 1:68-69
Zechariah praised God, salvation in Jesus.
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

This Christmas season let us praise God. He died that we might live (John 5:24, 25).

Praise the Lord: Song by the Imperials
Praise the Lord
He can work with those who praise Him ,
Praise the Lord
For our God inhabits praise,
Praise the Lord
For the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise him

Shepherds Luke 2:13-14
Return glorifying and praising God. They were terrified when an angel appeared to them and the “glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:9).

Luke 2:16-17 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.

The Shepherds did two things that first Christmas morning that we should. They acted right away on what they heard and went right away to see Jesus. The second thing is after they came to Christ they spread the news about Jesus.

For many there is still silence. We must spread the news. Praise God Jesus the savior is born. This is the good news of exceeding great joy for all people.

you can listen to this in audio at:

http://player.sermoncentral.com/c/bradbeaman/audio/51740_4465.mp3

Here is what our family is doing this year for advent:

We are going through these Scritpures below.

This Christmas the ages of my children are 15 years, 6 years and 2 years.

At the end of the Bible reading we light the advent candle and put up the manger peice on our big moveable advent wall hanging.  

Advent Scriptures:

About Advent

The word advent means “coming.”  Christians know and celebrate the season of Advent as a time of preparation and reflection in anticipation of Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth.  Throughout the Advent season, Christians also acknowledge and anticipate the promised second coming of Jesus Christ.

1.      The season of Advent represents the coming of the King as a human child.  In the form of a baby, wrapped in cloth and laid to rest in a manger of straw, Jesus came to us.  We commemorate this event on Christmas Day.

2.      The season of Advent fills us with the coming of the King in Word and Spirit, about which we witness and for which we live the year around.

3.      The season of Advent invites us to reflect on the second coming of the King – that time when Jesus will return in glory at the end of time as we know it.

Lighting of Advent Candles

Of all the symbols, the one that has come to be the most meaningful and the most universal is light; pure and perfect light.

The lighting of candles has been a part of religious worship for centuries. The Hebrews burned candles for eight days as a part of their Feast of Lights. Light has been used by many religious groups to symbolize truth, while darkness has been the universal symbol for evil.

Since Jesus is referred to as “the light of the world” in the New Testament, the lighting of candles has become an important part of Christian worship. Some early Christian leaders stated that the wax of the candles represented the body of Christ, while the wick symbolized His soul, and the flame portrayed His divine nature.

When Joseph and Mary presented Jesus in the temple, Simeon referred to the Christ child as “a light to lighten the Gentiles.” From this statement, church leaders have used candles to symbolize the light of Christ shining throughout a sin-darkened world.

As we light the candles, we symbolize His coming into the world of sin and evil, war and strife, stress and turmoil, suffering and death. He came to bring hope and help to those who were held captive by oppression, and to guide them to personal peace and joy through the illumination of His message of the love of God.

When we receive Christ, we become lights in the world as the light of His life is seen through us.

                          Christmas: What is your Response?

When we look at the Christmas story in the Bible we find several different ways people responded that first Christmas. Today we find people respond to Christmas in various ways much like on that first Christmas.

Some People are Preoccupied.
Luke 2:3 Everyone, then, went to register himself, each to his own hometown.

We have this romanticized picture in our mind what it was like the on the first Christmas. We sing silent night holy night all is calm. Ok it was a Holy night, but not silent and not calm. It was a madhouse that first Christmas. It was more like a crowded modern day shopping mall than the calm night we think of.

The more accurate picture is that everyone was rushing frantically to get to their hometown to register for the census. Even though Joseph and Mary did not need to be traveling just prior to delivering Marry’s baby they had too. It was like traveling during the modern holiday season.

It was busy; there were traffic jams (camels were backed up for miles I would imagine). There was confusion and congestion. There was not a vacancy to be found anywhere. That’s why there was no room at the inn. You could imagine tempers flaring and people arguing trying to get any vacancy they could find.

The Entire Roman worked was rushing around for a census and that made people preoccupied. They did not have their spiritual antenna up looking to see if God was doing something great in His time. They just wanted to get to their hometown and get registered for the census.

The towns were so preoccupied with the census there wasn’t even a decent earthly place for Jesus to be born. No room in the inn. People were rushing here and there to get to where they could register. There was so much activity that first Christmas day that had nothing to do with Jesus.

Could you imaging going to a birthday party where the birthday guest was sitting in the corner ignored. It was sort of like that the first Christmas morning. By and large the people were too preoccupied to pay any attention to the birth of Jesus that first Christmas morning.

Today it is not much different. Christmas is associated with frantic activity, traffic jams and crowds. You are hard pressed to get an airline reservation, the roads are congested. Everyone is trying to get to their hometown to be with family for Christmas. Even today we find the crowds too preoccupied to give attention to “Jesus, The Reason for the Season”.

We can get preoccupied and lose focus. It is good to get to a quiet place and read the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke. The Christmas story is so simple. It would take some deliberate effort if we are going to have an all is calm time at Christmas to really focus in Jesus and why He came that first Christmas morning.

Some People are Disturbed by Christmas.
Matthew 2:3 When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem.

Hit is not surprising Herod was disturbed. Herod did so many terrible things. He even murdered his own family members out of fear of his throne. All Jerusalem was disturbed with Herod. Herod disturbed yes, but why all Jerusalem?

Jesus causes disturbance. Jesus says, I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me. That exclusivity disturbs people. Jesus is the divine son of God, now that disturbs people. Jesus says worship no other God. That disturbs people.

He disturbed the religious leaders so much that they wanted to stone him to death. You being a man make yourself out to be God. He disturbed the crowds and they yelled crucify him, crucify him, we have no king but Caesar.

Some People are Curios about Jesus.
Luke 1:65-66 the news about these things spread through all the hill country of Judea. Everyone who heard of it thought about it and asked, “What is this child going to be?”

The first story Luke tells in his Gospel is the story of Zechariah, a priest who was burning incense in the temple. During that time an angel appeared to him and proclaimed that his wife Elizabeth would give birth to a son. He was told to name the boy John. He was told that his son would be strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah and he would get the people ready for the Lord (Jesus).

His wife Elizabeth had been barren for a long time and Zechariah and Elizabeth were getting old. Because of this Zechariah could not believe the message the angel declared. He wanted a sign. He received a sign that he would not speak until his son was born.

He did not speak again until eight days after his son was born when they went to the temple to circumstance their son. The circumstances surrounding the birth of John the Baptist made everyone curious. The curiosity spread and everyone was talking about it. Everyone was curious.

There is still a curiosity at Christmas time. People talk more about Jesus than at any other time. More people attend church, go to Christmas programs, hear Christmas carol singing and send and receive Christmas cards. At Christmastime even the retailers have a Christmas message for the shoppers.

All this makes talk about Christmas makes people curious. They need to be told the good news of great joy that Jesus came that first Christmas morning for all people.

As soon as he got his voice back Zechariah all the curious people what all this meant. Luke 2:77-79 to tell his people that they will be saved by having their sins forgiven. Our God is merciful and tender. He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us and to shine from heaven on all those who live in the dark shadow of death, to guide our steps into the path of peace.”

We need to take opportunities, tell curious people all this Christmas activity is really about the birth of Jesus. Jesus died on the cross to brings salvation. This is the Good news of exceeding great joy. When we put our faith in Jesus we find forgiveness of our sins. Tell them Jesus is your personal savior. Christmas is the time of spreading this good news.

A Few People Respond in Faith to Jesus.

Angels said this is good news for all the people. Always a few respond in faith:
A few shepherds respond in faith. A few wise men respond in faith. A couple of old people in the temple respond in faith. Luke 2:30, My eyes have soon my salvation, that firs Christmas morning there was room for Jesus

People have not changed in 2000 years, crowds won’t change. People are Preoccupied, Curious, disturbed and a few respond in faith.

That first Christmas there was no room in the inn for Jesus. It’s ironic that there is no room for Jesus in the world He made.
HAVE YOU ANY ROOM FOR JESUS by Daniel Whittle
Have you any room for Jesus, He who bore your load of sin?
As he knocks and asks admission, Sinner, will you let Him in?

Room for pleasure, room for business, But, for Christ the Crucified,
Not a place that He can enter, In the heart for which He died?

Room for Jesus, King of glory! Hasten now, His word obey;
Swing the heart’s door widely open, Bid Him enter while you may.

Jesus is the reason for the season. Respond in faith to Jesus.

 Click here to read more on  Assurance of Salvation

Christmas with a three year old

Its time to deck the halls

Light the Christmas candle

Someone’s bouncing off the walls.

Christmas with a three year old

There’s excitement in the air.

Mention presents in the stocking,

And you get a distant dizzying stare.

Christmas with a three year old

Presents underneath the tree.

A party at the nursery school.

It’s a crazy time for me.

Enjoy your Christmas with a three year old

Because next year she’ll be four

Of course a new dynamic.

Especially with one more.

We saw his star in the sky, we traveled for months.
But aren’t you astrologers, wandering mystics?
Where are the scribes and priests and men of the book?
Their prophets told them, why haven’t they come to look?

They are disturbed, along with their king.
He called forth these teachers, discerning the place.
Then sent us to Bethlehem, he treated us well.
He made this request, after you find him report back and tell.

We went to that small town called Bethlehem.
Finding mother and child we bowed down with joy.
We opened our treasures, giving myrrh, incense and gold.
That day we worshipped, our hearts overflowed.

We found out king Herod was not as he seemed,
He is a man of deception we were told in a dream
We returned to our country we now know his heart.
As God made it clear we returned a different route.

Now open your treasures and worship the king.
A light for all peoples, he’s the savior of all.
That day we saw him at the place of his birth.
He’s with you now to the ends of the earth.                                            

Christmas with a two year old.
Take your hands off that tree.

Christmas with a two year old.
Broken ornaments you see.

Enjoy your Christmas with a two year old,
Because next year she’ll be three.