Reflection on the Birth of Jesus

[Music] Church and fellowships cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home front. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. From all the glory, Jesus the reason for the season, globally virtually in all countries of the world today, it is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. We thank our God since January through now. We bless this opportunity and incidentally again, our discipleship class is falling on a special day like this. So it is not going to be a continuation of the reflection on the book of Colossians. Rather, it is going to be a reflection on the birth of Jesus. We want to appreciate brethren who are connecting with us this evening, brethren who are joining us on Telegram, brethren who are connecting with us on Mixlr. I want to say you are welcome. And wherever you are listening to us this evening, and we who are here physically, we say compliment of the season, Merry Christmas, and a fulfilled new year in advance. The Lord who has brought us this far will indeed take us into the new year and far beyond in the name of Jesus Christ. Let's go ahead to take this song together as we reflect this evening on the birth of Jesus. Let's take this song in [Revelation 4:11]: Thou art worthy, oh Lord, to receive all glory, honor, and power. For You created all things for Your pleasure, and for Your pleasure they are and they were created. This is what the twenty-four elders fall down before Him on the throne and worship Him who lives forever. And they cast down their crowns saying—so we want to say it with them this evening. Thou art worthy, oh Lord. [Singing] Thou art worthy, oh Lord, to receive glory, honor, and power. For Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Thou art worthy, oh Lord, worthy oh Lord, to receive glory, honor, and power. For Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Our Father, our Lord, our God, indeed You are worthy. You are worthy to receive all the glory. The glory of our being seen today, the glory of being alive today, the glory of our being able to have provision, the glory of support, the glory of peace and rest and quietness in our life, the glory of our salvation, the glory of our redemption, the glory of our deliverance, the glory, oh Lord our God, of our justification, the glory of the hope that is set before us, the glory of being brought into this great family of God, the glory of an eternal love, the glory of an eternal acceptance with Christ, the glory of a hope that is sure and steadfast, that holds within the veil. Lord, You alone are worthy to receive all the glory. All the glory belongs to You. Our Father, we worship You. We thank You, Lord, as we gather unto You this evening. Lord, we pray. We who are here physically, our brethren who are joining us online, Lord, we pray. Let Your spirit work within us in the name of Jesus. Lord, let there be a renewal in our spirit. Cause us, oh Lord our God, that by the working of Your spirit, there will be edification and refreshment within our spirit in the name of Jesus. Lord, do again Your work, Your strange work among us. Perform again Your strange acts in the name of Jesus. Thank You, Eternal Father. Blessed be Your holy name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So like I said, it is going to be a special edition of our discipleship class today. We are not going to continue on our reflection on the book of Colossians. It is going to be a reflection on the birth of Jesus. And the reflection, we are going to do it based on the book of Luke chapter 1 and chapter 2. The outline of the reflection is A and B. In the A part of it, we look at "Before the Birth" and then we will look at "The Birth." Before the birth of Christ and then the birth of Christ. We want to reflect on the birth of Jesus using the book of Luke chapter 1 and chapter 2. My preference for the book of Luke is defined within the text of that book. That is why we are using the book of Luke. Between [Luke 1:1] and verse 4, there is what you may call an introductory text there that suggests the reason why I prefer to use the book of Luke for our reflection. In Luke chapter 1, I said reflection is in two parts. First, "Before the Birth" and then the "Birth of Jesus." Before the birth we find most of that in chapter 1 and some part of chapter 2. Then the issue of the birth is in chapter 2. And we are going to do that, we have about seven or eight things to reflect on. So let us see how we quickly go through them one after the other. And I pray that one or two of these things we are reflecting on will be a source of blessing to you wherever you are listening to us this evening in Jesus' name. So the first thing I want to say, why are we taking the book of Luke? The reason is in the text. Verse 1 to verse 4: "Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seems good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write an account, an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." So the background here is that the writer Luke, the physician, is making us to see that he is not the only one who wrote. Of course, we have the Matthew version, we have the Mark version, which come together with Luke version to form the synoptic gospels, gospels that are similar. But if you look at the account very well, the Matthew account and the Mark account just jump into the story. They could not give us the background around the story. The real thing, we find it more in that of the Gospel according to Luke. He gave us the background story. In Matthew, we just saw that Mary was pregnant and Joseph was struggling with the pregnancy. In Mark, he just began with the ministry of Jesus. But in Luke, we got the background story. And there is so much to learn in the background, the background story. It is a reflection on the birth of Jesus and we have two sections: before the birth and then the birth of Jesus. Just surrounding the birth before Jesus was born, some things were in the background. Who are those in the background? Angel, men. We are concerned about the part of men: Zacharias, Elizabeth, and then Mary. Now, what I want to bring out of these two things is that Luke took time to go to the beginning. The beginning of the birth of Jesus was that God first made arrangement for a forerunner, and that forerunner was to be John the Baptist. John the Baptist was to come through somebody. The matter was that Gabriel was to announce in this place that John the Baptist will be born. And six months later, he is to go to Mary and tell Mary that we have announced the birth of a forerunner because he told Mary that Elizabeth who had been called barren already has a child. There was something going on. The forerunner was first announced, then they announced the person that he is to forerun. Now, what I want to call your attention to is that when you look at [Luke 1:6] talking about Zacharias and Elizabeth, he said they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandment and the ordinances of God, they were blameless. Go to verse 26. Go to the announcement at the sixth month. In verse 26, it says: "Now, in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary." I want you to know something very well. God want to change the game of the world. God is the real game changer. Now God want to change the history of mankind. There is already a plan. All of this is about the plan. All of this is to lead to what happened that we are celebrating today, the Christmas. And you see God working in the background. God began to work in the background. In the background there were some people: Zacharias and Elizabeth, Mary. And I want you to look at those people that are in the background. The Bible deliberately, consciously, decidedly made us to see the manner of life of men that were in the background. The first two people, the Bible says they were righteous before God, walking in all the commandment, they were blameless. The second one, the Bible says there was a virgin. The Bible want to make us know that what made her a virgin was not because she was not disciplined, she was in a relationship. And not just relationship, she was already betrothed. You know what that means? All it means is that nobody again can take her, there is already a label on her, she has received the first ring of engagement. Because a betrothed virgin, if you go to the Old Testament, a betrothed virgin is as good as a wife. He says a virgin that is betrothed to somebody, if somebody take her, the person has committed an adultery against that person to whom the person is betrothed. So Mary was as good as a wife, but Mary was still a virgin. We are talking about the quality of life of these people. What I want to make you understand is that in your own days, in your own generation, what qualifies you to be around the thing that God wants to do is the manner of person that you are. What manner of person are you? Are you somebody who is just out there not serious with the things of God? Are you somebody who is not diligent with your life, who is not serious with your life? God deliberately went for some kind of people. That is why the Bible was describing them. So what I'm trying to make you see is that around the things of God, we are talking about the birth of Jesus, surrounding that birth before He was born, God was working in the background. Some people began to know that some things were to happen. Zacharias began to see that God has visited us. Mary knew that a Messiah was coming. Information began to fly. I'm telling you, don't think that about the things of God now, God will not declare to some people what He wants to do. I'm trying to make you know that anything God want to do on planet Earth, some men will know. Some men will discern it. Some men will know what is to come. Some men will not be caught unawares. Some men will be part of it. Some men will be at the forefront. What I'm trying to make you see is that those people at the forefront, they are not mere men. And I want to tell you, using the book of Proverbs: have you seen a man who is diligent with his work? He will not stand before mere men. He will stand before kings. Are you diligent with your life with God? Are you diligent with your work with God? Are you serious with your Christian life? What are you doing? How are you living on a daily basis? The Bible describes these men to us. He said these ones follow all the command, that was the standard of righteousness then. They were blameless. There was another one again, already a wife but still pure, still beautiful, still fine, still morally sound. This one was the one already at the point of getting married but said, "Bro, until the thing is settled, I'm a virgin." Those are the kind of sisters we are looking for. Those are the kind of mothers we are looking for. Those are the kind of brothers we are looking for. We are looking for the Marys of our days, the Josephs of our days, the Zachariases of our days, mothers, fathers of quality standing, of integrity and of character. Young men, young women, responsible, sound in mind, sound in morals, sound in conduct. Those are the kind of men that will be partakers of the things that God is also doing in their own days. That is the reality of it. So we move on. Quickly again I want to show you something about these people. Look at when eventually the announcement was made to Mary and Mary had to visit Elizabeth. That is around verse 40. After Mary was told that Elizabeth is already pregnant six months, although called barren. You know, honestly something crossed my mind. I don't know who this one will bless: that somebody has a walk with God does not immune their life from affliction. So don't think that godliness immunes us from affliction. These people, their lives before God they were life that God was looking for, yet they were barren. They have been called barren, they were reproached. They are people that people have said this one cannot give birth. They have described her even though she had a quality walk with God. So we need to know that godliness doesn't immune us from affliction. That somebody has affliction does not mean that the person is not godly. Because sometimes there is this notion we carry in our head: anybody that has one kind of challenge or the other is because he has a sin. You know that was the notion they were carrying in the days of Job too. And they said, "You must confess your sin, confess your sin. You must have sinned." It is not a correct theology. Of course, the soul that sinneth shall die. The way of a transgressor is hard, that is true. But it is good to also know affliction is not always connected with sinfulness. A man may be godly, may be upright, and there may be one or two challenges in their lives. It doesn't mean that they are not walking perfect or upright before God. We need to get that very very clear. There is a way we carry some kind of gospel around and it makes people to feel that certain things once they are there, it means that you are not walking with God. I just mentioned that by way of passing. Maybe somebody need that somewhere listening to us. Now what I want you to see is when Mary was to visit Elizabeth. Don't forget we are in the A part of the message: "Before the Birth," then "The Birth" itself. It is when Mary was to visit Elizabeth. So when the angel told Mary what was to happen, the Bible told us in Luke chapter 1 verse 39: "Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah." Why did she go in haste? Because of the information she received. "Eh? Elizabeth? Ah, my two eyes must see this thing that the angel just told me. You mean that woman that have passed menopause, that woman that have become something impossible for, that woman that have been so labeled, that have been reproached? You mean there can be a turnaround?" What God cannot do does not exist. God can change the story of anybody. Please don't throw away hope. Let us keep hope alive. As long as you are godly, please don't throw away hope, keep hope alive. So Mary went in haste. She quickly ran to the place. The Bible says in verse 40, "And entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth." It happened. I want to show you some things about godly people. You see, these things were written for our learning. They are not just written for us to just see the story and bypass them. They were written because God want us to also know and see certain things. And when the Holy Spirit begins to call your attention to certain things about people's life in the Bible, please pay attention because God is calling attention to something for you for your own life. These things are written for our learning. It happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. But why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." I want you to look at [Luke 1:41-45]. Please brethren, I don't know whether you are following what is happening in this place. Elizabeth was not aware of what happened with Mary. I hope you know. Mary was the one that was aware of what happened to Elizabeth. But immediately that announcement was made to Mary, the Holy Spirit came upon her. Of course she conceived of Jesus. Now that conception, she went to visit Elizabeth who had no information about what has happened. But immediately Mary greeted, something happened within Elizabeth. She was filled with the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit she spoke, she was not speaking by herself. Because she could not have known that it was the Lord that was inside of Mary that she was carrying such kind of a baby. Everyone would just, in fact, Joseph and the elders in his days, Joseph would have gone to meet elders. "Mary told me she's pregnant and that's when Holy Spirit came upon her." And they would have said, "Hmm, hmm, ogbonge story. Mary. Hey, Joseph, be wise. Don't be stupid. It has never happened before in the days of our fathers. A gbo'ru eleyi ri, be careful. That thing inside her, it is one brother. Be on your guard, brother Joseph." And brother Joseph too would have considered how to put her away but quietly, don't disgrace her. I want you to know all that interplayed. So this woman could not have known that this person was carrying that kind of a person. Something came upon her. She has left the realm of the elders who advised. Joseph went for advice in his days and an angel has answered him by himself. She was in another realm. What I'm trying to make you see, what I'm trying to make you understand, brothers and sisters hearing me, listening to me: I want you to understand something. We are looking at the ordinary life of some of our brethren. Ordinary life. That ordinary salutation, there was spiritual interchange. Ordinary greetings, there were spiritual interchange. I'm trying to describe some people for you. That somebody is greeting, the spirit is moving. Somebody, ah, I'm just trying to show you their ordinary life. They were ordinary men like us, but even in their ordinariness these people were spiritual. In their ordinariness, spiritual things can still be happening. In our ordinary things, in our career, in our we are greeting our neighbor, in our we are driving. By the way you drive someone can become born again. The ordinary things of your life can convert people. The ordinary things of your life can bless somebody. By the way you walk, by the way you carry yourself, by the way you conduct your life. By the kind of employee that you have, by the kind of employer that you are, by the kind of businessman, the kind of student that you are, life can still be edifying people in the ordinariness. I can give you several instances. Several instances. And I want to give you one that happened just about two weeks ago with me and a young man. He had to do something for me. Are you hear, he's not there. Are you hear, he's not there. But somehow patiently handled the young man and eventually when the young man saw, he was visiting me for the first time because he was sent to me to do something for me by his boss. And then when he met me finally, he said, "I'm very sorry, sir. But sir, I have a question. Please are you a Christian?" I'm telling you what happened to me just some few weeks ago. Three, "You are a Christian." I said, "What do you mean by a Christian?" He said, "Okay, sir. Let me explain myself, sir. Ordinarily with what I have done, I was expecting somebody that by the time I would have met you, what I was expecting to meet was not what I met. So that's why I'm just surprised that it looks like there is something about you. I'm serious." And then we started talking. We started talking. We continued conversation from there. We met again at our second meeting. By the second meeting the young man said, "I want to give my life to Jesus." In your ordinary things. Sometimes we think that ministry is about standing before two thousand congregation: "Hear the word of the Lord!" It's not about that. I mean ministry is even in your ordinariness. Ministry is meeting God and making God known in your own way. Ministry is not a big signboard and a big congregation. Ministry is not sometimes we think ministry is about some big remember the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember the simplicity of which he went about doing good, just walking around one man among some 12, just moving around. At some point crowds followed him. At some point he was with just a woman by the way. I mean the ordinary things of life: can your life minister to people? That is the second challenge about these people. I'm trying to make you see that these people, they did not just qualify to be people around the birth. I'm showing you some things around their life. There were some things around their life. And I'm telling you, as creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, I'm telling you if you will be part of that manifestation, what manner of person you should be. As a young man, as a young woman, as a married man, as a married woman, as an old man, whichever way you stand: what manner of life you should be. May our life carry fire. May our life communicate God to men in the name of Jesus Christ. That is the reality of it. So we move on to chapter 2 quickly, around the birth of Jesus. We have been looking at "Around the Birth" of Jesus. We are moving to chapter 2. Chapter 2 from verse 1: the Bible says it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house of the lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Still around the birth of Jesus. Looking at some ordinary things of life here. What we are seeing in this place is that ordinarily, ordinarily speaking, one will be thinking that there is going to be a revelation that will come to Joseph. Is that not true? A revelation that will say, "Joseph, Joseph, Joseph," or maybe angel will appear again. You know the way angel appeared to Mary, God working behind the scene. What I call spectacular interventions of God. Some people God work in that way. But I just want to quickly show you something around this birth of Jesus that should make you to be careful not to think that God too don't work in ordinary things. You know there are some people when you say the Lord want me to do this thing, "Ah, did you receive a dream? What did you see?" They want it to be as spectacular as theirs. And when you are telling them that no, I just have this impression this is what God want me to do, "Look, ah, God can't be in it." But I want to show you something in these ordinary things here that happened that even in the ordinary things God does work. Now ordinarily from this story, we saw that Joseph would not have gone to Bethlehem. He would not have gone to Bethlehem. But where was Jesus to be born? Bethlehem in Judea. Joseph would not have gone. But Joseph maybe if Joseph would have gone ordinarily, maybe it would not be when Jesus was to be born. Because he was not even thinking that Mary will be giving birth. If he had known that he would have stayed where she the child is about to come you have preparing. You know those days there is nothing like scan. He really doesn't have any idea. So the idea was to let us go and do registration and maybe come back again. There was really nothing to lead naturally, but the specificity is not with anybody. science today cannot be as specific. Some will say two weeks before or two weeks after this date that we give you. Because the first stage of labor which is contraction of the uterus, till date science cannot explain what causes the first stage of labor. We just know at a point it will start. That is why they say two weeks before or two weeks after this date that we gave you. So we should believe then that Joseph don't have an idea of a date. But God began to work behind the scene. And how was this done? The government just made a decree. That man thought he was just making a decree, "We need to do this census." And that was the first when Augustus the Caesar just said, "I think we need to count everybody." Who was at work? God was at work. That is why I tell people: government came up with this policy, government I don't even understand this and this and that. I tell people, let us learn to see our life in the hand of God. Learn to see You complain about this, "Ah, the management they brought one policy, the policy is scattering my life." Do you know how it would have been if Mary was to give birth? Mary gave birth during this journey. So you will know how heavy she would have been in that journey. It would not have been a very convenient journey. But God was working behind the scene. That decree of government that bringing the inconvenience was God. What I'm trying to say is that let us learn to put our life with understanding that we are in His hands. The Bible says if God be for us, who can be against us? No policy can be against me. No decree can be against me no matter how it seems. No circumstance can be against me. The Bible says no one can do anything against the truth but what? But for the truth. So if you always walk in the truth and live in the truth and stand for the truth and proclaim the truth, hold to the truth, preach the truth and walk in the truth, nobody can do anything against you, they can only do something for you. No matter how that thing seems. It can only be for you, it cannot be against you. Nobody can do anything against the truth. So in the ordinary things of life, government was just decreeing: "Everybody go, go to this," and Joseph also said, "Okay, we too, ah, we have to go to our country to go and register." Joseph would have said, "Maybe this decree is set, let us stay here." But I'm trying to make you see how God can just work in events, in what you just think God is not in. I don't know whether this Augustus whether he knows God or does not know God. But what I want to pull your mind back to and that is why I tell people, when people become honestly arrogant because God is using them. I said when God that God is using a man should not make him become honestly arrogant because God can use anything. God used Nebuchadnezzar. God used a donkey to speak. So that, you know, sometimes we become honestly arrogant because God uses us. So we should just be careful about some of these arrogance that come upon us because you are used by God. What I'm trying to make you see is this is Augustus, who does not know anything about the plan of God, who don't know why everything was in his soul, in his ignorance, in his drunkenness, in his whatever. He just felt that okay there should be some policy, maybe for security reasons I don't know, maybe for whatever reason, economic reason or whatever reason, he just took a policy. But God was at work. That is what I want you to see. Brethren wherever you are listening to me, let us learn to put our life in the hand of God. Let us learn when we walk with God, if we hope in God, let's stay on him. The scripture says in [Isaiah 26:3], "Thou will keep in perfect peace the man whose heart is stayed on you because he trust in you." In chapter 12 he said, "Trust in the Lord, for the Lord our God is what? Is of everlasting strength." Our Rock is not like their rock. You know what that means? For every other thing people serve, they carry those things. But those who serve God, God carries them. That is true. Our God carries us, we don't carry our God. He bears us up. He goes ahead of us. He is with us. That is why I love that hymn. He said, "From birth to death, Christ commands my destiny." He commands our destiny. No scheme of man, no plan of hell can pluck us from his hand. These are things we must know. These are things we must understand. Let's learn to put our life in his hand. We fear this, you fear that, you fear this. That's why I person say, "Don't fear what they fear." They say this policy, "How would, by the time I retire with this policy will my life not scatter?" I just be wondering, do you know your tomorrow? People fear unnecessary things. Bible say, "Don't call conspiracy what they call conspiracy. Don't fear what they fear." But what should you do? Sanctify the Lord your God in your heart, make him only your fear and your dread. He who fears God has nothing else to fear. That is the truth. You have nothing else to fear. And what I'm trying to say, I don't know what policy will be coming in the new year again. I don't know what policy will be coming. We are going towards 2024. They may say one thing change, banking policy change, CBN policy change, federal government make another decision this one again about this one again about that. I hope you will be rest in the hand of God and stop jumping helter skelter and stop panting and afraid for a tomorrow you don't know, we don't know what tomorrow holds. But you can be sure the God who declare the end from the beginning has made a plan for your tomorrow. Let us learn to rest in the hand of God, that is the point I'm trying to make here. That is something again about the birth of Jesus that you must see. That even in the policies of government, in every thing that they were doing, in the circumstance of the inconvenience carrying one pregnant woman—and you know those days it is not in your Muscle that young people like to buy. People like to buy it is not in your AC Muscle and Joseph was just driving Mary vroom on the road. It has to be on a donkey. They may not be even afford camel. I don't know, you know camel very expensive in those days, camel and horse very very expensive. They would not be able to afford chariots. It would have been on one donkey and Joseph will be walking with it and the woman will be on the thing. But God was at work. God moving towards a purpose because he has a plan. Please tell someone, "God has a plan." God has a plan. These are things to understand about God: he has a plan. He has a plan for my life. And that plan cannot be frustrated. Let us rest in his hands. He has a plan for Mary, he has a plan for Joseph. And that is why kings were busy decreeing. So every time I hear that, "Eh, they have made one policy," I say, "Wow, the plan of God for my life is coming to pass." That is what I normally say. I'm serious. "Oh, daddy, do you know that Nigeria has said this, area said that," oh, I'm moving towards God's plan for my life. You say Bro Wole, but that is just the reality of the Bible. The Bible says we believe and then we speak. We believe in the heart unto righteousness and then we do what? We confess with the mouth unto salvation. Life and death: where are they? At the power of the tongue. God told them in the wilderness, he said, "As I have heard you speak in my ears, that is what that is what I will do." Everybody who said they are going to die, they will die. And a man who said, "Ah, if God be with us, we will overcome," he overcome. And that man overcame, so that at 80 he received strength as if he was 40. May the supernatural strength of God come upon you. At 80 he was like 40 because he knew the right thing to do with the tongue. Believe in your heart unto righteousness and do what? Confess with your mouth unto salvation. For by faith we understand that the universe was framed by the word of God. So that things that are seen today are the things that are not. Let's put our life in the hand of God, brethren wherever you are listening. One message I'm bringing to you about Christmas, about the birth of Christ, about the birth of Christ is that look at all of this about the birth of Christ and take hope, take courage. Jesus bring hope, Jesus bring courage, Jesus bring strength, Jesus bring peace, Jesus bring joy on Earth. That is what the angel said, he said joy on Earth, peace on Earth. There can be peace in our mind. He said, "Peace I give unto you, not as the world gives I give you peace." Peace in the midst of storm, peace in the midst of trouble. The Bible says, oh, the peace of God that pass all this understanding. People will not understand why you have peace, yet you have peace. That is what Jesus represent. That is what Christmas should tell us. That is what his birth should tell us. Because these are the circumstances that surrounds his birth. He had not yet been born and look at how God was working behind the scale. Working behind the scene. And I'm telling you, I mean work around the scene around your life. May divine hand of God begin to work around the scene around your life, around your life the divine hand of God begin to work. Work in your favor, turn things around for your good in the name of Jesus Christ. Those are the things that surrounds before the birth. Now at the birth, let's go there. The birth of Jesus. Finally they were where Jesus was to be born by the reason of that census. So what happened? It says: "So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. Hallelujah. Hallelujah." Through with chapter 1 as we are looking at chapter 1 and chapter 2. We have been looking at "Around the Birth" of Jesus. We are moving to chapter 2. Chapter 2 from verse 1: the Bible says she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in a swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living in the field, keeping watch over the flocks by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: you shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger." And suddenly there was there with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill towards men." So it was when the angel had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said one to another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem to see this thing that has come to pass which the Lord has made us to know." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. Hallelujah. They found him just as the angel said. Of course, it has been prophesied long ago by the prophets that Jesus will be born in Bethlehem in the city of David, it should be of the tribe of David and all of that. So it was just the fulfillment of those prophecy that is going on. But what I want to bring out in this place about the birth of Jesus is this: now they gave the shepherd a sign. What is the sign? I'm giving you a sign. Something you will find a babe. The baby is in a manger. The one that is born, this one that is the savior: this is the sign, that is how you will use to recognize him. This is how you will know him. You will find him in a manger. And that is what I want to talk on: the birth of Jesus. I think the Hebrew word for the word called manger in that place is ebus. Ebus simply means—what can be the contemporary thing that I can use to illustrate it? Okay, if you are used to poultry, the battery system of poultry, this iron cage. That long thing that they use to feed the chicken. Heh-heh. That is the best thing that describe a manger. A manger is actually where something they build for the animal to use to eat, they will feed from it. Are you getting it? Hallelujah, that is the sign. You will find him there. Now, normally they were telling shepherds that it is where the animal feed from that you will find the baby. The question is this: when you want to feed animals, what do you put in their manger? Food. You put food there for them to eat. Where was Jesus laid? If animals are to feed, he was located where where animals are to feed from. I'm trying to show you something very very spiritually significant for us. Now it would be surprising first to the shepherd that what connection? A savior is coming from heaven with all this angelic announcement. What you want to what is it you want to make us know is that this savior is inside that trough where animal feed from. That is what you want to make us know. That is where we will find him. What is implication for us brethren? I want you to go back and backward and backward and backward back into the Old Testament to get some things clear. When God wanted to show the kingdom of the world and the powers of the world to Nebuchadnezzar, what did he show him? He showed him a beautiful something very very beautiful. When he want to show kingdom those people, that humanity, to Daniel: what did God show him? He showed him animals: ram, beast, goat, lion-like, all of that. I'm communicating something to you that the system of the world, the arrangement of the world, the principles of the world talks about what, as far as spiritual symbolic is concerned? What does it represent? Animals. System of the world. That is why that is why you can find a boy chasing three girls sleeping just the way he-goat will chase she-goat and sleep with that sleep with that sleep with that. I'm showing animals. Are you understanding me? That is why somebody can go naked and call goat are not ashamed even when the dress is outside. Animals. That is why a man a man was busy harassing another man and being unjust to him. And when he was challenged he say, "Hey, hold it there, fish feed on fish." Eja l'eja n je. He was trying to give the justification for what he did to the other man. About animalistic principles, animalistic arrangement, animalistic what I'm trying to make us see how something very very significant: that a savior is coming. The animals are not going to feed on what they normally feed on that makes them animals. But when they feed on this one, it will bring them into the image of God. Something for animals to feed on. There is something for animals whatever their nature when they feed on this one. There is a sign. Jesus said unless you drink my blood and you eat my flesh you have no life in you. He said, "I am the bread of life." Something they were giving the shepherd, a sign. A sign that there is something God about to do a new thing. We are going to feed animals with another kind of food. It is not Broiler starter, nor Broiler finisher, it is Broiler changer. We are going to change broilers. Hallelujah. We are going to turn them around. When they feed on this one that we are placing in this manger, when they feed on this one it will bring a regeneration. When they feed on this one is going to be justification. When they feed on this one there will be a renewal by the Holy Spirit. When they feed on this one is going to be a change. That is why Earth should rejoice. That is why angels were busy shouting. That is why we must announce this. This thing that is looking ordinary, it is not ordinary. Because when animals, these animals in the world, when they feed on this one that we are bringing: it is going to be a change from being animals, they are going to make them into new creatures. And what I want to ask you: what a great glory to rise from level of animals. Do you know how broiler will rejoice today to be a human being? Just imagine that broiler, we are going to make broiler human beings. What joy! Say, "They will no more feed on me at Christmas. Me too I will now be buying broiler to feed on." God want to make a change and that was the sign. That was something glorious to God. That we are putting something in where in the manger you will find this thing, wrapped. You will find this food. There is something there is something we have wrapped for humanity. It is going to bring great joy. He said, "I bring you good tidings of great joy, peace on Earth, glory to God in heaven." Because God is going to do something. God is going to feed us with not with the one that our father ate in the wilderness and died. Jesus said, "I am the true bread. I am the true bread. I am the one that came down. If anybody feed on me." Jesus was that was the sign that we were seeing at the birth of Jesus. And the question that is bringing to us today brethren, how much of Jesus are you feeding on? Are you feeding on Jesus? Christmas is not about the chicken, it is not about the rice, it is not about the jollof rice. It is about a food has been placed in a manger. If these animals eat this one, they cease to be animals. It will bring a regeneration. How much of regeneration is in your life? How much change, how much godlikeness can we see? That is what Christmas should bring out. It is a feeding. A food has been placed for us to eat. The more you eat this food, the more you eat this food, the more you eat this food: it is in the manger. Let us pray. He is in the manger. Jesus is in the manger. Jesus had been placed at where you can feed. God had located himself in a way that you can receive the Holy Spirit, in a way that you can know him. God have positioned himself in a way that man can encounter God. God have decided to position himself because unless you put that food in that place, the animals cannot eat it. They cannot go to the store to eat it. Because in that place you must put it in that trough before they can eat it. So what God did was that animals you don't need to go, but just here I have positioned myself where you can readily feed on me. Jesus have positioned himself in a way that you can know him, in a way that you can see him, in a way that you can encounter him, in a way that he can be you and Jesus. Oh brother, how much of Jesus are you feeding on? Oh sister, how much of Jesus are you feeding on? Mothers, fathers, how much of Jesus are you feeding on? Unless you eat this bread and drink this blood, you will remain animal. Malice, bitterness, deceit, being deceived, living in lust, diverse lust. That is what will continue in your life. But God has placed himself in a way: Jesus is in the manger. Jesus had been located, he had been positioned in a way that you can feed on Jesus. The Holy Spirit is here. He said, "Oh, when the Holy Spirit will come, he will teach you all things." I mean Jesus is in your manger. Jesus is in the manger, Jesus is where you can feed on Jesus. [Singing] Just a closer walk with Thee. Oh grant it Jesus is my plea. Oh daily walking close to Thee. Oh let it be, dear Lord, let it be. I am weak but Thou art strong. Oh keep me from all wrong. I'll be satisfied as long as I walk, let me walk close to Thee. Oh just a closer walk with Thee. Oh grant it Jesus is my plea. Oh daily walking close to Thee. Oh let it be, dear Lord, let it be. Oh daily walking close to Thee. Oh let it be, dear Lord, let it be. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Heavenly Father, we worship and exalt You. Daddy, we thank You. Thank You for this season. Thank You for the gift of salvation. Thank You for giving us the bread of life. Thank You for giving us Jesus. Thank You for giving us him, not only everything about him. When he came, he told us we should feed on his flesh and drink his blood. Said anyone that does this will not thirst or hunger again. Father, we thank You. Thank You for this is the only way by which we can be changed. Thank You for bringing us a new milk. Thank You for bringing us You to satisfy us. And Lord even at this season we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, it is as a portas the death of Jesus and his resurrection because he came as it has been foretold. Lord, we thank You for Your word came true. And when he came, Lord, we found You, You stood by Your word to completion. Ah Father, we are grateful. Lord, we worship You. We thank You, Lord. We give all the glory. We know You are the Lord the Alpha and the Omega. Where You brought Jesus, when he was born, he had 33 years to live. And in that 33 years, You watch over Your word to perform it. This gives us confidence that Lord, what You have said, when we come into You, Your purpose, Your counsel in every way, Baba, what we only need to do is to come, believe and begin to feed on You. We should leave the in-between, for God You will settle it. You are able to carry us to the end. Father, we pray, help us not to lose focus. Help us not to lose focus. Help us that our heart will not our heart will not be deceived, that our heart will not wander away from the truth. Help us to keep feeding on this food, of this food that never goes empty. Help us to keep feeding on You Jesus, which is the living bread. Oh Lord, help our heart. As we continue, oh Lord, through the remaining of this year and we journey into the new year, new season: You are the God of seasons. Thank You for what You have done in 2023, we still have few days to go. And Lord we pray by the reason of reminding us again of the birth of what You have provided, so that everything about us can be transformed. And that is the reason You have given us Jesus. Help us, oh Lord, to keep feeding on Jesus so that what remains in us to be transformed will be transformed in the name of Jesus. And we pray, oh Lord, for the coming year, You will be glorified. Ah Baba, You will be glorified. Because Lord God Almighty, You will do greater works than what You have done in year past in the name of Jesus. Father, we give all the glory. We honor, we adore You for this time. We thank You once again for giving us a wonderful gift, a gift, oh Lord, that change us from animal to human, to the likeness of God, that transform our heart, that brings us back to what we lost in Eden. Thank You for Jesus. Father, we are grateful. We worship You. We honor You, Lord. We pray, oh God, You have given us all that we need for life and godliness. There is nothing remaining. Help us to take hold of this eternal life to the end. Let it not slip from our hands. Let us not be busy here and there with the mundane things of this world and we will not know when the enemy all he wants is for he to slip away. We pray, Lord, it will not slip from our hands. But Lord, we will hold on to eternal life. We will keep feeding on the bread of life. We will keep eating your flesh and drinking your blood unto completely perfected in us, until we see You in glory and become like You, changing from glory to glory. Thank You, faithful God. Thank You for your son. We pray, oh Lord, greater, greater grace be release upon him. Greater bread, greater breath of God, greater bread of life: Lord cause him to dine with You in the name of Jesus. Oh Lord, we appreciate You. As we go, let Your presence go with us. We'll meet again in 2024, God Almighty. Another season begins 2024. We will come into that season, gather here next week Monday with a greater glory, taking us from a glory a better glory from glory to glory in the name of Jesus. Thank You faithful God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The grace in fellowship: the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance to us all. Amen. This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in reaching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development, and mission hit. Our regular activities are discipleship class every Monday 5:00 PM, adolescents and singles club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, marriage forum second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, family life seminars, regular school outreaches, and every day counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location, Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilere community, opposite Very Joy filling station along Ije road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.