From Glory to Bethlehem.

Sunday, 24th December, 2017

Speaker : Pst Manoj Arunkumar.
Summarization : Shruti Vanjare.

“Christmas is all about the good news of Jesus Christ.”

Luke 2:1

In the entire Bible, this is the third time that someone is travelling to Bethlehem. The first time being when David went to Bethlehem, the presence of God came there for the first time when David played the harp for Saul. The second time was the travel of Ruth and Naomi to Bethlehem. (Ruth 1:22)

1) Bethlehem is the place of Separation. 

Genesis 35:19- “So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.”

Rachel as separated from Jacob. Jacob used to love Rachel a lot, and thus had to be separated from her in Bethlehem where he had an encounter with God. When you come to Bethlehem, God will separate you from what you love more than God.

2) Bethlehem is the place of selection.

Read from Isaiah 16:1 onwards and Isaiah 17:12 onwards...

All the above things we're happening in Bethlehem. Judah is a part of Bethlehem, the residence of the Jews. Whenever separation comes, it comes from Bethlehem. Jesus has come to Bethlehem, which means a house of prayer, and you are the House of God. Keeping in mind the nature of Moabites in our lives, we need to separate from them. You need to be selected by God to worship Him. Jesus’ words should reside in your House. As long as He is in you, you'll lose nothing.

3) Bethlehem is the place of Satisfaction. 

Ruth 1:1-16

When the judges ruled, there was a famine which imples there was righteous judge; and that too in the house of God. (bread) It's easy for us to slip out of the presence of God. As long as bread was available, they stayed there. But as soon as a little test, a famine came they left God. When you leave the presence of God, you'll lose something important for sure. When Naomi left, she lost her husband. There was no one left to guide her son's or to tell them about God. If you're the child of God, stay back in His presence and Word. Naomi's sons led a backslidden life of 10 years after marrying the Moabites (demon worshippers) and soon, died. When Ruth confessed that Naomi's God is her God, every tie with other God's we're broken. God kept this in his mind and decided that Jesus will be born from the same lineage. She saw Naomi's faith in God; fearful, lover of God and kind.

4)  Bethlehem is the place of Salvation. 

Luke 2:6-7
The manger signifies your heart where Jesus is going to take birth. He was never poor; they had sufficient money. He is God but every season has a reason. The wise men came before Wisdom, bowed down and worshipped him. Gold symbolizes purity. No one can make Jesus bow down to sin. In the old testament, only the high priest could use frankincense to offer to the Lord. Thus, the frankincense symbolizes Jesus’ authority, and his saving abilities. The had the revelation that Jesus would go on the cross, she'd the blood, forgive the sins of mankind and will be buried on the third day. He will be embalmed with Myrrh, and on the third day the whole world will witness his resurrection and he will become our God.