Our series at the end of 2015, “God Is…” ended with the wonderful news that God is Here – as Jesus Christ. So, this new series for 2016 picks right up on that theme!
We’ll be learning about Jesus from some key stories in the Bible.
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CloseRyan Sim - December 10, 2013
Tuesday - Study It - The Night That Changed the Powerful
We’re looking this week at how Jesus’ birth threatened powerful people. Here’s the story: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” (…) And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:1-8, 12-18 ESV) Just like last week, you can see the story of Jesus’ birth was part of God’s big story throughout history. There’ve been hints throughout time that these events would occur, even if people couldn’t see them in advance, many more could see them in retrospect. We can see that from the beginning of his life...powerful people encountered Jesus and recognized who he was, even if they didn’t like it. Here in this story we have two people, both claiming the title King of the Jews. Herod is a powerful man, but he’s a middle man. The Romans are really in charge, but keep him as King of the local area because he’s useful to them, at least for now. On the other side, the people under him allow him to rule because of fear. They know he’s not a legitimate heir to the throne of Israel, even though he claims the title. So Herod hangs on to power by removing any threat to his power. He uses fear out of his own fear. This is why he is so concerned by these wise men, who show up and say they’re looking for the King of the Jews. Herod is King of the Jews! Not by birthline or right of course, but because he got what he wanted, and has everyone afraid of him. So if someone else claims to be the rightful King, and can claim the right bloodline, right town of birth, etc. that simply won’t do. So instead of just telling them they’re crazy, and having this rumour get out of hand, Herod uses them. We’ll talk more about that later...but suffice it to say he is manipulative, dangerous, uses people to keep himself in power, and moreover is illegitimate. Question: A prophet 500 years before this happened said the Messiah would emerge as a light in “dark times.” How was the era when Jesus came a dark time? Are there similarities to our time?
Related Topics: Christmas, Herod, Magi, Power, Wise Men | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio
From Series: "The Night that Changed Everything"
In preparation for Christmas, our Daily Challenges are going to explore the lifechanging significance of Jesus' birth so long ago. It's more than a sentimental story, or a time for generosity, Christmas celebrates The Night that Changed Everything. We'll explore the original Christmas story from the Bible, and its impact on five kinds of people.
More Messages From Ryan Sim...
Introduction to Daily Challenges | November 2, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - New Idea - Poor in Spirit | November 12, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Poor in Spirit | November 13, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Poor in Spirit | November 14, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Poor in Spirit | November 15, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Poor in Spirit | November 16, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Those who Mourn | November 19, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Those Who Mourn | November 20, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Those Who Mourn | November 21, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act - Those Who Mourn | November 22, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Those Who Mourn | November 23, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Meek | November 26, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Meek | November 27, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Meek | November 28, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act - Meek | November 29, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Meek | November 30, 2012 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Monday - A New Idea - Poor in Spirit | December 3, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Righteousness | December 4, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Righteousness | December 5, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Righteousness | December 6, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Righteousness | December 7, 2012 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Monday - A New Idea - Merciful | December 10, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Merciful | December 11, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Merciful | December 12, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Merciful | December 13, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Merciful | December 14, 2012 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Monday - A New Idea - Pure in Heart | December 17, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Pure in Heart | December 18, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Pure in Heart | December 19, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Pure in Heart | December 20, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Pure in Heart | December 21, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Christmas Eve | December 24, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Christmas Day | December 25, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Boxing Day | December 26, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - December 27 | December 27, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - December 28 | December 28, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
New Years Eve - Growth | December 31, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
New Years Day - Groups | January 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - January 2 - Grace | January 2, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - January 3 - Generosity | January 3, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - January 4 - God | January 4, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Peacemakers | January 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Peacemakers | January 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Peacemakers | January 9, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act - Peacemakers | January 10, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Peacemakers | January 11, 2013 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Monday - A New Idea - Persecuted | January 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Persecuted | January 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Persecution | January 16, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act - Persecuted | January 17, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Persecuted | January 18, 2013 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Monday - New Idea - Living Backwards | January 21, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Living Backwards | January 22, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Living Backwards | January 23, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act on It - Living Backwards | January 24, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Living Backwards | January 25, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Salt | January 28, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Salt | January 29, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Salt | January 30, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Salt | January 31, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Salt | February 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Light | February 4, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Light | February 5, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Light | February 6, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Light | February 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Light | February 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Law | February 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Law | February 12, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Law | February 13, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Law | February 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Law | February 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Anger | February 18, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Anger | February 19, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Anger | February 20, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Anger | February 21, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Anger | February 22, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - The Look | February 25, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - The Look | February 26, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Study It - The Look | February 27, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - The Look | February 28, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - The Look | March 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Truth | March 4, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Truth | March 5, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Truth | March 6, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Truth | March 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Truth | March 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Retaliation | March 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Retaliation | March 12, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Retaliation | March 13, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Retaliation | March 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Retaliation | March 15, 2013 | Listen | |||
Monday - A New Idea - Neighbours | April 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Neighbours | April 9, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Neighbours | April 10, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Neighbours | April 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Neighbours | April 12, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Perfection | April 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Perfection | April 16, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Perfection | April 17, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Perfection | April 18, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Perfection | April 19, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Generosity | April 22, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Generosity | April 23, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Generosity | April 25, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Generosity | April 26, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Pompous Prayer | April 29, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Pompous Prayer | April 30, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Pompous Prayer | May 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Pompous Prayer | May 2, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Pompous Prayer | May 3, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Self Denial | May 6, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Self Denial | May 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Self Denial | May 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Self Denial | May 9, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Self Denial | May 10, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Forgiveness | May 13, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Forgiveness | May 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Forgiveness | May 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Forgiveness | May 16, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Forgiveness | May 17, 2013 | Watch | Listen |