Luke 2:17-21
Jesus (Yeshua), common name like Bill or John.
- Common because of Joshua, successor of Moses and is the first priest of the new temple.
- You’d think the Messiah would get a cool name and be destined for greatness.
Isaiah 53:2 says that there was nothing about Jesus’ appearance that would attract us to him.
Jesus was most likely a little guy, jacked from carpentry, born in a cave to disgraced parents, given an ordinary name and unattractive.
Why? Jesus took role of servant > king, position to serve.
Mark 10:45 NOT to BE served but TO serve!
Circumcision, cutting away of the flesh and mark of faith.
- This placed Jesus under the Old Covenant.
- Romans 2:25-29 circumcision of heart > flesh
- Romans 9:24-25, 30-33 Jesus bridges the gap Jew/Gentile
- Jesus was born without any advantages, went through what everyone went through to bring hope to everyone else still going through it.
Hebrews 4:15 faced the same testings to empathize.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4, calls us to follow same pattern
- 1 Tim 6:17-18, Rich use their wealth to do good, depending on God not money.
- Luke 6:27-30, Love enemies, turn cheek
- Galatians 6:10, do good to everyone, especially family faith.
- My life is not my own
You won’t do this unless you are able to give up your rights.
You have to do that in order to put self in a position to serve.
APPLICATION:
Like Jesus, your beginning doesn’t have to determine your ending…
- Who do you have a hard time serving?
- How might God be using the struggle you’re in today, to serve others tomorrow?
- What if your prayer changed from “take this away” to “take me through this and use this for someone else”?
- What if your next step was to do what Jesus did in Matthew 3:13-17?
In the manger, Jesus cut himself off from wealth, privilege, advantage, ;power, so that Her could follow God’s will and serve mankind.
In my life, I cut myself off from sin, pride, rights so that I can follow God’s will and serve mankind.