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"Behold,
the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son,
and they shall call His name Immanuel," which
translated, means, "God with us." -
Matthew 1:23.
1.
Jesus' Coming Prophesied.
2. The Birth of Jesus Foretold.
3. The Birth of Jesus.
4. The Shepherds visit Baby Jesus.
5. Visit of the Wise Men.
1.
Jesus' Coming Prophesied:
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a
sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and
bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
- Isaiah 7:14.
"Behold, the days are coming," declares the
Lord, "When I shall raise up for David a
righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act
wisely and do justice and righteousness in the
land." - Jeremiah 23:5.
2.
Birth of Jesus Foretold:
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from
God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin
engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored
one! The Lord is with you." But she
was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept
pondering what kind of salutation this might
be. And the angel said to her, "Do not
be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and
bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He
will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most
High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His
father David; and He will reign over the house of
Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."
And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be,
since I am a virgin?", and the angel answered and
said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most High will over-shadow
you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be
called the Son of God." - Luke 1:26-35.
3.
The Birth of Jesus:
And it came about that while they were there, the days
were completed for her to give birth. And she
gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him
in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was
no room for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were some shepherds
staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over
their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord
suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them; and they were terribly
frightened. And the angel said to them, "Do
not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a
great joy which shall be for all the people; for today
in the city of David there has been born for you a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord".
"And this will be a sign for you: you will
find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a
manger." And suddenly there appeared with
the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying, "Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace among men with whom
He is pleased." - Luke 2:6-14.
4.
The Shepherds visit Baby Jesus:
And it came about when the angels had gone away from
them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to
one another, "Lets us go straight to Bethlehem
then, and see this thing that has happened which the
Lord has made known to us."
And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and
Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And
when they had seen this, they made known the statement
which had been told them about this Child. And
all who heard it wondered at the things which were
told them by the shepherds.
But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them
in her heart. And the shepherds went back,
glorifying and praising God for all that they had
heard and seen, just as had been told them. -
Luke 2:15-20.
5.
Visit of the Wise Men:
Now
after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days
of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in
Jerusalem saying, "Where is He who has been born
King of the Jews? For we
saw His star in
the east, and have come to worship Him."
And
when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief
priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire
of them where the Christ was to be born.
And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for
so it has been written by the prophet,
'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS
LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL
COME FORTH A RULER, WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'
"
Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained
from them the time the star appeared. And he sent
them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and make careful
search for the Child; and when you have found Him,
report to me, that I too may come and worship Him."
And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo,
the star, which they had seen in the east, went on
before them, until it came and stood over where the
Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced
exceedingly with great joy.
And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary
His mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him; and
opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of
gold and frankincense and myrrh.
And having been warned by God in a dream not to return
to Herod, they departed for their own country by another
way. - Matthew 2:1-12.
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