”THE LOWDOWN ON CHRISTMAS” Mark Kolbe

Christmas is the celebration of a demonstration of h______________.

1. JESUS’ B_________ WAS MARKED BY HUMILITY

A. Jesus’ conception was c__________________.

· Mary became pregnant before she was married and she became pregnant by someone other than the man she was engaged to (Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:26-35, Matthew 1:19-25).

B. Jesus was born to parents of m__________ means (John 1:46, Luke 1:46-48).

· Joseph’s hometown didn’t have a good r________________ (John 1:46).

· Mary had a humble view of h__________ (Luke 1:46-48).

· Joseph and Mary’s lacked of w______________ (Leviticus 12:1-8, Luke 2:21-24).

C. Jesus’ birth involved u_________________ people (Luke 2:8-9).

D. Jesus’ birth lacked p______________ (Luke 2:4, 8-9).

E. Jesus, the divine, became h_____________ (John 1:14, Galatians 4:4), willingly enduring pain, emotional stress, hunger, thirst, and sleep deprivation.

F. Jesus came into the world as a b__________ (Luke 2:6-7).

G. Jesus was born in r__________________ conditions (Luke 2:7).

2. THE HUMILITY OF JESUS’ BIRTH DID NOT N____________ HIS DIVINE NATURE OR PURPOSE

A. Some men of i_________________, respect, and wealth, visited Jesus later (Matthew 2:1-2).

B. These men brought e________________ gifts representing His authority, divinity, and future sacrificial death (Matthew 2:9-11).

C. Jesus’ n___________ was a pronouncement of His authority, divinity, and purpose as well (Matthew 1:21-23, Luke 1:32-33).

3. HUMILITY DISPLAYED THROUGH THE DIVINE IS L___________ IN A DARK WORLD

A. The a___________________ made to the shepherds involved light (Luke 2:8-9).

B. Jesus’ purification c______________ referred to light (Luke 2:29-32).

C. The Magi followed a bright s_________ in the sky to find Jesus (Matthew 2:1, 9-11).

APPLICATION

· Followers of Jesus should humble themselves in their m_______, sacrificial a_________, a_______________, and p____________ (Philippians 2:1-4).

· Jesus is the best e________________ for us to imitate in terms of humility (Philippians 2:5-8).

· The ultimate end and purpose of Jesus coming to earth in humility was to cause people to admit that He is K___________ and worthy of w________________ (Philippians 2:9-11).

· Displaying humility requires f__________, hard work, perseverance, and enduring things that we do not like (Philippians 2:12-14).

· The ultimate end and purpose of believers displaying humility is for non-believers to t________ n____________ (Philippians 2:15).

In the long run, we aren’t really giving up anything when we lower ourselves in humility. As you hand gifts to people at Christmas, make sure to include your humility.

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time (1 Peter 5:6).