Word of Christmas

Supernatural

What is a word that you think of when you hear the word Christmas?
The other week Victor was sharing stories with me of the great faith of his mom and today she is here all
the way from Mexico to share of what God has done in her husband’s life and healed his heart.
Testimony of Victor and his mom.
It’s interesting I was speaking to a group of young people the other day and asked them what miracle
God has done in their lives and they just stared at me. So, I began to give them examples and again they just stared.

And then it hit me they didn’t believe in the God of the miraculous. Sure, they believe in God. Most of them because they were supposed to, but they were not experiencing the supernatural work of God in their lives.

We are not to seek the signs of the supernatural, we are to seek Jesus and the supernatural signs will follow us.

Not always the way planned.
Not always what you ask for.
Not always in your time.
But supernatural none the less.

What does supernatural mean in the Bible?

adjective. of, relating to, or being above or beyond what is natural; unexplainable by natural law or phenomena; abnormal. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or attributed to God or a deity. of a superlative degree; preternatural: a missile of supernatural speed.

The birth of Jesus was one of the most supernatural, unexplainable by natural law, phenomena, abnormal event in all of recorded history.

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Supernatural.

Matthew 1:20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Unexplainable.

Luke 1:26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28  And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! Phenomena.

Luke 1:39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40  and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41  And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42  and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

Abnormal event Supernatural is a part of the Christmas story. It is weaved into every word that we read not only in Matthew and Luke but from Genesis to revelation. John McArthur says that for Jesus to fulfill the prophecies that were recorded about Him in the old Testament perfectly it would be equivalate to placing nickels in the entire state of Texas knee deep, coloring three red, blindfolding someone and saying HAVE AT IT. Fulfill it.

It would be impossible.
It would be supernatural.

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” CS Lewis

Jesus Presented at the Temple Luke 2:22-38
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they
brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

As we become righteous through Christ and the disciplines of Christ
As we wait on the Lord
As the Holy Spirit comes upon us and dwells in us…

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29  “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30  for my eyes have seen your salvation 31  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32  j a light for revelation to the Gentiles, 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 36 And there was p a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Jesus’s birth was defined in the culture of the supernatural.
Angels proclaimed it. Shepherds and wise men worshiped. Simeon and Ana declared it.

This world’s culture or at least American/European culture would say that the God’s
supernatural power is not real. I always find that interesting when they are promoting new shows like “The Prodigal Son, Evil, Lucifer, or any other Horror movie.” They are promoting a supernatural power” just not God’s.

God worked in supernatural power in the Christmas story.
God wants to work in His supernatural power today.
Paul writes in his letter to the church at Ephesus…

Ephesians 1:16-20 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints 19  I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20  that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

This is my favorite of all the prayers that Paul prayed…
You can pray this over your life….
You can pray this over your family…
Your church family
It’s like Paul is saying remember who you are…
Remember the Power of the stories…
He wants to operate in the supernatural of your life.
Just let him.
Allow him to help you understand the incredible greatness of God’s power in your life.