Jesus is the light of the world and his job is to illuminate you and to let you see the supernatural in the natural. Dr. Tony Evans says seeing the light is about much more than just information. It is your identification with Jesus that brings illumination, not merely the fact you believe in God. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr.
Tony Evans. You can't navigate a dark room until someone turns on the light. And the same is true in the spiritual world. Today, Dr. Evans reminds us that Jesus came as the light of the world, bringing clarity where confusion had reigned and exposing reality as it truly is.
When his light breaks through, the pieces of life that never made sense suddenly come into focus. Let's join him in Luke chapter 2 as he shows how Christ brings illumination to every part of our lives. You and I are living in a world that's blind spiritually. But Jesus is the light of the world, which means. The clearer you see Jesus, the clearer you see everything else.
He is the basis of illumination, that is, your ability to see reality. The first person I want to identify. Who got illumination is. Mary. Jesus' mother.
In Luke chapter 1. An angel comes to Mary. He tells her. That you found favor with God. In verse 30.
And he goes on to say that. You will conceive in verse thirty-one. And you will bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He'll be great. He'll be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
So Mary says, how can this be in verse 34? Because I am a virgin.
So, what you just said, God's going to do. Can't happen. I've never been intimate with a man. It's not normal. It's not natural.
And it's Illogical. An angel is telling her this. But when God decides to do something. The supernatural transcends the natural. Don't limit God to your five senses.
To what you can see and touch and taste and hear and smell. Don't limit God. to what you can figure out. because he is the unfigure-outable God. The illuminating message of Christmas is that nothing.
It's impossible, although it looks impossible.
Now, she had a relative named Elizabeth. Elizabeth was married. To a priest called Zacharias. Elizabeth Got pregnant in her old age. With John the Baptist.
When In chapter one, verse eighteen, the angel tells. Zacharias About The child that he would have. Zachariah said to the angel, How will I know this for certain? Verse 18, for I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.
So Zacharias. says that's illogical. This can't work. Plus. My wife is far beyond Pregnancy possibilities.
She's advanced in years. The angel says in verse 19. I am Gabriel. Who stands in the presence of God? And I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place. Because you did not believe my words. which were, will be fulfilled in their proper time. Both have received a message that didn't make sense. Mary said, How can this be?
I'm a virgin. Zachariah says, How can this be? I'm old.
So they both had Questions.
So, why was Zacharias made silent due to unbelief? And Mary celebrated. even though she had questions. Because when she got the information. Mary says in chapter 1, verse 38.
Behold the bond slave of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word. I'm trying to tell you there are two kinds of doubts. There's A doubt that leads to unbelief and rejection. And there's a doubt that leads to acceptance and embracing. There's a second group.
That are affected by Christmas. The Shepherds. The Shepherds. We read in chapter two. In verse eight, in the same region there were shepherds.
Saying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. An angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were. Terribly frightened. They were scared.
They'd never seen this before.
Okay. And the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. For behold, somebody say behold.
Okay. They are scared at what they're seeing. This is not normal.
Something as Come from heaven, that is. shaken their world. But the angel says. Do not be afraid. Behold.
In other words, Change what you're looking at if you want to overcome your fear. There's a lot to be afraid of today, a lot of things. That we do not understand, but he says, at Christmas, behold, Change what you're looking at. I bring you good news. Of great joy.
which will be for all the people. For the day of the city of David, there is born for you a savior. who is Christ the Lord.
So let me suggest something to you. The more afraid you are of something in your life. The more you need to focus on Jesus. They were afraid. The angel says, Behold, look at Jesus.
Because the more you concentrate on Jesus, the easier it is to overcome what's scaring you. Let me tell you about these shepherds. These shepherds Oversawa. The Lambs That would be offered in sacrifice. The priests would take the lambs and they would.
Provide the lambs for the sacrifices. The shepherds would raise the lambs that would be offered in sacrifices. The Bible makes it clear that when you offered a lamb in sacrifice, it had to be without spot or blemish. In other words, there could be no flaws on the lamb that was to be offered to God in sacrifice.
Well, the way that the shepherds Would keep the lambs. From being not being spotted, not falling over and getting cut or tripped, is they would take the lambs and they would wrap them in cloth. The King James Version, I believe, calls it swaddling clothes. They would swaddle the clothes. I got to see this in real time.
with one of my when my great-grandchildren were born And their mother, my granddaughter. would wrap them up. From top to bottom, except their face. And she would wrap them all the way down to their feet. And it became a way of them being oversaw and overseen.
I don't know where she got that from. I had never seen that before, like that. But they were totally wrapped as she laid them down. They would wrap the lamb. Because the lambs, of course, would be moving about and could easily.
Get a spot or blemish.
So to keep that from happening, they would wrap them. Because they were there for an offering, because those were the only kind of lambs that you could offer to the Lord. Uh So, when the angel tells the shepherds, you will find a child wrapped in cloth. That was not just. A wrapping of a baby.
That was rapping of a lamb. And the purpose of wrapping the lamb was to offer a perfect sacrifice.
So, when they say that you will find this sign, it would be a sign of what they did with their. physical lambs being applied to the Lamb of God.
So they would be connecting it. To the purpose of sacrifice. And the reason that that connection is there is because this baby was meant for sacrifice. For he is the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And so it is illumination.
It is seeing things more deeply and they got to see it. And the reason that they got illumination is when. The shepherds heard The shepherds responded. And they went to the manger. They didn't just hear information and not move.
And verse 20 of chapter 2 says, and they went back. Glorifying God. Doctor Evans will have more for us in a moment as he turns from the shepherd's response to the remarkable faith and insight of Simeon. Don't go away. As we anticipate the new year, we want to not only end this year strong, but go into the new year.
able to take advantage of all the opportunities that God has brought our way. for the transformation of individual lives. for the building of strong biblically based families. for strengthening churches, and that's what we're committed to do. Your generous financial support will help us to be strong because we're not going to back down, we're not going to back away, and we're not going to compromise the truth of this book to placate the secularism of the society.
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When life gets crowded, Christmas often becomes something we rush through. Instead of something we savour. But Dr. Evans' new devotional Messages from the Manger helps you slow down long enough to truly worship. To let God's promises, His timing, and His presence speak into your life in a fresh way.
You'll walk step by step through the Christmas story with devotionals, scriptures, and prayers that ground your heart and lift your spirit. And to complement it, we are including the nine-message audio collection when the king came to town. featuring some of doctor Evans's most impactful Christmas teachings. You can request this special limited-time holiday bundle when you make a contribution at tonyevans.org. It's our gift to you, and thanks for your year-end support.
Again, that's tonyevans.org. You'll find the details of this special offer right on our home page. or call our resource line any time of the day or night where one of our friendly team members is ready to help with your request. The number is one eight hundred, eight hundred, thirty two, twenty two. Again, that's one eight hundred eight hundred three two two two.
I'll repeat that contact information for you after the second part of today's lesson. Here's Dr. Evans. The third group. that I want to talk about.
It's Simeon. We introduced the Simeon in chapter 2, verse 25. There was a man at Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And this man was righteous and devout. Looking for the consolation of Israel, that is the Messiah.
And the Holy Spirit was upon him.
So here's a man looking for Jesus. Anticipating Jesus. Waiting on Jesus. and living a righteous life. See, many of us don't find Jesus because we're not looking for him.
But he was looking for the consolation. If you're here today and as you enter the new year, if you need to be consoled. Look for Jesus. He was looking for the consolation of Israel. And as he was.
Mary and Joseph. on the eighth day bring Jesus into the temple for circumcision. And the Spirit of God comes on him. And he came in the spirit to the temple. Watch this.
He's looking for Jesus. He's living a righteous life. He needs consolation. And the Spirit leads him into the temple. The goal of the Holy Spirit is to steer you.
to where God wants you next. But if you're not looking for Jesus. And if you're not seeking to live a righteous life. That the Holy Spirit won't be able to lead you. And even if he's trying to, you won't hear his voice.
But because he was looking for Jesus. Living a righteous life. The Holy Spirit could guide him into the temple. And when the Holy Spirit guides him into the temple, when the parents brought in the child, Jesus, to carry him out for the custom of the law, that is for circumcision. Then he took him into his arms.
Baby Jesus. And blessed God and said, Now, Lord, you are releasing your bondservant. To depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen, verse 30, your salvation. which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.
A light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people. Israel. The first thing he says is, I'm ready to die now. He says, I'm ready to go. I have seen Jesus and I'm ready to go.
Like the end of Acts chapter 7. When Stephen was being stoned to death, he said he looked up and he saw Jesus standing on the right hand of the Father. to give him a standing ovation as he welcomed them home. I'd like to suggest this is what happens to every believer who is transitioning. who have been looking for Jesus and living for Jesus.
When God says it's time to go, they're ready to go because they get to see Jesus in the transition of them going. And this is what happens because Jesus makes himself. The light. He lets you see things in the supernatural and in the spiritual. But he says something else.
Verse 34, and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, the child is appointed. For the fall and rise of many in Israel. and for a sign to be opposed. And a sword will pierce even your own soul to the end that thoughts from many hearts. will be revealed.
So I now must give you the downside. The negative side of Jesus. If you want to discover him. Jesus will create conflict. The rise and fall of many.
Even not only conflict without. but conflict with you. First of all, he will bring you into conflict without. You will not have trouble because you believe in God. You will not have trouble because you talk about God.
Jesus is the problem. Jesus is what will bring you into conflict. The reason folk want to stop saying Merry Christmas and happy holidays is because of Jesus. The reason people want to move nativity scenes is because of Jesus. Jesus will bring you into conflict.
Without And if you're going to experience the light. And the illumination, you must be willing to identify with Jesus, not just believe in God. God has placed everything in his son. Jesus says, if you deny me, I will deny you before my father. If you accept me, I will validate you before my father.
It is your identification with Jesus that brings illumination, not merely the fact you believe in God. Believing in God is safe. And undefined. Because you could be talking about any number of gods. But we're talking about the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is the specific God to whom we are referring. And so Jesus is going to create conflict, but he will not only create conflict without, he will create conflict within. In other words, you're going to have to go against you. If you've been saved for a while, you know what it is. To have to say no to you, to say yes to Jesus.
Because you are in conflict with you. Where the flesh wants to go over here, and Jesus says, no, you go over there, and you're battling the war the Bible talks about in Galatians chapter five, the battle that Paul had in Romans chapter seven. He says, the things I don't want to do are the things I do, and the things I do are the things I don't want to do because I'm in this battle. Because you will have a battle with you. to choose Jesus.
But what you will get is illumination. And finally, The wise men. That's in Matthew 1. Just want to say a brief word.
Now the wise men are technically not Christmas. All these nativity scenes.
Well, you see the wise men. Around the manger. are biblically incorrect. The wise men were not at the manger. And they were not at the nativity.
And they weren't on the scene. Chapter two of Matthew, verse 11. And coming into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother. They saw the child in the house. They didn't see the baby in the manger.
And the Greek word for child means toddler. Yeah.
So this baby's over one years old. heading toward two.
So watch this. They saw the star when he was born. They don't get there. until he's close to two years old. Because they're traveling from the east.
On camels and donkeys and horses.
So that you can't take that trip in a week. This is not a 747. We're talking months and months and months. And when they finally arrived, they said, we have come to worship him. You mean to tell me?
You're willing to take a year, a year and a half. To get to Jesus Christ, because he's worth that inconvenience. And some folk aren't willing to drive 20 minutes. To get to Jesus. But they decide Jesus.
Is worthy of my inconvenience and my worship. And when they decided that. The concluding verse in chapter 2 or verse 12. It says, the king says, tell the wise men to come back. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the Magi left.
for their own country by another way. You see, God speaks to dreams, to people who paying attention. He lets you see things that you didn't see before, warn you about people trying to hurt you. to take you away from situations that were gonna mess over you because jesus is the light of the world and his job is to illuminate you and to let you see the supernatural in the natural Dr. Evans will return with a closing thought in just a moment.
First, though, don't forget to take advantage of that special holiday resource package I mentioned earlier. Dr. Evans' brand new devotional and prayer guide, Messages from the Manger. will help you rediscover the wonder of Christ's birth through Scripture, reflection, and guided prayer. and we paired it with the collection of nine Christmas messages from doctor Evans called When the King Came to Town.
We'd love to send both of these resources to you as our gift. when you make a year-end donation to help support this ministry. Visit TonyEvans.org today to take advantage of this offer. or call 1-800-800-3222 any time of the day or night. The number again 1-800-800-3222.
or online at tonyevans.org. Every Christmas season comes with its own mix of busyness, expectations, and distractions. And all of it forces us to answer a simple question. What is Jesus worth to us? In Matthew 2, we learn that some people traveled for years to worship Christ.
While others were troubled, or simply unmoved.
Well, next time, Dr. Evans helps us uncover which response best reflects our own hearts. and what true worship looks like in a season full of substitutes. Right now, though, he's back with this closing thought on the true light of Christmas.
So I challenge you this Christmas. To let Jesus be your light in your world. and illuminate your understanding.
so that you see things you've never seen before. Because he lets you see. everything as he shines his light. On your way.
