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Get To Know You 

What’s the most “last-minute” thing you’ve ever pulled off that still worked… and what did it teach you about pressure?

If your life had a “no room in the inn” moment—what did that feel like (rejection, shame, loneliness, embarrassment, anger)?

Into The Bible

Compare the angel’s message to Mary (Luke 1:30–33) and to Joseph (Matt 1:20–21). What overlaps—and what’s unique in each?

John 1:12 ties belief in Jesus’ name to becoming children of God. What does this practically mean?

Matthew 2:3 says Herod was troubled “and all Jerusalem.” What does that suggest about the political/spiritual threat Jesus and the Magi pose?  Does Jesus cause a political/ social threat today?

Application

Where does your dream currently feel “lost”—and what would it look like to name that honestly before God this week?

What’s one way you can become a “shepherd” to somebody else this week (check-in, prayer, practical help, presence)?

When is the last time you shared your testimony? How can you make this a regular occurance in your life? (Be Crative, follow the Spirit)

 

 

SERMON NOTES

when a dream looks lost…God Provides

“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
— Luke 2:6–7 (ESV)

“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
— Isaiah 53:3 (ESV)

“NO ROOM FOR THEM” — WHAT IT REALLY MEANS

  1. “Inn” Is the Wrong Mental Picture
  • The Greek word in Luke 2:7 is κατάλυμα (kataluma)
  • It does not primarily mean a hotel or commercial inn
  • It means:
    • a guest room
    • an upper room
    • a place to stay within a family home
  • The same word is used for the upper room at the Last Supper (Luke 22:11)

This wasn’t a packed Holiday Inn — this was someone’s home that refused space.

The Census Explains Crowding — But Not Rejection

  • Mary is visibly pregnant
  • Joseph is not yet publicly recognized as the father
  • Their situation would have been viewed as:
    • shameful
    • scandalous
    • morally questionable

The world makes no room — God makes a way anyway.

when a dream looks lost… God sends prophetic testimony…

            “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened…’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.”
— Luke 2:8-16 (ESV)

  1. Shepherds are Important Prophetically…

“And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
— Jeremiah 3:15 (ESV)

“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.”
— Ezekiel 34:15 (ESV)

“And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.”
— Ezekiel 34:23 (ESV)

  1. They didn’t see the angels….they only had the testimony…

“But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
— Luke 2:19 (ESV)

When a dream seems lost… the Holy Spirit shows up

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’”
— Matthew 2:1–2 (ESV)

“After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.”
— Matthew 2:9 (ESV)

It could have started as a star or a comet…but that’s not how it ended….stars and comets don’t stop in the sky, turn on and off, and settle over a house…

The SPIRIT LED THEM

“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.”
— Exodus 13:21 (ESV)

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
— John 14:26 (ESV)

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
— John 16:13 (ESV)

when a dream seems lost…God sends the Rulers of the World to Bow at His Feet…

“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”
— Matthew 2:3 (ESV)

“And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
— Matthew 2:11 (ESV)

The Magi were not sentimental stargazers, but the ancient king-makers of the East—custodians of prophecy, power brokers of empires, and unwilling witnesses that a greater King had arrived.

  1. THE MAGI ARE AN OLD TESTAMENT OFFICE, NOT A FAIRY TALE

Magi in the Old Testament

The word “Magi” (wise men, court scholars, astrologer-priests) appears explicitly in Daniel—Babylon, not Bethlehem.

“There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods… an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams… are found in him.”
— Daniel 5:11 (ESV)

“Then the king gave Daniel high honors… and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.”
— Daniel 2:48 (ESV)

  • Daniel becomes chief over the Magi
  • He deposits Messianic prophecy into the Magian tradition
  • The Magi become keepers of revelation, not pagans guessing at stars

 

  1. THE MAGI BECOME KING-MAKERS OF EMPIRES

From Babylon to Persia

  • When Persia conquers Babylon, the Magi are absorbed, not erased
  • They become advisors to kings (Median-Persian court)

From Persia to Greece

  • Under Greek influence, Magian knowledge spreads west
  • Philosophy + astronomy + prophecy blend

From Greece to Parthia

  • Parthia rises east of Rome
  • Parthia defeats Rome militarily (Crassus, 53 BC)
  • The Magi become Parthian king-makers, who:
    • anoint rulers
    • validate royal claims
    • accompany royal successions