Birth of Christ Archives

December 25, 2022December 25, 2022

The Hope of Christmas Pt. 4: The Decree of Caesar Augustus

Merry Christmas!

We all know the Christmas Story of Luke chapter 2. It starts with, “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” When we read this verse, we don’t think much about it, as I’m sure Caesar didn’t either. Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the significance of one of the most overlooked verses in the Bible in his Christmas message, The Hope of Christmas Pt. 4: The Decree of Caesar Augustus.

Luke 2:1-20 (KJV)
Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)
Jeremiah 1:12
Ezekiel 12:25
Luke 1:37

The Decree of Caesar Augustus

¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷And 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.

This decree of Caesar Augustus started the beginning of the greatest gift from above.

⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

The angels rejoiced because they understood that the greatest Christmas gift had just been given to all of mankind. Jesus is the true message of Christmas.

¹⁵When 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, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2

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Was Jesus Really Born December 25th?

Every year on December 25^th, Christians get together and celebrate the birth of Christ. We sing songs about His birth and read the majestic account of His sinless birth. But is the date of Jesus’ birth actually in the account of Jesus’ birth in the Bible? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he searches through the Scriptures to find the truth behind the date of birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, in his video, Was Jesus Really Born December 25th?

Matthew 2:1–6
Luke 1:26-31
Luke 1:24–25
Luke 1:5
1 Chronicles 24:1–4
1 Chronicles 24:9
Luke 1:8–11
Hebrews 9:2–7
Luke 1:22–26–27, 36–40
Genesis 1:14
John 1:4–5

Was Jesus Really Born December 25th?

The age-old question is, was Jesus really born on December 25th? We believe you can find the answer to this question in the Bible, specifically when you put all the stories together—starting with the account of the Conception of John and ending with the Conception of Jesus.

The Account of the Conception of Jesus in the Bible

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, ³³and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
³⁴And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
³⁵And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called Holy—the Son of God. ³⁶And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your Lord.” And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:26-38

The Account of Jesus’ Birth in the Bible

Luke 2:1-7

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The Hope of Christmas Pt. 3: And His Name Shall Be Called Jesus

Every year on December 25^th, we celebrate the birth of Christ. This year is no different, but do we fully understand what we’re celebrating? What does it truly mean for all of mankind that Jesus Christ was born 2000 years ago? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he brings us to the true meaning of the birth of Christ in his message, The Hope of Christmas Pt. 3: And His Name Shall Be Called Jesus.

Matthew 1:18–25
John 1:11
Matthew 1:18b
Luke 1:39
Luke 1:30–31
Proverbs 27:1
Acts 4:10–12
John 16:33
Matthew 1:21

And His Name Shall Be Called Jesus

The Prophecy of Jesus Christ

¹⁸Now 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. ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
²³“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call His name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). ²⁴When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called His name Jesus.

Matthew 1:21-25

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The Hope of Christmas Pt. 1: The Promise of Christmas

Every Christmas season, we read the same Christmas verses on the Birth of Christ Jesus, Matthew 2, Luke 2, Isaiah 9, etc. These are everyone’s go-to Christmas verses, but what if there’s a Christmas verse we’ve missed that’s hidden in plain sight? A Christmas verse that was given to bring hope to all people? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he opens our eyes to the Christmas promise we’ve all missed in his message, The Hope of Christmas Pt. 1: The Promise of Christmas.

Genesis 22:15–19 (NKJV)
Genesis 17:5–6
John 8:56 (NIV)
Genesis 22:2
Genesis 21:12
Galatians 3:15–18 (NKJV)

The Promise of Christmas

Fulfilling the Promise of Christmas

Birth of Christ Jesus

⁶For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Jesus is the promise or prophecy of Christmas fulfilled. It’s His birth that gives us hope because, without Jesus, there is no salvation. There is no hope. There is no light in the world. There is nothing.

Luke 2:1-7

Jesus fulfilled the first promise of His coming 2,000 years ago (the first Christmas), but that’s not the end of the story. Jesus will come again.

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Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

2000 years ago, Jesus was born in the city of David, the town of Bethlehem, but why? Why did the Messiah have to be born in Bethlehem? What’s so special about Bethlehem? Does it have to do with the Messiah being the descendant of David? Or maybe it was just a perfect shot to Egypt? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to find the answer in her video, Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

1 Kings 11:9-13
2 Chronicles 11:5-12
Jeremiah 23:5-6
Ezekiel 34:11-16
John 6:35
Matthew 2:18
Jeremiah 31:15
Genesis 21:12-13
1 Kings 11:11-13
John 1:29-30
Hebrews 9:11-28

Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?

The Physical Reason Jesus Had to be Born in Bethlehem

Luke 2:1-7

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in the city of David.

Bethlehem Fun Fact

Bethlehem is Spiritually or Symbolically Called ‘Rachel’

¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
¹⁸“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Matthew 2:16-18

To avoid the massacre that Herod ordered in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph fled with Jesus to Egypt. This fulfilled the promise that the Messiah (the Descendant of David) would be called out of Egypt.

¹³Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him.” ¹⁴And he rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matthew 2:13-15

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Was Jesus Born Without Sin?

The birth of Jesus Christ is an undeniable historical event. Though Christ’s birth, in itself, is undeniable, His sinlessness is often brought into question. So, was Jesus born sinless? And if He was born sinless, how is that possible? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the answer in our video, Was Jesus Born Without Sin?

Hebrews 4:15
1 John 3:5
Genesis 3:6-7
Romans 5:12
Genesis 5:3
1 Corinthians 15:45
Luke 1:34-35
Genesis 3:15
Romans 3:21-25
1 Timothy 2:14
Luke 4:1
Hebrews 4:14-16
1 Timothy 2:5-6

How Was Jesus Born Without Sin?

The Birth of Jesus Christ

How was Jesus born sinless? Jesus was able to be born without sin because Jesus was born to a virgin and He was conceived from the Holy Spirit.

³⁴And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”
Luke 1:34-35

¹⁸Now 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. ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ²³“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Matthew 1:18-23

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