SNT 0379 God’s Tidings of Great Joy
God’s Tidings of Great Joy
January 22, 1968
Format: audio
Publication Date: 01-22-1968
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
Luk 2:1-7; Joh 3:16
Luk 2:7-15
Luk 2:12, 15-20
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SUMMARY KEYWORDS: shepherds, swaddling, God, Bethlehem, angel, salted, born, Mary, child, Christ, Judean hills, sheep, night, Joseph, Jesus, wrapped
Take your Bibles tonight and turn to the second chapter, the gospel of Luke. The second chapter, the gospel of Luke. And of course, during this very special holiday season, this is where all and I and our family, like the members of the staff of the way ministry, not only here at the headquarters of the way international but around the country, extend to all of you people here in the auditorium, as well as all the way people around the nations of the world and the people who listen to our broadcasts on Sunday night, God's wonderful best, and made this Christ really live within people's hearts. This is the desire of our life. This is the ministry we're on to God has called us. And to this work, we have dedicated our life. In the second chapter, the gospel of Luke reread, and it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor that all the world should be tucked. The word world is the word empire, that the entire empire, under the control of the Roman legions should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when 3ds was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, he did Judy onto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with marry his a spouse, wife, being great with child. And I've talked to people, especially during this season, again, that the word of spouse can only meet the lady, the woman who was committed, as a wife, to Joseph. And if the word a spouse would have meant engaged, you'd have a very difficult time with this particular verse. Because here Mary is just about ready to be delivered of the Christ child. And the Bible, the Word of God still talks about her as being a spouse to Joseph, the words espoused as far as we've been able to trace it from God's word applies all through the first year of the married life of this young couple. Well, anyways, you want to be touched Joseph with Mary as a spouse, right, being great with child. And so it was very sick, that while they were there at Bethlehem, that the days were complete, that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her watts, firstborn son, had Jesus Christ been Mary's only son, it could not have said firstborn. The word firstborn implies at least a second born, the way that God says that Jesus Christ was God's only begotten Son. Because God had only one son, Jesus Christ. Remember John 316, For God so loved the world that He gave up His only begotten Son, not his firstborn, but his only begotten son. But our Mary of Mary, Jesus Christ was her firstborn. And Mary, wrapped him, Jesus Christ in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger arena stable, because there was no room for them in the she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Not because she did not have clothing to dress the baby in. But because of what the angel Gabriel had reported to her the original presentation when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that she would become the mother of Jesus, the Christ of God. Now, she was prepared for this coming coming of this child. Because this child was to sit upon the throne of his father David, and of His kingdom, there would be no end. And if A King is born, if a prince is born, who will be king, that Prince has to be handled a certain way? These are the laws of the Society of that time.
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These laws, by the way, are written and methods and techniques and principles are all written in the Old Testament. The first thing that Mary did, after Jesus Christ was born, she bathed him. He washed him off with some water. But in that water, she had placed some salt. Because every Prince right after he was born, had to be washed with water that had salt in it. Because the prince had to be salted. That's why in the Book of Leviticus, and a number of other places in the Old Testament, it talks about the people in the king's palace, or man in the king's palace, or children in the king's palace, being salted. At other places, it talks about people in the palace, who should have been solid, they weren't salted. The idea was this, that if the king was a righteous man, the prince boring of him who would become the king had to be righteous, He had to be salted. The word salted means that he would say what he would mean and he would mean what he would say. In other words, his mouth wouldn't double talk and triple talk. Why his mouth would say is why he would act. This is why the child Jesus when he was born, they salted him. Secondly, he wrapped him in swaddling clothes. swaddling clothes were strips of cloth, three or four inches wide, which the mother wrapped around this child Jesus, all the way from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. With the exception of his little nose and his little mouth, we could breathe. And this just traveling with that cloth was done immediately after the child had been cleaned up after had been bathed with the water that had the salted, then the mother would wrap this child in those swaddling clothes for a child to be swaddled was again, a new set that he on the part of someone who was to be a ruler. Not only was it enough for he to be salted, but he had to be swaddled, because the swaddling indicated that from the time of his birth, all the way up, he would be trained to be upright and straight, that has a ruler of the people, he wouldn't be a crooked man, he would be a straight man, he would do that which would be straight and right is a sight of God, because his words he would speak would be salted, and his walk as the prince who was to be the king, would be upright and straight. That's why Mary wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in the manger. Those last words of that seven firsts are real heart touching. In one sense of the word. In another, it can be understood. Because of all of God's men of all of God's time. God's men, seldom if ever, have given up they have been given the positions or the places of respect, which should have been doing. But it's like it says in Hebrews that they were cast in dungeons. They were swayed. They were they set the torch to the people to burn God's people. Here when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born. This wonderful motel had no room in it, no room in it. For him. Somebody must have been sound asleep at the switch. There was nobody in that town who had the spirit of God. There was no body who ruled that particular in who was the caretaker or the manager or the owner of that in lead any connection at all with God. For surely if there had been any revelation there, you know what God would have said,
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get the biggest suite in the place ready? Because you're going to have a birth but nobody knew anything about Joseph came down with Mary to Bethlehem was the time of the year, which according to the governor, had been ordered as a time for registration for taxation purposes, internal revenue, service and operations. And Joseph and Mary came down to Bethlehem.
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They went to a certain ID, no room, no room and did not have a commentary on life today, isn't it? All over our nation. You want to come with a greatness of God's wonderful matchless word, his accuracy.
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People have no room for Christ, they got time for everything else. But do we have time for Jesus? Time for the greatness of the power of Christ. Generally not. But specifically in cases like yours and other people across our nation, and thank God for that. There are still those who are hungry and thirsting after righteousness, and who do make room for him. And who takes the time to tap into those resources that make know that greatness of the power of God unto them. It says in very Satan that in the same country, the same territory, the word country is the word province. Same area, shepherds were abiding in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night. It was not winter. It was not sub zero weather. There was no snow on the ground when Jesus Christ was born. Shepherds did not abide in the fields when the ground was frozen when the snow was piled up six inches deep. When the northwest winds were blowing 40 miles an hour. No, the shepherds only abode in the field, in the warm seasons, the warm weather. And they never did a bite in the fields that night. Because they needed to watch over their sheep. To watch over the sheep, they brought the sheep into the sheep fold. And then the Shepherd was placed himself across the entrance way, so that nobody could get in or get out without jumping over the shepherd. That's why Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. I watch over my sheep. Nobody gets in my sheep fold unless they go over me, Jesus said. And yet it says the shepherds were abiding in the field keeping lots over their flocks.
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If I was a shepherd, and you were a person living in that area, and I was having my sheep in that particular area, or province or territory where you live,
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then you would negotiate with me the shepherd, that after the feeding of the sheep, at five or six o'clock in the afternoon, when they had finished eating, and they'd been watered, then I would bring them to your area so that the sheep wouldn't manure your territory. Then after that period of time, about towards dark just before dark, then I would take my sheep back and we put them in the sheep fold overnight. That's what that verse is talking about. That's what it's saying. The shepherds were abiding in the fields. They had their sheep out there to maneuver the field. Just before it became totally dark. By the time it got dark. They would be back with their sheep in the sheep for the night. They were keeping watch over their flock out there by night by the coming of the night. This is what they were doing out there watching over their plots. Not all night. Wild they Were there while they were there really gets to be interesting because the time I see in here I think I can document here in this scripture tonight, the time of the birth of Christ as far as the clock is concerned, within a whole half hour, hour if you're watching develop, first of all, we learned a while ago that they went into the stable because there was no room were in the end. Now they didn't turn in at 230 in the afternoon into the motel. It was evening was about dusk. They moved into this in just before dark. That's when they came in. And the shepherds were still out in the field just before it Ark. And verse nine, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, the shepherds. And the glory of the Lord showed round about them. And they the shepherds were sort of shocked, sort of afraid. And the angel said unto them, you see that? Verse 10, plays market in your mind, if you don't want to market your Bible is better market mind anyway. And the angel said, angels never sing in the Bible, the only thing in the corrupted hymnals that's all. That's the only place they sing in the Word of God. Angels never sing. This is why in heaven, it never talks about angels singing in heaven in the future, it talks about the saints singing around the throne and all these things, but never angels.
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Angels never sing. All you do so you better get practice stuff. The angel said. The angel said unto them, don't be afraid fair not far behold, I bring you bet tidings of great joy, not good tidings a joy, but good tidings of joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy, joy.
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New Improved Joy word shall be want to all people and that tremendous power unto you unto you is born this day. In the city of David, I save your which is Christ, what the Lord?
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For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior. And that savior is Christ the Lord. Now watch verse 12, careful. And this shall be a sign on Do ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, in a stable of a tremendous thing, Valerie a few more I'll pick up 12 Again, because it's just a lie. And suddenly, there was with the angel, a multitude of heavenly host praising God and singing. No, praising God and watts, saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven. The shepherd said one to another. Let us now go even under Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made no undoing.
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That's something on the right, Jesus Christ was born. There was no great do for him in Bethlehem. On the night Jesus Christ was born. The governor of the province didn't get together a big party
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and welcome the birth of this Christ John. On the night Jesus As Christ was born, there was no star visible over Bethlehem, as you see in all the pictures that are painted, and in all the Christmas scenes that are scattered around the area. On the night Jesus Christ was born. He who is our Lord and Savior, He who knew no sin but became sin so that you and I could become the righteousness of God in Him. He who did everything that word says he did. On the night he was born, he always KING OF KINGS AND LORD, nobody knew about it except a little handful of humble shepherds. That's Herod was stupid. These are Augustus didn't know anything about the local mayor, the city of Bethlehem, didn't know anything was happening in his town like this. But out on the Judean hills, a little group of shepherds, farmers, humble people, just shepherds were the only one to whom God spoke. Isn't that something? You know why didn't speak to the rest because their their balls clogged. Their eyes were blind. Their minds were clouded. But they shepherds on the Judean hills, to those he could send the angel Gabriel plus the mighty host of angels who declared Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, Goodwill. And he had said, That you shall find and this shall be a sign on to you, you shall find you absolutely will find the baby wrapped in what swaddling clothes. Now when these shepherds drummed out Judean hill, outside of the city of Bethlehem, come into Bethlehem and see this child, what's the one thing that's going to guarantee to them that this is the child that the angel spoke about? Is going to be wrapped in swaddling clothes is going to be wrapped in swaddling clothes. Now you don't swaddle a baby and keep him in there for 24 hours, you might not like it. They simply bathed him Ted. And immediately afterwards, when he was dried off a little bit. They wrapped him in swaddling clothes that swaddling clothes was simply to indicate that he was royalty. He was stood upright. He was the prince who would be the king. He had been salted. Sois words would be true. He was swaddled and after he was swamped with just a matter of two or three minutes or five at the most, just a few minutes. That's all they would need to have him swaddled. You talk about those shepherds having their Benrus is synchronized. That was something or other brands we got there. That timetable of God was right up to snuff. Because when the shepherds come from the Judean hills, into the city of Bethlehem and they go into find the Christ Child, he's still going to be wat, swaddled, that will be the date gonna have 50 kids in that stable children babies born that same minute. But I in among all of those children that would have been born in that stable at that time, how many would have been swaddled only one that was why that one that was swaddled was the one he was talking about. Look at it. They said well, fellas, we got to go to Beth lamb to see this thing which has come to pass which the Lord is made known. And they verse 16 said, well, we'll take another day or two we'll go though it says no. And they came with a lot. haste. They came with haste. That means they got to move. They didn't mess around. They came in haste. They started out. Well what about today people hear God's word. But oh, well. Do it some other days. Once the writer God is given in your note God's word God wants you to know what...
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sit there get up, go. It said to this Rep Judy and l go overnight a Bethlehem. And in Bethlehem you'll find the style wrapped in swaddling clothes and the shepherds went with hates. Boy, they got their physical exercises to chew in good condition running.
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and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. In the stable, that's where Mary and Joseph and the baby were reciting. That's all they found. And when they had seen it, they went out of that place that they made known abroad. That saying, which was told them concerning this child, and here's the normal reaction, you get to the Word of God today, as they did them to the Christ child, who was the Word of God incarnate, Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, and all day that heard it who wondered. They want you know what they watered? What did I read those crazy shepherds. That's what they wanted. And then they said, all that your shepherds anyway threw away out left for you. There were white men, but it doesn't say there were three would have been a dog. They never came to see Jesus until a year and a half after this. proximately. But on the night, Jesus Christ was born, these humble little shepherds came in what they said, the word doesn't tell us so you all you could do it best would be to gift and get to get good enough. And all I know is that when they left, they were really turned off. And they went everywhere down Main Street, up this avenue, down to every place where they move through, as a spoke about what they had heard and what they had seen. And the people who heard them speak one. But Mary, he just quietly kept all these things that are hard. But the shepherds verse 20. Return, they returned back to their sheep and the sheep fold that night. And they were glorifying and praising God, for all the things that they had heard and see, as it was told unto them. I'm sure that we here in the auditorium at the White biblical Research Center tonight. Also glorify God and praise God, for all the things that we have heard and see, from his word, the greatness of the power of His Holy Spirit, the change in our lives, what God has wrought within the hearts of people, even as the shepherds that night, went back to their sheep fold, glorifying and praising God for what they had seen in Bethlehem that night, as it had been told them by the angel, that they would find this child wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the street, and that he was the one we've been promised for many, many, many hundreds of 1000s of years. And that this very night, he's the king of our King, the one who would sit upon the throne of his father David, and our whose kingdom that absolutely would be knowing and been born. With any king have been born any more lonely, any more low. But any king have been born. Without any less people knowing less about it hard. Because today, if somebody's going to have a baby, and outstanding family, everybody knows about it. They all go out to buy presents, and all these other things because they're always buying for the goodwill of the family represented. Why not when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born. Hardly anybody knew about it. But those who didn't know, still went around, glorifying and praising God for what they had heard and what the ladies gentlemen at this time of the year, I know within my heart, and I think I speak for many of you people and I trust for all of you. That your justice grateful to God as I am tonight for what God has taught us, and the things that we have heard and that we have seen from the great accuracy of God's word. That is my prayer and desire in my life, to make known the greatness of His Word to God's people in our day and in our timing.