12-24-17 Kevin Goins The Forgotten Characters of Christmas part 3

Not “Ho, Ho, Ho,” but “Bah, Bah, Bah!”

We have been focusing our attention this Advent on the forgotten characters of Christmas.  Today we turn our attention to another forgotten group: the animals of Christmas.   

I        Some believe the animals are not Christmas characters, for several reasons:

1. First, animals are not Christmas characters because they are not i____________.
2. Second, some believe the animals are not Christmas characters because they are not h___________.
3. Third, some say the animals are not Christmas characters because associating them with the Messiah is d_____________ to God.

II But if animals were a part of the Christmas story, what does their involvement teach us about Christmas?

1. First, the animals teach us that Christmas is a c___________ event.
2. If you think God doesn’t really care about animals, you have m___________ your Bible.
3. God not only saved _______ and his family with the _____, he also saved all the animals of the earth.
4. When God delivered the c_______ of I________ in the Exodus, he also delivered their animals.
5. God’s command to remember the S_________, not only was to protect the people, but also to give animals a day of rest.
6. When the Prophet Isaiah writes about what the coming of the Messiah will mean, he does not limit it only to what it will mean for _________.
7. Revelation ____:___ says that Messiah’s ultimate salvation will impact all creation.
8. The animals in the Christmas story are not _________. The birth of the Messiah is good news for them, because it is good news for _______ _________.
9. Second, the animals teach us that Christmas is for those who are h___________ enough to receive the good news.
10. There is nothing p_______ or e_________ about the way animals live.
11. Why are there people who are offended at the humble circumstances into which Jesus was born? They understand that if Jesus lived in a humble s________, then he might call them into a humble l________ as well.
12. But there is an upside: the animals who surrounded Jesus at his birth tell us that you cannot come to Jesus with your p_____.  But they also tell us that there is ___ ____ on earth who is not i_______ to come.
13. Last, the animals teach us that the Savior born in Bethlehem
    deserves the worship of ______.

III The transformation the Messiah came to this earth to bring has not yet reached its fulfillment, but it is e_____ n____ at work.