2. Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

3. 13 And 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, good will toward men.

5. IT’S HARD TO ACCEPT THAT THE GOOD NEWS HAS ENEMIES. IT’S HARD TO ACCEPT THAT THE GOOD NEWS HAS ENEMIES.

6. The Magi Visit the Messiah MATTHEW 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

7. 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

8. 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

9. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

10. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

11. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

12. 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious,

13. and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children

14. and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

16. IT’S HARD TO ACCEPT THAT THE GOOD NEWS HAS ENEMIES. IT’S HARD TO ACCEPT THAT THE GOOD NEWS HAS ENEMIES. IT’S HARDER TO ACCEPT THAT ANNOUNCING THE GOOD NEWS MAKES ENEMIES. IT’S HARDER TO ACCEPT THAT ANNOUNCING THE GOOD NEWS MAKES ENEMIES.

17. IT’S HARD TO ACCEPT THAT THE GOOD NEWS HAS ENEMIES. IT’S HARD TO ACCEPT THAT THE GOOD NEWS HAS ENEMIES. IT’S HARDER TO ACCEPT THAT ANNOUNCING THE GOOD NEWS MAKES ENEMIES. IT’S HARDER TO ACCEPT THAT ANNOUNCING THE GOOD NEWS MAKES ENEMIES. IT’S HARDEST TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY TO STAND UP FOR THE GOOD NEWS. IT’S HARDEST TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY TO STAND UP FOR THE GOOD NEWS.

18. 12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.

19. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

20. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.

21. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the kingdom of our God,

22. and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and by the word of their testimony;

23. they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury,

24. because he knows that his time is short.” because he knows that his time is short.” 13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times

25. and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

26. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

27. THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS IS SALVATION TO THE WORLD!