By Rev Bill Woods
How cute to see a little girl’s doll, recruited at the last minute and wrapped tightly in a blanket, lying on the straw of an X-ended manger that’s spent the rest of the year in the church attic.
Jessica’s to stand in for Mary — Robert, the tallest boy in Sunday school, makes a perfect Joseph — once they put the fake beard on him.
Understand, I’m not against nativity scenes. But we’ve seen so many, year after year, it’s hard to read Scripture and see with fresh eyes what it’s saying to us.
Luke 2:1-7
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.
4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
Notice 4 things about the birth of Jesus: He was born in history, He was born in David’s birthplace, His birth was accompanied by hardship, and He was born in humble circumstances.
1. JESUS WAS BORN IN HISTORY — Luke 2:1-2 —At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
Jesus has an historical context; He’s not a myth or a legend.
A myth is “a person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence.”
– Jesus was born in history.
A legend is “a story from the past that’s regarded as historical although not verifiable.”
– But Jesus is both historical and verifiable.
– He’s not only mentioned in the New Testament, but also by people living when He lived and also in early documents written by Josephus, Pliny, Tacitus, Suetonius, Bar-Serapion,
Thallus, Lucian, and the Talmud.
– Jesus is a real person in history — that can be verified!
We have record of those who were in power when Jesus was born:
– “Caesar Augustus” was the emperor Octavian, founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned from BC 27 until his death in AD 14, he was succeeded by Tiberius Caesar.
Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1) was called “king of the Jews,” who ruled Judea from 40BC to 4 BC.
– Herod’s paranoia and ruthlessness was well known, he executed 3 of his own sons, his favorite wife and her mother and slaughtered all the baby boys in Bethlehem.
The 3rd ruler — Quirinius, was a military leader and Roman consul in central Asia Minor, and later Imperial Legate of Syria-Cilicia (AD 6 to 9), where Josephus said he conducted a census.
– The census in Luke 2 wasn’t recorded historically, but probably took place under a command authority he had during his military maneuvers in Cilicia, or during an earlier stint as governor in Syria.
– Early heresies such as Docetism and modern heresies such as Christian Science strip Jesus of His place in history and make Him into some kind of “Christ figure” or metaphysical guru.
– Scripture puts Him within history as a man who lived and died and rose again in real time, a man who permanently changed the history he was born into.
One Solitary Life by ken Blanchard
He was born in an obscure village, the child of peasant woman. He grew up in still another villager where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn’t go to college. He never visited a big city. He never travelled two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race and the leader of mankind’s progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life.
2. JESUS WAS BORN IN DAVID’S BIRTHPLACE — Luke 2:4 — And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
Jesus was born in the birthplace of David, Israel’s greatest King who reigned 1000 years before Jesus was born.
God’s promise to David through the Prophet Samuel
2 Samuel 7:16 Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’”
Micah prophesied 730 years before Christ was born — Micah 5:2 — But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.
The Jews eagerly expected David’s successor and called Him the Messiah the “Son of David.”
– Jesus is the Son of David, this promised King.
– It’s no accident that Joseph was “of the house and lineage of David” — Luke 2:4 or that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
3. JESUS’ BIRTH WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HARDSHIP — Luke 2:4-6
4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, but God needed them in Bethlehem for this birth.
– “It just so happened…” that Rome ordered a tax census and Joseph had to return to his ancestral town, Bethlehem, to enroll.” (What a coincidence!)
– This meant hardship for the Family.
The most glorious event in history was unfolding, but for Joseph and Mary it was drudgery and hardship — a real pain.
– Mary and Joseph lived 4 days journey north of Bethlehem in Nazareth.
Mary was pregnant.
– A journey late in pregnancy was arduous for her.
– But if she stayed in Nazareth, she’d have to face scandal alone.
– Her unmarried pregnancy could have gotten stoned to death!
Luke puts it delicately — Luke 2:5 — He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
Making the problem even worse, it was probably winter.
– Larry Shown bawling me out for having Marty out so late in her pregnancy with Kim.
– What a horrible journey in winter for a pregnant teenage mom!
– Who says following God’s Plan is easy?
Just because we face hardships and obstacles doesn’t mean God’s absent or that we’ve misread His will.
– Sure, we face trouble.
– But we face even more trouble if we DON’T follow Jesus.
Jesus faced obstacles, but He told His disciples — John 16:33 — I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
4. JESUS WAS BORN IN HUMBLE CIRCUMSTANCES — Luke 2:5-7 — He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
7 She gave birth to her first child, a son.
She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and . laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
The manger always astounds me! COULDN’T GOD HAVE DONE BETTER FOR HIS OWN SON? !!!
– Jesus wasn’t born in a snug home or a sterile hospital
“there was no room for them in the inn.”
We’ve romanticized the birth and swept up after the animals, but the evidence is clear:
– God’s Holy Son was born in a dirty stable or cave where animals were kept.
His 1st crib was a common cattle trough!
– Why? I wonder.
– I ask again, wouldn’t you think God could’ve done better than that?…………..
I don’t think this was an accident or God’s lack of provision for His Son.
– There’s a message here. Though Jesus was by very nature God — Philippians 2:6 —
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to
cling to.
He didn’t grasp at His prerogatives or flaunt His rights.
Instead, he “made Himself nothing” (Greek Kenoo), taking the very nature of a servant, created in human likeness….
Philippians 2:7 — Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
– The Greek word kenoo means “make empty”
– Jesus literally “emptied Himself” of all the privileges He was heir to.
– He didn’t just take a low place; He took the lowest place.
His commission was “to preach good news to the poor” — Luke 4:18-19
18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,
19 and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”
This is quoted from Isaiah 61:1 — The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.
So He was born among the poorest.
His disciples argued about who’d be greatest in the Kingdom, but Jesus stopped them short
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The manger represents serving.
– The message is clear: Jesus’ disciples aren’t supposed to seek glory but to be servants.
– Serving when it’s convenient and serving when it isn’t.
– Serving when no one understands or appreciates what we do.
Christmas teaches us servanthood, God’s serving, and then ours.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE GREATEST GIFT YOU WILL EVER RECEIVE!
Today people are scrambling to pick up gifts for people they care about or feel obligated to give something to.
– All those I-pods, computers, cars, toys, or whatever are going to wear out and be tossed.
THE GIFT GOD SENT US WILL LAST FOR ALL ETERNITY!…………
Most expensive gifts come with a warranty.
– If they wear out or have faulty parts they’ll be replaced.
GOD’S GIFT WILL NEVER WEAR OUT OR HAVE TO BE REPLACED, BUT IT STILL CARRIES A WARRANTY.
– Our warranty is ETERNAL LIFE WITH CHRIST!
MERRY CHRISTMAS! — JOY TO THE WORLD!
PODCAST THE MIRACULOUS BABY BOY BORN IN BETHLEHEM
https://www.buzzsprout.com/824359/9700460
The updated version of Rev Bill Woods’ book “There Is Still Power In The Blood” will be available soon.
NarrowPathMinistries 