And it came to pass in those
days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all
the world should be taxed. And this taxing was first made
when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed,
every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from
Galilee out of the city of Nazareth Judea unto the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage
of David, to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great
with child. And so it was. That's the title of our message
this morning. So it was. that while they were there, the
days were accomplished, that she should be delivered. And
she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for
them in the inn. Let's pray. Our gracious Father, teach us
this morning That everything that happens happens because Christ is preeminent. Because all that you have created
was created for his pleasure. And that all that you do, the
purpose of God in all things is your own glory and the eternal
good of your beloved sheep. And Christ is both. Christ is
all. Teach us this, Lord. In his precious
name we ask. Amen. And it came to pass. It came to pass. And so it was. Think of this from the perspective
of Joseph and Mary. Things came to pass that they
didn't even know about. And so it was, because of things
that were completely beyond their control, and some that they thought
were within their control. But it came to pass. And so it
was. This past December we looked
at verses 1 through 20 of this chapter and spoke of the birth
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we'll see that all through
these verses again. I want to look now, verse by
verse, at every word of this text. Today, verses 1 through
7. And I pray the Lord will show us
even more than He already has. how gracious he is to reveal
his son. It came to pass in those days
that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all
the world should be taxed. Here's a man who had the authority
to affect the whole world. But the taxing of the whole world
didn't come to pass because Caesar decreed it. It came to pass that Caesar decreed
it. There's a difference. The word it came to pass is one
Greek word. It came, and it came to pass,
one word in the Greek. And the word is genomai, which
means to cause to happen. Our word generate. comes from
this, to cause to happen. In other
words, it didn't just happen, it was caused by somebody. For me to generate
something, energy has to be expended. There has to be a purpose behind
it. Somebody, something has to be done by somebody.
to cause it to happen. In the text now, Caesar Augustus
was generating revenue for his government. Right? That's the way we would say that.
We need to generate some revenue. So he made a decree. But here's
what the text is saying. Somebody generated him generating
it. It came to pass that he did it,
that he generated it, that he decreed it, and that he got it
done. It was generated that he generated some revenue. Caesar was making something happen,
but somebody made him make it happen. Somebody made him making it happen,
happen. That somebody is God. And if any man has any power,
much less power to tax the whole world, it came from God. This
book says in Ephesians 1 and 11 that God's people are predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will. Every decree he has decreed. Caesar was doing something because
God was doing something. I pray that this message will
be so simple that 1 plus 1 equals 2 will look complicated in comparison. But by God's grace, may it be
so profound that we'll never be the same. May this truth be
so profound to us. May we be still this morning
and know that He's God. He's still teaching us that He's
God. May He do so this very morning and cause us to be in awe of
the Sovereign One who does everything He does for one purpose. Caesar was doing something because
God was doing something. Have you learned to look for
this behind the events of our day? Have we learned to see that President Donald Trump is doing
something because God is doing something. What's Trump doing? Well, he's
just taking care of the business of government, just like Caesar
was in our text. Doing the business of government.
He's trying to fix our nation's problems. That's what some politicians
do, anyway. He's trying to secure our borders.
He's trying to improve our economy. He's doing things like what Caesar
was doing here. In fact, Trump is, in a sense,
taxing us, isn't he? He's over that. Just like Caesar. That's what governments do. They
tax. You know, governments may or
may not do a lot of things, but what they're going to do is tax
you. I guarantee you that. I pray and expect that taxes
will be decreased under Trump. He's going to tax us, isn't he? Why is God causing our president
to cause things? And what are we doing? What are
we doing? Well, right now we're preaching
and we're hearing. In general, in this life, we're
working and playing and doing all the Everyday things that
most people do. Waking up in the morning, going
to work. You got a list, you know, like everybody else. What is God doing? What is God doing? I don't need
to know what you're doing tomorrow. I need to know what God's doing.
I need to see that. I need to understand that. If
you only had this verse to go by, verse 1, we're looking just
at verse 1, and it came to pass. It was caused that Caesar caused
something. He made a decree. It was decreed
that he made a decree. If you just had that verse to
go by, you'd say that God is taxing the world here. God's
taxing the world. Caesar made the decree, but God
made the decree that Caesar would make the decree. Caesar is just
a secondary cause. God is causing him to cause it. Now there's sin in us causing
things. Think about this with me. There
was sin in this tax. I'm sure he was doing it with
ulterior motives and fleshly reasons. I doubt if God had much
to do with it. You reckon God's glory had much
to do with that in the world? And there's sin in us causing
everything we cause. Even when we're causing something
good, there's sin mixed with it. But there is no sin in God causing
us to cause it. How do you know that, Chris?
Because there's no sin in him. There's no sin in him, there's
no sin in anything that he does. Well, how can that be? Well,
think about it this way. Let's learn this from God's Word.
Joseph said to his brothers, who had sold him into slavery,
they despised him, his brothers hated him so much, they threw
him into a pit, and he was sold into slavery. They lied to his
father, broke their father's heart. And Jacob, years later, said
this to them. You meant it for evil. There
was sin in what you caused. But God caused it for good. And
let's remember this simple text now. Because there's more to
it than that, and we're going to get to that. What you caused
was evil. And what Caesar caused, there's
evil in everything our government does too. There's evil in everything
you do. In everything that you cause. But God causing you to
cause it was good. It served His good and perfect
righteous eternal purpose. Do you remember what Jacob said
after that? Listen to it. I'll tell you what, turn there
with me. Genesis 50 verse 20, because I want you to see the
language of this. This is our text. This is it
right here. Everything in our text is contained
right here. In Luke chapter 2, 1 through
7, it's all in this one verse, just in more general terms. But
it teaches us something here now. It teaches us something
deep and profound, something glorious. It's good news to the
sinner. Turn to Genesis 50, 20. All right,
if you're there, listen. But as for you, and we know what
they did, they hated him because of a dream that God gave him,
that he was going to rule over, that they were going to bow down
to Joseph. And sure enough, they did bow down to him, didn't they?
God showed him a long time before it ever happened. It was going
to happen and he told it to his brothers and they hated him.
They hated him because of the word of God. The truth of God.
That kind of rings a bell, doesn't it? They hated our Savior for
the same reason. Because he testified of the truth.
God, that's for you. You thought evil against me.
Everything they did was full of evil. Everything we do is
full of it too now. But God meant it unto good to
bring it to pass, to bring to pass as it is this day. Why did
God do it? Why did God cause evil? And there
wasn't any evil in Him causing the evil now. He meant it unto
good. He did it for good. It was good for Him to do it.
Why did He do it? To save. to save. What has that got to
do with our text? Unto you is born this day in
the city of David. Why in the city of David? Because
of the tax. But that's just a secondary cause.
In the city of David. Why did God cause it? Why did
God cause the causes? A Savior. He did it to save. Can we see that in everything?
What has a tax got to do with God saving his people? Oh, everything
has to do with God saving his people. Everything has to do
with Christ. Christ is all, and you remember
the rest of it? Our question is this, what is
God doing? What was God doing when Joseph's
brothers were plotting to destroy him? What was God doing? He was saving. They didn't find that out until
way later, did they? Have we found that out? What
is God doing this morning? You know what he's doing? He's
saving. He's saving. When he's done saving, there
won't be a world anymore. Don't need it. God has a universe because he
has a people. And he has a people because of
his son. Everything is because of Christ. Everything. What was God doing when he gave
Joseph that dream that caused his brothers to hate him? What
was he doing then? That don't look like salvation, does it?
A tax doesn't look like salvation. We've got to learn to see beyond
the events, beyond the secondary causes. We need to know what
God's doing, don't we? I don't know much about everything
else, about all the secondary stuff. I don't know much about
the business of government. I don't see a lot of good in
it. Unless I look beyond the causes to the cause of the causes
and know that he is good. What was God doing when Joseph's
brothers, the day that they threw him in that pit, what was he
doing that day? Well, Joseph said in Genesis 50 20 that what
he was doing was saving people. Isn't that glory? That's what
he's always done. He's been saving people since
the first people. What is God doing in our text?
Verse 11, unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior
which is Christ the Lord. God has always been saving people
from the beginning. What's God doing right now? He's
still saving. What does text in the world have
to do with that? Well, we don't know very much
about secondary causes and things like that. We can't see that
in the newspaper specifically. We don't know. But here's what
God has revealed. I know this. I know that if Jesus
of Nazareth is God's Christ, then he got to be born exactly
according to God's word. And if he's going to be born
exactly according to God's word, he got to be born in Bethlehem. And I know this, if he's going
to be born in Bethlehem, the city of David, as we just read,
the virgin who is carrying him in her womb must give birth to
him in Bethlehem. But she don't live in Bethlehem.
She lives in Nazareth, 90 miles away, which doesn't sound like
much. I can do 90 miles in a little over an hour. It took them four
or five days to get there, maybe longer. She lives four or five
days. You know what that is to me?
Where could I be in four or five days? Why would they travel four days
or more to go to Jerusalem? Look at verse four of our text.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth
into Judea unto the city of David which is called Bethlehem. Because
he was of the house and lineage of David. Now they told you where
to go based on where you, what house you were of, what lineage.
You went to a specific place. It just so happened that for Joseph, that was Bethlehem. Because, you see that? Wait a
minute, that's not why. That's not why. He did it because
God decreed it. Scripture says, because he was
of the house and lineage of David. You see, God doesn't dismiss
the secondary causes. They're from Him. God uses means
to bring about His purposes. And He honors those means because
those means honor Him. The Word of God is one of those
means. You're not going to be saved without the Word of God.
You're not going to be saved without that book. You see that there? Joseph went
because. Of course, there's a because
behind that because. Maybe several. The first because
is God. But that because is there, isn't
it? Those reasons. And we see them everywhere. Verse 5, To be taxed with Mary
his espoused wife, being great with child, And so it was. This is the way it was. It's
the way it was because, because, because, because God. Remember that every day. Remember
that in everything that happens to you, that happens to anybody
else, that happens at all. God. In the beginning, God. In the beginning of this day,
God. In the beginning of tomorrow, God. In the beginning without
a beginning, God. And what's God doing? Let's look at it now. So it was
that while they were there, the days were accomplished. Something
was accomplished. The days were accomplished. Those
days were an accomplishment. Because all of this is an accomplishment
that someone performed, that she should be delivered.
So in order for God to save his people, he caused Caesar to impose a
tax on the world. Now why did God do it that way?
There are numberless ways God could have caused this. He could
have caused his son to be born without a tax being imposed on
the whole world. Don't you imagine he could have
done that without that? Well, I don't know why he did it this
way, but I know why he did it. I know why he did it. Look at
Luke chapter 2 verse 8. And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there
was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God and saying... What does Christ have to do with
all of this? Why were those shepherds there? Why did the wise men come? What were the angels there for?
What was their message? What did they talk about? It's
all Christ. Why is this recorded? Why do
we know what happened a couple thousand years ago? And why does it matter? And suddenly there was, verse
13, with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising
God and saying, now it's all concerning Christ, this whole
book concerns Christ, Christ is all and in all. And look at
verse 14 and notice two key words in this verse. Glory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Two words really here. Peace
is there too, but that's included in the word good. Peace specifically
because this is the problem. We are by nature enmity against
God, and what we need is peace with God. But look at these two
words, glory and good. If you can remember those two
words, you'll know the answer to this question. Why did God
do that? Why did God say that? Why did
He do that? Why did this happen? Why did that happen? Why? Why
attacks? Why this trial? Why this situation? It doesn't make any sense. I
can't understand it. I don't know what to do. Why? Why? Why? Glory and good. Glory unto God
and good to His people. The pronouncement of heaven upon
this entire scene and this entire scene concerns the birth of a
person now. The reason that God sent His
Son that he sent his son and why he sent his son and this
is the pronouncement of heaven upon this entire scene the glory
of God and the good of his people. This is glory to God and this
is good for somebody on this earth. What is the glory of God? what is the glory of God. Hebrews 1-1 God who at sundry
times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the
fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto
us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also
he made the worlds. You think, boy Caesar, Caesar
had some, he had the power to tax the whole world. But when
we talk about made the world, and everybody in it, and makes
everything that happens in them happen. By whom also he made
the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory. Not who shows the brightness
of his glory, Not even just who reveals the brightness, but who
being the brightness of God's glory. And the express image
of his person. And upholding all things by the
word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins. What's God doing? He's saving. How's he doing it? When he had
by himself purged our sins he sat down on the right hand of
the majesty on high. What is God's glory? It's a who. Who be. The brightness of his
glory. What is the good of God's people? What is God's good will toward
his sheep? What is that? Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath
chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will." What did the angel say? Goodwill
toward men. What's the goodwill of God? That
you be chosen, loved, holy, without blame, predestinated, redeemed
to the praise of the glory of his grace where he has made us
accepted in the beloved in whom we have redemption through his
blood. the forgiveness of sins according
to the riches of his grace. That's the good pleasure of God's
will toward man. Are you one of them? And she brought forth her firstborn
son and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes and laid him in a manger because
there was no room for them. in the end. There, laying in that manger,
is the brightness of God's glory. And there, in that manger, is God's salvation. Just eight days later, Simeon
looked into his face and said, mine eyes have seen God's The glory of God and all of God's
goodness towards sinners is a person. May we give Him glory this very
morning. May we give God glory for His
Son and may we rejoice in His salvation.