Go with me, if you would, back
to Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2. Last Wednesday
night, we looked at the announcement of our Lord's birth. And this
morning we're going to look at our Lord's birth. Our brother
just read these verses for us, this account of our Lord's birth. But before we do, let me just
say a couple of things, OK? It's going to take me a minute
to get into our text. Give me just a just a moment
here. To say a couple of things. And the first thing is this.
This is, I believe, very important for all of us to understand.
The first thing is this. Our Lord doesn't have a birthday. Okay. Our Lord does not have
a birthday. We can say that he was born. We can, and we do. I do because
the scripture words it that way. It says he was born. A birth
did take place. An actual birth did take place,
but our Lord does not have a beginning. Our Lord was in the beginning. And he said, I am the beginning. But He does not have a beginning. Our Lord entered this world just
like we all entered this room. Okay? He was there and He came
here. But really, He was always here.
He was always here, okay? He walked with Adam and Eve in
the garden. He's the one who made coats of
skin for them. The scripture says, he stood
and spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaketh with his friend. He stood and he walked around
in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar
looked in there and he said, the fourth man looks like the
Son of God, Jesus Christ. Proverbs 8 verse 31 says, He
rejoiced in the habitable part of His earth, and His delights
were with the sons of men. Proverbs 8 says that. He was always here. He was always
here. But according to His will and
His purpose, He came in the likeness of sinful flesh. And he lived life in the way
that his people live life so that he could be the substitute
for them. He came into this world the way
we come into this world. Why did he do this? Why did he
do this? He came into this world the way
we come into this world. And he lived life in this world
the way we live life in this world. And he died in this world
the way we die in this world. And he did all that to be the
substitute for his people. He did all that to be the substitute
for his people. So we don't celebrate the birth
or the beginning to say it that way. of the ever living one because
the ever living one doesn't have a beginning. He doesn't have
a beginning. Now, I'm not just saying this
to be silly. I've already made reference to it, but this is
important for us to understand. Today, we celebrate the birth
of Cindy because she has a beginning. We celebrate her birth. She has
a beginning. Our Lord does not have a beginning.
This is so important for us to understand concerning him. He
does not have a beginning. Therefore, we don't celebrate
it. He doesn't have one to celebrate. What we celebrate. Is the fact
that he came to us, that's what we celebrate. That he came to
us. Where we were. And he accomplished
something for us that we desperately needed for him to accomplish.
That's what we celebrate. As far as December the 25th goes,
the historians and the commentary writers have some very good reasons
to believe that he did not come into this world anywhere near
December the 25th. This is not important. And it's
too much to go into, but I'll give you a little snippet here.
This is interesting. Okay. The reason they believe
that it's not December 25th is because of the shepherds and
their flock. Okay. Verse eight right here
says the shepherds. were abiding in the field keeping
watch over their flock by night. They stayed out there all night.
They abode, they stayed in the field keeping watch over their
flocks by night. John Gill quoted the historian
saying the shepherds didn't do that in cold months. He said it was their practice
in the warm months. but not in the cold months. And
they said there was a time for fattening the flock and slaughtering
the flock. This is just how farming went
back then. There was a time for fattening
the flock and slaughtering the flock, and that determined where
they kept the flock. Kept them in two different locations,
really. And if the flock was in the field,
that was a fattening time. And that happened up until something
they called the first rain, which is our mid-October. So they believe this happened
before mid-October. None of this matters. Okay. None of that matters. Other than to say this, no one
knows the day that our Lord was born into this world. No one knows the day. December
the 25th was selected by false religion. They could have selected
any of our birthdays, any birthday. But they selected December the
25th, and they called it his birthday as a ploy to get people
to come to church, and then it all went downhill from there.
All right, well, gee, thanks, Gabe. Thanks for busting my bubble. If that's our bubble, it needs
to be busted, okay? If that's our bubble, it just
needs to be busted. All right, why are we talking
about this then? If everything that I just told you is so, why
are we talking about this? Why did we look at the announcement
of his birth last Wednesday night? Why are we looking at his birth
this morning? Why did we sing songs associated
with this holiday? Why is this even our subject?
I'll give you three reasons why. Number one, it's because this
is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. And Christ is always our subject. Always our subject. I'd be thrilled
to dwell on the fact that our Lord came into this world to
save his people from their sins every day of the year. I'd be
fine to look at that every day of the year. That's the first
reason. The second reason is there are
so many lies on this event today and there's so much misunderstanding
on who this is and why he came and what he accomplished in coming.
I believe it's critical that we try to declare the truth on
it. I believe it's critical that
we try to expose the truth of the word itself. And then the
third reason is, I'm not a bah humbug Scrooge. I know it sounds
like I am by everything I just said, but I'm not. I like this
time of year. I like the warm and fuzzies you
get from it. I like giving gifts and receiving
gifts, all right? I like all that. This account
right here is the story of the greatest gift ever given. For God so loved this world,
he gave his only begotten son. You know, we get each other gifts
at this time of year, and sometimes it's something that we're just
so proud to just give and wait for somebody to open and see
their reaction. We've never dreamed of giving
anything like what God the Father gave. We can't imagine. We cannot imagine. For God so
loved this world, he gave his only begotten son. Greater love had no man than
this, that he would come and accomplish this. This is the written account of
the coming of the unspeakable gift himself. That's why we're
here today. That's why this is our subject
today. Now, in chapter one, an angel
came to Mary and told her, he said, of the Holy Spirit of God's
doing, you're going to be with child. And he said, you're going
to deliver this child. And because this child is going
to save his people from their sins, you're going to name this
child, Jesus. That name means savior. But the
angel said, make no mistake about it, this is God with you. This is God with you. God is the one who came. I wish we could all get a hold
of that in the way that it deserves to be gotten a hold of. God is
the one who came. God was manifest in the flesh. People think about God. Most
everyone believes in God, meaning most everyone believes that there
is a God. Most everyone believes that there
is a God. And throughout this world, men
and women disagree on who they think God is. But most men and women would
agree on the fact and they would say. It's not Jesus Christ. If you polled people, do you
believe Jesus Christ is God Almighty? Most people would say no. Most
people think about God and Jesus Christ separately as though God
is an entity and Jesus Christ is an entity. Most people see
Jesus Christ as being God's ambassador. No, the scripture says we are
his ambassador. Jesus Christ is God. Most people see Jesus Christ
as the one who can get us to God. Most people see Jesus Christ
as the one who can get us to God. Most people believe he came
to show us the way to God. Oh, no. No, no, he did not come
to show us how to get to God. He came to bring God to us. Jesus Christ is God Almighty
Himself. Jesus Christ is God to come down. God Almighty Himself manifest
in the flesh. Somebody will say, prove that,
prove that. God, the actual God, prove that. All right? Don't turn to these.
It's too much to write down. If you want to, if you want to
breed these for yourself, you can go back and listen on the
internet. Isaiah 714, Isaiah 810, Isaiah 9-6, Isaiah 44-6. Matthew 1.23, John 1.1, John
1.3, John 5.18, John 5.46, John 8.58, John 10.30, John 10.33,
John 20.28, Acts 20.28, Colossians 2.9, 1 Timothy 1.17, Titus 2.13,
Hebrews 1.8, 2 Peter 1.1, 1 John 5.20, Jude 1.25, Revelation 1.8, and
a whole bunch of other scriptures that I couldn't think of, all
declare that Jesus Christ is God Almighty. The only wise God. The only true God. I'm God and
there's none else. God your Savior. God your King. Who's the King? Jesus Christ. That's who came. That's who it
is that came, the almighty himself. People talk about the almighty.
The almighty himself came. All right. Now, this is how he
came. That's who came. This is how
he came. Right here in Luke two, verse
one says. 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. John Gill said that Caesar
Augustus tried to make this enrollment, that's what the word tax means,
an enrollment, an account, a registry. John Gill said that Caesar Augustus
tried to make this enrollment happen 27 years before this,
but it was shot down and it didn't happen. And he said, had it happened,
there probably would have been no reason for Joseph to go to
Bethlehem had he already gone and already been enrolled. There
would have been no reason for him to go. Oh, the providence
of God, our Savior. Oh the providence, oh the predestination. How did Christ come into this
world? He came in His own sovereign, predetermined, foreordained,
appointed way. He came at His own appointed
time. Verse 1 says, 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, everyone into his own city. 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, to be taxed with Mary, his espoused
wife, being great with child. Our Lord came in the complete
fulfillment of the scripture. The scripture says, it said,
he shall be called a Nazarene. He was conceived and he grew
up in Nazareth. The scripture said he would be
born in Bethlehem. He was born in Bethlehem. Because
of Herod's persecution, you know how this story continues. After
he heard about this king being born, he started persecuting
all of the children. And because of that persecution,
Joseph took his family and fled into Egypt. that the scripture
might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet
saying, out of Egypt have I called my son. How did our Lord come
into this world? He came in authority, fulfilling
all scripture concerning himself. Everything the scripture said
about him, he fulfilled it. Verse six says, And 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 end. How did our Lord come into this
world? He came despised. rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted
with grief. Why? Why did he, considering
who this is, this is the almighty. Considering who this is, why,
why did he come that way? It's because he came to be the
substitute for those who were despised. Rejected, acquainted
with sorrows and grief, he came to be the substitute for lowly,
based, sinful men and women. Though he was rich, yet for the sake of his people,
he became poor in every way, shape and form. He willingly
took the place of the poor and needy, willingly. That's how
he came. Amazingly, that's how he came. That's who he came for, and that's
how he came. Not the rich in spirit and the
rich in self, the poor in spirit and self, not the mighty in self,
the weak in self. Though he thought it not robbery
to be equal with God. He made himself of no reputation
and took upon himself the form of a servant and was made in
the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself. That's how he came. He came humbly
for his people. Who came? God came. How did he come? He came as our
substitute. The substitute for all of His
chosen, lowly, sinful people. Alright, now our last question
is, why did He come to be the substitute for all of His chosen,
lowly, sinful people? Why? Why did He come? Verse 8
says, 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 Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Who
came? God came. How did he come? As the substitute for his people.
Why did he come? He came to save them. He came
to save them. Call his name Jesus for he shall
save. He came to live for his people. I'm so glad every time I hear
that. And here's the reason why. I've been living for myself for
46 years and I have not done a very good job. Aren't you so glad to know that?
Aren't you so glad he stayed here 33 and a half years? Aren't you so thankful for every
step of the righteous man? Aren't you so glad? He came and
lived for his people. When my life stands before the
judgment throne of God, I stood before the judgment throne of
God 2,000 years ago. And I didn't hold up, I didn't
do so well. But because He came to live for me, us, when we stand
before that judgment throne and are judged for the life we've
lived, God Almighty, the only one that's there now is the life
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only thing that's
there. He came to live for His people. He came to die for His
people. He came to pay the ultimate price
to redeem them back to Himself. Those angels came to those shepherds. And you know, those angels weren't
sent to the seminaries. They didn't go to Gamaliel and
all those priests and all of those Pharisees. They went to
the shepherds. And we'll see why. But the angels
came to the shepherds and they said, We bring the gospel to
you. We bring the greatest news you've
ever heard in your life. Your Savior has just entered
the world. The Savior just stepped foot
on this earth. Verse 12, and they said, 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, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels
were going away from them into heaven, The shepherds said one
to another, let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing
which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto
us. And they came with haste and
found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen, they
made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning
this child. When they saw him, They told
Mary and Joseph exactly what was told to them by those angels.
The angel said, this shall be a sign unto you. And when they got there, it was. Now I've read this to you a few
times and every time I read it, this blesses my heart so much.
A sister passed this along to me. And this is just a historical,
this is just a factual lesson, just a factual account of what
was practiced in ancient Israel, okay? This says mangers were feeding
troughs. And in ancient Israel, They were
made of stone and very protective. That is why the priest who lived
near Bethlehem near a hill known for raising sacrificial lambs
would put lambs in them. Not all the lambs, just the ones
they thought were without blemish. and suitable for the blood sacrifices
that took place twice a day, sacrifices to cover sin. The
priest wanted to keep the lambs without bumps and bruises, so
they'd wrap them up tightly, they'd swaddle them, wrapping
them in cloths like precious and terribly fragile wine bottles. and they'd lay them in a manger.
There was only a small group of people who would understand
this practice and its significance besides the priests, and that
was the shepherds who wrapped them up and laid them in the
manger. They were the very ones who heard
the words, you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, swaddling
clothes, and lying in a manger. Those shepherds knew what the
cloths and the manger meant. This will be a sign to you, the
angel said, and it was. It wouldn't have been a sign
to many, but to them, most definitely. And this sign was staggering.
The long expected king wasn't headed to a palace. He was headed
to a sacrifice. And they knew what that sacrifice
meant. Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled. That's beautiful, isn't it? Verse 12, 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,
glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill
toward men. And it came to pass as the angels
were going away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one
to another, let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this
thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known
unto us. And they came with haste and
found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when
they had seen, they made known abroad the saying which was told
them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered
at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary
kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they
had heard and seen as it was told unto them. God came as the substitute for his people
to save them from their sins. And that's exactly what he did.
That's exactly what he did. By the blood of his cross, he
saved his people from all of their sins. That's good news,
isn't it? Glory to God in the highest.
Amen.