I'm gonna, we've done the scripture reading on first chapter two of Luke. That's gonna be my message. So if you turn to the Bible there in Luke, we'll start there, verse one. But the birth of our Savior Christ, the name of my message is the greatest birth of all time.

The birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, has to be the most important birth, or the greatest birth of all time. No other birth even comes close to that birth. This is the time of year when people start thinking about the birth of Christ around Christmastime. They'll be singing songs, Joy to the World and Silent Night and stuff, but then a lot of times, most people don't think that much about Christ. Maybe again at Easter, but as believers, we need to be thinking about Christ every single day. It's not just a once or twice thing in the year, but it's a thing for us to think about every single day.

Since it's now Christmas season, let's look at the birth of Christ. Let's look at the second chapter of Luke. I'll give a chance for everybody to turn there. Starting in verse one.

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 Caesar was governor of Syria. and all went out to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea onto 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 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.

In these few verses, we have the story of a birth. It was not just any birth, but the birth of our Savior. It was the greatest birth of all time, but there is another birth that is also very important to believers, but I'll cover that a little bit later.

These few verses in Luke do not describe just any child's birth. What we have before us is the birth of the incarnate Son of God, not the birth of the Son of God. This is an important distinction because the Son of God was alive before the foundation of the world. Look at the word incarnate. It means the Son of God embodying himself in the flesh of a human being. He was already alive but became human when he was born as a baby to Mary. But he was still the son of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.

His human birth is the most important birth of the world we'll ever see. This is my opinion. I do not have direct scripture to back that up, but it has to be. This is the birth of him who and by whom the worlds were made. Here we see God's manifest in the flesh. That's in 1 Timothy, What we have before us in these few verses is the birth of Him who all the laws and prophets of the Old Testament spoke. The Lord Jesus Christ was born as a child in Bethlehem so He could die as a man on the cross and redeem His people from the curse of the law. This is what Jesus tells Himself in Matthew 20, 28. Even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.

Note that Jesus said that he will give his life to many. That means that he did not give his life for everyone. Christ has a chosen people that he gave his life for. Not everyone is chosen. This will offend some people, but it's what the Bible tells us. The Holy Scripture tells us that this in Galatians 4, verses four and five, but when the fullness of time has come, God sent forth his son made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.

I want to focus on four aspects of the Savior's birth, its purpose, its time, its place, and its manner.

First up, the purpose of the Savior's birth. Luke does not record the person, the purpose of Christ's birth in our text, but the Holy Scripture has recorded it in many other places in the Bible. It would be pointless to talk to you about Christ's birth if we did not talk about why he came into this world. So let's look at the angel's message to Joseph in a dream some nine months before Christ was born. In Matthew 1.21 it tells us, and she, that is Mary, shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus. for he shall save his people from their sins. He shall save. As Wayne always points out, that's one little word, but it's a powerful word. It does not say maybe or might, but it says shall save. It leaves no doubt why Christ was born. It also says his people. Christ has a chosen people that he came here to save. He was not here to save every last person, but he was here to save his people.

Christ was the eternal son of God before he came into the world in human flesh. The word eternal means existing forever, no beginning and no end. When Christ was born to Mary in Bethlehem, he became a man, but he was still God that lived before his birth at the time that we now celebrate as Christmas. He not only was alive before the birth in Bethlehem, but he still lives after his human death at the cross, he now sits at the right hand of God.

The son of God had a people in this world called his people before he came here to save them. Ephesians 1.4 says, as he hath chosen us in him, that is Christ, before the foundation of the world. Christ chose us, we did not choose him. choose him first. Only after the Holy Spirit reveals God's mercy and grace to his people do we begin to understand what Christ has done for his people.

Jesus Christ came into this world on an errand of mercy and grace as our substitute, representative, and covenant surety to save his people from their sins. He did what he came here to do.

Turn to Hebrews chapter 10, and I want to look at Verses five through 14. Starting at verse five, wherefore, when he came into the world, he saith, sacrifice and offerings thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come, in the volume of the book, it is written of me, I do thy will, O God. Above them, he said, sacrifice and offerings, and burnt offerings, and offerings for sin, thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein, which are offerings offered by the law. Then said I, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. That for all is his chosen people, not everyone in the world. And every priest standeth daily, ministering and offering oft times the same sacrifices, which can never take away the sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down on the right hand of God. For henceforth, expect until his enemies be made his footstools. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." That's Hebrews 10, verses 5 through 14.

The Lord Jesus Christ saves his people from their sins by three mighty acts. of grace which he alone can perform. No one can do this but Christ himself. We cannot do it. We are not able to do this. The first is redemption. Christ came here to redeem his chosen people from their sins. Second is regeneration. His chosen people are born again when the salvation has been revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. And third, is the resurrection, the coming back to life of Christ after his human death on the cross. We cannot do any of that ourselves.

Next, I want to talk about the time of our Savior's birth. What we have before us is a display of God's wisdom. We are specifically told that our Savior was born into the world in those days when Caesar Augustus, the first Roman emperor, made a decree that all the world should be taxed This is the first verse of our text in Luke 2.

Now the world in this case at that time was what Rome considered to be the world. It was the Roman Empire, that's what they considered the world. This is an important fact in the whole scheme of things. You see the Lord God promised through his servant Jacob that Israel would not cease to be a civilized state until Christ came to be redeemed and save his people. That's Genesis 49 10. The scepter shall not depart from Judea, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh, which is the Messiah or Christ, comes. And unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Genesis 49.10.

Our text tells us of the precise fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy. The Jews were under the domination of the Roman Empire at the time. They lost all their legal rights, civil power as a nation. Strangers ruled over them and demanded taxes from them. The nation of Israel was without a government of its own for the first time in their history. No sooner did Augustus tax the world than the birth of Christ came. It was the due time and the fullness of time. God's divine providence had now arranged the best possible time for Christ to come into the world.

When he had been fully proved, for after that is the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believed. First Corinthians 121. God stepped into the world by his birth to make himself known. Romans and before them, the Greeks, had created hundreds of gods in their minds and left men and women ignorant of the one true living God. The rulers of all the Gentile world had led the human race into spiritual darkness, moral corruption, and with political violence that only grew worse with time.

Yet at this precise time, since the time of the Tower of Babel, that all the civilized world was under one government. That was the government of the Roman Empire. By the time Christ came, God had arranged the whole world in such a way as to make the path for the gospel to be spread all through the world, and that world being the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire had built military roads so that they could move their armies quickly from one area to another. But this is also cleared the path for spreading the gospel from one area to the other. Before that, it was very difficult to travel from any great distance to spread the world. But with the advent of the roads, it made it much easier for the gospel to spread. Also, the Greek language was the most common language at the time that was used throughout the Roman Empire. And that was the language that Paul and all the gospel preachers was using to spread the word. So it made it much faster, much easier for the word to spread.

Let us find solace in this fact. All the events of the world, all history, all governments, All times are in the hands of our great God. God is in control. My times are in thy hand." That's Psalms 31, 15. He always knows and always does what is best.

We should never worry about the course and condition of the world, even when we see trouble in places like Iraq and Iran, Ukraine. We sometimes think we know better than God. Men like to think that they control the events of the world. How foolish we can be.

Martin Luther used to frequently say to his worrying friend, Philip, Philip, stop trying to govern the world. We would be smart to understand these words. Let us live in this world as the subjects, as the lowest subjects of the all wise king, for he is the king. King of kings and Lord of lords. He who is our God is God indeed. God over all. He is too wise to err, too good to do wrong, and too strong to fail. He is our righteous God always.

The place of our Savior's birth. Our Savior was not born in Nazareth of Galilee where Mary and Joseph lived. Instead, Christ was born in Bethlehem because Joseph had to go into their own city when he was born, as required by the government. The taxes that was to be collected, you had to go back to your hometown to pay your taxes. So he traveled into Judea, into the city of David that was called Bethlehem. Joseph was of the house of David.

And this was foretold in the Old Testament, the prophet Micah had long before this event prophesized that the Lord Jesus must be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5, verse 2 tells us where Christ will be born. But thou, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, I messed that up. How is it? Ephrathah. Though thou be a little among the thousands of Judea, yet out of these shall he come forth unto me, that is, to be ruler in Israel, whose giving forth have been from the old, from everlasting." That's Micah 5, 2.

So Micah prophesies that Christ would be born in Bethlehem. And that's, again, God's in control. Once more, we have before us a display of God's sovereign, absolute rule over all things in Providence. to accomplish the good purpose of his grace towards his chosen people. He who orders all things in heaven, earth, and hell, turns the hearts of kings wherever he will.

Proverbs 21 says, the king's heart is in the hands of the Lord. As the rivers of the water, he turneth it wheresoever he will. It was the great, it was the Lord God who caused Augustus to make these decrees and begin enforcing it at precisely the time when Mary's pregnancy had come to full term. Neither Augustus or Cyrenius, when they ordered the taxes on all the world, had any idea what they were doing or why.

What they were actually doing was carrying forth the eternal design of God's of God for the salvation of his people, the glory of his own great name. Like the king of Assyria, they meant it not so, neither did their hearts think so, but they were performing the works of the Lord. This act of the first Roman emperor was an act which laid the foundation for the kingdom of God, before which all the kingdoms of this world must soon bow down.

Our God graciously and wisely rules all things. the good and the evil for the accomplishment of his will. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee. The remainder of wrath shall thou restrain. Psalm 76 10.

Our heavenly father provincially rule of the universe ought to quiet our hearts while we sail through the troubled waters of this world. If we believe in God, we should never be greatly disturbed by the affairs of this world. or the conduct of the earthly rulers, we ought to regard all things as the will of God. We should look upon every action of every political leader as the oracle of God. Let us learn in regard all men and all devils too are creatures of God Almighty. created to serve his purpose without the ability to think or move except by the will of God.

Ecclesiastics 518 tells us, if thou seest the oppression of the poor and the violence perverting of judgment and justice in a provence manner, not as the manner not at the manor, for he that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there be higher than they."

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothing, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for him in the inn. Let us never forget, it was through his own great humiliation that the Son of God obtained eternal glory for us. It was through his life of holy suffering, as well as his death, that he obtained eternal redemption for us. And that was for his chosen people.

In 2 Corinthians chapter seven, or eight, nine, we are told, chapter eight, verse nine, we are told, for ye know the grace of our Lord Christ, that through, though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. Learn this too, and learn it well. God has no respecter of persons. We might not be, and we must not be, I'm sorry, We must never allow ourselves to form opinions of people's character based upon their poverty or wealth, face or place, race or rank.

Turn with me to Philippians chapter two, and we will look at verses one through 11. May God the Holy Spirit give us the grace to follow our Savior's example in dealing with one another, give us the mind of Christ.

Starting in verse one, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any vows and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant. and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that is the name of Jesus. Every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

That's Philippians 2 verses 1 through 11. May we all be more Christ-like in our lives.

While the birth of Christ is the most important birth in history, there is another birth that is also very important to believers. As a parent, the birth of my two kids was two of the most important things in my life, and that's right up there with the marriage to my wonderful wife. There's also another birth that is very important to believers, and that's our second birth. We may not be able to pinpoint the exact time or date, but to believers, it is a great event in our life.

Turn to the third chapter of John, and let's read verses three through seven. Jesus tells us, starting in verse three, Jesus answered and said, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into the mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto thee, ye must be born again.

As Nicodemus asked, how can we be born again? The second birth is not a physical birth, but a spiritual birth that is given to us by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4.4 tells us, there is one body and one spirit, even as ye are caught in one hope of your calling. The Holy Spirit calls us. and that is our spiritual birth. That spiritual birth is the mercy and grace that is given to us, though we are undeserving of God's marvelous mercy and grace, is all a part of God's good pleasure for his chosen people.

Turn to chapter one of Ephesians. Wayne will be starting a study on the book of Ephesians in January, and he'll go into much more detail, but here I wanna hit a few points here. Starting in verse three, Ephesians one, verse three. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings. We are a blessed people in heavenly places in Christ. According as he has chosen us, we did not choose 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, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he made us accepted and beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.

In these few verses, there are so many gifts for believers. Number one, Christ blesses us with all spiritual blessings. Two, He chose us, we did not choose Him. He chose us before the foundation of the world. Three, we are holy before Him in love. Four, we are without blame before Him in love. Five, we were predestinated by the good pleasure of His will. Six, we were adopted as children by Christ himself. Seven, Christ did this all at the good pleasure of his will. Eight, Christ gives us the glory of his grace. Nine, Christ made us acceptable to be with him. We cannot make ourselves acceptable. Only Christ can do that for his chosen people. 10, Christ redeemed us through his blood. It is the only way we can have redemption. Number 11, the forgiveness of our sins is by the mercy and grace that Christ bestows on his chosen people.

Wayne will go into greater detail when he starts his study in Ephesians. He said we'll be in Ephesians for quite some time, especially the first chapter or two we were talking about there before church. But Christ said it best on the cross, it is finished. He did it all. We can add nothing to his perfect salvation, for he alone provides for his people. There's no works that we can add to it. The only thing we can bring is our sin. And fortunately, Christ has forgiven us of our sin. There's nothing else that we can add. But as Wayne says, amen and amen.