Ronnie Whitten

Christmas the Birth of a Savior

Isaiah chapter verse fourteen says "the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel". The entrance of Jesus into the world is both the explanation and expression of God. It is recorded in Matthew chapter one verse twenty-three like this "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." This was not just another precious child born in the corridors of time, It was the particular entrance of the true God of heaven into the lives sinful men. I am reminded of the Second Psalm "who is man that thou art mindful of him" It baffles the mind to imagine why with all the millions of stars which have thousands of planets floating around them, why that God would take time to even consider mankind much less come visit us and send his son to dwell among us. God through his kindness and unmatched love looked down on man , and man found grace in the sight of the Lord. Now when you look at the entrance of God into the insignificant earth, we begin to see the event in it’s true perspective. We begin to look and search with wonder. We seek to find answers to hard questions and more adequately understand why God took thought of man.

Luke 2:1-14

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 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.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 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.

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.

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.

I would like to call to attention the phrase "And it came to pass". What does this mean and what are its implications? Paul preaches in Acts 17 that God has determined the "times before appointed". John the Revelator says that He was "slain from the foundation of the world".(Rev 13:8). The Father was pleased to send His begotten son into the world to redeem sinful man. He had planned this glorious occasion thousands of years before the birth actually took place. It was a Planned birth, A time of divine appointment. God prepared every event in exact detail and he executed His plan with intricate detail.

There was a problem. Jesus needed to be born in Bethlehem to fulfill Scripture (Micha 5:2), but his parents didn’t lived in Bethlehem. He needed him to be born in a stable and be wrapped in cloth to fulfil His prophecy. So God caused a pagan king to send all Jews back to their ancestors home town to be taxed. Now Joseph was of the household of King David so he had to go to Bethlehem. This placed the couple at the right place. But what about the right time? This taxing had to be at the right time. Mary was at time to deliver her child. Now many of you know that a woman’s first child is not a predictable thing. Two weeks early , Two weeks late. Who knows? But God was executing His plan working in His time. God was using a pagan king to fulfil part of His plan. You see God even uses those who do not fear Him to complete His plans.

God not only works on national levels to achieve His will. He also works on personal levels. Scriptures say that the Child had to be born of a Virgin (Isaiah 6:14). God had to prepare a woman to bear the Christ child. Now we know that a virgin does not conceive. With men this is impossible but with God all things are possible. Jesus was not conceived after the nature of sinful man, He was conceived after the nature of a Holy God. Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Mary was a chosen vessel prepared by God. He sent a heavenly messenger to arrange the details. He sent the Holy Spirit to execute His will. This was Mary’s special calling from God.

God needs a man to nurture and protect this virgin Child bearer. So we find that God sent an angel Joseph to prepare him and to give evidence that Mary was pure and righteous before God in the matter of fidelity.

I don’t know much about Joseph, but this tells a lot about his character. He trusted and believed that his God could do the impossible. He was obedient to God. When told to go to Egypt he obeyed, when told to return to Egypt he simply obeyed.

We know that Joseph didn’t have money. We know that his trade was not that of a prosperous man. We can learn a lot from this man. God makes request of our lives, I like to use the phrase that God is "present active" in our lives. He leads and demands obedience in our every step. God was working in Mary and Joseph’s lives just as he is working in our lives. I know a lot of women are thinking, that they wished God would work in their husbands life. Don’t loose hope, because our God specializes in the impossible. You could say that is what he does for a living. And there is nothing too hard for our God. He raised up an evil king to do his bidding, He led a Godly couple to do the impossible. He takes the average and rejected and recreates them into vessels of honor and praise. He uses them for his Glory. You see, God works in people who love and fear him.

God had to also prepare a crowded hotel with an available stable. I always like to visualize the stories I read in scriptures. I see the little hotel crowded with people. All had come to Bethlehem, this prestigious city, the birthplace of the greatest king of Israel to pay their taxes. I like to see the stone cave where they kept the animals packed with supplies. Surely this affluent businessman would have prepared for such a crowd, yet when a poor couple came he had compassion, maybe because Mary was with child, maybe he saw an opportunity to make an extra couple of bucks for renting out his stable. I don’t know, scripture doesn’t say. What we do know is that Joseph and Mary ended up exactly where they needed to be. God had used a businessman to complete His business.

You see our God is a God of details. We non-perfectionists must remember that our God is a God of detail. He worked out every small detail and caused everything to work to complete his plan. Now this is great news!

Someone sent me this little story. A Christian man was shipwrecked on a remote island in the middle of the ocean. Each day He prayed that God would send someone to deliver him from his tragic situation. He had managed to recover a few supplies and had built himself a shelter to protect himself from the weather.

As times passed, one day while hunting for food on the other side of the island he returned to find all his provision and supplies, along with his small hut, had burned down. All he had was lost. His heart fell and he was distressed, He began to ask God why…. but soon a passing ship stopped and rescued him. The Christian man asked the captain of the ship how he knew where to look for him. The captain’s reply, "we saw your smoke signal."

Often we find that through our tragedies, we experience our greatest triumphs, because they draw us close to our God. Joseph and Mary may not have enjoyed scrimping and saving to collect enough money to pay their taxes, especially with a baby on the way. But God was working in and through them and had gone before them. God had not forsaken them, God was just moving them to the place of blessing. Have you ever considered what a REAL crisis is? A real crisis, for the believer, is when God is NOT in control. Sure there is a trial to face, a test to pass, but we must keep in our hearts and minds the fact that God is in control of our lives.

God had placed this couple in the right place, at the right time, he was providing the things they needed to complete the impossible task set before them. Have you ever wondered why God impressed on the hearts of wise men to come and bring gifts to the Christ child? Have you ever thought what happened to the gold frankincense and myrrh? Maybe, just maybe, they were impressed to bring these things of worth so that a trip to Egypt could be financed. When will we understand that our God has set out to do us good? Everything that is introduced into our lives, our God will work it out for good.

To the bystander this might seem like a great tragedy. A sad turn of events, a woman with child, made to journey some 60 miles, from Nazereth to an uncertain place in Bethlehem. A man whose standing in this Kingly family did not even gain him the privilege of some relatives inviting him to stay at their home. But even though forgotten by family. This couple had all the eyes of heaven on them. Watching with great anticipation for the unfathomable event that would soon take place. God had not forsaken this couple, he was acutely "present active" in their lives.

 

Jesus did not enter the world with fan fare and national attention. All the dignitaries were not waiting for the grand announcement. No news commentators interrupted any television shows. Men did not even seem to notice. But all the heavenly creatures were standing at divine attention. They had prepared a celebration. The angels said this.

Luke 2:10-12, 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.

1. THEIR DECLARATION.

"Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord." The angelic messenger was not here to execute God’s judgement on the world but came to exclaim what sinful men had missed. He brought "good tidings of great joy". This mission was different, they were not here to destroy hundreds of men because of sin. They were not going to champion some victory, they were here to give good news. Scriptures say that angels seek to know these things but cannot.(1Pet 1:12) When Satan and a third of the angels rebelled God only executed judgement. No plan for redemption was given. Angels had not seen this attribute of God in such glory. They were here to declare good news to man. God was offering redemption and this was the first step in the master plan.

2. The Details.

They were their to give details. They give location, "in the city of David". They gave identification, "a savior which is Christ the Lord". They gave description, "ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.

Look at who they delivered their message to. Weather worn, ruddy, outcast shepherds, who while others slept in their protected houses, in comfort and ease, watched and waited on animals. It was to these that angels came to make the grand announcement. They were not the politically correct, they were the common blue collar workers of that day. I don’t know why it was the shepherds, maybe, they were the only ones awake. How often does God reveal his wisdom to those who will stay awake and pay attention?

Watching Sheep can’t be that appealing, it sure couldn’t’ be exciting. And even if there was excitement, it wasn’t good excitement, a bear, a lion, a wolf, all of which could harm man as well as beast. But it would be exciting this night because God sent his angels to deliver a divine message that would change lives forever.

I want us to see that the announcement came with Glory. This is a magnificent event. But don’t miss God in this announcement. Look back to verse nine it says the "glory of the LORD shown round about them" An angel may have been doing the talking, but the Lord himself had turned on his spot light. Do you see God’s presence in this message? God shines down on his sent messengers with his Glory. At that sight any man should fear. God beams down on the earth with unapproachable light to declare the first step of the redemption that is the birth of the redeemer. The answer to every fear, every pain, came with this one announcement.

"Fear not" says the angels. O sinner if you have ever heard a message of good news from God hear this. Fear not. Don’t fear to turn your heart over to the Lord, he "cares for you". Don’t fear to turn loose of that sin or weight. What you gain in Christ has infinite worth. Great news sinful man, the angels says "fear not for I bring you good tidings of great joy"

"Good Tidings" Pay attention mankind this is an important message, angels with all their beauty and splendor bring Good tidings. God was entering the realm of man. And He’s planning to do men good. He is planning to do man good with all his might Deut 8:16 God tested the children in the wilderness that he might do them " good at thy latter end" Jer 24:5-6 God punishes Judah why? For their good. Roman 8 :28 God causes all things to work together for good for our sakes. Ps 31:19, And now don’t fear at the presence of God, he is here to give you the same invitation he was giving these shepherds, He is inviting you to come and visit His son.

Now I don’t know what you would do if you were these shepherds. But I think, I would lock the sheep up, set the man with the lowest seniority in charge of keeping the gate and I would go look for the Child wrapped in the swaddling clothing lying in a manger. There would be no greater privilege than to attend the first birthday of the Lord. I would not miss that! If their was any way I could attend, I would . I would give money, I would sacrifice and save, I would like to see that, would you?

 

Isaiah said that Jesus was God with Us (Is 7:14). God condescends from His rightful throne in heaven. It was Jesus on that throne which the prophet Isaiah saw in Isaiah chapter six. It was Jesus who spoke the worlds into existence and it was He that created all things. Jesus, who was in the presence of the Father before the foundations of the world ( Jo 17) left the corridors of the glory of heaven and condescends to the earth and takes on the form of human flesh and is made in the likeness of man (Col 2).

It was a time of great anticipation. Many had already come, pretending to be the messiah. Theories, doctrines, interpretations and predictions must have been rampant. During this same time when Jesus was born, Luke tells in Acts about a couple of the false prophets that arose claiming to be the messiah. Acts 5:36-37

36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

Theudas persuaded "a great part of the people" to follow him to the brink of Jordan, he was going to part the waters to prove his power with God. An Egyptian impostor induce them to go out to the Mount of Olives in the expectation of seeing the walls of Jerusalem fall down at his command.

But as mans passion would have it, all expected the messiah to come in the power of rule. No one expected the Suffering Servant. Men wanted a king, a throne or a warrior riding into battle. But Jesus came not with the prediction of man but by the provisions of the Father. His entrance was a predictable entrance planned by the Father himself Dan 9:26. The prophet Micah declared the place Mic 5:2. We find as the story unfolds that His entrance was an humble entrance. God who could have caused men to build ivory hospitals, thrones or cradles chose the abase things to confound the wise. He sent him to a stable to be born. Nevertheless, His entrance was a victorious entrance. Angels recognized it. They received it with fanfare and celebration. But sinful men nearly missed it completely.

I bring this up about the imposters because many who visit here today will be misdirected by some plan of Satan. They will find excuse not to believe. They will walk away with a story about the Christ, but will not walk away with the Christ. It is so easy to find an excuse not to go to God. The shepherds could have made excuse, the sheep…too late…too far. We get the idea from the narrative that all the shepherds went to the place where Jesus was. I like to think that they left the angels watching the sheep. I don’t know what your excuse will be today but if you will turn to Christ he will provide somebody to watch your sheep until you return. There is nothing in life so precious as who you meet when you come to Christ. You see he is eternal life. (John 17:3) And to all that meet him he is precious (1Pet 2:7).

We must be careful in the hustle of modern day Christmas not to lose focus of the purpose for Christmas. We have commercialized the Birth of Christ into a common event, which focuses on man rather than God. We bring each other gifts and bring God nothing. And if the Christmas Eve or Christmas Day are on Sunday then surely the church service should be cut short or called off all together. It is obvious that men are confused about what Christmas is all about. What is the purpose of Christmas? What is God’s Purpose? What was His perspective on the event? I believe Scriptures Teach that he came to:

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Matt 11:27

27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Luke 10:22-23

22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and

John 6:37-40 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

2 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;

My friend If you have a desire to see the heart of God you must look into the life of Christ. And if you desire to know God you must come to Christ. If you will come to him just as you are. God said that those who would come to him he would in no wise cast them out. My friend you must come to Christ. Your eternity stands in the balance. You will either continue in your sin or you will repent and run toward God . God has displayed his love towards you even while you sit there, an enemy of God. Christ died for you. O sinner we are not asking you to come to this Church or to come to this preacher we are asking you to come to the Savior. We are asking you to reorient your life under the knowledge that Jesus is Lord and he has power over your life. We are asking you to repent and believe God. Will you come? What will you let stand in the way? What is greater than God? Jesus came to show the Fathers heart that the Father loves man. But please don’t miss that even as the Father loves men he hates sin and has placed in His son’s power the right and the power to execute judgement on sinners. My friend, you will either run to God now, and beg forgiveness placing your trust in him, or you will bow before him and be judge by him. My friend the majesty of his Judgement is as great as the majesty of his Mercy.

 

He came to redeem sinners. The cradle is not with out the cross. And the cross is not complete without the cradle. These are intricate parts of the same plan. And this plan is God’s plan to redeem the lost. Lets look at a few Scriptures to see this truth.

1 Tim 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

John 12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

Matt 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Matt 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Matt 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Matt 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

I Jn 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

The theme that these verses have in common is that Jesus came to save men. And this salvation grants men the privilege of being called the sons of God.

1Jo 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

The reason God sent his Son into the world was to set men free from sin. He came to save sinners and to set them free to live righteousness. (Rom 6:18) When God sent his son into the world, he sent him with the cross in mind. When God’s Spirit placed the Child in Mary he also planted a seed on the mountain. The tree was prepared just as everything else was. Many see the Manger totally separated from the cross, but I conclude they are intricate parts of the same plan. You see to purchase men’s redemption he had to enter into the world as a man. But to live among men was not enough he had to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. He must suffer and overcome. He gladly took on sin for use he "who knew no sin" , he "became sin for us".

If you find yourself a sinner this is great news. It is to you the promise is given. He came to save men such as yourself. Great news sinner it is "good tidings of great joy". Jesus came into the world to save you. Will you come to Him?

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