Luke 2:1-20: Christmas Glory
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Introduction
Introduction
Going to Bethlehem - waiting in line for hours to see the place where Jesus was born. It’s a glorious experience! You don’t have to go to Bethlehem to experience Christmas glory. You can experience Christmas glory in this room tonight by believing in this child born in Bethlehem.
That first Christmas - a glorious night - unexpected glory - No one would have thought that God would have revealed His glory in this way.
Tonight - as the old carol says, “Oh come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels.”
Tonight: Three ways to respond to Christmas glory:
O come let us find peace in Him.
O come let us find peace in Him.
Caesar Augustus - Emperor exerting his authority - numbering his people - building his empire - forcing a very pregnant Mary to travel with Jospeh to be registered in Bethlehem.
An inscription found from 2 BC now housed in the British Museum says about Caesar Augustus:
[Augustus] is the father of his divine homeland Rome, inherited from his father Zeus, and a savior of the common folk. His foresight not only fulfilled the entreaties of all people, but surpassed them, making peace for land and sea, while cities bloom with order, harmony, and good seasons; the productivity of all things is good and at its prime, there are fond hopes for the future and good will during the present which fills all men, so that they ought to bear pleasing sacrifices and hymns.
This powerful Roman emperor was considered a son of god, a savior, and one who would bring peace.
Caesar had no idea that a child was to be born in his empire that was the true Son of God, the Savior of the world, the ONE who would bring true peace.
Unknown to Caesar, he’s doing God’s bidding by calling for a census. Joseph forced to go home, Bethlehem – fulfills prophecy – (Micah 5:2)
No room in inn (KJV) – likely a guest room (Luke 22:10) – not commercial inn. Perhaps no room at Joseph’s relatives so they stay in the room attached to the home that was for the animals. No privacy – and Mary gives birth to a baby boy and places him in a feeding trough.
Here’s your king! Born in an overcrowded city in an overcrowded home to two worn out parents.
On that first Christmas evening, no one in the world knew that God had stepped into the world. Everyone thought Caesar Augustus was in charge, but the ONE who was really in charge - the eternal Son of God - was lying in a manger.
Glory in a manger… For generations people wanted to experience the glory of God, to walk with Him, to know Him. In the garden of Eden, experienced God’s glory. They walked with Him in the garden - then they sinned. Sin kept them from experiencing His presence like they did in the garden. A promise to restore what was lost in Eden (Gn. 3:15).
Glory of God on Sinai - but couldn’t get close to the mountain. (Ex. 19) Moses requested to see God’s glory, but got God’s backside. Temple/Tabernacle - God’s glory descended - but only the high priest could enter the most holy place once a year, and the hight priest didn’t really see God. Sin keeps people from experiencing in Bethlehem.
But now, in Bethlehem, the one who will forgive our sins, the One who is the fullness of God lays in a manger. God’s glory is not in the temple where the priests gather - where the religious leaders are - The fulness of the glory of God is wrapped in swaddling clothes. He’s close - resting in the arms of a teenage girl.
And God’s messengers don’t make an appearance at the temple to tell the priests, “God has come! He’s in Bethlehem!” Instead, angels make an appearance to shepherds!(Luke 1:51-52) Not a respectable occupation. Most never married. They lived as nomads. They had a reputation for thievery. Because they dealt with sheep, they were ceremonially unclean. They couldn’t worship without going through various cleansing rituals. They never had time for that – so they never had the opportunity to go to the temple to worship. Because of close proximity to Jerusalem – maybe the sheep raised to be sacrificed on the altar.
All of a sudden – angel of the Lord appears – “Good news… Great joy… You will find…” An awesome sight. “For unto you is born… Come and see… God has come for you.”
Unto you - NOT unto Mary or unto the religious leader - UNTO YOU - Jesus came for shepherds. He came for you.
The shepherds get the invitation that no one else got – “You come and see God in the flesh…” History has waited for this moment – the moment that God would reveal His glory to the world once and for all. Shepherds got an invitation no one else got.
Multitude: Peace on earth to people he favors! Who does God favor? You and me! People who believe!
You can have peace with God. A right relationship with Him. (Romans 5:1)
You can have the peace of God. Peace? Where’s the peace? No matter what happens in this life, I’m good. (Ph. 4:6)
Oh come, and let us experience His peace tonight.
(PEACE -
O come let us adore Him.
O come let us adore Him.
Multitude of angles singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”
Where else in Scripture does a multitude of angels appears to sing Glory to God? God has always been a glorious God, but He receives the highest praise at the birth of His Son. The angels show up at the birth and give glory!
The multitude of angels had seen many glorious acts of God – creation, parting of the red sea, the walls of Jericho tumbling down, God’s showdown with Baal on Mt. Carmel, etc. But, the multitude of angels do not appear at one of those glorious displays of the power of God. Instead, they appear over a field in Bethlehem to a group of lowly shepherds to announce the birth of this child.
Why? Through this baby God would perform the greatest miracle the world had ever seen – a miracle greater than creation itself, greater than the collapse of the walls of Jericho, or the parting of the Red Sea – These shepherds might be tending sheep to be used as sacrificial lambs to atone for sins. Jesus would become the sacrificial lamb – He would die and atone for sins once and for all. His sacrifice would restore a broken world to the God of all creation. His sacrifice would undo the mess that we had made through our sin. His sacrifice would make us right before the Father so that we might be declared innocent and be freed from sin and death. His resurrection three days later would guarantee for us eternal life. All glory to Jesus – He deserves our highest praise because He has brought real peace – peace with God.
The invitation to the shepherds: Come and adore the ONE who would be the sacrificial lamb for them. Why should you come and adore Him?
You get to be in the presence of God. That night - an invitation that no one else in the world received - “Come, be in the presence of God.” The presence of God not in the temple but in a manger. Same invitation to you. God of all creation with you because of the work of Immanuel. God has made a way for you to be with Him.
You get to walk in the power of God. God present in you - to lead you, to empower you, to enable you to defeat sin in your life. If God is with you, why fear? If God is with you, why not walk by faith?
O Come let us treasure Him.
O Come let us treasure Him.
Note that the angels say nothing to the shepherds about a star. That was a sign for the wise men, not the shepherds. There sign was a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. Imagine the scene. Frantic shepherds running through the streets of Bethlehem. “Have you seen a baby?” Knocking on doors – waking people up – “Has a child been born in this house?”
Finally, they find the baby. They see Him with their own eyes. They see the glory of God lying in a manger – the baby who would grow up to be their sacrificial lamb. The baby who would die for these despised shepherds.
The shepherds leave to tell the news of this baby born in Bethlehem. They were the first witnesses. Imagine what people thought when they heard this rag tag group of shepherds declare that the Savior of the world had been born. Would anyone believe them? Shepherds got the message from angels… Everyone else got the message from shepherds… BUT that’s the way God wanted it… People changed by the Good News sharing the Good News.
Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Treasured and pondered. She thought about what it all meant – this baby really was the Son of God – born in an unexpected way, visited on that Christmas morn by unexpected visitors. She treasured and pondered.
Truth is, she needed to treasure these moments because there would be days when she needed to remember these moments. When she saw her son ridiculed and rejected – when she saw her Son tortured and beaten – when she saw her son hanging on a cross – she needed to remember this first Christmas morn – she needed to remember the virgin birth, the angelic announcement, the shepherds coming to worship, and later the wise men coming to worship. In the agony of watching her son die on a tree, she needed to remember that He was the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sins of the world. She needed to remember that the most glorious act of God in all of human history would be the crucifixion of His Son on the cross. She needed to treasure these moments and ponder the reality of who Jesus is.
For us, who know the story, who have placed our faith in the resurrected Lord, we need to treasure this baby in a manger as well. How can we treasure this One who came and lived, died, and rose again for us?
Don’t let your amazement stay at the manger. Tendency to hear the Christmas story and think, “Wow! that’s amazing” Yet, we walk away from the manger not letting the Christ born and laid in a manger change us. Treasure Jesus by pondering the mysteries of grace. Let’s get past the clichés, the platitudes, the surface Bible studies, and let’s dive in deep. I’m tired of surface level Christianity that never dives deep into the riches of the mystery of God. I want us to know this One who died for us.
Don’t let your amazement stay to yourself. Shepherds were the first missionaries. Consider who God used to spread the Good News. He wants to use you too. Share Jesus often.
Tonight - believe in Jesus - believe He died and rose again for you.