Christ Has Come!

Pastor Jonathan Hansen

Advent 2023 • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

Luke 2:1–21

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Opening:

It is a beautiful thing to Celebrate the birth of Christ on the Lord’s Day! This morning we will be in Luke chapter 2.

Introduction of the Text:

In the lead up to this wonderful celebration, we have been celebrating Advent by studying in Luke 1. And now we will study the account of Christ’s birth. We have been blessed to see some of the build up that lead to the birth of Christ. And now, this morning, Advent is over, and Christmas has come! That time of anticipation has now come to a close and we are at last celebrating with great joy, the fact that Jesus has come. So with this in mind, I would ask you to stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Reading of the Text:

Luke 2:1-21 2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Behold, the Word of God. Let’s Pray.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask that you would speak to your people this morning through your Word. We need to hear from you this morning. We bless you for sending your Son to save us. We thank you that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and that He has atoned for our sins. We bless your name this holy Christmas morn. Speak to us this morning through your Word. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord, Amen.

Transition:

So let’s look at this account. Let’s look at the birth of Christ.

The Birth of Christ. v. 1-7

Explanation:

Luke is giving us this detailed account. And he in verses 1-7, as a master historian, ties this into history. Caesar Augustus gave a decree. But we must note that the decree of Caesar was according to God’s plan.

The Decree from Caesar, According to God’s Plan.

During his reign, Caesar Augustus gave a decree to number the people in the empire. This was the first of these that happened while a man named Quirinius was governor in Syria. History records that Caesar enacted multiple of these censuses. Augustus was the first true Roman emperor. He unified the empire, and it was under his reign that the Pax Romana began. This is the peace of Rome. He ended the internal wars and brought about internal peace. A huge part of maintaining this peace was the act of taking a census. This numbered the people’s, enabled clarity in taxes, enabled better provision and security in the empire and more.

An interesting note is that this peace of Rome really helped travel. Rome built roads that enabled better and much more safe travel. I go into detail on these things, because this census caused something very important to happen. It caused and enabled Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, according to God’s Plan.

Joseph and Mary Travel to Bethlehem, According to God’s Plan.

But it did not just cause this. Before peace in Rome and the building of roads, this would have been a horribly long and a much more dangerous journey. There were still many dangers, but because of the peace across the empire, it was doable. And they were required to go to Bethlehem because the Census was counted by family lineage. Joseph and Mary were both of the line of David. So they were required by Caesar to go to the city of David, Bethlehem. And Luke tells us that while they are in Bethlehem, the time for Jesus to be born came. And Jesus is born, according to God’s plan.

Jesus Is Born, According to God’s Plan.

Luke says that the time came for Mary to give birth to Jesus. Literally, Mary reached the fullness of the time of her pregnancy, and gave birth. And Jesus is born, and she laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Apparently, the small town of Bethlehem was rather full. The inn’s and spare rooms were full. So Mary was forced give birth to Jesus either in a stable, a cave, or under the open sky. The earliest traditions claim it was a cave stable. Then, she and Joseph were forced to lay Jesus in a manger, a common feeding trough for animals. Due to Caesar’s decree, they left their home, traveled likely 90 miles, were stuck outside, or in a cave, and had to use a feeding trough as a crib.

And yet, here is the beauty of this account. All of this, down to the most minute detail was planned out and caused by God. Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, according to God’s plan. Jesus is born, According to God’s plan. Because all of this was directly the prophesied plan of God.

Argumentation:

You see, God writes the best stories. He is the master Story-Teller. God is sovereign over all, at all times. He is divinely in complete control over all things. As R.C. Sproul famously said, “there are no maverick molecules.” Not one single atom is outside of the control of God. Sadly, due to our poor spiritual sight, we seldom fully see this. However, there are moments in history where God pulls back the curtain and shows us the beauty of His power.

God is Sovereign Over All, and at times, He pulls back the curtain so we can see His power.

Jesus was not just thrown into time. God did not send His Son at some random point. Christ was not sent to become incarnate on some whim. Galatians 4:4-5 says, 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” That phrase “fulness of time” is the Greek word, “Pleroma.” It is difficult to directly translate. But one theologian explained it as when you are filling a glass with water; the “pleroma” is the exact moment the water begins to spill over. It is the fullest of time.

What Paul is saying in Galatians 4 is that at the exact perfect moment, God sent His Son. God was filling the glass (time) with all the events of history, and at the “pleroma,” the exact fullest moment, He sent Christ. This literally means that when every last pre-set detail was come, Christ arrived. And we see this in the numerous prophesies. Christ is the Prophesied Savior.

The prophesied Savior.

As I have said numerous times in our brief study of these first two chapters of Luke, it would take me more time than we have today to even list the prophesies in the Old Testament about the coming of the Messiah. These prophesies start in Genesis 3:15, and carry on until the very last verse of the Old Testament, Malachi 4:5-6. But let’s just look at one. We have a few minutes to simply look at one.

Micah 5:2 says, “2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” This prophesy clearly states that the coming one, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem. This is incredible.

Now I can occasionally call my shot. I can say, I bet this or that will happen, and sometimes be right. But this is beyond that. Micah prophesied this, by the Holy Spirit, over 700 years before it happened. Imagine that. God called this shot over 700 years before it happened and it happened EXACTLY as God said.

Now, just think with me for a moment about what that means. We can become so accustomed to this passage around Christmas time that we can become dulled to what had to happen in order for this to happen. How many things had to be perfectly aligned in order for this to happen? This happened under the reign of Caesar Augustus. Had Caesar Augustus not been in power, there would have been no census. Had any of the numerous assassination attempts succeeded, he would not have been able to call the census. Had the internal Roman wars not ended in the Pax Romana, there would have been no census. Had the Roman roads not been made, there would not have been easy enough travel for this to happen. On that note, had the Romans not discovered the proper mixture for Roman concrete, there would not have been easy enough travel for this to happen. The list of things that had to happen in order for this to take place are almost infinite. And yet it happened exactly as God had set.

How about this, Many of you have children so I know you will understand this. How often has a baby been born according to plan? How many times has a baby been born on the right day, at the right time, in the right place? I can tell you exactly how many times in human history that has happened, once. Mary was very pregnant and traveled 90 miles. But Jesus was not born on the road. Jesus was not late either. He was not born after the census. He was born to a couple from Nazareth, who had to travel to Bethlehem, when they arrived in Bethlehem.

Application:

Why do I labor this point? Because I love you. I want you to have peace, for God is in control.

Have Peace, for God is in Control.

We live in a time of great anxiety. I say this as one who is haunted by anxiety. I am not a naturally peaceful person. There is a deep and profound theological name for people like me… Worry warts. And we live in a time of great anxiety. Our culture preys on this. But here in this beautiful account, there is peace. God pulls back the curtain and shows us exactly how much everything is under control. Every last detail in in God’s hands. So much so that 700 years before it happens, God can say, “This will happen exactly like this.” And then it does.

This is why J.C. Ryle says, “Let us ever rest our souls on the thought, that times are in God’s hand… Let us beware of giving way to over anxiety about the course of events around us, as if we knew better than the King of kings what time relief should come.” You see, if we aren’t careful, we can worry so much about this and that. But here is peace. You are not in control, God is. Martin Luther would say to an anxious friend of his, “Cease, Philip, trying to govern the world.” I would say the same to you, and I would say the same to myself. Stop trying to govern the World. God already governs it, and He does better than you or I.

God orders all things according to His will. Caesar thought He was king of the world doing as he wished. Foolish little king. The true King was using him to do whatever He wished! Or as Psalm 33:10-12 says, “10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!” Or as Proverbs 19:21 says, “21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Or as Proverbs 16:9 says, “9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Little king Caesar was only one small pawn in the masterfully told story God is weaving together. And little king Caesar played the part of pawn exactly as God set.

Transition:

So be at peace. God is God, you and I are not. But this passage is so much beyond just this. Yes we should marvel at how God did exactly as He set out to do in the birth of Christ. We should be greatly comforted and at peace because of this. But oh it is so much more. As we will see in the Angelic Announcement.

The Angelic Announcement to the Shepherds. v. 8-21

Look with me again at verses 8-21. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom he is pleased!”

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Explanation:

There is so much here, but we start by seeing the shepherds.

The Announcement of the Angel.

And it is so interesting that God would send his announcement to Shepherds. Shepherds held a very unique status in Israel.

The status of Shepherds in Israel.

We might be tempted to think of shepherds as being well thought of in Israel. After all, God numerous times is compared to a shepherd in the Scriptures. The greatest king in Israel’s history was famously a shepherd. However, in Israel at the time of the birth of Christ, shepherds were to scum of the earth. They were the rowdy tattoo’d bluest of blue collar workers. These were the guys you wouldn’t want your daughter around. They had a rough reputation to put it lightly. In the Israeli court system of that day, a shepherd was unable to give testimony because they were “unreliable witnesses.” And yet, when God the Son is born, God the Father sends an army of angels to announce Christ’s birth to shepherds.

God Announces Christ’s Birth to the Shepherds.

Think of it. It’s getting late. The shepherds have gathered the sheep for the night, and they are bedding down. They’ve eaten their meager supper. I imagine it would have been similar to some of the images from old westerns. These rough men were probably laughing around a camp fire smoking and drinking their wine. Someone told a crude joke and they all laugh. Then this rabble is interrupted. Any who were sleeping were instantly awake and terrified. In the sky, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to them. To THEM!

What on earth was a messenger from God Almighty doing there with them? Had God heard their course jesting and come to strike them down? They are blinded by the light of the glory of this messenger. They are terrified, or as the Old KJV puts it, they were sore afraid. But they did not even have time to think. The angel from the presence of God speaks and tells them something that will leave the world itself changed forever.

Good News of Great Joy for All People.

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

The shepherds, holding their breath begin to breathe easier. God had not come to kill them, as they so obviously deserved. But what was this? Good news! Literally, the word is Gospel. Here is the gospel! A savior has been born! But this is not just a savior of kings. No, the Angel says unto you is born a savior.

Unto you is Born a Savior.

The savior was not heralded to Caesar or to Herod the king. No, the savior was announced as having come to “you” shepherds. It is to the weak and weary that Jesus came. And it is announced to the lowly and humiliated. It is to the ones seldom allowed in towns. Unto you. What awe must have broken out in the hearts of those rough men. They were the blessed chosen ones. The good shepherd had come, and He was announced to the lowest of His kindred. And who is this savior?

Christ, the Lord.

This little one, born to save the world in Christ. He is the Messiah. He is the one promised from Genesis to Malachi. He is the one everyone hoped for. He had come. But He is more. He is Christ, the Messiah, but He is also the Lord. He is God Himself. God had come to earth. And here the message, God has come down to sinners. God has come to save us. He did not come in wrath and destruction. But God Himself had come down in love as a savior.

And here is the wonder. Caesar sat in his Roman palace. Herod sat in his palace. The rulers of the earth do plot in vain, but the Lord Himself holds them in derision as Psalm 2 says. God sits in heaven and laughs, for His divine plan in un-thwarted by the puny kings who sit in mere palaces. God Himself had come. But God had not come to a palace. No, and the sign that God gives to the shepherds shows this.

God gives the Shepherds a Sign.

God gave a specific sign to the shepherds. He, through the angel of the Lord tells the shepherds that they would find the Savior, the Lord come to Earth, in a manger. God lay as a helpless, humble babe in a common feeding trough. Herod, king over Israel right now lay in a feather bed with silk sheets and gold trim. And God Himself had come. But God came to the people. And God lay in a feeding trough, padded by hay, surrounded by farm animals.

And here is the commission. God says the shepherds would find this baby there. The shepherds were not merely told this. They were expected to go. And here is the humbling part. Who were they? Who were these shepherds? Who were they to be sent to go and worship the Lord? Meager and worldly men, sent to worship the King of kings. Dirty and stinky shepherds were called into the throne room. But yet, we must ask, who are we? Who are we to be called? We too are called to come and bow before the savior. We too have the invitation to Come to Christ. And are we any better than these shepherds?

God came to these shepherds to make it painfully clear that the call goes out to all men. Come! “But Lord, I am a sinner.” Come! “But Lord, I am dirty and unwashed!” Come! “But Lord, I smell!” COME! “But Lord...” Come. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels! Now we must do as the shepherds and cry out, “Oh come let us adore Him! Oh Come let us adore Him!” But I am getting ahead of myself.

After the commission to go and find the Savior, the one angel is joined by the armies of heaven in song.

The Song of the Angels.

The sky, already bright beyond ability to see due to the glory of God is now lit up before the shepherds even further. An army, literally the host of heaven, appear and begin to say, “Glory to God in the Highest!”

God to God in the Highest.

Now did they say or did they sing? Who knows, but I believe it must have been some form of song, for it is clearly the most excellent praise that could ever be uttered! Glory! Glory to God! To God in the Highest honor be all glory! Glory to God! Glory to God in the Highest! In heaven we know the angels and the Seraphim are always crying out “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty!” And here that cry is echoed on earth, with a different chorus! Holy, yes, but Glory! Glory be to God! Yes and amen, may we too echo this cry! Glory to God! But mercy of mercies, they continue.

Peace on Earth.

“Glory to God in the highest! And on earth, peace among those with whom He is pleased.” Could there be any more comforting words? God, in His grace has favor on some of us. None of us deserve this. But for some merciful reason, He is pleased with some. And on those, there is peace. When God declares you can have peace. You can have peace.

And here, the angels vanish. And the shepherds instantly get to work. They take action.

The Action of the Shepherds.

Luke tells us they go with haste.

They go with Haste.

Their first words are “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

Hear me on this. An encounter with the presence of God always leads to obedience. Always. And the shepherds do not even question. There is no debate. The angels leave and they go, “What are we waiting for! Let’s go! Let’s go do exactly what God told us to!” This is how you know if you have encountered God. If you do what He says. So they go, in a massive hurry, and they find everything EXACTLY as God had said. There was the Savior, the Lamb of God, a helpless babe, lying in a manger. There was the blessed mother. There was the blessed adoptive father.

But the shepherds do not just see. No, they tell of what God had done.

They tell of what God had done.

They tell everyone, Joseph, Mary, and all who will listen what happened. These supposedly unreliable witnesses have been chosen by God to be the first evangelists telling the gospel to anyone who will hear. And this is the second thing that marks an encounter with God. If you have encountered God, you will tell others. The shepherds could not refrain from telling others.

The people are in awe.

And everyone who heard it was in awe. They wondered at this. How can this be? God has spoken and He spoke to shepherds! These rough and rowdy men likely told of this until they died. Bless these men. God bless them and their faithful witness. All were in wonder, but one who heard all this did something more.

Mary Treasures these things in her heart.

Mary here is said to have treasured these things in her heart. She pondered them. This to me speaks of the beauty of this woman of God. Her heart was quiet and gentle. She never forgot the shepherds. She stored them up in her heart.

The Shepherds glorify God.

Yet the shepherds do one last thing. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Here is the third marker of having encountered God. You praise Him. An encounter with God always leads to these three things. Obedience, evangelism, and praise. And the shepherds do exactly that. They obey God, they tell others, and they praise Him.

Jesus is named, According to God’s Plan.

And we close with Jesus being named. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Joseph and Mary did not give Jesus His name. He had already been named. God, His Father, named Jesus. Jesus meaning Yahweh Saves.

Argumentation:

And here is the message. Beloved, a Savior has been born.

The Birth of a Savior.

If I could leave you with anything, it would be this. If this were my last words to you, it would be these. There is a savior. He is Christ the Lord. He was born of a virgin over two thousand years ago. He came to save His people. And this is the truth, we need a savior.

The Need of a Savior.

We are all shepherds. We are all rough sinners. We are lost on our own. But praise God, He has met our need. He sent a savior. Jesus grew, and He lived the perfect life. He never once sinned. He kept the Law of God perfectly, and He did it on our behalf. He then went to the cross. He died the death we deserve. We all deserve death for our sins. But Christ, the Savior, born for us, died in our place. He payed the debt we owed. And then He rose again on the third day. He ascended to heaven and is now ruling over all. He is Lord of all.

And here is the good news. Follow the example of the shepherds. Come to Christ. If you come to Him, you will be saved. Just come. That is all. There is no work to earn it. It is free. He died for you and for me. Just come to Him and find peace. You can come to the one who died for you. You can be washed clean of all your sins. The spotless Lamb was born to bear the wrath of God for you in your place. And He lives, praying for us.

This is what we celebrate this morning. This is Christmas. Christ has come, and you may be forgiven. And indeed, we who are in Christ are forgiven. And for us, may we be like the shepherds.

Application: (Follow the Shepherd’s Example, because Christ has come.)

Jesus has come. He has forgiven us. This is Joy beyond what I could ever say. So to us, in closing I say this. Follow the example of the shepherds. This Christmas, if we have been saved, let us do these three things.

1. Obedience.

Obey God. If He is your savior, obey Him.

2. Evangelism.

Tell others. Do not keep it to yourself. Do as the shepherds and share this good news that God has come. This is the greatest story ever told, and it is completely totally true. God crafted it perfectly, share it.

3. Praise.

This morning is a celebration of joy! Joy to the World! The Savior Reigns! May we echo this! Let us pray and sing this hymn for our offering.

Offering Hymn: Joy to the World!

Offering Prayer.

Closing Benediction:

Matthew 28:18-20 “18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

I leave you with these words, because they are the hope of our lives. If I could give you any words it would be this:

Hail to the King of kings! Hail to the Lord of lords! He came and bore our sins! We are forgiven in Him! Glory to God in the Highest who made all and rules over all! Peace on Earth and peace in your hearts for Christ reigns! Christ is King. Amen and Amen, Merry Christmas.