Luke 2:1-20 Jesus’ birth

You can please open your copies of God’s Word in the book of Luke and I’m going to ask you to open it in two places. this morning chapter two, which is a ringing, as you know, we’ve been going through the Gospel of Luke, um checking out the story that Luke has regarding the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. But also I want you to open look in chapter 24. But because we are going to read not not right now, but during the sermon, we are going to read some portions of chapter 23 and 24, because there is a parallel going on here between what is going on in chapter two and what is going on in chapter 24. Some are textual in the Greek and a conceptual connections there that we are going to seem. In the meantime, as you open Luke chapter 2, remember what this has been going on here. John has excuse me, Luke has been showing us who this Christ is, and he has been using the figure of John the Baptist, his parents as the contrast with Jesus and his parents, namely, the one who is about to be born Jesus Christ is superior in all respects to anything that we have seen so far, and now we come to the birth of Jesus Christ’s proper. So if you are there with me, pleaseend to hear the reading of God’s word. We are going to consider verses one to 20th this morning. and this is God’s inerant, inspired, infallible word. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Crinius was governor of Syria, and all went to be registered, each to his own town, 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, to be registered with Mary, he is betrothed, who was with child, and while they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in swelling clothes and laid him laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. and in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over the flock by night, 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. 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, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord, and this will be a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped in swallowing clothes and laying 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 among those with whom he is pleased. when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherd 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. and they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lay in in a manger, and when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child, and all who heard that wondered at what the shepherds told them, but Mary treasured up all of these things, pondering them in her heart, and the shepherds returned to a glorifying and unpraising God for all that they had heard and seen as it had been told them. Th those far the reading of God’s word. You may be see that. So let me ask you this morning. What is good news? Or what do you consider to be good news? Let me quote an example of good news to you this morning. This is a letter from Polos Fabius Maximus. He is the he was excuse me, the proconsul of Asia around the first the time of Jesus’ birth, and reads as follows. It is really hard to tell whether the birthday of the most divine Caesar is a matter of greater pleasure or benefit. We could justly hold it to be equivalent to the beginning of all things, and she that a Caesar has given a different aspect to the whole world, which blindly would have embraced his own destruction if Caesar had not been born for the common benefit of all. In simple terms, as Caesar is god, he is the savior of the world, and the fact that the Roman empire has come should be celebrated by every one because in his birth we see a new light, a new beginning, a new age that promises peace on earth to those who belong to the empire. That was the good news that Rome preached. Now think about that, and consider now what we have just read in the scriptures. Is’t it true that this morning, with the gastolop look, is teaching us preaching to us about the birth of a better one than Caes the birth of Jesus Christ, and by the way that is our theme for this morning the birth of Jesus Christ, and you will find am my points in page four, so we will see three points this morning. It transforms the world, the birth of Jesus Christ transforms the world, second, announces good news, and third invites us to glorify God, so it transforms the world, announces good news, and then invites invites us, excuse me to glorify God. Let’s see the first part the birth of Jesus Christ transforms the world. Now I want you to allow the congregation of the Lord for a second to explain exactly what is going on here in the text, because there are many many things happening here, but I’ve been disappointed to hear many interpreters and to see many interpreters reading verses one and two and saying that verses one and two are nothing else than historical historical markers. look, they say, was concerned with giving us an orderly account, and at the mentioning of Caesar Augustus and Crinus the governor, is like grounding posts, historical posts that remind us that we are talking about real history. This is kind of like saying when Roosebald was president, such and such thing happened. President Roosevelt in that sense is given us a time frame, a historical mark to orient us in a timeline. When he was a present, this happened, and the same thing here with Caesar, they say excuse me, but but think about it is that all that there is? Ask yourself this question congregation is that all that is going on here just a mere historical marker or could it be that God’s word is actually confronting our idols, human idols, exposing them for what they are empty savior that cannot save us, and then presenting to us confronting that image with the image of the true savior that can bring freedom to us, and my my contention this morning, of course, is that the gospel of Luke is doing precisely that, and in that sense, mentioning Augustus here is not just a historical marker only, but also is exposing him as a fake idol. Now maybe you’re thinking Christian, where are you where are you getting all of that from? How did you come to that conclusion? Let me tell you that I got the conclusion from Luke, the grider of the gospel himself. in his introduction, if you go back to chapter 1 versus one and two, you will find that the gospel of Luke affirms that he has been compiling a narrative of all the things that have been accomplished among us. That little world word excuse me accomplished makes reference to everything that God has done in history. Think of it in terms of a king and his kingdom boys and girls. Jesus the king has accomplished he has conquered over something, and look the grider of the gospel is going to tell you tell us what is it that he has conquered in that sense Luke places the rulers of this world in verses one and 2 chapter 2 as examples of powers that have been already conquered they feel by Jesus the king, in what sense, though in the sense that by using human wicked powers and their evil decisions, God is actually bringing his plan to fruition. this highly exalted ruler named Caesar is actually a very puny leader ruler, who has been used by God to bring about the birth of the truly exalted king of the universe Jesus Christ. without thinking about it in other words, Caesar is moving the whole world to the senses, so in that movement the true king of the universe may be born in the place that God has decreed he will be born from ancient times. and so we see in this part do we not the doctrine of the reformed doctrine of concurses at play, namely, that Caesar decides to call these senses freely out of his own will, but this was already decreed by God that it will happen before the foundation of the world. and so in this move we can see the true God, can we not namely, our god who rules over every power and over every authority? And this ought to be a lesson for us congregation this morning. What is it? What is it that we put our hopes on? Think about it? Do we do we trust him princesses do we trust in the powers of this world? Do we trust in our economy? If the economy is doing well, then we are doing well and everything is going to be well forever. is our trust in making America great again in technology, in doctors and medicine, in self improvement, or maybe in ourselves in this or that natural medicine. See here is where scriptures confront us. We make ourselves fake gods, do we not gods that offers offer us safety, pleasures, contentment, and so on, but none of those can deliver, and when we see that, scriptures wants us to see the true god of the universe, the one who dictates, dictates history and what happens in it this amazing god who leads everything to its end that he has decreed already from the beginning, and for that he uses even the powerful of this world. not as in fact, the big contrast that we find here in the text, and the keywords that we that we see in verses for and fact, let me just read some portions of it. Joseph went up to Judea, the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary, he is betrothed, who was with child. See the rulers and the powers of this world, Caesar and Crinus and their houses are being contrasted compared with the ruler of this universe, God, who is bringing everything to fruition. he comes from a small village without importance, from a lineage that has almost disappeared already, and the point is for you to understand that this ruler that we are going to see a being delivered into this world is actually bigger and more powerful than Caesar himself bigger and powerful than anything and anyone else. This ruler, in fact, as I already said, has already conquered over Caesar over the Caesars the powers of this world. How do we know that? Well, simple, how many of you know when Gaius Octavian was born this is the Caesar that we are talking about in the text how many of you know when he was born? How many of you know that he was louder as the savior of the world and how many of you want to celebrate his birthday to day? See the glories of the Roman empire lie in ruins before us, just like the glories of any other empire or any other nation in the world. in fact, the glories of our nation, the glories of our family and lineage, or accomplishment what we have acquired, all of those at some point will lie in ruins as well congregation. but see the glory of our savior will shine for forever. There is no end to the kingdom of God on this rock that has come to crush every single kingdom of the world, our hopes lie secure, our salvation is firm. The kingdom of God will never ever end because God in Jesus Christ is the one who brings the kingdom and the one who establishes his kingdom excuse me the way this has happened, however, is unexpected, is it not is not through the use of the force is not through brute force in other words, but through the suffering of the king himself. How do we know that is the case? Luke has left us a clue here listened to verse seven. She gave birth, grabbed him in swollen clothes, and laid him in a manger. Now let’s go to chapter 23 if you still have your fingers in your Bibles and look at verse 53 of Luke chapter 23. Listen to what the scriptures is saying. then Joseph of Aririmacia took it that is Jesus’ body, took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laten in a tomb caught in a stone. See, look is using parallel language here, so we can understand that the king who was wrapped in swaddling clothes at his birth is also the king that will be wrapped in the clothes of death. The kingdom is established and sealed, in other words, by the birth and by the death of the king. The people that belong to this kingdom that is the church that is uana congregation, follow after the same pattern, self denial, suffering, and sometimes even death, and they do so because their hope, everything that they are, is not found here on earth. The treasures are not earthly treasures, their hope is in the Lord, their dwelling place is renewed is in the renewed earth that he is going to bring about, and their life, your life, my life is everlasting. think about that who can offer you that in this world and fulfill it Only Christ, the Lord. Now let’s move to our second point announces good news. that Jesus is born in a lowly state and dies the worst kind of death already marks him as a different kind of savior does it not a true savior who loves his people and gives himself for them, but looks wants to continue looking at the parallels. Now listen to this because a few years ago it was discovered an inscription, and it comes from the times of Jesus Christ himself, and reads divine Augustus Caesar, son of a god, imperator of land and sea, the benefactor and savior of the whole world. So it was announced to the whole empire that Caesar was the savior, and that as you heard already my introduction, his birth should be celebrated by every one, and we do hear similar messages to day, do we not? We just need to transplant alias and search for them because we have them we have we hear to day about the inner light that is dwelling in us that we are around saviors that we can do it all or we dream about being like ironmen do we not or Captain America we dream about having the power to control everything because we want to be the saviors because we want to be in control because we want to shape our lives in the way we want it. But compare that with what is going on in verses eight and nine and nine shepherds we hear were keeping watch over their flock by night, 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. First, not this is superi important the message does not go to the powerful. It is not a proconsul who hears the message or proclaims it either. It does not go to those like Irelandman who need no friends nor savior. he can do it all, but it goes actually to the outcast of society. to those who were considered less than every one else in those times. second, the very glory of the Lord, the shikin glory of the Lord is present here the glory that filled the temple in the old testament is now filling this field where shepherds were. Caesar would have never been present there. He hates shepherds. They are not worthy of his glory, but God does God elvisits his people and he does so because he loves his creation. he does so because he loves to come down to stoop down to us and talk to his people. This is a great comfort, isn’t it? At least it should it should be to you while people and the powerful may ignore us the Christian draws comfort from the fact that she or he is not is not ignored by their god and if God loves to listen to you, if God loves to commune with you to receive your worship when you are gathered with the people of God in the church, then we are in need of nothing else except Jesus Christ. Moreover, it is this God who exposes his glory to the humble and to the lowly, just like Eeariah had said already in his prophecy, and not to the proud, and listen to the message fear not. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people, for unto you is born this in the city of David, a savior, who is Christ the Lord, not as a great contrast once again. they layer behind is that no message is like this message. no savior is like this savior, and although the good news of the empire was only for Romans, the good news of the gospel is for every one for all peoples the message that brings salvation makes no distinctions whatsoever. Every one is welcome to hear the message. Every one is welcome to believe in the message of the gospel. and it is also the center around the song of the angels glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. See this is the purpose of the gospel congregation that God has sent his only son into the world in order to bring peace to men, so God may be glorified in that salvation. That is the center of our theology as well. We exist, we live, we work to bring glory to God. That is what God seeks. See he seeks to glorify his name, and as a benefit from that will receive peace with God. Now the Roman peace was a very patronizing. rum comes, rum kills rum rum smashes everything that there is, and then rum claims I have brought peace. Peace in that sense is simply political quietness, is it not accept us as an invader accept that you are a barbarian that you were begging us to conquer you and bow down before us, and you will be happy and we will be happy too. Sounds pretty much like a mafia, doesn’t it? Pay us so we can protect you, and then we ask protect us from what from what we will do to you if you don’t pay us. See peace like this one may offer quiet nights, but the hearts of the people are still restless. It may grant socialist ability, but eternity is still our enemy. The peace that God brings in Jesus Christ is entirely different, is it not? It is peace that knows there is no condemnation for you in Jesus Christ. It is peace that accompanies you to death and beyond. It is peace that reminds you ah with with that remains excuse me with you, even when the world around you is tumultuous. This is why the gospel is good news. The world around you, congregation of the Lord, the world around you may be falling into pieces right now life right now may not make sense to you. chaos may be your breakfast every single day. but the peace of goddess is still there with you, reminding you that this is not the end that Est still awaits for you something better a better country that you are looking for and what is that something better? Here look is again teaching us the gospel, and in fact the better nature of its message look at verse 15. 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. so what does this verse mean? Why would I say that Luke is actually teaching us the better nature of the gospel here? Let me answer for you there are two reasons for saying that first, because the gospel does not end with the dead of Jesus a big part of it is also the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. How come? Well again ah let’s see the other parallel and look in chapter 24 verse 1 if you can, please open your Bibles in chapter 24 verse 1. here here we read, but on the first day of the week at early dawn, we should understand that while it was still dark, they went out to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. See here is a verable excuse me a a word connection and conceptual connection between chapter 2 and chapter 24 as at Jesus’ birth, outcasts are visited by angels, and upon them they have an invitation to see baby Jesus at Jesus is dead outcasts woman go to see Jesus tomb, only to be greeted by angels once again. in both cases, birth, resurrection are linked. The mission of Jesus, in other words, does not end with him in his birth, nor with his dead either. it ends with his resurrection. The only reason why we know that is is because the baby that we are seeing here in the manger didn’t estay being aute little baby. He grew, he lived perfectly he died, but he also rose again and in Jesus these are the good news you will rise again from the dead. something that no other savior wanabe can tell you. Moreover, the effects of the gospel are palpable, are they not? you and I with the shepherds have also come this morning to see this Jesus who has been born. We have been called by the preaching of the word, and in the preaching we have also discovered this Jesus who is better than anything that the world has to offer. Our hearts have believed, our lives have experienced it, but then so what? right I mean the textual parallels are really cool and really cool to discover, but what is the application, Christian? What is the value for us to day and now well, for that we need to go to our third point. It invites us to glorify God. look at verses 16 and 17 and they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger, and when they saw it, they made known the same that had been told to them concerning this child. See, this is how a real king looks like, not from our perspective, but from God’s perspective, and there is a reason for that contrary to the promises of this world, the promises of God are reliable, he fulfills his promises. See Rome had offered a new age peace on earth, prosperity, and so on, but that never came in the sixties I don’t know how many of you remembered that, but there was a rumor going around the minds of the hippies. ah the planets were getting ready the signs were everywhere. the age of Aquarius was coming. a new era of peace and prosperity a golden age in which everyone will be happy forever. That never happened, and a few years ago, a scientist boldly announced that with time science will be able to conquer death. science will will be able to conquer other planets, so even if our planet is dying, we will be able to travel to other planets and have a conquering lives because we will colonize it and we will live forever. and on on a less philosophical ground, some big companies cannot stop telling us that with their products, life will be easier better that you should expect more. right they fill your minds and my mind with images of happy people, happy children running and laughing and enjoying their gifts. Hallmark movies have programmed our brains to think that love and marriage is something that is only romantic, and many put their hopes to find exactly that kind of romance, and then when that when when they find out that that is not true is a disaster. All of these are no more than fleeting promises ideas that are lies, promises that are empty, golden ages that we have not seen and we will never seen. all of them lies of fale fake saviors. Contrary to these, the shepherds went, the shepherds saw the shepherds discovered that the lord god does not fail to his promises. sounds like Caesar right bid bi bitchy. I saw I conquered ah at night I came I conquered I came I saw I conquer sorry He has indeed given a child to the world that is God. He is indeed the king, the sailior of this world, and and his message is far superior. So let me ask you this morning congregation Have you seen that Saviour? Have you come with the shepherds and have you beheld the glory of the Christ? See looking is mo look excuse me is moving the shepherds, but in moving the shepherds he is also moving us. He wants us to come before his presence. He wants us to witness what the gospel has to offer. It is not like anything else that you will find out there. This thing that look is bidding us to contemplate is the beginning of a new age already. Here we contemplate the savior of the world, the beginning of the kingdom of God, the redemption of humanity. The true son of righteousness has indeed d done upon those who dwell in darkness. If you remember that from Zechariah’s prophecy ah in chapter 1, and that, by the way, that includes you and I because we congregation, we were those dwellers of darkness, we were those who were in need of the sun of righteousness dawning upon us, and that is exactly what the Lord or God has provided for us in Jesus Christ. but again, if you have been followed me, that doesn’t answer the question, does it? So what? So what do we do now? What is the application? First, the application is that you need to believe that you need to come to Christ and believe once again, but there is also a second application, look versus 18 to 20, and all who heard that wondered at what the shepherds told them, but Mary, she thasured up all of these things pondering them in her heart, and the shepherds returned glorifying and and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as they have been told them see what the shepherds are doing here in light of the salvation that they have discovered and found in Jesus Christ, the response is twofold. They speak about it to every one that they encounter, and then they praise and worship God for that salvation. Now you can say, well, Christian, that’s only for the shepherds that’s not for me. Again, it is for you, and let me show you why it is for you because look and his parallels, so interesting as they are, ah, they are helpful as well chapter 24 verse 9 after the woman saw the angels and see the empty tomb, let me read it to you they return from the tomb, they told all these things to the 11 and to all the rest. So see in both instances, we the readers are invited to follow after the shepherds and to follow after the woman. We are to consider the message of the gospel to consider what Jesus has done for us already, and then we are to share it with those we are close with with those who engage with us. Why? Because the gospel news are too good to ignore. The gospel news are too good not to share them. What news, though the news of the true king of the world, the true savior of the world these news that talk to you not about the new product that will stop you from aging whatever that is a cream a beverage or that new organic plant or or beverage that will make your ball body feel well, nor the news of this financial formula that will make you rich in less than a month. No, the good news of God who leads history from the beginning to its intended end of this God, who, although high unexalted, entirely different from us, stooped down to earth, made himself like one of us, was born out of a virgin girl in order to die in this cruel cross for you, but then rose again and has begun his kingdom already. This Jesus congregation rules the universe right now this Jesus will be with you until the end of the world, and this Jesus one day will come back. Only then eternity, this real golden age will begin, and we will enjoy his presence forever. That is what we celebrate at Christmas truly, to use the words of of of the proconsul of Asia, truly, without Jesus, the universe would have fallen into chaos. Truly, without Jesus, there would be no salvation. Let us sink to the savior congregation, let us share the good news with others. let us rejoice and fine peace in our salvation. Let’s pray. Thank you heavenly father for the true savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has come to bring salvation, and has indeed redeemed the people to himself. Father help us not to be quiet about it help us to share the good news of the gospel with our little ones who belong to our family to raise them in the fear of the gospel help us to share it with our neighbors those who are our friends, so we rejoice in ah being participants of your kingdom. And lord, as we ah meditate and anticipate the celebration of your incarnation, help us to renew in our hearts once again our faith, so we may cling to you again in Jesus name we pray Amen.