The Fulfillment of Christmas

Introduction

If you were not with us last Sunday we looked at the Promise of Christmas and this Sunday we are talking about the Fulfillment of Christmas. And our goal is to get a better grasp on all that is happening in the Christmas story. To appreciate more fully what the incarnation of Jesus actually means for us.

Because we get used to amazing things all the time and regard them as ordinary and we don’t want to do this with Christmas. Let me ask you a question.

Do you guys like Christmas sweaters?

My favorite Christmas sweater of all time is a riff off of Home Alone and it says, “Merry Christmas you filthy animal.”

The line comes from a movie within a movie. In Home Alone they filmed a gangster movie scene called Angels with Filthy Souls.

In the gangster movie Johnny pumps Snakes “full of lead” when Snakes asks him for 10% of some haul of money. And afterward Johnny delivers the line

“Keep the change you filthy animal.”

And then some genius adapted for a Christmas sweater.

I love it because it hits all the marks for me: macabre sense of humor, 90’s nostalgia, and just an upgrade on the greeting Merry Christmas.

And I’m not just trying to be funny here. I really think that the “filthy animal” addition is an improvement on the seasons greetings.

Because it acknowledges a truth of the Christmas story that we often don’t focus on.

We like Christmas to be polished and clean.

But the fact is that there is a reason for Christmas. A reason that the Son of God took on flesh. A reason that he died on the cross.

And friends the reason is that the human race is in rebellion against God and dead in their sins—metaphorically “we’re a bunch of filthy animals” in regards to our sin and death.

And in preparation for Christmas Day I want us to dwell here for a little while. You may have heard me say, that the good news of the gospel is not good news unless you are aware of the bad news first.

Last Sunday we traced the glorious promise of the incarnation from Genesis 3:15 to the manger. And this morning I want us to think through two key moments in the life of Christ and see what they say about our need and about Christ’s glory.

The Manger of Jesus

Last week we ended gazing into the manger where we laid our eyes on the Lord. On the long awaited promise—the wounded victor who would come and crush the serpent and his work. And we rejoiced in the glory of God.

But I don’t want us to miss what our Lord is lying in. The focus certainly is Jesus but the manager does comunicate something to us. Look with me at Luke 2:6-7

Luke 2:6–7 ESV

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 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.

Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem because Caesar Augustus ordered an empire wide census requiring everyone to return to their hometown to be counted.

And sovereignly while they were there Mary went into labor.

And if we look at what Micah prophesied we see that this was no coincidence.

Micah 5:2 “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.”

Even though Josepth and Mary lived in Nazareth—the sovereignty of God made sure that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

And John Piper points out that if God moves an empire so that His Son would be born in the place that was prophesied then the manger that he was laid in was no mistake.

So what does the manger communicate to us? What is God saying by placing the perfect Son in a feeding trough for animals?

The Necessity of the Manger Highlights the Sinfulness of Man.

Why were Joseph and Mary in a barn? Why was Jesus laid in a manger in the first place? Our text says because “there was no place for them in the inn”.

And here is where a little biblical study is helpful in seeing exactly what is happening here.

Hospitality has always been a hallmark of the Jewish faith.

The Talmud—a Jewish commentary on the scriptures—says things like, “welcoming guests is greater than welcoming the Divine Presence”

In commenting on Abraham’s hospitality to the visitors in Genesis 18 the point is made that Abraham is standing in the middle opening of his tent in the hot part of the day because he was looking for travelers to bless.

In speaking about Jerusalem and the hospitatlity of the Jews there, it is quoted saying, “No person ever remarked to another, ‘Jerusalem is too crowded for me to be able to stay over there.”

As Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus approach Bethlehem they find no hospitality. There is no one welcoming them.

And our text uses the word “Inn” and a slew of Christmas plays and movies depict Joseph and Mary being turned away from the local hotel after hotel frantically searching for a place to stay.

But in reality it’s doubtful there was an Inn at all. Bethlehem was a small town and was not a destination.

But the best piece of evidence pointing to this fact is the use of the Greek word elsewhere in the Bible.

The Greek Word for Inn in Luke 2:7 is (kataluma).

This word is used in Luke 22:11 and Mark 14:14. Let’s look at those texts:

Luke 22:11 “and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’”

Mark 14:14 “and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’”

Kataluma is best understood as “guest room”. A room within someone’s home. And with this the picture of what is happening in Bethlehem is fleshed out even more.

Joseph and Mary head back to Joseph’s hometown. Where all his family is from. Many of his relatives would be living in Bethlehem still. And in Joseph’s hometown—a place filled with the houses of his people— there is no guest room that will receive them.

Even as an infant the words of Jesus were true. “Foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

And we might be generous and assume that there was no room: but friends I have housed 20 people in my house before and I can tell you there is always a space of floor, couch or closet to stick someone in. Especially if they are pregnant.

It wasn’t that there was no room, it’s that there was no room for them.

There was no room for foolish Joseph and his adulterous wife.

The depravity of humanity is on display in Bethlehem in the Christmas Story. A pregnant woman is in need. A family needs a place to stay and to birth their child. But they are turned away by the pride and judgment of sinful humanity.

The savior is already experiencing the brokenness that he came to redeem us from.

Here in Bethlehem is the savior of the world—the long awaited messiah—he left the throne room of Heaven and was received in an animal barn. He was worshipped by Shepherds and angels as he lay in a dirty feeding trough made for slobbering animals. The very people he came to save turned him away. Something he would experience again and again on his way to the cross.

And this morning a week away from Christmas let you and I understand the the wickedness displayed in Bethlehem has lived in you and I as well.

We have all fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 says so. And the testimony of our lives proves it. Just like those in Bethlehem you and I are in desperate need of a savior—someone to redeem us from our sin and brokeness.

The birth of Jesus in the manger is a clarion call that humanity needs redemption. And this is still true today.

And this shows us the second thing the manger communicates to us as well. The manger communicates to us...

2. The Humility of Christ.

It communicates to us the beauty of our savior. It communicates the love he has for His people.

Because Jesus—God the Son—lowered himself to save us. Look with me at Philippians 2:6-8

Philippians 2:6-8 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

At the birth of Christ heaven rejoiced. When the shepherds are told about Jesus and where to find Him all of Heaven bursts out in worship of God.

The shocking reality of Christmas is that God himself came to be one of us so that we could be saved.

God became man.

And I’m confident that we can’t grasp this fully. I know that when we see the glory of God without limitation we will understand the immensity of the incarnation and we will worship. But let’s try to grasp at the edges of it at least.

God is the creator of all things. God is the sustainer of all things. He is the supreme being, the ruler of all that is.

He is the self-existent One who is perfect in power, goodness, and wisdom.

He is just and holy.

He is the highest good, the highest King, the premier One of all existense.

All worship is due Him. All respect is due Him. All fear is due Him.

Every breath of every living creature is owed to Him as praise.

And He is worthy of this praise. He is worthy of all praise and glory.

Every breath of praise given to him—falls short of his value—but is rightly due him.

He is love. And beauty. And majesty.

Think your very best thoughts about God and know that these thoughts please Him, but know that they fall woefully short of estimating His true worth.

God himself came to us—and though he was worthy of a royal crib in a warm palace with the world bowing before Him he came to a humble barn and laid in a humble manger and was worshipped by humble shepherds.

God lowered himself greatly because He loves His people greatly!

We make a grave mistake if we think about the Christmas story as if it had to happen. As if God had no choice but to cast his love on us.

Friends, know this morning that Christ is a true gift because we were not owed him.

God did not have to rescue us. If every person that ever existed was born and then went to Hell that would not have hurt the goodness or justice of God at all. Every person would have only received what was due them becuase of their sin.

But God rescues sinners from what is due them and gives them his own Son not because he has to, but because He wants to. Because He loves you.

Transition: The manger shows us the depravity of humans and the goodness of God. Jesus would grow from a baby to a man. He would fulfill all that holy scripture prophesied about Him. He performed miracles—healing the sick, casting out demons, and feeding the crowds. He raised the dead to life—he did all of this in perfection never sinning once.

He is our spotless lamb. He was betrayed by Judas and abandoned by the disciples. He was silent before his accusers. And though he could have commanded legions of angels to met out righteous judgment he endured the wicked judgment of sinful men.

Can you imagine? The true, just judge—the true eternal king submitting himself to a kangaroo court?

He endured the whip that ripped his body to pieces. He endured the spit and slapping of the very ones he came to save. He endurened the nails in his hands and feet. He endured the weight of his own body suffocating him as he hung on the cross.

And so now in this Christmas story we come to the cross of Jesus Christ.

The Cross of Jesus

And we will see again the great need of man to be rescued and the glory of God on display.

And there is no better picture of our need for rescue and His glory than the cross of Jesus.

It’s on the cross Jesus in the manger fulfillls his purpose for becoming one of us.

All of his life was leading to the cross where He would atone for the sins of His people.

Let’s look at Colossians 1:19-20

Colossians 1:19–20 ESV

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

It is on the cross that God reconciles sinners to himself making peace by the blood of the cross.

On the cross Jesus died—not becasue he was a sinner—but because we are.

It was my sin and your sin that held him there.

The pharisees mocked him and told him to prove He was the Son of God by removing himself from the cross.

But His love for us held him there.

Even as he was being mocked he calls for the Father to forgive the ones who are mocking him in his death. His love for his people held Him there.

Ephesians 2:16-17 “and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.”

The cross preaches peace to us while highlighting our lack of peace with God.

We need peace and we only have peace between us and God if Jesus took the wrath of God that was due to us.

Jesus didn’t just die on the cross—he received the wrath of Holy God against sinners.

The physical pain of the cross was awful. And Jesus’ human body felt every moment of it—but by far the worst part of the cross was Jesus receiving the just wrath of God for our sins.

Jesus had never known separation from God. Jesus being God himself has always known perfect relationship within the Godhead. But on the cross the Father treated Christ as though he were a sinner—because he bore our sins upon his own soul. And God dispensed all the wrath that we deserved onto Christ.

In Matthew 27, at this moment Matthew records Christ crying out in a loud voice, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

Isaiah 53:4-5 illustrates this further what is happening here at this moment on the cross.

Isaiah 53:4–5 ESV

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

In that moment on the cross when he bore our griefs, when he carried our sorrows, when he was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities our chastisement was upon him and it brought us peace. By his wounds we were healed.

And this is the greatest news of Christmas, friends. Because

Without Christ every person will experience what Christ experienced on the cross. The judgment of God for sin. But for all those who are found in Christ they will never experience this because Christ has taken punishment and wrath for them.

This is the true gift of Christmas, friends.

Christmas is not primarily about perfectly wrapped presents, family gatherings, and Christmas dinner.

It is primarily about a bloody cross and the God-Man who died on it. It is about the forgiveness of sins and how the cross of Jesus kills all hostility between holy God and sinful man—for those who are covered by his blood.

The anguish of Christ on the cross speaks both to our great need and his great glory.

Just as the manger was no mistake—every trial of Christ was sovereignly planned as well. It was not by mistake that the death of Jesus was so horrible.

The events of Christ’ death cry out to us—that our sin is far more grave—far more serious than we think of it.

When we read the events of the life of Christ we should understand that Jesus didn’t just come but he came in our place.

When Jesus was struck that was meant for me. When he was whipped my sin earned that for me. When he was pained on the cross—I am the one who should have received the shame of the cross and he received it in my place.

And when the wrath of God was poured out on Him—it should be me facing the righteousness of God and taking account for my sin.

As we read the pages of scripture in the life of Christ we should understand that all the ill that fell on him was really due us.

But Ephesians 2:4-5 is true

Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

And here we see again the great glory of Christ. The bloody, rugged cross is a reminder of our sin, but it is also a great reminder of the glory of God in his great love for sinners.

God is rich in mercy. God is active in love. God is the great promise keeper who will by no means default on his promise to rescue his people by sending the messiah.

Friends, the wounded victor has come! He has crushed the head of the serpent and was wounded in the process but he was not killed.

He rose again! And with Paul we exclaim

1 Corinthians 15:55 ESV

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

In Christ is the victory and in Christ death has lost its sting. And for all those who come to Him they are forgiven by his life and blood substituted for their own.

My big question this morning for you and I—for those listening online—have you received the true gift of Christmas? Have you received salavation in Christ. Have you humbled yourself before our humble servant king and sought the forgiveness of your sins in Him?

Christ has done the work—has fulfilled the promise given long ago to weary sinners. Will you come and receive him?

This is a true call for you today.

And if you feel the Holy Spirit prodding you don’t delay. Come and receive what is yours in Christ.

Conclusion

At Christmas both the manger and the cross remind us of Christ’s coming.

And both the manger and the cross remind us of the reason that Christ came.

The savior came because we have a great need for salvation. We never would have made our way to God and so he made a way for us.

This is the most glorious news that you will ever hear in your entire life.

So this Christmas as you are facing the week ahead—enjoy all the merriment—enjoy the parties, and presents, and food and family—but let your joy be driven by the truth that you are a great sinner but God is a greater savior.

Merry Christmas ya filthy animals. Let’s pray.