Christmas 2012 Part 4 The Birth

Luke 2:6-7 “While they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth to her baby. 7 Her first son was born. She put cloth around Him and laid Him in a place where cattle are fed.”

We have looked so far at The Impossible Conception, The Improbable Journey, and The Impractical Arrival.

Now this time we want to explore The Incredible Birth.

First,

His arrival was discreet

There was no fanfare.

No trumpets sounding, no flags waving, no pomp and splendor as there would normally be to herald the arrival of someone important.

There were no “whose who’s” there to greet him—no royalty to welcome him, no Roman representative present to greet the King of all Creation.

In fact, it was the opposite.

Only Joseph was there, surrounded by barnyard animals.

The picture presented is almost absurd.

The surroundings don’t fit the importance of the event.

Not only is Jesus not greeted, welcomed, heralded, or acclaimed.

He is born in a dark, somewhat dingy, shabby, dirty, and uninviting place.

It is the humblest of surroundings one can imagine for the One to be born Who Scripture says, “…was with God in the beginning. 3 He made all things. Nothing was made without Him making it. 4 Life began by Him.” (John 1:2-4)

The birth of Jesus is described another way in Philippians 2:

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

But why the lack of fanfare?

Why the humble surroundings?

Why the cold, dark, dirty, lonely context?

I want to make the suggestion that it was all on purpose.

That God ordered it that way to tell us something.

Are the surroundings in which Jesus was born not a picture of the human heart?

When we turn to him and experience His forgiveness, His salvation, and His grace, does He not come into our hearts?

Do we not experience, essentially, His being born within us?

The Bible promises those who come to Him:

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (Ezek.36:26)

This is what Jesus meant when He said:

“You must be born again to see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:7)

When we are born again, Jesus is born in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our hearts are the manger where He is born!

We are changed immediately, “If any man be in Christ…” (2 Cor. 5:17)

Now, let me show you how our hearts resemble the manger Jesus was first born in:

The manger was cold

In a real stable in wintertime there is a damp sort of cold that chills you to the bones.

The only heat available is the body heat of the animals.

And did you know the Bible predicts that in the last days men’s hearts will be so cold that it’s chilling? (no pun intended)

The Bible warns that men shall be “without natural affection” having no natural love even for family members.

Cold, emotionless, uncompassionate hearts will characterize people before Christ returns.

But the good news is when a person is saved, Scripture says “The love of God is poured onto our hearts by the Holy Ghost” (Ro.5:5).

So, the manger was cold.

The stable was also dark

The only light behind the Bethlehem Inn was perhaps a few candles and the light of the moon and stars.

It was essentially dark, and so are our hearts before Christ comes into them.

The Bible says the heart is dark due to sin:

Jer.17:9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”

When the Lord was talking about why some people reject Him, He said:

John 3:19-20 “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”

The human heart without Christ is dark because of its preference for sin.

But when Jesus is born into a person’s heart, He fills it with light!

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).

But next we see that:

The manger was also dirty

A real stable is full of mud, manure, dust and cobwebs and it smells like must and mold.

In the summer there are flies, spiders and other insects, and birds nesting in the rafters.

There's no such thing as a clean, hygienic manger:

A real manger is cold, dark and dirty.

Likewise, Jesus said of the heart:

Mark 7:21 “For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you” (or make you dirty).

And yet Jesus was born is such a place, and today He is still born in the manger of the human heart!

The manger was cold, dark, and dirty.

And finally:

The manger was lonely

As already mentioned, nothing was there to greet the anxious couple but a few animals and the starry sky.

Everyone else was inside the hotel.

All the laughter and mirth, all the fellowship and joy were elsewhere.

And it is the same with the human heart before Jesus comes into it.

We live in a culture where communication options are more numerous than at any time in history.

Emails, texting, tweeting, phone, internet, Facebook, and on the communication options go.

We can instantly access anyone anywhere in the world and yet we are desperately lonely just the same.

I read recently of people who go to malls just to be approached by a salesperson so they can talk to someone.

Listen to some of the things lonely people have written in blogs:

“I hardly have any friends. I’m spending my days in my room on the computer. I know that’s not great but it beats being lonely.”

Another wrote:

“I have some acquaintances but nobody close to me. Other people seem to have people to call up to do things. I don’t. What’s wrong with me?”

And another writes:

“I can’t find people who seem like they might be good friends to have. How can I find people I can connect with?”

“Why can’t I find a relationship?” Complained one young adult. “People tell me I’m attractive. I know lots of people on a surface level. But I don’t have friends like other people do, I guess.”

If you recognize yourself in any of those statements, you’re not alone.

In a world full of people, there are many who can’t seem to find friends or make relationships that last.

But I think the loneliness problem is deeper than that.

I have observed that you can be alone without being lonely.

But it’s also true that you can be surrounded by people and still experience the dull ache of loneliness.

I believe part of the problem is that we were all born with a God-shaped hole in our hearts.

And until that hole is filled, something in us will be lonely.

We might call it “lonely for home.”

HOMING PIGEONS

One of the great mysteries of nature is the Homing Pigeon.

Even though technologies like computers, phones, internet, etc. are mysteries to most, there are always people who understand how they work.

But to this day no one fully understands how a homing pigeon can be released over one thousand miles from home and still fly straight back to its nest.

Within that pigeon is a “homing device” that God put there.

And I believe he has also placed a “homing device” inside of every human being that causes that person to long to return to God.

We may not understand what we’re looking for, but seekers we all are.

Augustine said it best, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.”

And this is why the heart can be lonely, even when surrounded by people.

But unfortunately, we’re not as good as the homing pigeon in flying straight back into a relationship with Him.

We hit and miss, usually searching for Him in all the wrong places.

We grasp at counterfeits, we embrace illusions, we experiment with various options.

When people take that drink, abuse those drugs, engage in relationship after illicit relationship, they are really looking for home, for God.

The good news is that, In Jesus, God has taken the initiative to seek out the sinner, to bring the lost back home again.

Jesus was sent to that manger in a rescue mission of mercy!

The true message of Christmas is that Jesus was born in a manger because He would always be born in the manger of human hearts.

Every time Jesus comes into a person’s heart, he is born in the manger.

The miracle of Christmas – the real miracle – is that Jesus is willing to be born into hearts like ours!

Jesus ALWAYS meets us at the manger.

No matter how cold your heart is, Jesus is willing to be born there.

No matter how dark your heart is, Jesus is willing to be born there.

No matter dirty your heart is, or how sinful your life has been, Jesus is willing to come in, enter and cleanse your heart.

No matter how lonely you feel, you can find home again by Jesus coming into your heart!

All we need to do on our part is confess that we need him, and invite him to come into our hearts and lives.

When we do that, the wonderful miracle of that first Christmas is repeated all over again:

Jesus is born again in the manger of our hearts.

The Bible says in 1 John 1: 8-9…

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

All you have to do is confess your need and INVITE him to come in, and Jesus will be born in your heart this day!

Jesus said in Rev 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”