Luke 2 - The Miraculous Birth
Notes
Transcript
The year was 1932, Wrigley Field in Chicago.
The New York Yankees was taking on the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the World Series.
In the 5th inning the game was tied 4-4, Babe Ruth stepped up to the plate.
There was growing animosity between the two teams, so the ballfields were tense.
Babe Ruth took a strike the from the pitcher, Charlie Root.
Ruth infamously takes his bat and points to the score board, signalling where he was going to smash the ball.
Babe Ruth called his shot.
In Genesis 3, we get a similar image of God calling His shot.
Adam and Eve had sinned and then the whole world was in rebellion against God.
This was the turning point in history.
God had pronounced curses on Adam, Eve, and the serpent.
But He gave them all a promise as God spoke to the serpent.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
This is the first proclamation of the gospel.
The world He created just rebelled against Him and He responds with a patient promise.
God called His shot: There will be a Savior.
He will bruise your head and you will bruise His heal.
God told the devil that the Savior to come would crush his head.
This is a fatal wound.
The chaos and brokenness that sin caused, would be absolutely destroyed by the one whom God promised to send.
You may crush His heal, but He will crush your head.
We’ll get into more of this next week.
All the way through the Old Testament, we see God working and preparing history for this promise to be fulfilled.
The Lord had given glimpses of this promise and what they would become, but then an angel showed up to a teenage girl named Mary.
Though she was a virgin, Mary would conceive in her womb without the assistance of her future husband (because you know… babies), and then she’d bear a son—The Son of the Most High.
God was going to use a seemingly insignificant virgin girl in a little, no-where town to fulfill the promise He made in Genesis 3.
There were many miraculous births in the Bible, but this was the...
Big Idea: The Miraculous Birth
Big Idea: The Miraculous Birth
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1 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.
Leader: This is God’s Word
Everyone: Thanks be to God
Historical Context
Under Augustus, the Roman republic became the Roman Empire.
The mention of Octavian conjures up the authority and power of the Roman Empire.
Caesar Augustus called for the known world to be registered.
He’s looking to introduce a widespread taxation program and advance military operations.
The census was to give Augustus more power.
But God used Gus’s tactics to fulfill a promise He had made to a little town in Judea.
Micah 5:2 “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.”
Jesus’s birth was no happenstance. It was an absolute sovereign work of God.
God called His shot and made a promise
Now He was going to do it.
The world was waiting for this military-like Savior to come and kick the trash out of the Roman Empire
Instead, God sent His Son, not in the world’s nobility and status, but in humility.
Jesus was born in a place where no one was looking.
No one planned to find God in Bethlehem.
This was The miracle that God was going to perform to fulfill His promise to the world, that promise being to send a Savior.
Now looking at this baby lying in a pig trough, was here.
The One everyone had waited for was here.
The One everyone had waited for was here.
While all of this was going on in a barn out back, something else was happening in a field nearby.
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.”
Shepherds were near the bottom of the social ladder
We tend to romanticize them, but they were uneducated, unskilled, and smelled like sheep.
They were considered outcasts and did not fit in anywhere.
They were dissed by the Pharisees because sheep-tending was a 7day/week job.
They were rarely in the temple.
These were not the guys people would choose to declare the birth of the Messiah.
The entire story of Jesus’s birth proclaims the mystery of God’s grace.
Nothing about the birth of Jesus screams “nobility” or “glorious.”
When the President comes to town, major news outlets cover that.
Not nightshift shepherds
These were the least-likely candidates to receive the announcement of the King of Glory.
Using them, God is making crystal clear to what kind of people the good news of Jesus comes.
Lowly, unworthy, outcasts.
The King did not come to the proud and powerful, rather the poor and powerless.
Jesus wasn’t surrounded by royal, rich, and famous.
He wasn’t welcome into the world by leaders.
He was welcomed by famers.
They worked in shifts, taking turns to watch over their flocks to fight off wolves and other predators.
They were not expecting to be met by an angel, but that angel came bearing a message (vv. 10-11)
The angel’s news resonated the prophesy in Isaiah 9, that a child would be born
Isaiah 9:6 “6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
A Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
The promise they had waited on since Genesis 3:15, was now here.
This was “good news of great joy for all the people!”
These words were not only spoken to the shepherds, but to us.
Church, this means
There is good news for us!
There is good news for us!
The Savior of the world came to bring peace with God!
We were far off, at odds with God.
We were without hope, and dead in our sins.
But the angel came, bringing us good news!
This news brings intense joy!
This is news to sing about!
Look at the angel’s song!
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!”
A multitude is not 50, 150, or even 1,500—This was beyond count.
I’m sure that every one of God’s angels was there because this was the most amazing thing to happen in the entire universe.
Angels spanning from horizon to horizon, singing the excellencies and glories of an amazing Savior!
This is a cosmic song!
This is what we join into when we sing during Worship
All of creation joins into this joyful song at the most important moment in history—The birth of the God-man, the Savior of the world.
Though the angels play a huge role in the Christmas narrative, we have the best part because we’re the ones He came to save!
We’re the recipients of God’s grace!
God did not become an angel to save angels.
God became man to redeem man.
He came to redeem us from our sin!
This good news should lead us to sing year-round of the grace and mercy of God that was shown to us!
God has made a way for us to be forgiven!
This is news that should lead us to respond with faith and joy!
The shepherds were so amazed by this sight, and they responded accordingly.
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.
“Let’s go see ‘em!”
This was an active faith!
They received the good news preached by the angels, and responded with faith and sprinting!
“They went with haste” = Pronto; Running like they were Derby Horses/their pants were on fire.
When they got to Mary, and saw the everything the angel told them they’d see, these brothers started preaching.
It wasn’t enough to saw, “Aww, what a cute baby. What a lovely scene.”
They exploded with joy, telling everyone what had happened.
Not only was Jesus born in Bethlehem, but Jesus was born in them!
Gospel presentation
They were so overcome by joy, not because the sight of a cute baby.
It was at the sight of their Savior being born.
Jesus could be born 1,000 times in Bethlehem, but if He is not born within you, you’ll be eternally lost.
If you’re here and you’re not a Christian, the Savior who was born must be born into your heart, not just in a manger
A commentator said, “Religious sentiment, even at Christmastime, without the living Christ is a yellow brick road to darkness.”
Put out Christmas lights, nativities
If He isn’t born within you, you’re still in the dark
This is the big idea of this passage.
The real Savior, Jesus, was born into the world. He lived as a man so that He would be the perfect sacrifice for our sin.
He died the death to take our sins away from us.
He was resurrected to give us eternal life.
That real Savior lives and is seated at the right hand of God, giving you grace and mercy.
Offering you salvation through faith in His name.
That baby in the manger was God’s Son, and He demands our complete allegiance.
Will you yield your life to this Jesus?
This salvation was granted to the shepherds and they couldn’t help but share the story of Jesus.
And this is the same response the incarnation of Jesus should lead us to.
Church, this should lead us to
Share the Hope of Jesus
Share the Hope of Jesus
There has never been greater news than what we have.
God is with us!
God made a promise, called His shot, and has come to save His people from their sins!
There are people in your life that have never received this good news.
The eternal Son of God has come to save people from their sins.
Back to the World Series in 1932
Ruth took a strike two, and called his shot again.
Charlie root throws a curveball, which Babe Ruth smashed into the deepest part of the field for a 490ft home run.
The Yankees won that game 7-5, and swept the Cubs in the World Series.
God had called His shot
There would be a Savior.
He would crush the head of the serpent; the serpent would bruise His heal (we’ll talk more on this next week)
There are people in your life that have never received this good news.
They can be saved from their sins through Jesus!
Only through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ will anyone ever be made right with God.
Who do you know that celebrates Christmas, but doesn’t know Jesus?
Who do you know that doesn’t know the true joy that comes from knowing Him?
Who can you share the real Christmas story that brings hope of salvation?