Christmas Eve (3)

Introduction:

Luke 2:1–20 NIV

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Point 1: God has everything under control.

When we read this familiar passage, it seems like at first glance that God’s plan was not going as planned.

The angel announced to Mary and Joseph that they were about to have a baby.

After that announcement at some point, Mary and Joseph are forced to travel about 90 miles from Nazareth in the north down to Bethlehem in the south for a census.

Since there were so many traveling at that time, they got to Bethlehem and there was no room for them to stay so they had to stay in a barn.

After being there for some time Mary gives birth to her son in a barn, wraps Him in clothes, and places Him in a manger (Or feeding trough).

How many of you can say that things in your life has not always seemed to go as planned?

I want to tell you that even if things don’t seem to make sense to us or are not happening the way we think they should, God is in control.

As I was preparing this I was thinking about the fact that there was no room for them in the inn.

We know that God is all-powerful and all-knowing so surely HE could have made sure there was room for jesus to be born at a better location.

Just in our life, God did some amazing things for us to be here at the church and for us to be able to buy the house where we are at.

If He could do it for us today surely HE could have done it then too.

God’s plan was not falling apart but falling into place.

I already knew where I wanted to go tonight with my sermon and Kathy Herr came up to me this morning after service to give me a poem that her Grandmother had written years ago.

I read it and it really lines up with this, so I want to read it.

Read the poem.

Where else would a lamb be born?

The bible refers to Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

In the Old Testament during the last plague sent upon Egypt to release the Israelites, God sent a death angel through the land to kill the firstborn.

There had to be a distinction between the people of God and the Egyptians, so God had the people sacrifice a lamb and place the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of the house so that death would not enter.

The lamb sacrificed could not be any lamb but one that was perfect.

It had to be a male and without defect.

The Israelites were required to continue to celebrate the Passover to remember what God did that day.

When the priests would choose a lamb that was their best, they would then wrap that lamb in clothes and place it in a manger or feeding trough to prevent it from injury.

I’m not a farmer, but I would wager to guess that lambs are most likely born in barns and not in homes or hotels.

The fact that Jesus, the Lamb of God, had to be born in a barn and placed in a manger is only fitting and fulfills scripture.

God’s plan for us is not falling apart but falling into place.

I’m sure that when the angel made the announcement to the shepherds in the fields, “This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger”, they probably had an idea of what was happening.

This was good news of great joy for all people.

What we are celebrating is not just the birth of a normal baby thousands of years ago, but we are celebrating the greatest birth and miracle ever to take place—the birth of our messiah, savior, and king Jesus Christ.

Matthew’s gospel calls Him “Immanuel” God with us.

This is good news of great joy for all people because no longer was just the God of the Jews, but He is now the God of all who accept Him.

Galatians 3:28 “28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

We can all have great joy because Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, choose to be born into the world as our Passover Lamb.

We can have joy not because everything will always go our way, but because we are in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

I want to end with this:

The shepherds left, after seeing Jesus exactly the way the angels had said, and the Bible said that they returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen.

As we leave here today and celebrate Christmas tomorrow, we can all glorify God and praise Him for everything that we have seen Him do.

We may be celebrating the birth of Jesus that happened more than 2,000 years ago, but I want to remind all of us that He is alive and at work today just as much as He was back then.

Jesus is the true reason for the season and is the greatest gift that anyone could ever receive.