Christmas Story Character's - The Birth of Jesus

The Birth of Jesus

This the fourth message in the series on the characters of the true Christmas Story

This morning we are looking at the Birth of Jesus

We have looked at the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary, then we looked at Mary the mother of Jesus, last week we looked at Joseph stepping up.

Today we are looking in Luke chapter 2 as we look at three things about Jesus’ birth.

First we will look at the Birthplace, then we will look at the birth, and finally we will look at the announcement of the birth

Luke 2:1–14 NASB95

1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared 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 men with whom He is pleased.”

Pray

I. The Birthplace

Luke 2:1–5 NASB95

1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

Augusta Caesar was ruling, but God was in charge.

God used Caesar’s decree to move Mary and Joseph eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to fulfill His Word.

Rome took a census every fourteen years for both military and tax purposes.

Each Jewish male was required to return to the city of his fathers to record his name, occupation, property, and family.

God had promised that the Savor would be from the tribe of Judah, the family of David, born of a virgin, in Bethlehem, the city of David.

Micah 5:2 NASB95

2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

The trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem was approximately 80 to 90 miles depending on a few options in the route.

They traveled south but it states they went up as they would be going up in elevation.

The elevation would rise over 700 feet from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Not only was this a 80 to 90 mile journey it was an upward climb in elevation, all while Mary is 9 months pregnant.

For this journey it would have taken four days in good conditions, but with the journey having some difficulties, it may have take seven days.

Some of these difficulties would be hostility between Jews and Samaritans.

Mary being 9 months pregnant would have made the journey slower.

They could face wild animals, bandits, and they would have had to carry their own provisions, including water, bread, herbs, and oil.

II. The Birth

Luke 2:6–7 NASB95

6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

While Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem, it came time for the birth of Jesus.

We are not told if it was quickly after they arrived in Bethlehem, or if they had been in the city for a period of time.

They are in the city, Marry goes into labor and gives birth to her firstborn son.

The fact that Jesus is Mary’s first born son tell us a few things.

First it ties into the fact that we have been told multiple times in Scripture already that Mary was a virgin.

It also tells us that Mary will eventually have more children and specifically sons.

Mary gives birth and takes baby Jesus and wraps Him in cloths, or as the KJV puts it in swaddling clothes.

Swaddling a baby was normal child care of those days to keep the limbs of a child straight.

After Mary swaddled baby Jesus she laid Him in a manger.

The mangers we see today are not necessarily biblically correct

Mangers are animal feeding troughs, but in ancient Israel they were made of stone.

They would not be considered comfortable, but they were great for protection.

The priest of the biblical times would place newborn lambs in the mangers for protection.

These were not just any lambs, but unblemished lambs that were used for the sacrifice of sins.

Bethlehem, where Jesus was born was famous for their unblemished lambs used for the sacrifice of sins.

These lambs had to be perfect so they would wrap them tightly in cloth and lie them in the manger to keep them safe.

This is exactly what Mary did with the Baby Jesus, the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God, that became the ultimate sacrifice for all humanities sins.

Jesus was not just a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger, He was God: perfect, sinless, and Holy, humbling Himself to become the perfect sacrifice.

The Apostle John writes this about Jesus, in John 1:14

John 1:14 NASB95

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word here is Jesus, as He became flesh, born of the virgin Mary, Jesus dwelt among men.

The apostles saw His glory, which was the glory of God the Father, Jesus was full of grace and truth.

III. The Announcement

Luke 2:8–14 NASB95

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared 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 men with whom He is pleased.”

In these seven verses we see that an angel appears before these shepherds that are out in the fields watching over flocks of sheep.

As the angel appears it frightens the shepherds, now shepherds were not just weak men that were afraid of everything, but were men that were brave.

As a young boy king David took care of his father’s sheep, and David tells king Saul that he has fought wild animals.

King Saul tells David he cannot go out after Goliath, but David responds in 1 Samuel 17:34-36

1 Samuel 17:34–36 NASB95

34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.”

David was but a teenager, the shepherds in our main text of the Christmas Story, could have been teenagers all the way through older men.

Surely they had face wild animals in their time of tending sheep.

But as they are watching over their flocks in the middle of the night, to protect them from thieves and wild animals this angel appears.

We are told in our text that as the angel appeared the glory of the Lord shone around them.

There is another instance where angels appear to brave men that become afraid.

Jesus had been crucified and laid in a tomb, the tomb was sealed with a large stone, and a group of women head to anoint the body of Jesus.

Matthew 28:1–4 NASB95

1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.

Our text in Luke states that the glory of the Lord shone around the angel.

In Matthew we are told that the appearance of the angel was like lightning, and his clothes as white as snow.

The appearance of the angel being like lightning could be seen as the glory of the Lord shining at the tomb.

But when the angels appeared at the tomb, the soldiers became afraid and passed out to the point that they were like dead men.

In the Christmas Story, the shepherds are told not to be afraid.

They were not to be afraid, because the angel was bring good news for all people.

The good news was that in the city of David (Bethlehem) a Savor has been born, who is Christ the Lord.

An angel told Joseph in our text from last week, Matthew 1:21

Matthew 1:21 NASB95

21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

The Savor is Christ the Lord, who Joseph and Mary named Jesus, who Joseph was told that Jesus would save His people of their sins.

The good news that the angel was talking about is what we call the gospel today.

The gospel can be summarized in one verse in John 3:16

John 3:16 NASB95

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, to give us an example in three years of ministry, to then give His life freely to be crucified and offered as the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, laid in a tomb, that after three days, could not hold Him, and God the Father raised Jesus from the dead, defeating sin and death, giving those that will believe in and confess Jesus as Lord and Savor eternal life.

Romans 10:9–10 NASB95

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

The greatest gift that you can receive at any time and especially at this Christmas season is the gift of salvation.