The King in a Manger

We’ve just heard the story we know so well: the journey to Bethlehem, the manger, the angels, the shepherds. Luke tells us what happened that holy night, but Scripture also helps us understand why it happened. What does Christmas mean?

Tonight, I want us to step back from Christ’s birth for just a moment, not to look away from Christ, but to see Jesus more clearly. The apostle Paul pulls back the curtain and shows us Who this Child truly is, and what He willingly did to save us.

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1. Who He Is

“Though he was in the form of God…”

Jesus was not a human that became divine. He is eternally divine. The Son of God. You and I cannot achieve some sort of divine status. But Christ, He is divine because that’s Who He is.

You see the Christmas story begins in eternity past with the Father, the Word and Holy Spirit altogether in perfect harmony setting forth the plan to create humanity to give glory to God. This glorious plan involved the Word putting on flesh and being born to the world in the manger. But this point is so important for all of us to grasp because Christmas only makes sense if we first understand that the baby in the manger is God in the flesh!

Our passage says that He was in the form of God and goes on to say that He emptied Himself. This is where the story of St. Nicolas actually starts. St. Nicolas was a Christian bishop back in the 300’s and He fought vigorously for the divine nature of Christ. Jesus is truly and fully God! Completely!

So what does it mean that Jesus emptied Himself then? It points us to

2. What He Did

“He emptied himself… taking the form of a servant…”

He did not empty Himself of His divine nature, but as the Creator and Sustainer of the world, He emptied Himself of the status and privilege of being God. Christ knew hunger and thirst. He was slandered and hated. When God became flesh this is called the Incarnation. There was no subtraction to Jesus, but the addition of a human nature.

So understand that God became a servant for our redemption. He departed perfect heaven to be born on this earth. He left his throne to rule a manger. His was obedient to the point of death and that death was the cross. The manger points us to the cross of Jesus Christ. And just as Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes at His birth, He would be wrapped in graveclothes at His death. The birth of Christ is a celebration, but it’s a celebration because of Christ’s entire life, death, burial, and resurrection. Christmas is not ultimately cozy, it is costly.

3. What God Has Done

“Therefore God has highly exalted him…”

There is an important word, “therefore”. Because of His obedience and humiliation He was exalted by the Father and this teaches us that the path to glory runs through obedience and suffering. It’s why we’re here tonight. We gather here to remember that Christ was born! God became man and this man was born to be our Savior! Now, as our passage says,

“every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This is the result! Look at what God has done for you! And now we know that that this Child in the manger was raised after His crucifixion in power! And He will return to rule and reign as the King over the earth.

Tonight though, we remember the arrival of the Savior. It’s what we call Advent. Christ has been born for you to redeem you. Will you profess Christ as Lord tonight?

Cue the A/V Team to turn off the lights.

This evening we have lit the advent candles as a reminder of the King’s arrival. He is the King who was promised, the King that brought peace, the king who brings joy, and tonight we see Him as the King born in a manger and we symbolize Christ in the light of the candle. The reason for this is because Christ is called the Light of the World.

The light we hold tonight is only a symbol. The true Light humbled Himself to enter the darkness— so that one day, every knee would bow before His glory.