Untitled Sermon

(KJV) 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 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, good will toward men.

Second only to Jerusalem, Bethlehem is the most notable place in the unfolding drama of world events. As a city, it has become the theme for poets, the subject for artists, and the goal for pilgrims. We can never celebrate Christmas without returning to Bethlehem. As we shall see from its name and fame in Scripture, it is a city of prophecy, history, and mystery. Let us then come back to Bethlehem and observe that:

I. BETHLEHEM IS THE CITY OF PROPHECY

“But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth one that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (). Without question, this is one of the clearest and most striking messianic pronouncements. From the book of Genesis onward, we have the “sure word of prophecy…as…a light that shines in a dark place” (). For example, there is that word in Eden, when God said to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (). Then came Jehovah’s promises to the patriarchs, prophets, and potentates, that “in the fullness of time,” the Anointed of God would come as the Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (). But it is generally agreed that the prophecy taught and treasured by every devout Jew was . Here in unmistakable terms we have:

1) The Identity of the Coming Christ

“But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth one that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (). This One who was going to be born in Bethlehem was to be both Sovereign and Shepherd of His people. His identity is not only confirmed in the immediate context of this amazing prophecy, but also by subsequent events. You will remember that when the Magi came to Jerusalem seeking the newborn king, Herod and all Jerusalem were deeply troubled. He demanded to know where the Christ should be born ().

THE IDENTITY OF THE COMING CHRIST

2) The Divinity of the Coming Christ

“…Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” ().

Here is a clear statement concerning the preexistent nature of the Babe of Bethlehem. The evangelist John, in his Prologue, affirms the same glorious truth (, ). Reason is baffled before this mystery of the incarnation, but what our minds cannot penetrate our hearts can reverentially and confidently accept by faith. As we behold our Lord in His eternal existence and glory, Creator of all things, Giver of life, Imparter of light, manifesting Himself in all the departments of the divine operation, we bow with profoundest gratitude and holiest adoration and worship Him as the Ancient of Days.

THE IDENTITY OF THE COMING CHRIST

The Divinity of the Coming Christ

3) The Humanity of the Coming Christ

“But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, out of you shall come forth one that is to be ruler in Israel” (). This is the miracle of the incarnation. Man aspires, only as God condescends. So the Creator of all things chose to express His infinity within the confinements of a little Babe. There was no other way in which God could have spoken to man than through flesh and blood. And so we read those touching and tender words, “And [Mary] brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (). God had contracted to the measure of a woman’s womb. As that fully formed Babe was delivered by His mother, the first infant cry was echoed by a multitude of the heavenly host who praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (). In that moment of time a child was born in the city of David, even a Savior who was (is) Christ the Lord.

THE IDENTITY, Divinity, Humanity AND …

4) The Activity of the Coming Christ

“…Bethlehem…out of you shall come forth one that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old…And He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God (). In majestic language, the messianic purpose of Christ’s coming is here spelled out. Jesus came into the world to be Sovereign and Shepherd of His people. He came as Sovereign in order to lead them, and He came as Shepherd in order to feed them (see ).

So much, then, for Bethlehem as the city of prophecy. But as we turn to the New Testament, we learn with equal emphasis that:

II. BETHLEHEM IS THE CITY OF HISTORY

“And Joseph [and Mary]…went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem” (). What Micah had prophesied under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was eventually fulfilled to the very letter. But in order to grasp something of the sweep of the history that is gathered up in this little city of Bethlehem, we need to consider three aspects of God’s sovereign overruling of the drama of human events:

1) There is the History of a Divine Preparation

“…The city of David, which is called Bethlehem” (). In the Old Testament, we learn that Bethlehem was a town five or six miles southwest of Jerusalem, 2,500 feet above sea level in the hill country of Judea and on the main highway to Hebron and Egypt. In Jacob’s time, it was called Ephratah and was the burial place of Rachel (, , ). It was also mentioned in , , and . We can’t reflect on this history without tracing the preparation of an all-wise God for the birth of the Savior of the world. If we examine the ancestral line through which Jesus came, we shall find such names as Jacob, Boaz, Obed, Ruth, Jesse and David – all connected with the little city of Bethlehem.

There is the History of a Divine Preparation

2) There is the History of a Divine Visitation

“…The city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (, ). We can never read these words without being impressed with the facts that make up history. In this second chapter of Luke we read of a place, a time, and a sign that are associated with God’s visitation to earth in the person of Christ.

THE PLACE WAS BETHLEHEM. Historians tell us that the general census which occurred at this time throughout the Roman Empire was the very first of its kind. Little did Caesar Augustus know that he was being used as the instrument for bringing about the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in the right place. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, but because the census required their presence in their ancestral home they had to take the journey to Bethlehem, despite Mary’s condition.

WHAT WAS TRUE OF THE PLACE WAS ALSO TRUE OF THE TIME. History tells us that in no other generation could Christ’s birth have been more timely. As Shakespeare once said, “There is a tide in the affairs of men,” so we can say, “there is a tide in the affairs of God.” This was in fact the right moment for the coming of Christ into human history. So the Angel said, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” ().

But in the drama of events, THERE WAS NOT ONLY A RIGHT PLACE AND TIME, BUT ALSO A RIGHT SIGN. The angel said, “This shall be a sign unto you: You shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (). That sign was not a rare illusion, but a real Infant. So we see the reality of the divine visitation.

THERE IS THE HISTORY OF A DIVINE PREPARATION AND THE HISTORY OF A DIVINE VISITATION but also…

3) There is the History of a Divine Celebration

“…The city of David, which is called Bethlehem…And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them…And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (, ). To confirm the historic event, God overruled that there should be a threefold celebration. The immediate celebration was the appearance of an angel with this message. Then came the multitude of the heavenly host “praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” ().

The subsequent celebration was that of the adoration of the shepherds who, having heard the word of the angel, said, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing…And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds” ().

Later, there was a third celebration by the Magi who, having seen the star in the East, traveled many miles to Jerusalem to worship the newborn king. After making inquiries, they were led of God to a little house in Bethlehem were they found “the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him…they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” ().

Thus we have traced briefly the history of a divine preparation, visitation, and celebration. The other thought that must be included in this Christmas meditation is the fact that:

III. BETHLEHEM IS THE CITY OF MYSTERY

“...The city of David, which is called Bethlehem” ().

Now it is highly significant that this city had two names – BETHLEHEM and EPHRATAH. The name “Bethlehem” means “the house of bread,” while the name “Ephratah” means “fruitfulness” or “fruit of the field.” Such names in Scripture always carry divine connotations. It does not take much research to arrive at the meanings which God would have us understand and appropriate. The Lord Jesus came into the world to be bread and wine for a fallen race. In other words, in the mystery of Bethlehem is gathered up the significance of what is meant by the body and blood of Christ. Paul expresses this thought most strikingly when he says, “great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh” (). Then follow statements that demonstrate the outworking of Christ’s devotion to the will of God. In other words, to become bread for a dying world, Jesus gave His body. In order to become wine for that same needy world, Jesus gave His blood. And the mystery or secret, which can only be divulged to those who are initiates to the Christian faith through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, is how the Lord Jesus gave His body and blood in order that He might “save his people from their sins” (). As we study the New Testament, we learn that:

1) The Body of Christ Symbolized the Savior’s Submission to God’s Redemptive Will

Jesus could say: “A body hast thou prepared me…Then said I, Lo, I come…to do thy will, O God” (, ). Throughout His entire life, the Savior’s one consuming passion was to FIND, FOLLOW, and FINISH that will. He could say: “My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work” (). The spiritual bread on which He fed was the will of God. If we are to know anything of the true message of Christmas, we must plumb this mystery and learn this secret of doing the will of God. Just as our Lord fed on the will of God, so must we. He could declare, “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth of me, even he shall live by me. This is the bread which came down from heaven…he that eateth of this bread shall live forever” (). This is the mystery of Bethlehem, “the house of bread.” Until we make God’s will the bread of our lives, we overlook the whole purpose of the incarnation.

I don’t know how you feel about it, I made up in my mind a long time ago, “Guide me O thou Great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but thou art mighty Hold me with thy powerful hand. BREAD OF HEAVEN, BREAD OF HEAVEN, FEED ME TIL I WANT NO MORE. Is there anybody in here who knows that you can’t make it on this journey all by yourself? Is there anybody in here who knows that every now and then, every once in a while, you get weak on your journey? When I get weak and weary, I ask the Lord, BREAD OF HEAVEN, BREAD OF HEAVEN, FEED ME TIL I WANT NO MORE! SAY YEAH!!! YEAH!!!

So we see that THE BODY OF CHRIST SYMBOLIZED THE SAVIOR’S SUBMISSION TO GOD’S REDEMPTIVE WILL. But in the second place we should notice that:

2) THE BLOOD OF CHRIST SYMBOLIZED THE SAVIOR’S COMMISSION TO GOD’S REDEMPTIVE WORK

The Bible says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin” (). In order for that blood to be shed, the precious fruit of the Savior’s life had to be crushed. He could say, “I am the true vine…” (). On Calvary’s cross He was “wounded for our transgressions…bruised for our iniquities” (). Because of the outpouring of His life we can now live. Jesus declared, “My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed” (). Ours is the joy to appropriate that life laid down in death and taken again in resurrection to become real in us by the Holy Spirit.

This then is “the mystery of godliness: God…manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (). As we look into the face of the Babe of Bethlehem we see there the mystery of God’s redemptive will and the mystery of God’s redemptive work. No wonder Simeon could hold the infant Christ in his arms and say: “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word: for my eyes have seen your salvation” (). In like manner, as we appropriate this Christ of Christmas we also shall see God’s great salvation. Bethlehem and Ephratah must be more than just names. They must be a call to submission and commission in the outworking of God’s saving will and work in the world today.

Conclusion: So as we return to Bethlehem, may the prophecy concerning this city illumine us, its history inform us, and its mystery inspire us to be “broken bread and poured out wine” for needy people around us. This is the true message and meaning and blessing of Christmas.