Hope Rested In A Manger

Let us pray. Let me sat the stage before I give the verse and topic We're in the season where all hopelessness prevails. The season where one cannot find hope

to go on, the season of countless suicides, the season of too much debt, the season of too

many bills, the season of debt collections and the list goes on. We look all around us for help

and can't find it. Can't find any reason to go on. All things appear lost, all hope is gone.

Theres no one there with an encouraging word to tell you hang in there help is on the way,

hang in there hope is here, hang in there and look up and stop looking around and down. For

my help comes not from the north, nor south, nor east, nor west but from above.

When help descended from above, it came to a humble manger.

What exactly is a manger? Webster defines it as a long open box or trough for horses and

cattle to eat from. It's a feeder for the animals. Our Savior, Our Hope was laid in a trough, a

feeder for animals. When we think of a trough, we think how disgusting. We don't want to go

near a trough. But He was not born into the royalty that He represented or was entitled too.

He was not born in a hospital and laid in a clean hospital nursery, no, He was born and laid in

a manger. Hope layed there and no one noticed except the wise men.

Now that the tone has been set for this message, turn with me to Luke chapter 2 verse 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. I would like to use for a Topic: Hope Rested

in a Manger. How many of you have ever hit the road traveling going someplace whether it was at

night or during the day time and your car breaks down and you have to wait for someone to come get

you and the fear of knowing that you're vulnerable there by yourself and anything can happen. While

you're waiting for someone to come and help you, fear sets in, but when you look in your mirror and

you see that your help is pulling up behind you, a sense of relief comes over you. Have you ever felt that

way? This is how the world was looking to feel when Jesus came on the scene. Well, that was

not the case because every event so far in the big story have been leading up to the greatest

event in history. The moment that millions waited for is here. These people lived their entire

life waiting for God's promise to come true, but they died still hoping that the Promised One

would come.

Now the time is right for the birth of a king who will save the world. Yet there are no

trumpets, no fanfares, no feast to mark the occasion. The King of Kings is born in an ordinary

place when everyone is too busy to notice. Only some Wise Men knew that something

special had occurred and was determined to follow the star to see where it would lead and

what they would find. Now God was determined to restore his relationship with His creation

and show His love for His people. God sent His son to earth. Jesus Christ, the King of Kings,

but He did not enter on a charging white stallion or in a chariot preceded by a hundred foot

soldiers. No, He came as a lonely, dependent infant, born in a manger, laid in a trough for

feeding animals. From these humble beginnings came the Promised one, people lived their

entire life waiting for, the long anticipated change was finally here, but no one noticed.

He grew and became a part of the everyday world. Building a relationship with others in love,

not fear to fellowship, not power. How can such an event, such a spectacular event be

missed? How can you hope for something all your life and not be expecting or looking for it?

Hoping for a better day and yet when hope comes on the scene you are so caught up in doing

your daily activities, you're so concerned and worried about everything but the right thing,

and Hope shows up and you missed it. You missed out on the hope you have been praying for

all your life. You have heard the stories all of your life and when it came on the scene you

were too busy to notice Him, there lying in a manger. Hope Has Arrived but we are too busy to

welcome Hope. We're too busy to embrace hope. We have been living in darkness for so long

and when the light comes on we cant even see it. Have we become so use to hopelessness

until it has become a way of life? So much so that we don't recognize hope when it is

in front of us, but this is what has happened. They had heard stories, they had studied the stars,

they were looking forward to Jesus coming on the scene. The Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace,

the Everlasting Father to come on the scene and when He came they was too busy to take notice. Could

it be they were expecting the King to come in His splendor? Could it be they were expecting Him to

come down from heaven in a chariot? Who knows what they were expecting because Hope came lying

in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Today we hope for a better day and a brighter tomorrow,

we hope that our children be better off than we were, we only want the best for them but they already

have the best and all we have to do is introduced them to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Hope

is here and He has been here all along. We have just been too busy to recognize Hope, to

acknowledge Hope and to invite Hope into our lives. To invite Hope into our homes, to invite

Hope into our relationships, to invite Hope into our hearts. Hope is here, standing at the door

of your heart and knocking and all you have to do is open the door and invite Hope in. He will

come in and He will abide with you. He will come in and He will deliver you. He will come in

and He will save you. He will give you joy, He will give you peace, He will love you. Because it was

love that brought Him here. He wants to save us because He loves us just that much.

The first thing we want to realize about God's gift to us is that it came in simple wrapping.

Some people will go to great lengths to wrap presents beautifully. But God's gift came to us

not in beautiful, ornate wrapping, but in a dirty manger found in a little-known town called

Bethlehem. That's the beauty of the Christmas event. Jesus took His place in a manger so that we might

have a home in Heaven. The Savior was not wrapped in satin sheets, but in common rags.

There in a manger rested the greatest gift in the plainest of wrapping.

The second thing I want to point out about God's gift to us is that we don't deserve it. Consider

this: God gave us the ultimate gift of His Son Jesus Christ while we were still sinning against

Him (Romans 5:8).

We did nothing whatsoever to deserve His gift. That is the amazing truth of Christmas. Despite

who we are, God sent His Son so "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have

everlasting life" (John 3:16).

With Christmas just a day away, begin to prepare your heart for the celebration of the birth of

our Savior. Meditate on the fact that Jesus was born to die so that we might live.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His

shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

We celebrate Christmas in order to rejoice over God's most precious gift to us. The birth of

Jesus Christ is a gift from God that came in simple wrapping, as well as a gift we don't

deserve. But the gift of Christ also explains His purpose for humankind.

The gift of Christ was no afterthought. Long before there was a stable in Bethlehem, before

Adam and Eve ever set eyes on each other, and even before there existed a garden called Eden,

God decided to send His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins.

From the beginning, God knew humankind would fall short of His glory. That is why the

Scriptures proclaim that Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world.

(Revelation 13:8).

God made a decision from the very beginning that Christ would come to this earth to live and

die and rise again from the dead. God's gift to us proves His purpose to redeem us.

The gift of Jesus Christ is what Christmas is all about. Jesus came near to us so we could

come near to Him.

Christmas is not about tinsel or shopping or gifts under a tree. Christmas is about the gift God

gave on the tree where Christ died for our sins, giving us the gift of eternal life.

That is what He has accomplished. This is the gift He extends. And if you receive it, you will

experience the merriest Christmas of all.

As we look at our world today, we realize that part of the promise of Isaiah 9:6-7 has not yet

been fulfilled. The Son has been given. The Child has been born. But He has not yet taken the

government upon His shoulders. We do not yet have peace with judgment and justice. But the

good news is that there will come a day when Christ will return. He will establish His kingdom

on this earth. And it will be the righteous rule of God Himself.

Before Jesus could take the government upon His shoulder, He had to take the cross upon His

shoulder. Before He could wear the crown of glory as King of Kings, He had to wear the

shameful crown of thorns and give His life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. The first

time, a star marked His arrival. But the next time He comes, the heavens will roll back like a

scroll, all of the stars will fall from the sky, and He Himself will light it.

Christ came to this earth. God came near to you so you can come near to Him to give your life

purpose and meaning, to forgive you of your sins, and to give you the hope of Heaven beyond

the grave. Christmas is not about tinsel or shopping or presents. Christmas is not about the

gifts under the tree. Rather, Christmas is about the gift that was given on the tree when Christ

died there for our sins and gave us the gift of eternal life. Yes, hope rested in a manger but one

day, at the age of 33, hope was betrayed with a kiss and hope was lied on and hope was

beaten beyond recognition and hope was nail to a cross and hope died. But thanks be to

God that's not the end of the story. On the third day morning, hope got up with all power

in His hand. I thank God for sending hope. I thank God for hope. I thank Hope for coming

and resting in a manger.