Feed at the Manger
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This morning I want us to visit a highly focused and recognized component of the Nativity, but often ignored for its significance in the Christmas.
The MANGER!
So many elements of the Nativity have been misconstrued through the years by traditions, and yet there is still enough truth to them to not avoid them. The manger is one that is often mentioned, but not explored.
Let’s read:
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,
19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
Three times the manger is mentioned, more than the stable, the inn, an inn keeper, or Kings arriving at the stable.
The manger is a foreshadowing of WHAT CHRIST IS FOR EACH OF US!!!
The BREAD OF LIFE!!!
Spiritually - KETO doesn’t cut it!!!!
The manger, a place of feeding for animals is where the King of the Universe was laid because He is our FOOD for LIFE - the BREAD OF LIFE!
1. Manna for the Day
1. Manna for the Day
In Exodus we see the Israelites complain they had no food to eat like EGYPT and God supernaturally supplied them with meat and bread - MANNA - just enough for the day...
14 When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground.
15 The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat.
16 These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.”
17 So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little.
18 But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.
Jesus is the MANNA - SPIRITUALLY - we are to partake of - He is our daily bread.
In the Lord’s prayer -
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
It is a reference more to partaking of Christ daily in our lives than of the food we dine on!
He is daily sustenance for our lives. We need to feed on Him every day.
2. Bread that Fills the Need
2. Bread that Fills the Need
In John 6 we read of the feeding of the 5000, the multitude that were hungry on the hillside after listening to Christ teach. He then goes on to teach the people this important truth...
Just as the manna needed to be eaten daily, the bread of life is the only thing that can satisfy
32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven.
33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”
35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Here, Jesus is proclaiming Himself as the MANNA from heaven, sent from God to fulfill the spiritual hunger in their lives. WHAT THEY NEED.
How often are we trying to fill our lives with so many other things than what it needs?? We are spiritually hungry people, we were created with a need to commune with the creator, yet we allow ourselves to starve our body of necessary sustenance.
You can feed on many things and miss the most important thing necessary to sustain.
Spiritual KETO DOES NOT WORK!!! We need the bread of life. Just like most people cannot sustain a life without bread, spiritually we cannot feast on all other things and leave absent the most important element - the bread of life!
Jesus said, those who come to Him will never be hungry!
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
When we are hungry for the righteousness of God, Jesus satisfies.
Yet, so many are trying to fill up on the things of this world instead of on the righteousness of Christ, realizing they are never fulfilled.
3. Partaking the Sacrifice of Forgiveness
3. Partaking the Sacrifice of Forgiveness
Interestingly, when we look at COMMUNION - we partake of the bread, an Israelite was always required to partake of the sacrifice they brought for the forgiveness of sins...
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
Which the forgiveness of sins follows the request for the daily bread.
Manna was to be partaken daily - for it would not last until the next day - but would literally rot, a renewable source of sustenance (being sustained)
Bread of Life fulfilled the spiritual hunger,
The Sacrifice was to be eaten… forforgiveness
24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
The Word in the beginning
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
In other words, we need the Bread of LIfe - the Word of God, the sacrifice made for our forgiveness!!!
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
This is a deep lesson for the believer, when we look at the manger we are reminded we need to partake daily of the MANNA or bread from heaven that we might have all we need for that day!
We need to FEAST on the manna and not fast it!!!
The reality is, the Israelites complained about the manna from heaven, and people today complain that Jesus is the WAY, TRUTH and THE LIFE...
Sometimes they don’t want to eat the BREAD OF LIFE FROM HEAVEN - but in denying it they deny the very power to forgive and sustain, the sacrifice that was made for our salvation.
The manger is a reminder to us today, that in it lay the FOOD for our SOULS and the SACRIFICE FOR OUR SIN...
The Word became flesh, and yielded that up for our salvation, we share in communion the bread of life - and are forgiven and sustained through Jesus Christ.