What was Seen in the Christmas Story

Introduction

We are continuing a series that we began last week titled ‘Experiencing the Christmas Story’, where we are examining the sights & sounds of what is known as the Christmas story.

As I mentioned last week, the story that we typically know as the Christmas story takes place over the course of about around 3 years.

Last weeks message: ‘What was Heard in the Christmas Story’

We saw how:

Mary Heard Words of Blessing

How she was Blessed

How she would Bring Forth a Blessing

Joseph Heard Words of Course Correcting

The Revelation of Joseph

The Decision by Joseph

The Correction of the Holy Ghost

The Shepherds Heard Words of Good Tidings

There was Deliverance for Them

There was Directions to Them

Herod Heard Words of a Reckoning

The Wise Men Proclaimed the Christ

Herod Preferred His Kingdom to God’s

While last week we preached on what was Heard in the Christmas story, today we’re going to present unto you what was SEEN in the Christmas Story.

I. The Wise Men Saw God’s Providence (Mat. 2:1-11)

He Provided an Indication (v2)

Consider this for a moment… There are literally countless stars in they sky.

(Ill.) I google the question: ‘How many stars are there?’, and this is the answer: Using the Milky Way as our model, we can multiply the number of stars in a typical galaxy (100 billion) by the number of galaxies in the universe (2 trillion). The answer is an absolutely astounding number. There are approximately 200 billion trillion stars in the universe. Or, to put it another way, 200 sextillion. - And this is a guess / estimation, because man has no way of knowing!

This is one of the reasons I love in the Creation account: Gen. 1:14-16 “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”

The interesting thing is that the wise men didn’t declare the billions of stars, they said they saw ‘his star’.

The fact that they saw ‘His star’ was an indication that this baby born in Bethlehem was SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL!

What they saw was an indication of something very special, but it also provided them direction

He Provided Direction (v9)

Not only what they saw was an indication of something special, but it also gave them direction to Jesus.

That leads me to this, Christian: There is something in you that sets you apart from the crowd. There is something special in you… and as long as you shine as God intends for you to shine, you’ll lead others to Jesus as well!

I know we struggle sometimes, but all too often when lost people interact with Christians, we Christians act like we just ate a lemon.

If you want to lead others to Christ, you need to shine!

If you want to give others compelling reason for others to look for Jesus, you need to shine!

I KNOW we all go through struggles, but we have a refuge to flee to!

I KNOW we all go through heartaches, but we have someone who will bear our burdens!

I KNOW the road gets tough, but we have a ‘LAMP UNTO OUR FEET & LIGHT UNTO OUR PATH’!

The Wise Men SAW the STAR - and it led them to Jesus: Christian, where are you leading others? How’s your shine?

The Wise Men Saw God’s Providence. Secondly, the Shepherds saw a Phenomenon

II. The Shepherds saw a Phenomenon (Luk. 2:7-14)

When I first considered what the Shepherds saw, I thought about the brilliance & the majesty of seeing the multitude of Heavenly Hosts shout ‘Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, good will toward men’ - and the uniqueness of it. But the more I considered the Phenomenon with the Shepherds, the more I settled on the single point that I want to share with you today that is so amazing, and that is what the Shepherds saw was Unconditional Favor.

Unconditional Favor

They experienced the Unconditional Favor of God!

The reason why this is such a phenomenon is because it seems to be so rare in our society today.

Our society is getting worse & worse about dividing people. We are divided by:

Social status

Economical status

The color of our skin

Where we are from

Our age & the generation to which we belong

I thought that the differences between men & women were enough… turns out there are (depending on where you look), either 63, 81 or 112 different genders now!

This is an extreme example of how our society (by Satan’s work) divides. But I want you to know something: Just as God loved those nameless, poor shepherds, God loves you to! And there is only one main division with God, and that’s the sheep on the right hand and the goats on the left. There are those who are LOST, and those who are SAVED! And the GOOD NEWS is that God loves you IN SPITE OF YOU and He will save you RIGHT WHERE YOU’RE AT! Why? Because GOD LOVES THE WORLD! (Joh. 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” )

God showed Unconditional Favor to the Shepherds - and He will to you as well!

The Wise Men Saw God’s Providence. Secondly, the Shepherds saw a Phenomenon. Next, we look to Simeon

III. Simeon Saw a Promise Fulfilled (Luk. 2:25-32)

This is a portion of Scripture that is not thought of much during the Christmas story, but an important part nonetheless.

As Joseph & Mary go to offer the redemption price for the firstborn child, they encounter this man who was waiting for God’s Christ to come - the Saviour of Israel. And there are two things that I want examine concerning what this man saw the day he met Jesus.

He Saw God’s Salvation (v30)

Now there’s something I want to recognize and that is this: Before Simeon could see the Salvation of the LORD - Jesus had to be presented unto him.

Every soul in this church that has experienced the Salvation of the LORD has done so because SOMEONE took the time to PRESENT JESUS UNTO THEM!

(Ill.) My testimony: 21 years ago I was lost and unbeknownst to me, was headed to a Hell… and I say ‘unbeknownst to be’ because had someone not told me better, I would have (as many others have) figured that because I haven’t raped or killed anyone, then I would surely go to Heaven. Hell was just for the really, REALLY bad people. But Jesus was presented to me - and I realized that Hell is not reserved for people I thought were worse than me - but for me! Not because I haven’t done enough good works, but because I have sinned against God, and no manner of works can erase the stain of sin! BUT I LIKE SIMEON SAW THE SALVATION OF THE LORD! I saw that Jesus loved me and died in my place upon the Cross to pay my sin debt, and if I would put my faith in Him, He would save me!

Simeon saw something wonderful that day - He saw God’s Promise Fulfilled!

Church, might I add… God is a promise KEEPER! He Saw God’s Salvation and His Soul was Satisfied!

His Soul was Satisfied (v29)

He was ready to go!

(Ill.) 21 years ago I put my faith in the LORD Jesus. since then I have grown in my knowledge & understanding of the LORD. And there’s not been a day that has gone by in 21 years that I have ever regretted that I chose this path.

In fact, the only regrets that I have over the last 21 years revolve around things where I have failed the LORD - for I have failed HIM, but He’s never failed ME! So I stand here today and say ‘My soul is Satisfied in the LORD!’

Simeon Saw a Promise Fulfilled

The Wise Men Saw God’s Providence. the Shepherds saw a Phenomenon. Simeon Saw a Promise Fulfilled, next the Inn Keeper Saw a Problem

IV. The Inn Keeper Saw a Problem (Luk. 2:7)

Though it doesn’t mention him by name, there surely was someone running the inn who broke the bad news to Joseph & Mary.

The Inn Keeper, when he saw the ones carrying Jesus, saw nothing but a problem. The problem was there was no room there for Jesus.

No Room

No Room for Jesus! Boy it’s that an indictment! But this is a problem that is not exclusive to the Inn Keeper. It’s a problem for many folks today.

Do you know why many folks have no room for Jesus?

The Reason

It’s because their lives are filled with other things.

We’re told of a story in Mark 10:17- that speaks of another who had no room for Jesus (Turn to Mark 10:17-30)

In here we see several things:

Jesus loved this man (v21)

The man had no room for Jesus (v22)

Peter (and others) made room for Jesus (v28)

Jesus promised numerous blessings because (v30)

You see, what the Inn Keepers of the world reject, the shepherds enjoy! God is no respecter of persons, so if you will simply make room for Jesus, you’ll not regret it, BECAUSE GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES!

The Wise Men Saw God’s Providence. the Shepherds saw a Phenomenon. Simeon Saw a Promise Fulfilled, The Inn Keeper Saw a Problem & lastly, Jesus Saw His Purpose

V. Jesus Saw His Purpose (Mat. 2:11)

In the gifts that the wise men brought, Jesus saw what His Purpose would be. They all speak to the offices of Christ - that of Prophet, Priest & King.

In the Gold we see the Splendor of Christ

Of Splendor (Gold)

Though the Bible tells us that Jesus (Isa. 53:2 “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.”) While Jesus may not have presented a physical beauty, Jesus is still beautiful!

He’s still the Rose of Sharon, the Lilly of the Valley, the Bright & Morning Star

He’s still the Alpha & Omega, the Beginning & End.

He’s still my SIN BEARER, my SHAME WEARER, My Saviour, My God & My KING!

In Jesus, I see the Splendor of God - the beauty of Jesus

Though Jesus wore a thorny crown 2,000 years ago, He will be crowned King of Kings & Lord of Lord one day soon!

Jesus saw in the Gold His Future position of King

Of Sweet Savour (Frankincense)

Jesus saw the Frankincense that represented His position as Priest of the People. The Priest was the one who went to (petitioned) God for the people.

In Ex. 30:34, God gives the recipe for the perfume of the Tabernacle of God in the Wilderness, to which Frankincense was used. The Priest would prepare it and burn it upon the Altar of Incense to be a sweet savour unto the LORD - all of which represented prayer unto God.

Jesus fulfils this office today. Jesus is our intercessor. Whenever we fail, we have an advocate in Christ.

Jesus saw in the Frankincense His Present Position as Priest

Of Sacrifice (Myrrh)

Finally, in the Myrrh, Jesus saw His Purpose as Prophet unto the People.

A Prophet is one sent unto man by God. - What did the angel say unto the Shepherds? ‘Luk. 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

One thing to note is that the wise men weren’t the only ones to bring Jesus myrrh. We see Joh. 19:38-40 “And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.”

Jesus would see His future - to die for you and I, so that you and I might live. What a Wonderful Saviour!

Conclusion

Many things were seen in the Christmas Story. But let me ask you: What did you see today? I hope that if you’re lost you see today what I saw 21 years ago - a Saviour who cares! If so, I have one last Scripture to give you:

Rev. 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”