THE CHILD WHO CHANGED EVERYTHING
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THE CHILD WHO CHANGED EVERYTHING
Luke 2:1-7
Have you ever stopped to think of the potential growth that one new born baby has. All of us have seen a newborn babe and how undeveloped they actually are. Then you think of their father and their mother and how they will likely outgrow one of them if not both of them in many different areas, physically, in intelligence, and hopefully, spiritually as well.
Children have an incredible capacity of growth and maturing as long as they are kept in the right kind of environment and the right stimuli the experts say. I agree with that, I believe the Bible agrees with that, the difference coming in as to what the right environment and what the right stimuli for life is.
But speaking of the potential of a child, you need to look no further than the Holy One of Israel, Jesus Christ. For he is the one who truly lived up to his full potential.
In Luke 2:1-7 we have read about one of the greatest events of history, actually one of the top three that have occurred as of yet.
Some other great things have happened. God has worked many great miracles in the past. Creation was incredible, obviously, when Christ paid the price of our sin on calvary on the cross – but the other great, but in a very subtle and simple way: that is the birth of the Christ child.
John 1:1, 14
The Bible says in the days of Caesar Augustus a decree was sent out that all the world should be taxed.
He was of course, the ruler of the known civilized world, the Roman Empire. In his haughtiness and not willing that he should lose a penny, he demanded a census to made. This census did two things, first of all it told him how great and mighty his empire is, and then of course, it would tell him how much tax he should be bringing in, and make sure everyone was taxed.
In the land of Palestine, Israel namely, men were listed in their birth places. Joseph being of Bethlehem, though he was living in Nazareth had to go back to where he was born. No doubt many others were doing what was commanded as well. As he came to the inn in Bethlehem, the inn was full, he probably checked at households to see if someone would take them in, but they were likely full as well. Making the best of things, he made a bed in the hay for his wife and helped deliver her baby Jesus, that night.
Usually when a woman would have children and especially her first born, many people would come to help. Many midwives would lend a hand, but that night it was only Joseph and Mary herself, to deliver Christ, in a manger, in place where the livestock slept at night and were tended to in the day.
What a small baby, what humble beginnings, but what potential. You say of course, he was the Son of God, of course he had potential. Of course you can expect great things from him and mighty things from him.
But let me ask you today friend, are you a Christian, have you repented of your sin and trusted Christ for your salvation and accepted him as your Lord and Saviour. I hope so.
If you have, great is your potential as well.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
You are a new creature in Jesus Christ, great is your potential for the Lord, great is the expectation that God has for your life, great is his love for you, great is his provision for you, he has promised never to leave you nor forsake you.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
What is needed though, what is needed to reach that potential?
Well let’s look at the life of Christ and see ways which he changed the status quo and set standard in every area.
I. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD CONCERNING SELFLESSNESS
I. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD CONCERNING SELFLESSNESS
Christ spent some 30 years quietly
For 30 years of the life of Christ, very little is said about him, very little is mentioned.
It’s funny to think it about like that, but all of that power, all of the Godhood in the body of Jesus Christ, the one who created the universe, was quiet in history.
What was he doing during this time
Only one passage mentions HIs childhood and early days found in Luke 2:41-49
We find there He was obedient to his parents and always about his Father’ business. In His ministry, He was always serving, helping being interrupted and patient with all. He was always selfless and He set the standard therein.
II. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD SYSTEM OF CLASSES
II. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD SYSTEM OF CLASSES
No longer was being rich anything, for all could be rich
No longer was being a priest anything, for all could be priests
No longer was it important to seek one’s own glory
John the Baptist didn’t - it was he that said:
He must increase, but I must decrease.
He was not about his own glory and promotion but of the Lord’s
He then began his ministry by being baptized by the oddest person around – John the Baptist Luke 3:21-23
He must increase…
Before we were Christians, most of us only cared about getting things:
o More popularity
o More fame & influence
o More money
o We wanted be around people that had such things, that were rich, had fame, had the popularity, had the influence.
But now, that we are Christians we find ourselves around people we may have never seen ourselves as being around
We are around people who are always happy, and they very little or even nothing
We around people that give sacrificially to the church yet they don’t have the things the world even desires.
We are around people that care more about the Bible than do the box scores, or who won the game last night.
We like to be around people that we might have, at one time ourselves, called fanatics.
We now around people that at one time we might have hated, that we might have said off color jokes about.
Now we are around people that are the basest of the world, but because we love the God and his love is in us, we love them as well.
Class has been done away with in Christ.
III. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD CONCERNING SUBMISSION
III. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD CONCERNING SUBMISSION
Submission in the economy of the Old Testament to God’s will brought blessing. In the Old Testament Law, and the evidence of God’s blessing and pleasure on a general basis (not a definitive promise) was that if you obeyed God and submitted to Him, he would bless you.
Jacob said to God, “If you bless me, I’ll tithe of all that I posses.”
As Jesus faced His arrest, the coming persecution, crucifixion, piercing, sacrifice of His life for ours on the cross and the greatest sacrifice of all - HIs separation from the fellowship of the Father in Heaven for our sin, He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane a prayer that it is both simple and yet so profound:
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
IV. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD ON A MULTITUDE OF THINGS:
IV. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD ON A MULTITUDE OF THINGS:
He changed the standard on Prayer
Luke 6:12 (AV)
He changed the standard on Prayer: “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”
Mark 9:29 (AV)
He changed the standard on Prayer: “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
He changed the standard on Sacrifice:
Matthew 16:24 (AV)
He changed the standard on Sacrifice: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
John 10:18 (AV)
He changed the standard on Sacrifice: “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”
He changed the standard on Forgiveness:
Matthew 18:21–22 (AV)
He changed the standard on Forgiveness: “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
1 John 2:2 (AV)
He changed the standard on Forgiveness: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
He changed, yea, he established the standard on all of these things.
V. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD OF WHAT VICTORY IS
V. HE CHANGED THE STANDARD OF WHAT VICTORY IS
Think about this, the victories that Christ won in His life ; His ministry and what His doctrine showed are all the antithesis of the world would ever say a Victory is.
Here are just the victories that came with His Birth.
His Victory was leaving the glory of His Throne and being born in obscurity.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
His Victory was leaving His Divine body and becoming Human flesh.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
His Victory was being born in relative poverty
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.
His victory not being worshipped by royalty, but first being worshipped by peasants, when the shepherds worshipped Him.
Luke 2:8–9 (AV)
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 they were sore afraid.
And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what this BABY BORN IN A MANGER CHANGED.
But the Greatest, most amazing, most illustrious things that Baby came to change - touches us right at home -
VI. He came to change you!
VI. He came to change you!
He came to save you.
He came to forgive and redeem you.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
THE CHILD WHO CHANGED EVERYTHING
Luke 2:1-7