THE BIRTH OF OUR KING
Luke 2:1-17
THE PLACE OF JESUS BIRTH
V:1. "Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth."
A. God uses scheduled
events in times and places to place us where He wants us to be,
to be blessed.
1. In Micah 5:2,
the prophecy of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem
2. The census of
the Roman government was the instrument God used to place
Mary and
Joseph in Bethlehem
B. God can use the
desires of evil men to his advantage.
1. Man makes
plans, but God causes the increase.
2. All the events
of our lives are planned out by God.
V: 2. " This was the first census taken while Quirinius
was governor of Syria
A. God marked this
historical event of Jesus birth by naming two Roman Officials
who had
jurisdiction over the Israelites.
1. We can go to
our history books and find these men active during the time
of Jesus
birth.
2. This should give us added confidence that the
word of God is true.
B. Nothing comes as a
surprise to the Lord.
1. He knows the
end from the beginning.
2. God uses local
governments to bless His people.
A DIVINELY ORDER TRIP
V:3. " And everyone was on his way to register for the
census, each to his own city."
A. For the event of
Jesus birth, God insured that there was order in the Roman
government.
1. The authority
of the Roman government was respected and feared ,so every man
did as he was
told.
2. The order that
everyone should return to their city of birth, ensured that there would
be a crowd in
each city.
a. All
available rooms would be occupied.
3. Jesus was born
among common people.
B. Although the
Israelites were under Roman control, it was a time of peace.
1. Jesus is the
author of peace for His people.
2. The Lord
wanted the focus to be on the blessed event of the birth of Jesus rather
than other
circumstances.
AN UPHILL ROAD
V:4. " Joseph
also went up from Galilee , from the city of Nazareth Judea , to the city of David Bethlehem
A. It was an eighty
mile trip from Galilee to Bethlehem
1. Galilee
was in the valley, and Bethlehem
2. Galilee
is 696 feet below sea level.
3. Bethlehem
B. This was no easy
trip for Joseph, traveling with His wife that was in her 9th. month
of pregnancy.
1. God does not
give us an easy way to carry out His will.
2. We have to draw
strength from the Lord to follow Him.
3. We are on an up
hill journey to the righteousness of God.
THE REIGNING KING
V:5. " In order
to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with
child."
A. Jesus was born in
the city of David
1. The King of
Kings and the Lord of Lords were born in the king's city.
2. Jesus was born
into a humble family to begin a life of humbleness.
B. Jesus was not seen
as king by those who held royal status.
1. The world does
not know Jesus.
2. God made Jesus
known to His people, as their Lord and Savior.
C. Joseph was from
the line of David.
1. Jesus was born
into the line of David.
2. This would
fulfill God's promise to David that his kingdom would have no
end.
V:6. " While they were there, the days were completed
for her to give birth."
A. The Lord ensured
that Mary did not give birth in Galilee or along the way
to Bethlehem
1. An eighty mile
up hill trip on rough roads could have caused complications
for
Mary.
2. The normal
time for this trip would be about four days.
a. Because of
Mary's pregnancy, the trip may have taken a week or more.
B. When God is on our
side, He helps us endure difficult times.
1. The aches and
pains of living are not eliminated when we serve the Lord.
2. It is my
belief that trouble in life are increased when we serve the Lord because
the enemy is
on the job opposing the Lord's work.
3. The reward for
serving the Lord far out weigh any trouble we endure.
A HUMBLE BEGINNING
V: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."
A. You would think
that since Mary was carrying the Son of God, He would have
reserved a room
for Mary and Joseph.
1. Instead God
reserved a cave used by shepherds to house their animals.
2. The birth of
Jesus was in a cave attended only by Joseph and perhaps a heavenly
host of
angels.
3. No doctors or
nurses were there to assist in the birth of Jesus.
a. This verse
does not indicate that Joseph assisted in the birth of Jesus.
b. Mary birth,
clothed and placed Jesus into the manger.
B. The first bed of
Jesus was a feeding trough for animals.
1. His first
clothes were strips of cloth wrapped around Him.
C. It was the Lord's
designed that His Son be born in the most humble circumstances.
1. It was the
Lord's design that the birth of Jesus not be witness by a crowd of
onlookers.
2. The moment of the
birth of Jesus was a private affair between Mary and God the
Father and
maybe Joseph.
3. The birth of
Jesus was a holy event.
a. His
conception was by the holy spirit and His birth was by the power of the
Spirit.
b. Mary was
strengthen by the Lord throughout her pregnancy and the birth of
Jesus.
4. When God is
operating in your life, all things are possible.
a. What is
difficult to others is made easy to the faithful.
THE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS
V:8. " In the same region there were some shepherds
staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night."
A. In keeping with
the spirit of humbleness, God chose the lowly shepherds to be His
first messengers
of the Good News of Jesus birth.
1. Jesus is the
shepherd of all believers.
2. David was a
shepherd.
B. God chose working
people to serve Him.
1. The shepherds
were dedicated to their job.
2. While
everybody else was sleep, the shepherds were alert and on the job.
3. The God we
serve never sleeps or slumbers.
4. We need to be
careful that we are not sleep when the Lord visits us.
A MESSAGE FROM HEAVEN
V:9. " And an
angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them; and they were terribly frightened."
A. When we least
expect it, the Lord can show up with a message for us.
1. When we are
good stewards of what God has blessed us with, He will show up
with
unexpected blessings.
B. The angel of the
Lord showed up with a dazzling display of God's glory.
1. The shepherds
recognized the angel as being from the Lord and were frightened.
2. We ought to be frightened in the presence of
the Lord.
3. We ought to
expect a great blessing when the Lord shows up in our lives.
4. We ought to
humble ourselves in the presence of the Lord.
5. The Lord is
more likely to show up in our lives when we are humble.
V:10. " But the angel said to them, "Do not be
afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all
the people."
A. The message of the
Lord is not just for you but to be shared with others.
1. The Word of
the Lord is designed to bring joy to your life.
2. The Word of
the Lord is good news to the heart.
B. When the Lord
calls on our lives, we must not be afraid to respond with service.
1. God selects us
because of our unique ability to influence others.
2. God's call, is
our opportunity to bless others.
V:11. "For today in the city of David
A. The best news we
can get is the fulfillment of the promise of God for a Savior.
1. Our hope for
eternity with the Father rest with Jesus Christ.
2. Our hope for
peace with the Father rest with Jesus.
3. God promised
David that his kingdom would have no end.
a. Jesus is
the everlasting King.
b. Jesus is the fulfillment of a
promise.
B. The first to get
the good news of the birth of Jesus were the lowly shepherds.
1. Shepherds
were the outcast of Israel
unclean.
2. Jesus came to
lift up the lowly and draw in the outcast.
3. Faith in
Jesus cleansed us of our sins.
GOD GIVES US CLEAR SIGNS OF HIS PRESENCE
V:12 "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby
wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
A. God gives us a
clear road map to Jesus.
1. The good news
comes with directions to salvation.
2. It would be unusual
to find a new born baby in a cave lying in an animal feeding
place.
B. God specializes in
the unusual.
1. It is unusual
for a king to place himself in a poor family.
2. It is unusual
for a king to be the salvation of the whole world.
3. It is unusual
for a king to be the provider of the whole world.
4. It is unusual for a king to die for his
subjects.
5. It is unusual
for a king to give all we need and ask nothing in return but love
and
obedience.
PRAISE TEAM FROM HEAVEN
V:13. " And suddenly there appeared with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God
in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
A. God sent down a
praise team of angels to give Himself praise.
1. This angelic
praise team is the holy example of how we should praise God.
2. We should come
together to give God praise.
3. We should
proclaim the glory of the Lord.
4. We should give
God the highest praise.
B. Jesus is the
peace on earth.
1. The purpose of
the birth of Jesus was to die on the cross satisfying God's demand
for justice.
2. The shed blood
of Jesus on the cross atoned for the sins of the world.
a. Since our
sins have been blotted out by the blood of Jesus, we have peace with
the
Father.
b. The old
man in us was buried with Jesus and the new man was resurrected
with the resurrection of Jesus.
with the resurrection of Jesus.
3. Faith in Jesus
is the only way to please God.
a. Without
Faith, it is impossible to please God.
A RUSH TO FIND JESUS
V:15. " When the angels had gone away from them into
heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem
A. The angels from
God gave the shepherds a message of hope.
1. They were
informed of the birth of the Savior.
2. They were
told how to identify Him.
3. They were
told how to find Jesus.
4. They were
shown how to worship Him.
B. When they heard
the Good News, they dropped what they were doing and went looking for Jesus.
1. Our Job as
believers is to continue seeking Jesus.
2. There is
nothing more important than a relationship with Jesus.
3. There is
nothing more rewarding than fellowship with Jesus.
V:16. " So they came in a hurry and found their way to
Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger."
A. We should be in a
hurry to get to Jesus.
1. We should be
in a hurry to get to the house of prayer.
2. We should be in a hurry to fellowship
with other believers.
a. Where two
or more are gathered in My Name, Jesus said I will be in the mist.
B. Outside of the
family, the shepherds were the first to witness the new born King.
1. The lowly shepherds were the only men to
hear an angelic choir give praise
to Jesus.
2. The lowly
shepherds were the first to seek to confirm the Word by searching the
the Word.
C. Scripture
confirms scripture.
1. Meditating
on scripture guides you into a deeper study of scripture.
2. Searching
scripture guides you into a deeper understanding of scripture.
THE FIRST TO PROCLAIM JESUS
V:17. " When they had seen this, they made known the
statement which had been told them about this Child. "
A. Once you have seen
Jesus for yourself, you should proclaim Jesus to someone else.
1. Once you know
the Lord, you have an obligation to preach Jesus.
2. You should
get excited in the presence of the Lord.
3. You should
share your excitement about Jesus with others.
B. The lowly
shepherds were the first evangelists for Jesus.
1. We are all
God's evangelists.
2. Let's
proclaim Joy To The World And Peace On Earth because Jesus is
Lord and Savior.
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