A Historic Birth #2

He's the Lord of creation, incarnate in human flesh. Surely he must have a palace waiting for him.

He's got a feeding trough to greet his arrival. We're so glad you've joined us on the Truth Pulpit with Don Green, founding pastor of Truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hi, I'm Bill Wright, and we're continuing our series, The Most Blessed Birth, with part two of a message titled, A Historic Birth. Last time, Don gave us the reason we dwell on the historical aspect of the biblical account of Christ's birth, so that we would have a heart of reverence toward God's word and enduring confidence that scripture is indeed inspired and true.

Today, Don will offer a couple of practical takeaways to further help you appreciate the season. So have your Bible handy, and let's join our teacher now in the Truth Pulpit. Go back to Luke chapter 2 again, here in verse 4. Luke has set the context through the political events of the day, the administrative orders of the day, to help us know how it is that Joseph and Mary ended up in Bethlehem for the birth of the Messiah. Look at verses 4 and 5 with me. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and family of David, in order to, here's the purpose, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child.

Joseph and Mary were under the authority of the order to report for that census. And look at what God did. Proverbs chapter 21 verse 1 says that the heart of a king is like water in the hands of the Lord.

He directs it wherever he wishes. And what God did, overruling and superintending the purposes of the heart of the great Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, moved and worked in his heart like he did with Cyrus in the Old Testament to issue a decree that would have effect on the people under his authority. And Joseph and Mary, being under the authority of that reign, under the authority of that order, had to do something, and in compliance with an order that they had nothing to do with, made their way to the city of Bethlehem because that's where their family was from. And yet, if you were with us on Tuesday, and as you remember Micah chapter 5 verse 2 in the Old Testament, 700 years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Micah said that the Christ, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem.

Do you realize something really profound? That Caesar, Augustus, had no clue, no concept of the purposes of God when he issued this order for the census to be taken. And yet, he was simply a tool, a hand in a sovereign God. And his census, which seemed like the big political event of the day, his census and the goals that he had for that census were actually utterly incidental to what was really going on. What was really going on was that God was orchestrating events so that the words of the prophets would be fulfilled and the Christ would be born in Bethlehem at exactly the right time. The census was incidental to a greater goal, the greater goal being the outworkings of the purposes of God. Do you realize that we, you and I, as we live under a transition of leadership in our own country, as we live under a number of different leaders with a lot of different laws, beloved, don't you understand that as much as we can get sucked into the vortex of political things that are going on today, don't you realize that we should always step back and say, there are purposes of God being worked out through the things that are happening that I can't see or understand, that I don't know exactly what's going on, but I know that even the greatest of leaders are merely instruments of God working out his purposes over time, and that that gives us another source of stability in our soul? Caesar Augustus orders a census in order to be able to tax people in the future and to run his government.

Good for him. We've got nothing against Caesar Augustus. I'm just saying that that man and his administration were utterly incidental to the much greater eternal purpose of God. In their sandals at the time, Caesar Augustus may be born in Bethlehem. True reality, baby in Bethlehem, Caesar Augustus. We have to view the world through the lens of truth.

Now what did they do? They went up to Bethlehem, went up from Galilee to Bethlehem. Now, when we say somebody goes up, I often think anyway of going north, you know, because north seems to be up some reason for that point of reference. But here, Galilee is a region north of Jerusalem, and yet they were going south in order to get to Bethlehem.

Why are you calling it to go up? Well, it's just a question of elevation, Bethlehem being at a higher elevation than the region of Galilee, and so that they literally physically went up, it's a geographic elevation reference, not a directional reference that is being made here. And so they went up and they got to Bethlehem, and Mary is with child, engaged to Joseph. And in verse 6, we read what happens when they got there. Luke tells the story with characteristic understatement.

Thinking about the magnitude of what happened and what the culmination of centuries of prophecy were and the fact that God's redemptive plan is being advanced, it's remarkable that Luke simply tells the story without embellishment, isn't it? Luke chapter 2 verse 6 says, while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth, 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. Now, as a passing matter, perhaps those of you that have been under the influence of Roman Catholicism over the course of your life, maybe in younger days, notice what it says. Notice that it says that this child that was born was her firstborn son. Her firstborn son, naturally meaning that Mary later had other children, contrary to the false doctrine that says she was a perpetual virgin.

She had other children. Mark chapter 6 verse 3 speaks to this very clearly, that he had brothers and sisters. In fact, they didn't even believe in him for the longest period of time until they came around after his resurrection. And so even these passing words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit give us protection, give us a guard against wrong views that are propagated by men. No matter how rich and wealthy and how long they've been saying these lies, Scripture simply says things in passing that give you all the discernment you need to know so that you're not led into a false worship, a false adoration of Mary. Mary was greatly blessed by God to bear the Messiah, yes, but she said and gave praise to God her Savior.

Who needs a Savior except somebody who is a sinner? There you go. And so we follow the words of Scripture and are protected by foolish myths that others propagate. She laid him in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. It's possible that our Lord was born outdoors, maybe in a cave. Some have speculated that maybe there was a stable that was attached to a house and that it was an arrangement like that. Not too long ago I would have thought that sounds weird, again with my 21st century presuppositions, but you know what? This is totally irrelevant in one sense, but it just shows the way things can be done.

Do you know what? My grandfather lived in a house just like that. It's in New Hampshire. It's still standing. They have the house and then there's this long passageway connected to the barn.

Why would they do that? I don't think we do that much around here. Well, the winters are too severe to be able to go out. And so they build these passageways and they connect the barn with the house and it's all under one roof and you can take care of the animals that way. Was it something like that for our Lord?

Don't know. We just know that our Lord was born in humble circumstances. That the Son of God was born in such humility that his crib was a trough for animals. That his mother had no place else to take him and his father. Step back and see the perspective from God's viewpoint.

See the situation for what it really is. In times of war, great men will have their viewing stand and their armies will march by in perfect formation in front of them. And all of the circumstance saying something great is going on here and this man who is at the head of this military is somebody of significance.

In an earthly sense, sure. But doesn't it strike you afresh to step back and to realize that when the one who is truly great came to earth, he didn't orchestrate a parade, a procession to acknowledge his birth. He came in simplicity. There was no desire, there was no need to impress the masses when Christ came.

True greatness doesn't need the pomp and circumstance to vindicate and justify itself. Beloved, someone greater than Caesar had arrived but you'd never know it from the circumstances of the birth. He's Lord of heaven and yet he's born to displaced Jews. He's the Lord of creation. Incarnate in human flesh. Surely he must have a palace waiting for him.

He's got a feeding trough to greet his arrival. What can we take from this familiar account in addition to the things that we've already said? Beloved, I want you to anchor something else deeply into your mind which will protect you from a whole other realm of spiritual nonsense. Those who long for, pretend to conduct signs and miracles and that is the proof of a work of God. Beloved, look back at the manger and realize first of all that God often works through ordinary means. That the work of God is not often something that is spectacular as if fireworks were going off and laser shows were going off. Sometimes the work of God is done through very ordinary means. And for people like you and me in the day and age in which we live in the evangelical church where the measure of a church is measured maybe by the size of which its attendance is measured or in more extreme examples by the seeming great signs that they can do when they blow on people and they fall over or they pretend to heal everybody that comes in sick and lame and maimed. Some of you wishing that you could have a great healing and you wonder because you've been told so many times that if only you trusted God enough he would heal you, it must be a lack of faith on your part that you're still in your condition. None of that's true. It's all a lie designed to manipulate you and make you feel guilty and make you reach into your wallet. You see, we're conditioned to think that God is only at work when something spectacular or miraculous happens.

But that is entirely the wrong way to think. God works even through a secular ruler's administrative decision to take a census. Nothing spectacular. No fireworks going off. No lasers announcing the order of the census. No fog machines going off to call attention to it artificially creating an environment that would say, oh, God's at work here.

Look at all the fog machine. God have mercy on us. God have mercy on this whole degraded thing that's called the evangelical church, that that's what people do and think. No.

No. God is so great that he can work through ordinary things that people simply overlook, work through that ruler's decision. Beloved, think about something else and think about this in the midst of your very seemingly ordinary life that no one would write a story about, that no one would make a TV show or a movie of, as you're just faithfully going through day-to-day life, being faithful in your marriage, faithful to your parents, faithful to your church, and no one seems to notice.

Notice this. Look at Joseph and Mary trudging as she is heavy with child, trudging their way to Bethlehem in obedience to an order that they didn't ask for, in the discomfort of ancient travel, and yet what was God doing? In their simple, trudging lives, God was accomplishing a great purpose in order to bring them to Bethlehem so that the Messiah would be born in the right place. You realize, right? You understand, don't you, Christian, brother and sister in Christ? You understand, don't you, that God is working out great, eternal purposes even through your simple and trudging life. Of course He is, if you believe the gospel.

Of course He is. Isn't God, my friends, those of you who are Christians, isn't God preparing you for eternal glory? Isn't God working through life with an ultimate destination that you would be face-to-face with Christ and see the wounds of Christ that He bore for the salvation of your soul?

Aren't you headed toward a spectacular display of something still future that belongs to another realm and another world? And it's through your simple, trudging life that God is preparing you for that, through your simple faithfulness. God works through ordinary means. Beloved, don't, here then is the point, don't despise your ordinary life. Don't despise the difficulties that attend older age. Don't despise the isolation that sometimes faithfulness to Christ calls you to. Life in Christ was never intended to be a spectacular show of fireworks, 365 a year. The greater display of the power and the glory of God is when you're following Him without that. Because that says that there is such inherent worth in Christ that you're devoted to Him even when there doesn't seem to be any earthly attraction to do so.

When there's no show to put on. And yet you sit down and quietly open your Bible and read another passage again, maybe you've read it a lot of times, but you say this is God's word and I love it and this is how He shapes me and makes me and I want to know Him better. Then you pray, offer your thanksgiving to God for the day and trust yourself to His care and you go out and you work in a secular job with very few Christians around and you wonder what's the point.

You know what the point is? The point is that a great, eternal God has appointed you for that and is working out purposes that far exceed anything that you could ask or think. Maybe when your hands are given care to the needs of your children, care to strangers who come in through the door, when your hands are caring for woodwork and machines and cars and printers and technology. Do you realize, beloved, that when we look deeply at the way that God brought about the birth of Christ, that we see something second going on here? It's not just that God identifies, works through, I should say, ordinary means. God works through ordinary means, it's not just that. There's something else greatly important for you today.

Greatly important for me. Secondly is that, and this is precious, is that Jesus Christ identifies with the lowly. Jesus Christ identifies with the lowly.

People just like you who maybe are just struggling to pay your bills and you just live paycheck to paycheck hanging by a thread, it seems. And because you've heard so many echoes of health, wealth, and prosperity, you wonder, what is wrong with me? Why doesn't God give me the miracle that others seem to talk about? Well, if He did that, and He always did that, where would people of lowly means be? Where would people of humility, of humble circumstances like almost every one of you, where would we be in the plan of God then? Do you see, beloved, the depth of the humility of Christ in His birth? Do you see the eternal Son of God who was involved in the intra-Trinitarian councils before the beginning of time of incalculable infinite worth? A self-existent God coming down like this? Coming down in a birth to two forgotten Jews in a small unimportant city so that He might be laid in a manger?

What is this? You know what this is in part? This is the Lord Jesus Christ identifying with the lowest of us.

Those who have no account, who have no reputation, who have no connections with people of so-called importance. And this is Christ in utter humility identifying with people like you and me. You know why this is so sweet and precious?

In a world that loves fame, that loves Hollywood, that loves power, that loves wealth. You know why this is so precious? Do you? Do you know why this matters? Do you know why Christ is so, so great? It's because as infinitely great as He is, you don't have to be noble and mighty to have access to Him. He came down and identified with people just like you and me. He identifies with your anonymity. He identifies with your poverty. He identifies with your isolation. Are you low today feeling the weight of your sin?

Maybe just discouraged by the hum-drum, boring nature of life. Do you realize that in the most precious person in the universe, the Lord Jesus Christ, you have someone who not only has been there, but shares in it with you. That though you may not be able to put your finger on the money and the methods of this world to make your circumstances change, that in Christ you have something far transcendent to all of that, even if your circumstances never change. If you have Christ, you have all. If you have Christ, you have everything that you need. Let this world pass away. If it must, I have Christ.

I have it all. Yes, beloved. Christ lowered Himself, not to save an elite, but to save all sorts of men just like you. God certifies the truth of these things to you afresh. Certifies them through the Scripture.

Certifies them through the testimony of the Holy Spirit. You have it on the highest authority that a Savior has come for you, who is Christ the Lord. Those of you who know Him, rejoice afresh even in your simple, trudging, grief-filled lives. Christ came for you. Those of you who have never been born again, Christ offers Himself to you. Right now, right today, as a world goes about its madness, just like Caesar and Herod were going about their madness and building their stuff, and missed it all, right now, today, piercing through the fog of all of the stuff of life, my unsaved friend, Christ speaks a word to your heart and says in John 5-24, Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but is passed out of death unto life.

Indeed, God shows Himself through history, as recorded by real eyewitnesses. We should be inspired to greater worship of our Savior this time of year and every day. Mr. Don Green will have more of our series, The Most Blessed Birth, next time on The Truth Pulpit. Don't miss a moment. Right now, Don's back here in studio with some closing words.

Hi, friend. As we close today, I just want to make something available to you. You know, as you listen to these radio broadcasts, they have to fit into a 25-minute format, and we're very grateful for the opportunity the Lord's given us to do just that. But the radio messages are born out of a longer sermon message that contains more information, more background, a fuller explanation of the passage than what we're able to do on radio. So I encourage you to go to our website and find the link that says, Follow Don's Pulpit. That will lead you to a podcast that gives you the full-length sermons from every Sunday and every Tuesday from my pulpit. I really think that it will minister to you over time to hear the full-length messages. So we make that available for free, and we would love you to join us in that way as well. Thanks, Don, and friend, to take advantage of what Don just mentioned, just visit TheTruthPulpit.com. I'm Bill Wright, and we'll see you next time for more from The Truth Pulpit.