Christmas Message - Luke Chapter 2:1-20

When God came down to the planet, He could have done it in so many different ways.

Palace, temple, cathedrals. Jesus was born in a barn. That statement rang home one day when I've got kids and they came in and they left the door open in the middle of summer and I asked that very familiar question, were you born in a barn?

And after I uttered the words, that still small voice, the voice of God, not the audible voice, but that still small voice of God saying, yeah, I was born in a barn for you. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. As we approach Christmas coming up this Friday, one of David McGee's associate pastors, DA Brown is here with us on the program.

Welcome brother. Merry Christmas, Bob. It's a special week indeed.

It sure is. Tell us a little bit about what we have to look forward to this week in the teachings. Jesus didn't come simply to change our schedule or to change one day out of the year. He came to change our life. Join us today for a special Christmas message from Pastor David.

This is one of my favorites. Here's David McGee with a teaching, God with Us. I'm going to read from Luke chapter two.

If you got your Bibles with you, turn with me there. Luke chapter two is part of the Christmas story. So let's read in Luke chapter two, verse one. And it says, and it came to pass in those days that the decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.

The census first took place by creating this was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and the lineage of David to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, do not be afraid for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will towards men. Verse 15. So it was when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherd said to one another, let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen them, they made widely known the saying, which was told them concerning this child and all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Verse 20, then the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them. Jesus was given many names. Jesus obviously was one of his names. That's sort of a Hebrew to Greek to English form of his name, Jesus. His Hebrew name was Yahshua. Now we translate directly from the Hebrew to the English, Yahshua is Joshua. And even then there's a little picture in that name because if we remember in the Hebrew scriptures, Moses, and that's what we call the Old Testament, the Hebrew scriptures. We remember Moses receives the 10 commandments, but Moses is not the one who led the Israelites into the promised land. And there's a picture there that the law can't lead you into the promised land.

I know people that think they're going to be justified or claimed righteous by the fact they've obeyed the 10 commandments. None of us have obeyed the 10 commandments. So who took them into the promised land? Joshua. And let's remember Joshua's name was the same as Jesus, Yahshua. So there's a picture there that we can't get into the promised land by obeying the law or the 10 commandments.

It takes Yahshua to take us into the promised land by faith, by belief. His name, Christos is anointed one or Messiah or Mashiach in the Hebrew, Christos in the Greek. So it's Jesus the Christ. It's not Jesus Christ and Christ was his last name. And another thing that we call him is Immanuel. Immanuel.

It's actually one of my favorites. What does it mean? It literally means God with us.

And that's the title of the teaching I'm getting ready to share with you. God with us. Sometimes we think, well, we go to church to visit with God because God's in the church. And while as a pastor, obviously I would encourage you coming to church, I would encourage you worshiping God. God doesn't live in this building. When we leave, he kind of goes with us, if you will, because the building isn't the church. We are the church. God humbled himself.

Jesus humbled himself, became a man and came down to this earth. Were you born in a barn? We ask that question, indicting people about their upbringing, their manners, their family.

We're casting questions about somebody when we say that. Were you born in a barn? But that question leads us to what is literally the greatest story that's ever been told. A story that involves God.

A story about corrupt political leaders making empty promises, corrupt government systems, corrupt religious systems, religious leaders who had forgotten God and didn't love people the way they were supposed to. And into this, Jesus comes. Jesus into a manger, born in a barn.

And Jesus was the Son of God, is the Son of God, the King of Kings, Malachin, the Lord of Lords, all power, all authority. But he came to a manger, born in a barn. Our Savior, our King of Kings, our Jesus was born in a barn.

Now, here's the remarkable thing. He could have chosen to be born anywhere. He could have chosen to be born in the palaces of Rome. He could have chosen to be born in the temple in Jerusalem.

He could have been born in Alexandria, center of knowledge. Didn't choose any of those. Chose a barn.

Chose a barn. And let's remember, because as we look at little manger scenes, sometimes we miss the back story, if you will, or what was going on. Israel had been a powerhouse under such leaders as King David and King Solomon, a wealthy nation. But over years of idolatry, of neglecting God and ignoring his word, the nation went downhill.

It was no longer exceptional. Enter the Greeks with Alexander the Great, and then enter the iron-fisted rule of Rome. So when we read the Book of Luke, we need to understand that here's Israel that's being invaded and occupied by the Roman Empire, an empire that gave them little or no voice, took money from them, took money from the temple even for government projects, told them when and where to go, like in the census, taxed them unmercifully, herded them together like cattle, often treating them worse than slaves, and they responded to political demonstrations with massacres. That's kind of the political setting. Few people live very well. Honestly, when we compare our living to 2,000 years ago, almost all of us live above their level of survival. The ones that did live well were people like Herod, a Jewish politician who had made arrangements with Rome, or the tax collectors who had sold out their country and countrymen through the golden coin of Caesar, and it was into this that that light shone, heaven's light. It wasn't into a really peaceful, laid-back time. It was a time of turmoil, spiritual darkness, and you can't fight darkness with power. You can't fight darkness with more darkness. You can only fight darkness with light, and so God shone his light into this world. That light, the star of Bethlehem, was both beautiful and symbolic of God shining his light, because you can only fight earthly darkness with heavenly light, and I think we would admit that there even now is earthly darkness.

There's selfishness, and violence, and materialism, and people not caring about other people. Heaven's light still shines into our earthly darkness. Heaven's light wants to shine into your personal darkness. Whatever you're struggling with, whatever you're sensing, whatever you're feeling, heaven's light wants to shine into that.

That's not something everybody is offering you, but it's what God is offering you. Heaven's light still shines into our darkness, into our pain. We'll be right back with more from David McGee on Cross the Bridge. Right now, here's a word from Associate Pastor D.A.

Brown. Hey, Bob. We're excited about what God is doing to Cross the Bridge with Pastor David, and we want to take a minute to pray for some listeners in these cities.

In Idaho, Mountain Home, Pocatello, Salmon, Sandpoint, and Twin Falls, and Decatur and Mount Vernon, Illinois. God, we thank you for everyone tuning in today. We pray that they would have an expectant heart. Hey, you want to speak to them right now, knowing all situations that are going on in their life. Lord, we pray if they're going through some sickness, some health issues, that you would please heal them. And God, that you would remind them that you love them, you know what's going on, and you have a good plan, and you will be glorified in their life. And Lord, we pray for the pastors and churches in this area. We pray that they would be excited about following you. Lord, that they wouldn't grow weary in doing good.

And Lord, that you would remind the pastors that they are loved, they are called, and that you're going to bless them. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you, brother.

And now, let's get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse. We're all here because we've already worked out all our issues and problems. Amen?

Oh, wait a minute. If you got issues, we're going to have to ask you to leave. No, we all got issues. We all got issues. We all got problems.

We didn't check them at the door. God wants to meet us right where we are. And our problems actually begin to be solved, one, two, three.

Not as easy as one, two, three. But they begin to be solved with Matthew, one, two, three. Chapter one, verse 23. And that verse says this, behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which is God with us. Now, I love studying the deep things of God.

I love going into the original languages, and I love reading commentaries, modern and older ones. But those three words aren't that complicated. They're not that theological, if you will, although they are.

They're simple. I mean, so simple a child can understand that God with us. And the only people who can really miss it are the people that want to miss it. It's strange to think of this and say it, but do you understand that some people will miss Christmas this year? Now, I don't mean they won't celebrate Christmas. I don't mean they won't exchange gifts. I don't mean they forgot where it was on the calendar.

I mean, they will miss the real meaning of it. Part of the real meaning is wrapped up in those three words, God with us. You know, He didn't have to come here.

He chose to come here. Again, those were the words, God with us. The whole Bible is really about those three words.

And that's not an oversimplification. I've read this book cover to cover and studied it for years. And it's about those three words, God with us. God desires a relationship with humanity. God desires a relationship with people. God desires a relationship with you. God desires a relationship with you. Knowing everything you've done, the wrong things you've done, knowing the right things you failed to do, He still desires a relationship with you. And this wonderfully deep, complex, beautiful book is summed up with those words, God with us.

Let me walk you through. What was going on in the Garden of Eden? God desired a relationship with His people, with Adam and Eve.

He came into the garden to see them, to walk around with them. God with us. Maybe it's time for you and I to take kind of a new look at the book with open eyes and fresh ears and a soft heart and new understanding. See, when I say God desires a relationship with you and with us and with people, maybe you think that's a big, huge grandiose statement and it is, but it's also a statement of fact. See, there's verses in here that you may have read before, but maybe you read past them without really thinking about it. Genesis chapter two, verse eight gives us a verse to think about in this whole relationship thing. It says, the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Don't over-complicate this. God planted the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve to enjoy. Now, I don't know if you've ever planted anything, maybe a flower, maybe a row of flowers, maybe a vegetable garden, but I can tell you this, you don't usually plant gardens for people you don't like. God planted a garden for Adam and Eve. And there's another verse in there that's really interesting that we tend to scoot past, and that's Genesis 3 21. It says, and the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. He planted a garden for him. He made them clothes. Now, maybe you're sitting there going, hey, pastor, you're kind of rocking my boat about who I think God is.

Good, good. Because I'm simply reading the Bible to you. See, you don't plant a garden for somebody you don't like. You don't make clothes for somebody you don't care about.

You do those things for people you love. God with us. God was with us in the Garden of Eden.

In the Garden of Eden. God was with us when he told Noah to build a boat. God was with us when he told Pharaoh, the most powerful political leader on the face of the planet at the time, let my people go. God was with us when he led his people into the promised land. God was with us when he took a young shepherd boy who took down a giant with one well-placed rock. God was with us. God was with us as he sent man after man, his prophets to talk to his people, to encourage them to come back. And God spoke to those same prophets to announce the coming of his son. Jesus. God with us. And when God came down to the planet, he could have done it in so many different ways.

Palace, temple, cathedrals. Jesus was born in a barn. That statement rang home one day when I've got kids and they came in and they left the door open in the middle of summer. And I asked that very familiar question, were you born in a barn? And after I uttered the words, that still small voice, the voice of God, not the audible voice, but that still small voice of God saying, yeah, I was born in a barn for you. Now, when you think back on the Garden of Eden, you know, God wanted to be with us. He wanted to be with humanity. He wanted to be with mankind. And we betrayed him.

We disobeyed him and we broke his heart. And we can't blame Adam and Eve because let's be honest, if you or I were in the garden, it wouldn't have gone that differently. Maybe some of us, it would have happened quicker. Maybe some longer.

It's interesting. We're not told how long it took, but we betrayed him. So when we betrayed him and broke his heart and hurt him, obviously this all powerful God who the world likes to paint as this maniacal, crazy tyrant, obviously with this much power, with his heart broken, God just, is that how I responded to Adam and Eve?

No. After the heartbreak, he responded by sacrificing animals, making us close and covering our mistakes. That's what happened in the garden. After Adam and Eve messed up, God took animals and sacrificed them and covered Adam and Eve, covered their mistakes.

And that's a picture of his willingness to cover our mistakes. When his people were wandering on the desert, disobeying him over and over, hurting each other over and over, how did he respond? He gave them directions to build a tabernacle so he could meet with them. And after they fell into idolatry over and over again, how did he respond? He led them into the promised land. And after they ignored him and really didn't put him first in their lives, how did he respond?

He gave them directions to build a temple where he could meet with them. And after the religious system just fell into all about man and not loving God and not loving people, how did he respond? He was born in a barn, born in a barn, came here to die for our sins. And when you get to the end of the book in the book of Revelation, the part where man shakes his fist at God and man declares war on God, man uses his mouth that God formed to curse God, man uses the fist that God formed in the womb to shake it at God.

And how does he respond? He builds a place called paradise and invites us to it. This is the God who came to this earth. God left heaven where angels were gathered around the throne singing praises to him. He left that and came to earth. God was born in a barn.

Why? Because he desires a relationship with us. And what's amazing is it's not like God said, okay, you got one shot at this. You better take it.

Like those infomercials that slam you with a bunch of information and plead with you to buy now or you're going to miss it. God has for years sat there and said, you know what? The offer still stands. What an incredible God.

What an incredible story. He offers to set us free, to heal us. And he wants from us what nobody else wants. We're in the time of year when different people want different things from people. I want this and I want that.

And please give me this and please give me that. But you know what God wants from us? He wants our sin.

He wants us to take those things and say, here God, forgive me. Help me to deal with these things. Help me to overcome these things. Help me to be victorious over these things. And friend, you know what? You can wrap it as pretty as you like, but nobody else wants your sin. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?

You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short, simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me, that I could be forgiven. And I believe you were raised from the dead, that I could have a new life. And I've done wrong things. I have sinned.

And I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. So congratulations, friend.

You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time, we'd love to hear from you. You can visit crossthebridge.com to receive our First Steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ.

Or you can write to Cross the Bridge at P.O. Box 12515, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27117, and share how God is working in your life. You know, the Bible tells us that the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. But it does cost for us to come and bring that message to you and to others in your neighborhood through radio, through the internet, and through the mobile technologies that God has gifted us to be able to use. So if you'd like to support this ministry, please go to crossthebridge.com, click on the donate button, and ask God how much he would have you give, either on a one-time basis or a continuing basis each month to help ensure that the teaching of God's Word continues to go out through Cross the Bridge. Thank you so much. Thanks again for listening and join us next time as David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the Gospel of John.