For Unto Us, A Child Is Born

This is Robbie Dilmore from The Christian Car Guy and Kingdom Pursuit, where we hear how God takes your passion and uses it to build a kingdom. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds.

Enjoy it and share it. But most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. Do you feel like your efforts to reach God, find God, and please God are futile? Do you feel like your faith is dead or alive? Today, Pastor Russ Andrews will walk us through Scripture to answer these questions. Join us on Finding Purpose, a local triangle ministry glorifying God by helping men find their purpose for living.

For more information and to connect with Russ Andrews and Finding Purpose, you can visit us online at findingpurpose.net or connect with us on Facebook. Now let's listen to Russ Andrews as he teaches us how to be a Christian without being religious. Take your Bible and open up to Luke chapter 2. We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 15. That's as far as I can get tonight.

I've entitled tonight's message for unto us a child is born. Jeffrey T. Bull, a British missionary, entered Tibet on June 29, 1950, where he witnessed the last days of Tibetan independence and was soon imprisoned by the invading Chinese army and then his captors forced him to march day and night across frozen mountains until he despaired of life. Late one afternoon, he staggered into a small village where he was given an upstairs room that had been swept clean and was worn by a small burning stove, cold burning stove. And after a very meager supper, he was ordered by his captors to go downstairs and feed the horses. And though he was extremely weak, he managed to stagger down the ladder where he found himself outside in a stall in pitch blackness. And he said it was extremely cold and totally dark, his boots squished in the manure on the floor. The smell from the animals, he said, was nauseating. He was cold, weary, lonely, and sick. And understandably, he began to feel sorry for himself. Then as I continued to grow up in my way in the darkness, he later wrote, it suddenly flashed in my mind, what day is this? He began to ponder about this and in traveling, he says, I lost track of time. Suddenly came to me.

It's Christmas Eve. I stood still in that oriental manger to think that my savior was born in a place just like this, to think that he came all the way from heaven to some wretched eastern stable and what is more, to think that he came for me. He went on to write, how mankind beautifies the cross and the crib, as if to hide the fact that at birth we resigned our savior to the stench of animals and at death exposed him to the shame of criminals.

I returned to the warm, clean room which I enjoyed as a prisoner and fell to my knees with a heart full of thankfulness and worship. Men, the incarnation is a mystery beyond human understanding. We just can't put our minds around it. Malcolm Muggeridge said it so well, the coming of Jesus into the world is the most stupendous event in the history of mankind. Paul writes of Jesus' humiliation in Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 8. And by the way, this is an old hymn that God the Holy Spirit led the apostle Paul to include in his letter to the Philippians. And so when it wasn't God's word, it wasn't inspired until it actually became part of the canon of Scripture. Even though it's written, you follow what I'm saying? It became part of God's word when God led Paul to lift this hymn and include it into his word. And here's what Paul wrote. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who being in the very nature of God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself what?

Nothing. Made himself nothing. Taken the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on the cross. We will not fully understand all that Jesus gave up in coming to this earth to save us until we see the glories of heaven with our own eyes. And that brings us to Luke chapter 2, where we read about the incarnation of Christ. And by the way, the word incarnation simply refers to God taking on human flesh.

Remember, Immanuel, God with us. God became a man. In John 1 it says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was who?

God. And then verse 14 says, and the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John writes, we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth. Luke chapter 2 verse 1. In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea. Now even though he was headed south, he was going up because Jerusalem was up on a hill. So it says Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea to Bethlehem, the town of David.

Because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came, the time came for the baby to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the end. This is a very familiar story. And so what I hope tonight that you will, that God will be able to reveal to you that this is not an ordinary story.

It's an extraordinary story. Since the beginning of time, this is what I want you to really see. History has been unfolding according to God's sovereign plan and it will never deviate.

Do you know why? God is in total control of world history and he's moving it along by his sovereign power and providential hand. History truly is his story. Daniel 4.25 declares this truth. The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and he gives them to anyone he wishes.

That's why we shouldn't worry about elections even though we do. God raises up kings and he brings them down. And whoever is in the White House, who is the Prime Minister of Israel, whoever is the president of any nation, God can use them according to his will and he does. That's why we should rest knowing that he's in control. Not only is this true that God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men, but according to Proverbs 21.1, the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord.

He turns it wherever he wishes. In other words, God can take a man, even a Caesar, and make him to do what he wants him to do. At the time of Jesus' birth, a pagan ruler by the name of Caesar Augustus ruled the world. The Roman Empire at this point was at its zenith.

Rome and Augustus had conquered every known enemy. And so there was peace. I think it's called Pax Romana.

Isn't that right, Jeff? It means the peace of what? Rome. But it was a dark peace.

Kind of like peace in Germany when Hitler ruled. Because the Roman Empire was ruled over by an evil dictator. Caesar Augustus was the first emperor, by the way, to be called Augustus, which that word means holy or revered. You see, the Romans considered him to be a god. Historian John Buchan records that when Caesar Augustus died, men actually comforted themselves, reflecting that Augustus was a god and that gods do not die. Little did the Romans realize that he was just a man in the hands of an all-powerful god. And at just the right time, God used a pagan ruler to bring to fulfillment the greatest event in the history of the world.

This is what I want you guys to grasp tonight. God's in control. Let's get back approximately a thousand years.

A thousand years before the birth of Christ to a little town known as Bethlehem, which was originally known as Ephrath. That's a hard word to pronounce. I'm spitting on myself up here. Ephrath. It's a good thing you're not sitting right here.

You need windshield wipers. You see, right there in the little town of Bethlehem, lived a young shepherd boy by the name of what? David. Saul, you may remember, was Israel's first king, and he had disobeyed God. He had disappointed God. So the Lord removed him as king. And then God told Samuel, I want you to go to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as a king. Remember, he goes there and he says, bring out your sons.

And the oldest one came out first. And he said, not him. God said, not him. Brought out the next one. He went through six of them and says, and God's going, ain't none of them.

Have you got any more sons? He said, yeah, this is David out there. He's taking care of the sheep.

Well, bring him in here. And as soon as Samuel saw David, God said, that is the one. You see, man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at what?

The heart. So David was anointed as the new king of Israel. And thus Bethlehem became known as the town of David. It's where David grew up. It's where he was taking care of those sheep. And when King David came to power, he began to rule over his vast empire.

When it reached its zenith, and David one day was looking at the house he built for himself. And he said, you know what? We've got God over here that's in a little tent. And so he had it in his heart.

It was a good thing. He wanted to build a house for God. But God had other plans. In 2 Samuel chapter 7, the prophet Nathan comes to David with a message from God. And he said, the Lord declares to you, David, that the Lord himself will establish a house for you.

You got it backwards. You're not going to establish a house for God. He's going to establish one for you. And when your days are over and you rest with your fathers, that is when you're dead and buried, I will raise up your offspring from your very seed to succeed you.

One who will come from your own body. And I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. What kingdom was he talking about? He's talking about the kingdom of God. The kingdom of heaven. And listen, it's the only kingdom that's going to last.

It's going to last forever. When Jesus stood before Pilate, Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus said, is that your idea?

Or do others talk to you about me? Do you know that Jesus was trying to give Pilate a chance? The ones who brought Jesus to Pilate were more guilty than Pilate. But Pilate still has a stance for God. Pilate said, am I a Jew? It was your people and your chief priest who handed you over to me.

What is it you've done? And Jesus didn't answer his question. He often answered the question that you should have asked. He said, my kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place. When we pray, we pray all the time, thy kingdom come. Thy will be done where? On earth as it is in heaven.

I want you to mark my word. One day, Jesus is going to return to this earth. And he's going to establish his earth on this, his throne on this earth. He's actually going to establish it in the New Jerusalem. And he's going to take his seat on the seat of David. And he's going to rule for how long? Forever. Do you want to be part of that kingdom?

Do you want to be part of that kingdom? History is marching towards an incredible climax. When one day the clouds will part and there will be Jesus returning. And it says in Revelation 1 7, and every eye will see him. However, when he returns, the majority of the world, the vast majority of your friends will be caught totally off guard. And then when he appears, it will be too late. History is marching onward. And this is going to happen before you know it.

One day, one day he's coming back. And I can't wait. Now, let's fast forward 300 years. We went back a thousand years, now let's come forward 300 years. From the prophet Nathan to the prophet Micah who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah. I want you to understand what I'm about to say.

Because it's so important that you understand the pinpoint accuracy of God's word. Did you know that there were two Bethlehems in Israel? Not one. One was in the north and was part of the tribe of Zebulun. The other one is the one that we're familiar with. This is the one that we talk about at Christmas. The little town of Bethlehem. It was in Judea in the region of Ephrathah.

That's another one of those words. Why is it so important? Because it's going to show you how accurate God's word is. Micah 5 2 says, But you Bethlehem, which one? Ephrathah. But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come from the one who will be ruler of Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. How old are Jesus' times? Eternal.

He's the eternal God who existed before the creation of the world. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. It was 80 miles north of Bethlehem, and she was now in her ninth month.

She was about to give birth. And so God's word was actually in jeopardy, at least from an earthly perspective. What if his promise to Micah failed?

What if the son to be born was actually born in Nazareth? Would God have failed? But see, God never fails.

His word always comes true. See, what happened is this. God moved upon the mind of Caesar Augustus, who was like putty in his hand, and he was a greedy and ruthless dictator. You see, Augustus had clawed his way to power by defeating Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium off the western coast of Greece in 31 B.C.

Did you all know that? He was the great grandson, I believe, of Julius Caesar. And he had a hold on power. He ruled his kingdom with an iron fist. However, he needed money and men to maintain control over his empire. So what did he do? He issued an edict calling for a census which required every man in the entire Roman empire to return to his birthplace to be counted.

That way they could draft them and tax them. You get it? Yes, with that decree, a poor carpenter and his pregnant teenage wife made the weary 80-mile journey from Nazareth to the little town of Bethlehem. And little did they realize that the unseen hand of God was at work fulfilling prophecy. Do you see that? I mean, if that doesn't make you realize... I think sometimes we read things like, we're on this side of history. I mean, there's no other book like this. This is evidence that this is God's Word.

And it's proof, if you've got an open mind, that it's the Word of God. And that when you read one prophecy in here, then you should believe the rest of them. Did you know that for every prophecy that Jesus was going to come the first time, there were eight for the second coming?

Eight to one? Yes. Do you believe in the second coming?

I do. I believe it eight times more than the first coming. And I believe in the first coming. Now look at verse four again. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. Do you remember Luke? He's a doctor but he's a master historian and wanted to give an accurate account of every single detail.

Why is he doing this? So we'll what? Believe. Do you believe, Stephan?

I know you do. Since he went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. I find this amazing. Both Joseph and Mary came from the line of David. Joseph's hometown just happened to be Bethlehem, which one?

Ephrathah. This is evidence that the Bible truly is like no other book in the world. 2 Timothy 3.7, 16 says all scripture is what? God breathed. See here's what I believe. I believe that when God chose the 40 men that wrote the entire Bible over 1,500 years, that He used their personalities and their individual writing styles, He breathed into them His Word and it appeared on the pages of scripture.

And it contains the breath of life. This is a book that countries ban because they cannot control it. Do you know why they can't control it?

Because it changes a man's life when you read it. And if you can't stop it, what do you do? You get rid of it. That's why they're tearing down churches in China and destroying the Bible and banning it in places. And yet we've got, we're choking on Bibles over here in America. And what do we do with the Bible? Put it on the bedside table if you even have one.

Kick it out of school. That's what we do with it. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will stand forever. Do you believe that?

I do. When you pick up the Bible, you're reading the words of God that He breathed into existence when He moved men to write down His Word. This Word, the Bible contains life-giving words from God.

We don't worship the Bible, but we love it because it's the Word of God. Now look at verses 6 and 7. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the end. Think about how simple that statement is to describe the greatest event in the history of the world. You know, if I'd been God, I'd have done entirely different. Here's what I'd have done. I'd have chosen a city like London or New York or Bethel. I would have selected the daughter of nobility.

I would have brought forth my son in a place worthy of him, such as a royal palace or a stately castle. I would have announced his coming into the world with a shower of meteorites like fireworks going off in the sky so that everyone in the world would know that something special was taking place. But you see, that's not the way God works. God's ways are different from our ways.

Instead of announcing the birth of his son to the world, God sent an angel with good news to a few lowly, insignificant shepherds. I bumped into Lee. Where's Lee? Sorry Lee.

Sorry Lee, you don't mind if I pick on you. He's got on these camouflage shorts. And I said, Lee, you're going to fit right in tonight because I'm going to talk about a bunch of shepherds who are out in the field.

He likes to hunt. Look at verses 8 through 15. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you.

He is the Messiah, the Lord. And this will be a sign to you. You will find the baby wrapped in claws and lying in a manger. By the way, some say swaddling claws.

I had to look that up. You know what swaddling is? They take the blanket and they wrap up the baby like this so it can't injure itself, you know, when it's sleeping at night.

That's swaddling rags wrapped around the baby. And then look at this verse, verse 18. It says, Suddenly, excuse me, 13, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God in sin, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men, on whom is favor rest. When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. Did you know that shepherds were considered outcasts? The only people lower than them were lepers. And yet God chose to bring this good news, the message of hope, to the lowest of all people on earth, a little group of shepherds. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1, verses 26-28, Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.

See if that's not true about you. Not many of you were wise by human standards. Not many were influential. Not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are. I think about, remember the story of sugar in a shoebox?

Joyce. I think about David Selhammer who was the down syndrome son of my favorite professor at Southeastern who loved Jesus with all of his heart. All he wanted for Christmas were books about the Bible and commentaries.

He was 31. He said when he grew up he wanted just to be a preacher. He wanted to love Jesus.

Didn't this give you hope? Aren't you glad that we don't have to be anyone special in the eyes of the world for God to accept us? God will just take us as we are on one condition. We have to humble ourselves and we have to repent. You see, all God wants to see really in us is humility. He does not come to a man who is self-reliant. And that's the way a lot of successful men are. I'm a self-made man. Well, good.

Wait till you die and tell me how self-made you are. For this lowly group of shepherds, not only did God send one angel, not a multitude of angels, not 50, not 150, not 1500, but a heavenly host that I believe was beyond number. Some scholars believe it was all the angels left in heaven who did not rebel with Satan in the one third. And that it covered, the angels covered from horizon to horizon like a great choir singing glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom is faithful rest.

And they did this for just a few shepherds. He says in Ephesians 3.20, Our desire to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond anything that you could ever hope for or imagine. See, that's the God that we serve.

Our desire to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond anything that you could hope for or desire. And that's what's waiting for us in heaven. What we're going to get is going to be who we're going to be with. God is coming back one day to establish his kingdom on earth. And that's the hope that I live with. And that's what I'm living for. But he's looking for men who are humble in heart and who know they need a savior.

See, a lot of people get offended. What do you mean I need a savior? I'm not lost. Oh, yes, you are.

But you're blind to it. We're all lost when we're born. You see, Jesus is our example. He humbled himself and came from the glories of heaven.

And he wasn't born into a noble family, but a poor peasant couple in a filthy stable in an insignificant town among the wretched smell of animals. Being a Christian is not about being religious, but about having a dynamic, alive relationship with Jesus Christ. You've been listening to Finding Purpose with Pastor Russ Andrews, a local triangle ministry glorifying God by helping men find their purpose for living. You can discover more about finding your purpose in life by checking out the resources at findingpurpose.net or connect to Finding Purpose on Facebook. Pastor Russ would also like to extend a special invitation for you to join him and over 300 other local triangle men to study God's Word together every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in downtown Raleigh. Find out more at findingpurpose.net.