For us, it's the Lord's Day. There's a difference. It's the Lord's Day. God's been good to us. I trust everybody's pipes are unfrozen. You still got water flowing? Still got hot water? Well, I know some of you don't. Sorry about that. Well, it's good to be in God's house today. Let me invite you to open your Bible to Luke chapter 2. I know this probably isn't the only time you've heard this passage of Scripture read over the past few days, but I honestly like the simplicity of the birth of Jesus Christ. I find it very hard to embellish the Scriptures and what they say. I rather prefer to take them as straightforward, intended as inspired under the work of the Holy Spirit. And so I believe that the simplicity strikes at the heart more than complicated discussions do sometimes. We're in Luke chapter 2. We'll begin reading verse 1. Once again, I'd ask that you stand with me, please, as we reverence the reading of the Word of God. Now, in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of all the inhabitants of the earth. This was the first census since Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 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 register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child. And 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 claws and laid him in a manger, because There was no room for them in the end. So let's pray. Father, hearts are full today as we consider and contemplate the coming, the birth, rather, of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray, Heavenly Father, that we will not deny the reality of the virgin birth, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That the Holy Spirit came over Mary and caused the seed of God to be planted. At the appointed hour, at the appointed time, at the exact moment of your sovereign will and decree, Jesus Christ was born. But not only was He born, He was born for purpose, for reason. For as you gazed upon the earth, you saw all the sin that has so captivated and chained men. It's not difficult for us to look around the world today and see the gravity of this world in which we live, the graveness, the need for the Savior to still be preached, for the light of Christ to still shine through the light of those who are His. Father, I pray that as sin increases, as darkness becomes darker, that our joy will increase over the coming of the one who was born in a stable and lain in a manger and crucified on a cross. What is your desire for all men to come to repentance? Help us, O God. to be faithful to our hope and our inheritance in Christ. In His name I pray, Amen. Thank you and please be seated this morning. I so much appreciate you being here today, I really do. Most of us have, I don't know if you try to go to Sam's Club or Walmart during this time of the year or not. I don't know if you've ventured to go out and do that. I suspect at one time or another you probably have and you've seen the madhouse that it is, especially during the Christmas time. It's not uncommon for you to go to one of these places and have to park You know, way out there somewhere, unless you're one of these crazy people that just drives around until you find a place. I don't know. Some people just keep driving around until they see somebody going with a cart to their car, or they find them opening their car, and they wait there in the middle of the road for them to finally back out and pull in. I think you just need to get it over with, drive out there wherever it is, and find a parking place, and stop, and go in, and do your shopping. Don't do all that other stuff. Just realize reality. This is reality. You got a park out there you might as well walk in. Imagine this scene taking place in Bethlehem because It was just about that bad in Bethlehem at this particular time. You know, they were, I guess they were parking donkeys maybe on the edge of the city limits of Bethlehem. But Bethlehem was packed out and Bethlehem wasn't a big place. They say that the population of Bethlehem may have been around 600 people, maybe as much as a thousand people at the time that Jesus Christ was born. You could literally take the whole population of Bethlehem and put it in one of the residence halls at the University of Arkansas and still have room left over. The whole city fit into one University of Arkansas residence hall. Everybody knew everybody in Bethlehem. Everybody was probably somewhat related in Bethlehem. And so all of a sudden you have this kind of a sleepy little village. turned upside down. And people were elbow to elbow. And there were donkeys and camels and horses everywhere. And the ladies were busy, no doubt, trying to cook, do all the cooking and all the baking. The men were busy bringing in the wood and maybe slaughtering the animals. There were donkeys and camels and horses everywhere. You look, doing what donkeys and camels and horses do. It was a busy time, it was a busy place. Let's look at verse 1. Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth, This was the first census while Quirinius was governor of Syria. So what's going on? Well, basically, good old Caesar here needed some glory. Now, you got to realize Caesar was about 65 years old. at this particular time. He had been ruling as the emperor of Rome for about 33 years, and he was Rome's first emperor. Now, in my calculations, and I know everybody has a different way of calculating things, a lot of people say this was 4 B.C. I prefer to take the stand that it was 2 B.C., and we'll not get into all the differences in reasonings over that. But Rome was celebrating their 750th birthday at this particular time. And Caesar, even though he had been reigning only 33 years, they were celebrating his silver jubilee. of reigning. And so they had this combination going on of 750 years of being a nation, plus Caesar being the first emperor, and the silver jubilee, these things were coming together. And so the Roman Senate got together and said, we need to do something. We need to do something. We need to mark this occasion somehow or another. And so what they did is they began to press Caesar. They said, Caesar, wouldn't it be wonderful if you would take a census and know exactly how really big and extensive your kingdom was. Well, Caesar could hardly resist that, you know, his pride, his arrogance got to him and he said, well, that's a great idea. Why don't we take a census? And so they did. They took a census in order to honor Caesar and to build him up to make him look like a big shot that he thought he was. And so they take this census, they call for the census and actually if you read the biography or the history of Caesar, you're going to find out that they used this very census when he died in his eulogy to once again to magnify how big and how great and how wonderful Caesar was and how big his rule was and how many people were under his power and under his dominion. So it served two purposes. He went along with the idea. They pushed the census. The census was taken. Notice that Luke says the census was taken of all the inhabited earth. The only purpose of the census was to magnify Caesar. That was it. That was all that the census was for. But who but God could use a man like Caesar to actually bring about the fulfillment of prophecy? Caesar had no clue that God was using him to fulfill prophecy. God had planned this over 600 years earlier. God had prophesied it. He's the one that actually brought it about in due time, as the Bible says, according to the time of God. But God used Caesar even though Caesar had no idea that God was using him to bring about the birth of his son at a specific time in a specific place. God often works that way, I believe. I believe God uses sinners. I believe God uses injustice. I believe God used pain, hardships, and difficulties, and sorrows to accomplish His will in our lives. I don't think it was easy for Mary to get on that donkey and travel 90 miles from Nazareth down to Bethlehem. traveling four or five days on the back of a donkey, being nine months pregnant. I don't think that was easy, but I do believe it was God's will. Nonetheless, God's will was being accomplished. It's like God's defragmenting the disc and cleaning things up in the background. There's background stuff going on. And I seriously doubt, I seriously doubt that even Mary, I doubt that Joseph understood. I don't think they grasped what was going on as well completely. I don't think they went down to Bethlehem and said, oh yeah, Micah 5.2. Isn't there something in the Bible, isn't there something about Micah 5.2 that says that the Savior has got to be born in Bethlehem? Oh yeah, we got to go down to Bethlehem because Jesus has got to be born in Bethlehem. That's what the scripture says. I don't think Mary and Joseph went down to Bethlehem with that on their minds. God was still working. They were simply complying with the law to have a census taken. There's nothing really spectacular. When you think about this scene here, there's nothing spectacular about them fulfilling one of the greatest prophecies of all time. The birth of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. But you know, God works that way a lot. He works in an ordinary routine of life. He works in our ordinary lives. I read the testimony of a young lady who had been a missionary over in Africa for a few years and she came back to America, she got married, she had children. And she found it very, very difficult, very difficult to adjust to the fact that she was now washing dishes, cleaning house, changing poopy diapers, and making dinner for her husband. It was not nearly as exciting as being a missionary over in Africa. And she found it difficult that God would use her in such a great way doing such ordinary things. But God was, and God does. They were just being faithful, and that's what God uses. God uses us just to be faithful. Notice verse 3. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee 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, and ordered to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. And while they were there, the days were accomplished 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. And so Joseph and Mary make the trip. They finally get down to Bethlehem. Bethlehem has changed overnight from a quiet village to a hub of activity. Nobody probably hardly noticed Joseph and Mary coming into town. You know, I mean, it was obvious that she was about to give birth. Nobody could miss that. But overall, their coming into Bethlehem did not arouse any curiosity. And the Bible says they finally get to the inn, and since Bethlehem is such a small village, I would surmise that they probably only had one inn. And so when they get to the inn, they find out that there is nothing available. And I can't even begin to imagine the disappointment of Joseph and Mary when they get down there because they've been traveling all this way and their traveling was not easy. And it wasn't like, you know, they were glamping. They were truly camping. I mean, they were sleeping on the ground. They were making their own food. They were carrying all their utensils to cook their food with. It was not an enjoyable trip on the back of the donkey to get down there. It was difficult. They were tired. They were weary. They were worn out. They were ready to be there. They get to the inn. They find out that there's no room in the inn. And I don't know if Mary was gripey or not, being for as long as she was, nine months, I don't know if she was saying, Joseph, why didn't you make some reservations? Didn't you know better? Didn't you know it? I don't know what her state was. But they get down there, the room, there are no rooms. The inn is full. And I'm sure they're disappointed. They can't turn around and find some place to go eat like a McDonald's or Burger King or Brahms or wherever it is. And the second thing is, is this the best that God could do for his son? The God of the universe, the God of all creation, the Almighty God in control of everything who calls all things into existence and they get down to Bethlehem and there's no place for his son to be born. Could not God at least have planned something better? You know, I dare say that there have been very few children actually born in a stable and laid in a manger. I wouldn't venture to count how many, but I would dare say that not many met this criteria. This isn't normal. This scene is far from average. So how do you explain? How do you explain Jesus being born in a stable? How do you explain the Son of God, Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger? How do you explain this whole thing as it has evolved before us? The whole scene reeks of humility. Humility. The Scripture says this, "...have this attitude in yourselves, which also is in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men." Paul said, look, here's the deal. He emptied Himself. He emptied Himself. What did He empty Himself of? His glory, His majesty, yes, even His power, His might, His eternal riches, the anthem of the angels that were surrounding the throne. Jesus was still God. He didn't give up his deity. It's impossible for God to stop being God. That's not even in the realm of possibility. It can't even happen. But in order to become a man, he did have to give up the glory of being God, the glory of that position up in heaven above. He could not... He could not come to earth maintaining His glory. The Bible says if we were to see Him in all of His glory that we would immediately pass. Moses couldn't see all the glory of God. So Jesus could not hold on, He could not maintain His glory when He came to earth. picture, what a better picture is there of giving up his glory than being born in a stable and laid in a manger. Paul said he came to be a bond servant, a slave. Paul said that because it was indicative of his lowliness and his humbleness and his meekness and his commonness and his identification with mankind. Nobody could look at Jesus and say, wow, He must be somebody important. Wow, look at the way he was born. He must be destined for something great. Nobody could look at the way that Jesus was born and say, whoa, this is too much. He's going to be somebody. He's going to be somebody. Nobody can do that on purpose. Jesus wasn't born in a stable and laid in a manger. just to keep his birth secret. The purpose of his lowly birth was not to be a secret. The purpose of his lowly birth indicated his mission. It indicated his mission. Why he came? He came to be a servant. He didn't come to be a king at this time. He didn't come to be a statesman. He didn't come to be a ruler at this time or a magistrate. He didn't come to be a great man. He didn't even come to be famous. He came to be a servant. And being born in a stable was in keeping with the whole purpose of his coming. It's clear that Jesus was born in a stable, laid in a manger to picture His humility, and out of His humility came His servitude. Jesus said it Himself. He said in Mark 10, 45, for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for Many. Jesus confirmed the whole reason he was born in a stable right in this one simple passage of Scripture. You cannot understand the stable and you cannot understand the manger without understanding exactly why he came. The idea of Jesus Christ being born in a stable, laid in a manger of hay may seem like a romantic idea, it may seem like it's nostalgic, and it may evoke some empathies, but you cannot understand it without understanding the purpose of his coming, his humble circumstances of his birth are indicative of his life of service." Who then did he come to serve? Well you say he came to serve God. Well certainly he came to do the will of God. Jesus acknowledged that I don't do anything of my own initiative. The only way I do anything is if I get permission from God or God gives me my orders. I only do what He tells me to do. I am His servant. I am under His will. I am under His control. And whatever He says, that's what I'm going to do. That's true. And He was bound by the Father's will. That's true. That's what it means to be a slave, is to be bound by somebody else's will. But I think there's another layer of Jesus' servitude here. You see, God didn't need to be ransomed. Jesus made it clear he came to give his life as a ransom for many. For many. Who are the many? Who are the many? The many are us. The many are us. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming, he said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who what? Who takes away the sin of what? Who takes away the sin of the world, of the world, the many. Jesus came to take away the sin of the world. He didn't come for a select few. He didn't come for those who were somehow or another predestined to eternal life. He came for all, for the many. Why? Because the many needed to be ransomed. He said, what does it mean to be ransomed? It means to make a payment to release someone from some kind of bondage, whether that bondage is a prisoner of war, whether that bondage is slavery, or whether that bondage is a debt. Jesus says, I see my life, I see my, pardon me, I see my death as a ransom for the release of many from bondage. He's paying what they could not pay so that they could go free. He says, I am substituting my life for them at the cost of my life. You get your freedom. You get your freedom. You say, well, exactly what is it that we're in bondage to? Jesus says, or John says, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. What are we in bondage to? John says you're in bondage to sin. It's your master. You're born with sin as your master. We are born as slaves to sin. Jesus Christ said, truly I say to you, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. Everyone who has ever been born is born a slave of sin. Your parents were born a slave of sin. Your grandparents were born a slave of sin. Your wife was born a slave of sin. Your husband was born a slave of sin. Your children were born a slave of sin. The Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Now let me translate that for you this morning. What you're seeing today, what you're hearing today, what you're witnessing today, what you are watching today is all the result of people who have been born in sin. The stuff that our government comes up with in terms of legalizing same-sex marriage, because they are slaves of sin. Those who are involved in this idea of same-sex marriage are slaves of sin. Those involved in the lottery industry, those involved in the gambling industry are slaves of sin. Those who partake of those industries are slaves to sin. Those who support abortion, those who get involved in abortion, slaves to sin. This is how sin works its way out. If you lie, if you slander, if you misjudge, if you gossip, if you steal, if you cheat, if you have an active appetite, if you are immoral in the way that you dress, and that includes wearing pajamas to school, It's immoral. It's improper. If you're dating someone who's lost, slavery to sin, that's how it manifests itself in this world in which we live today. The Bible says there's none righteous, no, not one. Jesus says he was born as a ransom to break the bondage that we have to our sin natures. The problem that we have is not mental health issues. It is not psychological. It is not the lack of listening to one another. It is not the lack of tolerance or love or whatever you want to call it. It's not the lack of government intervention. The problem we have in our world today is sin. All this other stuff is just red herrings. That's all it is. Jesus said he was born to ransom us from the power of sin. The solutions that we're looking for is not in the government. Never will. But I'm going to tell you what. I will tell you this. There is coming a government wherein the Antichrist will be in control. And He will promise you that He can solve all your problems, that He will unite all nations and kingdoms and colors and peoples and races, and He will claim that He has the power to give you the security that you so desperately want and the pleasures that you enjoy. There will come a time when the government will appeal to the world and say, and the people will accept it as their salvation or as their Messiah. But understand this so that you will not be deceived. It is not a government issue, it is a heart issue. It is a heart issue. The problem is sin. And the world has a sin problem. And Jesus Christ is the only solution to our sin problem. Jesus breaks the power of sin by dying in your place, paying the penalty of sin on the cross. He became your ransom. And once the penalty of sin is paid for, God embraces you as his own child. Jesus was born to die for you, and his death is your freedom from the dominion of sin. God has no desire for you to spend eternity in hell. God's desire is that all men repent. Repent of their sinfulness and put their faith in Jesus Christ, His death on the cross as your sin payment. He knows everything about you. He knows everything in your heart. He knows how arrogant and prideful we can be. He knows every sin we've ever been guilty of. He knows every secret thought, every secret desire. But He still loves you. He still loves you. And He still wants to pay for your sins. The greatest expression of His love was sending you, His son, to be born in a stable, laid in a bed of hay in a feeding trough. And that baby became your way out of sin and into eternal life. I trust this morning that most of you are already in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. There may be some here who are not. We want to extend to you that opportunity. What a great day this would be for you to accept the conviction of the Spirit of God, His wooing of your heart, His revelation of your sinfulness, and His calling upon you to put your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. We're going to prepare for an Invitation Hymn. I'm going to ask Jeff to come and help us and Adeline. We prepared for our Invitation Hymn this morning. The world yearns for peace The world yearns for joy, but what we have is mass confusion, a lot of hatred, a lot of bias, and a lot of bigotry. Jesus Christ. I know it sounds cliche, but I'm telling you, Jesus Christ is still the answer, the only answer, and forever will be. the answer. I'm going to ask that you stand with me, please, as we prepare for the invitation hymn this morning. I don't know all the things that goes on in people's hearts. I know when we gather together like this, there are probably a lot of things going on in people's hearts besides just listening to the preaching of the Word of God. I know there are a lot of diversions that Satan puts in our hearts and minds. and He can easily lead us astray from the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. I understand that. But I understand also that when we come to the time of the invitation that God's Spirit can overcome a lot of things. Maybe you haven't heard the word I said. That's okay. The Spirit's still working, I believe that. I really believe that. So I humbly ask this morning as we sing this invitation hymn, that if nothing else, you note the words of the song. We're gonna pray, and then Jeff's gonna lead us in an invitation hymn. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the opportunity to be in your house today and to worship you. To read that portion of the word we've probably heard maybe hundreds of times if we've gone to church all of our lives about Jesus Christ coming. But Lord, I pray that we'll not just keep the babe in the manger, We'll understand that He came for a purpose, for a reason, to die on that cross. The story is simple, but the effects are powerful and eternal. The effect of His death on the cross is the eternal life of those who will put their faith in Him as their personal Savior. And so that's what I pray this morning. Maybe there's one here who's a doubter or a skeptic or just an unbeliever, I don't know. but you convict their hearts and bring them to you, Lord, through the simplicity of the gospel and the death and burial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For those of us who are saved, encourage us to walk more faithful, bolder, declaring our allegiance to Jesus Christ. Forgive us our sins, there are many, In Christ's name we pray, amen.