Our scripture reading this morning is from Luke chapter 2. We'll read familiar words, verses 1 through 7. And if you got a bulletin this morning, then you also got the sermon outline, and I did that on purpose because a key part of the sermon this morning is on the back side of that outline. Those three figures about a typical house in Palestine. And also the sermon theme is printed in full at the top of the outline. The story about three kings that we read this morning. Before we read God's word, let us again bow to pray. We have sung the glad news, O Lord, and now we read it, that you who from eternity past were God with the Father and the Spirit, now come to earth. As we read what for many of us are very familiar words, make them living to us, even as you live, live in our hearts and produce the fruit of righteousness for Jesus' sake. hear the word of God, Luke 2, verses one through seven. And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius 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 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. Much loved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, this story is about three kings. That's from R.C. Sproul's commentary on Luke, and I thought it said very simply, plainly, exactly what we're going to read and study this morning. There's Almighty God, there is Caesar Augustus, and there's a baby. Those three come together in this time, in this place, in this way. Almighty God, King One, ordained in eternity past that he would use the decree of Caesar Augustus, King Two, to bring his son, King Three, into this world to do his work of redemption. In the eternal plan of God, the Messiah, the Savior, was born at just the right time, the fullness of time, in a particular place, Bethlehem, for a definite reason, to save his people from their sins. Luke records real people in real places in real time. These are historical and verifiable facts. It's not once upon a time. Luke did his research and he gave chronological markers to us. Caesar Augustus, Quirinius, You can look up those names and read them in the history books, and as we'll see, that's the only place they are anymore. But that nails this down, not only in time, but it also reminds us of the painful reality that God's people, the Israelites, were still held captive by Rome in their own country. Now, Caesar Augustus is there at the beginning of Jesus' life, and it's one of his lackeys, one of his governors, Pontius Pilate, who's there at the end. At the beginning and the end, we meet Romans who do two things that are the most hated by people who are under their thumb, taxing and crucifying. We're taking the titles of three Christmas carols this morning for the three headings of the sermon. First of all, Once in Royal David's City for verses one through five, and then Away in a Manger, verses six through seven, and then Within a Crib My Savior Lay to Tie His Birth to Our Salvation. So let's begin with once in royal David's city, verses 1 through 5. There's much about this that's strange to us. And there's debate among scholars about just how and when all of this happened. We're not going to get into all of that. We're going to ask two simple questions. Who is Caesar Augustus? And what is God doing? So first of all, who is Caesar Augustus? Well, those two words are his titles, not his name. His name was Gaius Octavius, but that really isn't important. What is important is Caesar, which means king, like we would use king today or president, and Augustus, which means supreme or majestic, which, by the way, the Jews could not swallow because only God is worthy of that title. So this man, Caesar Augustus, was the first and most celebrated of all Roman emperors. He held godlike status. He was at the height of his power. All he had to do was say the word, register the people, take a census, and people for hundreds and thousands of miles moved. He was the man, the big man. But today, most people only know his name because of Joseph and Mary and a baby. This man would die in A.D. 14 and his reign would end. Jesus would die and rise and his reign would never end. A decree went out, we read in verse 1 from Caesar Augustus. Historians tell us that happened every 14 years, more or less. And the census lasted a year. So if you were living then, you would have a year to get to your hometown to enroll. There are actual documents surviving today for every census from AD 20 to 270. That's a lot of years, a lot of censuses. this about a census, this census. It was 700 years before this that Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Now how is God going to get Joseph and pregnant Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, 70 plus miles away? How about have the little man in Rome who thinks he's God make a decree? So here's one answer to the question, what is God up to? He's using the unaware, unsuspecting Caesar Augustus to accomplish his divine purposes and fulfill divine prophecy. Philip Riken writes, what at first appeared to be a great show of Caesar's power actually proves the supremacy of God's sovereignty, end quote. Beloved, it's worth keeping in mind that God sovereignly works in the great events of salvation and the ordinary stuff of life. He did for Joseph and Mary and he does for us. This census sets up a stark contrast between the mighty Roman Empire and God's kingdom. Here's Caesar Augustus at the top of his game worldwide and a baby in a manger. all human power at the snap of his fingers, and blue-collared Joseph and pregnant, out-of-wedlock Mary. It looks like no contest, right? But don't let looks fool you. The child to be born under Roman tyranny will change everything. And as Ryken has noted already, the contrast that maybe is most worth noting is the decree of Caesar and the sovereignty of God. Now, there was another census historians tell us about 10 years later. motivated a rebellion led by a man named Judas of Galilee, different Judas, Judas of Galilee, and that rebellion sowed the seeds for the Zealot movement. That might ring a bell for some. That grew into a revolt and eventually Jerusalem's destruction. Now Luke records that in Acts 5. If you have your Bible open, turn to Acts 5 with me. Remember, Luke wrote Acts as well. In Acts 5, the apostles are arrested and they're brought before the Jewish leaders. Acts 5, verse 30. This is Peter, the God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to his right hand to be prince and savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Verse 33, when they heard this they were furious and plotted to kill them. Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to them, men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago, Thutis rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about 400, joined him, He was slain and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone. For if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing. But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against God. It is no small matter to fight against God, and there is no hope of success. Back to Luke 2, verse 4. 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 lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. Now, Roman law didn't require that Joseph would take his wife along. But you understand why he did. She was very pregnant. But there's another reason for that. To fulfill God's prophecy. This one from Micah 5. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. I read once that the odds of one person, in this case Jesus, fulfilling all Old Testament prophecies, I think I've mentioned this to you before, is one in one with 27 zeros behind it. And then I googled it to see, check Google, right? And it got a variety of answers, but the point, whatever numbers you want to choose, the point is the same. It's impossible. But then God doesn't work according to human probability. He ordained this birth from eternity past, at this time, in this place, for this purpose. Luke 19 verse 10. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. Now about Joseph going to Bethlehem, he's returning to where his people came from. Like if some of you went to Ireland, or to England, or we went to the Netherlands last spring, or wherever your people came from, But there's a difference here in that these people had much longer memories than most of our forebears had. Joseph could have walked into Bethlehem and said, as we read of him in Matthew 1, I am Joseph, son of Heli, son of Matath, son of Levi, and almost every home. in town would have opened to him. Joseph was a royal. That is, he was from the family of King David. That family was so famous in Bethlehem that locals called it the City of David. Again, all Joseph would have had to say is, I'm from the house and lineage of David, and doors would open. So why didn't he? Because God had a plan and a purpose that involved a manger. So let's go on to verses six and seven, away in a manger. Verse six, so it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. Now I've always thought, and maybe you have too, I think it's popularly thought that Jesus was born at night, the night that Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem. But as I have studied this, I doubt that very strongly. At least there's nothing in the text, there's nothing in the Bible that would say so. In fact, it's likely that they were there for some days before the baby was born. And then verse seven. Well, there's a lot in verse seven. 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. She brought forth her firstborn son suggests that Mary had other children. And we know from John 7 that she did. We read there that even his brothers did not believe in him. And then wrapped him in swaddling cloths. Mothers today will often swaddle a newborn baby, wrap that baby so that he's tight and warm and he feels calm and secure. This baby, so wrapped at the beginning of his life, will be wrapped at the end in a linen shroud 33 years later. And then it gets interesting. laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Kenneth Bailey, in his book, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, is very helpful in explaining mangers and inns. Our mental picture, for most of us probably, is that Jesus was born in a barn or a cave because there was no room at the hotel. Is that how you have thought of it? It's helpful to know then what a house looked like back then. And that's why I've given you those diagrams. To begin with, only rich people had a separate building for their animals. Only rich people had barns. Most houses had one or two rooms. At the end of the room, No, the main room in that middle diagram is called the family living room. That's where the family cooked and ate and slept and lived. At the end of that room, next to the door, either a few steps down or with a partial wall, was the stable. Now every evening, dad or if he sent one of the kids or whoever, would move the family cow and the donkey and the sheep into that area, into the stable. And then every morning, someone would take the animals outside to the pasture or picket them in the courtyard of the house. From the time of David all the way to today, 21st century, There are houses like this. We walked across England 20 years ago and we saw them then. Now understanding that helps us understand some other Bible passages. For example, 1st Samuel 28. King Saul is a guest Endor, who took and prepared a calf, we read there, that was in the house. Not from the field, not from the barn. Judges 11, does the name Jephthah ring a bell? And if it does, you probably groan and grieve at the rash vow that Jephthah made, unless you understand this picture. Now, Jephthah made a vow to God that if God gave him victory in battle, Jephthah would sacrifice whatever came out of his house first. It's likely that he returned home from battle early in the morning, and he expected an animal to come out of the house. Someone would open the door or the gate and let the livestock out. But to his horror, his daughter came out. His house contained more than just family, or he never would have made such a vow. Matthew 5, Luke 13, and other passages make more sense, much more sense if we understand what a typical house looked like, including the manger. It was either a wooden box or a bowl carved in the stone floor. Either way, it was the place where livestock would eat their grain and hay. And it was a perfect place to lay a newborn baby. This newborn baby. And the manger is significant. Look with me at Philippians 2. Philippians 2. Verses 6 through 8, Paul is writing about Christ calling us to have the mind of Christ. Verse 6, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself as he started life in a feed trough and ended on a cross. John Piper writes the manger was step one on the Calvary Road." End quote. And as, Lord willing, we read more of the life of the Savior in the coming year, we're going to see that the road to Calvary went downhill. Not that it got easier, but that it got lower. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. where he suffered God's wrath at our sin so that we might be forgiven and become children of the Heavenly Father. And then there was no room for them in the inn. Super 8 was full, or the Airbnb lost their reservation. The Greek word for inn does not refer to a room at a hotel. If Luke had meant that, there was a word he could have used in that case, but rather it means space, extra space in a home, a guest room, as you see again on figure 1.3. Luke used the same word in Luke 22. There's the account of Jesus calling his apostles together to celebrate Passover for the last time. This is the night he would be betrayed. Luke 22 verse 10. He said to them, behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house which he enters. Then you will say to the master of the house, the teacher says to you, where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? Then he will show you a large furnished upper room, there make ready." Both in Luke 2 and 22, the word Luke uses refers to the guest room in a private home. And besides that, when Matthew records Jesus' birth, he wrote of the wise men who came into the house where they found the child and his mother. My mental picture has always been of Joseph and Mary hurrying to Bethlehem, getting there just in time for the baby to be born. They rummage through their suitcases to find extra clothes that they can cut up into swaddling cloths. And Joseph helps Mary give birth as the livestock meal in worship. And some of our Christmas carols and commentators reinforce that view. I don't think that's accurate in any respect. It is very likely, as I've mentioned, that they were there for some days before he was born. and that they were lodged in someone's house. And so when the time came for Mary to give birth, very likely Joseph and any other men in the house were shooed out. You go. And it was the village midwife and the woman of the house who helped Mary give birth. And then the baby Jesus was placed in a manger in the family room. because in that home, the guest room was already full. Now maybe you think, well, okay, obviously Pastor Dave gets into that, but so what? Which is always a good question to ask in a sermon. So what? And to answer that, I want to turn to a third Christmas carol, Within a Crib My Savior Lay. It's number 212. This is not real familiar. You might sing it in the hymn sing pretty soon, but I'm not sure as a congregational song it would work as well. Maybe you'll surprise me, I hope so. Within a crib my Savior lay, a wooden manger filled with hay. Come down for love on Christmas Day, all glory be to Jesus. Upon a cross my Savior died, to ransom sinners crucified. His loving arms still open wide. All glory be to Jesus. Those words put a finger on three matters that demand our attention from the Christmas story. The horror of our sin. The humanity of the baby. The humility of the Savior. The horror of our sin, first of all. Sin is not a mistake. It's not a character defect that we learn to live with. It's not oops. It's not, it's just the way I am. When we break God's perfect law, even what we sometimes excuse as a little sin, it offends the infinitely holy God. What Adam and Eve did in Eden caused inestimable harm. And if they hadn't done it, you or I would have. And we do every day in big ways or in little ways, in public or private, we want to do life our way. We know what's wrong, but we feel that pull so strongly. We sin against the holy God and against others made in his image. And that is no small matter. Sin separates us from other people. And it separates us from God, who is our creator and sustainer and protector. Sin separates us from God. But praise God, he doesn't leave us there. Jesus came to save us from the guilt and power of our sin and the bondage that sin produces and restore us to God. And to do that, he had to become one of us, which is the second reality that Jesus' birth reveals, the humanity of the baby. If you've been at a birth, and I know some of you have or have helped in the birth of an animal or a child, it's quite an earthy experience, shall we say. Now, take away the halo. Take away the livestock kneeling. Take away the romanticized images we have of this birth because Luke shows us that Jesus entered the world like every other baby. He came with hair and fingernails and blood and human DNA in all of his cells. He wore diapers and Mary nursed him like every other mother who has nursed a baby. That's what we mean by incarnation. The second person of the Trinity, God from eternity past, took on human flesh. a person. He didn't save us from a distance. By becoming human, and only by becoming human, could the Son of God offer his body as a sacrifice for our sins and rise from the grave. Jesus had to become one of us to save us. and blessed be the name of the Lord, he did. And he did it the hard way, through humiliation. The horror of our sin, the humanity of the baby, and the humiliation of the Savior. J.C. Ryle wrote, we see here the grace and condescension of Christ. Had he come to save mankind with royal majesty, surrounded by his father's angels, it would have been an act of undeserved mercy. Had he chosen to dwell in a palace with power and great authority, we should have had reason enough to wonder. but to become poor as the very poorest of mankind, and lowly as the very lowliest, this is a love that passes knowledge." End quote. This, our Savior, is holy. He's not a bigger and better version of us. He's unique and different and infinitely superior to us. He's the creator, and we are creatures. For him to take on our nature, to become man, was an act of infinite humility, or better, humiliation. He made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. He didn't cease to be God, but he cloaked his divinity with humanity, and he set aside all the glory and privileges of being God so that he could save the lost. And that became the pattern of his life. Humility was the pattern of his life from birth to death. The manger pointed to the cross and the grave. The same body wrapped in swaddling cloths would be wrapped in a burial shroud. Someone has said manger and cross are made of the same wood. fiber of humility and sacrifice and love. The story is about three kings. Caesar Augustus, who's in the history books and nothing more. Almighty God on the throne of his universe where he has always been, receiving the praises of his people and the angels world without end. and Jesus. For the moment wrapped in the cloth of humility, but that can't last. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night, and they're a coming. Lord willing, next Sunday we're gonna pick up at verse eight and hear the praise that they bring to the newborn King. I want to end with Philippians 2. We read verses 6 through 8 earlier. Verses 6 through 8 emphasize the humiliation of Jesus. And then picking up at verse 9 and his exaltation. Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name. that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Let us pray together. Oh God, our Father, you have created us to give you praise. And we do that this morning. We see afresh the birth of our Savior, and our hearts sing and dance for joy. Thank you for giving us your only begotten Son, who came to seek and to save the lost. gather in more, that with us we might give praise and glory and honor and thanksgiving to you, the triune God, forever and ever. And all your people said, Amen.