Luke chapter 2 verses 1 to 20 for a sermon I've entitled, Christ the Savior is Born. It should follow along with this very familiar story. Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while 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 the family of David. in order to register along with Mary who was engaged to him and was with child. While they were there the days were completed for her to give birth and she gave birth to her first born son and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room at the inn. In the same region, there were some shepherds staying in the field and keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people. For today in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be the sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth among men with whom he is pleased. When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, Let us go straight to Bethlehem then and see this thing which has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and they found their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby as they lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told to them about the child. And all who heard it wondered at the things that were being told to them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told to them. On July 22, 2013, church bells rang out in Great Britain announcing that Kate Windsor had given birth to her first born son, the future King of England. George Alexander Lewis Mountbatten-Windsor birth marked only the second time that three generations of direct heirs to the throne had been alive at the same time. The last time was in 1894 to 1901, in the last seven years of the reign of Queen Victoria. Now, the birth of baby George for the British people touched a deep emotional cord, one connected to history and tradition and their identity. But the role of King or Queen of England today is really an honorary position rather than one of real authority. Did you know that King Charles, to even enter into Parliament, has to be invited by them? Well, George is growing up in the spotlight and everything that he has done or will do is going to be reported by journalists and captured by the photographers. Of course, his next grand event will probably be his wedding, and then after that, his coronation. Past that, he will spend the rest of his life bored, out of his mind, as he attends one ceremony after another. After a life of pomp and circumstance, and accomplishing little of great value, he's going to breathe his last, and then they'll give him an elaborate funeral, where they'll praise him for all that he did. Now, I couldn't help think of the contrast between baby George's entrance into the world and that of Jesus. George was born to a famous couple. Jesus was born to common peasants. George was born in a first-rate hospital. Jesus was born in a stable. George was wrapped in a royal receiving blanket. Jesus was wrapped in rags. The news of George's birth was broadcast by the national media, but the news of Jesus' birth was spread by simple shepherds. And yet George, unless God should save him, will do nothing of eternal significance in his life. But Jesus accomplished that which was of the greatest significance, redeeming God's people for the glory of God's name. Well, it is today we want to look afresh at this best known of all stories in the Bible. And here we want to see again the wonder of God's ways and the events that led up to this most important birth, the birth of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. So why don't we pray and then get into the text. Father God, I ask for grace and mercy that you help us as we look at this. This story is one that we've all heard many times. at Christmas programs, and also even from Linus in the comics. And Father, we pray that you'd give grace and mercy that we look at this and see again the wonder of all that you've done for us in your Son, Jesus Christ. So bless us, we ask in Christ's name. Amen. Well, the text can be divided up into four parts if you're keeping score here. The first thing we see is the historical setting, and that's going to be in verses 1 to 5. Secondly, it records a simple event, and that's 6 to 7. Third, the angelic announcement, that's 8 to 14. And finally, the joyful response, and that's 15 to 20. Historical setting. It says, now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of the inhabited earth. And this was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. On this first few verses of chapter 2, Luke wants to establish the time and the circumstances surrounding Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. But you know, in doing so, the critics jump all over the Bible, and Luke in particular, saying that he's either being dishonest or he's mistaken in what he writes here. You see, the problem is that Luke speaks of a census that was ordered, which occurred at the time of Quirinius being governor. But if you add that to the references to Herod earlier in Luke's gospel, and also in Matthew's gospel, and the mention of them, Herod's birth and Jesus don't seem to match up with this census. from what we know of secular history. Well, what do we know? Well, we do know that Caesar Augustus reigned from 27 BC to 14 AD. Now, Herod was believed to have died at age 70 in 4 BC. Now, you might be wondering, how could Herod have died in 4 BC if he was there to persecute Jesus and try to kill him? Well, the answer is that the Julian calendar that we use today is actually off by six years. Jesus was born in 6 BC. Herod died a couple of years after Jesus was born. So it's actually 2017 right now, not 2023. The problem that the historians have is not in correlating Augustus and Herod with Jesus as much as Quirinius and Augustus and the census with Jesus. They say it this way. They say, look, there's a record of a census being taken in AD 6-7 when Quirinius was governor in Syria, but that would have been ten years after the death of Herod, so it couldn't have taken place as Luke said. The Bible is simply mistaken. Well, how do we answer the critics? Well, the first thing we need to say is that there are records of censuses being taken by the Romans. In fact, at this time, the Romans took a census about every 14 years. And as to the idea that people would be made to go back to their hometowns to register, one of the critics said, that's just ridiculous. Like millions of people got up and went across the world. But think about it. Most people at that time, did they live anywhere near Didn't they live near the people that they grew up with? So for a lot of them it would just be going into town. And by the way, they found a papyrus read in Egypt that talks about a census that took place in 104 AD where people were required to do that, to go back to their hometown. So it's certainly reasonable to believe that a similar decree would have taken place in Judea. There's also some evidence that Quirinius was actually governor on two separate occasions. I think it's significant that Luke says that this was the first census that was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. So what I'm telling you is this, the critics of the Bible never give the Gospel writers the benefit of the doubt, and it's because they don't want it to be true. But even some of the Bible's so-called friends trying to help Luke out here say, well, Luke was more concerned to make a point than to be accurate. But think about it, Luke is writing to a Roman official trying to convince him of the truth of Christianity. You don't convince him of the truth by getting historical data wrong. And by the way, I think there's a bit of arrogance on the part of some historians who, 20 centuries after the event, suggest that they know better than Luke who lived during that time. Well, if there's things that we can't always figure out about the Bible, we should give the Bible the benefit of the doubt. As more information and data comes in, the Bible's proven to be true again and again. But you know, there's not only a historical reason for mentioning Caesar Augustus here, but there's also a theological reason. You see, there's a contrast that Luke's making between Christ and Caesar, between the kingdom of God and the empire of Rome. Well, who was Caesar Augustus? Well, his name at birth, as it was given, was Gaius Octavius, and often shortened just to Octavian. He was the grandson of Julius Caesar's sister. And so Julius Caesar had no son, so according to the custom of the day, he adopted Octavian as his heir. And as a result, Octavian also took the name Caesar. So it was originally a family name that eventually became a title for the emperor. You may know that Julius Caesar was assassinated by the members of the Roman Senate, et tu Brute? After his death, Mark Antony vied for power in Rome. The Senate, instead of giving it to one man, gave it to three. Gave it to Octavian, to Mark Antony, and Marcus Lepidus. Lepidus fell for power first, and so the struggle for the empire came down to Octavian and Antony. You remember from history that Mark Antony was spending a lot of time in Egypt with his new lover, Cleopatra. And that didn't go over well with the Romans back home, and certainly not with Octavian, because Antony was already married to Octavian's sister. Eventually two men met in battle in a city called Actium, where Antony and his Egyptian forces lost to Octavian and his Roman legions. Both Cleopatra and Antony committed suicide, so Octavian was left the sole ruler. So in 27 BC, he was declared Augustus, meaning exalted one, divine one. Now, some commentators point out that Octavian was ruthless in coming to power, but he mellowed out after gaining it. He was an efficient and effective administrator, and he was very careful with the funds and how they were spent. Oh, don't we wish we had that with our government today? Well, during his reign, Rome reached its apex, but it also began to lose its freedom, because with the ascension of Caesar Augustus, Rome went from being a republic to being an empire. Well, emperors are dictators, and this one dictated that a census be made, probably for tax purposes. It says this, 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, the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and the family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child. You know, politicians seldom think about the hardships that their policies will impose upon those who live under them. Well, coal is dirty, so let's close down all the mines. Yeah, and then what are the people in Virginia going to do for jobs? And by the way, did you know that you can't smoke in hardly any public building in America today, right? You can do it at the casinos, by the way, because it's owned by the Indians. But you know, there is another place where you can smoke freely if you want, and that's in congressional offices in the Senate. Because when they passed the law, they exempted themselves from the laws. Well, no doubt this census brought disruption and hardship to many, but few more than Joseph and Mary. They had to make a 90-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Mary nine months pregnant. I think we can make a couple of applications, give you a couple of megatruths even here. Here's the first one. In, behind, and through the decisions of world leaders, God is working out his plan and purpose for history. I mean, Caesar may make a decree for his own reasons, but the reason Caesar made a decree was from eternity past, God decreed that Caesar would make that decree. I mean, what caused the Jews to go back and return to their land after 70 years in exile? It was a decree by Cyrus, the Persian monarch. But why ultimately did he make that decree? We're told in Ezra 1.1, now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, In order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout the land, also putting it in writing. The Bible says in Proverbs 21.1 that the king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it whichever way he wants. Now, in making this decree, Caesar unknowingly was bringing about the fulfillment of a prophecy that had been made seven centuries earlier. In Micah 5, 2, it says this, Well, the second thing I think we have to say by way of application is in and behind and through the distresses and difficulties of God's people's lives, He's still working out His purpose for them. I mean, Joseph may be stressed. Mary might be fearful. Don't worry, everything is under God's control and working according to His plan. As the psalmist said, the Lord will accomplish what concerns me. I'm telling you this, your life might seem like it's spinning out of control right now, but if you're a Christian, it is spinning, but on a potter's wheel, and God's shaping you into the vessel He wants you to be. That brings us to our second point, though, the simple event. Women, when they talk about giving birth, they always talk about the complications, meaning the difficulties attending the birth. Well, there were some difficulties attending the birth of Jesus for Mary and Joseph, a long trip. And then they get to the town of Bethlehem and there's no place for them to stay, no hotel, no hospital, just a stable, a dirty stable with a couple of cows and donkey eating hay and a few chickens in the rafter and a mouse scurrying through the straw. You know, we always try to sentimentalize and sanitize this story, don't we? By adding accounts of little drummer boys and things like that. Had no gifts to bring. But I call this the simple event because the actual birth account is short to the point without any kind of embellishment. It says this in verse 6. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Millions of births before Jesus, billions afterwards, but this was a one-of-a-kind birth. Because the woman who gave birth was still a virgin. And while it might be true in some sense, in many sense, that all men are created equal, It's certainly not true that this baby was created equal. Because while this baby was Mary's son, he was also God's son. The son of God, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And yet, here, he's born in a barn, laid in a feeding trough, and no bells ring out in Jerusalem, let alone Rome. Isaac Williams. pondering on the obscurity of Christ's birth in contrast to its significance, wrote these words. Listen to what he says. The wonderful depth of divine counsel were moved. The fountains of the great deep were broken up. The healing of nations was issuing forth, but nothing was seen on the surface of human society but a slight rippling of water. How did the Son of God come into the world as a human child? He came in to accomplish, as the second Adam, what the first Adam failed to do, to subdue the earth and to fill it with those who bear the image of God, to the glory of God. As it says in Hebrews chapter 2, what is man that you would remember him? Or the son of man that you should be concerned about him? You've made him, meaning mankind, for a little while lower than the angels. You've crowned him with glory and honor. You've appointed him over the works of your hand. You've put all things under subjection to his feet. So mankind's original intent by God was to rule over the entire of the earth. It says, for in subjecting all things to him, you left nothing that is not subject to him. But now, we do not yet see all things subject to man. But we do see him who is made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus, because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself partook of the same, that through his death he might render powerless him who has the power of death, that is the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery. Although I just read about some lady who just came out of isolation after these last three years because of fear of the COVID virus. Three years she didn't leave her home. They're kept enslaved by the devil through the fear of death. Mercy there was great, and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary. Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan. Oh, the grace that brought it down to man. Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary." And he came as a poor boy too, didn't he? The lowest of the low. So that they would know that the highest of the high had not forgotten them. John speaking of Jesus said this, He was in the world and the world was made through Him, but the world didn't know Him. Well, the world may not have known them, but the inhabitants of heaven did. And that brings us to our next part in the text, the angelic announcement. This is verses 8 to 14. It says, For behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people. For today, in the city of David, there's been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord, and this will be the sign for you. He will find the baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger." You know, we're told in 1 Peter that the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the coming Christ were things that the angels longed to look into. In other words, to understand what was being said. And now, wonder of wonders, these heavenly beings, He who just sat on the throne in heaven was now laying in a manger, and they had to tell somebody about it. But you notice, the announcement doesn't go to the Senate in Rome, or the Academy in Athens, nor the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. Rather, it goes out to shepherds in a field. Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 1, 26-29, For consider your calling, brethren. Not many of you are wise, according to the flesh. Not many of you are noble. Not many of you are mighty. But God has chosen the foolish things, that means us, to shame the wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world, and the despised things. God has chosen the things that are not, that he might nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before God. But by his doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us the wisdom of God, the righteousness and sanctification and redemption. So just as it is written, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. Or as it says in James 2.5, listen, my beloved brethren, did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him? You know, when you read in the Bible, anytime anyone has an encounter with an angel, the response is always of fear. But this angel doesn't come to take their lives, but to thrill their hearts. For the 5,000-year wait was over, and he said, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. It's the good news of great joy. That's what he wants the people to have. And that's what God alone can provide. And He does when we hear and believe what He's done for us in Christ. Now, three titles are given here to this newborn babe. First of all, he's called a savior. Be an example and my guide. Be my friend. Yes, everything beside. But first and last and most of all, Jesus, be for me a savior. The Greek word for savior is soter. It's a Greek word for one who's a rescuer. It's the title that the Caesars used for themselves. Now listen to these words from an inscription that was found in the city of Prien, looking back at the birth of Caesar, Augustus. It says this, Providence has ordered everything in our lives and has displayed extraordinary concern and compassion and crowned our life with perfection itself. It has brought into the world Augustus and filled him with a hero's soul for the benefit of mankind, a savior for us and our descendants. He will make wars to cease and order all things well. This epiphany, which means God appearing, of Caesar has brought into fulfillment past hopes and dreams. Not only will he put into a shade the benefactors who have gone before, but he will leave for posterity no hope of surpassing him. The birth of this God is for the world the beginning of the gospel. festivals celebrating his honor. See, what the angel is telling these people in proclaiming Jesus as Savior, he was challenging the pretensions of Caesar and every other dictator on the world stage. You know, I read a couple of years ago that they were going through villages in China, and they were putting up posters of Xi Jinping, and the poster said, Jesus can't save you, only Xi Jinping can. You understand? These are always theological issues at their heart. Well, he's also called the Christ, the Messiah. You see, it's not from the line of Caesar. But the house of David, that the obedience will come from the nations. He's a Jewish king, not a Roman or a Persian or a Syrian king who shall rule the earth. The last title that's given to him is Lord. None other than God himself in the person of his son is this child. He is the true epiphany, God appearing. And how are you going to identify him? You're going to find him wrapped in swaddling clothes, like a little mummy, lying in a manger. It says, and suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising him and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among men with whom he is well pleased. By the way, the term host is a military term, and yet this great and terrifying army announces a message of peace. And of course it is peace for all who will receive it, and that's those whose God-pleasure rests upon, those he's chosen for salvation. And what does the angel see as the end purpose of the coming of the Savior? It's to bring glory to God. Our salvation, listen carefully, our salvation is not the ultimate purpose of Jesus' coming. That's the penultimate, the second ultimate. The ultimate purpose is that God would be glorified. As it says, Romans 11.36 I said it earlier, the good news is for sharing, the angels shared it with the shepherds, now the shepherds are going to share it with others. And that brings us to our last point, the joyful response. Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love. Hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun of love. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away, givers of immortal gladness. Fill us with My grandson, when he used to sing that when he was four years old, he only knew the first couple lines. So he said, joyful, joyful, joyful, joyful, joyful, joyful, joyful. Well, I guess that's enough. Now, joy is always the experience of God's people when they come to understand all the blessings that He's bestowed on us. And since there are many blessings that God has given us in Christ, believers should be filled with lasting, deep joy no matter what their circumstances. Well, I don't know how these shepherds felt about their life circumstances. I mean, they're shepherds. But they were shepherds to whom the God of the universe sent his angels to make the first announcements of the birth of the Christ child. And so what's their response? Look at what it says in verse 15. When the angel had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began to say to one another, let's go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby as he lay in the manger. And there he was. The savior of the world, Christ the Lord. A baby in a feeding trough. Wow. You know, there were some missionaries that worked among the Polynesian tribes in Micronesia. And they had to translate the Bible into their language. And when they came to this story, they asked, OK, how are we going to translate a manger? Because they didn't have feeding animals like that. The closest they came up with was the people of the area, when they threw their garbage away, would throw it on a giant clam shell. And so they said that the little baby Jesus was laid in a clamshell. Well, these angels announced it to the shepherds, and the shepherds got to see with their own eyes, by faith, what people had longed to see for thousands of years. Remember what Job said, I know that my Redeemer lives, and on the last days he will stand upon the earth. Well, they got to see him lying in a manger. When something amazing has happened, something great is experienced, part of our joy is to share that joy with others, and that's what we find them doing here. Look what it says in verse 17. It says, when they had seen these things, they made known the statements which had been told to them about Christ. And all who heard it wondered at these things that were being told to them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart." Sharing, wondering, treasuring, pondering. These people might be poor in the world, but they had inexhaustible riches from God through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, for our sakes He became poor, that through His poverty we might become rich. And it was this baby, this God-man, who grew up and lived a perfectly righteous life, and then laid down that life as a sacrifice for the sins of his people. God proved that that sacrifice was sufficient by raising him from the dead three days later, and thus conquering death, he guarantees salvation and eternal life for all who will trust him. No wonder we read that the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen and had just been told to them. Now I imagine sometime in the future, after Jesus is returned and we go into the eternal state, that I will be having a conversation with the angel Gabriel. And I expect it will go something like this. So Gabriel, tell me, how did you feel when you actually saw the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, hanging on a cross? He said, great. Doug, let me ask you a question. How did you feel when you knew he was hanging on that cross to pay for your sins? See, Christliness is never going to mean much to a person until they can not only say Christ the Savior is born, but rather Christ my Savior is born. I hope that you can say that today, because that's what Christmas is all about, receiving the gift of eternal life that's been provided through the death of God's Son. If you have that, you have everything. If you don't have that, you have nothing, nothing of significance. Let's pray. Our Father in God, I remember when they did the Peanuts cartoon, and this was first proposed, where Linus tells this story. The executives at NBC said, no, you can't have that. Nobody's going to want to hear that. But that is part of the reason why all of us know this story and can just about recite it. Because people have heard that through a cartoon. They've heard it on every Christmas program they've ever been to. They've heard this message, but has it reached their hearts? Has it taken root? Has it produced faith? We pray for the people here, Lord. Most have heard this many, many times over. And we pray for those who are listening over the internet and also in the radio broadcast. We pray that as they hear, they would respond and receive the eternal life that you alone can bring. Thank you for this. It never gets old to us. And we pray, Lord, that we would always rejoice in it, just like the shepherds did. So bless us now, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. We're going to do HEM 86.