Humble & Lowly

going to be looking at that wonderful and familiar passage, which we heard read on Friday

evening, that tells us about the birth of Jesus.

And up until now, we've heard about the wonderful and miraculous signs that God began to do

to show that he was at work.

We heard about the two angelic visits.

We heard about two miraculous conceptions.

We heard about the birth of John to his elderly parents, Zachariah and Elizabeth.

And today we're going to hear about what happened with Mary, the one promised to bear the greatest

of sons.

We're in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

And I'm going to read the first few verses here for us.

Luke, chapter 2, verse 1.

Luke 2:1

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, 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.

So the story of Jesus' birth, Luke says, begins with the decree from the Roman emperor, Caesar

Augustus.

This time in Israel, the Romans were in charge.

They had the empire all around the Mediterranean Sea.

And we might wonder, why does Luke mention this?

What does it have to do with the birth of Jesus?

Well, as we reflect on Luke's words here, we realize that it was this decree from the

Roman emperor which moved Mary and Joseph from the northern town of Nazareth in Galilee

all the way down to Bethlehem in Judea.

Why did they go there?

Because the census required them to go there.

Everybody had to go to the town of their forefathers and register.

And here it is, according to Luke.

It says,

This is his emphasis.

We could talk about the fulfillment of the prophecy through Micah, but Luke wants us to

see the connection here.

He wants us to see the ancestry, the lineage.

God used the decree of a ruler across the sea to publicly confirm that, yes, this child

of Mary's is, in fact, a descendant of the great king David.

And as every Jew would have known, to be the Messiah, he must be descended from David.

It was to King David a thousand years earlier that the promise of a son who would reign was made.

And so that's the significance of this decree, this census.

It made it obvious.

It made it undeniable.

It put it in the record books that Jesus really is the son of David.

Think about this.

Why else would you make that journey in the third trimester?

They didn't have cars back then.

They were compelled to make the journey by the decree to register.

This is Luke's way of saying this, this too is a sign that God gave that Jesus, the son of Mary,

is that one, the Messiah.

While they were there, Mary and Joseph, 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 guest room available for them.

Evidently, the little town of Bethlehem had become a bustling place with the influx of travelers who had come to register for this census.

And in the bustle, Mary and Joseph had been unable to get a guest room of their own,

whether at the local inn or with family.

And so they ended up in a stable or a barn or something like that.

That's the place for a manger.

This is surprising, isn't it?

The bed of the newly born king.

God's chosen king was a feeding trough for animals.

A dirty and despicable thing.

A thing gnawed on and drooled on by animals.

Can you imagine laying your child in a dirty feeding trough?

Because that's the best there is.

That's all you have.

Can you imagine thinking the thought,

at least he's off the ground.

God chose the humblest and lowliest of circumstances for the birth of his son.

The one who was to become the greatest of kings.

And we wonder, why?

Luke doesn't really tell us why here,

beyond because there was no guest room available for them.

He just sort of carries on with the story.

But there are some other thoughts that we could think,

places we could look in the scriptures for an answer.

One thing we may notice is that

God seems to have deliberately arranged the story of his son

to pattern the life of his forefather,

King David.

Could it be that this is done intentionally

to confirm that he is the Messiah?

The parallels between David and Jesus are striking.

Both from Bethlehem.

Both start in poverty.

Neither born to nobility.

Both are raised up to the throne by God.

And for both, the path to that throne

goes through tremendous suffering and affliction from enemies.

And yet, God delivers both from their enemies.

And he uses both to give deliverance to his people

from their enemies

and to give them peace.

And of course, in all these parallels,

David is the lesser

and Jesus, the son of David,

is the greater and the ultimate.

And so if this is God's intention and plan,

if he's doing this on purpose

to show something about his son,

the manger in Bethlehem

makes a little more sense, maybe.

That's where David

was from, too.

That's the kind of humble and lowly beginnings

that he had, too.

This reminds me of what Mary

said in her Psalm of Praise,

which we looked at a couple weeks ago,

back in chapter 1.

She praised God,

the Mighty One,

because

he is a God who has brought down rulers

from their thrones,

but has lifted up

the humble.

We talked a couple weeks ago

about how this was one of God's signature moves.

He loves to exalt

and raise up

and lift up

the humble

and lowly.

And as we ponder

that signature move of God,

the thing that he has done

all through history

with so many people,

is it a surprise

that he will do it this way

again

for his son,

the ultimate king,

from a manger

in a small town

to the throne

of heaven and earth.

We'll talk more about this later.

Let's continue to listen

to Luke's telling

of how things went.

Verse 7,

And she gave birth

to her firstborn son,

her firstborn,

a son.

She wrapped him in cloths

and placed him in a manger

because there was no guest room

available for them.

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

that will cause 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.

This will be a sign to you.

You will find a baby

wrapped in cloths

and lying in a manger.

Suddenly,

a great company

of the heavenly host

appeared with the angel,

praising God

and saying,

Glory to God

in the highest heaven

and on earth

peace

to those

on whom

his favor rests.

While the circumstances

of Jesus' birth

are lowly,

his birthday

did not go unmarked

or unannounced.

And this announcement

is quite spectacular.

It starts with

one angel,

a single angel,

suddenly appearing

to some shepherds

who are out in the fields

near Bethlehem

at night.

And Luke describes

in detail

the spectacle.

This angel of the Lord

is suddenly there

before them

and the glory

of the Lord

shone around them.

this angel,

it would seem,

was radiant.

He was lighting up

the night

and the area

around

all these shepherds

with the brilliant light

of God's glory.

And the response

of the shepherds

in that moment

was terror.

In the literal

phrasing of Luke

long ago,

they feared

a great fear.

Can you imagine this?

You're out there

in the dark

with nothing

but the light

of the stars,

perhaps the moon.

And then in an instant,

you're blinded

by this

brilliant light

shining at you

and all around you.

And your heart

begins to pound

and your knees

grow weak.

You're frozen

with fear

trying to figure out

what's happening.

and then out

of the brightness,

this being

speaks to you.

Do not be afraid

for behold,

I bring you

good news.

And this good news

is going to bring

great joy

for all people.

people.

And what is the news?

Today in the town

of David,

a Savior

has been born

to you.

He is

the Messiah,

the Lord.

What does the angel

want them to know

about this child?

We notice a few

things here.

First of all,

notice the emphasis,

today in the town

of David.

There it is again.

But aside from that,

three things

the angel wants

them to know.

First of all,

a Savior

has been born.

What does that word mean?

Means he is your

deliverer.

A deliverer

has been born

born for you.

And we talked

about this title

of Savior

a little bit

in the past few

weeks

and about salvation.

The shepherds

don't know this yet,

what kind of a Savior

he's going to be.

But the rest of the

story as we keep

going through Luke

and on into the rest

of the New Testament

reveals it.

He will be the

ultimate Savior.

He will be the

one who delivers

us from all

of our troubles

and from all

of our enemies.

He will be the

one who saves

and delivers us

from our guilt,

from the punishment

that we deserve

because of our sins.

He will even be

the one who saves

and delivers us

from death itself.

A Savior

has been born

to you.

And who is

this Savior?

Let there be

no doubt.

He is

Christ.

We talked about

this a little bit

on Friday evening.

That's the Greek

word for the

Hebrew word

Messiah.

It means

anointed one.

He is

that one.

Let there be

no doubt.

This child

born to you

today is

the king

of God's

choosing

for his

people.

The one

promised,

the one

prophesied,

the one that

you've been

waiting for.

And third,

he is

Christ

the Lord.

What does it

mean that

he is

Christ

the Lord?

Up until

now,

that title,

the Lord,

has been

only used

once in

reference to

Jesus in

Luke's

gospel.

Maybe you

remember,

several months

back,

Elizabeth

called

Mary

the mother

of her

Lord.

And we

don't really

have lords

in our

culture today

like they

did in

days long

ago,

but the

inherent

idea is

master

or ruler.

One who

has

authority

over

his

servants

or his

subjects

or his

household

or his

city.

Interestingly

enough,

the Hebrew

equivalent,

Adonai,

was used

in place

of the

name of

God by

Jews for

centuries

before this.

And they

did this out

of reverence

for God's

name.

In the

scriptures,

as they

would copy

them,

they would

actually have

the letters

of God's

name,

Yahweh,

the consonants,

but then they

would put the

vowel points

of the word

Adonai to

remind anyone

reading the

scriptures not

to say his

name out of

reverence for

his name.

So instead

they would

say Lord.

And so

Lord was

very much

a name

and title

of God

as well.

It's

unclear here

whether the

angel means

to say

that much.

This is

Christ,

Yahweh.

It's going

to come out

later though.

Or does he

want to put

the emphasis

on the fact

that he is

going to be

the master,

the ruler,

the one in

authority

over all.

These are

the three

things the

angel wants

the shepherds

to understand

about this

child born

to them in

the nearby

town.

He is a

savior for

you.

He is

Christ,

the Messiah.

He is

your Lord.

And with

that the

angel gives

them the

sign,

the key

thing by

which they

might find

him and

identify him

in Bethlehem.

And the

sign is

two things.

A baby

wrapped in

cloths.

This language

was used to

describe the

swaddling of

an infant in

strips of

cloth.

And that

was a fairly

common thing.

And so this

part of the

sign is

probably only

signaling to

the shepherds

that you're

looking for a

baby that's

brand new.

How many

babies had

just been

born in

the small

town of

Bethlehem?

That would

narrow things

down a lot.

But then the

second thing

to look for,

you will find

this swaddled

baby lying

in the

manger.

The feeding

trough.

That's the

thing Luke

mentioned earlier.

It shows the

lowliness of

his birth and

it becomes the

sign for the

shepherds.

How many

newly born

babies in

the town

are lying

in a cattle

trough?

only one.

Then it

gets even

more

spectacular.

A great

company of

the heavenly

host appeared

with the

angel,

praising God

and saying,

glory to

God in

the highest

heaven and

on earth

peace to

those on

whom his

favor rests.

glory to

God in the

highest heaven

and on earth.

glory to

glory to

glory to

glory to

glory to

glory to

glory to

God in

the highest

heaven and

on earth.

Peace to

those on

whom his

favor rests.

glory to

man.

This declaration

speaks of the

worthiness of

God.

May he be

worshipped,

acknowledged,

praised,

given glory in

the highest

heaven, the

highest place

where he is.

And it also

speaks of God's

peace and

favor to

humanity.

Through this

child now

born, God is

offering peace

to man.

God is

showing grace,

his favor to

mankind.

Can you

imagine hearing

thousands of

angels chanting

this?

What an

awesome and

spectacular moment

that must have

been.

The greatest

birth announcement

ever made for

anyone.

God declares it

into the silent

night.

And yet here

again we're left

to wonder.

The most

spectacular

birth announcement.

The greatest

news given

to who?

Some sheep

herders in

the hills.

Again we see

God choosing

the lowly and

even the

despised.

Shepherds in

that day were

considered to be

of very little

social standing.

They were often

looked down on

with contempt.

Why break

this news

to them

and only

them?

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.

So they

hurried off

and found

Mary and

Joseph

and the

baby

who was

lying in

the manger.

When they

had seen

him they

spread the

word concerning

what had

been told

them about

this child

and all

who heard

it were

amazed at

what the

shepherds

said to

them.

But Mary

treasured up

all these

things and

pondered them

in her

heart.

The shepherds

returned glorifying

and praising

God for all

the things

they had

heard and

seen which

were just

as they

had been

told.

So the

shepherds

it seems

waste no

time in

going to

find the

newly born

Messiah.

I would

have loved

to have

been in

their company

in that

moment and

just hear

some of the

things that

they were

saying as

they thought

this through.

The angel

told us you

will find

the baby

wrapped in

claws and

lying in

a manger.

I think

we should

go and

find the

baby.

I think

we're

supposed to

do that

right now.

Why not?

Let's go.

And they

head into

town.

Luke tells

us they

found him

exactly as

the angel

had spoken

lying in

a manger.

Verse 17

is in my

opinion likely

one of the

most misinterpreted

verses in

Luke's

account.

what many

people see

in these

verses is

that the

shepherds

went and

saw Jesus

and then

went out

into the

town and

began spreading

the word of

what they

had been

told by

the angels

about the

child to

all the

townspeople.

And all

the townspeople

were amazed

and then

for some

reason we

go back to

Mary who

pondered the

happenings of

the night

and then we

go back to

the shepherds

who then

returned to

their flocks

praising God

for all they

had heard and

seen after an

evening of

door-to-door

evangelism.

And from

this have

come all

kinds of

interesting

embellishments

about how

the shepherds

ran through

the town

knocking on

doors with

giddy excitement

proclaiming the

Messiah's birth.

And look how

excited and

eager they are

to share the

news of

Christ's birth

and so how

much more

should we be

too?

I have a

different take

on this verse

than many and

you can take

it or you

can leave it

for whatever

it's worth

to you.

But I think

it makes

much more

sense of

the flow

of Luke's

account here

and the

key word

here I

think is

in verse

17

that word

spread.

When they

had seen

him they

spread the

word concerning

what had been

told them about

this child.

In English

the word

spread carries

the idea of

taking something

around all

over the place

and so it's

no surprise

that we've

kind of come

to that

imagining

that I

just

described.

But the

original word

here doesn't

have that

connotation at

all.

Quite

literally

it would be

more like

and having

seen they

made known

they revealed

concerning the

words which

had been

spoken to

them about

this child.

So the

shepherds

arrive and

after seeing

the baby

lying in the

manger they

make known

they reveal

what they

heard concerning

this child

from the

angel.

Make known

to who?

Reveal to

who?

I think

that verse

19 speaks

of Mary

treasuring up

all these

things because

the shepherds

are still there

with her.

They made it

known to

her, to

Joseph and

to others

who had

perhaps gathered

with them.

And all

who heard

it,

are amazed.

Like this

child here

is the

Messiah.

You saw

angels that

told you

that this

child here

is the

Messiah?

No wonder

they were

amazed.

No wonder

they were

astonished.

Mary and

Joseph were

probably the

only ones

there who

didn't think

that sounded

crazy.

You guys

think that

this baby

right here

is the

Messiah?

Messiah.

But it

wasn't

crazy to

Mary.

She

treasured up

all these

things and

pondered them

in her

heart.

She knew

who her

baby was

nine months

before this

moment when

Gabriel told

her who he

would be.

This was just

more confirmation.

This made it

even more

precious to

her.

And then

after the

shepherds

visit and

make known

what they

had heard

and seen,

they return

to the

fields,

praising

God along

the way.

Imagine that

you were

there in

that moment

with Mary

and Joseph.

You stumbled

upon this,

not intentionally,

but here you

are.

There's this

couple in

a stable.

There's this

baby in a

feeding trough.

congratulations

on the

birth of

your son.

And then

all of a

sudden these

shepherds

stumble in

and they

start talking

about how

they just

saw angels

and that

this child

is the

Messiah.

Would you

believe them?

most of us

here recognize

and believe

what the

angel said

that night

about this

child,

that he is

the Savior

and the

Messiah

and the

Lord.

Maybe you're

here though

this morning

and you

haven't

believed

that or

haven't

embraced

this.

I wonder,

is there

something

holding you

back?

what's

keeping you

from fully

embracing

Jesus as

your

Savior?

That

child born

that night

as your

King,

as your

Lord?

There's one

question I

couldn't shake

this week

as I was

thinking through

all this.

Why did

God choose

a manger?

why did

he select

shepherds

to receive

the great

announcement?

I was

reminded of

what the

Apostle Paul

said to

the church

at Corinth

and I'll

just read

these verses

for you

from 1

1 Corinthians 1 · chapter mention

Corinthians

chapter 1.

The

Apostle Paul

wrote this.

He said,

for the

foolishness

of God

is wiser

than human

wisdom

and the

weakness

of God

is stronger

than human

strength.

Brothers and

sisters,

think of

what you

were when

you were

called.

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.

God

chose the

lowly

things of

this world

and the

despised

things

and the

things that

are not

to nullify

the things

that are.

Why?

So that

no one

may boast

before him.

God

had a

great

purpose

in

choosing

and

using

despised

and lowly

things

and people

so that

no one

may boast

before him.

To

shame

the

wise

of this

world.

Those

who are

wise

in their

own

eyes.

Here

it is

again.

This

is God's

signature

move.

He's

using

the

lowly

and the

humble

and the

weak

to

humble

the

proud

and the

mighty

and the

strong.

God

chose a

manger

and

shepherds

in part

because that's

the last

place

that the

proud

and the

wise

and the

influential

and the

powerful

would look

for a

king,

for a

savior.

God

is

worthy

of

praise.

He's

worthy

of

praise.

He's

worthy

of

praise

and glory

and

exaltation

for his

true

wisdom

and power

and strength

and that's

God

himself.

The

one who

gave us

life.

The

one who

brought us

into being

and it's a

difficult thing

to accept

but this

is the

truth that's

said through

the whole

Bible.

We are

not the

center of

the universe.

The world

does not

revolve

around

us.

It

rightly

revolves

around

him.

He

is at

the center

of

everything

and it's

a good

thing.

For us

to boast

in ourselves,

for us

to think

highly of

ourselves

is a

spiritual

violence

against

the one

who truly

deserves

all glory

and honor

praise

and

acknowledgement.

And so

what does

God do?

He

humbles

the proud

by choosing

the lowly,

the despised,

and the weak

to accomplish

his unsearchable

plans.

Even his

plan to

save,

it comes

through a

nobody girl

from

Nazareth.

it comes

through a

feeding

trough

in a

small

town.

It's

revealed

to

sheep

herders.

It comes

through a

cross.

It's

carried

forward

by

fishermen

and a

former

tax

collector.

This is

God's

signature

work of

power

on

display.

That's

where it

starts,

but it's

not where

it ends.

God's

plan will

take

Jesus

from the

manger

to the

throne.

It will

take him

from the

cross

to the

empty

tomb.

It will

take him

from earth

to the

heights of

heaven.

His

first

coming was

lowly

and meek,

seen and

known by

only a

few.

But his

second coming

will be

glorious

and powerful

and every

eye will

see and

every knee

will bow

and every

tongue will

confess that

he is

Lord to

the glory

of God

the Father.

This is

God's

way.

I love

the news

that the

angels

brought.

God's

offer of

peace

is here.

Salvation

has come

and yet

only those

willing to

humble

themselves

go to

the

stable

and bend

their knee

before the

child in

the feeding

trough

will receive

this peace

and salvation.

I think

the question

it brings

us to

had we

been there

and even

today

will you

humble

yourself

to worship

this king?

will you

embrace

the seeming

foolishness

of all

this

to believe

in his

name?

Will you

give him

the honor

and glory

that he

deserves

though the

world

doesn't

see it?

There is

only one

among men

who is

worthy

the

Christ

our

Savior

our

Lord.

Let's

pray.

Father in

heaven

many of

us

love

these

words

and

believe

them

with all

our

hearts

but

for

anyone

who may

not

Lord

we pray

and ask

that

faith

would be

found

in their

hearts

not just

in this

room

but also

in our

community

Lord

we all

need

you

we all

need

your

salvation

you are

the king

that our

hearts

truly

desire

we grow

dissatisfied

with

government

and bureaucracy

and politics

and all

this stuff

because

our hearts

long

for the

perfect

true

justice

real

peace

decisions

made

and

righteousness

that

really

work

and

one

day

we cling

to that

promise

that you

will

provide

that

when

your

son

returns

to

reign

blessed

be

your

name

amen

up

Wrong

way

man

In

ん

praise

the

hard

to

fight

for the

мон