Christmas has become a cultural holiday instead of a Christ-centric celebration.
The nativity scene speaks of a story – one that is expressed in the famous Christmas Carol – Away in a manger
READING…
o Away in a manger, no crib for his bed,
o The little Lord Jesus laid down his Sweet head.
o The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
o The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The manger was more than a place for a baby Jesus to be born.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus came as a baby?
There are several reasons why this is…
- His miracle birth confirmed
- He came
- He came in a way to
o The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us Jn. 1:14
o a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief – Isa. 53:4
o and He experienced all that we are, in every way, every stage
To show us a way – A WAY IN A MANGER!
For thousands of years God had been revealing Himself through prophets and priests and by miracles and wonders…
But only until Jesus – did we get the picture of the nature and
‘But when the right time came, God sent His son, born of a woman…’ Gal. 4:4
‘Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.’ Col. 1:15
The Nativity story – the birth of Jesus shared in Luke 2:1-18 NKJV:
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
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, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 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. 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
Even though Jesus came as a baby, He didn’t come
- He doesn’t want us to see Him that way
He wasn’t ‘just away in a manger’– He was
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jn 14:6
1. He is the
The Christmas Story came in an Unexpected way…
To an Unexpected Group of People…
And the content of the message, would have been just as Unexpected as the way through which it was
“So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a
8 Now there were in the same country
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Remember this…Christmas shows us how God came to people… who felt like they were NOT ALLOWED to come to Him…
Bible says, “For God does not show favoritism” Rom 2:11
Something not to miss in the nativity scene and Christmas story…
With ancient narratives the author typically used repetition to emphasize what’s important.
There’s a word that gets used 3 times here, within 11 verses…
(VS. 7) She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
(VS. 12) This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
(VS. 16) So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
The “Sign” is - You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
A stable and manger/feeding trough is one of the
Translation – ‘You’ll find him among the messiest places you can imagine’
Because…
-God is NOT afraid of the mess…
-He’s NOT afraid of the dirty…
-God’s NOT afraid of the imperfect and undesirable
And if the God of heaven and Earth, gave Himself into the care of a poverty-stricken young couple…
There’s nothing you have been through that God can’t see, touch, or reach into…
The Bible says, “that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.” Rom. 8:28
God knows that we CAN’T fix our mess…
That’s why everyone in this world NEEDS A SAVIOR!
Why this is GOOD NEWS… of GREAT JOY… for ALL THE PEOPLE!…
That a SAVIOR HAS COME!
- Jesus means – Our Lord who Saves!
Ask Yourself - What has God done in your life and put in your care?
- What experience and touch of God in your life needs care and attention
- What gifts, miracle, turnaround, healing, deliverance, revelation of God in your life needs to be shared more with others?
And God has entrusted Jesus into your care!
2. He is the
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jn 14:6
What does this mean – truth?
Today – truth has been labeled relevant to the person for many years now.
- If it’s true for you, it’s true
- If you feel it, it must be
There is a difference between being open-mined and empty-minded.
Jesus makes a claim that truth isn’t a fact or piece of evidential information alone…
- Truth is personified in the
Jn. 1:14 says,
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
As for truth versus fiction – the prophecies concerning Jesus’ birth, not only were fulfilled to exact detail, but there also isn’t even a possibility that they could come true outside of a divine hand orchestrating it.
- There are many credible studies to support this and refute the myths around Christmas
Truth is seen in the person of Jesus and defined through His word (the Bible)
And Jesus also said, ‘Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.’
Two key factors to Jesus’ statement:
One: His
The Bible is not a collection of ideas about God – It’s God’s word to us
Evidence has proven…
It is the authoritative Word of God.
It’s the most credible book – accurate in science, history, archeology, foretelling of future events
Secondly – Jesus said “make them
Truth ISN’T for information, BUT
But when we get into God’s truth – His word – His word gets into us and Jesus said…
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
3. Jesus said, He is the LIFE!
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Jn 14:6
- He is the WAY in a Manger
- His TRUTH sets you free
- And He came to give you LIFE
1 Pet. 3:18 – ‘That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.’
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom. 6:23
1 Pet. 3: What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!
The baby in a manger – the story of Christmas – the eternal life Jesus has given every one of us…
Is something that touches every aspect of your life (past, present, and future).