Sermon from 2005:
Every four years, in the month of January, Washington DC prepares for a great event. Sites are selected for celebrations. Performers are invited to perform. Dinners are scheduled and menus are chosen. Speeches are drafted. On the cold day in January, in the midst of celebrations and fanfare, a new president is inaugurated.
Most of us are preparing to go on mid-tour. And almost all of us, in some form or fashion, are planning little details to take place during these trips.
Luke 2 gives us the details of the birth of Jesus. As we prepare ourselves for Christmas, I pray tonight that we will all come to recognize that God is carefully preparing us to do his will.
Look with me at Luke 2:1-7
1 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. (Luke 2:1-7, NKJV)
Let Us Pray
As we look at the first verses in Christmas story, we see that there was
I. A Prepared Appointment
Luke 2:1-4
1 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, (Luke 2:1-4, NKJV)
As with all things that happens in life, everything that happens in these two passages occurs for a specific reason. There are no coincidences here.
The Roman Emperor, Augustus decreed a census. In that decree, all had to return to their own towns. Joseph had to go to his ancestral home of Bethlehem.
There is no accident that all of these world events occurred. From the beginning of time these events were set in motion.
He had to be born during the time of the Roman Empire, because they used crucifixion as an explained in Psalm 22.
He had to be born in Bethlehem as explained in Micah 5:2.
He had to be born to a virgin as explained in Isaiah 7:14.
Hundreds of years prior to the birth, the prophecies from God foretold of his son’s birth, death, and resurrection.
Many times I get asked if we are here in Iraq because of the end times, and I have some theories that we are, because the times of Christ is definitely sooner than later.
But I can tell you one thing for sure. And that is that we are not here by accident.
God is in control of what is going on all around us.
Many people question whether God is in control?
I remember seeing a survey after 911 that said that a large portion of people beloved that God saw the tragedy and simply couldn’t do anything to help us.
The people, who truly question whether God is in control, don’t really know God. They may believe in God and his son – They may even be saved, but they don’t know his character or his sovereignty.
God is definitely in control. He may allow the hedges to be lifted, but he is definitely in control.
John Piper writes that God
“will use that very sovereignty to make life and death and angels and principalities and things present and things to come and powers and height and depth and every created thing serve our everlasting joy in God.” (Dennis, Lane. A Reason for Hope in a Time of Tragedy. “Our Steady Hope”, by John Piper. Page 55. Wheaton, IL: Good News Publications, 2001.)
God is in control. And he was in control on the day his son was born.
God had prepared an appointment with mankind on that day in Bethlehem.
And he prepares appointments in our live as well.
He puts people in our path.
He takes us to places around the world.
He gives us challenges and protects us.
There are times when we choose to leave God’s will, and refuse to follow his will. He may drop his protection. But he remains in control – because he is God.
But he prepares each of us to do his work.
People have always asked me how to know what is God’s will. And I say that knowing God’s will is easy. Most of us already know God’s will: to worship, to pray, to study His word, to worship with other believers, to tell others about him. Knowing his will is easy – it is doing his will what make it hard.
And as we do the little things we are to be faithfull.
Luke 16:10 says
10 “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. (LK 16:9 NLT)
God is preparing each of us to do great things for him. He is preparing every detail – we simply must take these opportunities.
Mary was one who took those opportunities and she was
II. Prepared Servant
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. (Luke 2:5, NKJV)
Mary was the mother of Jesus. She was a virgin; she had never slept with anyone. But she was pregnant.
How can that be? Well Mary knew enough about the facts of life to ask the same questions.
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s already in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.” (LK 1:34-35 NLT)
But, why Mary?
The angle Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her that she would have a son and the angel gives us an answer to this question.
28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!??” (LK 1:27 NLT)
Gabriel calls her “favored”
The Greek for favored is “Charitoo” (Khar-ee-too) and is translated to ways in the King James text: Once as “favored” and once as “make accepted” in EPH 1:6.
Both given the concept of being accepted by God.
Mary was accepted by God. She was favored by Him to be the mother of God’s only son.
And we can see why.
She was humble. If you look in Luke 1:29 the Bible says that she was confused and disturbed.
She was a poor girl from Nazareth. She wasn’t accustomed to attention, much less the honor. The angle appears to her and she is very confused –“Why me?” She said.
Mary is humble, but she is also obedient.
Look at Luke 1:38
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.” And then the angel left. (LK 1:38 NLT)
There are some of the bravest words in all of scripture.
“I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants.”
She is willing to do whatever the Lord has her to do. No matter what it means for her.
We must always be in position to be disturbed and confused by God.
If God calls us to do something great for him, it should catch us off guard. We should be surprised by the blessings God give us, not expectant. God wants his servants to be humble. Working only because they love God not because of the blessing he will give us.
How many times do we say “May everything you say come true”?
I had someone in the office the other week asking “does God actually mean give up everything for him?”
Yes! Jesus wants to work in every area of our life. We may be called to drop everything and become a missionary – but if he does remember that He doesn’t want you to go AWOL.
But most of the time, he wants us to serve Him right where we are – doing what we do best.
God wants us to be obedient.
And Mary was obedient; she was humble, and she was pure.
Mary was a virgin. Even in our “no rules’ society, virginity is a word that describes purity.
She had lived a pure life. She had the respect of others. Joseph considered ending the engagement gradually to protect her from public disgrace, before an angel convinced him otherwise.
And as I was studying, I noticed that Mary went to live with Elizabeth for three months in another town after she heard the news.
Did she so this to protect her respect as well?
The Bible doesn’t say. But, it is an interesting theory.
Mary was pure.
God was able to use Mary because she had taken steps in her life to be pure before the Lord.
Are you pure before the Lord? I don’t mean perfect. I mean pure. You may have done things in your past that may make you feel guilty right now.
But if you have accepted the payment for your sin in the body and blood of Jesus Christ – you are pure. You have been washed white as snow and God can use you to do great things for God because through his son we have been accepted by him.
Mary was used by God because she was humbled, obedient, and pure.
And he was preparing her for
III A Preponderant Event
V 6-7
?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. (Luke 2:6-7, NKJV)
One of the greatest event of history took place in a stable.
The Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus was born.
He could’ve done it another way, with fanfare and the attention of the world.
Today if we think of a historical event, we think of cable news and satellite trucks, 24 hours News coverage of the same event over and over and over.
But God doesn’t look at the things the way we do.
He chose a manger.
He chose a manger for the little baby Jesus to be placed.
While preparing for this sermon, I thought alot about the humility of it all.
I once worked at the front desk at a hotel, and frequently the entire town would be completely sold out.
When that would happen, people would walk in the door expecting to get a room.
We would tell them that we were sold out, and we would send them to the next town.
But what if, by law, they had to stay in the city. What if, the wife was pregnant? What if they just went into the parking garage for the night?
No fanfare. No doctors and nurses.
This is how the Lord of All was born.
Silent Night! Holy Night!
All is calm, All is bright
Round yon virgin Mother and Child!
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
(Book of Worship for United States Forces. Page 229. Fort Worth , TX: Star Bible Publications, 2004.)
God had prepared appointment with the world. He is in control. God had a prepared servant who humbly, obediently, and purely carried out his will. They all focused on the preponderant event – an event that was great and glorious.
As you look toward Christmas, have you been to the manger to worship? Have come to see Christ in a real and personal way? You can come to know Christ tonight, you can trust in Him tonight. Don’t delay – He has a plan for you. He has a purpose for you.
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This sermon was preached at FOB Speicher, Iraq on 4 December 2005. All Scripture marked NKJV: The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.