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Luke 2:1-20
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Luke 2. Last week, we started this little Christmas series looking at the various birth narratives of Jesus and we began with Matthew. This morning, we’re in Luke’s Gospel, and tonight, we’ll consider John’s account. I mentioned it last week – some of you are familiar enough with Scripture, and you’re saying to yourself, “But John doesn’t have an account of Jesus’s birth.” And you’re right, but only if you think of a strict narrative like Matthew and Luke. Indeed, John’s Gospel contains a birth narrative, but it’s a bit more creative than the others. So, I hope you’ll be back this evening as we find hope and encouragement there.
Well, no fancy introductions this morning. What kind of introduction can you give to a story like this? Rather, I’d like you to just imagine sitting around the fireplace. Perhaps you’ll recall your childhood. Others of you will imagine a living room or den filled with family and laughter and commotion. It’s Christmas; but before the presents are opened, you gather to hear the story of Jesus’ birth:
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to 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, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom He is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
“O God, with our Bibles open before us, help us, we earnestly pray, that in familiar territory we might meet with You afresh in the person of Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.”
I want to exult with you today over the wonders in this text. And to do that I want to give you three realities and conclude with two purposes. Three great realities, and two magnificent purposes. The first reality is…
It Was A Real Day
Verses 11, “For unto you is born this day . . .” It happened on a real day. A real day in history. Not a day in some mythological, imaginary story, but a day when “Caesar Augustus was the emperor of Rome and Quirinius was governor of Syria.”
It was a day planned in eternity before the creation of the world. Indeed, the whole universe was created and made glorious for this day and for what it means in human history. Paul writes, “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16).
For Him . . . For His appearance . . . This day. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). It happened on a day. The perfect day. In the fullness of time. The perfect time appointed by God before the foundation of the world. “For unto you is born this day!”
The second great reality is…
It Was A Real City
Not in Narnia. Not in Middle Earth. Not in a galaxy far far away. It happened in a city about 6,000 miles from here – a city that still exists today. The city’s name is Bethlehem. “Joseph also went up from Galilee . . . to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem” (Luke 2:4). Bethlehem is roughly six miles from Jerusalem. It’s the city where Jesse lived – King David’s father. Bethlehem, the city that Micah prophesied over, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2).
It happened in a city. A real city, just like Landrum, Greenville, Greer, or Travelers Rest. It was a real day. It was a real city, and the third great reality is…
It Was A Real Savior
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.” If you’ve ever sinned against God you need a Savior. Last week, we recalled how the angel said to Joseph, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Did you know that only God can forgive sins against God. That’s why He sent His only-begotten Son into the world, because Jesus is God. That’s why Jesus said, “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (John 5:27). A real Savior was born.
Luke also tells us that He is Christ. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ.” Christ is the English for the Greek word Christos, which means “anointed one.” In Hebrew, Christos means “Messiah” (John 1:41; 4:25). Bottom line is that Jesus is the one long-predicted, long-awaited, the one anointed above all others (Psalm 45:7). The final anointed King. The final anointed Prophet. The final anointed Priest. In Him all the promises of God are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20)! He fulfills all the hopes and dreams of Israel – and oh so much more. He’s a real Savior. He’s the Christ – the anointed One, the Messiah. And there’s one more title.
Luke says Jesus is the Savior, the Christ, and the Lord. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The ruler, the sovereign, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, says Isaiah. He’s the Lord of the universe.
Three great realities. No myths. No fables. No novels here. And why am I pointing out these three great realities? Because we have real sins. I’m sure that you know the sin in your life isn’t just made up. Your sins aren’t just figments of your imagination. They aren’t just pretend sins. Brothers and sisters, we need to be reminded that the story we hear every Christmas is real – a real day, in a real city, a real Savior, Messiah, and Lord was born to save us from our real sin.
And that leads us to two great purposes. Evidently, one angel can bring glorious news, but it demands an army of angels, a multitude of the heavenly host to respond. So, what are the two responses: God’s glory and our peace. Jesus is the greatest revelation of the glory of God even among the heights of heaven. And He brings peace to God’s people – people who will one day fill the whole earth with righteousness and peace. Back to Isaiah’s prophecy, “Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).
God’s Glory
First and foremost, God is glorified because Jesus is born. Glory ever-ascending from man to God. God’s glory sung out among men for the sake of His great name. There’s hardly a better way to sum up what God was about when He created the world, or when He came to reclaim the world in Jesus Christ, than His glory and our peace. His greatness, our joy. His beauty, our pleasure. The point of creation and redemption is that God is glorious and will be known and praised for His glory.
The late Presbyterian pastor and theologian, Timothy Keller, who passed away earlier this year wrote this in his book, Jesus the King: Understanding the Life and Death of the Son of God:
You’re glorifying something when you find it beautiful for what it is in itself. Its beauty compels you to adore it, to have your imagination captured by it. This happened to me with Mozart. I listened to Mozart to get an “A” in music appreciation in college. I had to get good grades to get a good job, so in other words, I listened to Mozart to make money. But today I am quite willing to spend money just to listen to Mozart, not because it’s useful to me anymore but because it’s beautiful in itself. It’s no longer a means to an end. And when it’s a person you find beautiful in that way, you want to serve them unconditionally.
When you say, “I’ll serve, as long as I’m getting benefits from it,” that’s not actually serving people; it’s serving yourself through them. That’s not circling them, orbiting around them; it’s using them, getting them to orbit around you. To glorify others means to unconditionally serve them, not because we’re getting anything out of it, but just because of our love and appreciation for who they truly are.
That reminds me of the habit that was embraced by Johann Sebastian Bach, where he initialed the bottom of his scores “S. D. G.” – Soli Deo Gloria, which means “glory to God alone.” The birth of Jesus, this Christmas, calls for us to give glory to God. Give Him praise. Give Him adoration. Give Him your heart and life – not solely because of what you get out of it, but because He is worthy of our love and appreciation.
The next great purpose of Jesus’ birth is…
Our Peace
I must begin by making a clarification. Even though God offers peace to everyone, only His chosen people – the people who receive Christ and trust Him as Savior and Messiah and Lord, will experience the peace He brings. God’s peace in Christ is offered to the world. But only the “sons of peace” (Luke 10:6) receive it. How do you know if you’re a “son of peace?” How do you know if you’re part of the angels’ promise, “Peace among those with whom He is pleased!”? Answer: you welcome the Peacemaker; you receive Jesus.
My great desire for all of us this Christmas is that we enjoy this peace. Peace with God. Peace with our own souls. And peace with other people – “as far as it depends on you” (Romans 12:18). And by peace, I don’t only mean the absence of conflict and animosity, but also the presence of joyful tranquility, and as much richness of interpersonal communication as you are capable of.
The key to each of them is not to separate what the angels kept together. Peace only comes when it’s connected to glorifying God. If we want peace to rule in our lives, God must rule in our lives. If we want peace to rule in our lives, Christ must rule in our lives. A heart that’s bent on showing the glory of God, will know the peace of God.
And what holds glorifying God and His peace together is believing or trusting in the promises of God obtained by Jesus. Romans 15:13 is one of those fundamental texts pointing to this crucial role of faith, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” In other words, the way God’s promises become real for us and produce peace in us is “in believing.” That’s true whether we’re talking about peace with God, peace with ourselves, or peace with others. Let me make a quick comment on each of those.
The most basic need we have is peace with God. If we don’t go here first, then all other experiences of peace will be superficial and temporary. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith [see, there’s the pivotal act of believing], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Justified means that God declares you to be “right” or “just” in His sight by imputing to you the righteousness of Jesus. And God does that by faith alone. Not by works. Not by tradition. Not by baptism. Not by church membership. Not by piety. Not by parentage. But by faith alone. When we believe in Jesus as the Savior and the Lord and the supreme treasure of our lives, we are united to Him, and His righteousness is counted by God as ours.
We’re justified by faith, and the result is peace with God. God’s anger at us (because of our sin) is put away. Our rebellion against Him is overcome. God adopts us into His family. And from now on, all of His dealings with us are for our good. He will never be against us. He is our Father, and our Friend. We have peace. We don’t need to be afraid any more. This is foundational to all other forms of peace. It all begins with discovering peace with God by believing, by trusting in Jesus for our salvation.
And because we have peace with God we can begin to grow in the enjoyment of peace with ourselves – and what I mean by “peace with ourselves” is any sense of guilt or anxiety that tends to paralyze us or make us hopeless takes a less prominent position in our lives.
I take us back to the study we just finished. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The picture here is that our hearts and our minds are under assault – guilt, worries, threats, confusions, uncertainties – all of them threaten our peace. And Paul says that God wants to “guard” our hearts and minds with His peace. He guards them in a way that goes beyond what human understanding can fathom. He gives us inexplicable peace, supra-rational peace. And He does it when we take our anxieties to Him in prayer and trust Him to carry them for us (1 Peter 5:7). Do that this Christmas. Take your anxieties to God. Tell Him about them. Ask Him to help you, to protect you, to restore your peace, and then use it to make peace with others, which is the last relationship. Peace with God. Peace with ourselves. And peace with others.
This last one – peace with others – is the one we have least control over. So, we need to say it the way Paul does in Romans 12:18, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
For many of us when we get together with family for Christmas, there will be some awkward and painful relationships. Some of the pain is very old. And some of it is new. In some relationships we know what we have to do, but in other cases we’re baffled and don’t know what the path of peace calls for or looks like. In both cases, however, the key is trusting the promises of God with an eye on how He forgave us through Christ.
The text that puts this together most powerfully again and again is Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” It’s amazing to me, that in spite of all my sins God has forgiven me through Christ. Are you amazed that you have peace with God? It’s that sense of amazement that makes the heart tender, kind, and forgiving. Extend this to others seventy times seven. Yes, it may be thrown back in your face. It was thrown back in Jesus’ face on the cross. Yes, it might hurt, and it can make you bitter if you’re not careful. Don’t let it. Keep being more amazed at the forgiveness you’ve received (and are still receiving). Be amazed that you have peace with God. Keep trusting God.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” That’s why Jesus came – on a real day, in a real city, to be a real Savior, Messiah and Lord, in order to give glory to God the Father and to bring peace to those that trust Him. Merry Christmas my dear friends.