No Room In The World: The King Of The Universe Enters In Obscurity Series

NO ROOM IN THE WORLD: THE KING ENTERS IN OBSCURITY

November 23, 2025

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Luke 2:1-7

Church, this morning we’re coming back to one of the most familiar passages in all of Scripture — Luke 2:1–7 — but I want you to hear it without the background noise of bells, ribbons, and December sentimentality. We’re not in “Christmas season” yet. There’s no nostalgia playing over the speakers even though it’s been playing in some of the retail stores since September.

I want us to see this text in the raw light Luke intended: A world too busy for its Savior. A King entering in obscurity. A birth overflowing with theology, prophecy, and cosmic purpose. Sometimes our Christmas familiarity blinds us to the intensity of what is happening here. The birth of Jesus is not a sweet seasonal story. It is the most monumental invasion in human history.

It is God stepping into flesh. It is the eternal Word taking on lungs and ligaments. It is the Creator entering creation through the narrow doorway of a virgin’s womb. It is prophecy fulfilled, promises kept, and redemption set in motion.

A pastor once decided to test his congregation — not to embarrass them, but to reveal their hearts. Early on a Sunday morning, he dressed himself as a homeless man. Old, filthy coat. Matted hair. A fake beard stained and unkept. He smelled intentionally awful — a mixture of garbage, sweat, and the kind of odor we pretend not to notice on the street.

He sat on the steps of his own church as people arrived. He greeted them. He asked for spare change. He tried to shake hands. Some nodded politely and hurried past. Some avoided eye contact. Some walked around him so they wouldn’t have to get close.

But not one person invited him inside. Not one said, “Sit with me.” Not one recognized him. Later, after worship began, the elders walked forward with the man. Instead of appearing from backstage in a suit, the “homeless man” in the back started walking down the aisle. Gasps filled the room. He walked onto the platform, pulled off the wig and beard, and said: “I came today as Christ came to us — humble, unnoticed, rejected. And like Bethlehem… there was no room.

Church family…humanity has always had a problem recognizing God when He shows up in humility. So what I want to do today is step into this text with fresh eyes. Open your Bibles with me to Luke 2, beginning in verse 1.

Luke 2:1-7

The birth of Christ reveals a God who enters the world in humility and obscurity to fulfill prophecy, accomplish salvation, and inaugurate a kingdom the world still cannot comprehend.

I. THE WORLD OF POWER, POLITICS, AND PROPHECY (VV.1–3)

Luke begins not with shepherds or angels…but with Caesar Augustus. “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus…” Luke wants you to see the contrast: On one side — the power of Rome. On the other — the plan of God. One gives orders. The Other commands galaxies.

Now church, remember who Caesar Augustus was. He was called Divi Filius: “the son of god” in Roman propaganda! He was worshiped. Statues were everywhere. His face was on every coin. And yet he is nothing more than a pawn in the hand of the real King. Yet there are several significant prophetic connectiosn

Prophecy Connection #1 – Micah 5:2 Seven hundred years before Caesar, the prophet Micah said: “But you, O Bethlehem… from you shall come forth for Me one who is to be ruler in Israel… whose goings forth are from ancient days.”

God had already marked the birthplace of Messiah. So, when Caesar calls a census, he thinks he’s ordering the world. He’s actually just helping deliver the Savior to Bethlehem right on time. God bends the empires of men to fulfill the promises of His Word.

Prophecy Connection #2 – Daniel 2 and 7. Remember the dream of the statue in Daniel 2 — Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Four kingdoms of world power.

1. BABYLON — THEOLOGICAL PREPARATION (Head of Gold — Daniel 2:32; Lion — Daniel 7:4)

• Babylon took Judah into exile, and as painful as that was, God used it for His redemptive purposes. From Babylon we several important world contributions:

• Birth of the synagogue system — Scripture reading, teaching, weekly worship. By the time Jesus arrived, synagogues were everywhere.

• Preservation and centralization of Jewish Scriptures. During exile, God’s Word was meticulously copied and taught, and the Messianic promises were kept alive.

• Global awareness of Jewish prophecy. Babylon was the first world empire where Daniel, Ezekiel, and the Jewish people became known globally.

• Babylon scattered the people, so the gospel could one day scatter through them.