Intro: This is the time of the year that people look in things. You know who you are. There are secret packages everywhere. There are Children looking in closets, under beds, in cars, every possible place to find a present. People look in store windows, in store adds, just about every place you can imagine.
Have you thought though that we have forgotten on place that we should take a closer look? This season of advent, the first coming of the Christ child do we forget to look in the manger? More than merely looking in the manger have we become so familiar with it that we don’t look close enough? That is what I would like to do with you today. I want us to take a closer look in the manger and see what is there. This is the same thing the Shepherds did as recorded in Luke 2.15. They were told of the Christ child by the angels and their response was let us go see this thing that God has told us.
We find three wonderful truths in the manger. We find life, we find liberty, we find love.
I. We find life in the manger
John 1.3 “in Him was life”
A) Supernatural
The circumstances and setting were all too normal. Bethlehem. This was the original city of David. The name of this city literally means house of bread. How wonderful that Emmanuel, God with us, was born in this town that was prophesied. Micah 5.2 tells us that this child is not just now coming to be. His origins are origins are from old, from ancient times. This is no normal child; this is God in the flesh. Something miraculous has happened. God has stepped into History. Jesus Christ is God in the Flesh. Heaven’s son become earth’s savior.
What is the most astounding thing about His birth? Is it that he was born of a virgin, they he was laid in a manger, or the terrible taxation that led them to Bethlehem from Nazareth?
It is that so many people missed this earth-shaking event. They were pardon the pun all wrapped up in things that had no eternal consequence.
It is all to easy to miss the extraordinary if we are wrapped up in the ordinary. Don’t let the superficial traditions of Christmas cause you to miss the supernatural life of Jesus.
His life was supernatural so that it could be sacrificial
B) Sacrificial
Jesus did come to a castle he came to a humble cave for the animals. He did not come with pomp and circumstance. Instead he came as a lowly servant. Matthew 20.28 records the request of a mother. The mother of James and John asked for her boys to be given a place at the right hand of Jesus. His answer to her was I came to serve not to be served. He came to be the lamb this time. John 1.19 John cries out the lamb that takes away the sins of the world. Today the lamb does not hold near the meaning it did to people in Jesus’ time.
The Pascal lamb was sacrificed to protect the people of Israel from the last plague God put on the Egyptians. The angel of death came and the blood of a spotless lamb was put on the door-post and lintel. When the angel saw the blood he passed by. When Jesus breathed his last on the cross it was at the same moment that the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in the temple. Why was Jesus’ birth supernatural, of a virgin conceived of the Holy Spirit? So that he could be the spotless lamb.
Dr Adrian Rogers captured it perfectly, “You see, Jesus came as he did, virgin born to be what he was - sinless. He was what he was, sinless to do what he did - die for our sins as a sinless substitute. He did what he did that we might be what we are, sons and daughters of God by faith in what he did upon the cross.”
No virgin birth, no sinless sacrifice, no sinless sacrifice no atonement for sin, no atonement for sin no possibility of forgiveness of sin debt, no forgiveness no hope of heaven. No hope of heaven when you die your only choice is hell.
Jesus came as the lamb. The Jews were expecting a king to come and take control from the Romans. In his first advent Jesus came as the lamb, a sacrificial life, in His second advent Jesus will come as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, as sovereign.
He came as the Son of God, God the Son, and sacrificed so that we might be made free.
II. We find liberty in the manger
1 Timothy 1.15 “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost (chief) of all.”
Jesus came to free us from sin. He came to free us from self absorbtion or obsession. A person whose heart is fixed on God will not live a lifestyle of sin.
A) Freedom from sin
1) Freedom from sins control
Romans 6.16 “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”
John 8.34 clearly says whoever commits sin is a slave to sin. Romans 3.23 all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all sold into slavery.
The terrible tragedy of sin is that it is chains of our own making. We go to the anvil of life and use the metal of pride, selfishness, bitterness, greed, lust, hate, envy, anger, malice, and on and on we shape our own shackles we form our own fetters.
People ask why does God allow evil to continue. Why do babies suffer, why do people go hungry, because of slavery to sin.
Romans 6.22 “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.”
We can make the chains but we do not of our selves have the power to break the chains. Isn’t great that Paul’s tells us here in Romans that Jesus Christ and His once for all sacrifice, on the cross, shattered the chains of sin. Jesus has freed us from sin and we accept Him as our master and Lord. Sin drags us down to death and destruction Jesus delivers us to life and liberty. It was for freedom that you were set free.
People think that they are free today. True freedom does not come from doing everything you want, it comes from doing everything in God’s will!
In the liberty of the manger we see a dethroning of sin and self and the enthroning of Jesus as Sovereign. He is the only master of our souls.
2) Freedom from sins condemnation
Read Romans 8.1
There is a wonderful story in the Bible that clearly portrays the lack of condemnation from our heavenly father. The story of the prodigal son is shining illustration of no condemnation. The son came to his father and asked for all his inheritance (an insult). He took all that inheritance and wasted it on loose living. He ended up in the worst of worst for a Jewish boy cleaning pig pens. He finally came to his senses and said slaves in my father’s house are treated better than this. He decided to go back and ask to be made a slave. He was traveling down his familiar road probably with his head low in defeat, dreading to have to face his father. When he must have heard a shout. The father had seen him coming way off down the road. The father burst into a sprint and hugged the boys neck and said welcome home.
He could have said what have you done!! You wasted it all, but instead welcome home you were missed by all.
That is what it is like to have no condemnation. Even though we fail even though we fall, God runs to us and grabs us and says I love you!
But if you look closely you must see the condition. You must be in Christ.
B) Freedom to serve in the power of the spirit
No longer condemned, no longer sentenced, no longer disapproved of. We are free. Jesus broke the bonds of sin and shame. No longer afraid that it will be held against us no longer afraid to face our failures and sins. But free to confess to him all our failings in Jesus name.
Holy Child, what gift of grace
From the Father freely willed!
In your infant form we trace
All God’s promises fulfilled.
Holy Child, before whose Name.
Powers of darkness faint and fall;
Conquered, death and sin and shame,
Jesus Christ is Lord of all!
Isn’t it great that God grades on the cross not on the curve!!
2 Corinthians 5.15 “and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”
A great secret of a growing Christian and church are realizing that we were set free to serve!!
III. We find love in the manger
A) Unlimited
John 3.16 – The baby came because God loved the world what a wonderful thought.
2 Peter 3.9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Truman capote said it well, “Love having no geography knows no boundaries.” 1 John 4.8 tells us God is love. When we look inside the manger in the limited form of a baby we clearly see the unlimited love of God. What a mystery the unlimited love of God wrapped up in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.
Adrian Rogers had great wisdom listen to him about God’s love, God doesn’t just love all of us he loves each of us. David tells us that God knit him together in his mothers womb. He counts the hairs on each persons head. God’s love is not limited in scope, it cannot be dimmed by distance, it cannot be strangled by sin but it can be rejected by men. God’s love can only be limited by your acceptance.
B) Unmerited
Love that does require you to measure up. God never says He loves you if you do this I will love you. He simply loves us even though we do not measure up to His standards.
We could never measure up enough to earn God’s love. If we could live a million, billion, trillion lifetimes we could not be worthy of his love.
Isn’t it great that when we see the baby in the manger we get not what we deserve death, but what we don’t deserve, love with out measure, and life without end.
What did we see in the shepherds when they saw all this in wrapped up in swaddling clothes.
1) Unconditional worship
2) Unconditional surrender
3) Unconditional service
Conclusion: What do you see when you look in the manger? Do you see the life, liberty, and love of God? What a wonderful gift to give to others this Christmas season.
