Introduction
You may have heard of what happened to a Christian church in Denver, Colorado last week.
According to the Denver Post, George Morrison, who pastors the 4,000 member FAITH BIBLE CHAPEL was inspired to propose a float last spring after he attended last year’s parade and didn’t see Christianity in Santa’s sleigh and school marching bands playing "Jingle Bells."
Pastor Morrison wanted to enter a float commemorating Christmas and singing traditional Christmas hymns. But he was told no by the Downtown Denver Partnership, a private business group that stages the parade. The group cited a longstanding policy against overtly religious and political themes.
In light of the uproar that erupted last week, the partnership pledged to revisit the policy.
I’m thankful this was not true of the Claymont Christmas Parade.
At the same time, the current Mayor of Denver, Mayor Hickenlooper, had made a statement saying he planned to replace the "Merry Christmas" lights above his office building next year with "Happy Holidays," which he deemed more inclusive for a diverse Denver.
He has since backtracked in light of the controversy.
Many retail stores have removed “Merry Christmas” from their stores and replaced them with “Happy Holidays” or some other greeting that intentionally leaves out the word “Christmas”, which is an obvious attempt to remove Christ from the meaning of Christmas.
I bring this up in light of the series I began last Sunday on 4 Symbols of Christmas.
In case you haven’t noticed, we are in a culture war.
And the war is over whether Christianity will be allowed to remain or be pushed out of the public sector.
I said last week that I felt we are in danger of losing the meaning of many of the symbols of Christmas.
And we are. This is why I believe it is so important for us to understand the symbols and images God included in the birth of his son, Jesus Christ.
I invite you to turn with me to Luke Chapter 2: 1-7.
READ PASSAGE!
Today I want to talk with you about the role the manger played in that first Christmas.
Last week we talked about the Angel that appeared to the Shepherds and how he reflected God’s Glory, Reassured us of God’s Goodness and Revealed God’s Gift To Each of Us.
Today, I want to look at the manger.
When you see a nativity scene, the focal point of that scene is always the baby Jesus lying in a manger, which should say something to us about the significance of the person who was lying in that manger, Jesus Christ.
When we see that manger, it is a reminder of 2 important truths.
It Reminds Us That…
1. THE BIBLE’S ACCOUNT OF JESUS BIRTH IS LITERAL AND RELIABLE.
The cover story of this months edition of NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE is entitled:
The Birth of Jesus: Faith and History: How the Story of Christmas Came To Be.
In this article, the author cites a book written by Robert Miller which argues “that the Nativity narratives can be seen as Christian responses to the birth stories of pagan heroes like Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus—literary efforts depicting Jesus as a divine figure in a way Greco-Roman listeners and readers would understand and appreciate (p.51, Newsweek, Dec.13, 2004).”
In other words, what this man is saying is that Matthew and Luke invented their stories of Jesus Birth because they wanted Jesus to be seen as a hero and overshadow the other heroes like Alexander the Great of Caesar Augustus.
Others say that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of fairy tales and fables.
They read the Bible like they would read Dr. Suess.
The question becomes then, “Is it possible for intelligent people nowadays to approach the gospels as trustworthy accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus?”
I want to say to you today in a loud and clear voice: YES!
It is possible for intelligent people to read the gospels as literal and historically accurate accounts of Jesus birth, life, death, and resurrection.
I want to ask you to turn with me to Luke Chapter 1:1.
“Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”
In this verse, Luke dedicates his work to “most excellent Theophilus”.
The words “most excellent” is actually a formal address, which tells us that Theophilus was a well-known Roman dignitary, perhaps one of those who had turned to Christ in “Caesar’s household” as mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4:22.
Luke also wrote the Book of Acts.
In Acts 1:1 we read:
“The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
“The former account” is a reference to his Gospel that he wrote, The Gospel of Luke.
I want to draw your attention to the phrase “many infallible proofs”.
Luke says that after Jesus died on the cross, “He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
That phrase infallible proofs, is talking about evidence.
To prove something is to provide evidence for its truthfulness.
Jesus, after he died, proved that He was alive by allowing the early apostles to see him in his same body.
The phrase infallible proofs, is the strongest kind of proof or evidence to a Greek person of that time.
What I want you to see is that Luke was not writing a children’s story.
He was not attempting to write a Harry Potter type book or a Peter Pan kind of children’s story.
He was writing a factual, historically accurate biographical account of the life, death, resurrection and teachings of Jesus Christ.
In fact, we know that Luke was a medical doctor. He was a physician by trade.
How many doctors do you know that write children’s books?
I don’t know any. It’s not their thing. They deal with logic and those things that are measurable.
This is precisely what Dr. Luke was doing.
He was writing an account to this eminent Roman Political figure named Theophilus, who demanded real, verifiable evidence in order for him to believe what he had been told about Jesus.
Luke’s purpose was to set this evidence to writing.
Luke says in Chapter 1:1 that his purpose in writing the Gospel of Luke was so that Theophilus “may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”
Luke says, “just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us…”
With this statement Luke tells us that his source of information for writing this Gospel were eyewitnesses.
Luke got his information from 1st hand sources, not second hand or third hand, but actual eyewitnesses to these events.
Luke says, “it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.”
Luke had checked out the evidence himself to make sure it all was legitimate.
Kenneth Wuest says:
“Luke as a trained historian would carefully check over these accounts, investigating and verifying every fact. And this is what he has reference to when he uses the words "having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first." The words "having had perfect understanding" are literally, "having closely traced." The verb means "to follow along a thing in the mind." The word was used for the investigation of symptoms. Thus it speaks of a careful investigation of all sources, oral and written, which purport to be accounts of our Lord’s life.”
Luke’s purpose was clearly to provide an ordered account.
Not a haphazard or sloppy account, but a detailed, historically accurate account of the events of Jesus life.
This becomes important when you go back over to Luke chapter 2 and read the details Luke includes.
He gives you and me information that we can go and check out for ourselves; he names names, gives geographical locations all to give an orderly account.
He says that “Quirinius (Cyrenius) was governing Syria” at the time Caesar Augustus called for a census.
This is information that you can verify and check out for yourself.
He gives enough detail so that his readers could actually check to make sure he is telling the truth and not just making it up.
Sir William Ramsey, the eminent archeologist said, "I regard Luke as the greatest historian who has ever lived, save only Thucydides."
Thus we have no doubt but that Luke made a personal investigation of all the facts he had recorded. He interviewed every witness, visited every locality.
If Mary was still alive, he, a doctor of medicine investigated the story of the virgin birth by hearing it from Mary’s own lips. And as Professor John A. Scott, a great Greek scholar has said, "You could not fool Doctor Luke."
So, when you come to verse 7 and you read “She brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger…”
You should take that literally.
Luke says what he means and means what he says.
When Luke says Jesus was laid in a manger, I take it that that is what Jesus was laid in…not a bed, not a chair, not on the ground, but in a manger, an animal’s feeding trough.
In other words, I take it literally.
And I’m thankful that I’m not alone.
According to a recent Newsweek Poll, 67% of Americans think the Christmas story—from the angels’ appearance to the Star of Bethlehem—is historically accurate.
Let me apply all of this so far today.
You say, “Brad, what difference does all this make?”
You would be surprised how many people don’t really know the Christmas story that well.
We’ve heard the Christmas story so many times yet we still don’t get it quite right.
Just for fun this morning, let’s take a little Christmas quiz.
See if you can answer these questions.
Dates and Mates:
1. For the journey to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph
a) walked
b) Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey
c) rode a bus
d) Who knows?
Dates and Mates
1. d The Bible gives no record of their means of travel.
2. At the time that Mary became pregnant, Mary and Joseph were
a) married
b) just friends
c) engaged
d) none of the above
2. c Matthew 1:18- They were engaged!
3. When Mary became pregnant,
a) Joseph married her
b) Joseph wanted to dissolve their relationship
c) Mary left Nazareth for a while
d) an angel told them to go to Bethlehem
e) both b and c
f) both b and d
3. b and c Matthew 1:19; Luke 1:39, 56
4. Christmas has always been observed
a) on December 25
b) on January 17
c) at Grandma’s house
d) none of the above
4. d December 25 was selected late in the 4th century as the day to celebrate Christ’s birth
5. What is a manger anyway?
a) a barn
b) a place for hay
c) a feeding trough
d) a Greek term for the church nursery
11. c
Wise Guys and Testing Lies
6. How many wise men came to see Jesus? ____ (Write in correct number)
6. The Bible doesn’t say how many – only that Magi came bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh (see Matthew 2:11).
7. What did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?
a) “I have a stable out back.”
b) “Come back after the holidays.”
c) “There’s no room in the inn.”
d) both a and c
e) none of the above
7. e An innkeeper is never mentioned in the Scriptures.
If you answered most of the questions correctly, then give yourself an A.
If not, you may have seen too many Christmas Plays.
The point I’m making is that many professing Christians don’t know the facts of the story.
If you don’t know the facts, then how will you know when someone tells you something that isn’t true?
Luke’s desire was to write an orderly account.
His Gospel is the only one that gives a chronological order.
Which means that Luke went to great pains to make sure you and I could know the story from start to finish, in the order in which it happened.
If you don’t know the order of the story, then you miss so much of the story.
For instance, if you don’t know that Jesus Mother, Mary, got pregnant with Jesus BEFORE!!! she ever had relations with her husband, then you don’t realize that Jesus birth was by a virgin.
If you don’t know that Mary was impregnated by the Holy Ghost, then you won’t understand that his birth was a miracle unlike any other.
By the way, if you don’t know that Joseph and Mary tried to put Jesus in an inn FIRST, you will miss one of the greatest lessons the manger teaches us.
That’s right! Mary and Joseph tried to find a room in the inn before they settled for the animal’s stable.
Look at Luke 2:7:
“And she brought forth her first born Son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
2. CHRIST WILL LIVE WHERE ROOM IS MADE FOR HIM.
The reason Jesus was placed in a manger is because there was no room for them in the inn.
It’s important to remember that the “inns” of Jesus day were not like the hotels of our day.
You have to pay to stay in a hotel. But in Jesus day, “inns” were free to people.
In those days, one person was appointed to entertain strangers on behalf of the rest of the town.
Guests were put on the second floor of this square block building in the middle of town and their animals were kept on a stall on the first floor.
But when Joseph, Mary, and Jesus came they found there was no vacancy.
The fact that there was no room for them in the inn meant that there was no room for them in the other places in town.
The palaces of Emperors and the halls of Kings held no room for Christ.
It’s no different today.
Look at the world and see how few kings, Emperors, Prime Ministers and Presidents make room for Christ in their lives.
It’s rare to find.
There’s no place for Christ in Government today.
But how about business?
Is there room for Christ in business today?
Not many business owners find it convenient to make room for Christ.
How about colleges and Universities? Can Christ be found there?
Not much.
But what about the Religious Rulers of Jesus day? Couldn’t he find room there?
Surely he would have found someone to welcome him into the priestly chambers where the priests assemble with the Levites! Surely Jesus could find shelter in the Temple or synagogue.
But it was in the temple that he would find his most vicious enemies.
It was the priests that paid 30 shekels of silver to have him arrested.
It was the Priests that accused him of blasphemy. It was the priests that instigated the crowd to say, “Crucify him.”
Too often, it is within the church of Jesus Christ that he finds no room.
Do you have room in your heart for Christ?
You say, “Brad, I have room for Christ, but I am not worthy that He should come.”
I didn’t say, “Are you worthy, but do you have room.”
The manger was not worthy, yet he was laid there.
He will come to your heart, however dirty and unworthy if you will but make room for Him.
But I must let you know that if you "have room" for Christ, then from this day forward remember, "The world has no room for you;" for the text says not only that there was no room for Him, but look--"There was no room ’for them,’"--no room for Joseph, nor for Mary, any more than for the baby.
There is no room is this world for any true follower of Christ.
• Christian, there is no room for you to take it "easy." You are to be a soldier of the cross.
• There is no room for you to sit down "content with all your achievements," for you are a traveler, and you are to forget the things that are behind, and press forward to that which is ahead;
• There’s no room for you "to hide your treasure" in, for here the moth and rust destroys;
• No room for you "to put your confidence," for "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength."
• From this day there will be no room for you in "the good opinion of the world." They will look at you like you’re garbage and they’ll think you’re foolish.
• From this time forward, if you have room for Christ, the world will barely tolerate you. You must expect now to be laughed at.
• The world has no room in its heart for you. If you expect that everybody will praise you, and that everybody is going to stand up and applaud you, you are mistaken. The world has no room for the man who has room for Christ. "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." "Woe to you when all men speak well of you." You are not of the world, even as Christ is not of it.
So, what do you say, soldier?
• Will you enlist under these terms?
• Will sign that contract under those conditions?
Will you give room for Christ when there is to be from this time on no room for you--when you are to be separated forever, cut off from among the world’s relatives--cut off from fleshly confidence forever?
Are you willing, nevertheless to receive the Babe of Bethlehem into your heart?
Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.” – Revelation 3:20
The Lord help you to do so, and to Him will be glory forever and ever. Amen.
