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.
2. MEDO-PERSIA — GEOGRAPHICAL PREPARATION (Chest and Arms of Silver — Daniel 2:32; Bear — Daniel 7:5)
• Persia replaced Babylon and radically reshaped the world. Let’s look at Persia’s contributions:
• Return of the Jews to the land under Cyrus (Isaiah 45 prophesied this by name!).
• Without Persia, Mary and Joseph aren’t in Bethlehem at the right time.
• Rebuilding of the Temple
• The Second Temple had to exist for Messiah to enter it.
• Massive expansion of safe travel. The Persian Royal Road later prepared the foundation for international movement and trade.
• Persia restored the land so Messiah could be born in it.
3. GREECE — CULTURAL & LINGUISTIC PREPARATION (Belly and Thighs of Bronze — Daniel 2:32; Leopard — Daniel 7:6)
• Alexander the Great conquered the world with unheard-of speed, and God used it strategically. Greece’s contributions:
• Koine Greek — the perfect universal language. Simple, precise, expressive. The entire New Testament would be written in the language Greece spread.
• Philosophical hunger and moral exhaustion. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle raised deep questions about truth, morality, existence — questions only Christ could answer.
• Hellenized world — unified culture, thought, and communication.
• Greece united the world culturally and linguisticallyso that the gospel could spread rapidly and clearly.
4. ROME — POLITICAL & INFRASTRUCTURAL PREPARATION (Legs of Iron — Daniel 2:33; Beast with Iron Teeth — Daniel 7:7)
• Rome is the empire in power when Christ is born — and for good reason.
• Rome’s contributions:
• Pax Romana — 200 years of enforced peace
• Perfect for travel and missionary expansion.
• Road systems Over 50,000 miles of engineered highways. Paul walked on Roman roads with the gospel.
• Unified legal system The perfect setting for a public trial and crucifixion that would be seen by the world.
• Global census system The very mechanism God used to bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.
• Rome united the world physically and politically so Messiah could be born at the center of world history.
From Babylon’s theological shaping…to Persia’s geographical restoration… to Greece’s linguistic and cultural unification… to Rome’s political and infrastructural mastery…Every empire unknowingly laid the groundwork for the birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and global proclamation of Jesus Christ. This is why Paul says: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son…” (Galatians 4:4)
Bethlehem was right on time.vRome was the fourth kingdom, the iron legs, the very empire in power the day Jesus is born. Daniel saw this. He saw Rome rise. And he saw a kingdom come out of heaven: a stone not cut with human hands that would crush the kingdoms of man and fill the whole earth (Dan. 2:34–35).
The birth of Jesus in the days of Rome is God saying: “The stone has entered the world. The final kingdom has begun.” Church, the First Coming inaugurated the kingdom spiritually…The Second Coming will inaugurate it physically.
II. A HUMBLE COUPLE IN AN OVERCROWDED WORLD (VV.4–5)
Joseph and Mary… traveling from Nazareth down to Bethlehem. These are not royalty.
They’re not wealthy. They’re not politically connected. Just an obscure carpenter and a teenage girl, both descendants of David, walking into the pages of prophecy.
But listen, Bethlehem wasn’t chosen because it was quaint. Bethlehem was chosen because it was prophetic.
Prophecy Connection #3 – The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:12–16) God promised David: “I will raise up your offspring after you… and I will establish His kingdom forever.” Jesus must be born not just near David’s city but in David’s city. Not just in David’s line but in David’s covenant.
This child is not just Mary’s son. He is David’s heir. Israel’s rightful King. The fulfillment of an eternal throne.
Bethlehem isn’t a nice Christmas detail. It is heaven’s exclamation point: “The King has arrived.”
Prophecy Connection #4 – Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah said: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son…”
Mary is literally fulfilling prophecy with every step she takes. She’s carrying prophecy wrapped in flesh.
She’s carrying the One who carries the universe on His shoulders.
III. THE BIRTH OF THE KING IN SCANDALOUS HUMILITY (V.7)
Now we reach verse 7, and church — this is where we must slow down. “And she gave birth to 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.”
We read that too fast. We treat it like a Hallmark moment. But this verse is a thunderclap of theology.
A. The Infinite Becomes Infancy. The God who said, “Let there be light”…now squints at the light of a candle. The God who thundered on Sinai…now coos in a feeding trough. The One who formed Adam from the dust…now needs Mary to hold Him upright.
This is not weakness. This is wonder. This is the mystery of the Incarnation.
Prophecy Connection #5 – Isaiah 9:6–7 “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…” The Child is born — His humanity. The Son is given — His deity. Both are happening in Luke 2:7. Both are essential for your salvation.
B. The Manger Is the First Throne of Grace
Let’s talk about the manger. A manger is not rustic. It’s not quaint. It’s a feeding trough. It’s wood that’s rough, dirty, splintered. Why a manger?
Because from the beginning Jesus is communicating something: He has come to be given as our substance — Feasted on by faith. The Bread of Life laid in a feeding trough for the world. He is born in the place where animals feed… To become the One on whom our souls feed. The manger preaches the gospel.
C. Prophecy Connection #6 – Genesis 3:15
Before Israel had kings, prophets, or scribes… Before Abraham… Before Moses… God declared that from the woman would come a Child who would crush the serpent’s head. This Child is now lying in a manger. Hell should have been trembling. Satan should have been screaming. The prophecy is in motion.
IV. WHY THE WORLD MISSED HIM (AND STILL MISSES HIM)
The question that always grips me in this text is this: How do you miss the Messiah being born in your own town? How does the world miss God in flesh? The same way it misses Him today.
1. He Came Quietly, Not Dramatically
No royal parade. No political announcement. Just a young girl, a silent night, a manger. God moves quietly before He moves gloriously.
2. He Came Humbly, Not Triumphantly
The world loves strength. God came in weakness. The world celebrates power. God comes as a servant.
3. He Came When Life Was Busy
Bethlehem was full. The census had crowded out every spare moment. People were tired, stressed, occupied. They had no room… not because they were evil…but because they were overwhelmed. Church — the danger of Bethlehem is the danger of our generation: a world too busy for its King.
4. He Came in a Way That Requires Faith, Not Sight
Only a handful recognized Him — shepherds, Simeon, Anna, the Magi. Everyone else missed the moment.
And the world will miss the Second Coming for the same reasons. Jesus said His return would come suddenly, unexpectedly, while the world is eating, drinking, marrying — too busy to look up (Matthew 24:37–39).
V. THE FIRST COMING POINTS TOWARD THE SECOND
Here’s what we must not miss: The birth of Jesus is not just a sweet beginning of a sweet story. It is the launching point of prophetic momentum that will climax when He returns in glory.
First Coming: Hidden Glory
Second Coming: Unveiled Glory
First Coming: He comes in humility.
Second Coming: He comes in fire and majesty.
First Coming: He rides in Mary’s arms.
Second Coming: He rides a white horse.
First Coming: Only a few noticed.
Second Coming: “Every eye shall see Him”
First Coming: A Manger
Second Coming: A Throne
Prophecy Connection #7 – Malachi 3:1; 4:1–2 Malachi said: “The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple…the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings.” The First Coming fulfills the first part — He did come suddenly. The Second Coming fulfills the rest — He is coming with healing, with fire, with righteousness.
Prophecy Connection #8 – Psalm 2 says the nations rage, kings plot, rulers take their stand… But God laughs.
Because He has set His King on Zion. Jesus is that King. Born once to die. Coming again to reign.
VI. SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US TODAY?
Let me close with some pastoral heart application:
1. Make Room for Christ Now. Not in some seasonal, sentimental sense. But in the busy places. The crowded places. The stressed-out places. Bethlehem made no room — but God is still looking for hearts that will.
2. Don’t Miss God’s Quiet Work. He still comes in quiet moments: in Scripture, in prayer, in conviction, in worship, in the whispered prompting of the Spirit. He moves in the stillness before He moves in the storm.
3. The Incarnation Means God Knows Your Humanity. Every pain. Every tear. Every sleepless night. Every fear. Every temptation. He was born into all of it — so He could redeem all of it.
4. The First Coming Assures the Second. If God kept every prophecy about the First Advent — and He did —
then the Second Advent is guaranteed. We are not drifting toward chaos. We are marching toward the King.
5. The Manger Is an Invitation The manger says, “You don’t need a throne to approach Me.” You don’t need credentials. You don’t need perfection. He came low so that all could come.
CONCLUSION: FROM NO ROOM TO AN OPEN HEAVEN
Jesus was born into a world that had no room for Him… but He went to the cross to open up a room for you. “I go to prepare a place for you…” The world shut Him out but He opens heaven wide. He who was laid in a manger will soon sit on a throne. He who came in obscurity will come again in glory. He who entered a world that made no room is coming again to make all things new. Church — let us be found ready.
