Today is the second Sunday of Advent, the time of the Christian year in which we celebrate the birth of Christ and look forward to His return. During this season we remember the first coming of our Savior, and also anticipate His second coming. Now, let me begin by asking you a question: why do we do that? Why do we make such a big deal out of Christmas? Now, I realize that I’m on dangerous ground here. Questioning the rationale for Christmas could get me accused of heresy, not to mention "Grinchiness". You might as well ask why we hold parades and shoot off firecrackers on the 4th of July. The annual observance of the Christmas holiday has become so much a part of our culture (and our economy) that it’s almost impossible to imagine a December without it. But let’s try, just for a moment. If Christmas was not a part of our history and heritage; if the joy and wonder of Christmas morning was not deeply imbedded in our own childhood memories; if none of us had ever heard of Santa, or Ebenezer Scrooge, or Rudolph, or Frosty; if we had never watched "It’s A Wonderful Life;" or seen a Christmas tree, or hung stockings on the mantelpiece; or gone caroling – If we were starting from scratch today, and all we had to go on were the accounts of Christ’s birth in the gospels, would we still choose to celebrate this season? Would it still have significance for us as Christians? The answer, I think, is "yes". Because the Christmas story reveals so much about Christ and the gospel message. What we’re going to look at today is one of the ways in which the birth of Christ reveals who He is, and what He came to do. Let’s begin by reading from Luke chapter two:
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." – Luke 2:1-7, NIV
Setting aside the supernatural aspects of the Christmas story – the angels, and the shepherds, and the star, and wise men, and the virgin birth – one of the things we’re struck by is how ordinary the circumstances of Jesus’ birth were. For example, he was born into quite an unremarkable family. Joseph was not a wealthy man. We see this in the kind of sacrifice he and Mary brought when they went up to the temple a short while later to dedicate their newborn son. Instead of offering a lamb, as a family of even modest means would have done, they took all they could afford, a pair of birds. As a carpenter, Joseph was probably not well-educated, as for example, a rabbi would have been. And as far as we know, he had no social or political connections. He was just a blue-collar worker; someone who worked with his hands, someone who built furniture and crafted tools. A peasant. And as such, he had very little power in first-century Roman or Jewish society.
His lack of power is demonstrated by the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. This was a distance of many miles over rough terrain. It meant several days of walking, or at best riding on the back of a donkey. And traveling through the more remote areas, there would be thieves and highwaymen hiding in the bushes, waiting to attack. In fact, this was such a common occurrence that one of Jesus’ parables, the story of the Good Samaritan, is about a man who is robbed and left for dead, on a journey just like this. It would be a difficult and dangerous trip under the best of circumstances. Now, I ask you – what kind of husband would willingly put his fiancé through that? Especially when she was nine months’ pregnant! What kind of man would choose to expose the woman he loved to that kind of danger, to subject her to that kind of discomfort? But of course that’s the point. He didn’t have any choice. And neither did she. They were under the authority of imperial Rome. Ceaser’s word was law. And so, no matter how angry or afraid they might have been, no matter how unreasonable they thought the decree was, they had no choice but to obey. They were powerless.
And then, of course, we have the conditions of the birth itself. Mary delivered her precious son, not at home in her own bed, attended by a midwife, and surrounded by relatives. But far from her native country, separated from her people, and under the most squalid conditions. It’s difficult to accept, even now, that this was really how God the Father intended for His Son to enter the world. It was certainly contrary to the expectations that everyone had for the Messiah. For example, when the Magi saw a star in the sky and came from the east to worship the newborn king, where did they go first? To King Herod, of course! Certainly, if a king was to be born, it would happen in the palace! But Jesus wasn’t there. Instead, the magi eventually found him in a stable; surrounded not by servants, but by cattle. And being admired, not by the royal court, but by a handful of scruffy shepherds.
It’s not just that Christ came into the world as a human infant. That in itself is incredible beyond words, that the infinite, eternal God, the Creator and sovereign Lord of the universe, should become a helpless little baby, cooing and gurgling in His mother’s arms, unable even to feed himself. But the humble circumstances of his birth are equally amazing. Born to a set of parents who, humanly speaking, didn’t have a whole lot going for them. Not powerful, but powerless. Not mighty, but weak and vulnerable. Not wealthy, but poor. Not well-known, but unnoticed. As Paul writes:
"He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form." – Philippians 2:7, NLT
These were the kind of parents Jesus chose for Himself, as if to declare to the whole world: "None of the things that you value so highly really matter at all. Wealth, power, achievement, status – none of those things carries any weight with God." That should be an encouragement to those of us who can identify with Mary and Joseph, who sometimes feel powerless and insignificant, who sometimes feel that we’re at the mercy of economic and political and social forces that we can’t control. Because those are the kind of people whom Jesus identified with in his birth.
What’s even more interesting is that this is not an isolated case. It’s the way God usually operates. Those whom the world rejects as useless, He selects and makes useful. As Paul says,
"Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God." – 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, NLT
Why did God choose two ordinary peasants to be the parents of the Messiah, instead of royalty?
And why does God consistently choose for His purposes those whom the world considers to be of no account? He does it to knock down our pride and self-confidence. He does it to show that all the things we place so much importance in; all the things we think so much of; are really nothing compared to Him. His wisdom puts our so-called intelligence to shame. He laughs at the pretended power of kings and kingdoms, of princes and politicians. And so, if His servants seem unimpressive and ordinary, so much the better. Because then His power and glory will be displayed all the more, as He does great things through them. That’s why Paul says, in Second Corinthians,
"I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NLT
God loves to use ordinary people, and ordinary churches, to accomplish His purposes. Those who don’t seem up to the task, and perhaps don’t even feel up to the task. Why? Because it shows that the power comes from Him. And so He gets all the glory, as He should. That ought be our goal – to see God do through us far more than anyone thought possible, so that He might be praised and honored.
One of my favorite examples of this principle is the story of Gideon in the Old Testament. I’ll summarize it, briefly: The people of Israel were being oppressed by the people of Midian. When the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites came through and destroyed them. And they killed all the livestock, leaving nothing to live on. And so the people of Israel cried out to God, and God answered their prayers. He appeared to Gideon, a farmer, and called him to lead the people of Israel into battle.
"Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!" "But Lord," Gideon replied, "how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!"
The LORD said to him, "I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man." – Judges 6:14-16, NLT
Now, did God know that Gideon was the least in his family? Yes. Did God know that his clan was the weakest in the entire tribe? Yes, of course. Then why did God choose him? For those very reasons! Not in spite of his weakness, but because of it! When the Lord defeated the Midianites, he wanted it to be known and understood by everyone that it happened by His power, and not by Gideon’s. And so God chose the most unlikely of candidates to lead his army. Later, we find Gideon and his men, thirty-two thousand of them, camped near Midian, ready to attack. But listen to this:
"The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, tell the people, `Whoever is timid or afraid may leave and go home.’ " Twenty-two thousand of them went home, leaving only ten thousand who were willing to fight."
– Judges 7:2-3, NLT
What does God tell them to do? Send a third of the fighting men home! They went from 32,000 to 10,000. But even that wasn’t enough. Not by a long shot. As the story goes on, we read that God instructed Gideon to reduce the number of warriors even further, from 10,000 down to only 300. Less than one percent of the original number! In a very short time, Gideon went from being strong and mighty, to being very weak and vulnerable. But God used that tiny remnant of an army, to utterly defeat the Midianites. So that never again did they give Israel any trouble, for as long as Gideon lived.
Let me suggest an application. Perhaps you’re like Gideon. Perhaps you’re feeling that what God has asked you to do is far beyond your ability. I’m sure Mary and Joseph felt that way. How would you like that assignment – raising the Son of God? That would be a little intimidating, wouldn’t it? And God may be asking you to do something difficult as well. He may be calling you to suffer, or to persevere, or to attempt something that seems beyond your ability. You don’t feel strong and capable; you feel weak, and vulnerable, and inadequate. And when that happens, often our response is to say, "Lord, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake? Are you sure you weren’t thinking of someone else; someone wiser, and more patient, and more spiritual? Someone who knows what they’re doing? Someone who’s not as weak and sinful as I am?" And God says, "Nope. You’ll do fine. Remember, I’ll be with you every step of the way. There’s nothing that we can’t handle together." And then off you go, into the wild blue yonder. Just like Moses, and David, and Peter, and Paul, and Matthew, and all the other unlikely servants of God who did great things in spite of themselves. Not because they were adequate to the task – they weren’t. Neither are you, and that’s the point. It’s not our sufficiency that matters. It’s His.
Here’s another application. In the eyes of some, our church is small and weak. Lacking in numbers and resources. What is God doing? Well, perhaps God is doing with our church what He did with the Israelite army before their battle with Midian. Perhaps God is preparing to act in a mighty way, and He wants to make absolutely sure that when He does, He gets all the credit. So He is leaving us with nothing to trust in, other than Himself. I can’t say for certain. I’m not a prophet. But I do know that God has a good and wise purpose in everything he does. I know that God’s power is not limited by our abilities, or our resources, or by our ideas of what is possible. And I know that, in the words of Jonathan, from First Samuel, "Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." ( Samuel 14:6, NIV) The battle is the Lord’s.
Let me suggest one more application. Perhaps God has been "pruning" your life; taking away the things you were depending on; removing the sources of your strength and confidence. Does that mean you are destined for failure? Does it mean God is putting you on the shelf? That God has no further use for you? Not at all. More likely, it means he is teaching you how unnecessary those things really were. More likely, it means that he is preparing to show you how powerful He really is, if you will let go of everything else, stop relying on those things, and trust in Him alone. Listen to what Paul says:
"We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God." – 2 Corinthians 3:4-5, NLT
Paul understood that his own resources and abilities counted for nothing. His learning, his eloquence, his energy – none of them were sufficient to the great task before him. But he wasn’t discouraged. Not in the least. He still had confidence in the success of his labors. Why? Because he knew he had God’s power behind him. And that counted for everything. Again, he writes,
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves" – 2 Corinthians 4:7, NAS
"Earthen vessels." Another translation says, "jars of clay". What’s that referring to? Us. Paul is saying that God has chosen ordinary clay pots, like you and me, to hold the glorious treasure of the gospel. It’s like displaying diamonds and rubies in a plastic cereal bowl. God wants to make sure that no one overlooks the real treasure because they’re distracted by the impressiveness of the container. God doesn’t need ornate vessels made of carved mahogany, or fine crystal, or burnished bronze. He wants us – plain old clay pots. So that when people look at our lives, they won’t really notice us at all; instead, they’ll fix their eyes on the treasure our life contains, the good news of Jesus Christ. When people see Christ working in and through our lives, God wants them to know that the glory and the power come from Him, rather than us.
Let’s return for a moment to the circumstances of Christ’s birth and life. Among the world’s great religious leaders, he was entirely unique. The man who became known as the Buddha came from a very wealthy family. In fact, he was a prince, a member of royalty. Confucius came from the aristocracy, the political ruling class. Mohammed was a military general and a conquering warrior. But Jesus Christ had no wealth; he came from a family of no great distinction, and he never possessed any political or military power. And yet, he changed the world. As Dr. James A. Francis put it, in his essay entitled, "One Solitary Life":
"Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life."
Jesus Christ is our model; He is our example in his birth, and life, and death. And that model is one of weakness, and poverty, and powerlessness in the eyes of the world. He didn’t possess any of the things we usually associate with strength; not wealth, or political power, or even great numbers of disciples. He invited people to follow him; but he wasn’t devastated when they left. At one point, Jesus began teaching some hard truths, and John tells us that as a result, "many of his disciples turned away and deserted him" (John 6:66, NLT). Like Gideon, he went from thousands of followers to perhaps a few hundred. But he didn’t agonize over the loss. He didn’t worry that somehow God’s purposes had been thwarted by their departure. Because he knew that God could accomplish His purposes just as well with twelve as with twelve thousand. Jesus was content to wait on God’s timing, to trust in God’s methods, and to rely on God’s power. The result, twenty centuries later, is that Christ is the most influential person who ever walked the face of the earth. And even more important than that, He accomplished the purpose for which God sent Him.
My point is that you can be successful, and influential, and productive in God’s sight, even if you lack the resources you think you need; even if you are weak and flawed. God can do great things with your life, by His power. The apostle Peter was a coward, but God made him into a "rock" of courage. Paul was proud and violent, but God gave him humility and gentleness. Matthew was a greedy tax collector, but he gave himself and all He had to Christ. God used all of these flawed people in mighty ways. He can use you too. And God can do great things in this church, even though at present we seem weak, and lacking in many things. Because we have the only thing we truly need, and that’s Jesus Christ.
If that’s the case, then how do we experience God’s power and sufficiency? Once we’ve let go of the things we had been depending on, or once God has stripped them away from us, how do we receive what we need from God? And the answer to that is simply: pray. First, we need to get our attitudes straight; we need to believe, deep down in our hearts, that our weakness is no impediment to God working, but that instead it opens the door for God’s strength; we need to believe that our poverty is what makes room for His riches. We need to realize that all the ways we fall short and experience need are opportunities for God’s power to be displayed. But then we need to pray. We need to seek God’s presence and power. It’s not enough just to believe God can do it; we have to ask Him to do it. We need to cry out to God. If we do that, then God will answer. And the results will be far beyond anything we could have ever imagined.
In conclusion, I’d like to encourage you to set aside time, every day, to pray. Pray for your own needs. Pray for one another. Pray for your pastor. And pray for the church. Ask God to fill your poverty with his riches, to replace your weakness with his strength, and to overcome your inability with his power and sufficiency. And God will do something great with your life. Pray as David prayed in Psalm 70,
"Please, God, rescue me! Come quickly, LORD, and help me.
. . . I am poor and needy; please hurry to my aid, O God.
You are my helper and my savior; O LORD, do not delay!"
– Psalm 70:1, 5 NLT
If you do, then you will also be able to pray this prayer, from Psalm 28:
"Praise the LORD! For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The LORD is my strength, my shield from every danger.
I trust in him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
The LORD protects his people and gives victory to his anointed king.
Save your people! Bless Israel, your special possession!
Lead them like a shepherd, and carry them forever in your arms." – Psalm 28:6-9
(For an .rtf file of this and other sermons, see www.journeychurchonline.org/messages.htm)
