Tidings Of The Comfort And Joy

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

Text: Luke 2:1-20

It is the third Sunday of Advent, and I do hope that everyone is full of joy this morning. We can have joy because the Lord has come… and He’s coming again.

We’ve been looking at the birth of Jesus for a few Sunday’s now, and we’re going to continue on with that this morning. We’re in Luke 2 and we’ll be looking at verses 1 through 20…

Now if you remember, the first Sunday of Advent, we talked about the genealogy of Jesus and why that is important… and then last Sunday we looked at this from the perspective of Joseph, and how both he and Mary were people of faith, and how that faith not only made them fit to receive the promises of God, but empowered them to endure and persevere, and hold fast to those promises.

So if you’re in Luke chapter 2, follow along with me as I read our text

(READ Luke 2:1-20).

So Ceasar Augustus was the emperor of Rome, Quirinius was the governor of Syria… and this was his first term as governor, he served as governor of that region again about 12 to 15 years later (that’s why Luke makes the distinction in verse 2 that this was the FIRST registration of Quirinius). And so what Luke has done – (VERY accurately I might add)… is given us the time frame of Jesus’ birth. He tells us who the emperor of Rome was at the time, and who the governor of Syria was at the time. And he tells us exactly why Mary and Joseph had made their way to Bethlehem. Because Augustus ordered a census for the purpose of taxation… and everyone had to go to their place of birth in order to take this census.

See, even on the very first Christmas, government was trying to get involved… but the Romans had no concept of the “Separation of Church and State”… that’s an American thing.

So anyway, Joseph and Mary, go to Bethlehem… Mary is due to deliver… and verse 6 tells us that’s exactly what happened. And look at verse 7, “She gave birth to her FIRSTBORN Son…”. Meaning she had others. And yes it says that in the original Greek “prototokon” – FIRSTBORN. I know our Catholic friends like to say Mary stayed a perpetual virgin, but that’s not what God’s Word says.

She then wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them at the inn.

Now I want us to stop here for a second, and walk through the first part of this text, and then we’ll go on to the second part of it in a minute.

We’re told that Mary and Joseph made their way to Bethlehem because of the census decreed by Caesar Augustus… The Roman Empire is in control of this region… and the Roman Emperor is without a doubt the most powerful human being on the face of the earth at this particular time. Rome had conquered the western world, with the exception of Northern Britania – Alba – Scotland…

Rome had the most power, the strongest military, the most wealth… and the emperor could pretty much do just about anything he wanted to do… but his heart, his mind, his decision was entirely in the Lord’s hand. And about 500 years before this, God had sent His Word to the prophet Micah… Micah 5:2, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Juda, from you shall come forth for Me One who is to be ruler in Israel, Whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days.”

GOD IS SOVEREIGN!

“The kings heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water, He turns it whatever way He wills.”

So, near the time that Mary is to give birth, God puts it in the heart and mind of Caesar Augustus to declare this census. Joseph and Mary have to travel to Bethlehem…

And it’s a dangerous journey… there’s bandits and robbers. Mary is pregnant and due any day. But they make it… and they find that there’s no room at the inn.

And I don’t know about all of you, but when I was a kid, and I would hear this Christmas story, I always was given the impression that the inn keeper was just this villain of a man… that he was cruel and evil. But it’s not realy his fault is it? It’s not like he knew that a pregnant woman was going to come to Bethlehem… and I’m sure he booked his rooms on a first come first serve basis.

For all we know, he might have even gone and asked folks if they would be willing to give up their room for Mary. So the inn keeper isn’t entirely to blame here.