When The King Was Born

1. When a King is Born:

• You can hear the shots of artillery in a 41-gun salute.

• Flags billow and chapel bells peal loud clanging music into the night.\

• Champagne corks stream through the air by the thousands.

• People stand together and sing choruses in the street.

• Clouds of euphoria make millions of people feel like they are members of one harmonious family.

At least that’s the way one newspaper article says it was on June 21, 1982 when at 9:03 p.m. the future King of England came into the world. His name was William, Prince of Wales, born to Prince Charles and his young wife Diana. This boy was a legitimate heir to the throne. He was of royal ancestry. Born to be king.

2. But that’s not the way it was when Jesus came into the world. It’s difficult to imagine a birth more humble or lowly than the birth of Jesus.

• We tend to romanticize the scene by painting it the warm golden glow of a Christmas card. In reality it was pretty precarious.

• The Bible says it quickly, “and she (Mary) 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 2:7)

• Were they in a stable, in a cave, out on the street? No one knows for sure, but we get the idea that this child’s first exposure to the world wasn’t very pleasant. [Birth spot & Jax touching the spot in Bethlehem

3. In Churches of Christ we don’t talk much about Christmas – neither did the Puritans in early America; but it is a good thing to do, stop feeling guilty about it!

a. The date of Jesus’ birth is not mentioned in scripture but the celebration is

b. It’s right not to get caught up in the fluff and commercialism [A man surveyed Christmas shoppers in Tokyo one year and randomly asked people the point of Christmas. Most did not know. One distressing response was, “I don’t know, it has something to do with Jesus. Was it when He died?

4. When You think of Christmas, what comes to mind?

a. Sounds of Christmas songs on the radio? Bells ringing in parking lots? Children’s Laughter?

b. Sights of: Emotional movies – It’s a Wonderful Life; Christmas Box?

c. Special shopping days – Black Friday/Cyber-Monday?

5. The day Jesus was born brought about an intertwining of joy and sorrow.

a. A Day of Great Joy and Good News

b. That led to Sorrow

c. Then back to Joy

I. Sounds of Joy – Luke 2.8-20

A. The PRAISE OF:

1. Angels – Heavenly Host

2. Shepherds – Earthly Crew

B. The PRAISE FOR:

1. A GOOD King (vs. Herod)

2. Great joy to ALL people

3. God’s Work – seen in the Signs

• Bethlehem (Micah 5.3)

• Swaddling Cloths

• Manger and the Lamb of God [Pic of Jax in a Manger

4. Affirmation of God’s Love and Concern

• We Need a Savior

• We Need a LORD

II. Sounds of Sorrow – Matthew 2.13-18

[Christmas, 1998

• There was the anguish of 3 children who had seen their step father stab their mother to death. And then they had to stand by helplessly as he fled, backing his car over her lifeless body.

• There was also the anguish of 22 Pakistani sailors stranded helplessly on their ship 4 miles off our shore. Five months earlier the foreign owners & officers of this old ocean-going freighter had declared bankruptcy, fled the jurisdiction of the United States, & completely abandoned the ship & its crew. So here they were – 22 sailors, all alone on an old, leaking ship. They were out of food & fuel. They had received no pay in a year & a half - since leaving their families & homes back in Pakistan. They spoke no English. They had no papers that would even allow them to come ashore & seek help. Imagine their hopelessness and tears.

A. Sobering Voices Around the Birth of Jesus

1. A Paranoid King

2. Some Merciless Soldiers

3. Many Weeping Mothers

4. Horrified Children

5. An Angel’s Plea for Joseph to Take the Family to Egypt

B. The Voice of Jesus Suffering for the World

1. My God, my God. . .

2. I Thirst. . .

3. The Man of Sorrows – Isaiah 53

4. The Sin Offering – 2 Corinthians 5.21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

5. But the Tomb was empty of his body – GREAT JOY from His Disciples and SORROW from His Enemies.