A Heavenly Visit
There were many events happening at the time of Jesus’ birth, but in this teaching, let’s focus in on what happened in the Gospel of Luke. Prior to this, the events surrounding John the Baptist’s birth has been told.
Luke 1: 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. 34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" 35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Do you have any problems with a virgin conceiving a Son? Let’s be honest. It has never happened before or since in human history. This is a great stumbling block for many people. It has been reasoned away or discarded as truth, but our Bible tells us that is was so. This was prophesied in the Old Testament by Isaiah and also applied in Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew 1: 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us.". Do you know why it was a virgin birth? The life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev 17:11) meaning it is what sustains our life. Without blood, we will die, right? It is also where the sin nature of man is contained. It is passed down from generation to generation through the blood. That is how we are all born into it. However, the womb of a woman has no connection with the blood of that woman. In other words, the baby is protected by the womb. That is why Mary had to conceive by the Holy Spirit. God is pure, holy, and without sin, and was the only One who could do this. In so doing, the Son of God could be born without sin.
The birth of Jesus
Luke 2: 1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
Caesar, the king of the world at that time, called for a census. Joseph had to go to Bethlehem because he was to return to his place of residence. The location of Jesus’ birth was prophesied in Micah 5: 2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting. Isn’t interesting that the Lord stirred in the heart of Caesar to do the census? Proverbs 21: 1 the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. Without it, Jesus is not born in Bethlehem. This will build your faith about the sovereignty of God. He is in complete and independent control of the affairs of men.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth 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.
Out of these two verses, many have added to this story. Simply put, she had the baby in Bethlehem. He was born not in luxury but in humility. Again, this is a stumbling block for some. Why would the Savior or the Son of God show up in a feeding trough and not in a palace some where?
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
The point of the story is very simply verse 11. There was born a Savior. Matthew 1: 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. Jesus was born to save His people from their sins. He came to save us because of His love for us. Isn’t is amazing that not only did the Son of God come down to walk among us, but that the first people who knew where shepherds? The shepherds represent us. They are not the noble of the world, they are not the wise, but they are the simple. Matthew 11: 25 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. You see God chose you to reveal His Son to you. It is the gift of God for each of us. The night sky lit up that night by the presence of angels. They announced the coming of the Savior! Every year we are given the opportunity to celebrate the greatest gift that God has given mankind. Every year, more and more people choose to reject the purpose of why we celebrate this time of year. I encourage you to remember why we celebrate. To be honest, this celebration should not be one day a year. The birth of our Lord Jesus should be celebrated year round in the heart’s of believers. So do not lose heart we you see people rejecting the truth. Use it as an opportunity to live your faith and tell them of God’s love that showed up in the form of a baby so long ago.
