A LOWLY BIRTH

“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered… So all went to be registered…Joseph also went up from Galilee… into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there…she brought forth her firstborn Son…and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:1-7 NKJV).

The story of the birth of Jesus is told simply but powerfully. The setting was during the reign of the first emperor, Caesar Augustus. Caesar means “emperor” and Augustus which means “exalted, revered, honored,” was a title bestowed on him by the Roman senate in 27 B.C. He was known for his administrative prowess – uniting the empire, building massive roads and establishing the Roman Peace (the famous Pax Romana).

Jesus is born when Israel is under Roman rule (vv. 1-4) - Caesar Augustus and Quirinius are in positions of power. However, God uses both of them to fulfill what He promised long ago In Mal. 5:2, four hundred years before the birth of Christ, God told His people that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. Joseph and Mary start out in Nazareth of Galilee (v. 4). Yet God uses the emperor’s census to move them back to Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem. There is an invisible power behind and over every human ruler.

Further, Bethlehem means “House of Bread.” How appropriate that the Bread of Life should have been born there, and that the Son of David should have been born in the village so intimately associated with the history of David the shepherd king of Israel.

Jesus is born where no child should be born (vv. 5-7) - When the Lord Jesus came into the world, He was born in the most comfortless conditions - a smelly, filthy, chilly shelter, surrounded by noisy animals. The God of the universe was laid in an animal’s feeding trough. There is no glory in that. However, it was a fitting entrance for the “Son of Man” who had “nowhere to lay His head” (Luke 9:58); a fitting entrance for the one “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:6-7); it was a fitting entrance for the One who came to die as a substitute in the place of lowly, humble, wretched sinners. And for the Lord Jesus, there is humility before glory. In Jam. 4:10 we read, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” In the kingdom of God, first comes humility then comes glory.

(Adapted from Christ Centered Exposition)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The birth of Christ brought God to man, but it took the cross of Christ to bring man to God!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Gave birth

In Luke 2:7 we read, “And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (NASB).

Gave birth is the Greek word tiktō (τίκτω = tik'-to). It means to bring forth, to bear, to give birth. Literally, it is used of child birth, and metaphorically it is used of the earth produce or to generate. In Jam. 1:15 it is used of the evil consequence of indulging one’s lust, which “gives birth to sin.” It is interesting to note that James states that that when “lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin” and sin kills but Mary bore a Son Who would take upon Him sin on the Cross and would defeat sin and reverse sin’s ‘death sentence’ for all who believe in Him. In short, His birth would reverse the curse of Genesis 3!

In classical Greek titko carried a variety of meanings. Sometimes it was used of “breeding” animals, other times of “begetting” (by the father) or “bearing” (by the mother) children. In the Septuagint tiktō is used in a similar manner as in classical Greek. In the New Testament, tiktō is also used the same way as in the Septuagint. However, here tiktō is used only of the woman’s role in childbearing.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – The Messiah would be a descendant of David (Ezek. 34:23)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 1:1

Did You Know…

In the Bible, it states that the Holy Spirit bears witness of Jesus (John 15:26).

Bible Quiz

What happened to Elizabeth as soon as she heard Mary’s greetings?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: What sign were the shepherds supposed to look for when searching for the baby Jesus? “And this will be the sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).

Names of the Lord Jesus Found in the Bible

“Bright and Morning Star”

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star!” (Rev. 22:16 NKJV).

1. Meaning – The Lord Jesus lights our way.

2. Insights – The Lord Jesus is the brightest star in the heavens and the Light of the world. We will never lose our way in His light.

3. Related Titles – Day Star / Morning Star (2 Peter 1:19); Star (Num. 24:17); Sunrise / Rising Sun (Luke 1:78); Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:2).

Stories of Favorite Christmas Carols

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing

During his lifetime, Charles Wesley wrote over 600 songs. One of his most famous lyrics is Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, which many theologians say is the entire Gospel of Christ in one song. The melody for this familiar carol was composed by the famous Felix Mendelssohn almost a hundred years after Wesley wrote the text. The little known fact is that neither Charles Wesley nor Felix Mendelssohn would have wanted this music to be joined with these words. Felix Mendelssohn, a Jew, had made it very clear that he wanted his music only to be used for secular purposes. Charles Wesley, on the other hand, had requested that only slow and solemn religious music be coupled with his words. However, in the mid Nineteenth Century, long after both Mendelssohn and Wesley were dead, an organist named Dr. William Cummings, joined the joyous Mendelssohn music with Wesley’s profound words to create the carol we know and love today!

A Little Humor

One Sunday during children’s sermon, the Sunday school teacher was telling the kids about the angel that came to Mary to tell her how she would help bring Jesus into the world. One little girl seemed puzzled about this whole scene. Then another child asked the teacher what she thought might be the first thing Mary would have asked for after the angel left her. Instantly this little girl chimed in with “I’ll bet she asked for a little help from Joseph!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty!”