Charles Stanley - Jesus's Birth
When you think of Christmas, what is the first thing you think about? Think about it for a moment. Do you think about anything that the Bible says about Jesus, or is your first thought about oh, my goodness, I've got to shop? Where am I going? What about the traffic? How long is my Christmas list going to be? Who's coming over for lunch? How many people are, in other words, what really and truly comes to your mind first? Well, even when you move into the Scripture, sometimes we miss God's greatest lessons. And even when you think about Christmas in the Scripture, do you think about Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus and the fact that He was born in a shed and there cattle there; and there was a star and wise men and gifts and shepherds, and you run out after a while.
And so, oftentimes we miss God's greatest lessons when we just limit our thinking to particular words, and not ask ourselves the question, What's behind all this? What's really going on when it comes to Christmas? And so, I want us to think in terms of the big picture. And the first thing I want to mention is simply this. That what appears to be an insignificant event can have eternal consequences. And think about how insignificant this is, the birth of a baby. Well, there were many babies that were born at the same time, around that time, or some other time. But the birth of a baby, there's nothing significant about that, happened all the time. And the fact this baby ended up being born in a stable, that probably wasn't all that significant either because there were lots of babies born; and they weren't always born at home.
And here, we have Mary and Joseph traveling from Nazareth down to Bethlehem, pretty good size trip, especially on a donkey, a little different from you'd came in this morning. And so, you look at that and you think, Well, they weren't very significant so what's so significant about this Christmas? Well, when you begin to read the Scripture and you ask yourself the question, Well, what about Joseph and Mary? Well, who was Joseph? Just another Hebrew. And so, what happened? When he was pondering what to do, the Bible says the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Joseph". And you know the story then in Matthew. This is the Son of God. And this is the Son of God who is born to you and to Mary. And then he went on to describe certain things. And, all of a sudden, everything changed.
So, when we think about Christmas, the truth is that what appeared to be very insignificant became something that had eternal consequences. That little baby, who was Jesus, died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Was buried, resurrected, ascended, sits at the Father's right hand today for you and me, that was not insignificant, but it appeared to be. And the second thing, and that is sometimes God will use the ungodly in order to accomplish His divine purpose. We think God only works through believers, not necessarily. Because in those days, for example, Caesar Augustus, who was the emperor of that time and ruling certain areas of that time. And he made a decision. He decided to tax everybody. And so, everybody had to go to their home. They had to return there and sign up for taxation and so forth.
You say, What's this got to do with the birth of Jesus? Here's what it has to do. Seven hundred years before in Micah five, two, God spoke to Micah and gave him the prophecy that the Messiah would be born. That was seven hundred years before Jesus was born. And so, what's that got to do with this? It simply shows you this. That God was using a very ungodly leader seven hundred years later, who was ruthless in every way. And He passed a law, and you didn't violate that law. He passed a law that everybody had to be taxed. Well, so what's that got to do with Jesus? Here's what it has to do. Mary was pregnant with Jesus. And that means that they had to leave Nazareth and go down to Bethlehem. And so, what happens is that Mary gives birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, not in Nazareth, but where, what did the prophecy say? In Bethlehem of Judea.
And so, it looks like that just happened. What I want you to see is that God used Caesar Augustus to pass a law that fit God's perfect timing seven hundred years ago about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that probably, Mary and Joseph knew nothing about that at the time, or they may have. But certainly not with them. And so, seven hundred years before, God says to the world through His prophet, A Messiah is coming. Think about that, for example. No woman would have said, It's going to be me. It was a total surprise and besides what that meant in her day, that she could be stoned to death. And everything else and the disappointment and the shame that, to Joseph, that somehow she must have been unfaithful to him, all those things. But what was God doing? Fulfilling His promise. And remember this. God fulfills every single one of His promises. He doesn't make promises without fulfilling them in some way.
And so, what happens? He used an ungodly man to fulfill His promise. God still uses the ungodly sometimes in order to accomplish His divine purpose. There's nothing in the Bible that says God only uses the righteous, doesn't say that. And so, whatever He's up to, He's going to accomplish His will some way or the other. And so, what happens here's that this ungodly leader made a decision that fit the prophesied promise of God to bring Jesus into the world at the right time. Then oftentimes God does His greatest work through the unlikely person. Think about this. What do you and I know about Mary? She was a nobody, just another Hebrew girl. And what about Joseph? Nothing significant about him. So, when you think about yourself. And there are a lot of people who think, Well, I'm a nobody. There's nothing significant about my life. How could God ever use me?
Well, Mary and Joseph could have said the very thing. In fact, they would never have believed it. Well, God wouldn't do that in my life. And that's why the angel came to Joseph and said, Joseph, and he made it very clear to him who was doing the speaking and exactly what was going to happen. And so, when you think about your life, don't think about your life as just being a nobody. As far as they were concerned and probably all of their neighbors, nobody would have suspected that Mary was going to give birth to the Son of God, to the Messiah. That would be absolutely unbelievable. Don't chalk God off about the way He does things. Oftentimes it doesn't fit our plan, doesn't fit the way we think God ought to do things. And so, He took someone who was very insignificant, Mary and Joseph, and did the most beautiful awesome eternal thing. Don't underestimate what God can do and how He can do it. And because it doesn't fit our plan, or the way we think He ought to act, sometimes we'll miss the will of God because we don't think God acts in a certain way.
So, just remember, He's going to accomplish His will in His way. And I look back in my own life and think, God, I'd have never figured that. I'd-a never chosen that. But people oftentimes belittle themselves and say, Well, how could God ever use me? It doesn't mean that you're going to give birth to another Savior, we don't need another one. But it does mean this. It means He can use you in a way, watch this, are you listening? Say amen. To give spiritual birth to somebody to whom you share your faith, and they get saved. And so, He changes, watch this, He uses you to change their eternal destiny. And that's why sharing your faith with other people's important. Don't underestimate what God may want to do in your life. And so, when I think about how He works, You can't determine a person's value by their surroundings.
Now, think about this. What surrounded Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born? I'll tell you, cows, goats, sheep, the smell, the awesome aroma. The smell of the hay and all the things that would be true in a stable. You're telling me that the Son of God, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ the Savior is going to be born in a place like that? What should that say to us? Don't estimate by surroundings a person's value. Here is the Savior of the world for all eternity, and where did God let Him be born? In a stable with sheep, goats and cows, and the smell of all that. And besides that, a baby wrapped in some cloths, not much. And then where did they lay Him? In a trough where the animals feed from. Wait a minute. You mean, you mean the Son of God? You mean the person who is divine, God's going to let Him be born in a stable with the smell of sheep and hay, and wrap Him in cloths and of all the things you lay Him right there where the animals eat. You mean God would do that? Yes!
Now watch this. Don't underestimate what God will do in your life if you obey Him. And the most important part of that sentence is if you obey Him. Don't underestimate that. You say, Well, you mean He's going to do something famous in my life? Not necessarily. Listen. The only thing that matters is not your status. What matters is your personal relationship to God. Walking into a stable and looking at those surroundings, who would ever have believed that there lies in human flesh, Almighty God, the Son of God. Who would have believed that? So, when I think about that, I think about He oftentimes makes His greatest revelations to people who may have a very low position in life.
And so, I want you to turn, if you will for a moment, to the second chapter of Luke, and so Jesus is born, there they are, just the three of them. And while that's happening, in the eighth verse of second chapter of Luke, listen to this, "In the same region," where they were, "were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened". He could have told many people. He told a bunch of shepherds. Listen, "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings, good news of great joy which shall be," listen. It'll be "for all the people". What I'm going to tell you will be for all the people. "For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is," Messiah.
Now in our English, "Christ the Lord". Messiah. Messiah in those days meant the unbelievable. In other words, the Messiah? Born to you today in the city of David, the Messiah? How could this be true? "This will be a sign for you". So, you'll not be mistaken. Now watch this. There has been born a Savior, the Messiah and you're going to "find a baby". What? How could a Messiah, "a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.' When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds," watch this, "began saying to one another, 'Let us go straight to Bethlehem,'" they got the message, "let us go straight," don't say, Well, let's have dinner first or lunch or breakfast or we'll take care of that tomorrow, "let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us".
And who were they? Bunch of shepherds, shepherd boys, that's probably who they were, a bunch of shepherd boys. And they were out just doing what they normally did, "Keeping watch over their flock," it says, "by night". And while they're sitting there, he probably talking to each other or around the fire or something. All of a sudden, this big huge brilliant, indescribable light. And the Bible says that, as a result of that, "They were terribly frightened". And the angel said "Don't be afraid; I'm bringing you good news today in the city of David". They knew exactly what that was, Bethlehem. "There has been born for you a Savior, is Christ the Lord". The Messiah has been born.
Well, first of all, they wouldn't have expected the Messiah to be born. They probably expected Him to be, come some other way. A Messiah, the Messiah has been born. He "is Christ the Lord". So, listen to what happens, "When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, 'Let us go straight to Bethlehem.'" Right now. Drop the sticks. Let's forget the sheep. We're going to find out about this. Let's "go straight to Bethlehem, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us". Look at that. We believe that something's happened. And the Lord has made it known to us because the angel announced it.
Now why did God speak to a bunch of shepherds? Probably because they were young men who believed the Word of God; who were looking for Messiah. Many people in those days were. Looking for a Messiah. Probably young men of faith and probably young men that God knew would believe what they saw and, watch this, who had the courage to tell what they were about to see. He didn't tell a bunch of folks, a bunch of young people or older people who would say, Oh, nobody will believe that. They said, We're going to see this thing that the Lord's made known to us. "So, they came in a," listen to this, "they came in a hurry". They didn't just fiddle around and say, Well, we'll go tomorrow, "They came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph". They probably looked at, knocked on a few houses or whatever it might be, but they found their way, "found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this," what did they do? Go back to the shepherds' job that they had? "When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it".
So, they didn't tell a few folks, "All who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds". Now watch this. Would you have been like one of the shepherds who wanted to tell what you'd heard, what you'd experienced and what you had seen? Do you think that group of shepherds could have heard and seen what they did and then say, Okay, listen, what about the sheep? We can't leave the sheep. Let's get back to the sheep. No, they told everybody. "And all who heard it wondered at the things which they told them by the shepherds". You know why? You know why they wondered about it? Because they were telling them with enthusiasm; with excitement.
You won't hardly believe this, but I'm telling you, we were out there keeping our sheep and shooting the breeze around the fire, and all of a sudden the sky lights up, and here's the angel of the Lord and here's what he said. And we dropped our sticks and we took off and this is what we've seen and what we've heard. You have to believe it, "And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds".
So, let me ask you this. Who have you told recently about the day you got saved or the time you got saved? Who have you told? Who have you talked to at this Christmas season and said, Well, Christmas is a wonderful idea. The most important thing about Christmas is Jesus saved me. He forgave me of my sins and we put up a tree, I think about the cross. When we put up lights, I think about He's the light of the world. And when you think about giving gifts, I think that Jesus is the greatest gift. In other words, who have you told anything about Jesus all Christmas long?
I know you've told people what you want for Christmas. And you've told some people what you'd like to have for Christmas, personally. Or you've told some people what you're going to give them for Christmas. You've said a lot of things about C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S. But what have you told them about the revolutionary, awesome, eternal gift you received through the Person of Jesus Christ. Who have you told about that? So, the Bible says they couldn't wait. They told everybody they could tell. And, people wondered about it. Nowhere does it say and after that, people flocked. People just flocked from everywhere to the stable. They wanted to see Him. They wanted to be able to say, I saw Him. I know it's real. They just wondered about it.
Now, watch this. You may be here this morning, or you may just be watching by television, or you may just be listening by radio. And you've heard the truth of the gospel of Jesus and His birth and so forth. So, you'll do one of two things. If you're here, and you'll do what those people did, you'll just leave and wonder and forget about it. If you're watching on your television, you'll do one of two things. You'll get serious about your relationship to God quickly and you will receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Maybe this verse will come to your mind. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life". Maybe you've heard that many times and so you're willing to say, Lord Jesus, I've sinned against You. I'm asking You to forgive me. I do want to be a part of Your life and I want You in my life. And I'm asking You to forgive me. I'm asking you to save me today and I'm surrendering my life to You right now. That'll be the wisest thing you could do.
You see, when the subject of Jesus comes up, you're going to make a decision. And when I think about what people do. They listen, they believe, and their life is transformed. Or they listen. They turn it off and walk out into eternity without Christ. Or you can be wise enough to ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins. I don't care where you are. I've heard people getting saved all kind of places. A man told me not long ago, he's a doctor. He was on his way to his office that morning. He said listening to the radio, he got under conviction about his life and the way he was living. He said, I pulled over on the side of the road, cut off the engine to my car, got saved right there. And when I got saved, knew that Jesus had forgiven me of my sins, I turned on the motor and headed for my office. And when I got there, I had to tell somebody what I'd done. And he said, And pastor, the reason I'm telling you is because I want you to know some of us out there are listening and it's making a difference in our life.
So, the issue is this. What not would you do, but what will you do now? If you're not saved, forget all this Christmas decoration business. If you're not saved, you're lost. And if you want to be saved, you can be saved right now wherever you are by telling God, I believe the testimony of Scripture. I'm asking You to forgive me of my sins because You said, If I confess my sins, You're faithful and just to forgive me of my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. And God, I've been so unrighteous. I'm asking You in Your mercy to forgive me of my sins based on what Jesus Christ did at the cross. Would You forgive me? Yes, He'll forgive you. And Father, how grateful we are for loving us the way You do and giving us the opportunities you do to be saved, in Jesus name, amen.