History is His | Luke 2:1-7

• Sermon Transcript

  Good to have you here this first Sunday of January. Well, an excited little boy rushed home from school one day, you know, a little boys are I got one. And he got off the bus, came into the house and said, Mom, Mom, I have great news. My teacher said, I'm going to be famous. You know how parents are mothers and fathers are so pleased to hear that their kids are doing good things. And so she said, Well, what did you say? Or what did you do for your teacher to say that, you know, you did so well in school? Or what did you do? And little boy said, Well, she said, that all I have to do is mess up one more time. And then I'm history. I thought he thought that was funny. I thought that was a borderline when I didn't know anyway. History, right? Well, let's hear we're going to look at today history. And this day, we're looking at God's role in history, and all for 2024, we're going to look at the life, the ministry, the works, the death, the resurrection of Jesus. So all year, we're going to be going through the life of Jesus and, and for January and February, we're gonna be looking at his his early life, his preparation for ministry, his birth, and those stories that get us to where he's prepared for ministry. Because even Jesus being the Son of God, being fully man, fully God, he still had to quite literally grow physically, chronologically, into his role. And he still had to be prepared for what God had called him to do. And he had to do so under the supervision, and authority of the Heavenly Father. And on that level, it's no different than our own lives. God is constantly preparing a life for us, preparing us for the life. He wants us to live, so that we can be on mission for him that we can be can better know him. Better love him. Because history, the timeline of history, is his. God transcends time and in history, he's overall, and we are living in that history with a purpose. Today, we're looking at Luke chapter two, as we look at the birth of Jesus, which is typically a Christmas passage. So I intentionally did not preach that this December. Very well known one, but it sounds it seems a little different in January, and it hits a little different, I believe, when you preach it and study it outside of the Christmas season. Chapter Two of Luke starting in verse one. In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered. He's to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. Because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his vitro the who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger. Because there was no place for them. In the Heavenly Father, we thank you. For this day you've given us, we thank You for this passage of Scripture. We thank you that you are over all of history. And that show us today how that applies to our lives and what that means for our lives as Christians, as we serve you, as our Lord and Savior as our King. So as we get into 2020, for all this, hoping, praying, thinking about doing something better this year than we didn't last. And Lord, we have to trust you to be that way to do those things. So Lord, I pray that these words and I say today are your words, that they reflect your heart, that you fill me with your Spirit, and that the people that hear this today, those in this room, those watching online, receive your message with gladness. We ask these things in Jesus name, amen. Today, I want to give you three ways that God reigns over all of history. Three ways that A God reigns over all of history First, God orchestrates the events of history just like a conductor, in an orchestra, he orchestrates all the moving parts, the events of history. First one says that in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that other world should be registered Caesar Augustus being the man's title. His name was Octavian. And he was the most powerful man in the world at the time, the emperor of the Roman Empire when he makes a decree, people follow the decree. Now, unlike his great uncle, who we know is Julius Caesar, he was a much better leader than Caesar was he expanded Octavia and expanded the size of the Roman Empire. His influence stretched from Great Britain to India, over Italy, in Greece and Spain and France and North Africa and Egypt, in Asia Minor in the Near East, all that under the part of the Roman Empire and with an expanding Roman Empire, it was also a time of relative peace. Power was now solidified in Rome. And keeping the peace was something that they pride themselves on called the Pax Romana. It was a high value for Octavian and the Roman Empire. And during this time of peace, Augustus thought he was simply orchestrating a census. So he can number the people and figure out how best to tax everyone with God was working behind the scenes, because he orchestrates the events of history, verse two. It says that this was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria, and all went to be registered each to his own town. So it seems like this kind of random decree had a much deeper meaning than even Octavian had thought, an idea that he thought was his was really the Lord's. And even though he thought this was his idea, he was simply a musician in the orchestra of God. Look at Galatians four. Verse four says that when the fullness of time that come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption, as sons, God chose the time for Jesus, to be born to be incarnated, he could have chosen any time and any place on the timeline of history. But he chose this time, over 2000 years ago. Now, the Bible never explains as to why this time was chosen. But historians and theologians can make some educated guesses, and there's probably two good reasons, at least two, that we know why God chose this time number one, roads, roads, which we take for granted. But the first time in history, because the Roman empire built these roads and monitored the roads that were safe roads, usually, when you traveled, it was always a dangerous thing to do. These roads would allow the gospel to spread forth through all the Roman Empire. And so travel was safer and easier than anytime before, because of the roads and because of the peace of Rome. And so the gospel could go all throughout Europe, and the Middle East. Secondly, the people spoke a common language. Similar to how the world pretty much speaks English, the majority the world does or knows English, in addition to their native languages. It was this way in the Roman Empire, despite a person's native tongue, whether they spoke Aramaic or Egyptian or something like that. Most people also knew and spoke what was called corne, Greek, which was the street language of the day. So the gospel had a common language to get through, it had common travel. And so it was a time prime for a message to get out. So God orchestrates here the events of history. And one of the most important events of history, the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, occurred in exactly the time and place that God designed. But you know, it's not just Most important events when we call important events that God oversees, and orchestrates. He's constantly orchestrating events in our own lives. We have freedom to make choices. Our choices have real consequences. We are not puppets on a string. But God is also working within those choices. In orchestrating events. There's no such thing biblically speaking as random chance. There's no such thing as luck. There's no such thing as a coincidence. These things are all part of God's orchestra history, which he is conducting. We don't quite understand how. But it is. God orchestrates the events of history. Number two, God orchestrates the participants of history. God orchestrates the participants of history. Verse four says that Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, Nazareth from the region of Galilee. What is what was it about Nazareth? Right? Look at Matthew two sheds some detail about this, he elaborates. He says this, that he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he will be called a a Nazarene. Right now, when you read this, you think, well, the prophets must say that He's from Nazareth. That's not really what the prophecy says. Nowhere in the Old Testament, does the Old Testament prophets say that Messiah would be from Nazareth? It says you'd be a Nazarene. Two different things. So what is he talking about? One option is that Matthew is referring to a prophecy that was not included in the Old Testament. I don't think that's what's happening here. I think what's happening is the word Nazarene was a pejorative term. It's a negative term. See, Nazareth had a very poor reputation. Of all the towns in the area, they had the worst reputation. No one had one. But nobody wanted to claim they were from there. And nobody wanted to go, there was a small town, about 55 miles north of Jerusalem, and it had a negative reputation among the Jews. And it was also in a region of Galilee which had a negative reputation. In fact, most of the disciples were from Galilee, and they had this thick accent that gave them away and people knew they were Jesus's disciples because how they spoke kind of like how it is in the south, right? You can't escape that accent. Sometimes, people know especially when you live amongst Conan people know you're from amongst Kona. The region of Galilee was also generally looked down upon by the jeu de ns. So Nazareth was especially despised. And this is the case. Then the following prophecies are as what Matthew was referring, Psalm 22. I'm a warm and not a man scorned by mankind and despised by the people who see me mock me. They make mouths me, they wag their heads. See if Jesus truly came for all people, not just the elite, not just the rulers, if he truly came for all people, he would need to come from all people. He would need to come from the lowly and the despised and the rejected so that those people would know that he was for them. If you told a lowly despised, rejected person that this elite person was for them, they would say, he doesn't know me. He can't relate to me. But Jesus could, because he was a Nazarene. He was of them. He had a message for them. Look at Isaiah 53. Three. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed him not as even as saying, Can anything good come from Nazareth? No. He was a Nazarene. This was an important part of Jesus's background. Being brought up in an obscure town, and a despised town, served as an important part of his mission. See God orchestrates the participants of history and having Jesus come from a lowly background, even though he had royal blood, as we know, was crucial to the fact that Jesus is for all people. Now, to where it was Joseph traveling, it says in the part of verse four, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, the cause he was of the house and lineage of David Bethlehem, known as the City of David Bethlehem, the home of Jesse, King, David's father, David was born when he was brought up and reared in the sight of David's anointment by the prophet Samuel, and another part of the prophecy of the Messiah looking at Micah five, two. But you are Bethlehem Appa Ephrata, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come for for me, one who's to be ruler in Israel, who's coming forth is from old from ancient days. So Joseph, being a Nazarene, someone who is from a region looked down upon is now traveling to his ancestral home of Bethlehem, at a time where roads were good. Travel was safe. And we see that God chose Joseph to be the earthly father of Jesus. What an assignment. We know Joseph didn't quite believe Mary, when she said, You know, I'm pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Sounds like a wonderful excuse. So the angels told Joseph No, no, this is true for spy says he was to be registered with Marius patrolled, who was with child now on that day, similar to engagement. But Troy, though was a year long period, with a couple were actually legally considered married, even though they were simply engaged or betrayed, so to to break, that would be considered a divorce, even though they weren't married. The problem is, she's pregnant before the marriage ceremony, which would have been scandalous and it was. So Joseph was told by this angel that this plan was God's doing, Joseph, who thought about divorcing her in the betrothal period, faithfully travels with his Patro and unborn baby Jesus. I'm gonna look at the life of Joe just for a moment here. Here's a man a young man, maybe 20, maybe younger. It's about the father a child. It's not his. It seems like a tough situation, the Son of God. That's going to be his baby. Now, many men have fathered children. They're not there over the years. Many have not but but but Joseph's assignment is to be the father of the Son of God. And if parenting isn't scary enough for young women and young men, especially I can speak from experience for young men. Even though I have four. I'm finally getting it right right. Now you throw in the the added responsibility of caring for the Son of God. How do you even fathom that? Right? Teach Jesus how to hug go home, go change his diaper. Feed them, go show them how to throw ball. The Son of God, right. Now my four year old thinks he's sinless. But Jesus really is. Son that Majan a toddler, a four year old and never sinned against you. That's unfathomable. Right there, right. Unbelievable. I remember how nervous I was leaving the hospital after our oldest child was born 17 years ago, over 17 years ago. I remember getting in the car and getting getting my wife found her a little wheelchair that were older down in getting her in the car and my 97 Ford Explorer strapping in my my two day old child. And I looked at the nurses and they said All right, bye. And I said, this is legal. You're just gonna let me leave with this child. We had no family. We were living in a town with no family and we're just gonna go home and what do we do now? Where's the instruction booklet? I knew nothing. The first time ever held the baby was like the year before of like, Emily's cousin's child. I didn't know anything about holding babies doing anything or babies. And you're just gonna trust us kids with this baby is head kept falling over in the car seat and, you know, get them all right. And we drove about two miles an hour all the way home. Scared to death. Now, imagine the things Joseph was feeling with God's Son, what a responsibility God, but he could take solace in the fact that God orchestrates even the participants of history. If God has called you to do something, you're going to do it. And he called Joseph to do this incredible task, and even your own life. When you come across fearful situations, you also can trust God's plan. You will never have an assignment like Joseph and Mary. But you will have difficult assignments, you will have fearful assignments, God will put people into your life who are difficult. You might be a difficult person for someone that God put in their life. Have you ever thought about that? Amen. God will help you through it. And you will not be able to get through these times without relying on God and His plans. This is part of what he does when he's orchestrating the people and the participants. And this should be comforting, comforting thought, think about your life. Think about the past year you lived in how you're living now. 2020 For what God's giving you what your responsibilities are, what your tasks are, where are you right now, and God has you right where he wants you to be. And your task is nothing like Joseph or Mary's. But it still seems important to you. And God has you right where he wants you to be. And he wants you to know that you can trust Him every day. God orchestrates the participants of history. And finally, number three, God orchestrates the setting of history. He orchestrates the setting. History, verse six. While they were there. The time came for her to give birth. Mary, she gave birth their firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, laid him in a manger. Because there was no place for them. In the end. Again, Mary wrapped him up. Because Joseph probably didn't know what he was doing. Right. She wrapped him up. My wife said about the fourth child, I kind of knew what I was doing. Right? Joseph did that Mary did. Now Bethlehem no doubt, had a tremendous influx of visitors because of this census. Imagine if all of a sudden everyone who was born in moncks corner who could trace your lineage back in moncks corner had to come back for a census, our hotels would be full. They're already full without even that happening, right? We'd be putting people down in Somerville and North Charleston and places like that. All the hotels would be full, all the motels would be full. This is probably what happened to Joseph. I think about he's got a nine month old pregnant wife on a donkey traveling. Can you imagine that? I've been on a horse before. And it was a little bumpy. Match the donkey when you're pregnant, I can't imagine. And there were no call ahead reservations. Couldn't get online and book a hotel. You couldn't say a special request. My wife's pregnant with the Son of God get us a nice bed. Nothing like that. Now he would have if he could. You just have to show up. And what was there was there what was open was there. Now, most dads that I know and husbands that are like me, do not like to travel slow or unprepared. We like to be prepared. We like to leave the house early. We'd like to get to the airport early. We like to mitigate any type of inconvenience that can pop up. For Christmas time for the summertime. We drive to see Emily's family in the Upstate, I tell the kids, you get two stops. You get two stops when you're drinking your massive water jugs, right? As you're traveling. I tell them to drink accordingly and responsibly. Because you get to. We're going to stop in Orangeburg, maybe we're definitely stopping in Colombia to get rushes. And we might stop and shaping but outside of that you get to stops. Drink responsibly. We have it all prepared. Now, you know Joseph felt these anxieties as a husband and a father traveling on back roads even though they were safe with the pregnant wife to be on a donkey taking it slow and he finally gets into town. And all the rooms are taken because everybody else beat them there because nobody had the travel he did. All the rooms are booked But there was a covered Stavelot back for the donkeys in the animals. So Joseph being the young father, the young husband to be did the best that he knew how to do for his family. He found a place in his baby was born in a barn. And with the naming of the animals and the screeching of the goats, and all that kind of thing, and in the in the blocking of the chickens. There's the crying of the Messiah. Jesus was born in a barn lady in a feeding trough for a crib, that even in this situation, God oversaw it. There's a reason why God doesn't tell us some of the future. There's reason why he didn't say you're going to travel to Bethlehem, and it's gonna be no place and Jesus is gonna be born in the barn. Some of the things God has for us in His plan, which scare us. He just wants us to trust him. He selected the setting of Jesus's birth, before Joseph ever planned the itinerary to show that such a humble person, such a place, from a despise town can have this type of birth shows that he is for all people that he's experienced everything that we can experience in life. And he's been there to condition wasn't ideal. But it was ideal. Because it was God's plan. You wouldn't want it any other way. And if God will take care, the most important man in history in this way? Why would he not take care of his people? I'm willing to bet that every person in this room had a safer delivery. When they were a baby than Jesus. There's probably a couple of you that are born and born. You'll tell me about it after the most of you had a better delivery. Um, I was born Baptists, literally in Baptist Hospital in Colombia, all right. Jesus, born in that situation, shows that God cares for his people. And you are his people. First, Peter five tells us this. Humble yourselves therefore, under the mighty hand of God said at the proper time, he may exalt you Casting all your anxieties on him. Because he cares. What are you casting your anxieties? Maybe you give half to the Lord. Maybe you give 25% Maybe you give nine out of 10. Peter says, why would you not give them all till he cares for you. He wants them. You're not meant to carry them. God's meant to carry them. He died for them. And I want to close with the words of Jesus Himself. Jesus, who was provided for from the beginning, and a long road to Bethlehem, a birth in a barn and birth in a stable, whatever you wanna call it, laid in a feeding trough. Jesus says this, Matthew six. I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. What you will eat, what you will drink, nor about your body. What you will put on? Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing. Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and let your heavenly Father feeds them. And are you not have more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour or two span of life? Why are you anxious about clothing which you want to ask my family all the time? Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow They neither toil nor spin Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not a raid like one of these. But if God so clothes, the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you? Are you little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying where we were wondering what we're going to wear for the Gentile, seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things. What are you going to drink? What are you going to eat? Are you going to where we'll be headed to Therefore, we anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. And we and our family, we have little, my wife and I have a little thing we say, we're just taking it a day at a time. That's Biblical. It's okay to plan but we're just taking it a day at a time. So Jesus could say, this way, he's God, and He speaks God's word. But you know, we're not the reason he could say this, because he lived it. He was taken care of when he had nothing. He lived, trusting in God. And he did that, to show us that we too, can live a life of trusting God. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this passage you give us we often forget about or don't dwell upon enough the life that Jesus lived for us, before he died for our sins before he rose from the grave. Forget about that he had to experience life the way we have. And he experienced a lot of bad things. A lot of uncomfortable things, and many of us never will have to experience. But Lord, Your word says that he can comfort us in our weakness, because he's experienced that. Yes, he's God, but he's fully human. So Jesus, we thank You today, for leaving throne of heaven, coming down here in the form of man, to live the life we could not live the die the death on the cross that was meant for us. And thank you for defeating death. On that Easter Sunday, that Resurrection Sunday, and giving salvation and forgiveness of sins, for those who believe. It would help us be a church and the people that never forget what we're about what you've done for us, Lord, what you've done for the world. And we always take your message down these roads, the phone lines through the internet. Lord, it's now more than ever, is it harvest awaiting, for people to hear your gospel? Or let us be faithful and what you've done for us. We know Lord, that when we're in your will, is the perfect place for us to be or if there's one here today is never placed their faith in you. They would do so today. They would turn from their sins, they would ask forgiveness. So you would save them today, Lord, and give them the abundant life and the eternal life you promise. For those of us that know you and they're walking with you that this year. This year, will be a year where we know you we come to know you better than we ever known you before. We trusted you, Father we love you. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.