Joy to the World: Christ has Come

Joy to the world! The Lord has come
Let earth receive her King!

Christmas commemorates the coming of the Lord.

The Son of God’s incarnation.

The Son of God took on a fully human nature in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is the Christ or Messiah

which means the anointed one.

In other words, the promised chosen King!

Why is the good news of Christ’s coming joyful news?

This morning I want to share with Three Reasons the Birth of Christ Brings Us Joy

Turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke 2:1-21

When royalty like a King or Queen is crowned, Coronation ceremonies, can be some of the greatest moments of joy and splendor!

For example, on June 23rd, 1911 after the coronation of King George V and his wife Mary as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, also at that time Emperor and Empress of India.

The New York Times reported after the celebration…

“Divinity doth hedge a King.” (A Reference to Hamlet).

Honor and reverence,

splendor and stateliness,

noble ritual and solemn observance –

all these have proclaimed the fact,

and gray old Westminster Abbey

has seen no more impressive ceremonial than yesterday’s pageantry…”

“Then what have our millions of people been about, cheering their visible crowned head as though they were gone mad with enthusiasm?”

“Why such frenzy and rapture for a King and Queen?”

If just one kingdom erupted with such pageantry for a merely human king and queen

that millions gathered in celebrations, mad with enthusiasm, cheering, with frenzy

…how much more amazing must have been how the whole earth received their King Jesus!

The coming of the Christ, the Completely Divine King over all kingdoms and dominions!

Let’s look at the joyful reception of Christ’s coming!

[READ Luke 2:1-8]

“Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. ² This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, ⁵ in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

⁶ While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. ⁷ 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. ⁸ In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.”

What?? Did the whole earth not get the memo? The King of the universe has come!

• Where is the “pageantry”?

• Where is “honor and reverence”?

• Where is the “splendor and stateliness”?

• Where is “noble ritual” and “somber observance” by the nation?

• Where is the Abbey? Or Temple or King’s Palace?

• Where is “our millions of people?”

• Where is the “cheering their visible crowned head” as though they “were gone mad with enthusiasm?”

• Instead, the Christ is wrapped in cloths and placed in a feeding trough for animals because there was no room for him.

This is how the Earth received her King…

• A stark reminder why Christ had to come

• All the Earth…All humanity sins against God. None of us worship God and receive his authority over our lives as we should.

• No one received the King as they should…. hence why the King of the Universe is coming to become man…to save us from our sins.

It should be surprising and shocking for us that the Son of God would enter the world through such modest means. This is one of the first reasons for rejoicing in Christ’s birth.

I. He is the promised Messiah who is humble (v. 1-8)

These first eight verses emphasize the humility of Jesus. The Son of God took on flesh and dwelled among us. With sinful and lowly humanity.

Verses 1-8 explain incredible details surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ.

For example, it mentions the rule and reign of Caesar Augustus who decreed a census be taken so that all the inhabited earth would report to their birth city…

We know this is no coincidence. The chapter before, we know the Messiah is going to be born, and as we have been learning through our Christmas series in Matthew to fulfill the Scriptures, the Messiah, must be born in Bethlehem as the Scriptures foretold and he must be of the royal lineage of King David.

The Lord, who is King over Caesar, was at work to prepare all the details to make ready for his arrival. God had mapped out these events such that Mary and Joseph would need to travel 80 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem “to register for the census, each to his own city.” (vv. 4-5)

Every male had to do this – So Joseph returned with Mary, who was close to giving birth to Christ, the Messiah.

The lowliness and humility of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, God had promised would happen in the Old Testament book of Micah…

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2

The message is surprising. This is not what you and I would expect for a king.

We would not make this message.

Most of us are likely not royalty in this room, but I am sure if we were you would not choose this option if given the choice.

God promised this shocking message of the humble Messiah’s coming…

“Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.” Isaiah 52:1-2

The joyfully surprising message of the good news of Jesus Christ is that the strength of God’s power will be shown through the humility of the Son of God becoming man for our salvation.

There is no one humbler than God. God planned that Jesus would show his incomparable glory not through pomp and pageantry and parades, but through his incomparable humility and love.

• Instead of celebration, his birth is largely unnoticed.

• Instead of being received and revered, his life will be marked by ridicule, rejection, and horrific death where crowds will revile him.

• Instead of a glorious upbringing with conditions and resources fit for a king, he is born in unfavorable conditions and raised as a “tender shoot…a root from the dry ground” whose life emerges in the most undesirable conditions.

• Instead of “stateliness” he has “no stately form or majesty that we should look on him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”

…A man of sorrows…acquainted with grief…

This type of humility for a king can’t be matched.

We are all human…you and I can only lower and humble a human nature to another role or position, but we are still only human.

For example, there use to be show called Dirty Jobs where the show followed people who would do jobs that were “dirty, difficult, strange, disgusting, or messy occupational duties” One of them was a sewer inspector…

The Son of God knowing fully the filthy sewer like thoughts and desires of humanity, chose to cleanse sinful humanity to the uttermost through his own sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection!

Can you think of a more humbling, dirtier, or more difficult job than cleansing humanity once and for all from all their spiritual uncleanness??

We cannot fathom all the depths of the humility demonstrated by the eternal Son of God who upholds the entire universe by the word of his power choosing to humble himself to take on a human nature and live as a servant to the point of death on a cross to save us from our sins.

“⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:6-11

The true horror of humanity is that we know the glory of our Creator God. We know the only God is who to be praised, celebrated, honored and revered, yet we do not love, and honor, and submit to Jesus our King as we should. And we sin against him day after day after day

…Thank God Christ was born…

Our Messiah’s humble birth proclaims to us that Jesus loves and cares for humanity because he became human.

Let’s consider some of the joyful implications connected to Christ’s humble birth as fully man.

• You can have the joy of trusting a humble king who understands the pain of death.

• Jesus the Messiah humbled himself and “was made for a little while lower than the angels” and “because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”

• Jesus partook of humble flesh and blood “that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

• Jesus had to humble himself to “to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

• For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

Our Messiah’s humble birth proclaims that Jesus loves and cares for humanity because he became human.

Jesus sympathizes.

Jesus draws near to sinners.

There is no King like Jesus Christ, who is humbler. Trust and submit to him!

II. His birth is good news because he is the Savior of the world (vv. 9-14).

Sometimes when people don’t mention something it is because there is truly nothing to report. Other times the relative silence emphasizes a point of contrast.

There is no mention of the city’s response, of crowds, instead there is contrast between what is happening on the earth and what is happening in heaven and the response could not be starker.

“⁸In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; ¹¹ for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Luke 2:8-14

The birth scene is interrupted with a burst of angelic activity to shepherds. Good angels are messengers and servants of God…so we are expecting God is doing something amazing!

GOOD NEWS! OF GREAT JOY! FOR ALL PEOPLE!

What’s the reason???

A Savior has been born…the one that God promised who would be born in Bethlehem the birth city of King David. This is Christ the Lord.

There may not be crowds in Jerusalem in a frenzy of mad enthusiasm, but with the angel

“a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest”

This is the reason for joy… not that we can save ourselves, but that Christ came to save us.

Today we can experience the joy of God being pleased with us. We can have peace with the God that we have dishonored with our lives, and we can be completely saved from all our sins if we turn from our sin and return to God and trust him.

All the promises and plans of God have been pointing to this moment when the fullness of time had come that God the Father would send God the Son to be born of a virgin so that he would redeem his people.

God wants you to be assured that today if you turn from your sin and believe in Christ, he is Lord who saves you from your sin. The good news of Jesus Christ is a reason for praising! A reason for glorifying God, because he came to save once and for all.

Jesus is not coming to suffer and die again, but to return in glory to take the nations as his inheritance, and consummate his reign from the throne of David, and judge the living and the dead and make all things new.

[…If time allows implications for believers struggling with sin]

The third reason for rejoicing over Christ’s birth is because…

III. His birth proves every detail of God's word is true (v. 15-21)

God gave the shepherds a sign to find and identify the Savior of the World. How will they know who this Christ child is???

The lowly and humble details of the birth identify Jesus as Christ the Savior, it’s a sign.

In verse 12, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Now jump down to verse 15…

“¹⁵ When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

The Lord spoke to the shepherds, and they believed and obeyed…to see the Christ. When they saw the child…they made known the words that God had told through the angel.

Because they listened to God’s word and followed, they saw what was true, the Christ, the Savior of the World was born…and they leave glorifying and praising God like the multitude of angels did before them for all that they heard and seen…JUST AS HAD BEEN TOLD THEM.

Christians…Every Word of Our God proves True…By Faith the Shepherd listened and followed, and were filled with joy to see God keep his word just as had been told them.

This gives us assurance that Jesus is the Messiah, and gives us confidence to trust the King of the Universe at his word.

Conclusion - Do you believe in this Christ?