A Savior is Born

I was thinking with that gift to the McDuffies, we're going to have a pretty lively after-church fellowship, I think. Yeah, and speaking of the cancel culture topic with the teens, I'm told that the next ones that are going after are actually the individuals in the Bible. They're going to come after the Bible and look to cancel those. The Bible lays out the story of these individual lives, the men and women, and it lays it out, the good, the bad, and the ugly, so that we can see how God does pick people up and brush them off, show them the right way, give them the gift of repentance, give them the power to turn, forgive them, restore them.

Redeem them. It's such a wonderful aspect of the Bible and such a wonderful aspect about God, but we can look for the Bible to be attacked, of course. Think of all the biblical greats that if we just took a snapshot of their life at a certain period of time and we canceled them. You know, imagine all that we wouldn't know and learn about ourselves from those that went before us and were on this walk and made mistakes, corrected their behavior, you know, and showed us the way with God's strength. So something to watch for, for sure.

Well, if you like titles, some do, some don't. I'll give you a title. The title of today's study, A Savior is Born. A Savior is Born. Now, I invite you to open your Bibles once again and let's turn to Luke chapter 2 this time. Luke chapter 2 and we're going to begin in verse 1. We are in a series in Luke's gospel and I'm glad we're studying the incarnation at this time here before the Passover in the upcoming spring holy days.

At first glance, it may seem unusual, but I hope that you will find it quite meaningful. We will turn our focus on to the end of Christ's life here on earth next time, but today we're going to stay in these infant narratives because hopefully what we'll see is that they actually do point to the crucifixion narratives that Luke will record for us later.

For example, in just a moment we're going to read about the swaddling of Mary and Joseph of their son and it is in that that we see the picture of the son who would once again be wrapped but in a tomb. We're going to see how this journey of Jesus Christ would take him from one dark shelter to another from beginning to end in this physical life.

And we know in thinking about those two scenes that it is only by faith that we're able to look at these narratives, that we're able to follow shepherds to Bethlehem, where in a manger we see one and we're able to by faith say, there's the creator God only by faith. It is only by faith also that a man or a woman is able to look upon the crucifixion scene. See Jesus Christ there between two thieves and also by faith be able to say, there is the Messiah of the world, there's our Savior only by faith.

So we pray for that faith today. So let's read this together to set our foundation. Luke 2, let's read verses 1 through 20. It's quite a moment that we come to the birth of our Savior. Luke 2 beginning in verse 1. Luke records, and it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Carineus was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone in his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth to Judah, 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 betrothed wife, who was with child.

Verse 6. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths, laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now, there were in that same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, these shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were greatly afraid. Then, verse 10, 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.

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be assigned to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger. And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. So it was that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven from the shepherds, that the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that's come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying there in a manger. Now when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told to them. Well, it is quite a moment. And I'll remind you once again, which we've said in these past two sermons, that what Luke is compiling here is a narrative. And it's not a narrative based on his own eyewitness. Rather, this is a narrative based upon those who were eyewitnesses to these things. And it's a basis on his ability to interview those eyewitnesses. So it's an incredible thought to imagine Luke being in the context of Mary now, Mary being old, but still alive to be able to be interviewed.

And presumably, he would have reached out to Mary at this time. I don't know how that conversation would have went, but it would have been remarkable to be there. Mary, I'd like to come over and talk to you for a little bit. Yes, well, that's fine, but why? Well, it's because I want to talk to you directly about what happened with the birth there in Bethlehem. Because I'm writing a gospel, I want to make sure, taking my background into account as a doctor, I want to be careful, I want to be orderly in my account, I want to set it up in such a way that there's nothing extra, but that it's just as it happened.

That's why I want to talk to you. Perhaps you could put on some coffee, you know, Mary. I don't know if they had coffee back then. Strike that from the record. I'm not sure about that one. So it's really incredible. You know, Luke is not putting forth a philosophy.

He's not putting forth an idea. He's not even putting forth a religion. What he's providing to us is what he told us back in chapter one, that what he's putting together is an orderly account of actual events. And what's remarkable is that you'll notice in Luke's style, he records the birth of Jesus Christ in just two verses. It's all here in verse six and seven. Here it is again, verse six and seven. So it was, Luke records simply, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths, laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the end.

So it's staggering. Such a monumental event covered by Luke in such an economical way. You know, some of us say a lot, have a lot of words to say very little. I'm guilty of that. My son tells me that particularly. Kate can handle my words. I'll just talk all day with Kate.

Grace is like, can you get to the point, Dad? I don't need the fluff.

Luke, he's able to say a lot in a relatively short order. So if you cherish brevity, then Luke's your man here. And what he endeavors to do, remarkably, is in the first five verses, simply provide the observations surrounding this birth, that of the political and that of the social scene.

We're told first in verse one that in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus. Caesar Augustus, you may remember from school, he ruled the Roman Empire for 44 years. 30 AD, no, 30 BC to 14 AD, 44 years. And if you look at history, history actually regards him very highly as a leader. His given name was Octavian. He was the adoptive son of Julius Caesar.

And he was given the name Augustus because it does mean worthy of adoration. And again, by all accounts, he was actually, as a leader, worthy of adoration. His organizational skills established the communities of Rome, resulting in a period of peace for Rome.

And it was called the Pax Romana, Roman Peace. And in fact, it actually contributed in a great way to the gospel message, really developing and taking root in those years after Christ returned to his father. Because Augustus was responsible for setting up the thoroughfares by which the good news would travel. So in a way, or in that way, this was the perfect time for God to bring forth his son into the world, thereby fulfilling all that had been prophesied of this very day. We won't turn there. We turned there last time, but I'll just remind you for your notes. This arrival was prophesied. Make no doubt. Micah 5.2 is one such example. We won't take the time to turn there now. But Micah 5 verse 2, where God speaks to the prophet and he says, But you, Bethlehem, out of you should come forth to me the one to be ruler of Israel. Very specific prophecy. They're given some 700 years before the arrival of Jesus Christ, writing that this one would come out of Bethlehem. So how are you going to get the right person in the right place in Bethlehem at the right time? Well, interestingly enough, Caesar Augustus was your man. You know, God didn't use him as a pawn. Caesar Augustus was Caesar Augustus. He decided that it was time for a decree, for a registration, for a census. The decree was that everyone had to go. The decree was such that it involved Joseph and Mary. While they were part of the Jewish community, excluded from military service, they were not excluded from the responsibilities of paying revenue in the form of taxation.

So this would have involved Joseph and Mary in that way. So all the political details are there.

And they're simply Luke's way of explaining why it was that despite Mary belonged to Nazareth, the baby was going to be born in Bethlehem.

You know, the sermonette mentioned all things work out. You know, God's working out all things.

Well, look at this. This is a reminder that God is orchestrating the events of human history, ordering the events of human history. Out of Bethlehem was prophesied this one would come. So out of Bethlehem, he came. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. It's even interesting to think that this young girl, probably still in her teens, Mary, you know, she might have known these prophecies. And after receiving the birth announcement from the angel, you know, she might have thought, well, how is that going to happen? She was informed of the fact that she's carrying this child told by the angel. It's none other than the Son of God. She might have said to herself, how is this going to work? If I understand biblical prophecy, I'm not supposed to be in Nazareth. I'm supposed to be in Bethlehem. Well, perhaps a little conjecture, but Joseph comes home one day and he says, well, we're going to Bethlehem, Mary. Oh, why is that? Well, the news is there's a new census being taken because I'm out of the line of David and my house and family roots are there. We'll be heading there.

And, you know, throughout throughout this story, we see that Mary was very introspective. She carried things. She pondered things in her heart. And, you know, she might have just smiled to herself at that point and said, here we go. The birth is being set here in Bethlehem. The time is now. The fullness of time had come. That phrase, the fullness of time had come, may remind you of a certain scripture. If you'll keep your marker here, we're going to come right back. But I would like you to turn to Galatians 4 verse 4. I just want to overemphasize this moment that is now occurring. This is the moment that all the prophecies have been pointing to. The fullness of time had come. God had, in fact, been conceiving these things and bringing all events to this moment. And here in Galatians 4 verses 4 through 7, we see spoken here about this fullness of time, the birth of the Son of God. Galatians 4 verses 4 through 7. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father.

Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then heir of God through Christ. Stop there. So this is the fulfillment of redemption. This is the moment where no longer will you be considered a slave, but a son or a daughter, Abba, Father. It's a very personal connection, a relationship, as we address God now in a new way as sons and daughters. This is the event that all the prophecies have spoken about. You know, the one who would come as a suffering servant, the one who would also be king, great king. Here he is. The forerunner, John the Baptist, had already been born. He'd been put into place. Soon he will step out onto the stage of human history, see Jesus Christ walking down, and he'll say, there he is, behold the Lamb, the Lamb of God, who is the one who will take the sin from the world. The fullness of time has come.

This is what we're reading about. So back in Luke 2, if you'll turn back there now, this is the details of the son of God's arrival, this registration here. You'll notice in verse 3, Luke 2, verse 3 again, all the world was to be registered. That means all the Roman world.

All went to be registered. If Caesar Augustus says it, everyone does it. So it's this picture of households now preparing for this journey. They're making their place back to their place of birth. That was the organizational strategy to take a census. And so we discover Mary and Joseph making their journey. It's all here in verse 4. All here in verse 4, Joseph 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, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. Now, we talked about this last time. I won't delay on it just except to say that the relationship was a betrothal. I haven't been able to say it yet. I've had about three sermons to say it right, and I haven't said it yet. This betrothal at this time. It was a formal commitment, more than just an engagement. In order to have this broken, it would have to go through actual official divorce proceedings. And part of the reason maybe Joseph determined to take Mary was, like we've talked in past, if he had left her behind, he would have left her without support. Here is a young girl having to deal with all the social difficulties of just only being betrothed, but with child. She would have had that bump on her belly would be showing now. She would have had to endure the critical thoughts, the skeptical glances, the condescending words that she would have received. So he wouldn't leave her behind. She needed support. Also, he wanted to keep her in close proximity to be a loving husband so he could be there at the time of her birth. But with all these details, what Luke is making clear, and I love it's why we're starting this series in Luke, is one thing about Luke and what he's making clear here by listing all these details is that if one wanted to have go to the record of public registration at the time, they could have looked up the name Joseph. They would have seen that he was from the House and lineage of David. That would have been there. They would have discovered he was betrothed to a young girl named Mary. So what's the point? What's the point, Luke? Well, I believe Luke in his manner is making it absolutely clear in the minds of the readers then, in the minds of the readers today, that we're dealing with real people and real places. These are real people in a real place. Not imaginary people, not characters, not a created place.

Real people. I wonder if you believe that. Growing up, you know, I've read about all these different individuals in the Bible, and I don't know if I truly connected. I don't know if I truly believed. And, you know, I'm still in unbelief today in many ways, and we will always have some measure of that in this physical life. And so we pray, God, that He'll shore up the belief in us. We have to believe. The Bible speaks about belief, and it's so important because until we believe that this one has come in this way, as Luke is documenting, the belief comes first. You have to believe before what He did for us will make any impact on us at all. You've got to believe. You've got to believe that they made their way to Bethlehem here. You know, Bethlehem, Bethlehem, where the fields surrounding Bethlehem, a young shepherd by the name of David looked after his father's sheep, the place where Samuel arrived in obedience to God, looked for a placement from King Saul, the place where he asked Jesse, the father, bring out your sons, one of them is going to be king, they all came out, none of them chosen. Is there any more? Well, there's just one tending after the sheep. Bring him in. He becomes the shepherd king, David of Israel. Thousand years later, once again, Bethlehem, presumably in the same surrounding land, the same fields. Now, the skies are about to be filled up with this angelic multitude, and the skies are about to echo with songs of salvation, the arrival of our Lord and Savior. The arrival of our Lord and Savior.

Verse 7. Verse 7, here it is, in perfect Luke style.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. So, question, why did she place him in a manger? Answer, because there was no room in the inn. Pretty straightforward.

And when you think of this scene, and you think of this moment, you know, I think it'll help us to have a little understanding about the times in which this was occurring. If we have a little understanding of the times, it will save us from the average misinformed nativity scene, which pops up, you know, around December 25th every year. The scene in which you see played out, in which they play out, where they were knocking on door after door after door, turned away, coming up empty. Finally, one of the residents says, well, we don't have any room, but I do have a stable some couple of hundred yards down in the field. I don't know. You're welcome to sleep there and have the baby there. Well, not exactly. Not exactly. You know, we, like Luke, we need to take a careful examination of the text, so as we're not being misinformed, viewing these things, perhaps from our own cultural perspective because I believe one of the problems that we have when we read this phrase here, maybe you have this problem, I know I did, with this phrase that there was no room for them in the inn. Most of us read this with our today's cultural glasses, and most of us put an adjective, if you're like me, before inn, and it's either holiday or days inn, you know. So this refers, of course, refers to holiday inn or days inn, if you will. Well, if that's in our minds, get that out. Get that out of our minds, because I think the most plausible explanation, I'm gonna give you the most plausible explanation by looking at the text, a little conjecture here, but I believe it will get us close. I believe it will get us close. Joseph goes up to Bethlehem because he is of the house and line of David.

So it is more than likely they would have had relatives there.

Perhaps remote, however remote, likely would have either had some connections there in this area of Bethlehem. So upon arriving to Bethlehem, he might have gone to one of those connections, perhaps one of the relatives. Knocks on the door, I am Joseph. Who is this? Well, this is Mary. She's about to have a baby. You know, it's imminent. Do you have anywhere we could stay? Well, the relative says, well, we are just in a one-room dwelling. That was customary. But we were able to build a little inn which is attached, they would have said. Now, quick side note. The word used here for inn, it's not the word that's used in Luke 15 in the story of the Good Samaritan. You know, in Luke 15 in the story of the Good Samaritan, the Good Samaritan places the individual who's on the side of the road and takes him to an inn. This is a different word. In a better translation of the context here is guest room. Guest room. So the relative would have said, we do have a guest room.

Unfortunately, your aunt or your uncle's in that. So we have no room for you in the inn, you know. But you're welcome to stay in the outside room. Okay. Now, mainstream Christianity would say, wait right there, it's not an outside room. It's a stable. It's a stable. Well, nowhere in this text, and you can check me on this, is the word stable. It's not there. Okay. So you want to imagine actually an outside room, an outside room, kind of a likely a two level room would have been at that time. And it was actually a very modest, a very humble two story level. There was a raised level to this outside room. So try to imagine this outside room, a two level structure. The living area would have been raised up from the floor. The lower level was on the floor. So when evening fell and it became a little chilly, since the residences were, the people in the house were kind to their animals, they didn't leave them outside, they would have brought them in at this time. It would have been common. So whether there were animals that were there, but they could have, it could have been a space for animals to come in to gain some warmth. And it was customary to have at the level of the raised living area for that to be the place of mangers.

And so you have the animals at the lower level, you find the mangers, manger meaning long feeding box to eat from. You would have had that at the height of the animal head on the raised level so they could eat. So if you think in those terms, it's not as if Jesus is in a dirty, abandoned, stable, perhaps some hundreds of yards from the main living area, devoid of any hospitality at all. Rather, if you look at the text and just go with what it gives you, this is the provision of the most comfortable cradle that could be improvised in the context of a crowded living situation. All right? Certainly a humble, humble, humble setting. Okay, make no doubt. After services in London this morning, one of the ladies came up and she actually started to draw her dad's similar kind of setting, which they had. She was describing how maybe the feed box would have been too deep for the feed box for hay would have been too deep.

They always had, she said, at her family, a kind of a side box with a little bit more shallow for different kinds of grains and things. She was thinking, well, that might be a perfect place to improvise a cradle for a baby accommodation. So you have this humble, natural setting that's about to be swallowed up by a glorious supernatural setting. Because at this time, located in the same country, you know, perhaps miles, we have an angel with his friends in a dramatic encounter, to say the least, with some shepherds. Verse 8. Verse 8.

Now, there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, watching over their flock by night. And I'll only pause for a moment to say, you know, right here, it really points to the fact that there is no validity, no validity at all to the use of December 25th as the birth of Jesus Christ. We know that. No validity at all. No logical analysis. No validity to have a census ordered by Caesar Augustus in the dead of winter. No validity that, you know, shepherds would be out in the fields in this way. You know, we may go into a later study showing, well, the probable time in which Christ would have been born, but it certainly was not December 25th. And we could say more on that, but that'll suffice for now. Because here in verse 9 through 10 is this incredible announcement to the shepherds. Is this incredible announcement to the shepherds. Look at this again. Verses 9 and 10.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, these shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. And 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. Let's stop there. You know, this is an incredible two verses here. Let me just say, those of us living with a measure of fear and anxiety, perhaps it's a great measure of fear and anxiety, and we would love to make the discovery of great joy. We need to understand we will not move from great fear to great joy without the discovery of what's being announced here.

You know, the angel says, I know you're terrified, but I want to tell you that you shouldn't be.

Because I have good news. It's the best news. Because the good news and the great joy that we're discovering here is the fulfillment of God's plan, the saving and the redemption of all of mankind. This is the announcement. God is declaring his plan that he's made from the before the beginning of the world. God has this plan and he's bringing it to fruition. And he has a plan for you, for you, little old you, little old me. You know, surely God would have went to the one the mighty, the the pox romana creator. Surely God would have went to him to make this announcement for the coming of the Lord. No. Who does he come to?

No, I'm just some shepherds out on the field. So if you ever think that you're not good enough and you're just too small, insignificant, you're in good company. That's exactly who God goes to.

Because he can do a work through you. He can do a work through you. He specifically brought you to this place. And in the face of all your experiencing, like we heard in the sermonette, he comes with his word and he brings this good news to you today. And he comes with this, verses 11 through 14. Hear these words, verse 11, For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be assigned to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

Stop there. So here, incredibly, here's the arrival, the announcement of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

And we see this sign here. There's a sign mentioned here, verse 12 again. And there will be this sign to you. You will find this babe wrapped in a swaddling cloth and lying in a manger.

Perhaps this is a pretty straightforward sign. It's a sign so that the shepherds will be able to recognize him. You know, it's clearly that I would say. One of the aspects, recognize that they can find him. So when they went into Bethlehem, they're not going to Caesar Augustus' palace to find this baby. There may have been other babies at that time wrapped in swaddling cloths, but there certainly wouldn't be very many. Only one child in an outside room, in a manger, perhaps even amongst animals. Those would have narrowed the search, for sure. That would have been unusual. That would have been a sign. But I don't think this exhausts the fullness of the sign here, because if you look at the text, what this ultimately is a sign of is a Savior. He's a Savior. A Savior. You will find him wrapped in strips of cloth. You know, this is how Christ came. He comes right down into our circumstances. When it say that Christ sympathizes with us, he sympathizes with us. I think those years that are somewhat silent between his early ages of Christ and before he started his earthly ministry, I think he was observing. I think he was watching. I think he was experiencing. He was doing God's work and taking in his creation, so that when he stepped out for his three and a half year ministry, he could understand and sympathize. He could talk about, consider the lilies and how they grow. How could he talk about that? Well, he considered them.

I think of the days in which he just set out in that field and watched.

Watched humanity in their successes. Watched them in their failures.

And those things would bring him to weep in those last three and a half years, because he just he was part of his creation. He sympathized with us.

You know, when Paul picks up this moment, he says, For you know the grace of our Lord, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.

John picks it up and he says he came to his own and his own did not receive him. You know, they didn't welcome him into the main house. This is the Son of God, their Creator.

So this is the good news. God sends his Son into our circumstances and empties himself in this way. Even though mankind rebels against him, has disinterest, he still comes. Jesus, our Savior, to Bethlehem he came, born in a manger, to sorrow and shame. He is wonderful. Blessed is his name.

And so, as we consider these infant narratives, it will inevitably always point us from his birth to his crucifixion every time, from the cradle in a manger to Jesus on a cross. And what we see in this place, here in this manger scene, if you will, is a foreshadowing of the one who would come in all humility and suffer for us as our Savior. From one dark shelter at his birth to another dark shelter, his tomb. Here in verse 7, they wrapped him in bands of cloth, laid him in a manger. He wouldn't be much time before, once again, his body would be taken down and wrapped in linen cloth and laid in a tomb.

So, swaddled in these cloths now is the picture of one day being swaddled once again.

And again, I'll say, it's only by faith, the gift of faith, that we're able to look upon these scenes and see a Savior. Only by faith can we follow shepherds to Bethlehem, looking inside of a manger and say, there's the Creator. Only by faith is a man or woman able to look at Jesus Christ as he hangs between two thieves and say, there's the Savior of the world.

So, if you have that faith today, it should drive you to your knees tonight. If you can't kneel down, bow your head. And just bless God and thank Him for opening your eyes to see this, that He's softened your heart in this way. You know, by nature, our nature of and by itself, there's no chance that we could see in this child the Son of God. And there's no chance that we could see that man hanging as being the Savior of the world. Only by grace through faith does this point us to a Savior. And we sing. We sing. It drives us to praise. That's what happens here in verse 13 and 14. Verse 13 and 14. And suddenly, and suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Suddenly, it says, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace. Light is shined upon mankind. And it is this discovery of peace that we will find with God. Are you looking for peace today? I mean true peace. I'll give you the the way you can find it. It's pretty simple, but profound. There's a direct link here between glory to God in the highest and on earth peace. Direct length. You know, if you're trying to find peace without glorifying God, you will never find it. This is the story of mankind. They're trying to find peace without God. It's not going to happen.

You can't separate these two phrases. We will never discover the peace with God until we're able to discover the peace of God. And it starts by glorifying Him, putting Him as priority. It's glory to God in the highest, and then you will find peace. Start there. Praise Him. Praise Him. Praise Him. Glorify Him. And then no matter what's happening around you, everything's falling apart in your life, you will have the peace here because it's the peace of salvation. Because you're glorifying the Father and the Prince of Peace, the Savior. We've broken the law. We've offended Him. We've been indifferent. We've tried to fix it on our own way. Try to find peace in our own way.

You know, part of the reasons we go through Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread is to look at those things and see where we're trying to go at it on our own. Men and women find peace through work, through... try to find peace through stuff, try to find peace through a bottle, whatever it may be. And they're never going to find peace until they first and foremost glorify God. You're trying to find peace in your marriage?

Glorify God. Each individual, the husband and the wife, glorify God. Start there.

Well, the shepherds were awestruck by this song. So we read next that they made haste to their Savior. Verse 15 and 16. So it was, verse 15, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. So I don't want to make too much of analogies, but what an amazing response here by the shepherds if you look at this. Here is the Son of God breaking into our time-space capsule, if you will. The Lord and Savior comes to Him, and so what do they do? They make haste. Are you in a state of haste?

A state of haste? So important. We've got to live in that state, especially now. That's all that's going on around us. Don't allow another minute to pass your life without putting God first and glorifying Him. Because you'll notice what gave rise to this scenario, what gave rise to this whole scene with Him being in a manger in the first place, what gave rise to the Son of God in heaven being in a feeding trough, was that there was no room for Him anywhere else. The Creator came to His creation, and there was no room for Him. His creation had no room for Him. And so if I'm honest, I'm putting myself to an examination here, this before the spring holy days, I often don't have room for Him either. You know, maybe it's you too. We need to make room for our Creator. It's why we're here. He's why we're here. He and we're to fulfill His purpose for us here. That's primary number one. And if you glorify Him, He will open up the doors for you to do so. Let me just conclude today with a children's song. I like this one. Hadn't heard it before. It's by H. M. Jarvis. This is a little portion of it. It's called No Room. No room for the baby at Bethlehem's inn, only a cattle shed.

No room on this earth for the dear Son of God, nowhere to lay His head. Only a cross did they give our Lord, and only a borrowed tomb. And today He is seeking a place in your heart. Will you still say to Him, No Room?

Well, as we prepare for the observance of Passover, I hope first and foremost my prayer is that you and I believe we have to believe these narratives. And upon belief, we will see a revolution take place in our lives. Call out to God tonight. Maybe perhaps sing this song that the angels sing. And come to Him. Confess the areas that we have made no room for our Savior. And if we do these things, He will be your Savior. On the strength of Scripture, I can say that. So, as Luke has recorded for us back on this day, For there is born to you on this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord.