Introduction
- Purpose statements in this advent series.
- Read Luke 2:1-7
- After 200 years of war, the Roman Empire was enjoying the Pax Romana for the last 30 years. Who needs God?
- Purpose: We can sacrifice everything because we have a Messiah who satisfies our deepest longings.
The Decree of Caesar (1-3)
- This narrative of Luke’s stands in stark contrast with other religious texts.
- God works his sovereign plan by orchestrating the will of the most powerful people in the world.
- We need a sovereign Messiah who will rescue us out of bondage to sin.
- Having a sovereign Messiah means we too must submit to his ways.
God’s sovereignty is the ground of his faithfulness.
The Lineage of David (4-5)
- How else could so many prophecies find fulfillment in a Christ who came in a way no one was expecting?
- The faithfulness of God is one of the great themes of Scripture.
- We need a faithful Messiah who will follow through where we (and others) have failed.
- Having a faithful Messiah means we can surrender to his plan.
- “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- 2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, he remains faithful”
The building up of the Messiah’s sovereignty and faithfulness lead us to the shocking climax of the passage; The Messiah’s humility.
The Birth of Jesus (6-7)
- The Westminster Larger Catechism Q.47 How did Christ humble himself in his conception and birth? A. Christ humbled himself in his conception and birth, in that, being from all eternity the Son of God, in the bosom of the Father, he was pleased in the fullness of time to become the son of man, made of a woman of low estate, and to be born of her; with divers circumstances of more than ordinary abasement.
- The humiliation of the Messiah means we have a sympathizing Savior who meets us in our moments of greatest weakness and says–“Come to me! Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
- We need a humble Messiah who meets us in the depths of our brokenness and lifts us out of our despair.
- Having a humble Messiah means we can sacrifice everything in order to receive him.
When you feel like giving up, remember what Christ endured to bring you all the way home.
Conclusion
- Purpose: We can sacrifice everything because we have a Messiah who satisfies our deepest longings.
- The manger has Golgotha for a backdrop. Jesus was born in order to die.
- Jesus Christ was united to our sin (lust, pride, anger, bitterness, envy), He became sin for us, in order that he might cancel the penalty and power of sin in his death.