Calvary Road Baptist Church
“JOY BORN AT BETHLEHEM”
Luke 2.10-12
I have adapted this morning’s message, from Luke 2.10-12, from a sermon preached initially by Charles H. Spurgeon in 1871.
Please turn to Luke 2.10-12 and stand for the reading of God’s Word:
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
I think we here today understand that during this Christian era in which we live, there are no special sacred times or particularly holy days God wants us to observe. As well, if you look carefully in God’s Word, you will see that there is no Scriptural warrant whatever for observing any day of the year as the birthday of the Savior. So, tradition has fixed as December 25th the day of our Savior’s birth, since there is no possibility of discovering the precise date of His birth. It wasn’t until the middle of the third century that any part of the Christian world celebrated the birth of our Lord. And it wasn’t until long after Western Christianity had adopted the practice that Eastern Christendom followed suit.
Where did this tradition come from? It came from the Roman Catholic Church’s assimilation practice, taking the holy days of heathen festivals as their own. So, we can be pretty sure that whatever day Jesus was born on, it was not the 25th day of December. But this is the day when most people observe the birth of God’s Son, so without justifying it or condemning it, we go ahead and make use of it. And since it is a good thing to meditate on the birth of the Lord Jesus on any day of the year, it should not be considered wrong for us to seize upon this time of the year as a convenient time to do it. Therefore, without consideration of the particular day on which He was born, let us, nevertheless, give God thanks for the gift of His dear Son. We need to be extra careful, as believers, that we do justice to the Lord while making practical use of this occasion, that we honor the Lord and do not stoop to worldliness or materialism.
The text before us contains the first evangelist's sermon under the Gospel dispensation. The preacher was an angel. He is probably practicing on his trumpet now. And it’s appropriate. An angel ushers in our era with this proclamation of the Gospel, and an angel will someday bring our era to its conclusion with a mighty blast of a trumpet.
The theme of this angel’s sermon is joy. “I bring unto you good tidings of great joy.” What a great message. Understand, people are very naturally afraid in the presence of God or His holy angels. This is because the glory of God and the glory of even the angels are terrifying. So, naturally, the shepherds were frightened.
In addition to this natural terror, the Law of Moses itself served to deepen this natural feeling of dismay. Since people are sinful, and since the Law came into the world to reveal sin, the result is to make people fear and tremble even more than they naturally would at such a revelation as this.
The Jews believed that God’s glory was such that if any man observed Him, he would die.[1] They also thought that the glory of any heavenly being was dangerous. So, what nature dictated the Law of Moses and the general beliefs of the Jewish people under the Law only emphasized. But the first word of the Gospel ended all this because the angelic evangelist said, “Fear not, behold I bring you good tidings.”
Therefore, it is to be a dreadful thing no longer for a sinner to approach his Maker properly.[2] And a saved man does not need to fear when God unveils the splendor of His majesty, though he frequently will fear. This is because God appears no longer to a Christian as a judge upon His throne of terror but as a Father before His Own beloved children.
This first Gospel preacher said, “I bring you good tidings.” Reason enough for them to joy. Not good tidings of joy only, but “good tidings of great joy.” Every word here is emphatic to show that the Gospel is above all things intended to promote, and will most abundantly create, the greatest possible joy in the human heart wherever it is received. Not everywhere. And not everywhere it is heard. But everywhere it is received. Would to God that everyone responded to this great Gospel.
In trying to open up this angel’s sermon this morning, let’s take note of three things: First, the joy which is spoken of. Second, the persons to whom this joy comes. Finally, the sign, which is to us a sign as well as to those shepherds, a sign of the birth and source of joy.
First, THE JOY, WHICH IS MENTIONED IN OUR TEXT
What is this joy? If you carefully look at our text, you will see that this joy, this mega joy, this great joy, is associated with the glory of the Lord that shined round about the shepherds out in that field that night. Being associated with the glory of the Lord suggests some things about this great joy. It indicates that this joy is holy. It suggests that this joy is pure joy. How do we know? This holy angel would have proclaimed no other kind of joy, would he, being a holy angel? And, indeed, no joy that is not holy joy, no joy that is not pure joy, is joy at all. It is just temporary happiness, hilarity.
Oh, the world does a wonderful job of convincing the unsaved that there is another kind of joy. But such feelings, which are usually associated with lust, or with covetousness, or with pride of accomplishment, or with wicked revelings, are not real joy. The world’s counterfeit joy is also held by those who believe that there is no real joy in the Christian life. They who are opposed to God are convinced that the things of God, quite the opposite of filling the soul with joy, are wearying and gloomy and boring. But those who do not rejoice in hope of the glory of God, who are not filled with joy when the saints gather together and the Word of God is preached, whose souls are not filled with great joy at the thought of the Savior born ... are just lost.
Two more comments about this great joy. First, it’s eternal. It’s not a feeling which grows old after a while and which one tires of. This is a joy that endures. God deliver us from the wrong kind of joy. God deliver us from the joy that only pretends to rejoice at the birth of the Savior.
Second, it originates from within. This is crucial because paganism and mere happiness begin with the outward stimulus of what is seen or heard. Real joy is produced in the heart when a person apprehends and appreciates spiritual truth, and it works its way outward.[3] And may God deliver that poor soul who delights in the counterfeit joy of wickedness and who finds the things of God wearisome and boring. Better for that someone feel wretched in his sin than to feel delight in his depraved conduct. I say this because God’s grace has touched the sinner who feels wretched in his lost condition. And God’s grace is consummated in the life of that saint who shudders at the thought of sinning against God.
Second, why is it that the coming of Christ into the world is the occasion of joy? There are a number of reasons why the coming of Christ into the world results in joy:
First, because the birth of Christ establishes the joyous fact that God has entered into an alliance with human beings. Think about Who it was Who born and placed in that manger. It was a human being. But not only a human being. A human being Who was also, Who is also, Almighty God. Remember, sin had originally separated between God and man. So this union of two natures, the divine and the human, was the first step leading to the atoning sacrifice, which would forever reconcile God and sinners. Also, consider that from that moment on, when God looks at men, He remembers that His Son is a man. When He beholds the sinner, He remembers that His Own Son, as man, stood in the sinner’s place and bore the sinner’s punishment. As in the case of ancient wars, the feud is ended when the opposing factions intermarry. So there is no more war between God and man because God has taken man into intimate union with Himself. This is a cause for great joy.
Second, the shepherds were aware that there had been promises made long ago which had been the hope and comfort of believers in all ages, and these were now promises to be fulfilled. In the Garden of Eden, God promised that the head of the serpent would be crushed by the seed of the woman.[4] The seed of the woman has now arrived on the scene. As well, father Abraham had been promised that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.[5] That promised seed of Abraham has now arrived on the scene. And then, promises uttered by the prophets of God since the world began could only be fulfilled by the coming Messiah, Israel’s glory, and the world’s hope.[6] That promised Messiah is now arrived on the scene.
But the angel’s song had in it still more reason for joy. Third, our Lord Who was born in Bethlehem came as a Savior:
“Unto you is born this day a Savior.”
Remember that God had come into the midst of men before, but not as a Savior. When God and two angels appeared to Abraham, and then the two angels were sent to Sodom, the result was fire and brimstone from heaven fallen on the wicked city of Sodom and the cities of the plain.[7] What if God had visited all the earth for such sins as those? And what would have happened had God visited all the earth instead of abiding on Mount Sinai when He delivered the Law to Moses in the midst of thunderings and lightnings? Or what would have happened if God had visited all the earth as He visited Nadab and Abihu when He consumed them with fire?[8]
You who are lost rejoice that Jesus did not come on a mission of vengeance, as He will when He comes again, but that His mission that first time was a mission of mercy.[9] You who have run and hidden in the bushes of distraction, or the bushes of false religion, or the bushes of intellect and philosophy, as Adam and Eve ran and hid in the bushes to conceal their nakedness, rejoice that the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. And you who have covered yourselves with the fig leaves of denial, or with the fig leaves of agnosticism, you can be saved by the Savior Who will clothe you in His Own righteousness when He cleanses your filth and sins away with His blood.[10] There is reason to rejoice that Jesus came a Savior.
Fourth, this is not the end of the holy delight, for the next word also has a fullness of joy in it. “a Savior, who is Christ,” or the Anointed. Our Lord Jesus is not an amateur Savior Who came down from heaven upon an unauthorized mission. He was chosen, ordained, and anointed of God. He alone could truly say, “the Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me because the LORD hath anointed me.”[11] This is a great comfort for anyone in need of a Savior. How comforting it is that God Himself has authorized Jesus Christ to save sinners. Don’t you worry about any conflict between the Mediator and the Judge. There is no danger that God might not accept the Savior’s work because God is the One Who commissioned His Son to do what He has done. So, in saving sinners, He is only executing His Father’s Own will.
Christ is called “the anointed.” The word “messiah” means “anointed.” And Christ is “the anointed” in a threefold sense: as prophet to preach the Gospel with power; as priest to offer sacrifice for sins; as king to rule and reign. In each of these offices Jesus Christ is preeminent. He is such a teacher, priest, and ruler as was never seen before. In Him is a rare conjunction of glorious offices. For never did prophet, priest, and king meet in one person before among the sons of men, nor shall it ever be so again. Truly, friends, if we understood all this truth and received it into our hearts, our souls would leap for joy at the thought of there being born unto us a Savior, Who is anointed of the Lord.
Fifth, and this is the best reason for rejoicing, so let us hear it well - “which is Christ the Lord.” This word ká½»rioV is the Greek word, translated here as “Lord,” for “Jehovah,” the very name of God. Look at verse 9 of Luke chapter 2:
“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.”
Now, look at verse 23:
“As it is written in the law of the Lord.”
Three times the word is used in these two verses. Three times the word must and can only refer to Jehovah. Therefore, it must refer to Jehovah here unless we are compelled to interpret it otherwise. And no such compulsion presents itself. Therefore, this angel is announcing to the shepherds that the babe born in Bethlehem is “Christ, the Lord,” “Messiah, Jehovah!”
Why should there be joy at the birth of this Child? Because the God Who created the universe can come to live in our midst. The God Who made you has come to keep company with you. This One Who you have offended with your sins has come into your midst in the fullness of His glory and the infiniteness of His mercy that He might save you. Does this awaken in you no sense of gratitude? No discernible appreciation? Does this arouse in you no awareness of mercy? Were it not for this Savior, your life here could only be so much wretchedness. Your future existence could only be endless woe, and it yet may be if you die without turning to Him.
My lost friend, I pray that you will adore the incarnate God and trust Him. Then you will bless the Lord for delivering you from the wrath to come. And as you lay hold of Jesus and find salvation in His name, you will sing to His praise. So much concerning this joy.
LET ME NOW BRIEFLY SPEAK OF THE PEOPLE TO WHOM THIS JOY COMES
The joy began with the first who heard it, the shepherds. The angel begins, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day.” My friend, does the joy begin with you today? After all, what good does it do you for Christ the Savior to be born, to then suffer and bleed and die, and to rise from the dead, unless unto you He is born? Don’t say, “But I am poor.” You see, the shepherds were poor. Don’t say, “I am not well educated and certain things are hard for me to understand.” The shepherd’s life was not the life of one who was well-educated. “But I am not really important.” My friend, how many of that day took notice of the shepherds? But God took note of them. You see, God does not regard the station of a person, or his position, or his accomplishments. I am not speaking of an aristocratic Christ, but the Savior of the people, the friend of publicans and sinners, after all.[12] So, no matter who you are, whether you be an intellectual like the Apostle Paul or a simple shepherd like these men in the field that night, to you is Jesus given. Oh, that each heart might truly say, “To me is Jesus born.” For if you truly believe in Jesus, you can rightly say, “Unto me Christ is born, and I may be as sure of it as if an angel announced it, since the Scripture tells me that if I believe in Jesus He is mine.”
The angel went on to say, “which shall be to all people.” What is missing from our English Bible is the definite article in front of the word “people.” The angel, literally, said “which shall be to all the people.” And this must refer to the Jewish people. Let us love the Jewish people. Let us, with respectful caution, tell them the true Gospel. Let us work to sweep away superstitions and prejudices and set before Jewish people the one gracious God in the Trinity of His divine Unity. And the day shall yet come when the Jews, who were the first apostles to the Gentiles, the first missionaries to us who were afar off, shall be gathered in again. Jesus the Savior is the joy of all nations, but let not the chosen race of Israel be denied their peculiar share of the promise God made to them through Abraham.
The heavenly choir said, in verse 14:
“on earth peace, good will toward men.”
The coming of Christ brings a measure of joy even to you who are not Christians. Christ does not bless you in the highest and truest sense, but the influence of His teaching imparts benefits of an inferior sort to you, such as you are capable of receiving. Wherever the Gospel is proclaimed, it is no small blessing to the entire population.[13]
Note this fact. There is no place on earth where an open Bible and the Gospel is being preached where a tyrant can for long hold his place. It doesn’t matter who he is, whether pope or king. Let the pulpit be used properly for the preaching of Christ crucified, let the Bible be opened to be read by all men, and no tyrant can rule in peace for long. Europe and North America owe their freedom to the Bible. And our freedoms have spilled over into other countries. It is only as our pulpits depart from Gospel truth that our rights are abridged, and our freedoms are limited. You see, there is joy to all mankind where Christ is preached. The faith of Jesus Christ makes people think. And to make people think is always dangerous to a despot’s power. The faith of Jesus Christ sets people free from superstition. So, where Jesus is preached, where He is presented in a Gospel undiluted by decisionism, even if sinners do not receive Him as their Savior, and so miss the fullest joy, yet they get a measure of benefit.
I pray God that everywhere His Gospel may be so proclaimed as it once was in New England, by such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. Where sinners receive Christ there is no more oppression. The true Christian does to others as he would that they should do to him, and there is no more clash of envious classes or a grinding down of the poor. Even slavery must go down where real Christianity exists. It did in ancient Rome. It did in ancient England and Ireland. And I believe it would have without a civil war in our own country’s South had the true Gospel been preached without influence or alteration by that heretic Finney. Yes, the whole world has cause for joy that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
The great joy, however, is to those who know Christ as a Savior. Unto us indeed a child is born, if we can say that He is our “saviour who is Christ the Lord.” Let me ask each of you a couple of personal questions if I might. Thank you for that. Are your sins forgiven you for His name’s sake? Is the head of the serpent bruised in your soul? Does Jesus reign as a king in sanctifying power over your nature? If so, then you have the joy that is to all the people in the truest form of it. Surface joy is to those who live where the Savior is preached. But the great joy which glistens and sparkles with delight is for those who know the Savior, who obey the Anointed One, and who have communion with the Lord Himself. He is the most joyful person who is the most Christ-like person.
Maybe you are known among your peers as an expert in your field, a guy who can turn a profit, a valued worker, a wonderful cook, or an expert seamstress. You may have a reputation as a ballplayer, a scholar, or one with a great future and lots of potential. But you will never know the fullness of the joy which Jesus brings to the soul unless you take the Lord your Master to be your All in all and make Him the Source of your intensest delight. “He is my Savior, my Christ, my Lord.” Those should be your loudest boasts. Then will you know the joy which the angel’s song predicts for men.
THE LAST THING IN THE TEXT IS THE SIGN
Notice what was present as a sign. The shepherds did not ask for a sign, though one was graciously given them. After all, they were Jewish men. Sometimes it is sinful for us to require as evidence what God may tenderly see fit to give to us as an aid to our weak faith. And what was the sign that joy had come to the world? They were to look for a babe in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. He was the sign! That’s right. Jesus, Himself, was the sign that the joy of the world had come.
Notice what was absent as a sign and what was missing. There was no display of power. The world looks for brute force, but they will find none in the manger. And how confused they always were in their search for a Messiah with political or military power. But such displays of power from Him are not to be seen in this era but the next. There was no pomp to dazzle you. Was the Child wrapped in purple and fine linen? Nope. What He wrapped in silk? Nope. Did they find Him sleeping in a cradle of gold? The poor manger was His cradle. And there was no crown on His head. A simple maiden from Galilee, and a little child in ordinary swaddling bands, was all you could see. The world, and even many churches these days, just love their pageants and spectacles. But none of that was seen that evening so long ago in Bethlehem. None of that was seen.
Neither was there wealth to be seen at Bethlehem. So many strive for happiness in some ostentatious display of wealth. But, there, in the cradle of the world’s hope at Bethlehem, was far more poverty than wealth. No glitter of gold. Only a poor babe, so poor, so very poor, that He was laid in a manger. His mother was a poor woman who wore her plain clothes modestly.
Neither was there evidence of superstition. No halos on anyone surrounding that manger. No mysterious lights. There was nothing more there than the stable and the straw the livestock ate. In like manner, the Gospel is simple, plain, as plain as the babe wrapped in the commonest cloth, the only hope for mankind.
Nor does the joy of the world lie in philosophy. Nothing complicated about the scene the shepherds beheld when they got there. It was just a child in the manger and a Jewish woman looking on and nursing Him, with a carpenter standing by. There was no metaphysical difficulty there, requiring philosophers to explain anything. It is true that the wise men came to Bethlehem, but they came some months later. But it was only to adore Him and offer gifts. Would that all the wise had been as wise as those men were.
I say to you who desire the only true peace and lasting joy, come to the babe of Bethlehem, Who in later years was shown to be the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, the substitutionary sacrifice for sinners.
Come, little children. Come boys and girls, come, for He was once a little boy. “The holy child Jesus” is the children’s Savior. And He still says, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not.”
Come to Him, girls, you who are not much younger than Mary. Rejoice in God, your Savior.
You men who are in your prime of life. Remember how Joseph cared for Him and watched Him pass through His tender years. Be to the cause of Christ as a father and a helper. Use your strength for His service. Otherwise, your strength is wasted.
You mature women. Come like Anna and bless the Lord that you have seen the salvation of Israel.
You older men, who like Simeon, are ready to depart, come and take the Savior in your arms, adoring Him as your Savior and your all.
You shepherds, you simple-hearted, you who work hard each day on the job, come and adore the Savior. You wise men, don’t stand back. You who know by experience and who by meditation ponder deep truth, come to Christ. Like the wise men of old, bow low before His presence, and make it your honor to pay honor to Christ the Lord.
I invite you, urge you, encourage you, to come to Christ.
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[1] Genesis 32.30; Exodus 33.20; Deuteronomy 5.26; Judges 6.22; 13.22
[2] John 14.6
[3] Truth is external to us, but is internalized and produces joy within that radiates outwardly.
[4] Genesis 3.15
[5] Genesis 12.1-3, 6-7; 13.14-17; 15.1-21; 17.1-14; 22.15-18; Galatians 3.16
[6] Isaiah 7.14; 9.6; Micah 5.2
[7] Genesis 19.1-25
[8] Leviticus 10.1-2
[9] Luke 19.10
[10] 1 John 1.7
[11] Isaiah 61.1
[12] Matthew 11.19; Luke 7.34
[13] Alvin J, Schmidt, Under The Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2001) presents irrefutable evidence of the Gospel’s influence throughout the world.
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Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church