At the right time and the right season, as much as sitting in your pews. An Infant from eternity past!! Nor was the manger a place fit for Him, and yet there He was laid. How often did that devout man write words of this sort: "Oh if I had to swim through seven hells to reach him, if he would but say to me, like Peter, 'Come unto me,' I would go unto him not only on the sea, but on the boiling floods of hell, if I might but reach him, and come to him." We have not yet exhausted the reasons why the Son of Man was laid in a manger. Christ as man was a representative man. You will have a happiness when you rise, such as you never knew before, if you can think, "I am going to serve God to-day;" and when you end at night, instead of saying, "I have lost so much," you will be able to say, "Not I, my God has lost it. How do you get the official stamp of the Roman empire to be affixed to the pedigree of the coming Son of David, and to make Bethlehem the place of the nativity? Are you willing, nevertheless to receive the Babe of Bethlehem in? If he hold his tongue when God has commanded him to speak, the word is like fire in his bones it burns its way out, until at last he says, with Elihu, "I am bled with matter; I am like a vessel that wanteth vent;" I must speak, or burst; I cannot help it. It is to establish the gospel, by teaching us that he is divine. Then go back after that to the seventeenth verse, and spread the Word to others. December 27, 2009. The man no longer cringes and bows down; he is no more willing, like a beast, to be led by the nose; but, learning to think for himself and becoming a man, he disdains the childish fears which once held him in slavery. Let us give to our God all the glory, but still let us not deny the fact that Richard Weaver, a sinner saved, who speaks with a poor man's English, fresh from the coal pit, tells the story of the cross by God's grace in such a way that the most Reverend Preachers might humbly sit at his feet to learn the way to reach the heart and melt the stubborn soul. Great commanders have easily won the hearts of their soldiers by sharing their hardships and roughing it as if they belonged to the ranks. They glorified God "though they were shepherds." There was more than peace there; for there was glory to God there. They bear witness to the material nature of Christ. The Temple was the first place they should have looked as it turns out. Ay, sirs, and you may even imitate him in that "the Son of Man came eating and drinking" and therein fulfllled what he determined to do to pull down the vain pharisaism of man, which saith that religion standeth in meats and drinks, whereas, "Not that which goeth into a man defileth a man but that which goeth out of a man, that defileth the man." "Well then, you are irreligious, for a man that is moderately honest is a rogue for certain; and so the man that is moderately religious is irreligious." "Have you room for Christ?" Again, saints are willing to depart when their work is almost done. What is the lesson to be learned from this first part of the angel's song? You see him healing the sick, to teach us benevolence; rebuking hypocrisy to teach us boldness; enduring temptation to teach us hardness, wherewith, as good soldiers of Christ, we ought to war a good warfare. There are some PROPHETIC UTTERANCES contained in these words. "I sell these goods," said another one, but the profit I get, God has; that which I require for my own food and raiment, and for my household, that God giveth back to me, for he has said, bread shall be given me, and water shall be sure; but the rest is God's not mine; I do it all for God." III. (Luke Commentary - See also sermon Jesus' Birth in Bethlehem - Part 1 for some of the historical background). "Did ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" Great Prince of Peace! Never once did he swerve from that bright, true mirror of perfection. Who have hunted the baptized saints in every land, and hunt them still today in many countries? Ah, foolish generation, ye are groping in the flames of hell to find your heaven, raking amid blood and bones for the foul thing which ye call glory. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters." Or could He not find a place of welcome in the priestly chamber where the priests assemble with the Levites? Beloved, can you do otherwise than speak of the things which you have seen and heard. He had come as a spy to witness human sin, and as an avenger to lift his hand to heaven, and bid the red fire descend and burn up the accursed cities of the plain. Inferior mankind, born in weakness, living a life of work and stress, covered with sweat, and then dying only to be eaten by the worms, don't you be ashamed even in the presence of Heaven's highest ranking angels, for next to God is man, and not even an archangel stands in position between God and man; no, not next to God, there is an absolute complete union between God and man, for Jesus who is God is also man; Jesus Christ, eternally God, was born, and lived and died as we also do. "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." A simple maiden of Galilee, and a little child in ordinary swaddling bands, it is all you see. Come just as you are, and He will receive you. How many are there--well, I will not say that they tell lies directly, but still, still--I had better say it plainly--they do lie indirectly with a vengeance. No one can speak of the things of God with any success until the doctrine which he finds in the Bible he also believes in his heart. How few there are that have given themselves fully up to their religion! We feel no slavish fear of God, though he be "a consuming fire" even to us; we tremble no longer to approach into his presence, who deigns to be our Father. But I have not only heard of thousands, but I know them, who are quite sure God has good will towards men; and if you ask their reason, they will give a full and perfect answer. We ought to be very watchful, very anxious, that we obey even in the minute details of our Savior's laws, having our eyes focused on Him. We know that sinners often imagine that they are shut out. For these reasons which I have mentioned, I think, Christ was laid in a manger. We can't love those whom we dread. They who have seen human wonders a few times, at last cease to be astonished; the noblest structure that an architect ever raised, at last fails to impress the onlooker; but not so this marvelous temple of incarnate Deity; the more we look the more we are astonished, the more we become accustomed to it, the more have we a sense of its surpassing splendor of love and grace. Look throughout the kingdoms of the earth now, and with only a few exceptions it is still true, "The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against His Anointed One." III. Look! "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem," Ay, that we do, and we vehemently desire her prosperity, and if we can see Christ glorified, error defeated, truth established, sinners saved, and saints sanctified our spirit feels she has all she wishes. It is that salvation is God's highest glory. What could be more simple than the inn, the manger, a carpenter, a carpenter's wife, and a child? They sang of Christ, and the salvation which He came into this world to work out. Dear friends, this evil of Satan operates in countless ways. Does he gather the apostles? I. Rejoice aloud all ye people, let your hills and valleys ring with joy, for a Savior who is mighty to save is born among you. As for us, beloved, don't we have also have something to relate that demands proclamation? And, oh! It may be that in the young dawn of life we did imprudent things in order to serve the cause of Christ; but I say, give me back the time again, with all its imprudence and with all its hastiness, if I might but have the same love to my Master, the same overwhelming influence in my spirit making me obey because it was a pleasure to me to obey God. I dare not upbraid him, but his absence is a mountain of iron upon my heavy heart. They could have run through the streets with the ancient philosopher, crying, "Eureka! The Amalekite of old had a servant who was an Egyptian, and when he fell sick he left him, and he would have perished if David had not had compassion on him; but our God is no Amalekite slave-owner, neither doth he cast off his wornout servants. Not in your gold, O Britons, will ever lie your joy, but in the gospel enjoyed by all classes, the gospel freely preached and joyfully received. Because the day is not known, therefore superstition has fixed it; while, since the day of the death of our Savior might be determined with much certainty, therefore superstition shifts the date of its observance every year. It was generally believed that every supernatural manifestation was to be regarded as a token of speedy death, We are doomed to die! Benson Commentary Luke 2:41-47. There is no hope that I will ever be restored to happiness or peace. The Jew saw everywhere idols which his soul abhorred, and he loathed the name of Christ, because he associated it with idol worship, and I do not wonder that he did. Let us view it as an all-important truth, that Jesus, the Son of God, has really come in the flesh. Why, therefore, should we think ourselves less favored than Simeon? Luke 2 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (complete) - Christianity He feels the Father's hand of benediction on his head, and underneath him are the everlasting arms. We are constantly reading in our papers of men who are called hardened and hopeless, and it is fashionable now to demand that these men should be treated with the utmost severity. Must my eye glance around these galleries and look at many of you who are still without Him, and are there none who will say, "Come in, come in?" But, now, when the newborn King made His appearance, the cloth that wrapped up the baby was the white flag of peace. B. Never shall we see any great revival in the church, or any great triumphs of religion until the Christian world is more touched with the spirit of entire consecration to Christ. He did not have to purchase admittance to the caravansary, for it was free to all, and the stable especially so. We shall always find some business of his to do. The key-note of this angelic gospel is joy "I bring unto you good tidings of great joy." They think God is a selfish Person, they keep at a distance from Him, and if they hear now and then, in a sermon, that God is Love and will save everyone that comes to Him, the right desire for Him never matures into the practical resolve to do something. If we talk of Jesus, who can blame us? "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet; and when thou givest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." The world is elbowing and pushing for more room, until there is scarce a corner left where the babe of Bethlehem can be laid. Now, we read that David, after he had served his generation, fell on sleep; it is time for man to sleep when his life's work is finished. I believe that the men aimed at under the term, "sectarian," are the true followers of Christ, and that the sneers and jeers, and all the nonsense that you are always reading and hearing about, is really aimed at the Christian, the true Christian, only he is disguised and nick-named by the word sectarian. They sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men." Like Moses, our hope climbs to the top of Pisgah, and beholds the Canean of the true Israel. You lazy lie-a-beds, who do little or nothing for Christ, you sluggish servants, whose garden is overgrown with weeds, no wonder that you do not want to see your master! When these strong throes, these ardent pangs of insatiable desire come upon a soul that is fully saturated with Christ's love, through having been made to lean its head upon his bosom, and to receive the kisses of his mouth, then is the time when the soul saith, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace." (1) A decree from Rome reaches the whole Mediterranean world. But how could one bring about public recognition of the ancestry of an obscure carpenter and an unknown maiden? Sleeps he in a cradle of gold? "Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." "Lo, I come," said he. I long to see in our churches more of a singing Christianity. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Commentary on Luke 2:41-52 - Working Preacher from Luther Seminary But as the ages grew less simple, and the pure glow of brotherly love cooled down, the only provision made was the erection of a huge square block, in the town (caravansary), arranged into rooms for the travelers, the guests were on the second floor and the bottom floor was reserved for the animals, and here, with a certain provision of water and in some cases chopped straw for the animals, the traveler would make himself as comfortable as he could. It was not till the middle of the third century that any part of the church celebrated the nativity of our Lord; and it was not till very long after the Western church had set the example, that the Eastern adopted it. Certain persons are best esteemed at a distance but not the Savior; when you have known Him completely, then you will love Him with the love which passes all understanding; you will comprehend the heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths of His love; and when you will do so, then your own love will swell beyond all length and breadth, all height and depth. Further on we are told that the gospel was the fact that Christ was born. And you, Christian, will never get on well in serving God, till you have given all to him. Adam was not born; Adam never had to struggle through the risks and weaknesses of infancy; he did not know what it was like to be a toddler or a little child he was created full grown.