The
Way God's
Gift
was
Wrapped
Luke 2:1-17
|
|
The
Way God's
Gift
was
Wrapped
Luke 2:1-17 |
|
Dec 17, 2017 AM
Christmas Cantata Message
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I.
Introduction (Luke 2:7)
A.
It is still true, that the gift INSIDE the wrapping paper is usually FAR
more valuable than the wrapping paper itself – at least you would hope
so!
B.
BUT… my grandmother went to extraordinary efforts to SUPER SPECIALLY WRAP
each and every gift that my brothers and sister received at Christmas.
C.
We usually got shirts and socks and pants and sometimes shoes, and
sometimes, even a few toys growing up! We were RICH!
D.
But my Grandmother’s WRAPPING made the Christmas gift feel priceless to
us!
E.
My mother would even make us slow down and be very very careful opening
each gift… all so that she could KEEP the wrapping for next year!
F.
You may laugh, but my mother is STILL that way!
G.
And I am telling you that my Grandmother’s care greatly affects me still
to this day
H.
Because, I have discovered that my Grandmother was a lot like God! Who
carefully, purposefully, marvellously wrapped HIS Christmas gift to show
the whole world just how priceless the gift inside truly is!
II.
Background (Luke 2:1-7)
A.
Joseph and Mary Had A Painful Experience (Luke 2:1-7)
1.
The Oppressive Taxation
2.
The Stressful Travelling
3.
The Being Turned Away when so close to home
4.
The child birth itself!
B.
They Found Themselves in A Peculiar Place (Luke 2:7) – the place of a
manger
1.
Not the normal place you would ever want a mother to have a baby
2.
Not in Mary’s home – that was way up in Nazareth (1:26)
3.
Not even in Joseph’s home here in Bethlehem
4.
Not in a hospital
5.
But in a barn, or a cave
6.
Let that sink in!
C.
All that had happened in their lives had been perfectly Prepared by God
(Galatians 4:4)
1.
None of the events of Joseph and Mary’s life at this time were tragic, or
awful, or a disaster like we would normally figure…
2.
But it ALL was carefully choreographed by Almighty God
a.
Think about what they had had to endure…
b.
The rushed wedding 9 months earlier – no getting around it, it was rushed because Mary
had instantly become pregnant, so they HAD to get married right away!
c.
No one in the family understanding – and I mean NO ONE! Except for Elisabeth, Mary’s
cousin
d.
Even the world-wide taxation was GOD’S idea!
1)
Yes, Caesar Augustus believed that HE had come up with the amazing idea to
TAX the whole world – what a monumental effort that took!
2)
But that was GOD at work, causing Bethlehem’s tiny village to be so full
on the very night that Joseph and Mary would show up, so that they would
HAVE to stay in a barn instead of inside in a home or in the Inn!
e.
Consider their long journey
1)
As uncomfortable as it MUST have been for Mary, even that was God’s doing,
bringing His Son all the way from Nazareth where Mary had grown up, down
to Bethlehem so that the Baby in her womb would be born in Bethlehem
2)
JUST as it was prophesied in Micah 5:2… “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of [villages in] Judah, yet out of thee shall HE come
forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting.”
f.
The timing of the birth
1)
It could NOT be a day earlier, or a day later
2)
It was exactly at the right time, even though nothing seemed to be going
well for Joseph and Mary
g.
The rejection by the Innkeeper – that was used by God too, to perfectly push this
young couple out into a barn that night so that Jesus would be born
THERE!
h.
ALL OF IT WAS GOD’S DOING – and as the Psalmist said, “it
is marvellous in our eyes!”
i.
Oh to believe that everything about that one special night, was exactly
like it should be!
3.
Maybe most important of all, as poor as it seems to us, God even planned
the WRAPPING (2:7)
a.
You heard me right – THE WRAPPING
b.
Just like when you and I wrap most every gift we try to give
c.
GOD carefully wrapped the Gift that HE has given to this world!
d.
In something absolutely FANTASTIC
III.
Message – The Fantastic Wrapping of the Baby Jesus
A.
The Wrapping was a SIGN to the Shepherds (Luke 2:8-12)
1.
These men were BETHLEHEM shepherds
a.
They were not the lowest of labourers (like we often imagine) who had to
work long hours out in fields late at night…
b.
And they were not caring for just any old sheep
c.
But these were Levitical shepherds, who were specially trained to
care for and nurture perfect baby lambs for sacrifice in the Temple over
in Jerusalem just 7 miles away.
1)
Two lambs every day – one first thing in the morning, and one at sunset
2)
All for the sins of the people
d.
These shepherds had the awesome task of noticing and protecting the
new-born lambs who were perfect, without spot or blemish, so that they
could later be given as a substitute to die in place of sinful people!
2.
So, a newborn baby was not special enough to interest them
a.
On any given day, babies were always being born somewhere
b.
So a new-born baby would not be a sign to them – it would be nice, but not
a miracle!
3.
But there was this PROPHECY… over in Micah 4:8… “And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter
of Zion, unto thee shall IT come, even the first dominion; THE
KINGDOM SHALL COME to the daughter of Jerusalem.”
a.
That may not sound like much to you
b.
But the Tower of the Flock
was a particular watchtower just outside Bethlehem, where shepherds
watched over the new-born lambs 24 hours a day!
c.
And it was to the barns and caves at the Tower’s base that “the KINGDOM”
would finally come to the people of Jerusalem!
d.
In other words, Micah prophesied that God’s kingdom would start in the
midst of LAMBS
4.
So, here was a baby who was…
a.
Wrapped in swaddling clothes – now THAT was a special sign for a shepherd!
1)
That word ‘SWADDLING’ caught their attention
2)
Why? Because THAT was what THEY used as soon as a baby lamb was born
a)
To carefully bind their shivering, fragile legs
b)
And wrap them up warmly
c)
And hold them still for the first few hours after being born, until they
were ready to stand on their own
d)
All so that they would not end up tripping and falling and scuffing up
their fur, or bruising their skin
3)
These baby lambs could NOT have any spot or blemish or
scar or defect at all…
a)
Lev 22:19-21 “Ye shall offer at your
own will a male [lamb] without blemish... it shall be perfect
to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.”
b)
Num 23:3,4 “two lambs of the first
year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering.
The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt
thou offer at even.”
4)
So they HAD to wrap them in these strips of cloth called swaddling clothes
to protect them until they were able to stand on their own
b.
Here was a baby Lying still and quiet in a Manger – another amazing sign
1)
Why? Because it told them exactly WHERE to find this baby!
a)
A manger was a long rectangular box that was used to FEED the animals
b)
But at the time of birthing lambs, it was used to lay the new-born lambs
in, that had just been wrapped in swaddling clothes!
2)
It meant that a tiny, tender, delicate, Baby had been born in the very
barn or cave where their own LAMBS had just been birthed a few days
earlier!
3)
This was no screaming baby they were invited to go see…
a)
That kind of wrapping has been used on infants throughout history to calm
new-borns so that they rested in their mother’s arms instead of
constantly crying for attention
b)
New-borns, straight out of the constraints of the womb are easily agitated
and fearful when they are not firmly wrapped at birth!
c)
American Indians wrapped their new-borns to keep them quiet so that
attacking tribes would not find their campgrounds in the night – which
is amazing!
4)
Swaddling
a)
Is the same word as Swatch, as in Fabric Swatches, or
Swatch Cloth
b)
And the same as Swaths – long strips of cloth that wrapped up a
baby snugly
5)
Still to this very day, as soon as a baby is born, it is wrapped tightly
in a receiving blanket
c.
THAT special wrapping was FIVE amazing things:
1)
A
Poor-man’s Wrap – not wrapped in a silk blanket at His birth, but in
strips of old cloth
2)
A Chosen
Wrap – to identify the baby as a perfect Lamb that had no
spot or blemish
3)
A
Binding Wrap – as I have already pointed out to you. Jesus’ life
was bound for a singular purpose all the days of His life
4)
A Burial
Wrap – this same kind of cloth was used when a person was
prepared for death. And from His very birth, Jesus was dressed up for
the death he would suffer some 30 years later!
5)
But best of all, it was a Priceless Gift Wrap – it wrapped around
THE Gift above ALL other gifts – the Lamb of God
5.
I guarantee you that those Levite Shepherds were GOBSMACKED
a.
Here was news that a brand-new baby ‘Lamb’ had been born
b.
NOT just ‘A’ baby lamb, but THE Lamb - the FINAL Lamb of God
c.
Born in THE prophesied PLACE of SACRIFICIAL lambs - born right where for a
thousand years, an innumerable number of baby lambs had been born as
substitutes in place of sinners!
B.
It was SHOUTED from the heavens (2:13,14)
1.
In an instant, the sky was FULL of angels – “a MULTITUDE” – that’s a LOT of angels
2.
And they were ALL praising God
3.
Think of what they were saying, and singing
4.
It must have been overwhelming to see and hear and feel that moment – like
a full sports stadium all singing in unison
C.
It is a BOLD Statement to the World – not just to the shepherds
1.
Unto YOU is born… and unto YOU, and unto even YOU!
2.
A Saviour is born! The very
Messiah the world has been waiting for
a.
Someone who could finally pay off ALL our sin debts – not a priest, or a
pastor, or a price, or a performer, but a SAVIOUR!
b.
Someone who would willingly give His life, for MINE
c.
Someone who would LOVE the sinner, and sacrifice Himself to save them – to
save ME
d.
Someone who would finally, and fully save any and all who would believe on
Him
e.
Someone who would walk up the via de la rosa, and lay down His life on a
cross, and in the midst of all the pain and the torment, he would cry
out “Father, forgive them; they
know not what they do!”
3.
It’s GOOD news – I hope you all agree!
4.
It brings Great joy – I’ve never gotten over it!
5.
And it is for ALL people (2:10)
a.
Not only to the Shepherds, and to the Religious, and to the sinful in
Israel!
b.
But beyond them… He came for each individual person on this planet
c.
Even for us all the way up here in Cork, Ireland!
IV.
Concluding Thoughts (Luke 2:15-17)
A.
If no one else wanted to see this baby, at least these men were excited
to see Him!
B.
Why? What was it that got the shepherds attention?
1.
A Poor-man’s Wrap that was all any of us could ever afford
2.
A Chosen Wrap that clearly identified Jesus as the perfect Lamb that had
no spot or blemish
3.
A Binding Wrap that showed Jesus was BOUND for a singular purpose all the
days of His life, to go and die on a cruel cross in the place of every
man, woman and child, so that they could be SAVED, forgiven, made
complete, and ready for heaven!
4.
A Burial Wrap that dressed Jesus NOT for greatness amongst KINGS, but for
the death He would suffer some 30 years later!
5.
All in all, that swaddling cloth was a Gift Wrap, enclosing the most
Priceless GIFT ever given
a.
Not a good man
b.
Not a great man
c.
Not a rich man
d.
Not a powerful man
e.
But a Perfect Man –the only Perfect Man ever born
f.
A Saviour - capable of actually SAVING any lost, or broken, or ruined
souls, anywhere
g.
THE Gift above ALL other gifts – the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world (John 1:29)!
V.
Invitation (1Peter 1:18,19)
A.
The shepherds RAN to see the Gift!
1.
That night, shepherds were stirred to run and find and worship the Lord of
heaven, wrapped in a lamb’s swaddling clothes
2.
It changed their lives
3.
As a matter of fact – it changed their careers! They were now going to be
out of the job! Lambs would no more bee needed to worship our all holy
God!
B.
All the angels of heaven SHOUTED for joy
C.
But almost no one else cared at all!
1.
They were full of food and family and fun
2.
And so they slept through the birth of the Son of God
D.
And I am sad to say, people are STILL sleeping through their opportunity
to know and receive the greatest gift ever given
1.
God’s gift is not RELIGION
2.
It is JESUS offering you the gift of eternal life!
E.
YOU have the opportunity TODAY to receive the gift of eternal life, by
faith alone – not by your good works and religious efforts, not by the
mass, or by accident, but by crying out from your heart to heaven, in
desperation, for Jesus to save a wretch like YOU!
F.
The Apostle Peter said in 1Pe 1:18,19
1.
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed [forgiven] with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers…”
2.
“But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot.”
G.
Peter said that
H.
Will YOU believe it today? And be born again? |