In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to 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, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.—Luke 2:1–20

Outline

Introduction

1. The Birth: A Contrast of Kings & Prophetic Fulfillment (Luke 2:1–7)
2. Heaven’s Response: The Angelic Announcement & Song (Luke 2:8–14)
3. Earth’s Response: The Shepherds’ Witness & Worship (Luke 2:15–20)

Conclusion & Application

Introduction

Despite the song lyrics that tell us “It's the most wonderful time of the year” or “Have a holly, jolly Christmas,” Christmas can be one of the more difficult times of the year, especially this year. Some of us feel a lot like Charlie in A Charlie Brown Christmas. He says, “I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. And I'm getting presents, and I'm sending Christmas cards, and decorating all the trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.” Can any of you resonate with Charlie Brown? The weight of the pandemic, from masks to vaccines, the election, and differences and disputes among family and friends, perhaps has us all feeling a little like Charlie Brown.

Charlie goes on to say, “I feel depressed. I know I should be happy, but I'm not … My trouble's Christmas. I just don't understand it. Instead of feeling unhappy, I feel sort of let down … I guess I really don't know what Christmas is all about. Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Charlie articulates a foundational question for us: What is Christmas all about?

Linus, and the Gospel of Luke this morning—gives us the answer: good news of great joy that will be for all the people has finally arrived. In the midst of a world full of poverty, injustice, suffering, exploitation, sadness, brokenness, and death, God came down. Jesus came down to dwell with and among his people in order to give them everlasting joy. The Bible says, “they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:23). In a season of quarantining, self-isolating, and social distancing, Jesus broke all the rules and restrictions to break into our world to bring everlasting joy.

Joy isn’t elusive when you have Jesus. My aim for us is to redirect our eyes from everything else and get them back on Jesus. It’s like driving on a country road and seeing roadkill after roadkill on the side of the road, but losing sight of the sunset, Fall leaves, and sky and horizon that sits before you. Get your eyes off the roadkill and get them on Jesus. This morning I want to invite you to marvel at the magnificence of the birth of the Messiah.

Jesus was born into a broken world; it was less than ideal. We can sometimes idealize the birth of Jesus: fat cherub-like angels fluttering about, animals talking to each other preparing the manger, and a warm gathering on this silent night. But if you’ve witnessed a birth you know it’s not silent or peaceful or calm. Songwriter Andrew Peterson, in his song “Labor of Love,” puts it this way:

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother’s hand to hold

That night was filled with blood, cries of pain, cold, and no mother’s hand to hold. Jesus came into a world of deep darkness.

1) The Birth: A Contrast of Kings & Prophetic Fulfillment (Luke 2:1–7)

A Contrast of Kings (vv. 1–2)

Luke tells us of the darkness of the political climate that Jesus would be born into. Israel is under the oppressive rule of the Romans. Our passage opens by telling us how “a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered” (Luke 2:1). Israel dwells in the deep darkness of Roman occupation. In Luke 1:5, he tells us that Gabriel appeared to Zechariah “In the days of Herod, king of Judea.” Herod the Great, a foreign king, is ruling, and his son, Herod Antipas, or Herod the tetrarch, would decapitate John the Baptist (Luke 3:19–20; 9:7–9). Jesus is born into a world of deep darkness: occupation, taxation, and a foreign king on the throne.

Caesar makes a decree that would call for all citizens to register for the purpose of assessing taxes. Some things never change: death and taxes. The government wants its money, and Caesar flexes his power. The decree follows Jewish custom that would require citizens to return to their hometowns.

Verse 2 tells us this took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria, but records show that Quirinius’ census took place at a later date (A.D. 6–7). Either Quirinius served as governor twice (or two separate governors had the same name), or the word “first” could be translated as “before,” as some of your Bibles have a footnote that would read: “This was the registration before Quirinius was governor of Syria” (Luke 2:2).

Why does Luke include these details? Two reasons: (1) these things really happened, and (2) Luke wants to contrast two kings.

Luke is not making things up on the fly, but doing his best to give us certainty about what has happened. The birth of Jesus is only good news if it’s historical fact. Superhero movies are feel-good movies, but they don’t ultimately solve our problems or give us lasting joy. Superman, Batman, Captain America, and Spiderman don’t help me navigate life in this world. They don’t give me hope for the future. Fictional characters do nothing for me. But some of you approach Jesus and the Christmas story as fiction, rather than historical fact. Luke tells us this is fact: Christ broke into time and space in our world. God wrote himself into the very story of redemptive history.

Luke contrasts Caesar with the coming reign of Jesus. Caesar Augustus was considered Rome’s greatest emperor. He established the first police force and fire-fighting force, built extensive roads, and ushered in what would perhaps be his greatest achievement, the Pax Romana. This was an era marked by unprecedented peace. Caesar’s rule is contrasted with a baby who would usher in something even better than the Pax Romana: eternal peace and joy. Caesar brings temporary peace through tyranny and power, while Jesus brings spiritual peace by laying down his life for his people.

Caesar’s decree would unknowingly serve God’s purposes so that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem as was prophesied. This drives home that though Caesar is in charge, God’s really in charge: “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).

Prophetic Fulfillment (vv. 3–5)

Joseph & Mary go from Nazareth to Bethlehem, about a 70-mile journey on foot, so that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. The repeated mentions of “the city of David” and the “house and lineage of David” (Luke 2:4), is to fulfill the promise made to King David in 2 Samuel 7 to establish his kingdom forever.

Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem is vital to fulfill the prophecy from Micah 5:2 that says, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” What’s the point of all this? Jesus’ entrance into the world is not an afterthought or backup plan. Jesus comes in exactly the way it was prophesied. God has done precisely what he said he would do.

The Birth of Jesus (vv. 6–7)

Jesus’ birth is incredibly humble: wrapped in swaddling cloths, laid in a manger, with no room in the inn. The manger is likely a feeding trough of some sort, where animals would come to feed. If you’ve been around farm animals, you know that this image is not idyllic, but fragrant—and not the good kind of fragrant. The reference to an inn is not referring to Motel 6, but rather a two-story guest house where the animals are kept on the first floor and the main room and sleeping quarters were on the second floor, or perhaps three separate rooms on the same floor with animals in one, a main room, and then a guest room for sleeping. Someone else was in the guest room so Jesus would be born among the animals.

Jesus breaks into the deep darkness of our world as a humble servant, not as a demanding dictator. Jesus says to you this morning—no matter how weighed down you feel—“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29). Jesus is not sitting in heaven like the Grinch or the Elf on the Shelf, seeing if you’ve been naughty or nice. He’s not trying to figure out how to punish you, levy higher taxes to line his pockets, or to get something out of you. Jesus came, clothed in humility, to give you joy through his death and sacrifice. O what a precious Savior we have in Jesus!

Behold the glory and humility and love of our Savior, Christ the Lord! Jesus came down to bring true peace, in fulfillment of all of God’s promises and prophecies, and entered into our dark and broken world in order to give us everlasting joy. This birth leads to heaven’s announcement.

2) Heaven’s Response: The Angelic Announcement & Song (Luke 2:8–14)

The announcement first comes to shepherds, who represent the lowly and humble. The “glory of the Lord shone around them,” referring to the bright, majestic, and blinding light and glory of God. It’s the same word used at Jesus’ transfiguration (Luke 9:30), Paul’s conversion (Acts 26:13), and Stephen’s martyrdom (Acts 7:55). We are to visualize a blinding light that pierces the darkness of the night, and then recall Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” It’s happening; light has come.

The good news of great joy that will be for all the people is that a Savior is born, Christ the Lord. The word Lord appears 25 times in Luke 1–2. Twenty-three times it refers to God, and twice it refers to Jesus: once by Elizabeth, which we saw last week, and once here, spoken by the angel. Right at the heart of the Christmas story is the announcement that Jesus Christ the Lord, our Savior and Messiah, is born! This is no mere mortal but the divine Sovereign has come to dwell among his people.

And why did he come? Jesus spoke this to his disciples: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11). What things did Jesus speak of? He said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love” (John 15:9), and the way you do that is by keeping my commandments. Jesus tells us to not be consumed by everything else, but rather to remember that we are loved by God, that we are to abide or hold onto and trust Jesus, and listen to him.

Perhaps hundreds, maybe thousands, of angels appear out of nowhere to sing and declare the glories of what has happened. This is God the Father singing over the Son because he is so pleased with him. What a sight this must have been! This multitude appearing to the shepherds is for our benefit. God didn’t need it, the angels could have remained in heaven to sing, but they appeared so that the shepherds could see and tell others. God is announcing the birth of his Son so that the shepherds, and by extension, each one of us today, wouldn’t just walk by glory unknowingly.

The Washington Post had an experiment back in 2007 where they had famous violinist Joshua Bell play his multi-million dollar violin in the D.C. subway. About 1,000 people walk by him, only seven stopping to listen to hear him play, and he collected $52.17, with one person recognizing him. The Michael Jordan of violinists, with sold-out shows costing hundreds of dollars, is in plain sight but no one can recognize his glory. So it is with Jesus who came in such humility, such lowliness, such gentleness, that if it were not for the angels, none of us would recognize him. The world would have missed the Messiah and the greatest news in all the world.

While this great joy is for all the people, the angels make clear that this peace is for “those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14). This is a technical phrase that points to God’s election, and it confirms Mary’s words that God’s “mercy is for those who fear him” (Luke 1:50). Good news is only good news of great joy when you respond rightly to the good news. This good news demands a response of believing and receiving this good news.

But the sad news is that some of us still walk by the glory and majesty of Christ paying no attention at all. Does Jesus make any difference to your life? Have you received the good news of great joy personally? The good news has come: Jesus has broken into the deep darkness to bring light, life, peace, and joy for anyone and everyone who will come to him and believe and receive this good news. It’s a free offer to all.

3) Earth’s Response: The Shepherds’ Witness & Worship (Luke 2:15–21)

The shepherds go with haste, changing from fearful witnesses to worshipers. They are even given the privilege of telling Mary all that happened. They become heralds of good news, carrying around in them this joy that gives birth to praising God for all that they had heard and seen. A true understanding of good news brings about joy.

This good news turns their fear to worship. This morning, this account invites us to rest in and receive the good news that Jesus has come. The Christmas story reminds us that God came to rescue us from our sins, failures, and the broken world in which we live, so that we could be reconciled to God and receive joy everlasting.

Mary treasures, ponders, and cherishes these things: thinking upon them, holding onto them, and rolling them over in her mind again and again. Do you ponder these things in your heart and mind? Are you marinating in social media spats about masks and vaccines, restrictions, elections, or the ups and downs of the stock market, or are you marinating your soul in the greatest news in all the world: Christ has come, Christ will come again.

Conclusion & Application

Jesus has come to dwell with and among his people in order to give them everlasting joy. He did this to fulfill the prophecies and promises that were written centuries beforehand. These truths are verifiable facts that have changed and transformed the world. And these truths change and transform our lives right now. For some, you come to the Christmas story as mythology—a made-up, feel-good story. Others come and think, “Yes, the birth of Jesus is great, but I need some real help right now to feel that God loves me, sees me, and cares for me.” God came exactly the way that was prophesied and promised, fulfilling his word, which means he will continue to be true to his word.

So when Jesus promises “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), he really means it. Never will he leave or forsake us. He came that we might have joy to the full! Or when Paul writes, “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39), he really means it. We are gloriously loved by God, and this is the source of our everlasting joy. Sins forgiven, Christ our treasure, and the ultimate cost paid for us to have joy everlasting.

When I was growing up, one year the in-demand Christmas toy was Tickle Me Elmo. People would buy as many as they could and resell them to desperate parents hoping to make their child happy on Christmas morning. Some parents spent two, three, or even 10 times the retail cost to get this toy. Why? Parents want their children to be happy! And so it is with our heavenly Father: he wants you to experience eternal joy! But Jesus came into the world and paid not two, not three, and not even ten times the cost to bring us joy. Jesus paid the ultimate cost with his life! While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! He did this so that we would not be enemies of God, but that we would be loved with a sacrificial love, and given an everlasting joy rooted in Christ.

The measure of whether something is good news of great joy is whether it remains good news of great joy when everything else falls apart. Is it good news if I get sick, is it good news if I’m unemployed, is it good news if I’m lonely, is it good news if I just miscarried, is it good news if my marriage is strained to the point of breaking, is it good news if my mental health is suffering, is it good news if I’m estranged from those around me, is it good news if we just totaled our car, is it good news if I’m away from family, and is it good news if I’m on hospice and dying? The measure of true joy is whether it still matters if everything in life falls apart. The shininess of a new car with a big red bow means nothing if I’m on my deathbed—which some of you are right now. The good news that Jesus brings is not a shallow and fleeting joy, but deep everlasting joy so that out of our hearts will flow rivers of living water and fountains of everlasting joy. Let’s rejoice in this good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Sermon Discussion Questions

Main Point: God comes down to dwell with and among his people and to give us everlasting joy in Jesus.

Outline

1. The Birth: A Contrast of Kings & Prophetic Fulfillment (Luke 2:1–7)
2. Heaven’s Response: The Angelic Announcement & Song (Luke 2:8–14)
3. Earth’s Response: The Shepherds Witness & Worship (Luke 2:15–21) 

Intro Question: What are some ways you feel like Charlie Brown at Christmas—sad, depressed, frazzled, or just not sure the meaning of it all? 

Discussion Questions

• What is the significance of mentioning Caesar Augustus or Quirinius, governor of Syria? How is Caesar contrasted with Jesus?
• Why is there mention of the City of David, house and lineage of David, and Mary’s betrothal? Why is it significant for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem?
• What should we take away from the manner and circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus? How do the other gospel accounts add to our understanding of Jesus’ birth?
• How does “heaven” respond to the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:8–14)? Why do angels appear to shepherds?
• How does “earth” respond to the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:15–20)? What do you think it was like to be shepherds who received this revelation? What would it be like to be Mary to hear this account?

Application Questions

• If we lack joy in Jesus at Christmas, how does this story and account reignite and reorient our hearts to what God has done in saving sinners?
• If we are filled with awe, wonder, praise, and joy, how can we spread this joy into the lives of others, particularly unbelievers?
• Spend some time each day reading and rereading Luke 1–2 and marvel at what is being accomplished by God in the lives of his people.
• If we have received good news of great joy that will be for all the people, how does this change how we live, think, speak, and interact with others? How does this challenge us to be conduits of God’s grace into the lives of others?
• Take some time to write out a prayer of thanksgiving to God for what he is done in sending Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Prayer Focus
Thank God for breaking into the deep darkness of our world with the Light and life of Jesus Christ. Confess any sins of indifference, skepticism, cynicism, callousness, or anxiety as you approach Jesus. Thank God for forgiveness of sins, a relationship with Jesus, and new life in Christ. Ask God to give you the joy of the Lord this Christmas—overflowing in your heart, mind, actions, and interactions—and opportunities to share this good news of great joy that will be for all the people.