Given the paganism of this time of the year, I always like to bring a word of instruction to the boys and girls regarding what the Bible says about the birth of Christ.
It is a word that today all too many believers would need to heed since the ‘celebration of Christmas’ has infiltrated their ranks!
No good can come of this conforming to the world’s ways and practices and the adopting of the follies of unregenerate man.
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord,” Luke 2:11.
Girls and boys, I wish to speak on this subject because despite all the noise surrounding December 25th, it is obvious that great ignorance attaches to these and every other matter relating to our Saviour.
1. The angels told the shepherds WHERE Jesus was born. “In the city of David”. That was Bethlehem, V 15.
The name means ‘House of Bread’. How suitable was it as the birthplace of the One Who was the ‘Bread of Life’, John 6:35, 48, 51. Three direct statements. The Lord repeated this truth about Himself. Remember, we cannot ‘LIVE’ without this bread. “He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” Matthew 4:4. He is ‘born unto us’, given to us as a gift!
2. The angels told the shepherds WHY Jesus was born. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour. . . ” There are three titles used of Jesus here.
SAVIOUR. That word means: “Deliverer or Preserver”. Oh! Boys and girls, how much we need someone to deliver us and then preserve us! Just like the shepherd of Luke 15:4-6.
CHRIST. That name means ‘anointed’. In the Old Testament, three persons were anointed:— Prophets, Priests and Kings. The Lord Jesus holds all three offices. He proclaims God’s Word to us. He offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins and constantly intercedes for us. He rules over and defends His redeemed.
LORD. The word is often translated ‘Master’. We must have the Lord Jesus as our Master if we are to get to heaven! 2 Cor 5:17. Such will walk in obedience to Him.
3. The angels told the shepherds WHEN Jesus was born. “For unto you is born this day . . .”
The day was not the 25th of December. The shepherds were out in the fields. Verse 8 tells us “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” The word ‘abiding’ means they were ‘living’ in the fields at nighttime. It could not have been mid-winter!
Again, the Lord Jesus was 6 months younger than John the Baptist and the Bible gives us information that would lead us to believe that John was born around the month of March. Six months later the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem. That would have been about the end of August or the beginning of September.
It was the day of wonderful enlightenment. “For unto you is born this day.” It was a ‘day’ of revelation in the midst of the night that was all around. The Lord deals personally with sinners.
It was day that required a response. Verse 15. The shepherds felt the need for an immediate response, middle of the night or not. “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem.” They ‘went’ 16, ‘saw’ 16-17, witnessed’ 17, ‘rejoiced’ 20.
That, boys and girls, is the story of birth of Jesus. Let none tell you differently!