Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

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God is not usually found in the bright lights of man, in the fanfare, in the casinos, nor on the pinnacles of human achievement. The Bible tells us that “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all“.(1 John 1:5). The Light of God is not found in the supposed glories of man. It is Satan that will take you up into a high mountain, and show you all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. and ask you to fall down and worship him. (Matthew 4:8-10). God is not in that. The Son of God was born of a virgin, cloaked in humanity, born just as you and I were born. He did not come in a palace, but in a manger. He did not come of rich parents, and even today the rich rarely regard Him. He was born of lowly parents, though to be born He had to lower Himself from glory – true glory.

There are three things we will see in the Scripture today. We will see what it means that Jesus is the firstborn. Once we understand this, we will prove that Jesus Christ must be loved and cherished. And finally, we will see why the cherished and loved Jesus brings glory where He dwells. First,

God Is In Control

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son

Our God is an awesome God. It is He that created all things. The Bible says:

Psalms 90:1-2 (KJV) … Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

God made all things. It did not evolve of accident, but was purposefully made. From the beginning of Genesis we see God “bringing forth” life. God is in control of all things. Why are Joseph and Mary in a little town of Bethlehem? Because God is in control. God turned the heart of the king.

Proverbs 21:1 (KJV) The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

When …

“it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” (Luke 2:1)

this did not happen by accident. This was no coincidence. But God is in control. God brought forth Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem because this is where God wanted them to be. The Bible tells us ..

“she brought forth her firstborn son”

The text does not say “Mary brought forth THEIR firstborn Son”, but it says that HER firstborn Son was born. I admire the humility and composure of Joseph. He is nearly ignored in the birth of Christ yet, good man that he was, if he had not been faithful Mary probably never would have brought this Child forth. The Child born is born of the Holy Spirit of God.

Matthew 1:18 … When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

The Bible tells us that Joseph was …

Matthew 1:19-21 (KJV) … a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

God would work through Mary to “bring forth” His Son onto this earth. Just as God brought forth life in the beginning, God now brings forth eternal life through His Son Jesus. This God born Son has within His frame …

Colossians 2:9 … all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead. Perfect God and Perfect Man meet in Christ. As the Son of God Christ will please the Father, doing His business. This little Baby – the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world – will stand between God and Man. He is the Mediator of the New Covenant. He is the One Who will bring peace between God and Man. Mary ..

Luke 2:7 … brought forth her firstborn son

So that God could enter His own creation. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him..” Jesus Christ is Mary’s firstborn Son, but He is God’s only Begotten Son. Man has been at war with God for many years. Sin has brought a breech between man and God. Now God lowers Himself to become Man so that He can reach Man.

It is through Mary that the Son of God …

Philippians 2:7 … took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men..

Why is this Baby born in this place at this time? Because God in His love wants to reach the world with love. He wants to destroy death and the power of evil. How will He do this?

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

God the Son left eternity to come to us. The God Who is the Great I AM – who revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush – (Exodus 3:14; Psalm 90:2; John 8:58) would now reveals Himself to humanity in a manger. That fascinates me that God loves us this much!

Jesus is more than just a Rabbi, and Christmas more than just a holiday. It is at Christmas that we recognize God became Mary’s Firstborn so that we could be born again. Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29) so that we who receive Him can become the children of God.

No Room For HIM or THEM

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger…

Look at the love that Mary had for Jesus! The Lord Jesus, born of a virgin, is not cast from His mother, but is tenderly wrapped in swaddling clothes and carefully laid in a manger. This is the Savior of the world, she knows that she must take care of Him. Though Mary may not know at this time that He will be the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29), she does know His importance. Do all see this importance? No, because:

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

I’ve seen a lot of commentaries that explain the phrase “no room for them at the inn” in a variety of ways. Some say that this is because during the order of Caesar there were so many in Bethlehem that there was no place for Joseph, Mary, or Jesus but a stable. But I want us to look at this another way.

God is in control.

If God had wanted Mary to have her Baby and our Savior in a five star motel, then it would have happened. If our awesome God wanted Jesus to be born in a place where Mary’s every need was met by a servant, then this is what would have happened. It was God Who caused them to enter Bethlehem and stay not at an inn, but in a stable. Why? Why would God treat His Son this way? The great Evangelist Dwight L. Moody preached:

“He might have been ushered into this world with ten thousand angels; yea, legions upon legions of angels might have come to herald his advent. He might have been born in a palace or a castle. He might have been born upon a throne, if he had chosen to; but he just became poor, for your sake and mine. He passed by mansions and thrones and dominions, and went down into a manger. … When the Prince of Heaven came down, what kind of a reception did he meet with? There were no hallelujahs from the people. He found that there was no room in Bethlehem for him; there was no room in Jerusalem for him. When he arrived at Jerusalem not only the King, but all Jerusalem was troubled. When the wise men told Herod: “He is King of the Jews, for we have seen his star in the East,” not only the King upon the throne, but all Jerusalem was in trouble; and every man that had been looking for him seemed to be troubled, and the whole city is excited. … has the world grown better? Is not this world about like that little town in Bethlehem? There is no room for him? What nation wants him to-day? Does this nation want him? Suppose you should put it to a popular vote, I don’t believe there is a town in the whole republic that would vote for him. … I am ashamed to say that there are many of our churches that really would not want him. There would be a different state of things in the Church of God, to-day, if Christ should come. A great many church members do not want him; they say: “My life is not right.” There are very few families in the whole city of New York that would make room for him. They would make room for the greatest drunkard in New York, rather than make room for him. Don’t think the world is better if it don’t make room for him. If he should go to Washington, do you think they would make room for him there?”

There was no room for Christ. Neither Christ nor His family were wanted by the fallen world. Though He came to save the World:

John 3:17 (KJV)17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

1 Timothy 1:15 (KJV) … Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Here He is, but there is no room for Him. He is the Suffering Servant of whom Isaiah said:

Isaiah 53:2-3 (KJV) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Oh that we would love Him as He loves us. But when we love Jesus as He loves us then we become cast outs together. “There was no room for THEM at the inn”. Those in Christ’s family will not be loved by the world. Jesus told us that. He said:

John 15:18-19 (KJV) If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

Oh how I love Jesus, and Oh how I hope you love Jesus! But if you love Jesus know that the world will not love you either. But we must keep loving Jesus. We must not compromise with the world. We must not ourselves ever forget that there is no room at the inn for them. We are strangers and foreigners on this earth. We belong to God.

Now let me get personal.

Are you making room for Jesus in your daily life? Do you live for Jesus at home, in the midst of your family, when you are away from this Church house? Is there room for Christ in your private conversation when the preacher cannot hear you? Do others at work know that you are a Christian, that you are saved by faith in Christ, or would they be surprised to discover you at Church on Sunday morning? We make room at the inn of our hearts for hurt and dismay over others, so much so that many times we hold grudges for years over what others have or have not done to us. Yet is there room at the inn of your mouth – do you refer to Christ in your conversation, and speak as Christ would speak before a lost and dying world? Do your children see Christ in you? He must be brought forth, Beloved, if you have believed in Him. You must lay Jesus tenderly before the world, wrapped in swaddling clothes, cherished – the focus of your attention.

When unbelievers heard that Paul and Silas were coming to their town they said, “These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also” (Acts 17:6), and they troubled the people. They had no room for them at the inn. But that is all right. God is in control. God will triumph. The world will always say there is no room at the inn for them, yet:

1 John 4:4 (KJV) Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

If you have made room for Christ in your heart and life, then God is able – through you – to make a difference. Just remember that this is normal for Christ’s Beloved. Live a life of surrender, loving Christ with all your hearts. Look unto Jesus.

Jesus Christ surrendered Himself to Mary to enter into this world.
Jesus Christ surrendered Himself to suffering, deprivation, and pain.
Jesus Christ surrendered Himself to the horrid death of the Cross.
Oh how He loves you and me!

Shall you say to Him, “There is no room at the inn – I have no room for you in my life“? Or shall you do a sad thing, the saddest thing of all, and send Him into the smallest part of your life, into the manger, into the areas you care little about. No Beloved, make room for Him! He is worthy. Surrender to Him if you would be blessed.

Glory To God In The Highest!

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Jesus in the manger lay in a place where the beasts were fed. The Bread of Life (John 6:48) would lay in a feed trough. Though the animals would not feed on Him, He would one day compare Himself to bread and drink, the very foundation of life.

While Jesus lay in that manger, the glory of God was in that place.

Jesus transforms what He touches. The Bible tells us that when our Lord was laid in this Manger that …

Luke 2:8-14 (KJV) And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 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. 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. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

These common shepherds – forgotten people watching their flock while others slept – meet an angel of the Lord. The Messiah has come! Where is He?

Is He in Herod’s Palace?
Is He at the High Priest’s home?
Has He a guard of soldiers round about Him?
Is He waited on by nanny and butler?

No, here you find Him.
In a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Jesus is in the lowest place He can be so that the lowest and least among us can reach Him. Later wise men shall bring Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But now God brings Him the shepherds. He will bring Jesus to you as well – if you but receive Him.