LUKE 2:1-24 OUR SAVIOR2023 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Luke 2:1-24 Our Savior

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2023. Today we come to Luke chapter 2 and we'll be looking at verses 1 through 24. I know that some people are quite shocked and surprised. There is this idea that the first couple chapters of Luke are invisible 11 months of the year.

And then in December, magically, supernaturally, miraculously, suddenly, the first two chapters of Luke are visible and readable, and it's quite an amazing Christmas miracle to read Luke 1 and 2. But...

Actually, it exists all year long, of course. And so, yes, we've passed Christmas. And yes, it's Luke chapter 2, and probably you spent some time in it with your family or yourself in preparation for Christmas. But hey, this is where we are in the Word, and this is our practice. We continue on reading through and working our way through Luke.

The portions that God assigns to us. And so the Lord wants us to meditate further on Luke chapter 2 and the birth of Jesus Christ. I've titled the message here in Luke chapter 2, Our Savior. And so that's what we'll consider tonight, the birth of our Savior and some of the things that that means for us. Well, we're going to work our way through the first 24 verses this evening, but let's begin first by reading verses 1 through 7. Here's what it says.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into 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 wife, who was with child. Verse 6. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

Of course, some famous verses here, the Christmas story, the birth of the Savior, and we're focused here in chapter 2 on the coming of Jesus. And so again, I've titled the message, Our Savior. We'll walk through four points in these 24 verses. Here's point number one, looking at verses 1 through 7. Our Savior came at the right place and time.

Our Savior came at the right place and time. Here in chapter 2 of Luke, we see this hand of God moving behind the scenes in quite a big way there in the Roman Empire. Caesar Augustus was the emperor of Rome. He was the ruler of the known world at that time, and he decided that everybody should be registered.

Not really surprising when you think about it, but the purpose of that was so that people could be taxed appropriately. And so this census was to get an accurate headcount to know how much each region should be bringing forth in taxes. And so in order to do that well, to do that accurately, he decides, you know what, everybody should go to their hometowns.

Don't go register somewhere where you're just visiting or you're just there for a couple seasons. Everybody should go back kind of to their origins and register there so that we have an accurate count based on where people came from. And so this census was ordered and verse 3 is quite interesting. It says, so all went to be registered.

This was the authority and the power of Caesar Augustus. He made a decree. It was worldwide. And so everybody did what was decreed, went to his own city in order to be registered, in order to be taxed appropriately, because that's what the authority that the Roman emperor had.

But of course, we know that there was more to the story than that. That's what's happening on the surface. That's what's happening as you first look at it. But we see as we continue on in the next couple of verses that there was a movement that was happening of a particular family, Joseph and his betrothed wife, Mary, who was with child. And so because of this census, because of this decree that went out, they had to get on the road.

Even though it tells us here that she was with child and some interpret it that she was great with child, that she's really far along in the pregnancy. And yet the decree came out. And so we have to drop everything. We have to get on the road and we have to head back to the hometown. When this chapter starts here in chapter two, Joseph and Mary are in the wrong place. They're in Nazareth.

Now, they're not in the wrong place in the sense that they're out of God's will, but we know the scriptures tell us that they are, well, that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem. Micah chapter 5, verse 2, we looked at this not too long ago as we were working our way through the minor prophets there at the closing of the Old Testament.

And so Mary had had a visit from the angel Gabriel.

Joseph had had a visit from the angel Gabriel, announcing that they were going to be the parents of the Messiah, the Savior that had been promised, the one who would be the ruler of Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. They knew that this was what was in Mary's womb, this one that God had foreordained from everlasting. But they're in Nazareth.

And so if this decree had not gone forth, it's possible Mary and Joseph stayed in Nazareth, but that's the wrong place. It's also possible God didn't have to do it this way, that they knew the scriptures and that they just of their own free will went to Bethlehem from Nazareth. And of course, that's a possibility as well. But from Luke chapter two, we see that as the events unfolded, it was in alignment, although different.

Caesar Augustus was the Roman emperor. He ruled the world and he thought he could do whatever he wanted. It turns out the decrees and the commands that he gave helped to facilitate and orchestrate the plan of God. It's always good to remember that, that God is far superior and he is

able to work out the circumstances and things even of what we would call the most powerful men and women, the most powerful or the most, you know, vivid conspiracy theories or, you know, whatever else that even if they are true and assume the worst of all of them, God is still able to use those plots and plans and decisions of authorities. The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord. And so he works it out. So Mary and Joseph,

move out of the wrong place and they head down to the right place to Bethlehem. Now this is a little bit of a journey for them. It's about 70 to 100 miles depending on exactly which route they took. The straight route through is the fastest of course but it takes you through Samaria and

And so very often the Jewish people, when they were traveling from northern Israel to southern Israel, they would actually cross over the Jordan River to the other side to avoid Samaria. Then they would cross back over again once they got past Samaria in order to avoid that whole region altogether. And so we don't know exactly the route they took.

Hopefully Joseph didn't make his wife go the long way, but perhaps he did. We don't know. But we know that they started out in the wrong place and they ended up in the right place because God was moving and orchestrating and even using the decrees of the Roman emperor to accomplish his purposes.

Now, it's not just that they ended up at the right place, but they ended up there at the right time. In verse 6, it tells us it was that. So it was while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And so you can imagine if the decree had happened sooner, then they might have tried to make the trek back.

Or if the decree had happened later, then they would have given birth in Nazareth or on the way somewhere, you know, somewhere along the route to Bethlehem. But it happened at just the right time. They were in just the right place. And it was time for her to be delivered. And so she brought forth her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger there.

because there was no room for them in the end. Now, that last part there, there was no room for them in the end. That could, just looking at the surface level, give us the impression it was the wrong time and wrong place, you know, because, well, who wants to have a child in a barn, you know, in the cave where they keep the animals? Who wants to

have to put their brand newborn child in the feeding trough of the animals because there's no room for them in the inn. That seems like the wrong place. And if you're going to choose, you know, to be in Bethlehem to have a child, that's the wrong time. You don't go when it's, you know, jam-packed out because it's the busy season and there's a good chance you won't have room in the inn.

Probably is not referring to like an inn, like a motel or hotel like we would think about. But essentially, you know, there was no room for them in all of their family's homes because everybody was back in town to register for the census. And so on a certain level, it could seem like the wrong place and the wrong time. But as far as God was concerned, it was the right place and it was the right time. In Bethlehem is where God declared that Messiah would come forth from Bethlehem.

And at just the right time, while they're in Bethlehem. But it's not just while they're in Bethlehem that is the right time. Paul tells us something interesting in Galatians chapter 4. That when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

The fullness of the time, as Paul is talking about it there, gives us this impression that there was this right, exact, perfect time for God to send forth his son.

And so there was this ideal time, this ideal opportunity for the Messiah to come on the scene. And there's been lots of speculation about, you know, why this was the ideal time for Jesus to be born and the state of the world at that time, the universal language, the roads of Rome and, you know, the spreading of the gospel and all those things.

which of course are just our speculations. God doesn't often see things the same way and have the same rationale, but perhaps all of those things contribute to part of his plans. But whatever the case was, whatever his decision factors were, it was the right time. The fullness of the time had come. And so while they're there in Bethlehem, at the right place, at the right time, our Savior, he was born of Mary again.

She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Our Savior came at the right place and the right time. Moving on to verses 8 through 11, we get point number two to consider tonight, and that is, our Savior was born and is Christ the Lord. Our Savior was born, but also at the same time is Christ.

Christ the Lord. And those can seem to be contradictory things when you understand them. But at the same time, we know, of course, the Lord Jesus, being God, became man. He added humanity to his deity. Let's check it out in verses 8 through 11. It says, Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them.

And the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This birth of the Messiah happens because

In a crowded city where there's no more room, all the friends and family houses are filled up. There's no opportunity. And so there's a hustle and bustle there happening in Bethlehem. But now we kind of pan away from the city to the fields nearby in the same country. So in the general vicinity, the nearby region, we find shepherds. They are living out in the fields.

And so they're camping out in tents. They live with their sheep. They're keeping watch over their flock. It is late in the night, so it's dark. They've got campfires going, perhaps. They're hanging out together, shepherds watching their sheep. But then suddenly the light begins to shine or the night begins to shine. The angel of the Lord stood before them.

And the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were just enveloped in the glory of the Lord. And of course, they were greatly afraid. Because, well, they're face to face with an angel. They're face to face with the glory of the Lord. There is likely a great sense of the presence of God and the presence of holiness as they encounter this angel that evening.

But the angel says, do not be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm not here to strike you down. I'm not here to correct you. I'm here to bring good news. I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. Good tidings, great joy to all people. This is what the angel brings forth. Now, this is really...

Good to note and important to understand, this is the message that represents, that is accurate to the heart of God. These aren't rogue angels escaping, you know, getting away to do this side mission that wasn't authorized. This is sent by the Father, sending angels to deliver this message and to say it's good tidings.

The Messiah has been born. It's good news in spite of what Jesus would endure in this life. In spite of all that he would go through and ultimately his crucifixion, heaven looked upon this as good news of great joy for all people. These are good tidings. It's good news. God is happy about this. The Father is happy about this.

Sometimes we have the idea that Jesus is the only one holding the Father back from striking us down. But no, the Father sends these angels to say, good tidings, good news, everybody. The Savior is on the scene. The Savior is here. And so you can have great joy. There's something to celebrate here for everybody. Great news, great joy to all people. For there is born to you this day Jesus.

Here we get to see a little hint at the humanity of Jesus. We see a hint of the deity of Jesus.

And we see here also the hint that Jesus is the Messiah. I guess it's not really a hint. It's clearly stated. He is the Messiah, the anointed one that fulfills all of the promises that have been given since the beginning about the Savior that God would bring. The humanity of Jesus is an emphasis as we work our way through the book of Luke. We have four gospels here.

They're broken up into two groups, the Synoptic Gospels, which are Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and then we have the Gospel of John. The Synoptic Gospels just means that these three books, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are very similar. They have a lot of parallel accounts, and they follow a parallel chronology and order, and then John kind of takes a whole different approach

take on the Lord Jesus and focuses on a different thing. But although there's a lot of similarities between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, there's also a lot of differences between

And as you work your way through the Gospels, you can kind of see the different emphasis that each one has. And so I'm not going to get into all of that, but just to kind of give you a glimpse of that. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we look at these Gospels and we understand that Matthew wrote to a particular audience. It was the Jewish people. And so you'll find much topics and themes and words

subjects that are relevant to you and really important to the Jewish people in working your way through the gospel of Matthew.

But Mark really focused on the Gentiles. He wasn't so much writing to a strictly Jewish audience. He was explaining things, explaining customs and behaviors and giving some background information to things that every Jewish person would know because he was not focused on the Jewish people as much as he was writing generally to the Gentiles. And then Luke is...

primarily writing to believers. And, uh, you can dive into the first few verses there of the gospel of Luke to kind of, uh, see, uh, what, what that means and how that works out. But, but Luke was not a eyewitness like the others were. He researched, he interviewed people, he collected, uh, all of these various accounts and brought them back to, uh,

in order to strengthen his faith and understanding of the work and ministry of Jesus Christ. And then the Gospel of John really writs into everyone, much like the focus on the Gentiles by Mark.

There is this very broad focus of Jesus. And so each one of these also, their focus on the Lord Jesus can be seen a little bit differently. Matthew focusing on one aspect of the character and nature of Jesus. Mark and Luke and John each kind of grabbing hold of a different aspect and element of the character and nature of Jesus. And one of the ways you can see that expressed is in the genealogies that are brought forth in the gospel.

So Matthew, there is a genealogy there at the beginning of Matthew. It works its way back to Abraham, the first Jew, right? The descendants of Abraham are the Jewish people. And so that is where he begins his genealogy. Mark focuses on Jesus Christ.

to the Gentiles as a servant, and so no genealogy is necessary, nor do the Gentiles care about the genealogies like the Jewish people did, so he has no genealogy in that. But Luke takes his genealogy all the way back to Adam, the first man, and focuses in that on the humanity of Jesus. And then John says,

takes his genealogy all the way back to eternity. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And John focuses on the deity of Jesus, while Luke focuses on the humanity of Jesus. And so we're going to continue to see this emphasis throughout Luke on the humanity of Jesus. He was born, but that wasn't the beginning of his existence.

His conception wasn't the beginning of his existence. He was born, so we can understand, fully man. He has a genealogy traced all the way back to Adam, the first man. He is of the lineage of man. He is human. He knows what it means to be human. But at the same time, he is the Lord.

He is God who became man. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth, who added humanity to his deity to become incarnate, to become the word who became flesh. And in doing so is the fulfillment of all of the promises of the Christ. The word Christ means anointed one. It's the equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah, Messiah.

Messiah, same thing. And many times I was thinking about this as I was beginning the gospel of Luke along with you over the past few days. The name Christ just kind of

becomes a part of the name of Jesus. Like it's Jesus Christ and it's Christ Jesus. And it's just part of his name. Many times in our minds, we become so familiar with it. But every once in a while, we need to kind of go back and remember there is huge significance and meaning to this. He is the Christ, the anointed one, the Messiah.

And from the very beginning, back in the Garden of Eden, God began to promise a Savior for the issue of sin that began there in Genesis chapter 3. So Genesis chapter 3, 15, you look back and you see the promise of a Savior, how God would provide a solution to this new issue of sin that is now there present in the Garden of Eden.

But all throughout history, God has been promising this Messiah. He promised to Abraham that there would be a descendant of Abraham, Genesis chapter 12, that would be a blessing to all of the earth. Remember how the angels announced that this was good tidings of great joy to all people, to all the earth. This is the fulfillment of that promise to Abraham, Genesis chapter 12, verse 3.

That same promise was also given to Isaac and Jacob. That same promise was given to David. And so we began to narrow down the families from which this Messiah would come. And so we know he would be of the line of David. He would sit on the throne of David. God promises a prophet like Moses in Deuteronomy 18, verse 15 says,

He promises the birthplace of this Messiah. He promises that the Messiah would be born of a virgin in Isaiah chapter 7. He promises that the Messiah would sit on the throne of David. He promises in Isaiah 9 that he would have the attributes of God. He would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. God gives the promise that he would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey one day in Zechariah chapter 9.

Isaiah chapter 53, God promises that he would be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. And on and on and on we could go. The whole Old Testament, Jesus told the religious leaders, you search the scriptures daily, talking about the Old Testament. You search those scriptures daily, diligently, but you miss the whole point. These are they which speak of me, the Lord said.

It's all about Jesus. He is the fulfillment of what God has promised from the very beginning. And so our Savior was born, but he's not just a good man. He's not just a great man, a great prophet. He's not just a good teacher. He's not just anything. He is more than we understand and can imagine. He is Christ, the Lord who became man. God put on humanity and was born of the Virgin Mary.

Well, moving on to verses 12 through 20, we get point number three tonight as we talk about our Savior. Point number three, our humble Savior deserves all glory. Let's go ahead and read verses 12 through 20. It says, and this will be a sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was within the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.

So it was when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. Now, when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

but mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart then the shepherds returned glorifying and praising god for the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them here again we see a little bit of things that could be contrary to one another at first glance we have a humble savior but he deserves all glory the angels talking to the shepherds say here's the sign you're going to find

This child wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Here's the great news of the promise that God has been giving for the past 4,000 years. It's finally here. The Savior has come. God himself, the creator, has stepped into creation. And you would not expect the arrival to take this shape, to take this form as a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths.

And laying in a trough, laying in a manger, it was used to feed the animals. That's not what you would expect when you understand he is Christ the Lord. Just, you know, without the context, without the history that we know from being exposed, you know, to the scriptures and the plan of God that has been revealed. If you were outside of that and

Began to think about the coming of this promised savior. Well, you would have the mindset of the Jewish people who expected the savior to come in glory, conquering nations, setting up a powerful kingdom. But here comes the fulfilled promise of God. God himself as a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. What humility. Humility.

It breathes so much life into Paul's words there in Philippians 2, talking about the humility of Jesus as he was in glory in this elevated position beyond what we could imagine, but he humbles himself to become a man. And not just become a man. He could have just showed up on the scene all handsome and dapper like Rick Dominguez, right? Full of wisdom, nice gray hair, fully developed, right?

He could have showed up like that, but he didn't. He came as a babe. I was thinking back a few years ago now when my sister had her twin sons, Angus and Argyle.

And we went up soon after to be with them and to meet them. And holding little Angus and Argyle. And, you know, you can kind of just hold them in one hand almost. But I was a rookie, so I was using all my arms, you know. And just the frailness. How fragile, you know. Like, you guys who know me, you've been around for a while. You know, baby dedications that happen sometimes.

Prior to that, it was like 95% chance I wasn't holding the baby during the baby dedication because I just didn't do that. That was like uncomfortable and, you know, breaking a baby in front of everybody in the middle of a church service. You know, that's like the worst case scenario. So like, yeah, relieve myself from that stress. But then holding little Angus and little Argyle and just how the Lord can use that to,

to help us understand the humility of Jesus. Like, he became completely helpless, and he laid in Mary's arms. He laid in Joseph's arms, completely helpless, dependent upon them for every diaper change, for every meal, for protection from every danger, for warmth and

Throughout his development, you know, for them to help him to learn how to crawl and learn how to walk and support him in those developing days and developing times. Like the humility of Jesus here is just astounding.

This is the sign. This is how you know you've found that promised Savior that has been, you know, spoken about for 4,000 years. God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, is finally here. He set foot on planet earth. Here's how you'll know when you found him. You'll find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger. Wow, the humility of the Lord Jesus.

and departing from glory to enter in to humanity and so he is our humble savior and yet at the same time he deserves all glory and and it's no sooner that the angel announces the sign how to find him then suddenly it tells us in verse 13 there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host they couldn't hold back anymore he's here here's the sign

It's not what you would expect, a humble scenario here, a humble scene. He didn't come in glory. And so the angels decide, you know what? It's our job to give him glory. And so they say, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace and goodwill toward men. Angels glorify God.

And they're there in glory before these shepherds to bring glory to the Father, to bring glory to the Son, because the Son humbled himself to not come in glory, but to come in humility. Jesus could have come in glory if he had chosen to, but he didn't choose that path. And I think there's something instructive there for us.

Our humble Savior deserves all glory. I would suggest to you that that gives an implication for us, that there is a responsibility that we have. He has not forced His glory and shown His glory. He has come in humility. And so that leaves then the responsibility for His servants to give Him glory.

and to bring glory to him. There will be the day when he comes back in glory, the second coming of Jesus, and our responsibility will be relieved at that point. But until then, it's our job to announce, to glorify the one who came in great humility.

Verse 15, it tells us when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, let's go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that's come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. We got to go check this out. We got to go find out what this is and partake of this glory that has just been revealed to us. It tells us in verse 16, they came with haste.

They searched quickly. They went running. They didn't meander. They didn't kind of lollygag and think about, well, maybe we'll get a good night's rest and have a nice solid all-you-can-eat breakfast, and then we'll go, you know, searching for this babe in a manger. They dropped everything. They went running into Bethlehem to find what had just been spoken to them about by these angels.

Verse 17, when they had seen him, notice what happens. They made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. Jesus could have come and announced himself. He could have come in glory and made widely known the fact that he was there, but instead he came in humility and then the shepherds took up the baton of bringing glory and making the announcement widely known.

Our humble Savior deserves all glory. They did the right thing, dropping everything and running to find Jesus. They did the right thing in spreading the word and making it widely known. They did the right thing in bringing Jesus glory because he came in humility. And so it's up to us, his people, his servants, to bring to him the glory that he deserves.

Verse 18 tells us, all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherd. They're marveling in the glory. They're in awe, just as the shepherds were in awe of the angels. Now, it probably was a little bit different awe, right, than the shepherds had in the presence of the angels, but they did the best they could to pass along that message, to deliver that same thing that was delivered to them and to pass along the glory of

That was present in that humble scene of the Savior born of the Virgin Mary. Verse 19, but Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned and what were they doing? They're glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen as it was told them. We have a humble Savior. He came in humility. He will come in glory, but until then,

There's an opportunity for us. And so just to kind of recap this real quick, how we can glorify our Savior following the example that we find here in this passage, we can search for him earnestly. There is a need for us to drop everything and find Jesus. Hearing what the angels said, they said, let's go find this one that has been spoken to us, that has been announced to us.

Couldn't figure out how to, I painted myself in the corner with my words there, but you understand what I meant. That this has been announced to us, let's go find him. And you know, there is that opportunity for us. We have the promises of God. If we seek him, we will find him. We know that God reveals himself to us through his word and he speaks to us through his word. And so there is a way for us to give him glory through

By running to those opportunities, by seeking diligently and earnestly for the Lord to reveal himself to us in his word, in times of fellowship, in times of prayer, in times of worship, we have opportunities to encounter the Lord, to seek the Lord. And there is a glory that we can bring to him by doing so, by taking seriously the need and the opportunity for us to approach him.

and spend time with him. But we can also make him widely known, just as the shepherds did. They went and they made him widely known. They heard, they went, and they encountered the Lord for themselves. They searched for him earnestly so that when they went talking, you know, sometimes people make things widely known that just should never be made widely known, right? It should never be spread. They aren't the truth, aren't valuable, aren't glory. But we have access to glory because

And when we search earnestly, we will find glory and we will glory in the presence of the Lord. And then we have a responsibility. See, as the Lord develops us and shapes and has these encounters with us, well, then we can bring him glory by making him widely known, by testifying of who God is and what he has said and what he has done so that those around will marvel gloriously.

I think there's another way to give him glory as seen by Mary in verse 19. Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. She put a lot of weight. The root idea of glory is weight. She put a lot of weight on these things. She didn't just let them slip out. She took note of them.

She gathered all these things up and she then pondered them. This speaks of a deliberateness. I don't want to forget this.

Let me hold on to this thought. Let me hold on to these things that I'm hearing. Let me hold on to what is being said about the Savior that has been born. And let me meditate on those things. Let me ponder those things. There is this deliberate repetition and meditation that Mary is engaging in. It is another form of giving God glory, giving him that proper weight to take what has been shared by the Lord on behalf of others and

And to meditate, to ponder, to let it weigh on your heart. To not just forget it, to not let it just go in one ear and out the other ear, but to ponder it in your heart is a way that we get to choose to give God glory. And then finally praising him for the things heard and seen. That's what the shepherds did. They were praising God.

Hebrews tells us to give the sacrifice of praise. It's a way to honor the Lord, to give him thanks, to praise his name, to sing to him, to show gratitude and to rejoice in the work of God in our lives. We get to bring glory to God in all of these ways. And so our humble savior deserves all glory. He came in humility. And so it really implies for us a responsibility right now to give him glory.

Because he has not yet come in glory. He deserves all the glory, but he's not getting all the glory that he deserves. One day he will show up in glory and he will have all the glory he deserves. It will be known and he doesn't need us advocating for him at that point. We will be glorifying him, of course, but not in a outreach kind of way, in the way that we need to now.

Instead, right now, we have the opportunity. Now is our window. He came in humility. It's our chance and our opportunity to stir up the glory of the Lord, to give him glory in the way that we interact with him, the way that we seek him, and the way that we talk about him, and the way that we stir up others around us to know the Lord and to hear his voice as well.

Well, finally, verses 21 through 24 give us point number four, and that is our Savior fulfilled the whole law perfectly. Here's what it says in verses 21 through 24. And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. Now, when the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were completed, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. And to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. Here in verses 21 through 24, we find Jesus keeping the law even in things that he had no say in. Jesus lived a sinless life, a perfect life.

And you can think about that and understand it across all levels and in every scenario. That is, voluntarily, he always chose to keep the law. Every time there was a choice, every time there was an option, he made the choice to be obedient to what

had already been revealed by the Lord in the scriptures. He never broke the law. He never chose to violate the scriptures. He always, at that intersection, made the choice to be obedient and faithful to what God had presented. And we can understand the voluntary keeping of the law and the voluntary breaking of the law. What's a little bit harder for us to understand is, well, what about like those accidents, right?

You know, sometimes we endeavor, we want to keep the law. We're not trying to break the law. We're not trying to disobey God, but accidentally we do, right? Jesus never accidentally broke the law either. It's not just that he never made the wrong choice. He also never accidentally broke the law. You could take it a step further. He could say that he never innocently broke the law. For a Jewish boy to be born,

and to not be circumcised, you would understand the Lord would hold that boy innocent. The eight-day-old child is not responsible for his own circumcision. That's the parent's responsibility. And so if that law was broken in his life, he would be innocent really in the matter. But when it comes to Jesus, understand, whether you're thinking innocently, accidentally, or voluntarily, Jesus never broke the law.

Perfect on all counts across the board. And so when eight days were completed, it tells us in verse 21, the circumcision was completed. Just as prescribed in the law of God from the very beginning, even from day eight of his life, Jesus was keeping the law. His name was called Jesus. And notice that was the name given by the angel. So even that was circumcision.

in obedience to something that the Lord had revealed. His name was a name that God had given to him. And you would understand if parents misnamed somebody, you know, God would not hold them responsible. They're innocent. That wasn't their fault. They didn't make a choice in that decision, but Jesus had the right name. And so the law was not broken. He was circumcised on the eighth day. The law was not broken. In verse 22, it talks about the purification for Mary and

That time was kept as well, according to the law of Moses. And then they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. So there was this dedicated time. There was this reserved time where Mary was to be following the rites of purification after having delivered a son. And then at the end of that time, there was to be the presentation of the child to the Lord. That was part of what God instructed in his word, in his law.

And you know what? In the life of Jesus, it happened exactly the way that God prescribed. Jesus never broke the law voluntarily, accidentally, innocently. All of this is happening before he's old enough to even say anything. This is all happening from the very beginning. He was living a sinless life, even as his parents were making decisions for him and operating according to what God had written in the law of the Lord. So there was to be a sacrifice at this presentation.

And so they offered a sacrifice. Now they offered the lowest version of the sacrifice that could be offered, indicating that Mary and Joseph were very poor, but they fulfilled the law. They fulfilled what the Lord had provided in his word. Our Savior fulfilled the whole law perfectly, even from the very beginning when he had no say in the matter. This, of course, continued on for the rest of his life.

His whole life, all his walking days, all his adolescent days, all his ministry days, his crucifixion, he walked in perfect harmony with the word of God and the law of God. Something interesting to think about in this, as Jesus mentioned, John chapter 5 verse 39, I believe is the verse to the religious leaders. All of these scriptures that you study so diligently, these are they that testify of me. And so we can see that not only he fulfilled the law in the sense that he kept it,

and that he walked in perfect, sinless life, but also that he fulfills the law, and that he is the fulfillment, that the law was shadows and foretold of the Lord. You can think about it this way. Here's just one example to think about the feasts that God prescribed for the nation of Israel.

Anybody know off the top of their head how many feasts were required each year for the males of Israel to participate in? Three. How many feasts were there in total prescribed in the law? Not as quick answer on that. It's a little bit rusty. We've been out of that part of the Old Testament for a bit. I get it. Leviticus chapter 23, if you want to dig into it.

You can walk through the various feasts that God had prescribed for his people. And it's interesting to walk through them. So the first two, right off the bat, you see Passover and unleavened bread. And we can immediately begin to consider how Jesus was the Passover lamb, how he was crucified at Passover. And so there is a fulfillment there.

that Jesus brought by his life and in his life of this feast that God had established thousands of years previously. The Feast of Firstfruits. Anybody know what the Feast of Firstfruits is associated with in the life and ministry of Jesus? Quick pop quiz. I know you weren't ready for that. Sorry. It's also known as the Feast of Pentecost. It is when Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit upon his church.

The Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, we can talk about all of these things. There's significance and purpose and meaning to all of them. I'm not going to get into all of the details here. But, you know, one thing that I thought was interesting is just thinking about the required annual feasts.

And it's a subject that comes up here in Luke chapter two because of what we see here about shepherds in the field and the birth of Jesus. And so, you know, you kind of begs the question, was it December 25th and all of that? And so, you know, the Bible never tells us anywhere that December 25th is the birthday of Jesus. And so there's a lot of discussion and talk that could be had around what exactly day it was, what exact season it was. And one idea that is interesting

shared from time to time, and I think this one is a little bit intriguing, is that as you look at the three required feasts, two of them are clearly fulfilled in that the Feast of Unleavened Bread, fulfilled by Jesus at the cross, the Feast of Pentecost, fulfilled by Jesus pouring out the Holy Spirit upon the church. One idea, one possibility, is that the Feast of Tabernacles is the

going to be fulfilled when Jesus returns for his church. But another variation of that idea is that the Feast of Tabernacles perhaps was fulfilled at the birth of Jesus. That it's possible, just as Jesus was crucified on Passover, that Jesus actually was born at the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles. Now, the Feast of Tabernacles was an eight-day feast that

So if he is born at the first day, then that would mean on the eighth day when he is circumcised, it was that last, that greatest day of the feast, that same day that Jesus would later stand up in John chapter seven and say, if anyone's thirsty, let him come to me and drink. As he's, as a baby, eight days old, fulfilling the scriptures, he was perhaps fulfilling the scriptures also in this feast. Now there's no way to prove this and there's no way to solidify it, you know, and say it definitely. But I find it intriguing to consider that

These feasts, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, they do speak of Jesus. And we might speculate and guess incorrectly. But in the end, the Lord will reveal to us the reality and how these represented Jesus. But there's a possibility that the three required feasts have been fulfilled in that the Lord has come.

He has been born, he has been circumcised, he has been crucified, and he has poured out his Holy Spirit upon the church. The Feast of Tabernacles was that feast where they remembered the time in the wilderness.

how God provided for them and prepared for them, having delivered them out of Egypt. There's some great correspondence there with the life and ministry of Jesus himself, but also what he provides to his people and the deliverance. And then in John 1, verse 14, it tells us that the word became flesh and

And another way to say that is the word became flesh and tabernacled among us. He pitched his tent among us. The Feast of Tabernacles, they would actually gather around Jerusalem and set up tents like they had in the wilderness to remember, to remind themselves of the tents that they were in. And so it's the Feast of Tents and Jesus pitched a tent among us.

Being God became man to dwell among us. He is the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And so...

Our Savior fulfills the whole law perfectly, one way or another, whether it be, you know, in his birth at the Feast of Tabernacles or not, that's something you can play with in your mind if you want to or wrestle with, but not really crucial in the end because whatever way you slice it, whatever way you cut it, we don't have all the information yet, but it will be revealed in the Lord's time. Every decision that the Lord made was in line with and harmony with the law of God.

Everything that happened in Jesus' life to him, in his circumcision, in the presentation, in the offering that needed to be offered when he was born, it was all done in harmony with and fulfillment of the law of God. And so in every aspect, he fulfills it. But he also fulfills it because he is the one that was promised. He also fulfills it because he is the one that the scriptures speak about, our Savior, Jesus.

King of kings and Lord of lords. He came at the right place in time. He was born and yet is Christ the Lord. He's a humble savior who deserves all glory because he fulfilled the whole law of God perfectly without fail to become the innocent, perfect sacrifice for us. Lord, we thank you for your word and for these incredible truths, Lord, of what you have done for us.

and the lengths that you have gone to humble yourself, to reduce yourself on our behalf. And Lord, we are completely unworthy and absolutely undeserving. But Lord, we thank you. And we receive you as our Savior. We receive the gift that you offer. Lord, we desire to glorify you for all that you are and all that you've done for us. Help us, Lord, to do so, to receive you fully, to seek you earnestly.

to make you widely known, to ponder in our hearts everything that you say, everything that we hear, but all that is of you. Let it weigh upon our hearts that we would meditate on you night and day and day and night. And Lord, I pray that you would teach us to go our way, glorifying and praising you for all that you continue to do. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.