The Manger: A Manifestation of Majesty and Mystery, Part 1

Today, we want to begin our study on the manger, how the manger itself is a manifestation of majesty and mystery. So much is said about the Christmas story. So much is read throughout the Christmas season about the coming of the Messiah.

But there are so many details that are easily missed and we don't want you to miss them. And that's why every year, we spend the month of December talking to you about the incarnation of Christ, the celebration of the birth, the events surrounding that, because everything about it is filled with majesty and mystery. That's all fulfilled in the New Testament.

And so we want to be able to open your eyes to be able to see some of the glorious truths that are written about our Christ and to understand everything there is to know about this lowly feeding trough in a grotto in Bethlehem and how within that feeding trough lied majesty and mystery in the Christ child. If you got your Bible, turn with me to Luke chapter two. Luke chapter two, that very familiar story that we read every Christmas, but yet hopefully will open your eyes this morning to the things that maybe you've never seen before to understand this manger and how it manifests the majesty and mystery of our God.

It says in Luke chapter two, verse number one, now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria and everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and family of David.

In order to register along with Mary who was engaged to him and was with child, while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth and she gave birth to her firstborn son and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region, there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone all around them and they were terribly frightened, but the angel said to them, do not be afraid for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people.

For today in the city of David, there has been born for you a savior who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Now, we wish there was more to the story. We wish there were more details. She gave birth and she laid him in a manger or a feeding trough.

We wish there was more details as to the surrounding events, but the Bible gives us all the details that we need to help us understand the majesty and the mystery of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, when Mary gave birth, she gave birth like any woman in the world would give birth, but she gave birth to a child that's unlike any other child that's been born because she gave birth to the Messiah. She gave birth to the Lord God of Israel.

This is the enfleshment of God. God becoming man. That in itself is a mystery, but yet it's filled with great wonder and majesty.

So when you think about the manger, how it's a manifestation of majesty, it's all because of the power of providence. When you think of the manger, how it's a manifestation of mystery, it's all because of the precision of prophecy. And to be able to understand that opens your eyes to the beauty of not just the story, but the beauty of the gospel, the beauty of all that God has for people like you and me to understand the greatness of his coming.

So the Bible says in verse number one of Luke chapter two, in those days, what days? Well, they were the days in which angel Gabriel came to Zacharias and Elizabeth and explained to them that they would have a child that would be the forerunner to the Messiah. It was in those days that John the Baptist had been born three months before the arrival of the Messiah. It was in those days that the angel Gabriel came to Mary and announced to her that she was gonna give birth to a son having never known a man.

And she would be having her womb, a child that would be conceived because of the power of the spirit of God. It was in those days. In fact, Paul says it this way in Galatians chapter four, verse number four, that in the fullness of time, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who are under the law.

So in the fullness of time, when the time was exactly right, it was the precise time. It was the precise time politically in the nation. It was the precise time economically and spiritually.

It was the perfect time for the arrival of the Messiah. When everything was done, when everything was completed, this was the time that the Messiah would arrive. And you will note that this precise time includes the great majesty of God in the power of providence.

Remember, providence is the details that work out the sovereignty of God. God of sovereignty rules over all, right? And yet the providence of God are the specific details within that sovereignty that help you understand how God is in charge of everything. And notice what God does.

God uses a pagan ruler to move a righteous couple to Bethlehem. Mary's pregnant. She's gonna give birth to the child.

Mary and Joseph are still in Nazareth. The prophecy says in Micah five, verse number two, that the child will be born in Bethlehem. The question comes, did Mary and Joseph know the prophecy of Micah five, verse number two? We would assume they would know because once she conceived this child, everything about them would study the scriptures of the Old Testament to figure out how all this comes to be.

So they would be meticulously studying the Old Testament as two young couples, probably Mary around 13 or 14 years of age. Joseph maybe a little older than that but they would study the scriptures, the Old Testament to see what is it about the birth of this Messiah that we need to know before it actually happens. So we would assume they would know the baby would be born in Bethlehem.

But the fact of the matter is they're still in Nazareth, some 90 miles away. So how does God move a nine-month pregnant woman from Nazareth to Bethlehem? Not in a car, not on smooth highway roads, not in a plane, not on a train, but on the backside of a donkey or walking alongside of a donkey or in a carriage moving her along while she's nine months pregnant. God has to move them.

So he works not in a righteous person, he works in an unrighteous person. He works in a pagan ruler, in the heart of a pagan king to move Mary and Joseph from where they were to a place called Bethlehem so the purposes of God, the prophecies of God, the promises of God will all be fulfilled. This Christmas, I want you to understand something, that God will use the unbeliever in your life in ways that you can't even begin to imagine.

We tend to think that God only uses the believer in our life that's not true. God is providentially working out every detail of our lives. And with that, there are believers and unbelievers that God uses to bring about his perfect purposes in your life and mine.

But so God can use the unbeliever in a very particular way to move the righteous person to where he needs to be because that's the majesty of God, that's the power, the power of providence working day in and day out. So let's talk about majesty. Let's talk about the majestic nature of God.

The psalmist would speak of it quite readily. In fact, over in Psalm chapter 29, it says, the voice of the Lord is upon the waters. The glory of God thunders.

The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic.

It's majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

The voice of the Lord hues out flames of fire. So the voice of the Lord is majestic. In the Hebrew word for majesty or majestic is the word that means to be wide, to be great, to be powerful, to be high.

Remember God is called El Elyon, the most high God. Well, his height is seen in his majesty because his height is over all things. He controls all things.

So it speaks about the majesty of God in terms of the greatness of his power. And so the voice of the Lord, it says, is majestic because it's powerful. It's great.

It breaks the cedars of Lebanon. And then over in Psalm, excuse me, Psalm 95, it says, oh, come, let us sing for joy to the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to him with psalms for the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. And he says these words in verse chapter, excuse me, Psalm 96, for all the gods, the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. In other words, splendor and majesty are before him.

That's what makes him who he is so that in his sanctuary, there's nothing but beauty. And then you turn over to Psalm 104, it says, bless the Lord, oh, my soul. Oh, Lord, my God, you are very great.

You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a cloak, stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. Speaking once again of the greatness and the power of the majesty of God. And then over in Psalm 145, it says, on the glorious splendor of your majesty and on your wonderful works, I will meditate.

Men shall speak of the power of your awesome acts, and I will tell of your greatness. So when the psalmist is speaking about the majesty of God, he's speaking of a splendor. He's speaking of his greatness, his power, the ability of his grandeur to accomplish all things.

And so when you speak of the manger being a place of majesty, it's a place where the King who is clothed in majestic apparel would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lie in a manger. That's what makes it so mysterious. Why would God do that? In fact, God is so majestic that the unbeliever doesn't see it.

Let's know what the Bible says. It says, Psalm, excuse me, Isaiah 26, verse number nine. At night, my soul longs for you.

Indeed, my spirit within me seeks you diligently. For when the earth experiences your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. Though the wicked is shown favor, he does not learn righteousness.

He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness and does not perceive the majesty of the Lord. As majestic as God is, as great as he is, filled with splendor and glory, the unbeliever does not see the majesty of God. Remember Peter in his epistle? Relates to us a story of the majesty of God over in second Peter chapter one.

The Bible says these words in verse number 16. For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. So Peter's saying that we saw the majesty of God.

We saw it in his miracles. We saw it in his resurrection. We saw it in his ascension.

We saw the majesty of God on display. But he's referring to a specific time in which the majesty of God was seen. So he says, for when he received honor and glory from God, the father, such an utterance as this was made to him by the majestic glory.

This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. And we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. So Peter specifically refers to an incident in which the majesty of God was clearly seen.

Outside of his resurrection and outside of his ascension and outside of all the miracles, they were on top of what is called the Mount of Transfiguration. Most of us believe it's Mount Hermon in the land of Israel, that there the Lord unzipped his flesh and the glory of the Lord would shine forth and a great cloud encompassed him. And the Lord God who was majestic said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

And on that mountain was Elijah and Moses. And Peter said, hey, should we make a tabernacle for Elijah, for Moses and for you Lord, realizing that the glory of the Lord is now among us, dwelling among us as you promised. Remember, Christ earlier said, there will be some of you who will see the kingdom coming in great glory.

And Peter, James and John were the ones who were able to see that. And Peter says in 2 Peter 1, this is the majesty of God on display. We saw it before our very eyes.

The splendor of his power was seen. The glory of his person was observed. It was all there before us.

And he says, yet we have a more sure word of prophecy. The word of God is that authority by which we live our lives. Interesting that after the Mount of Transfiguration, the Bible tells us in Luke chapter nine, that Peter, James and John and the Lord came down from that mountain.

And they encountered a man who had a son who was demon possessed. And he comes to the Lord and says, Lord, your disciples tried to cast the demon out of my son, but they were unable to do so. And Christ would say to his men, these words, you unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son to me.

So it says, while he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.

Some translations say the greatness of God. Well, the word greatness is the same word translated majesty in second Peter chapter one, when Peter speaks of his majestic glory. They were all marveling at the majesty of God, the power of God on display.

And all of that power and all that majesty and all that greatness was located in the feeding trough at the birth in Bethlehem. The Bible says, oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. Psalm eight, verse number one.

The psalmist closes with the same words, oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. And in between there, verse one and verse nine, there is this talk about what is man that thou are mindful of him, that thou would visit him. The psalmist is taken back by the fact that the majesty of God is so great and yet it would come to visit man.

And the writer of Hebrews would quote Psalm eight and apply those verses to the Messiah because the Messiah not only came to us, he cared for us in such a way that he came down to earth for us. That's the majesty of God on display. So the psalmist would say, oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic, how great, how wide, how high is your name in all the earth? So when we look at the manger, it's a manifestation of majesty because the majestic King lies in a manger.

But it's also a manifestation of a mystery, a mystery because behind everything is the precision of prophecy. And how it all comes together in Bethlehem. The Bible speaks a lot about mysteries.

And when it talks about mysteries, it's speaking specifically about things that were concealed in the Old Testament but now revealed in the New Testament. Very important to understand that. In fact, throughout the New Testament, those mysteries are reiterated.

In fact, it says in Matthew 13, 11, there are mysteries concerning the kingdom of heaven. In Luke 8, verse number 10, they were called the mysteries of the kingdom of God. In Romans 11, the blindness of Israel is a mystery.

Something concealed in the old, but now revealed in the new. In 1 Corinthians 2, verse number seven, God's wisdom is a mystery. In other words, it was concealed in the Old Testament but now revealed in the New Testament.

How about this? Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4, verse number one, in verse number two, he says it's required of a steward that he be found faithful, right? We talk about that all the time when we talk about people in church being faithful. But what was Paul faithful to? Well, he tells us he is a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of Christ. In other words, if we are to be found faithful, servants of the Lord, we are found faithful because we minister the mysteries of Christ.

We help people discern that which was concealed in the Old Testament and now is revealed in the New Testament. That's where we were to be faithful to. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter three, it speaks to the mystery of Christ.

Ephesians five, it talks about the mystery of the church. In Ephesians six, it talks about the mystery of the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15, it talks about the mystery of the rapture of the church.

A lot of people today don't believe in the rapture of the church, right? But let me tell you something, the rapture of the church, the translation of the church into glory, 1 Corinthians 15, is a mystery. Just like the arrival of the Messiah was a mystery. Just like the kingdom of heaven is a mystery.

So if you believe in one of the mysteries, you have to believe in the other mysteries. You can't choose and pick which mystery you're gonna believe and which mystery you're not gonna believe, right? So I always tell my all millennial friends, look guys, there is a mystery in the Bible. That if you believe the mystery of the incarnation, you must then believe in the mystery of the translation of the church into glory before the great and terrible day of the Lord.

Because John 14, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians four, speak to it very clearly. It is a mystery. So you must take all the mysteries as one.

You can't pick and choose and throw out the mysteries you don't want to believe in, simply because they don't fit into your theological system. You gotta believe in them because the Bible teaches them. So over in the book of Colossians, it says this, Colossians two, verse number two, true knowledge of God's mystery is Christ.

The true knowledge of God's mystery is Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In other words, the mystery of Christ focuses in on the incarnation of Christ because in that child is the belief and revelation of the triune God of the universe. Because the triune nature of God was a mystery concealed in the old, but fully revealed in the new.

It says earlier in Colossians chapter one, it says that the mystery which has been hidden from past ages and generations, but has now been manifested in a saints to whom God will to make known what is the richest of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. So not only is the incarnation a mystery, but the indwelling Christ is a mystery. In other words, nowhere in the old Testament did they ever understand that the Messiah would actually take up residence in the people of God.

That was a mystery. But Christ came to unveil that mystery that we all would see the power and the majesty of the indwelling nature of the living God inside of his people. In fact, the Bible says over in the book of Ephesians, the third chapter, it says, by referring to this, when you read, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, Paul says, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the spirit.

To be specific that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. That was a mystery that the Gentiles, the pagan people would be partakers of the same gospel that was applied to the Jewish people. Said Jews and Gentiles would both be a part of the body of Christ and experience the indwelling power of the spirit of God in their lives.

That is a mystery and everything centers around the precision of the prophecies concerning that mystery. So if you go back to Luke's gospel, the second chapter, it talks about the city, it talks about Bethlehem, right? Bethlehem Ephrathah, that's what it says in Micah five verse number two. It was called Ephrath before it was ever called Bethlehem.

And this place, the house of bread, right? That's what Bethlehem means. Ephrath means fruitful because it was a very fruitful place but the ultimate fruit would come with the arrival of the Messiah. And look what it says in Luke's gospel.

It says this, while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. How many days was that? Bible didn't tell us. Was it five days, 10 days, 20 days? We don't know but we do know that she gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

A lot of conversation about the inn, right? People talk about it all the time. We think of an inn as a hotel or a motel but how it's used here, it's the Greek word kataluma which could be a guest house. It could be a place of residence.

It could be a place where visitors would stay. There's no clarity on the kataluma and what it is. It's really translated in upper room.

Now listen carefully, this is very important. If the kataluma, the inn is an upper room, there would be no room in this upper room wherever it may be for Mary and Joseph. Now, why is that? Well, that's understandable because everybody was going back because they had to fulfill recording their property, their family, their income.

It was a modern day IRS taking a census on all the people and all their money and property. So they had to go back and do that. Well, Bethlehem was overrun with people, with Roman soldiers.

And so every place that was available for people to sleep was taken. And so think about this. If it truly is an upper room, now we don't know because the Bible is not really clear here.

We just know it's a guest place, it's a sleeping lodge but we just know it's not a hotel. Right? We also know it's an upper room. And usually in those days, they would have an upper room where people would sleep and they would have a lower room.

This is very important, so please pay attention. They have a lower room, okay? And usually in the lower room would be a place where they would keep their animals. They would stay there.

And so the lodging would be on the top and the place where they would store their animals and the feed would be below. Now, is that the way it was? If it was, how do we know? Well, if you turn back in your Bible to the book of Micah, in the book of Micah, the fourth chapter, it says these words in verse number eight. We love Micah five, verse number two, because it says, but as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah.

From you, one will go forth for me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. In other words, whoever is born in Bethlehem is from the days of eternity.

In other words, he's already existed. He's already been around. That's very important to understand the eternal nature of the Messiah.

But in Micah four, verse number eight, look what it says. It says, as for you, tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you, it will come. What will come? Even the former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

So to you, tower of the flock. Now, what is the tower of the flock? In Hebrew, it's called Migdal Adair. It's usually one other time in the Old Testament, there's one, that's in Genesis chapter 35, Migdal Adair.

Why? Because in Genesis 35, who died? Rachel, while she was given birth to her second son, whose name would be Benjamin, which means son of my right hand. So in the death of Rachel and the birth of her son was the prophecy of the son that would eventually come, the son of God's right hand that would be born, where? At Migdal Adair. Where is Migdal Adair? Where is the tower of the flock? What Genesis 35 tells us, it's in Ephrath, it's in Bethlehem, that's where it is.

So what's the tower of the flock? You still with me? This is so good. I was waiting up all night to say this to you. So stay awake, will you? So what's the tower of the flock? Tower of the flock was a two-story building, right? On top, the shepherds would be on top to overlook the shepherd's fields.

Below would be the birthing place of the lambs, okay? And when the lambs were born in the birthing place, on the bottom half of the tower of the flock, they would wrap the lambs in swaddling clothes and lay them in a manger to keep them from filleting and kicking and falling and slipping and then becoming, what? Unproper or unfit to be used as a sacrifice as a lamb in Jerusalem because they would be scarred or marred. So they would wrap them in swaddling clothes until they were able to settle down before they let them out. Well, Macca 4.8, Genesis 35, Luke chapter two, a kataluma, which would be a guest house that would be above a bottom place where they would keep the animals, where they would keep the feed of the animals.

When there was no room for them in the kataluma, in the guest house, where do they go? Underneath the guest house to the place where the animals were. And there the feeding trough was, and there she gave birth, and there she wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Why? Because he's the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

And wraps him in swaddling clothes, lays him in a manger. So while you read the story of Luke's gospel in Luke chapter two, and there are so many things that are left out, all you gotta do is jump back in time and go back to Micah 4, verse number eight. Go back to Genesis chapter 35 and begin to understand that God was precisely working every detail because of his majestic glory and because of the fulfillment of all the mysteries of God in the incarnation of the Messiah.

This is just the greatest story ever. It's the most magnificent revelation ever to help us understand the majesty and mystery of the manger. It's more than just a place where animals feed.

It's a place where the Messiah, the majestic king of the universe, would be laid and wrapped in swaddling clothes by his mother Mary and laid there because of the greatness of the mystery. That was once concealed in the old and now revealed in the New Testament. And everything about the manger is magnificent.

And so over the next several weeks, we're gonna help you see this manger in ways that you have never seen it before. Hopefully we've already enlightened you already. But as we go through this, we're gonna help you understand that this manger is a place of mercy as well as a place of ministry.

It's a place of authority as well as a place of adversity. It's a place of nobility as well as a place of necessity. A place of glory as well as a place of generosity.

A place of excellency as well as a place of inquiry. A place of royalty as well as a place of responsibility. And we will take you through that over the next several weeks to open your eyes to the beauty of the manger, a manifestation of majesty and mystery.

Let me pray with you. Father, we thank you for today. So much to be said, so little time to say it.

And yet Lord, your majesty is put on display in unique and special ways. Everything was precisely put together with great perfection. We look back because we have the mysteries unveiled to us in the New Testament and we're able to see your magnificent glory on display.

We thank you for that. This morning as we gathered together to partake of the Lord's table, we were reminded once again, it's the lamb of God came to take away the sin of the world. We rejoice in that.

For without the incarnation, there is no crucifixion. No crucifixion, no resurrection. No resurrection, no ascension and no ascension, no glorification.

And you are the God who was set down at the right hand of your father who is in heaven because you are the king and you are the one we serve. May we do it joyfully until you come again as you most surely will. In Jesus' name, amen.