As Little Children
A Sermon on Luke 2:7
Scripture
7And 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.
Sermon Description
The Christmas message as found in Holy Scripture is full of mystery. As one meditates on the true meaning of Christmas, one wonders why the eternal Son of God came in the particular way He did. Why was He born of a virgin? Why was He not born in a palace? Why did the Son of God live such a humble existence on earth as a carpenter? In this sermon on Luke 2:7 titled “As Little Children,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explores these questions in this thought-provoking Christmas message. He reminds the listener that the manner in which the Son of God came to earth stands in direct opposition to the pride, pomp, and outward show of fallen humanity. Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that the coming of the Son of God condemns the world. It condemns the world in how it evaluates greatness, in its belief in wealth, and belief in itself. But, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the Son of God coming to the world offers hope to the world. Although Christ comes in an entirely different manner than the world might expect, He comes to point to the way of salvation. He shows the world the necessity of becoming humble, so that God will become powerful in His children’s lives.
Sermon Breakdown
- The significance of Christmas is that God became flesh through Jesus Christ. We must fight to preserve the true meaning of Christmas.
- The devil tries to distort the meaning of Christmas. We must remember we celebrate Jesus, the Word made flesh.
- Jesus' birth was the crucial moment in God's salvation plan. God sent Jesus to redeem us.
- Jesus' birth condemns humanity's hopeless and helpless state due to sin. His birth shows we need a savior.
- Jesus' humble birth condemns our pride in humanity and belief we can solve our own problems.
- Jesus' birth condemns our belief in outward appearances, splendor and materialism. True greatness is spiritual, not material.
- Jesus' birth condemns our belief in wealth and money as power. He was born into poverty.
- Jesus' birth condemns our belief in strength, might and power. He came as a helpless baby.
- Jesus' birth condemns our belief in human wisdom and philosophy. He was a carpenter, not an academic.
- Jesus' birth teaches us God's ways are not our ways. We must think spiritually, not materially.
- Jesus' birth teaches us outward appearances don't matter, the heart and spirit do.
- Jesus' birth teaches us material values don't matter, spiritual values do.
- Jesus' birth teaches us time doesn't matter, eternity does.
- Jesus' birth teaches us our weakness doesn't matter, God's power does. Salvation is through faith in Christ, not our own efforts.
- Jesus' birth teaches us our relationship with God is most important, not our circumstances. We must seek first God's kingdom.
- To enter God's kingdom, we must become as children, be born again, abandon pride in self and trust in God. We will then become God's heirs.
Other Sermons
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.