... Laid Him in a Manger
A Sermon on Luke 2:7
Originally preached Dec. 25, 1959
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
There is a vast difference between the good news of the eternal Son of God taking on flesh to rescue sinners and the vague commercialized cultural Christmas message of good cheer. The authoritative word of God does not present a Christmas message about the brotherhood of humanity and vague encouragement to have the Christmas spirit. In contrast are the facts about the Son of God and the significance of those facts. In this Christmas sermon on Luke 2:7 titled “…Laid Him in a Manger,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls the church to hold firmly to the historicity of the babe, born of a virgin, in Bethlehem, in a stable, and in the manger. Christians must rid themselves of false sentimentality about what Christmas is truly about and tell the truth about the world . The world, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is blinded to their real need. The world is cold and full of selfishness. The Son of God is humble and was born in the lowliest of situations. Even with the facts, says Dr. Lloyd-Jones, all should be amazed that God the Son would come at all for such a dark world. Moreover, when one has the facts, they see the love of God which led to the Son of God coming so that sinners might be reconciled to God. Listeners are encouraged to leave behind the philosophy of Christmas spirit and embrace the historical facts of God taking on human flesh.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon begins by emphasizing that the passage describes historical events, not just teachings or philosophy. The details about Caesar Augustus and Cyrenius anchor the events to a specific time and place.
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God is in control of history. He orchestrated the events surrounding Jesus's birth, including putting the idea of the census into Caesar's mind and ensuring the genealogical records were kept to prove Jesus's lineage.
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The world was unaware and unconcerned with the significance of Jesus's birth. People were preoccupied with things like politics, money, and taxes. The really important spiritual matters were ignored.
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The world was selfish, cruel, and unconcerned with a pregnant woman and newborn. There was "no room for them in the inn." People only cared about themselves.
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It's amazing that God sent Jesus into such a world. We should ask not why God allows evil but why he allows the world to exist at all.
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Jesus came in humility, born in a stable and laid in a manger. This shows the depths of his love in coming to save humanity.
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Jesus had to become human to save humans. He experienced life as a human, including poverty, temptation, and work. He came to die for our sins and rise again.
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God's love, grace, mercy, and compassion led him to send Jesus to save us, forgive us, and make us his children.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Christmas Sermon Questions and Answers
What is the main historical significance of the Christmas narrative according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the Christmas narrative is fundamentally historical, not a mere philosophy, teaching, or fairy tale. He emphasizes: "The christian message, the christian faith, the whole of the christian gospel, is based solidly upon events, upon facts that have taken place in the realm of history." He points to specific historical markers in the text like "Caesar Augustus" and "when Cyrenius was governor of Syria" as evidence that these were concrete events that occurred in real time and space, just as real as "the conquest of Britain" in ancient history.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain God's sovereignty in the Christmas story?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that God's control of history is evident in how He orchestrated the circumstances of Christ's birth. He points out that Caesar Augustus' decree for taxation wasn't a random act or whim but divinely inspired: "It was God who put it into his mind" to fulfill prophecy that Christ would be born in Bethlehem. He states, "God controlling history. Do you know of anything more comforting this morning?" Lloyd-Jones asserts that even pagan emperors are "but as clay in the hands of almighty God," emphasizing that "Everything is under his hand. Everything is in his power."
What contrast does Dr. Lloyd-Jones draw between the world's concerns and God's actions?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts the world's preoccupation with temporal matters against God's eternal purposes. He notes that at Christ's birth, people were "talking about the tax. The injustice of the tax... politics, taxes, money, prosperity," while completely missing "the most momentous thing that had ever happened in the world." He draws a parallel to today's world, which argues about "bombs and war and taxes and having a good time" while ignoring the gospel, which is "the one thing that really can put the world right." He observes that "The world is never aware of what is rarely significant."
What does the "no room in the inn" detail reveal about humanity according to the sermon?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the "no room in the inn" detail reveals "the utter selfishness and cruelty of the world." He describes humanity's attitude as: "What's a pregnant woman to a man who's always looking after himself? What's the phrase? I'm all right. I always look after number one." He extends this criticism to modern society, noting how self-centeredness manifests in statements like "If I want to gratify my lust and passion, what are my little children or the other woman's children?" This reveals humanity's fundamental selfishness that hasn't changed since Christ's time.
Why did Christ come in such a humble manner according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Christ came in humility because this was the only way to save humanity. He states, "There's only one way to save men. That is to become men's representative. That means taking on man's nature." Christ needed to "enter into our condition" rather than saving us "by a fiat from hidden" or "by a great display of eternal glory and power." The incarnation allowed Christ to be "tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin" and to fully share "human life in all its details." This humility was necessary for Him to "rescue us and redeem us" through His eventual sacrifice at Calvary.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the ultimate motivation behind Christ's coming?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies God's love as the ultimate motivation behind Christ's coming. In his closing thoughts, he states: "We end with this thought, the love that led to it all. That is why God didn't blot out the earth and the world and its peoples. His long suffering, his compassion, his love, his grace, his mercy." He describes the baby Jesus as "the love of God incarnate" and states "It is because God's name is love" that Christ humbled himself so that sinful humans "might be forgiven, might be reconciled to God, might be given a new nature, might indeed become ourselves the sons of God and the heirs of eternal glory."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrast the world's "Christmas spirit" with the true meaning of Christmas?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones contrasts the world's "Christmas spirit" with the true meaning of Christmas by noting that the world, "moved and instigated by the devil," tries to "evaporate all this into some vague general spirit of fellowship and friendship and good cheer." He dismisses this as having "nothing whatsoever to do with the great and glorious message of the christian gospel." He further critiques the worldly "Christmas spirit" as mere sentimentality, saying "It's no use telling me about the Christmas spirit. When people in a state of intoxication are more drunk than sober appear to be." The true meaning, by contrast, centers on God's historical intervention through Christ's incarnation.
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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.