(Read Luke 2:1-20; 19:9, 10; 23:351And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 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. 8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. (Luke 2:1‑20)
9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:9‑10)
35And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. (Luke 23:35); Acts 5:29-3229Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. (Acts 5:29‑32).)
THESE four Scriptures abound in glad tidings for lost men. For such there is a Saviour. You say, Who are lost? Well, are you a saved man, a saved woman? You reply, I could not say. Then what are you?
There are but the two classes, the lost and the saved, and we are all lost before we are saved. The Lord Himself preached that in Luke 19. His birth, however, is the irrefragable evidence that man was lost. What does a thirsty man need? Water. A hungry man craves bread; a sick man craves health; and a lost man ought to crave a Saviour. God knew the world was lost, and therefore in the deep love of His heart He sent His dear Son. Are you a saved man? If not, you have not understood the meaning of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into this world, and as far as you are concerned you have nullified it, because you have not let Him have His way with you.
You say, People cannot know they are saved. I beg your pardon, I know it, and you may know it. Like the apostles, we can say, “we are His witnesses of these things” (Acts 5:3232And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. (Acts 5:32)). He came into the world to seek and save that which was lost. He has saved me, and He wants to save you. That word, a Saviour, is a lovely word for men that know they are lost. It is a lovely word for anxious souls, for sin-burdened, spirit-convicted men and women.
“When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Gal. 4:44But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (Galatians 4:4)). When was the due time? The full time was come when it was manifest that man was utterly lost and undone, and could not meet his own case, nor put things right with God. Sin has produced an awful chasm, and there is only one bridge between man in his guilt and God in His holiness, and that is the dead body of God’s blessed Son. You will never reach God, know Him, or be fit for His presence save on the ground—not of the incarnation—but of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Incarnation in a certain sense bars my way to God, because incarnation reveals Christ as a man who suited God, a man who was fit for God—the thoughts of His heart, the words of His mouth, and all His deeds were suited to God. Are we thus pure? No, therefore His life only condemns us. While the veil hung in the temple the way to God was not open; but when Jesus died the veil was rent in twain—God rent it, and now the vilest sinner can go in. Christ incarnate makes me feel I am not fit for and cannot get to God; but Christ dead and risen, and the veil rent, shows me the work of redemption accomplished, by which the vilest can draw near to God. That is why God sent His Son, and I want you now to glance at the four Scriptures I have read, which present Him at His birth, during His life, then in His death, and finally in resurrection and ascension.
1. “A SAVIOUR, WHICH IS CHRIST THE LORD.”
Born, according to Scripture, at Bethlehem, true son of David, the fulfiller of every promise in His own Person, this blessed babe, Jesus, answered every Old Testament prophecy. He was born at Bethlehem in a wonderful way. Mary and Joseph lived at Nazareth, many miles away: how then will His birth be at Bethlehem? The Roman Emperor would like the census taken, to know how many nationalities there were in his dominions, and how many of each tribe, and so every one had to go to his own birthplace. The machinery of the Roman Empire thus put into motion simply fulfilled Scripture, by bringing the Saviour’s mother to Bethlehem.
Little reeked the Roman Emperor as he made that enactment, which was so objectionable to the Jews, that he was fulfilling Scripture. Mary and Joseph had to go up to Bethlehem, and there Jesus was born. When they reached there the Emperor changed his mind, hence the census was not taken till fourteen years after (see Luke 2:22(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) (Luke 2:2)), but God used the pride of man to carry out His purposes.
“And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (vs. 7). Why no room in the inn? You say, Oh, of course Augustus Cæsar’s order had crammed the hotels, and there was no room. I never knew a hotel that had not room for a rich man; but here was a poor man, and when Mary and Joseph arrived there was no room for them, so, out among the cattle His own hands had made Jesus, Himself the Creator, was born. You will say, It was a mere coincidence. Will you then tell me why there has been no room in your heart for Christ yet? Is that a coincidence? No, it is a manifestation of the state of your heart—a dreadful manifestation. There was no room in the inn then, and there has been no room in your heart for Jesus yet. That is man exposed.
In another part of Luke’s gospel it tells of a great supper spread, and when those that were bidden to it refused to come, the master of the feast said to his servant, “Go out quickly... and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and YET THERE IS ROOM” (ch. 14:22). That is God revealed.
There is room in God’s heart and at God’s feast for you, and I would recommend you to come in now. Shall there be room in your heart for Jesus? Let Him in. Away with those bolts and bars. You have kept Him outside all these years. If the love of Christ gets in, and you have the sense Christ has loved you, and died for you, you will let Him in. You have only one heart, and you have kept Him out; and one tongue, and it has never served Him yet. Repent now, and let Him in.
God sent His blessed Son to earth for a set purpose, and immediately He is born this purpose is intimated. “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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” (vss. 8, 9). That is what takes place in the history of a soul when it is going to be blessed of God. You have the sense God is drawing near to you, and it produces a Godly fear.
“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (vss. 10, 11). “Great joy,” and you have never tasted it? How is that? What is the reason, what is the secret of it? You ought to have the joy. You do not know what you are missing, you who do not know Christ. God has sent you a Saviour—not a helper, not a judge, not a detective officer. God is love, and here is love in activity, shown clearly in the gift of His son— “a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Whom will He save? You, if you will let Him.
Picture to yourself a sinking ship. The crew on board have lost their boats in the storm. One man goes aloft to scan the horizon, and sees a ship in the distance. How glad they are; they think there is the possibility of salvation. By-and-by the ship gets nearer, and they fire signals of distress. The answer comes back, “Help coming.” At length a lifeboat reaches them, and are they not glad? Yes, and saved too. I was a sinking sinner, and God sent a Saviour, and He has saved me. He is now ready to save you just where you are, for He is “A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
Now look at the effect of these wondrous tidings. This chapter gives you a picture of a handful of thorough converts. When the shepherds got the good tidings did they turn and say, It is very interesting? No. Did they ask each other, Is this reliable information? No. It is reserved for the twentieth century people to be doubtful, critical and infidel, and miserable too. Look at these simple shepherds. They “said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us” (vs. 15). They believe the tidings—they were believers. They act upon the tidings, they do not tarry— “Let us now go” is their determination. Let us go to the spot where He is. You will not find Him at Bethlehem, but at the Father’s right hand—not unwanted, among the cattle, but where He is wanted, a Man risen from the dead. If you set yourself to find Him, you are bound to find Him, because He has said, “he that seeketh findeth” (Matt. 7:88For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:8)). He has come to seek you, and if you set yourself to seek Him you will find Him.
“And they came with haste” (vs. 16). Their sheep and their business disappeared. They might have said, “We may lose some sheep, we may lose money over this”; they said, “Let us now go.” The sheep have no importance when the question of the Saviour is brought up. “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:3636For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36)). Better lose all our sheep than miss finding the Saviour—that is what they said practically. “And they came with haste, and found.” “He that seeketh findeth.” They received the gospel, the testimony that there was a Saviour, and they repaired to the spot where He was to be found; they had no doubt. They had a message from God about Him, so have you, and they sought and found Jesus.
“And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child” (vs. 17). They were capital converts, they received the truth, they came with haste, and when they had seen Him they told other people. “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them” (vs. 20). Nothing sets a man praising like knowing that Jesus is his own Saviour. You say, I believe Jesus is a Saviour, I have heard other people say so. That testimony is not worth much. Are you saved? Well, I am doubtful. Then you have never crossed the line yet. Do so now.
2. “COME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE.”
In Luke 19. there are two seekers—Zaccheus sought to see Jesus, and Jesus was seeking Zaccheus. You say, I would like to find Jesus. My dear friend, I have glorious news for you: He is seeking you. Zaccheus found Him, and the Lord said to Zaccheus, “This day is salvation come to this house” (vs. 9). Why had salvation come to that house? Zaccheus sought Jesus, found Him, and took Him home with him. I recommend you to do the same at once. Zaccheus took Him home, and people said, “That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner”; but when he got home the Lord said, “This day is salvation come to this house.” Zaccheus received the Saviour and was saved.
All through His life Jesus was saving sinners, and He is doing the same now.
3. “HE SAVED OTHERS”
was the testimony of the rulers as He hung on the tree at Calvary. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God” (Luke 23:3535And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. (Luke 23:35)). What was His answer to this taunt? He would not save Himself. Without the shedding of blood is no remission of sins, and if He had not died, you and I could not get life. Man’s sin was of such a nature before God, that nothing but the atoning death of His blessed Son could blot that sin out. He paid my debt with His life, with His own precious blood. He sacrificed Himself, the spotless, sinless, stainless, holy Jesus, that He might bring us to God. God is saving people all round today; He saves others, why should He not save you? If you do not get saved now, it is only because of the deep, deadly unbelief in your heart, and that sin is slowly carrying you to a lost eternity.
Any sin you may have committed against man pales before this—God has sent His Son into this world, and you have not bowed the knee to Him. This will come out by-and-by, that you were told about Him, you were called to Him, but other things came in, worked in your mind, wrought in your heart, and fatally influenced your history. The devil will always help to keep you from Christ, and if he succeed you will die as you have lived, an unforgiven sinner, the crowning sin of your life being that you did not believe in God’s dear Son. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:1616He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16)).
You may say you do not believe in damnation. Very likely; one thing is certain, you will get converted on that point very shortly, when too late to be converted to the One who would not save Himself that He might save others. If He had come down from that cross He could not have given His life a ransom for many, He would not have met the claims of God; but there, upon that tree, alone, He was made sin, and bore the judgment of man’s sin. There He laid down on the treasury bench of heaven the price of the sinner’s redemption. His blood alone can cleanse from sin, purge the conscience, and satisfy the claims of the altar; it has washed all my sins away, why not yours? The work that put sin away was done on the cross, and there Jesus said, “It is finished.” God forsook Him there. The judgment due to man He took, and then, redemption accomplished, He died, God having been glorified, and Satan’s power broken. That death of Christ in grace and atonement, that death of infinite value, is precious to God, and if you rest on the One who died and rose again, He will save you. There will rise up by-and-by a wonderful chorus from untold millions in glory, as they sing, “Thou art worthy... for thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood” (Rev. 5:99And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; (Revelation 5:9)). Will you be there to join it?
4. “A PRINCE AND A SAVIOUR.”
The work of redemption was finished when Jesus died, but resurrection must be known to enjoy redemption. Peter carries you to this point in Acts 5. There the opposing rulers in Israel wanted to crush out the testimony to a risen Christ. The work which saves, all done, Christ died and then rose. Death could not hold Him, He rose from the dead. He has glorified God about sin, and today there is an empty grave on earth, and the throne of God is filled on high by Jesus, for there He is “crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:99But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)). Hear Peter’s testimony: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree” (Acts 5:3030The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. (Acts 5:30)). If you have given Him no place in your heart, practically speaking you are as guilty as they. If you have not come over to His side you are on the world’s side, the wrong side of the line. “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (vs. 31).
Man put Jesus on a cross, crowned with thorns. Hatred slew Him, but love buried Him, for His death brought out affection that had never been manifested before. What was it, however, that put a seal on the stone at the mouth of the sepulcher, and a guard of men with drawn swords round that stone? It was fear—fear of resurrection. A sealed stone was to keep the Son of God in the grave. What folly! An angel rolled away that stone, not to let the Saviour out most assuredly, but to let us look into the tomb and learn the glorious tidings that He is risen, the victory won, sin put away, the devil defeated, and the grave broken up. Now He has gone on high, “a Prince and a Saviour.” Get into His retinue now Let Him save you, and carry you, and care for you, and you will have the privilege of serving Him.
God has exalted Jesus for “to give repentance to Israel.” What is repentance? Self-judgment. You judge yourself as a good-for-nothing, hell-deserving sinner, and He will accord you forgiveness of all your sins, and you will be found at His feet, a blessed, pardoned sinner, saved by His grace. Will you not cross the line now? Be assured of the truth of all this, for Peter then adds, “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him” (vs. 32). The Holy Ghost has come down from an ascended Saviour in glory, and He is now here, and dwells in every Christian. He is not in you yet if you are not a Christian. Who, then, gets the Holy Ghost? The one who obeys Christ.
Reader, have you obeyed Him yet?
W. T. P. W.