Micah 5:2
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Luke 2:1-9
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And 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. 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.
I. Introduction
Bethlehem. The word invokes such a rush of memories for even those of us who have never set step into the land of Israel. This hallmark of cities has brought many things into our lives. It is steeped in history, even before the portion of scripture that I read as a text tonight.
· Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, would be buried here
· Ruth settled here, a stranger that was brought into the family record of Jesus from Moab
· David was a son of Bethlehem
· Samuel would bring the anointing oil here to crown the next King of Israel
· It was the well that David’s mighty men would draw water from after battling through the host of Philistines
· And ultimately, it served as the birth ward of Jesus the Messiah
Much has changed in the years since then. Bethlehem is an unsettled place. There is a concrete curtain that surrounds the city, allowing for only one entrance in and out of the border. It seems to me that the entrance of to the city of the Messiah has gradually been reduced in size so that there is very little way to get to the city where Jesus was born.
The steel gate booms behind you if you allowed to entrance into this small town about five miles south of Jerusalem. This city where the angels would herald from the hillside, has closed its doors to those seeking the Messiah.
Around the traditional place of which Jesus was born, a church has been built. A small cave served as the place where Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger. Pilgrims still come to this church, kneeling in worship to the King that has already come, yet those get fewer each year.
So tonight, I preach to you, “A Decreasing Doorway.”
II. Text
In our text, we read verses of what are the most familiar passages of scripture. It is the culmination of the entirety of prophetic utterance from the Old Testament, beginning with Mother Eve. Even amongst those who aren’t believers, this portion of scripture is widely known.
It is the beautiful story of the birth of the redeemer. Imagine- a virgin is found with child and this story of redemption and grace suddenly steps to the forefront of history. Yet it was the small prophetic utterance from the mouth of Micah that would illustrate that greatness is not dependent on place, time or circumstance.
Though thou are small. . . . .it is the small places of life where greatness was and is born.
A. Jesus was born to the refrains of Angels
The entrance of the Messiah was accompanied by the refrains of the angels, as the songs so beautifully puts it
While shepherds kept their watchingo'er silent flocks by night,behold, throughout the heavensThere shone a holy light.The shepherds feared and trembledwhen lo, above the earthrang out the angel chorusthat hailed our Saviour's birth!
It was not an entrance that was hidden from mankind. The shepherds heard the voice of the angels ringing out over the quiet hillsides announcing the glorious birth of the Messiah. While Herod couldn’t hear the angel band, these simple shepherds understood clearly what was happening.
· I would rather be a shepherd on the hillside and hear, than to be a King whose deafness destroyed him
As the angels clearly and with clarity announced this occasion, the birth of Jesus was confirmed to the world. Obviously, there is and was great need to shout the news of His birth to the world. Those simple shepherds were given a great gift so they could come and worship at the manger. God chose these men to attend to the Messiah. I believe that He is still choosing men to attend to the Messiah.
· For some, it comes like a blinding light
· For others, it comes as a gentle voice
· And then, for others, the angels still appear to announce the arrival of the Messiah
Amongst the hay, and the sound of animals moving about in the stable, Jesus was carefully wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid down in the manger. Is it any surprise that Jesus was laid in the manger?
Yet in the beauty of the angel chorus, the doorway of hope was hidden from some of those that were in the surrounding area. It was in those same hills that other shepherds lived. In Bethlehem, there were many gathered, and yet it is not recorded that any of those attended to the Messiah.
Somehow there was a doorway that had been flung open for the shepherds, and yet others had not had the same invitation or worse yet, ignored the heavenly gathering outside on the hills.
B. Jesus was born, and the Wise Men came
From the simple shepherds, to the echelons of wisdom, the wise men heard the call, and followed the star. The voice of God came to those that would hear.
What, then did the voice of God sound like to these men? What does the voice of God sound like at all? Often the heralding voice of God does not come in angel choirs, nor is there a star.
· Samuel would here the voice of God in his bedroom, and there he would rush to answer Eli. The voice of God came to young Samuel with the same voice of the High Priest in his life.
· Mighty thunder and lightning came, yet it was in a still, small voice that the prophet would actually hear the voice of God,
These wise men came from a far country, perhaps that of the Medes. But regardless of origin they came from, they heard the call of God. Perhaps of all things, hearing and obeying the voice of God is paramount. If we don’t hear the voice of God, we could easily miss the birth of the Messiah in our lives.
Wise men still search for the Messiah. It is imperative that we understand that searching for Him is the most important thing in our lives. Yet in this search, you can be assured that God is definitely calling to you.
These wise men were looking for the Messiah, and came and knelt at the Messiah’s side. Sure, the gifts came in handy at a further date. But you will find what you are looking for.
· Abraham looked for a city whose builder and maker was God, and I think that he found it
· He looked for a sacrifice, and he found it stuck in the thicket
Still, there is the necessary ingredient in hearing the voice of God. It is the absolute of obeying that voice. Time and circumstances will do their best to wither the voice of God in your life, and suddenly, a wise man’s journey is short circuited on the altar of personal pleasure.
These wise men would approach Herod the Great regarding this Christ child, and receive a chilling answer. . . “when you find him, let me know. . . .” This hallmarked the double meaning of Bethlehem’s name. On one hand, it was “the House of Bread,” but on the other it is also known as the “House of War.” While Jesus was laying there in the manger, a great battle had been set in array, and it was absolutely appropriate that Jesus would be born here in this place.
Bethlehem will either be known as a “House of Bread” to you, or it will be the “House of War” that defeats you. There are no neutrals in this decision. This decision of Herod of not embracing the House of Bread committed him to the House of War. He killed thousands of baby boys in his war on the House of Bread. And he lost.
C. Jesus Came, But Man Started Closing the Door
In the days and weeks that followed the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were forced to go to Egypt to escape the hand of Herod. It would begin a pattern of rejection that Jesus would come to know closely. There, the King of Kings that was born a King would not reign in splendor, but would serve as a helper in a carpenters shop.
It is amazing to note that He was born King. Don’t think that this has ever happened, and I don’t think that it ever will. Kings are made. Yet this one was born a King. There in the rough outskirts of Jerusalem, a King was born and lived his first days. It would be the opposite of what I would want.
Although He was attended by the Wise men and the shepherds, it seems a little less than what a Kings arrival would require. The doors had began to shut almost as soon as He arrived. It seems as though as the swaddling clothes were wrapped around him, his rejection had already began.
As it is in Bethlehem now, with the walls rising around the city of His birth, there is a closing of the door on Him. The tradition place of his birth has now been surrounded by concrete and where a large door used to be, the church has been encased in concrete, and the door that held such hope has been gradually reduced in size so that now, in order to get inside, you are almost forced onto your hands and knees.
The doorway has been blocked, little by little, and one day, it stands to reason that it will be completely blocked.
I stand tonight to tell you that He didn’t come to stand in an ever Decreasing Doorway, but that he has flung open the door for us to walk through.
III. Conclusion
I stand here tonight to let you know that
· He didn’t stay in a manger. . .
· He didn’t stay in Egypt.
· He didn’t stay sitting on a well
· He didn’t stay in a rocking boat
· He didn’t stay on a rugged cross
· He didn’t stay in a tomb
It would be Bildad the Shuhite, in his talk with Job, that really spoke a truth that was prophetic in utterance, and I don’t think that he meant it to be, that really applies here.
Job 8:7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
The door may have closed on the manger and the stable that He was placed in, but that wasn’t the door he was bound to stay behind. He came out of all of these, and the next time He will return in the eastern sky. Here is the key. Jesus didn’t stay a baby in a manger.
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Luke 2:1-9
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And 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. 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.
I. Introduction
Bethlehem. The word invokes such a rush of memories for even those of us who have never set step into the land of Israel. This hallmark of cities has brought many things into our lives. It is steeped in history, even before the portion of scripture that I read as a text tonight.
· Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, would be buried here
· Ruth settled here, a stranger that was brought into the family record of Jesus from Moab
· David was a son of Bethlehem
· Samuel would bring the anointing oil here to crown the next King of Israel
· It was the well that David’s mighty men would draw water from after battling through the host of Philistines
· And ultimately, it served as the birth ward of Jesus the Messiah
Much has changed in the years since then. Bethlehem is an unsettled place. There is a concrete curtain that surrounds the city, allowing for only one entrance in and out of the border. It seems to me that the entrance of to the city of the Messiah has gradually been reduced in size so that there is very little way to get to the city where Jesus was born.
The steel gate booms behind you if you allowed to entrance into this small town about five miles south of Jerusalem. This city where the angels would herald from the hillside, has closed its doors to those seeking the Messiah.
Around the traditional place of which Jesus was born, a church has been built. A small cave served as the place where Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger. Pilgrims still come to this church, kneeling in worship to the King that has already come, yet those get fewer each year.
So tonight, I preach to you, “A Decreasing Doorway.”
II. Text
In our text, we read verses of what are the most familiar passages of scripture. It is the culmination of the entirety of prophetic utterance from the Old Testament, beginning with Mother Eve. Even amongst those who aren’t believers, this portion of scripture is widely known.
It is the beautiful story of the birth of the redeemer. Imagine- a virgin is found with child and this story of redemption and grace suddenly steps to the forefront of history. Yet it was the small prophetic utterance from the mouth of Micah that would illustrate that greatness is not dependent on place, time or circumstance.
Though thou are small. . . . .it is the small places of life where greatness was and is born.
A. Jesus was born to the refrains of Angels
The entrance of the Messiah was accompanied by the refrains of the angels, as the songs so beautifully puts it
While shepherds kept their watchingo'er silent flocks by night,behold, throughout the heavensThere shone a holy light.The shepherds feared and trembledwhen lo, above the earthrang out the angel chorusthat hailed our Saviour's birth!
It was not an entrance that was hidden from mankind. The shepherds heard the voice of the angels ringing out over the quiet hillsides announcing the glorious birth of the Messiah. While Herod couldn’t hear the angel band, these simple shepherds understood clearly what was happening.
· I would rather be a shepherd on the hillside and hear, than to be a King whose deafness destroyed him
As the angels clearly and with clarity announced this occasion, the birth of Jesus was confirmed to the world. Obviously, there is and was great need to shout the news of His birth to the world. Those simple shepherds were given a great gift so they could come and worship at the manger. God chose these men to attend to the Messiah. I believe that He is still choosing men to attend to the Messiah.
· For some, it comes like a blinding light
· For others, it comes as a gentle voice
· And then, for others, the angels still appear to announce the arrival of the Messiah
Amongst the hay, and the sound of animals moving about in the stable, Jesus was carefully wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid down in the manger. Is it any surprise that Jesus was laid in the manger?
Yet in the beauty of the angel chorus, the doorway of hope was hidden from some of those that were in the surrounding area. It was in those same hills that other shepherds lived. In Bethlehem, there were many gathered, and yet it is not recorded that any of those attended to the Messiah.
Somehow there was a doorway that had been flung open for the shepherds, and yet others had not had the same invitation or worse yet, ignored the heavenly gathering outside on the hills.
B. Jesus was born, and the Wise Men came
From the simple shepherds, to the echelons of wisdom, the wise men heard the call, and followed the star. The voice of God came to those that would hear.
What, then did the voice of God sound like to these men? What does the voice of God sound like at all? Often the heralding voice of God does not come in angel choirs, nor is there a star.
· Samuel would here the voice of God in his bedroom, and there he would rush to answer Eli. The voice of God came to young Samuel with the same voice of the High Priest in his life.
· Mighty thunder and lightning came, yet it was in a still, small voice that the prophet would actually hear the voice of God,
These wise men came from a far country, perhaps that of the Medes. But regardless of origin they came from, they heard the call of God. Perhaps of all things, hearing and obeying the voice of God is paramount. If we don’t hear the voice of God, we could easily miss the birth of the Messiah in our lives.
Wise men still search for the Messiah. It is imperative that we understand that searching for Him is the most important thing in our lives. Yet in this search, you can be assured that God is definitely calling to you.
These wise men were looking for the Messiah, and came and knelt at the Messiah’s side. Sure, the gifts came in handy at a further date. But you will find what you are looking for.
· Abraham looked for a city whose builder and maker was God, and I think that he found it
· He looked for a sacrifice, and he found it stuck in the thicket
Still, there is the necessary ingredient in hearing the voice of God. It is the absolute of obeying that voice. Time and circumstances will do their best to wither the voice of God in your life, and suddenly, a wise man’s journey is short circuited on the altar of personal pleasure.
These wise men would approach Herod the Great regarding this Christ child, and receive a chilling answer. . . “when you find him, let me know. . . .” This hallmarked the double meaning of Bethlehem’s name. On one hand, it was “the House of Bread,” but on the other it is also known as the “House of War.” While Jesus was laying there in the manger, a great battle had been set in array, and it was absolutely appropriate that Jesus would be born here in this place.
Bethlehem will either be known as a “House of Bread” to you, or it will be the “House of War” that defeats you. There are no neutrals in this decision. This decision of Herod of not embracing the House of Bread committed him to the House of War. He killed thousands of baby boys in his war on the House of Bread. And he lost.
C. Jesus Came, But Man Started Closing the Door
In the days and weeks that followed the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were forced to go to Egypt to escape the hand of Herod. It would begin a pattern of rejection that Jesus would come to know closely. There, the King of Kings that was born a King would not reign in splendor, but would serve as a helper in a carpenters shop.
It is amazing to note that He was born King. Don’t think that this has ever happened, and I don’t think that it ever will. Kings are made. Yet this one was born a King. There in the rough outskirts of Jerusalem, a King was born and lived his first days. It would be the opposite of what I would want.
Although He was attended by the Wise men and the shepherds, it seems a little less than what a Kings arrival would require. The doors had began to shut almost as soon as He arrived. It seems as though as the swaddling clothes were wrapped around him, his rejection had already began.
As it is in Bethlehem now, with the walls rising around the city of His birth, there is a closing of the door on Him. The tradition place of his birth has now been surrounded by concrete and where a large door used to be, the church has been encased in concrete, and the door that held such hope has been gradually reduced in size so that now, in order to get inside, you are almost forced onto your hands and knees.
The doorway has been blocked, little by little, and one day, it stands to reason that it will be completely blocked.
I stand tonight to tell you that He didn’t come to stand in an ever Decreasing Doorway, but that he has flung open the door for us to walk through.
III. Conclusion
I stand here tonight to let you know that
· He didn’t stay in a manger. . .
· He didn’t stay in Egypt.
· He didn’t stay sitting on a well
· He didn’t stay in a rocking boat
· He didn’t stay on a rugged cross
· He didn’t stay in a tomb
It would be Bildad the Shuhite, in his talk with Job, that really spoke a truth that was prophetic in utterance, and I don’t think that he meant it to be, that really applies here.
Job 8:7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
The door may have closed on the manger and the stable that He was placed in, but that wasn’t the door he was bound to stay behind. He came out of all of these, and the next time He will return in the eastern sky. Here is the key. Jesus didn’t stay a baby in a manger.
-Close the door on his birth, and you don’t have much. . . .he is gone.
-Try to kill him the crowd, and he'll slip through, because it is not his time yet.
-Close the door via unbelief. Even try closing the door to his tomb. . . .but He didn’t stay there either.
There will be no way to close him out, to Decrease the Doorway, but there will be a sky that was made for him to step through. It just seems to me that His doorways keep getting a little bigger and bigger.
There will be no way to close him out, to Decrease the Doorway, but there will be a sky that was made for him to step through. It just seems to me that His doorways keep getting a little bigger and bigger.
And there's one place where the doors never close, and never get smaller. That's the stable I want to pull into one of these days.
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