Newborn King: No Room
Two thousand years ago there was no room for the Savior. Can the same be said of us today?

When it comes to your heart, where is Jesus this Christmas Eve?
Safe at home? Or out back in a shed somewhere?

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:1-6‬‬
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

With everything else God arranged for the birth of the Savior of the world –
-generations of prophecies promising His arrival
-the angels carrying out missions
-the magi searching the sky
-Mary’s pregnancy
-Joseph’s dream
Why couldn’t/didn’t God arrange for a place for Jesus to be born?

The fact is, God did arrange a place…a manger.
God did arrange the first rejection of the Savior just before His birth. And a visible reminder of the rejection that would happen again and again, even today.

Do you have room today for Jesus?

“In the Bleak Midwinter”
by Christina Rossetti

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

http://bible.com/events/48817119

Newborn King: No Room
Two thousand years ago there was no room for the Savior. Can the same be said of us today?

When it comes to your heart, where is Jesus this Christmas Eve?
Safe at home? Or out back in a shed somewhere?

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:1-6‬‬
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

With everything else God arranged for the birth of the Savior of the world –
-generations of prophecies promising His arrival
-the angels carrying out missions
-the magi searching the sky
-Mary’s pregnancy
-Joseph’s dream
Why couldn’t/didn’t God arrange for a place for Jesus to be born?

The fact is, God did arrange a place…a manger.
God did arrange the first rejection of the Savior just before His birth. And a visible reminder of the rejection that would happen again and again, even today.

Do you have room today for Jesus?

“In the Bleak Midwinter”
by Christina Rossetti

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

http://bible.com/events/48815635

Newborn King: Ruler-Shepherd
The all-powerful king is the all-compassionate king.

The all-powerful king is the all-compassionate king.

‭‭John‬ ‭10:7-11‬‬
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus is painting a specific picture here:
-A picture of power – “I Am”
-A picture of compassion – the gate for the sheep, the good shepherd
-He promises safety. He promises pasture. Unlike others who have come before, He promises to care for the sheep.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2:6‬‬
“ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Why does this matter to you?
Because our king is both all-powerful and all-compassionate, I am not my own and I am not on my own.

The shepherd desires to be your king
-And what do we do in response to to the one who gave His life for us? He is either king of all or He is not king at all.
-Many of us are living as though we can call Him king, but live as if I am king.

This king desires to be your shepherd
-The truth is: we all need a shepherd. None of us, on our own, is truly capable of leading and guiding our own lives.
-The powerful truth of Christmas is that you are not on your own.

Newborn King: Ruler-Shepherd
East Rockingham Campus
Newborn King: Ruler Shepherd

Welcome to the fourth message in our Advent Series The Newborn King

We are seeking to answer one last question: What kind of King is this?

Answer: The King we celebrate at Christmas, is the King with all of the power. Yet he is the all compassionate King.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2:1-3‬‬
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

King Herod was a prime example of worldly power. He was ruthless, violent, and he used any means necessary to maintain control.

Most of his power was exercised not for Rome, but for his own prestige and image.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭2:4-6‬‬
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

What Matthew quotes in verse 6 is the combination of two different prophecies of the Old Testament. Micah 5:2 and 2 Sam 5:2 are brought together to give an accurate picture of the Newborn King and how he would rule.

“For out of you will come a ruler”
The original language here for ruler carries all the things we might think of a King

“Who will shepherd my people Israel”
The imagery of a Shepherd brought in here, is that of compassionate and tender care.

The one with all the power, is all compassionate. He is the one with all Majesty and all Mercy.

Ask yourself, what kind of ruler do you want? One to control you? Or one to comfort you?

‭‭John‬ ‭10:11‬‬
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

In John Chapter 10, we find Jesus declaring for himself, the kind of King he is.

‭‭John‬ ‭10:12-13‬‬
The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

There is an enemy that Jesus describes just a few verses before as the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

In the face of the enemy, the compassionate all powerful King fights for you.

‭‭John‬ ‭10:14-15‬‬
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.

That’s the story of Christmas.

The one with all the power, stepping into our broken and fallen world, to lay down his life, demonstrating the power of Love and compassion.

The beautiful truth of Christmas is that we are known and loved by the all-powerful King

Christmas poses us a searching question:

Is Christ your King?

The reality of our human story is that we are all ruled by something.

We can be ruled by so many things…
Our lives can be ruled by our desire for acceptance.
We can be ruled by a desire to succeed
We can be ruled by our past mistakes
Addiction may be the tyrant of your life.
Anger or fear may reign over us.

All of these things are power structures of evil, that rob us of our rightful life, our created purpose in Christ Jesus.

The good news of the Newborn King is that your life can be different.

To know Jesus as King is to flip the script on that power struggle.

To know Christ as King means that “I am not my own, and I am not on my own”

Wont you invite him to be your Shepherd King?