Lessons on Rebirth From the Christmas Story, Part 5: The Stable Birth
Last Thursday, in LESSONS ON REBIRTH FROM THE
CHRISTMAS STORY, Part 4, we are reminded by the Wise Men that the rebirthing process
is all about being familiar enough with Scripture to recognize when God is
calling us, to make Jesus our #1 priority, and to be prepared to give ALL of
ourselves to His service! But what about the stable birth? On this Christmas
day, is there anything that the stable can teach us?
We all know the story of Jesus' birth. Mary went into labour just outside of
Bethlehem, all the inns were full, so one of the innkeepers told Joseph he
could use the stable. And Jesus was born in the stable and laid to rest in a
manger.
It's what tradition tells us, and if we don't believe it, all we have to do
is look at all the Nativity scenes! However we've already learned in this
study that tradition can't always be trusted, so let's look and see what the
Bible says:
"And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be registered … Joseph also went up from
Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it
was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be
delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in
swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for
them in the inn." (Luke 2:1-7)
So once again tradition has tricked us. Mary and
Joseph were already in Bethlehem when Jesus was born! "…while they were
[in Bethlehem], the days were completed for [Mary] to be delivered and that
she brought forth her firstborn Son…"
Okay, but what about the stable?
The Bible tells us only that Mary laid the baby Jesus in a manger because
there was no room for them in the inn. Does this mean it was a stable? It is
possible. That's where you find mangers. But Joseph could have gone to the
stable and borrowed a manger, or some well-meaning person could have brought
them one. All we really know is that Jesus was laid in a manger because the
hotels were full.
But wait. What possible importance could all of this have with the rebirth
process?
Just this, friends. Whether He was actually born in a stable or simply laid
in a manger after He was born is irrelevant: In either case, it signifies a
humble birth! Jesus was not born into riches or honour or greatness.
Instead He was born into humility, poverty, and obscurity, and therein lies
the lesson for us today! When we are born again, we will be born of a humble
spirit!
The Bible has a lot to say about humility. Here are a
couple of examples:
"The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is
humility." (Prov 15:33); "By humility and the fear of
the Lord Are riches and honour and life." (Prov 22:4); and "Seek
righteousness, seek humility." (Zeph 2:3)
There are many more, but I want to look in depth at
one last verse: "if My people who are called by My name will humble
themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from
their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their
sin and heal their land." (2 Chron 7:14-15)
Wait a minute! I thought Salvation came automatically to anyone who calls on
the name of the Lord!
And it does: "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of
the Lord shall be saved." (Joel 2:32)
But friends, in order to truly call upon the name of
the Lord, we must be humble! We must pray and seek God's face, we must be
willing to turn from our wicked ways! This is what it means to call on the
name of the Lord!
And this is the lesson we can learn from Jesus' humble birth. The rebirth
process is a process of humility. We must become humble for it to happen!
What is on you Christmas wish list this year? I don't know about you, but I
think humility is on mine!
This is the last lesson in the new birth process to be learned from the
story of Jesus birth. This year, as we look at the nativity scene, let's
remember the lessons in the rebirth process that we can learn:
1. The Holy Spirit that has brought us out of our lives of sin, has cleansed
us of our unrighteousness and has "rebirthed" us in Christ Jesus;
2. When we are born again, there is GREAT REJOICING in Heaven;
3. As a born again Christian, God is wanting to catch our attention, to
begin a relationship with us, to awaken in us the new life He has for us;
4. It is vital that we be familiar enough with Scripture that we recognize
when God is calling us, that we make Jesus our #1 priority, and that we give
ALL of ourselves to His service; and finally,
5. We must, in all humility, seek His name!
If you have missed any of the lessons in this series, you can access them at
www.scripturalnuggets.org/Folder11/christmas_message_2011/htm, or you
can email me at
lyn@sermonillustrator.org. May God bless you abundantly this Christmas
as you continue on in your rebirth process!
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two
teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet
newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian
devotionals and inspirational poems,
www.scripturalnuggets.org,
with Answers2Prayer Ministries,
www.Answers2Prayer.org.