you put that over you find the song entitled oh holy night
let's sing it on that first verse oh holy night
oh holy night
the stars are brightly shining
it is the night of our dear savior's birth
long lay the world
in sin and error pining
till he appeared
and the soul felt its worth
the thrill of hope
the weary world rejoices
for yonder breaks
a new and glorious morn
fall on your knees
oh hear the angel voices
oh night divine
oh night
when christ was born
oh night
oh holy night
oh night divine
when by the light
a face supremely gleaming
with glowing hearts by his cradle he stands
over the world
the star is sweetly gleaming
now come the wise men from glory and land
the king of kings
laid us in lowly danger
with all our struggles
born to be our friend
heroes are here
are we
this is no stranger
behold the king
before his lonely men
behold your king
before his lonely men
truly he taught us love for one another
his law is love and his gospel is peace
change shall he bring
the slave is our brother
and in his name all oppression shall cease
sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raising
with all our hearts we praise his holy name
christ is the lord
oh praise his name forever
his power and glory evermore proclaim
alright this time we'll pass our offering plates around
as the plates go around let's turn our bibles to luke chapter 2
luke chapter 2 in our bibles
as we always do we'll read the entire chapter beginning in verse number 1
luke chapter 2 starting in verse number 1
follow along silently with brother hessar as he reads
luke 2 starting in verse number 1
luke 2 the bible reads
and it came to pass in those days
that there went out a decree from caesar agustus
that all the world should be taxed
and this taxing was first made when syrenius
was governor of syria
and all went to be taxed
everyone into his own city
and joseph also went up
from galley 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 as a spouse 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 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
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
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 savior which is christ the lord
and this shall be a sign unto you
ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes
lying in a manger
and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude
of the heavenly host praising god
and saying glory to god in the highest
and on earth peace good will toward men
and 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 has come to pass
which the lord hath made known unto us
and they came with haste
and found mary and joseph and
the babe lying in a manger
and when they had seen it
they made known abroad the saying
which was told them concerning this child
and all they that heard it wondered
at those things which were told them by the shepherds
but mary kept all these things
and pondered them in her heart
and the shepherds returned
glorifying and praising god
for all the things that they had heard and seen
as it was told unto them
and when eight days were accomplished
for the circumcising of the child
his name was called jesus
which was so named of the angel
before he was conceived in the womb
and when the days of her purification
according to the law of moses were accomplished
they brought him to jerusalem
to present him to the lord
as it is written in the law of the lord
every male that openeth the womb
shall be called holy to the lord
and to offer a sacrifice
according to that which is said in the law of the lord
a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons
and behold there was a man in jerusalem
whose name was simian
and the same man was just and devout
waiting for the consolation of israel
and the holy ghost was upon him
and it was revealed unto him by the holy ghost
that he should not see death
before he had seen the lord's christ
and he came by the spirit
into the temple
and when the parents brought in the child jesus
to do for him after the custom of the law
then he took him up in his arms
and blessed god and said
lord now lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace
according to thy word
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation
which thou hast prepared
before the face of all people
a light to lighten the gentiles
and the glory of thy people israel
and joseph and his mother marveled
at those things which were spoken of him
and simian blessed them
and said unto mary his mother
behold this child is set
for the fall and rising again of many in israel
and for a sign which shall be spoken
against yea a sword shall pierce through
thy own soul also
that the thoughts of many hearts
may be revealed
and there was one anna a prophetess
the daughter of fanuel
of the tribe of acer
she was of a great age
and had lived with an husband
seven years from her virginity
and she was a widow
of about four score and four years
which departed not from the temple
but served god with fastings and prayers
night and day
and she coming
in that instant gave thanks likewise
unto the lord and speak
of him to all them
that looked for redemption in jerusalem
and when they had performed
all things according to the law of the lord
they returned
into galley
to their own city nazareth
and the child grew
and waxed strong in spirit
filled with wisdom and the grace of god
was upon him
now his parents went to jerusalem every year
at the feast of the passover
and when he was twelve years old
they went up to jerusalem
after the custom of the feast
and when they had
fulfilled the days as they returned
the child jesus
tarried behind in jerusalem
and joseph and his mother
knew not of it
but they supposing him to have been
in the company
went a days journey
and they sought him among their kinsfolk
and when they found him not
they turned back again
to jerusalem seeking him
and it came to pass that
after three days
they found him in the temple
sitting in the midst of the doctors
both hearing them and
asking them questions
and all that heard him were astonished
at his understanding and answers
and when
they saw him they were amazed
and his mother said unto him
why hast thou thus dealt
with us behold
thy father and I have sought
thee sorrowing and he said unto them
how is it that ye sought me
wish ye not that I must be
about my father's business
and they understood not
the saying which he spoke unto them
and he went down
with them and came to nazareth
and was subject unto them
but his mother kept
all these sayings in her heart
and Jesus
increased in wisdom
and stature
and in favor with
God and man
Lord thank you for this
opportunity to be here tonight on this
Christmas service and thank you for
the cookies and the fellowship we had before
and I pray that you fill pastor Anderson with your
Holy Spirit and I pray that this sermon
would bring to remembrance in all of
our minds the birth of Christ and it's in Christ's
name I pray Amen
Amen the title of my sermon tonight is
the significance of the manger
one of the things that stands out in this passage
is that the manger is brought up over
and over again look at verse number 4
of Luke chapter 2 there the Bible reads
and Joseph also went up
from Galilee out of the city of nazareth
into Judea under 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
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
and then if you jump down to verse 12
it's told unto the shepherds and this shall be a
sign unto you you shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes
lying in a manger
that's the sign unto them
then in verse number 16
and they came with haste and found
Mary and Joseph and the babe
lying in a manger
so there's something significant about the manger
right because he says look this is going to be a sign
unto you you're going to find him in a manger
three different times
this specific detail is
brought up now what is a manger
well the dictionary definition of a manger
is a box or
a trough in a stable or barn
from which horses or
cattle eat so it's basically
like a little place to feed animals
it's a food container
is what it is now if you know any
French or Italian
you know if you want to say like bon appetit
in Italian they say
mangebene right am I
right how'd I do
so you say like mangebene
and forgive me if I butcher
French because of the pronunciation but I think
you could say like
je vous manger or it means like I want to eat
or something so anyway
the word for eat in a lot of languages
is like mange or mange
or something like that because
that's what the manger is it's a food
container for feeding
animals so what's the significance
of this well there's several
things that I thought of but first
of all just the obvious thing that
should just stand out to you right away
is that God allowed for things to happen
this way so that Christ would
have a humble beginning
obviously it was supposed to be
a very humble beginning that there's no
room in the inn right the hotel
is full and they have to
literally stay
in essence in a barn
right so as the saying goes
Jesus was literally born in a barn
right he's out staying
with the animals I mean imagine
his mother gave birth to him
in the stables and laid
him in the manger out in the barn
as it were and so
this is a sign of Christ's humility
turn to Philippians chapter 2
Jesus had a very humble
beginning at his birth while
you're turning to Philippians 2 I'll read for you from
Matthew chapter 11 Jesus
said come unto me all you
that labor and are heavy laden
and I will give you rest
take my yoke upon
you and learn of me for I
am meek and lowly
in heart and you shall find
rest unto your souls for my yoke is
easy and my burden is light Jesus said I'm
meek I'm lowly in heart
Matthew 21 5 says
tell ye the daughter of Zion behold
thy king cometh unto thee meek
meek is another word
for humble meek
and sitting upon an ass
and a colt the foal
of an ass so think about this on Jesus
Christ's triumphal entry into
Jerusalem he doesn't go riding
in on a stallion
he rides in on a donkey
because he's humble
he's showing humility
now obviously one of the big lessons we can learn from this
is that if Jesus Christ
the son of God the creator of the world
could be humble we should be able to be humble
because obviously he is far greater than any
of us will ever be and yet
he was able to be meek and humble
and it was important to him
to have a humble beginning look at Philippians
chapter 2 verse 5 let this mind
be in you which was also
in Christ Jesus who being
in the form of God thought it
not robbery to be equal with God
you know the Bible tells he was equal
with God
but he made himself of no reputation
and took upon him the form
of a servant and was made
in the likeness of man and being found
in fashion as a man he humbled
himself and became obedient unto
death even the death of the cross
wherefore God also had highly exalted
him and given him a name which is
above every name that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow
of things in heaven and things in earth
and things under the earth and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of
God the father so one of the things that we
notice about the birth of Christ is
that it was a very humble
birth a humble beginning
in a stable laid in a manger
that's kind of the obvious thing
about the manger but go if you
go to John chapter 6 because if you think
about what a manger is though
it's a feeding tool
it's something that's used to feed
and I thought about how
Jesus Christ is the bread of life
and that's the sign
of him being born in a manger
is that Jesus Christ
is the bread of life now John
chapter 6 is the famous
bread of life passage where Jesus teaches
this and it says
in John chapter 6 verse 26
Jesus answered them and said
verily verily I say unto you
ye seek me not because you
saw the miracles but because you did
eat of the loaves and were filled
so let me kind of bring you up to speed here in the story
Jesus Christ has just fed the five
thousand and he fed
the five thousand and that was an amazing
miracle and he preached
unto them for days you know he's speaking the
word of God people are listening
but a lot of people they came
back to hear Jesus
to find Jesus again not because
of the preaching not because they
saw a great miracle or that they believe in
him but they actually just want the free meal
you know they just want free food
I mean they had the fish and chips last time
and they want to get it again
and so Jesus is correcting them
and rebuking them and saying you know you
guys are looking for me not because you saw
the miracles but because you did
eat of the loaves and were filled
and he tells them in verse 27
labor not for the meat which perisheth
but for that meat which
endureth unto everlasting
life which the son of man
shall give unto you for him
hath God the father sealed so he's saying look
don't just be looking for a free meal
and be so interested
in the meat that perishes you know
get the meat that actually gives you
everlasting life now
obviously what this pictures is
people today they might be just so
caught up in making money
and just all the physical things
that they can earn or the things
that they can collect
and all the money that they can make
and the things they can do in life
he's saying look that stuff's all going to perish
that stuff's all going to be gone someday
what you really ought to be looking for
is eternal life you know the bread
of life is what you need
the meat that doesn't perish
and he says the son of man
Jesus Christ will give it to you
I can give you everlasting life
he's saying to them
wait then said Dan to him
what shall we do
that we might work the works of God
see when you start talking about everlasting life
everybody thinks that you have to work for it
isn't that the tendency
kind of people's knee jerk reaction
when we go out talking to people
and ask them hey what do you think a person has to do to go to heaven
oh you know you got to go to church
you got to keep the commandments
you got to live a good life
they think it's works
so they're like okay okay you know
everlasting life okay
let's do the work what's the work
what do we do to work the work of God
Jesus answered and said to them
verse 29 this is the work of God
that you believe on him
whom he had sent he's saying look
here's the work you need to do quote unquote
you need to believe on me
so you don't work your way to heaven by doing good works
you just believe on Jesus Christ
to be saved the Bible says that
whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have eternal life
he is the bread of life
and he gives you that everlasting life
now look what the Bible says
in verse number 30
you know
they said therefore unto him
you know cause he said you need to believe on me right
well we want to do the work hey here's the work you need to do
you just need to believe on him
whom the father has sent
so they said well what sign showest thou
verse 30 what sign
showest thou then that we may see and believe thee
what does thou work
they're not going to believe you unless you do some kind of a miracle
or show us some kind of a sign
our fathers did eat manna in the desert
as it is written he gave them bread from heaven to eat
you know it kind of sounds like they're still just into
that free meal
they're like hey you want to do a miracle
or something like oh I've got an idea
Moses gave them manna
to eat maybe you could do something like that
you know
people just are you know they're having trouble finding
a good meal apparently
so that's what they bring up
in verse 32
then Jesus said unto them
verily verily I say unto you
Moses gave you not that bread from heaven
but my father giveth you the true bread from heaven
for the bread of God
is he which cometh down from heaven
and giveth life unto the world
so who is that guy
who's coming down from heaven to give life to the world
that's Jesus
and he's saying that's the bread of God
so Jesus according to this is the bread of God
it kind of makes sense to be born and laid in a manger
he's put in a feeding place
because he's the bread of God
he's food right
and so he's saying look I'm the bread of God
that comes down from heaven
and give life unto the world
you know what this goes to show
that Jesus didn't come into existence
2,000 years ago
you know when he was in Mary's womb
and born in Bethlehem
Jesus has always existed
you know he has no beginning
and no ending
because the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
make up God
and God is eternal
and Jesus was in the beginning with God
and he was God
and so therefore this shows
Jesus came down from heaven
he already was up in heaven
he came down from heaven to be born
and laid in the manger
and so it says in verse 34
then said they unto him
Lord evermore give us this bread
and Jesus said unto them I am the bread of life
he that cometh to me
shall never hunger
and he that believeth on me
shall never thirst
now this verse right here should make it obvious
that you only have to get saved one time
because he's saying look
if you come to me
you will never hunger
if you come to me you will never thirst
I'm the bread of life
so here's the thing once you eat that bread
you're filled
it's not something that you have to do over
and over again
it's a one time deal
because they don't get it
that's why well what's the work we need to do
no no no it's not work it's believing it's faith
and then they're like well give us evermore
of this bread
that sounds like a continual thing doesn't it
evermore give us this bread
no no no it's not an evermore
get the context folks
they say
evermore give us this bread
no no no you don't get it
once you eat it you'll never be hungry again
so you don't need me to give it to you evermore
you don't need to eat it again and again
you eat it one time and you're done
that's the context what he's saying here
he's saying if you come to me
you'll never hunger
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst
so notice coming to him and believing on him
are the same thing that's salvation
eating of the bread of life
is salvation
drinking of the water of life is salvation
verse 36
again more proof that you can't lose your salvation
first of all he said you'll never hunger
then he said you'll never thirst
and then he said him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out
so once you're saved
you're always saved
and then it says in verse number 38
for I came down from heaven
not to do my own will
but the will of him that sent me
and this is the father's will
which has sent me
that of all which he hath given me
I should lose nothing
but should raise it up again at the last day
and this is the will of him that sent me
that everyone which seeth the son
and believeth on him
may have everlasting life
and I will raise him up
at the last day
pretty clear what we need to do to be saved
but we're still clear
that we just need to believe on Jesus
God's will, the will of the father
is that everyone that saw Jesus
and believed on him would have everlasting life
and would be raised up
at the last day
then the Jews murmured at him
so basically they're kind of grumbling
murmuring
because he said
I'm the bread which came down from heaven
because they're thinking of him as just a human being
so how can he say
that he came down from heaven
how can he say that he's the bread of life
they don't believe it
and they said is not this Jesus
verse 42 the son of Joseph
no he's not
you're wrong, he's not
but that's what they thought
whose father and mother we know
how is it then that he sayeth
I came down from heaven
Jesus therefore answered and said unto them
murmur not among yourselves
no man can come to me except the father
it is written in the prophets
and they shall be all taught of God
every man therefore
that hath heard and had learned
of the father cometh unto me
not that any man hath seen the father
save he which is of God
that's talking about himself
he has seen the father because Jesus obviously saw the father
he came out from the father
verily verily I say unto you
he that believeth on me
hath everlasting life
so it's pretty obvious
what you have to do to be saved
how many times did he say it just in this passage
he said it what five six times
believe believe believe
some of you don't believe
but those that believe have everlasting life
you've got to believe
it's all about having faith in Christ
he that believeth on me hath everlasting life
verse 48 I am that bread of life
your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness
and are dead
this is the bread which cometh down from heaven
that a man may eat thereof
and not die
I am the living bread
which came down from heaven
if any man eat of this bread
he shall live forever
and the bread that I will give is my flesh
which I will give for the life
of the world
so he's saying look if you eat this bread
it's a picture
right if you eat this bread
then you'll live forever
and he's saying you know what
I'm the bread of life and he said
the bread that I will give is my flesh
which I will give for the life of the world
you see when Jesus Christ was about to die on the cross
you remember how he had the last supper
with his disciples
and he took bread and he break it
and he said this is my body
which is broken for you
this due in remembrance of me
right he broke that bread
as a picture of his body
being broken on the cross
so when he says here hey
the bread that I will give is my flesh
for the life of the world
he's talking about the fact that he's gonna die for them
he's gonna die on the cross
his body is gonna be broken
on that cross as he dies
for the sins of mankind
but again they don't get it
look at verse 52
the Jews therefore strove among themselves saying
how can this man give us his flesh to eat
and that's a dumb question
because obviously he's not speaking literally here
this is like when he said
in John chapter 3 you gotta be born again
and he says oh so am I gonna go back into my mother's womb
and be born again
like he thinks he's actually gonna
literally be born a second time
that's foolishness
and this is the same thing
like he's trying to teach them about spiritual things
and they just keep thinking about food
and just keep being carnal with it
and just thinking like
well where's the food
well how's he gonna give us his flesh to eat
and they don't get it
but what's funny is
there's a billion people in this world who don't get it either
who today they think this is literal
they're called Roman Catholics and they think this is literal
and here's my question for Roman Catholics
who think that this is literal
like you literally have to eat Jesus flesh
to be saved okay well let me ask this
will you literally never be hungry again?
isn't that what he said?
he said if you eat of this bread
you will never be hungry again
and they're like we gotta take that literally
okay well then I guess you'll never need to eat again
and once you've taken the wine
you'll never have to drink again
ever
but that's foolishness because it's a picture
Jesus Christ is not literally
a loaf of bread walking around
Jesus Christ when he said I'm the bread of life
he's saying look
just like you eat food
in order to live
he's saying you know
my body being broken for you
me coming down from heaven
I'm like the manna that comes down from heaven
you know gave them physical life
in the wilderness they ate that bread
and it kept them alive
but I'm gonna give you my flesh
I'm gonna die on the cross and you're gonna live forever
and it's believing on me
and he explained like 10 times what he meant
believe believe believe believe believe
but then Catholics walk away and instead of saying
oh we gotta believe on Christ
it's all faith
the work is that we just believe on him whom Christ sent
or whom God sent
this is what they walk away and say
and then of course you got
the pagan hocus pocus
you know to hold it up
and turn a cracker into Jesus supposedly
and then they do a painting of Jesus and it's a cracker
no I'm just kidding
but anyway the point is
you know they basically
you know they take it too literally
where they just
they're blinded
like when you read this passage
don't you just feel like boy these people are a little bit slow
cause he's explaining it
it's an illustration
when Jesus said I'm the door
I mean why don't we bring a door into church
and say alright everybody
you know you gotta walk through this door to be saved
and you know this door is gonna become Jesus
and you're gonna walk through like a transubstantiation of a door
right?
and then like we could get a frame with a door in it
and just open a door and like alright everybody be saved
it could be like an 8th sacrament
of going through a literal door
why not right?
I'm the true vine let's bring in a vine
alright everybody here's the vine
we gotta all get graphed into this thing
it's silly
it doesn't make any sense right?
what he's saying is you gotta believe
and they're saying well how can this man give us his flesh to eat
verse 53
then Jesus said to them verily verily I say unto you
except you eat the flesh of the son of man
and drink his blood you have no life in you
whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood
hath eternal life
and I will raise him up at the last day
for my flesh is meat indeed
and my blood is drink indeed
he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood
dwelleth in me and I in him
and again they're thinking this is literal
when obviously it's figurative
as the living father hath sent me
and I live by the father
so he that eateth me even he shall live by me
this is the bread
which came down from heaven
not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead
he that eateth of this bread
shall live forever
and he said he in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum
many therefore of his disciples
when they had heard this
said this is a hard saying who can hear it
when Jesus knew in himself
that his disciples murmured at it
he said unto them does this offend you
well then maybe I'll change to a more palatable message
no he said
does this offend you
what and if you shall see the son of man
ascend up where he was before
let me ask you this what is it that they were offended about
they're offended
because he's saying I came down from heaven
and they're saying we know your mom and dad
you didn't come down from heaven
but of course Joseph is not his actual dad
he's born of the virgin Mary
and so they're offended
when he said
I'm the bread that came down from heaven
because that's what they said earlier
well you know we know his parents
but that's why he says
in verse 62
what and if you shall see the son of man
ascend up where he was before
he's responding to that idea of
hey you don't believe that I came from heaven
well guess what what if you see me ascend back up to heaven
because that's what he's going to do after the resurrection
but here's the key verse in verse 63
it is the spirit that quickeneth
the flesh profiteth nothing
now what does quicken mean?
quicken means bring to life
right this is kind of an old word
that we don't use anymore
quick means alive
like the Bible says Jesus will be the judge of the quick and the dead
that doesn't mean people are fast and dead
quick and dead means living and dead
so when it says it is the spirit that quickeneth
it's the spirit that brings to life
what was he saying?
he said look you have to eat this bread of life
or you'll have no life in you
you have to eat of my flesh
right but he's not talking about his literal flesh
because he says the flesh profiteth nothing
it's the spirit that quickeneth
it's not a physical meal
that you have to eat
in order to be saved
just like it's not a physical door that you have to walk through
or like the Mormons
you've got to do a special handshake to get into heaven
that's not even a joke
you literally have to do a handshake
you're going to get to heaven
and there's a curtain
and a hand comes out the curtain
and you've got to be like
it's not like that
but it's like a masonic
it's not like an inner city handshake
it's like a masonic
handshake that you've got to do
but I'm not kidding go on YouTube and watch their
voodoo ceremonies in the Mormon temple
and you've got to do a special handshake
and everything to get into heaven
you know folks
that stuff is all a bunch of made up
religious junk
okay the Bible
tells us what the way to heaven is
it's believing in Christ
and it's nothing physical
that gets you saved
it's not the flesh
you know Jesus is saying hey my flesh is meat indeed
because he said I'm going to give my flesh
for the life of the world
my body is going to be broken for you
I'm going to give my body
I'm going to shed my blood for you
and he's basically saying that his body
is like meat and his blood is like drink
why?
not because you're actually going to eat blood
or eat flesh
what he's saying is just like you get your life
from the food that you eat
I'm going to give you life
my body dying on the cross
and my blood being shed is going to bring life
to the world but the difference is
that this isn't a meal that you eat over and over again
it's a one time thing
where you eat the bread of life
and you're never hungry
and you believe on me and you never thirst
it's a one time thing
and Jesus Christ died on the cross
look our food gives us life and if you think about it
all of our food that we eat
it died in order for us to eat it
unless you think about those people in the Philippines
who are eating stuff that's still alive
they're putting like little
what do they put in their mouth that's squirming around?
octopuses
and tarantulas
and stuff
there's all these like smiling Filipino
teenage girls putting tarantulas in their mouth
on Facebook and stuff
laughing about it
but here's the thing
as soon as it hits that stomach acid it's going to die
all of our food that nourishes us
died
and you say well I'm vegan
the plants died
right? like in order for those
plants to give you life
the plants had to die
animals had to die
right? so through their death
we live
through the chicken's death we live
through the
avocado's death we live
you know whatever
I'm saying like we eat living materials
we don't go out and eat
and just eat minerals
what minerals do we eat? I mean yeah we put some minerals
in our diet but you can't just eat
salt or something and just live on that
right?
what we eat is not minerals
what we eat is plants or animals
they're things that lived and died
this is a picture of the fact that
Jesus Christ lived
and died to give us
life we are sustained by eating
other things that died
and spiritually we get eternal
life we get saved by
Jesus Christ giving his life for us
and dying for us and then he's the bread
of life and that's what he's teaching
here in this passage so it kind
of makes sense that he'd be born in a manger
right? when he gives his flesh
to feed the world
spiritually right? to give us life
eternal
and this is a one time thing you get saved one time
you believe on Christ one time and you're saved
that's it and notice
where in this passage does it say hey
if you turn away
from all your sins you'll have everlasting life
is that what he's teaching?
I mean we just read a pretty big chunk of
scripture did he teach hey you got to make sure
that you get all the sin out of your life
before you eat this bread
is that what he said? hey you got to clean
up your life hey be sure that you join
the church and
get baptized and live a good life
and he didn't say any of those things
he's saying look you got to see the son of man you got to
believe on him you got to believe on Jesus
you got to eat the bread
of life and once you do
you'll be saved
now he does say that you know you're not
going to be able to be saved unless
the father draws you he says
that you know you have to be taught
of God it says
you know you have to learn of the father
now stop and think about this
it says in verse 63 don't miss this
it's the spirit that quickeneth
the flesh profiteth nothing
the words that I speak unto you
they are spirit and they are life
you know how you get taught of God
or drawn by the father
it's through the word of God
because the Bible says faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the word of God
you know without God's word you can't
come to Christ
it's God's word that draws
you to him it's God's word
that creates the faith in you because
faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word of God you know if you don't hear the word of God
you're never going to believe in him you're never going to have faith in him
but you know maybe maybe there's somebody
here tonight that's not saved and you come
to a service like this and you hear God's word
as we read the book of John
here and as it's being preached
and you hear it and you say
you know what I believe that Jesus Christ
the son of God I believe that he's a savior
and that comes from hearing God's word
and so
it's the spirit that quickeneth
the flesh profiteth nothing
the words that I speak unto you
they are spirit and they are life
and it's interesting too because he's comparing himself to the manna
that came down from heaven
and the manna that came down from heaven
is compared to the word of God
in Deuteronomy chapter 8
but in verse 64
he says but there are some of you
that don't live a good enough life
is that what he said?
but some of you haven't joined the church
but some of you are still living in sin
is that what he said? no
he said but there are some of you that believe not
because that is the difference
between those who have eternal life and those who don't
is whether or not you believe in Christ
he said there are some of you that believe not
for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not
and who should betray him
he knew that Judas didn't believe
he knew that Judas was going to betray him
and he even says have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil?
even at the beginning of his ministry
he knew that Judas was a devil
that Judas would betray him
that Judas was bogus
now flip over if you would to John chapter 18
so we're talking tonight about the significance of the manger
what is the significance of the manger?
number one
the significance is to show a humble beginning
that Jesus Christ
didn't come into this world
showing how cool he is
wearing all the fancy clothes
having all the name brands
living in the fancy neighborhood
driving a fancy car
he grew up humble
he was born in the home
of a blue collar guy
a carpenter's home
he's living in a carpenter's home
he's born in a barn
no room in the inn
laid in a manger
for a crib
instead of a crib that's fancy
and it was off the gift registry
he's actually in a manger
secondly
we say it's not just a sign of his humility
but it's also a sign of him being the bread of life
I mean he's coming
to give his life for the world
and that is likened unto food
it's likened to bread
and look this should show you how easy it is to get saved
here's how easy it is to get saved
it's like eating a piece of bread
it's like drinking a glass of water
it's like walking through a door
but then people who don't get it will say
well show me where that door is so I can walk through it
where's that bread so I can eat it
and of course there's going to be somebody
dressed like momma
that was going to give him bread
and say ok this is the bread
eat this bread and you're good to go
but you know what there's no physical bread that you can eat
that will get you saved because the flesh profit is nothing
there's no drink that you can drink
that will save you
there's no handshake
there's no physical door
it's believing in Christ
these are all just pictures
it's just symbols, metaphors
there's no literal door, vine
he's trying to make you understand how easy it is
hey it's like a bread that you can eat and never be hungry again
that's what it's like to be saved
you eat it one time and you're done
you don't have to keep coming back
and we talked about all the illustrations with that
but thirdly this
so it's a sign of his humility number one
number two it's a sign of him being the bread of life
but it's also a sign of the fact that Jesus Christ would feed us with knowledge as well
not to just feed us by dying on the cross and giving his life
his body being broken for us
so that we could ingest that spiritually
and basically have eternal life
and believe on him and be saved
but it's also about giving us wisdom, knowledge and understanding
he doesn't just save us from hell
I mean obviously that's the big thing
you know Jesus Christ was born into this world
in order to die on the cross for our sins and save us from hell
he died and was buried and rose again
that's the big thing
but you know most of us here we already took care of that a long time ago
or maybe recently but you know most people have already taken care of that
and if you haven't taken care of that you need to get that settled immediately
but those of us that are already saved
you know is that all Jesus is good for just to save us
then why would we keep going to church for the rest of our lives
if we're already saved we already ate the bread we're done
why do we keep coming back
because not only did Jesus Christ come to save us
he also feeds us with knowledge
you know the Bible says you're going to John chapter 18
but in Jeremiah 3.15 God said
I will give you pastors according to my heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding
they shall feed you with knowledge and understanding
look what Jesus said in verse 36 there in John chapter 18
Jesus answered my kingdom is not of this world
if my kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews
but now is my kingdom not from hence
saying it's not from here
my kingdom is not of this world
verse 37 pilot therefore said in him
art thou a king then
Jesus answered thou sayest that I am a king
to this end was I born
and for this cause came I into the world
that I should bear witness unto the truth
everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice
pilot saith unto him
what is truth
wow so profound
and when he had said this
he went out again unto the Jews
and said unto them I find in him no fault at all
so what's Jesus saying here
Jesus is saying of course that he is the king of the Jews
now Jesus is very humble
so he always allows other people to say this about him
so you know they say are you the king of the Jews
and he says well you know thou sayest
you say that I am
you said it
oh did other people tell you this about me or did you figure this out on your own
what
the point is that he is admitting and saying yes I am the king of the Jews
but he says my kingdom is not from hence
so pilot is examining him to see if he is a political threat
you know is this guy trying to take over
is he trying to rebel against the Romans
and overthrow the government
and Jesus explains no I'm not
he says no
he says if my kingdom were of this world
then would my servants fight
that I should not be delivered unto the Jews
but now my kingdom is not from hence
he has a spiritual kingdom
not a physical kingdom
a spiritual kingdom
and this seems to be the big thing
we don't have time to go through the whole book of John
but this is like the whole book of John
everybody thinks everything is literal
and he is like nope not literal
not literal
they think it is literal to be born again
and then the woman at the well is like give me the water
so I will never be thirsty again
hello give us that bread
evermore give us that bread
don't you get it you know
and then it is like oh you are the king of the Jews
what are you trying to do take my job
he is telling pilot no
my kingdom is not from hence
but he says
thou sayest
look at verse number 37
thou sayest that I am a king
to this end was I born
so he is saying look I was born to be a king
yes
thou sayest that I am a king
and for this cause came I into the world
that I should bear witness unto the truth
everyone that is of the truth here with my voice
so according to this verse
why was Jesus born
what Jesus brings up and says
you know why I was born
to bear witness to the truth
so yes of course Jesus Christ came to this earth
to die on the cross for our sins
but you know what else he came to do
to bear witness unto the truth
he came to preach the truth
so Jesus didn't just come to only die on the cross for our sins
he also came to teach us
the word of God
he came to bear witness unto the truth
and he said everyone that is of the truth here with my voice
and of course pilot just blows this off with a stupid question of what is truth
that is a foolish question because we all know what truth means
I think every small child in here knows what the truth is
you know what the truth is
it's what is really the actual situation
it's reality truth is reality
and so the opposite of truth is a lie
or that which is false or that which isn't real
that which is fake that which doesn't exist
and so pilot just kind of asks this question
he's trying to sound real smart
and philosophical he's a real free thinker
you know what is truth
what does that mean
but Jesus Christ is being very plain here
when he says I came into this world to bear witness unto the truth
you know Jesus Christ said I am the way the truth and the life
no man cometh unto the Father but by me
and so Jesus Christ is the way
he's the only way to heaven
the only right way to live your life is the way that he tells you to live your life
the only way to get to heaven is by believing in him
and he's the truth
and in him there's no lie
and everything that he says is true
everything in the Bible is true
anything that contradicts the Bible is a lie
and so he said I'm the way the truth and the life
right the only way to have life in you is to eat that bread of life
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior
it's not through Buddha
it's not through Hinduism or Islam
or anything else
it's through the Lord Jesus Christ only he is the way
the truth and the life
and he said no man cometh unto the Father but by me
so you can't bypass Jesus
well I'm just gonna go straight to the top
folks you're not gonna make it past the secretary
you know what I'm saying
like you know you think oh I'm just gonna march right into his office
no you're not
you're gonna be tackled by the security
before you get there
because no man cometh unto the Father but through Jesus
now if you know Christ
you will waltz right in
to the office of God the Father himself
and you just flash that
you know that badge to the security
and you're gonna get right in
but without Jesus Christ
you're not gonna see God the Father
you're not gonna talk to God the Father
you're not gonna have an appointment with God the Father
no man cometh unto the Father but by him
Jews
right the Jews they're trying to just go straight
nope not happening
shlomo
no man cometh unto the Father
but by Jesus Christ
and since he came to bear witness to the truth
we spend the rest of our lives
we eat the bread one time
we eat of his flesh and drink of his blood one time
not literally that's weird
that's pagan
eating flesh and drinking blood
that's cannibalism
it's not even allowed
in the Old Testament law
to eat any kind of blood ever for any reason
that's why I don't do those blood tacos
or blood sausage
or blood jelly or whatever
so what he's saying is
you know one time
you eat of that bread of life
and be saved one time
but then you spend the rest of your life
learning from the truth that he taught
so even after you've been saved for 15 years
20 years 30 years 40 years
you don't need to get re-saved
but you know what you need to do
is just keep learning the truth
keep learning the wisdom
learning the knowledge
and he continues to feed us with knowledge
because he came to bear witness to the truth
and he said I'll give you pastors
that will feed you with knowledge and understanding
of course he is the ultimate pastor
he is the great shepherd himself
that feeds us with knowledge
and you know we all like to take in knowledge
we all like to learn
and gain new understanding
well it's all right here
you could spend a lifetime studying this book
you're not even going to scratch the surface
because there's so much truth in here
there's so much knowledge in here
it'll last you a lifetime
and so I hope that this will help you
to think about the manger
with the new significance
and think about the fact that Jesus Christ
was born in a manger because he's humble
he was born in a manger
because of the bread of life
and he was born in a manger
because he feeds us with knowledge
Father we thank you so much
for the birth of Jesus Christ
our savior Lord and I just pray
that every single person that's here tonight
would understand the message
and that they would
have a deeper understanding of this
and if there's anyone here that's not saved
Lord I pray that they would get saved
before it's eternally too late
because hell is real, heaven is real
and Lord we just pray that every single person
here would understand
that salvation is a one time deal
it's by believing
on the Lord Jesus Christ
not by works
not by eating a physical bread
or drinking a physical drink
or going through a physical door
or performing a physical handshake
or something like that Lord
but that it's through the blood
of Jesus Christ
in his blood
and Lord we thank you so much for the
year that you've given us Lord
and all the blessings of 2020
and the way you've blessed our church
thank you for the great group of people
that you've assembled here tonight Lord
to celebrate your birth
and bless us now as we go our separate ways
give us safety Lord
and also just help us to have a blessed time
with family and friends
over the next few days
and I just pray that we would honor and glorify you
as we meditate upon the birth of Jesus
and it's in his name we pray
amen
if you would please take your hymnals one last time
tonight in turn number 431
hymn number 431
Silent Night
number 431
sing it out on this first verse
Silent Night
Holy Night
All is
All
All is
Right
Round yon
Virgin
Mother and Child
Holy
If it's so tender
and mild
Sleep
in heavenly
peace
Sleep
in heavenly
peace
Silent
Silent Night
Silent
Holy Night
Silent
Shepherds
Wave
at the
sight
Glory
Stream
from heaven
upon
heavenly
hosting
Alleluia
Christ
the Saviour
is born
Christ
the Saviour
is born
Silent
Let us
pure light
radiant
feet
from thy
holy face
with the
dawning
evening
rain
Jesus
Lord
at thy birth
Jesus
Lord
at thy birth
Silent
Holy
Let us
sing
Alleluia
to
our
King
Christ the
Saviour is
born
Christ the
Saviour is
born
Jesus
the Saviour is
born
Jesus
the Saviour is
born
Jesus
the Saviour
is
born
Jesus
the
Saviour is
born
Jesus
the
Saviour is
born
Jesus
the
Saviour is
born
Jesus
the
Saviour is
born
Jesus
the
Saviour is
born
Jesus
the