Thank you, Zoma. Along with you, I'm grateful
for all of our musicians this afternoon for the
lovely work that they have done in presenting
this music to us. I'd like for you to take your
Bible, if you have it with you, and turn with
me to Luke chapter 2 as we think together concerning
the story of Bethlehem. In Luke chapter 2, verse
1, it says, 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 his 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 lineage 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, and she gave birth to
her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in clothes,
cloths, and placed him in a manger because there
was no room for them in the inn. Twelve years
ago, at this very hour, in fact, it was my...
privileged to walk through the streets of Bethlehem
of Judea. I remember on that Christmas Eve, the
full moon giving light to the darkened streets.
Around the Church of the Nativity, a great deal
of activity with choirs from all over the world
singing, and thousands of people who had come
in a pilgrimage to the city of Bethlehem, there
to see the place where tradition says, in the
basement of a church now. where Jesus was born.
But in that day it was not that way. It was a
cave, most likely, a stable, a place for animals.
This was accomplished in the city of David, Bethlehem,
according to the prophecy of God. In Micah chapter
5, hundreds of years before the event took place,
God said that Bethlehem would be the place where
the Messiah would be born. This was clearly understood
in the days of Jesus. For Herod the king asked
the wise men where the Messiah should be born.
And they, those religious Jews, pointed to the
scriptures of the Old Testament and said that
he should come out of Bethlehem of Judea. Now
it was important to say Bethlehem of Judea because
there were two Bethlehems in Palestine in that
day. And so the Bethlehem was pointed to. And
from that village, Jesus came forth. The town
of Bethlehem is located about six miles to the
southwest of Jerusalem. It is probably the best
-known village of its size in the whole world.
The name Bethlehem means house of bread. It is
mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament.
Sometimes it is called Ephrath. Other times it
is called Bethlehem. By tracing the significant
events that occurred in Bethlehem, we are able
to see the story of Bethlehem and to notice that
in this story there is a picture of the work
of Jesus Christ. The first reference to Bethlehem
is in the book of Genesis, and so I invite your
attention there to Genesis chapter 35. Anytime
something is mentioned for the first time in
the Bible, it is significant. In Genesis chapter
35, we have the first mention of this little
village. In this chapter, Jacob meets with God
at Bethel. And then Jacob and his large party
moved on. And it says, As she breathed her last,
for she was dying, she named her son Ben -Onai,
but his father named him Benjamin. So Rachel
died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that
is, Bethlehem. Over her tomb, Jacob set up a
pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's
tomb. Long ago now, that tomb disappeared in
its exact location, but still today there is
a domed structure on the outskirts of Bethlehem
that traditionally is pointed to as Rachel's
burying place. It is interesting that the first
time Bethlehem is mentioned in the Bible, it
is in connection with the birth of a child. On
this occasion, it is the birth of a child to
Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, the grandson
of Abraham. Rachel had already born to Jacob
one son, whose name was Joseph. She had desired
another child by him, and this child was a boy.
They anticipated undoubtedly the coming of this
child into the world, but when the child came,
there was a problem in the delivery, and it resulted
in the death of Rachel. It says, as she breathed
her last, that is, as she spoke her last words
in this world, she named her son, and she called
him Ben -Onai. That name, Ben -Onai, means son
of my trouble. Jacob, upon hearing the name that
was given to him, decided to change the name
of this son. He loved Rachel so much that he
transferred that love for Rachel to this boy
and did not want to call him son of my sorrow
all of his life. Because of the exalted place
that Rachel had had in his heart, he renamed
this son Benjamin, which means son of my right
hand, the place of honor and authority. In the
names given to this young child, we are able
to witness two aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the name Ben -Onai, which means son of my
sorrow, we see the suffering Messiah. It points
to the suffering aspects of Christ's work for
us. Hundreds of years after this boy, Ben -Onai,
was born to Rachel, there was another son of
Jacob who was born in the town of Bethlehem.
He would grow up to be called a man of sorrows
who was acquainted with grief. And the reason
for his suffering and sorrow was that he bore...
the reproach of men, and on the cross bore the
sins of mankind. That is the reason that he came.
He came born in a manger that he might, as a
young man, be hung upon a cross and there become
sin for you and for me. He was born Benoni, as
it were, the son of sorrow. of trouble, and of
suffering. But then in the name that was given
to this same boy by Jacob, Benjamin, we see another
aspect of the work of Jesus Christ, and that
is his reigning ministry. The name Benjamin,
as we said, means son of my right hand. The place
of authority was given to Benjamin and that family.
the place of honor. And so after the Lord Jesus
Christ had died for our sins, he was raised from
the dead and is today exalted. And in the New
Testament, in a number of places, it is stated
that he is at the right hand of God, the place
of equality and the place of supreme authority.
And so the Lord Jesus Christ, having accomplished
redemption, is now seated at the very right hand
of God. That parallel of suffering followed by
glory can be traced throughout the prophets of
the Old Testament. It is traced into the New
Testament. In the book of Hebrews, Peter, too,
for example, spoke of the sufferings of Christ
and the glory that should follow. In this first
mention of the little town of Bethlehem in the
Bible, we see both aspects. the suffering aspect
of Christ's work when he died for our sins, and
then the glorifying aspect of his work when he
was raised from the dead and exalted to the right
hand of God the Father. Another significant mention
of Bethlehem in the Old Testament is found in
the account of Ruth. And I invite your attention
there to the book that bears the name of that
lady. In Ruth chapter 1, it says, In the days
when the judges ruled, there was a famine in
the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah,
together with his wife and two sons, went to
live for a while in the country of Moab. The
rest of the chapter tells how that the husband
died. and the two sons who had married in the
land of Moab also died, leaving Naomi, the mother
-in -law, and her two daughters -in -law to exist.
The time came when Naomi decided to return to
her homeland, Palestine. The one daughter -in
-law stayed behind in the land of Moab, but the
other daughter -in -law, Ruth, desired greatly
to stay with Naomi and accompanied her back to
Bethlehem. And in verse 19 of this chapter, we
have the record of their coming. It says the
two women went on until they came to Bethlehem.
They were welcomed into the city of Bethlehem,
and there the two of them took up residence.
The book of Ruth proceeds to tell about a man.
who came into the story, for the book of Ruth
is actually one of the most beautiful love stories
in all of history. The man's name was Boaz. Boaz
became the great -grandfather of King David,
but he himself had an interesting ancestry, for
he was the son of Rahab, the harlot who was spared
from the condemnation of Jericho. because of
her faith in the Lord God of Israel. Boaz lived
in the town of Bethlehem. When Naomi returned
to her home in Bethlehem, it was necessary for
her to dispose of her property because she was
in poverty. There was a custom in that day called
the kinsman redeemer, a near relative to Naomi.
was obligated under Jewish law to redeem the
land for her so that the land that she was having
to sell in her poverty would not leave her family.
Boaz acted as the kinsman redeemer, for he was
related to her. He redeemed the land, and then
he married Ruth. the young lady from Moab. In
this love story, once again, we have a picture
of the Lord Jesus Christ. For he is our kinsman
redeemer. Just as that land, that property, was
to be sold and disposed of, so we were the lost
inheritance. Jesus Christ came into the world
born of a woman. so that he could be our kinsman
redeemer and save us from our lostness. And then
just as Boaz took a Gentile bride, Ruth, so the
Lord Jesus Christ in this age in which we live,
though he is the Messiah of Israel, is taking
to himself a Gentile bride, essentially, in the
church. This is made clear from a number of New
Testament references in Acts 15, verse 14, Romans
1, verse 5, 1 Peter 2. It is clear that during
this age, God is calling out a people for his
name, a people which is predominantly Gentile.
And so there's a beautiful picture again in the
second major mention of Bethlehem in the Old
Testament. A beautiful picture of the work of
Jesus Christ as our kinsman redeemer, as Boaz
was for Naomi. And as our husband, as Boaz was
for Ruth. And then there is a third major mention
of Bethlehem in the Old Testament. And after
this mention, the city of Bethlehem diminishes
in its fame. This is found in 1 Samuel chapter
16. In this chapter we have the record of Samuel
coming to Bethlehem to anoint the next king of
Israel. Saul had proven himself unworthy. The
Lord said to Samuel, How long will you mourn
for Saul since I have rejected him as king over
Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your
way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem.
I have chosen one of his sons to be king. And
those of you who have read the Bible know that
Jesse's sons were brought before Samuel, and
the ones that he brought before Samuel initially
were not indicated by the Lord to be the next
king. And finally Samuel said to Jesse, do you
have any more sons? And he said, yes, one more.
In essence, he said he's the runt of the lot.
He's out shepherding sheep. Samuel said, bring
him here. David was brought to that room. And
there, privately, he was anointed by Samuel to
be the next king of Israel. His reign did not
actually begin, practically speaking, for some
time. But from that point on, he was God's anointed
king. And so once again, in this incident which
took place at Bethlehem, we draw a parallel with
the work of Jesus Christ. In the first incidents
in Genesis, it was the parallel of his suffering.
resurrection and exaltation to the right hand
of God. In the second reference in the book of
Ruth, it is a parallel to his present work of
redeeming his people and calling out a bride
for his name's sake. And in this third reference
to Bethlehem in the Old Testament, there is the
parallel of his coming again to reign as David's
son. David was promised a son who would reign
over the kingdom of Israel. And that rain would
be an everlasting rain, said the Lord. None of
David's natural sons was able to fulfill that,
of course. But in his greater son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, for Jesus is of the line of David, David's
promise will be fulfilled. For Jesus Christ will
come, as we have heard sung a few moments ago,
and will reign upon the earth. And the promises
made to David and to ancient Israel will all
be fulfilled in him, the son of David. As Isaiah
the prophet said, unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given, and the government shall be
upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. and of the increase
of his government there shall be no end. Isaiah
spoke, too, of this king who would come, this
king who is pictured in this third reference
to Bethlehem in the Old Testament. And then we
come to the narrative of the Lord Jesus Christ,
for that is the next major event that took place
in Bethlehem. It was the birth of this one spoken
of in Genesis. and pictured in Ruth, and promised
again to David in 1 Samuel. The culmination of
Bethlehem's history is found in the birth of
Jesus Christ on that first Christmas Eve 2 ,000
years ago. In the history of Bethlehem, we are
able to discover in broad strokes a painting
of the work of Jesus Christ. He is the theme
of all of Scripture, and not just the town of
Bethlehem. He is also God's Christmas gift. God's
Christmas gift to the world, for God so loved
the world, you and me, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He is God's gift to you, my friend. And God's
promise is, as many as received him, Jesus Christ.
To them gave he the authority to become the children
of God, even to them that believe on his name.
The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord. As we have spoken about Bethlehem
today, and as our minds naturally think about
what took place on those quiet streets 2 ,000
years ago, I hope that someone here today has
come to a new understanding of what that was
all about. And that you sense in your heart your
need for this gift of eternal life. That's the
reason that Jesus came. Not just so that we could
meet together and have a service, but so that
you personally might have forgiveness of sin
and eternal life. And our invitation at the end
of this service is very simple. It is that if
you have never received God's love gift given
for and to you, That right now you would open
your heart and receive that love gift. Let's
bow together in prayer. With our heads bowed
and our eyes shut, as we ponder the meaning of
God's love gift, right where you sit this afternoon,
you can receive this love gift from God. You
need not do a thing except open your heart by
faith. and received Jesus Christ. As many as
received him, to them gave he the power to become
the children of God, even to them that believe
on his name. All of your life you've heard about
Bethlehem and Christmas, the manger, the wise
men, the shepherds, but have you ever personally
trusted Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior?
If not right now, you can simply say something
like this, Lord, I sense in my heart my need,
for I am a sinner. Thank you for your love gift
in Jesus Christ. I thank you that Jesus died
for my sin and rose again. And right now I receive
Jesus Christ into my heart. I take this gift
of salvation that you offer freely as my own.
Thank you. My friend, if you prayed that or words
similar to that, if you meant it, I want to assure
you that God is not an Indian giver. God does
not take back what he promises to give. For whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved. Now if in this service, in the last few
moments, you prayed for the first time this prayer
and received Jesus Christ as your own Savior,
I'd like to be able to pray for you in closing.
I'm not going to point you out or embarrass you
in any way, but by the uplifted hand, you can
say to me, Pastor Call, today... On this Christmas
Eve, I have received God's love gift, and I've
asked Jesus to come into my heart. Please pray
for me in closing that I will now grow as a Christian.
Is there one here who would say that by the uplifted
hand today? Yes, I prayed and received Jesus
Christ as my Savior. Just put it up and then
slip it back down. Father, with... truly grateful
hearts, we pause to say once again how thankful
we are for the Son of God and for the salvation
that you have purchased for us through him. And
I pray that as we as individuals, as families,
as friends, meet together during these happy
hours of Christmas, that this The real meaning
of Christmas will not be lost in the rush of
it all. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
I want to thank you for coming and sharing in
this service this afternoon. If we can be of
spiritual help or counsel to you, I hope that
you will feel free to call me or... any of our
staff members here at the church, and we'll be
glad to chat with you on the phone or come to
your home, or you may come here and see us, that
we can help you spiritually. And before we go,
one of our elders is here from the church, Dave
Kelby, and Dave has a word of greeting to bring
to us from our elders. Dave? I wonder if Pastor
Dave Sulak would come up as well. You know, this
has been a super year for the members of our
congregation, all of us, and we have been blessed
so much. It's been unbelievable. And I think
one of the biggest parts of our blessing has
been what's happened here at Roseville. When
I think of God's blessing to us as a congregation,
I think that by sending us Pastor Call,