COME SEE WHAT THE LORD HAS MADE KNOW TO US

COME SEE WHAT THE LORD HAS MADE KNOWN TO US HE SITS HIGH, BUT HE LOOKS LOW

WE COME TODAY TO CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS, FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN. UNTO US A SON HAS BEEN GIVEN AND THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE UPON HIS SHOULDERS AND HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED, WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE.

THIS CHILD, THIS SON CAME INTO THE WORLD AS A MANIFESTATION OF THE WORD OF GOD. HE WAS PROPHESIED BY THE PROPHETS, WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW AND UNDERSTOOD BY THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES TO BE THE MESSIAH. THE LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKETH AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD.

HE IS THE CHILD WHOM THE ANGEL SPOKE, WOULD COME. CONCEIVED

BY HOLY SPIRIT AND BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY. HE CAME INTO THE WORLD TO BE THE SAVIOUR. JESUS. EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US.

AND SO HE CAME. CAME THRU FORTY AND TWO GENERATIONS. HE CAME. ALL THE WAY FROM HEAVEN DOWN HE CAME. HE CAME AS THE

CHILD WHO WAS PROMISED AND THE BABY WHO THE ANGEL SAID WOULD BE BORN. HE CAME AND WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY GHOST IN THE WOMB OF A VIRGIN. HE CAME TO SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. HE CAME AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD WAS UPON HIM AND SENT HIM TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR, TO SET AT LIBERTY THEM WHO WERE BRUISED AND TO HEAL THE BROKEN HEARTED AND TO OPEN THE PRISON DOORS AND TO PREACH THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD. HE CAME AND I’M SO GLAD THAT HE DID.

WHEN JESUS WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM, THE ANGELS WENT TO SHEPHERDS IN A NEARBY FIELD AND TOLD THEM OF JESUS’ BIRTH AND THAT HE WAS THE CHRIST. THEY TOLD THEM WHERE HE WAS BORN AND HOW TO IDENTIFY HIM. AND AS THEY WERE TELLING THE SHEPHERDS ABOUT THE BIRTH OF JESUS, THE HEAVENLY HOST, THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN SHOWED UP AND PRAISE BROKE OUT AND THEY BEGAN TO PRAISE GOD AND SAY GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, ON PEACE ON EARTH AND GOODWILL TOWARDS MEN.

AND WHEN THE ANGELS WERE GONE AWAY FROM THEM INTO HEAVEN, WHEN THEY DISAPPEARED,THE SHEPHERDS SAID ONE TO ANOTHER, LET US GO NOW TO BETHLEHEM AND SEE THIS THING WHICH IS COME TO PASS, WHICH THE LORD HAS MADE KNOWN TO US.

LET’S SEE THIS THING WHICH HAS COME TO PASS, THAT THE LORD HAS MADE KNOWN TO US. FIRSTLY, GOD SHOWED US THAT HE CHOSE TWO PEOPLE WHO WERE FROM THE SMALLEST TRIBE. THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN. THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN WERE DESCENDENTS OF ONE OF THE CHILDREN OF JACOB OR ISRAEL – BENJAMIN. THE LAST OF TWELVE CHILDREN, WHO WAS BORN TO A MAN ALMOST 100 YEARS OLD. A MAN WHOSE MOTHER DIED AT HIS BIRTH. A MAN WHO WAS DESTINED TO BE WILD AND ANIMAL LIKE. JESUS WAS BORN IN THE TRIBE THAT WAS THE SMALLEST AND LEAST RESPECTED. THE BENJAMINITES HAD A LOWLY REPUTATION. GOD CHOSE THE LOWLIEST PLACE FROM WHICH TO CALL HIS SON. AS A MAN, AS JESUS WAS CHOOSING HIS DISCIPLES, PHILLIP WENT TO NATHANIEL TO TELL HIM HE HAD FOUND THE MESSIAH AND NATHANIEL WOULD SAY John 1:46 And Nathanael said unto him (SPEAKING OF JESUS), Can

there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

COME SEE THIS THING THAT THE LORD HAS SHOWN US. HE COULD HAVE COME FROM ROME OR FROM SOME GREAT CITY OF NOTE. BUT GOD CHOSE THE SMALLEST TRIBE AND THE WORSE CITY OUT OF WHICH TO BRING HIS SON INTO THE WORLD. COME SEE THIS THING THAT THE LORD HAS SHOWN US.

NOT ONLY WAS HE BORN TO A COUPLE FROM THE SMALLEST TRIBE, WITH THE WORSE REPUTATION, BUT WHEN JOSEPH AND MARY CAME TO BETHLEHEM TO BE TAXED AND TO HAVE THEIR NAMES PLACED IN THE CENSUS. THEY DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR THEM IN THE INN. THERE WAS NO PLACE INSIDE, OUT OF THE ELEMENTS. PROTECTED FROM THE NIGHT WHERE HE COULD BE BORN. NO, JESUS WAS BORN IN A MANGER, IN A ANIMAL TROUGH. A PLACE WHERE ANIMALS FED OR DRANK. WHICH MEANS JESUS WAS BORN IN A STABLE. BORN AMONGST THE STENCH OF ANIMALS, IN A

PLACE WHERE LIVESTOCK WERE KEPT. COME AND SEE THIS THING THAT THE LORD HATH SHOWN US.

AND THERE IS GOD’S SON, BORN IN A STABLE, LAID IN AN ANIMAL TROUGH OR MANGER, TO PARENTS FROM THE LOWEST PLACE A JEW COULD BE BORN FROM A CITY WHERE NOTHING GOOD HAD EVER COME. AND LOOK AT WHAT THE LORD HATH SHOWN US. WHEN HE WAS BORN, HE WASN’T DRESSED IN THE FINEST CLOTHES OR WRAPPED IN ROYAL GARB. NO, THE SAVIOUR WAS WRAPPED IN RAGS, IN SWADDLING CLOTHING. COME SEE WHAT THE LORD HATH SHOWN US.

AND THEN TO WITNESS THE BIRTH OF THIS BABY, BORN TO LOWLY PARENTS, FROM A LOWLY CITY, BORN IN A LOWLY PLACE AND WRAPPED IN LOWLY GARB. HE SENT THE ANGELS TO THE LOWLIEST FOLK AROUND. HE SENT THE ANGELS FROM HEAVEN TO SHEPHERDS. DIRTY SHEPHERDS. MEN WHO SLEPT ON THE GROUND AND LIVED OUTDOORS. MEN WHO LIVED AND WORKED AMONGST DIRTY STINKING ANIMALS. MEN WHO WERE USE TO SMELLING THE STENCH OF A STABLE. HE SENT LOWLY MEN TO WITNESS THE BIRTH OF THE

MESSIAH. COME SEE THIS THING THAT THE LORD HATH DONE AND HAS MADE KNOWN UNTO US.

THE LORD, IN HIS INFINITE WISDOM, THE KING OF KINGS AND THE LORDS OF LORD. HE KNEW THAT IF HE HAD BEEN BORN IN THE PALACE AND FROM PARENTS WHO WERE OF ROYALTY AND WHO POSSESSED THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE. THE LORD KNEW, IF JESUS’ BIRTH HAD BEEN WITNESSED BY THE NOBLES AND THE WISEMEN, HE KNEW THAT THEY WOULD HAVE NEVER ALLOWED THE LOWEST OF THE LOW TO EVER CLAIM HIM AS THEIR SAVIOUR. THEY WOULD HAVE INSTEAD CLAIMED THAT HE WAS A KING WHO WAS TOO HIGH TO SAVE THOSE OF LOW ESTATE. THEY WOULD HAVE SAID HE WAS TO HIGH AND HOLY TO CARE ABOUT THOSE OF US WHO ARE OF NO REPUTATION. THEY WOULD HAVE SAID, THAT HE CAME TO BE WITH THE HIGH CLASS, NOT THE LOW OR NO CLASS. THEY WOULD HAVE SAID HE CAME TO THOSE WHO HAVE A LOT AND HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THOSE WHO HAVE NOT.

BUT GOD, IN HIS INFINITE WISDOM KNEW WE NEEDED A SAVIOUR WHO SAT HIGH, BUT LOOKED LOW. HE KNEW THAT WE NEEDED A

DELIVERER WHO WAS NOT TOO BIG TO SAVE THE SMALL, NOR TOO GREAT TO HELP THE LEAST, NOR TOO HIGH AND MIGHTY TO LIFT BLESS THOSE WHO ARE LOWLY AND WEAK.

NO GOD, IN HIS DIVINE WISDOM KNEW THAT IF HE CAME FROM A GREAT PLACE, PEOPLE WOULD SAY HE WAS GREAT BECAUSE OF WHERE HE WAS FROM. IF HE WAS BORN OF GREAT PARENTS, THEY WOULD SAY, HE WAS GREAT BECAUSE OF HIS FAMILY. IF HE HAD BEEN BORN IN THE PALACE OR IN SOME GREAT PLACE, THEY WOULD HAVE SAID, HE WAS BORN UNDER THE PROTECTION OR CARE OF OTHERS. IF HE HAD BEEN BORN DRESSED IN THE FINER THINGS OF LIFE, THEY WOULD HAVE SAID, HE WAS BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN HIS MOUTH. AND IF HE HAD BEEN BORN WITNESSED BY THE RICH AND FAMOUS, THEY WOULD HAVE CLAIMED HIM FOR THEMSELVES AND SAID, HE WAS DESTINED TO BE ONE OF THEM.

BUT COME AND SEE THIS THING THAT HAS COME TO PASS AND WHAT THE LORD HAS MADE KNOWN TO US. HE CAME INTO THE WORLD AS THE KING OF KINGS AND THE LORDS OF LORD. But made himself of

no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

HE LOWERED HIMSELF AND MADE HIMSELF LOWLY AND MEEK. SO THAT NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO SAY HE WAS TO HIGH FOR THE LOWLY. OR TOO FAMOUS FOR THE NO BODY’S, NOR TOO RICH FOR THE POOR. NO HE CAME TO SHOW US THAT HE SITS HIGH, BUT HE LOOKS LOW.

COME AND SEE THIS THING THAT THE LORD HATH DONE AND HAS MADE KNOWN TO US. HE WILL SAVE ANYBODY, HE’S WILLING TO GO ANYWHERE, NO BODY IS TOO MESSED UP, NO PLACE IS TOO DIRTY OR SITUATION TOO BAD. NOTHING IS SO STINKY OR UGLY THAT HE WON’T COME AND SAVE YOU. COME SEE THIS THING THAT THE LORD HATH DONE AND WHAT HE HAS MADE KNOWN UNTO US.

I SO GLAD, THAT ONE DAY, HE CAME AND SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME. HE WASN’T TOO HIGH TO REACH WAY DOWN AND PICK ME UP. I WAS SINKING DEEP IN SIN…