The Birth of Christ — Leonard Ravenhill

Not all preachers have the same problems, any more than all people have the same problems, but I've been with preachers when they say, you know, I haven't got a word for Sunday, I just don't know which way to go, don't know what to give the folk.

This usually is solved about this time of the year, because of course we come to the advent season, the, I like to think of it as the adventure of the Lord Jesus into this world in which we live. And there's an endless variety of subjects that can be dealt with at this time of the year, and I guess a lot of them are profitable, or all of them should be profitable.

And there's no question that somebody's going to lay to the point about the Virgin Mary and somebody else will take up the study of a young man who was baffled, young Joseph not knowing what was going on with her, and he must have had an awful lot of questions, and had to meet the in-laws and the outlaws, and ask a few things about the baby that was coming, and that must have been pretty rough.

And there are many, many that, as I say, there are so many different aspects of this coming of Jesus. Some will dwell on the angels, and others will dwell on other aspects. But I was thinking how wonderful it really is that time is divided by a babe, not a bomb.

The Bible is divided by a babe, not a bomb. It's the most stupendous miracle. It's very difficult for me anyhow to try and find which is the greatest miracle. I don't know if you can say there is a greatest miracle.

The Virgin Birth and the Incarnation

This miracle of Jesus coming into the world is what the theologians, the theologians call the incarnation. But you see we live in days that are very tricky. I teach folk about that horrible thing called the living Bible, because one thing they've done there in the in the prophecy of Isaiah, they have eliminated that the Virgin shall be with child, it's a young woman.

There are theologians who say I believe in the incarnation, but not the virgin birth. You can't divorce the one from the other. It isn't that Jesus just had an extra endowment of the Holy Spirit above say John Baptist, or above some other man in the Old Testament.

He was very God of very God, and it makes all the difference in the world that we stand by the virgin birth. And I thought of it this way, you see they, you've got links in this chain obviously. The first thing is the incarnation.

As Wesley put it so beautifully, God contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man. The Bible says that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him. Well how do you press him into a virgin's womb? You see science you've got to leave at the other side of the door.

It can ask all the questions, ridicule us all it likes. But it does so happen that in the Christian revelation we do believe in the supernatural, at least we should. And if the supernatural, it's superficial anyhow.

And I don't know, I've said to you, I don't know any church on earth where every gift of the Spirit operates. I wish I did. And next week I'm going to talk about gifts of the Spirit, not in the area you think either, in another area entirely different.

All concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. But the incarnation is God contracted to a span. Another verse of Wesley's is, he laid his glory by and he wrapped him in our clay. God's love to us was gift wrapped in flesh and blood.

God’s Gift in the Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Christ

There's another way that God could give it. If God had given Gabriel, if God had given an archangel, that would be very wonderful. But God gave himself. God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son.

And so you have again this mystery of the incarnation which culminates of course in the resurrection. If you don't have the incarnation, you can't have the resurrection. If you don't have a resurrection, the incarnation is not complete.

Now I guess I have said this many times and I suddenly discovered sometimes I make mistakes. It's very humiliating but sometimes I do. But you know we stress the fact we say you see he was born for our sin.

Right. When Jesus came to us, God gave his son in birth. In his birth, he was God's gift to us. In his death, it was God's gift for us. I don't see any problem with the virgin birth. After all almighty God made Adam, the first Adam as the word of God calls him, without a mother.

Why couldn't he make the last Adam without a father? There's no problem. I don't believe that deity has any problems. If I can step back, I say I believe the biggest headache to God, if I could use that right now, is his church.

I think we've potted around for two thousand years and haven't yet come into the riches but there are in Jesus Christ. So God didn't give Jesus to redeem us from hell. Forget it. That's a fringe benefit.

The work of Jesus Christ was to restore the image of God in us. That, that other thing saving us from hell. Amazing as it is but it is not the supreme work of God. No. After the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in the matrix of the Virgin Mary.

The Supernatural Birth and Resurrection Life

You know, I don't know why we sit down. I honestly goodness I think we're sheer lazy that we sit down. I think we should stand and sing every hymn with majesty and dignity. After all we're not in a club.

We're not with a bunch of sinners outside. We're talking about the holy being that came into the world. We're talking about the king of kings and the lord of lords and everything about God is majestic.

The Holy Spirit brooded over the world. It was a piece of clay in the womb of the universe and the Holy Spirit brooded over it and what did it become? It became a world. The same Holy Spirit that brooded over chaos and brought cosmos.

That same Holy Spirit brooded over the matrix of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ was born. The same Holy Spirit. Now I could dramatize this. I'd rather like to do it. I'm not going to do it but I'd like to.

I'll give you a hint at it. But you know I like to think of Jesus lying on a slab stone cold and the devil goes in and he says no he's dead. He's as cold as the slab he's lying on and you know what we've only got about 30 more seconds to hold him there.

If he can hold him there. This is the first countdown in history. Not Cape Canaveral. Forget it. They're 2 ,000 years behind. Science is always behind. It took the scientist 2 ,000 years to find Jesus.

The shepherds found him by revelation. The scientist didn't find him for two years and when you see a little cliché or whatever you call it up the street with wise men buying at the stable put a match to it and quote me for it because they never went to the stable anyhow.

The wise men went to the home and they saw the young chap. It says they went to the house and saw the young chap. The shepherds went to the manger and saw the babe. There's a great deal of difference.

Science is late. All right the first countdown was that resurrection morning. I don't know how you. I've not been feeling so good today. I'm feeling rough to tell you the truth. I've had all kinds of sickness and a bad night and all the rest of it.

Okay. But you know what I'm doing right now at this moment I'm hanging on the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. It's the only life I know right now. The resurrection. All right. Satan says I've just been in and seen Jesus and he's dead.

Now if we can hold him there 30 more seconds we can damn the whole human race. Nobody has a chance. You see the apostle Paul builds a great pyramid of truth. 14 epistles if you take the epistle to the Hebrew.

There's one of his which I do. And he turns it all upside down and he balances on the point and he says listen if there's no resurrection you're still in your sins. You better forget it all. And so in that last split second when Satan said I've got it all I'm going to damn the human race.

Boy this is great. And do you know what happened? The Holy Ghost just in fact use the word sneaked in and touched Jesus and Jesus jumped up. Because it says in Romans 8 doesn't it? The spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead.

I believe the devil went howling down hell. I still think that. I sometimes lay on my bed at night and say Lucifer you're still howling. Jesus told it on you at the very last moment. And one of these days the church is going to wake up and realize their riches in Jesus Christ.

The Riches of Salvation and the Call to Spiritual Exploration

Because God has not merely given us redemption. He's not merely given us gifts of the spirit of retribution. He says he has with him freely given us all things. Now do you think we're ever going to explore all in that?

As I've said to you repeatedly I don't care who you are. You may be a washerwoman and hallelujah if you are. Praise God. I love you as much. Or a scientist. But you've only the same book that I have. Sidney only had the same Bible I had.

John Wesley only. Well what did they do? They explored it. You know John Wesley is a marvelous man. He's English. And uh he was only about five foot one and he was a scholar and his family had more influence in England than anybody except the royal family.

One day he found a scrap of paper. It had been written by a little French lady lady in uh when was he converted? 1735 1635. Petite little French lady fell in love and left a love letter which is dangerous.

But you see she fell in love with Jesus and left the world a love letter. And in that love letter she says this. Come Savior Jesus from above. Assist me with thy heavenly grace. Empty my heart of earthly love.

You know what most of us want? We want clothing before we've been stripped. We want filling before we've been emptied. We want resurrection life before we die. And God doesn't play. And therefore you find out that I've a lot of big meetings casualties all over the place.

All right she says assist me with thy heavenly grace. Empty my heart of earthly love and for thyself prepare a place. John Wesley got that and he said this is fantastic. It's almost like scripture. And then he came to the next stanza.

If that's a big one listen to this. Nothing on earth do I desire but thy pure love within my breast. This only this will I require and freely give up all the rest wealth honor pleasure and what else this short enduring world can give.

Well it's easy to say that. You know Dr. Tovey used to say then most Christians don't tell lies you just sing them in church. You know what a whole realm of nature mine. It's too wet to go out Wednesday night to a prayer meeting.

Well I can't go to so-and-so. No I can't do it. John Wesley says is that what it really means? And he took it and pasted it in some book somewhere and he saw that it got into the first Methodist hymn book which was written I guess somewhere about I don't know 17.

Do you know? He don't. 17 and 38. 17 to 50 60. Somewhere around there anyhow. Nothing on earth do I desire. Do you ever have trouble with the hymns you've sung? Do you ever take a hymn like Jesus lover of my soul where again Charles Wesley says thou oh Christ art all I want.

But apart from that I'm going to make it. Thou oh Christ. You see that's the whole explanation of redemption that Jesus didn't tag anything and he left everything behind in eternity and he was stripped and he came down in our flesh.

Robed himself in our flesh. God contracted to a spam and incomprehensibly made man. Well that was something wasn't it? I've reminded you so many times that to me the simple beautiful challenging humiliating life story of little Josie.

Humility, Patience, and the Life of Christ Within

He's up here and uh and his daddy says take some bread and cheese to your brothers in Dothan and when he goes they put him down in a in a pit and and then they sent him to the Israelites and they take him down to Egypt.

In Egypt they put him down in a prison and in prison the bottom falls out and almighty God leaves him there for 13 years. One of the things I do not understand and I'll show you ignorance because you don't.

I do not understand the mercy and patience of God. If you're ever tempted to be impatient that almighty God isn't speeding things up. You know I think of I think of Moses on the back side of the desert.

He could have said every night, Lord 10 ,000 people have died today in Egypt. They've been whipped and they've been bruised and killed. Don't you care about it? You do that and when you see somebody you look at them very sweet amongst them next to say does Christ live in you?

As I said sometimes in meetings uh next time they have a meeting in your church don't stand up and say I'm saved and then I went to a dry old church but I came to this church I got the baptism and everything's been wonderful or if you're Nazarene I got sanctified.

Don't do it that way. Just stand up and and say sweetly well friends it's wonderful to be here tonight you know Christ lives in me and sit down. Maybe your wife will nudge you and say Jack when did that happen?

I didn't know I've never dreamed I was living with Jesus. You mean that was Jesus that barked his head off last night? That was Jesus that blasted the door? Well that's what it means. Christianity is not a philosophy it's a life and the very son of God who came into that world John says that when you are really born again of the spirit of God that's a fantastic phrase isn't it?

It says that God is born in you he that hath the son not not not he that's repented of his sin not he that's joined the church not he that's been through the tank and paid his tithe. He doesn't say that.

It says that if you and I are really born again we've repented of our sins and Christ has come then Christ has come to live in our hearts by faith and there is no greater thing this side of eternity than a heart which is filled with God.

You can have all the riches you want I don't care all the positions and possessions you won't make me envious but if a man has has more of God and he knows some secrets I don't want I want to get up near to him and say well brother will you share those things with me?

Where did you find them? How did you discover them? And nine cases out of ten they come out of crisis hours in the life of Jesus. As I've told you before he had 12 disciples but they weren't all the same don't you fool yourself if you join the church everybody's the same forget it theologically yes they'll sign on the dotted line.

Discipleship and Progressive Humility

Out of the 12 what did he do? He had three that he took with him on the mount of transfiguration into the garden of Gethsemane. There was one that he talked to out of the three. God is very selective.

He took 70 out of the children of Israel then he took Moses and Aaron up on the mountain and then he says Moses you've got to leave the boys here just to deal with you and I and that's what it's about.

You see if the Lord says well I'm going to get all the Herb and Sammy and Joe and let them go together but he says just a minute Herb I'm taking you this way Joe I'm taking you Sammy I'm taking you the other way.

Oh if God would only duplicate it. If the Lord would only lift the pattern off next year and say you know Raymond what you're going to do the first three months another set next year. Boy I get all geared up and all excited for it and he says now we see through a glass garland.

No favoritism no revelations but all saints are not the same saints. We don't all mature the same in 24 hours some of us still drag our feet. As I've said to you I know people have been saved for 50 years about six months old yet I know people have only been saved a year than the 30 years old.

They've come to maturity. They've pressed on as the Apostle Paul says. But you see this is this is progressive humility. We've been talking if you weren't here in the in the last two or three weeks about what we call the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest man that ever lived.

The sermon on the mount and it begins right at that sore spot. Blessed are the poor. If it started with the pure we'd all back off. We wouldn't have a chance. Blessed are the poor. Isn't that where Jesus started.

The Kenosis and Christ’s Humble Entrance Into the World

He laid aside his glory. John says the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory later on the mount of transfiguration. But when he comes into the world he comes dispossessed what the theologians call the kenosis theory.

He emptied himself of all but love. Now but the word says being in found in fashion as a man he humbled himself. You know Jesus didn't have a good start. Not anywhere at all. After all sure he's coming into the world.

Okay we're looking back 2 ,000 years. We're very smart with our hindsight. But what about that bunch whirling around him. Did you hear about this baby that was born. Yeah I heard they took him in the temple and there's an old lady there but she's not much.

She's a hundred and you know she's a bit senile and and Simeon well he's getting up in years and it's a bunch of old folk there. After all how many received him the first time he came. Not very many. They didn't send a procession down main street.

He came stealing into the world with a shadow of illegitimacy overhead. You can pick books up now where it says that Jesus was conceived by a German soldier because there was a squad of German soldiers in Jerusalem at that time in that area and he was conceived by a German which is which is pure nonsense of course.

All right he lays aside his glory and he wraps him in our clay and all he has is a bunch of nobodies in the temple that say you know what history was made today. I think they must have been thrilled today.

The old man says Lord I've lived all my life for this now you can take me right now I've I've seen him. Isaiah wanted to see him. Wasn't it Jacob that says I shall see him but not now I shall behold him but not night a star shall arise out of Israel that shall rule my people out of Jacob that shall rule my people Israel and he says you know what everything that was promised from the first moment that Adam sinned it's all fulfilled in that little baby I saw yesterday.

He's going to change the whole history of the whole world. You know sometimes we say that he was a lamb slain before the foundation. The scripture doesn't say that. It says the lamb slain from the foundation.

It says he knew us before the foundation of the world. I don't see any reason for him to be slain before the foundation of the world. What joy would God get in that? But from the moment Adam sinned from the foundation then the Redeemer was there.

John the Baptist and God’s Quiet Way of Working

I tell you I think those men must have gone I remember somebody was talking the other day about Gypsy Smith. Well I had dinner with him often when I was at Cliff College and he used to say the big monstrous man he used to say you know Dr. Chadwick the night I got saved if the road had been paved with eggs all the five miles home I wouldn't have broken one of them I was so light.

I'd lost my burden. I felt so thrilled that I'd become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Well again I say that I think that these people there in that historical setting must have felt just the same. He only had a bunch of people that weren't famous or great.

After all he didn't have a high priest backing him. He didn't have any of the deacons or elders anybody else backing. He just stole quietly into the world. And then a little later you do you remember that there's a hue and a cry and they said did you hear the news now oh there's a man down in the wilderness there he's fantastic.

Oh what seminary is he from? Well as a matter of fact they're trying to trace him right down now. They're having a committee go to see him and ask him where he got his credentials but I'll tell you something I'd often wish I'd lived in the day when I when when Jeremiah was around or I wish I'd heard I wish I'd heard somebody like this man is a flaming prophet.

He's even pointing a finger at the king he's no respect for anybody man he's just tearing the world apart. And somebody said are you the new man? He said no no I'm I'm just the road maker. I'm the fellow mentioned in Isaiah 35 every valley shall be exalted every every hill shall be pulled down every crooked place shall be made straight.

You know I get a thrill out of that. God didn't send Gabriel and Michael the archangel to prepare the way for what he sent a humble man in flesh and blood. They didn't have a suit worth 50 cents on him and he'd solve the problem of his food bill too.

He was strange in his dress he had an old shirt around him and a fig of camel hair that's that's something. And strange in his diet he ate the locusts and strange in his doctrine he said repent and they hadn't heard that word.

And this is the man who is the advanced man for Jesus. This nut oh goodness Jesus he could have done it better I mean after all why didn't you let him preach one just once in the temple and tear the place apart.

I mean he's down there amongst the weeds and the cold and the waters and everything else is that all there is to it? And uh and the Lord says uh will you just keep this in your mind my ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts.

You like to do everything consciously you like to do everything as a big storm a blast of trumpets and rolling out the race. I don't do it that way. I don't see the sun get up too many mornings these these days but I watch it go to bed.

So when I see it I'm always glad it didn't get up with a blast of trumpet. We'd do it that way our boys on TV for God's oh boy they'd have Gabriel and all the lot every morning blasting the trumpet see the sunrise and God lets that majestic thing just come out of the darkness and rule the world and slip back.

No noise no noise no noise when the when the when was born again. Oh a bit of a noise sure down in the wilderness there when John Baptist is raising his voice but you see again uh it's consistent with everything that God does.

God is doing this on the poverty line. There's no showmanship. Now what I want to do is quote now and quote the text for you in case you forget it. Jesus said whether it is greater that he that sitteth at meat or he that serveth is not he that sitteth at meat but I am among you as him that serveth.

Christ the Servant and the Washing of Feet

I guess you could hear a hundred sermons this Christmas and not hear one on the serving Christ. We'll all be talking about the trumpet sounding the herald angels singing and all the other things and Jesus came in the world specifically to do one thing.

He says I'm among you that him that serveth and this other blessed wonderful thing he rises from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded himself and washed their feet in case you forget forgot in the previous chapter somebody washed his but they didn't wash them the same way they anointed them but they didn't anoint he didn't anoint anybody's feet oh no he didn't anoint their feet and Jesus took a towel.

I wonder what his father thought as he looked down from heaven. I wonder what the angels thought that escorted him and they went back lonely and said we're not going for 40 years heaven's going to be empty.

Do you ever think about the loneliness of God in eternity and Jesus took a towel. Jesus is everything so simple I wish he'd going for a bit of style don't you I mean fancy going into Jerusalem on a donkey.

At least he could have got a white card going down into Jerusalem on it. Fancy borrowing a boat from a guy he could have walked on the water. Oh they're so miracle hungry a miracle if a miracle doesn't happen in every meeting oh boy we're going away.

Jesus walked on the water once he went by a boat. Other times he didn't do miracles for the fun of doing them. So he goes down the street on the back of a donkey. He goes to the upper room which was barely furnished.

He goes to a woman at the well and says borrow borrow. He was always borrowing. Somebody once told a marriage story the eldest daughter of the founder of the Salvation Army William was a lovely daughter.

I met a lot of times and she said you know people said to me you're always always taking what people give you. She said yes so did my lord. He was always borrowing. He borrowed a body to come into the world.

A body was not prepared for me. He borrowed a tomb to die in. He borrowed a cup to drink at the well. He borrowed a boat to go to the sea. He borrowed a horse and a donkey to ride on. He borrowed he borrowed.

He was so broke one day he says young fellow do you have a penny. Yes let me look. He says render the seeds of the things of the seasons. As I've said to you I'm not too sure all these tax exempt stunts are legal according to the script according to the government they are.

What's the government got to do with it? Jesus says render the seeds of the things of the seasons as well he says be filled with the spirit. That's something else to chew over. But Jesus he doesn't do it with any style and pomp and circumstance.

It's poverty all the way. And he took a towel. I'd like to see him taking that jacket off you know and laying it on one side his upper garment and taking a towel and putting it round his waist. If you go to England you'll notice when a man becomes a bishop they give him a yard of black cloth with black tapes on and he puts it round the front and he must wear it all the time to denote that he's a servant.

But I suggest if you try to get him to serve you might have another problem. He likes wearing the insignia. I was telling Herb about a man. We have a friend a good friend here Bob and Bev know him called Gordon Olsen.

He's a very brilliant man and he was asked to go and speak at the induction of a very fine young man a young man who made his way in college and come out shining you know got straight A's and everything from college he went to uh university, university went bible school, bible school he went to seminary and he's a jump ahead of everybody.

He's lustrous and everybody says oh this man he's he's going up like that. And they asked Gordon Olsen to speak at his induction. The church was crowded. Granny was there. She couldn't keep her eyes dry.

The little baby she used to nurse and now there's his collar back. Which way. Don't comment on that. It's perfect. But anyhow and all the dignitaries were there and the bishop and everybody was there.

This is my grandson. The mother was there. She could hardly keep her eyes dry. This boy that had all the you could see his bedroom. Oh brother all the different societies he's in and everything. My friend Olsen stood up and said to him young man this is why you hit the dust today.

You lose all your glory and importance. You become a servant if not you're not a true minister. And he labored the point you forget all about those diplomas forget all about those things. If you have the nature of Jesus Christ your life isn't your own.

From this moment you're a servant. And a servant has no rights to say uh well maybe i'll do it in the morning. He has no right. He has no will. He he's in total submission. And he went down the line like that.

The Servant Nature of Christian Ministry

You see when we think of a king we think of a king with privilege and honor. And well the queen of england. If you happen to go to england watch out. Because if the royal carriage knocks you down the royal rose oil if you can't claim against the queen of england.

And so you better watch out. She has certain prerogatives. Jesus laid all his prerogatives on one side. And he took the form not of a king but he took the form of a servant. There's a wonderful hymn written by um we don't want to activate isaac waltz.

Isaac waltz a servant's form he wore and in his body bore our dreadful curse on calvary. He liked to like a victim stood and poured his sacred blood to save to set us guilty captives free. He started off with a great hymn this afternoon.

Didn't he did. You really mean it. I have a parody on that take my life and let it be. I i say sometimes we should think it like this. Take my wife and let her be consecrated lord to thee. Take her moments and her days.

I'm busy otherwise it's got to about that in most churches anyhow. But you see that hymn goes down and it gets tight as you get down till it will take my silver my gold. That's not true. Then you go take my will and make it.

Oh oh oh. Wait a minute wait a minute. Jesus laid aside his glory. You can't imagine that glory. He prayed about it. There were times when his heartache he said father i live in this rotten world with its competition.

I live in a place where all the pigeon sellers in the temple the other dirty bums that make me sick. Every time i go in i'd like to get back to the glory i had with me before the world was. And there isn't a man on earth can guess what that glory was.

Except of course you go to the 12th chapter of john in which it says that that when isaiah spoke as he did in isaiah 6 and he said i saw him on the throne. And it says in the 12th chapter of john he saw jesus.

No man has seen god at any time. He saw jesus in all his glory. And the cherubim and seraphim were bowing down before him. You know what we did i did today. Coming down the road the sun was shining brightly so i reached for some sunglasses and i put my glasses on filtered the sun through my glasses.

I'm sure. You know angels don't have those. You know they use. They use their wings. And they filtered the blinding glory of through their wings. They couldn't look on his glory. And with two other wings they covered themselves because they couldn't bear the divine scrutiny the holiness of god ease of holy rise.

And to behold iniquity. Wasn't it the dear little missionary that did such a job in china hudson taylor that used to say to his students keep short accounts with god. Don't let the bill run over till tomorrow at the end of the day.

Just take up and say lord did i do you here today did that. Don't. Don't don't. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to everybody else. Live up on yourself. Jesus laid aside his glory. He asked for no priorities.

He asked for no privileges. Again he has a bunch of people like this. And uh i think john baptist could have made it a lot better for him. But he didn't. That's my puny thinking. You see if people had said you know i had no doubt about it.

I was down there yesterday. You should have seen john's healing line. Never seen miracles like that. You know the bible says it's a tough one. It says he was filled with the holy ghost from his mother's womb.

It says elizabeth was filled with the holy ghost. He said his father zechariah was filled with the holy ghost. And it says the man in the temple was filled with the holy ghost. The spirit of god was upon him.

And he never did a miracle. It said in big bold letters john did no miracle. But i'll tell you what. I'll sacrifice every miracle you've ever seen. And i don't care who's done them in this country. I'll sacrifice every one of them to do what he did.

He didn't straighten a crooked arm. He didn't put my sight in a blind eye. He didn't unplug a deaf ear. He didn't raise a dead man. I'll tell you what he did. He raised a dead nation. And you can talk as much as you like about recovering the economy and all the baloney we're going to have next year.