# What does the manger mean to you

Key Passage: John 3:17
Date: June 7, 2024

John chapter number three. John chapter number three.

We’re just changing a little bit. We won’t be on the life of Moses because of Christmas. We’ll just focus a little bit. Hopefully get our minds going that way towards Christmas. And I don’t know it will be anything per se new, but hopefully we’ll kind of just get our minds and our hearts going that way towards the true meaning of Christmas. We’re going to use John 3:17 really as just a kind of a springboard to launch out to the subject, just Christ coming.

And what does that mean to you? We’ve been asking that a lot in these services, having three of you just giving a quick testimony. I’m going to do so here just a moment. But I want you to think about that. And when you look at that manger, maybe you see a manger scene or the Christmas play we had here with the school. We had a little manger up here and Mary and Joseph and somewhat of a baby Jesus. When you look at that, what is it room? What does it say to you? What does it remind you of? I want to try to get our minds going that way a little bit to that.

Someone just three people real quick. What does it mean to you? Just a word or two. What does it mean to you? Christ coming for us. This is Stoner. Peace. Amen. Amen. I love it. Two more. What does it mean to you? Just a word. Christ coming. What does it mean to you? Brother Patrick. Amen. Humbling. That’s awesome. That’s awesome. Was that Brother Andrews here? Yes, sir. Forgiveness. Amen. Amen. Amen. I love it. That’s exactly right. That’s awesome. That’s awesome.

John chapter number three. We’re just going to read that one verse, verse number 17. John 3:17. Would you please stand just to show the Word of God respect? John 3 and verse number 17, just kind of a way of introduction.

For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Would you read that verse out loud with me? Here we go: “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

You may be seated.

When you look at that manger scene, whether it be on your Christmas tree—I believe we have one ornament on our tree that has a manger scene—whatever it may be. But I want your mind to think about this. I want you to think it means God came so He can understand you better. He can relate to you better.

Let me just read for you. How many remember Paul Harvey? You know Paul Harvey? How many of you remember listening to Paul Harvey back in the day? I remember one job I had at lunchtime I would go, and he would come on about that time, and I’d listen to Paul Harvey and the rest of the story. And Paul Harvey gave this one time years ago, and I thought it’s just a good thing. I’ll do my best to read it. I’m not great at reading, but let me read it for you.

It says, “The man to whom I’m going to introduce to you was not a Scrooge. He was a kind, decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn’t believe in all the incarnation stuff which the churches proclaimed at Christmas time. It just didn’t make sense, and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. It just couldn’t swallow the Jesus story about God coming to earth as a man.”

“I’m truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, “but I’m not going with you to church this Christmas Eve.” He said he would feel like a hypocrite if he went, and he’d much rather just stay home, but he would wait up for them, and so he stayed, and they went to the midnight service.

Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch it fall. It was getting heavier and heavier. And then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later, he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another, then another. Sort of a thump or a thud. At first, he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window.

But when he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They’ve been caught in the storm, and in a desperate search for shelter, they had tried to fly through his large landscape window.

Well, he couldn’t let the poor creatures lie there and freeze. So he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony—that would provide a warm shelter if he could direct the birds to it quickly. He put on a coat, boots, and trampled through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds didn’t come in. He figured food would entice them in, so he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted, wide-open doorway of the stable.

But to his dismay, the birds ignored the breadcrumbs. He continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them, waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction except into the warm, lighted barn.

And then he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I can think of some way to let them know that they can trust me, that I’m not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or should because they feared him.

“If only I could be a bird,” he thought to himself, “and mingle with them and speak their language, then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm—to the safe, warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see and hear and understand.”

At that moment, the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind, and he stood there listening to the bells, listening to the bells, peeling the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

A friend, you understand Jesus came. He understands us. He’s been through everything you’ve been through. That’s why he said, “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sinning.” (Hebrews 2:18). That he himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted. He understands you. He lived. He came. Why did he live in heaven? Well, one reason, because he knows just what you feel. He’s been there before.

You say, preacher, we don’t have much money this year. We’re poor this year. Jesus has been there. Second Corinthians 8:9: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”

This year seemed like I’ve noticed more than usual how many homeless people there are in Nashville, even in Murfreesboro. I mean, just, it’s a fair amount of homeless people anymore out here. And I thought about it. I tried to put myself in their shoes a little bit, just thinking about that. And I thought about, you know, Jesus was homeless when he was here. He said it. He said it in Matthew 8:20: “And Jesus said unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Jesus understands how those homeless people—He’s been there.

Part of Christmas is Jesus, God coming down in incarnation and coming down, and He’s lived in this world. He’s went through the problems; He understands what you’re going through. He understands you so much better. He knows what it’s like to be tired. I thought about Jesus when the storm came up, one of those, and they were in the boat, and where was Jesus? He was sleeping. Why? He had been busy. He had a busy schedule. And he knew what it was to be tired and sleeping.

On the cross, there are seven utterances of Christ on the cross. The fifth one, really, to show his humanity when he’s on the cross—the fifth thing Jesus said on the cross—he said, “I thirst.” You understand what it is to be thirsty? I mean, Christmas is about God coming down, and he lived in this sin-cursed world. He understands you. He understands your family. Someone put a prayer request in: family problems. You know, Jesus had half-brothers; they didn’t believe Jesus was God. They didn’t believe in him. They ridiculed him. They gave him a hard time. And Jesus understands that. Mary and her other sons were outside Jesus, and they were preaching to them. Instead of waiting or trying to go see Jesus, they said, “Hey, come on out here and talk to us.” And Jesus said, “No, no, no, these are here, these are my brothers and sisters; do the will of the Father.” But I’m saying Jesus understands all those things. He’s lived here. He understands. He’s cried.

If you ever get in a Bible memorization contest where you just kind of quote the most verses, quote John 11:35 real quick. That’s the shortest verse in the Bible, amen! I mean, get it in there before somebody else steals it, you know. Simply says two things: “Jesus wept.” He knows what it is to cry. He’s been through that. He wept as a person.

Jesus was angry, not sinful, but angry. Mark 3:5: He was thinking of healing on the Sabbath day, and some of them didn’t want him to heal, and this poor man needed to be healed. And Jesus got angry about it. The Bible says, “And when he had looked round about upon them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their heart.” He understands what it is to be angry. Now, be angry and sin not, but he understands what it is to be angry. I’m simply saying he came to know and understand and be able to relate. He understands your feelings. He’s been through it. He’s been lonely before. The fourth utterance when he was on the cross—there were seven—the fourth one, what Jesus said, he said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And he came and he lived in this world. And you see the baby in a manger, Jesus, representing Jesus Christ. Just think about it: he came so he can understand you.

I think about sometimes Jesus, he could have come and just been incarnated as a full-grown man, but he did not. He’s just a baby. He didn’t bypass the growing up years. He understands what it is to be the little one, you know, and all the things are part of it. He understands that. He’s been through it, just like you and I.

And so when it’s Christmas time, I just want you to try to get our minds going that way when you see that manger scene, or however you do. I hope you have some kind of traditions to help you remember the true meaning of Christmas, whatever it may be. We’ve talked about in our Sunday school class, staffing—we were talking about the other day—and just everybody has their little things they do to try to keep Christ and Christ. That’s a good thing. Someone said they have a cowboy Santa Claus and a little bitty manger scene, and he’s kneeling before Jesus. And they say they see that, I think, every day, and they say they help remind them of what Christmas is all about. I don’t do it as faithfully as I should, but I try to plug in the Christmas tree lights every morning, and I think Jesus has been the light of the world. But whatever you may do for you. I’ve enjoyed—we’ve been to just about all, all besides two—of the Christmas for the Christmas contest. And I’ve loved all the manger scenes. Boy, I love it. I like it. And those things sometimes just help us keep the true meaning of Christmas. You know, I’m not careful getting so commercialized and busy buying presents, and that’s part of it. But I want to have true heart of adoration, like we were singing about tonight, for Christ. So when you see that, let it remind you: He came so he can know what I’m going through a little better. He understands me. He knows what you’re going through.

What else? What does it mean? Christ coming. What does it mean? Let me just mention this. He came. We’ll look over in John, chapter 1. We’ll get the verse in first. John chapter 1. A great chapter about the deity of Christ. It’s a wonderful, wonderful chapter. And John 1 was wonderful about that. By the way, that’s why it’s so very, very important to keep old King James Bible. So many of these other versions will change John 1:1. I have a brother-in-law who’s a Jehovah’s Witness. And, boy, if I try to quote John 1, no, no. I said, “No, you’re using your Bible that the Jehovah’s Witnesses foot—false witness—changed.” You know, no, no, let’s don’t use that New World Translation. Let’s keep the old. And he understands this much older and been changed and whatnot, but it’s so important.

But John 1:1: Look at it. “In the beginning was the Word (capital W), and the Word (capital W) was with God,” speaking of Jesus Christ. Watch this: “And the Word was God.” So many of them will add just one little bit of letter, just add an ‘a’—was a god. Changes the whole meaning of it, see. That’s why it’s so important. Don’t mess with the Bible.

Now, so we understand the Word is Jesus Christ. He was God. Now look down, look down verse number 14, verse number 14 there. “And the Word (that is Jesus) was made flesh, look at this, and ‘what?’ And dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

But just think about that: dwelt among us. In the Old Testament, over there in Exodus chapter number 25, He said, “Hey, I want you to build the tabernacle that I may dwell among you.” Through the Holy Spirit, He dwells in us right now. But Christ came. It was God, and He came; He made Himself flesh, and He dwelt among us.

I mentioned it several times, but I had a good time Saturday, just a little bit slower pace. We didn’t have a super big number of men. I can’t remember—I don’t know how many men, 13 maybe altogether, somewhere around there. But I enjoy just having time to spend with the men and not so rushed, and we just kind of enjoy fellowship, whatnot. We had to rush a little bit at Bob Evans. That was a shame, amen, you know, but we got the food down, though. I mean, we got it down, you know.

But I enjoyed that. And, you know, you love someone; you like to spend time with him. And God said, you know, “I’m going to come down, and I’m going to dwell among them.” And when you see that in the manger, representing Jesus Christ, just saying, He left heaven to come down here and He lived among us. If you will, He wasn’t—He wasn’t, “Well, I’m God, I don’t have time to come.” No, He came down. Of course, not all of us individually, but for 33 years, He dwelt among us. Of course, He gave us a Bible for us to know what He was like. But He dwelt among us.

The love languages. How many understand the five love languages? I’m sure pretty much all of us have heard about it. And there’s love languages for everything nowadays: for couples, and for singles, and for widows and widowers. And I think they’ve wrote a book, Love Languages for Dogs. I’m not sure. You know, it’s a good book; it’s got good truths in there. You know, but the five different love languages. And one of those is time. And maybe that’s your love language: someone spending time with you. I want you to really dwell on that. God left heaven, came down here, and was incarnated. And why? So He could dwell among men. He came to spend time with you. And He spent 33 years with you.

I love that verse, Matthew 1:23. We read it Sunday morning: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Yeah, quoting from Isaiah 7:14.

So when you see that manger scene, think about it. Think about it. First of all, He came so He can understand; He can relate. He knows what you’ve been through. He came to spend time, God, with humanity. Pretty amazing.

Let’s share this thought here. He came—well, let’s go at a different angle—He gave His only begotten Son to show you His love. That verse before—we read John 3:17. John 3:16, you know it. You know it. Let’s quote it out loud with you. Here we go: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Think about that: For God so loved, so loved, that He gave His only begotten Son. He gave His best.

1 John 4:9: “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” He gave His best.

Oh, in the summertime, I think it was, a little before school started, Brother Bradley was helping us, and he was going to pick up some desks for school. And he’d found them at a good price, whatnot. So he borrowed my truck. I said, “Brother, sure, no problem at all. I said, if I could borrow one of your cars, you know, because I need something for the weekend, whatnot, it’s busy.” And he’d take my truck, you know, do whatever. And he’s got a Honda, it’s nice, a little SUV. And I figured he’d let me drive that; no problem at all, you know. But he’s also got a Kia Stinger, a sports car. That car is nice, man. It’s got all the bells and whistles. That thing’s sharp, you know, it’s a nice car. I thought for sure he’s going to bring that Honda, let me drive, and I’d been good with that. But you know, Brother Bradley, he let me drive his good car. I checked it out a little bit, too. He’s not here tonight, you know, so hopefully he’s not watching online now, you know. You just got that button, but you push that button, you know, economy mode or sport mode, all that. Well, we won’t go—we’ll just leave that stuff alone now, you know.

But here, my job is a good one, you know, his best, if you will. And God, He gave His best. Now, I understand the economy God made in this world, that Jesus is the only way. He’s the only way if we could be saved. Walk and wash your way, might say nothing but the blood of Jesus. And that’s absolutely truth. Without the shedding of blood, there’s no remission of sin. But you understand, He’s God. He had the right to make the economy the way it was, if you will. He could have made it a different way. Now, He made it where Jesus is the only way, but He’s God, and I can’t put God in a box. And if He chose to make it where, you know, I could have been saved a different way, He could have did that. You understand what I’m saying? He’s God.

So you say, preacher, why was it that He made it where His only begotten Son was the only one that could save us? Well, 1 John 4:9 just told us: to show us His love. He created a world where the only way you and I could be saved is by His only begotten Son. Why did He do that? To show you how much He loves you. That manifests—that shows you His love. I understand that. I can comprehend it now because He gave His only begotten Son.

By the way, what’s the greatest commandment for us? We read it: to love Him back. That’s a great commandment. And so when I see that, the manger, and I see Jesus there, that was God showing you how much He loves you. Enough—He loves you enough to give His very, very best. It wasn’t Gabriel or Michael or the archangels, whatnot. No, no, much, much better than that. Hebrews says He gave His only begotten Son. Well, I had to do that to show you His love. He gave you His very best.

Sometimes, you know, families—some families will have regular silver wearing plates and all that, but they got the special china, you know, and that’s put away. They only bring that out unless somebody very special comes to be their guests. They bring out their best china. How many of you do stuff like that? Any of you ladies do stuff like that? A couple of okay. Good, good, good. Hey, look, if you will, God brought His best china out to show you how special you are to Him. He gave His only begotten Son to show you how much He loves you. So when you see that manger and that little baby representing Jesus Christ, think about it: that’s God showing me how much He loves me. I’m special to God. He gave His very best for you.

What does a manger mean to you? Well, it means God came down here so He can understand; He can be touched by the feeling. I always think that’s amazing in Hebrews: “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities”—not just our infirmities, but the feeling of our infirmities. He understands your feelings because He’s felt it before. And He’s been there.

First of all, He came so He can understand, relate to you better. He came to spend time with mankind. He came to show you love by giving His very best.

Then look over in Job, chapter number nine. Job, chapter number nine. And just a couple more thoughts. We’re going to be out of here tonight. I know it’s Christmas, and we’ll be out of here touch early. I told Brother Adam this today sometime. I said, “I think we’ll be short in church.” He’s a master’s club back here. I said, “Christmas time, whatnot.” He didn’t say anything, but I could see that little smirk on his face: “Well, pastor being short, I don’t know about that,” you know. And maybe we’ll get there, though. We’ll see.

But look over in Job, chapter number nine, just one verse very quickly here. Job 9:33. And look at this, just prayer here, this just agonizing here: “Neither is there any daysman between us, that might lay his hand upon us both.” Now, he’s saying, daysman, a go-between, that can put his hand on God—if you will, perfection, infinite, and just, just everything good, bright, it light, no darkness at all—put his hand on God, and yet put his hand on sinful mankind, me and you. He’s how I’m looking for a daysman that can put his hand on both of them and connect them. That’s exactly what Jesus came to do. He was God, 100% God. “In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God.” And yet, He came and He dwelt among us. He became man. He made flesh. I was always amazed—the Bible, I’ve looked it up before—is the Bible really saying that? He was made flesh, not sinful, but flesh.

And Jesus, He came, and He can satisfy the Father. He proved that by His resurrection. And yet He became a man on the cross. That’s why He said, “I thirst,” to prove the humanity of Christ. And He’s our daysman.

You say, what are you getting at on this one here, this point here? He came, and you see Him. He came so perfection can mingle within sinners, you and I. Second Corinthians 5:19: “To wit, that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

I was being with someone just the other day, and they were having a hard time just feeling or knowing or understanding now God loves them. They’ve been taught it. They’ve known it in their head, but just feeling it. And we were trying to find out if there’s a real issue, what’s going on, and whatnot. And we were talking, just a little bit of a heart-to-heart, a little bit of a raw conversation, you know, when you’re going through some things. And I told them, just in the conversation, say, “Hey, God’s not here trying to nitpick you.” And well, they just started crying. Oh, praise the Lord, maybe we’re getting somewhere. What’s going on there? Hey, if God was here to nitpick you, none of us would stand a chance for Him. Wow. Can you imagine if perfection were to nitpick you and I? Wow.

Jesus came so God, He doesn’t nitpick you. Actually, He sees you positionally through Christ as perfect. It’s amazing. We do have a daysman that can lay His hand on God—He is God—and yet lay His hand on humanity. He was a man. And Jesus, He came. Why? So perfection can be with imperfection.

I was a teenage boy. I was never the best at basketball, but I loved it, I liked it, played in high school, whatnot, had ten fingers at the time, amen, you know. And one summer I got to go to Pistol Pete Maravich. How many of you know Pistol Pete Maravich? He used to play for LSU, and then he was—oh, I can’t remember what NBA teams he played for—but back in the day he was one of the greats, and he got saved later on in life. And he started having basketball camps, and him and his dad both. How many ever—there’s a movie out about him, Airborne, I think it is, maybe the movie. Good movie. It’s a good movie.

And anyway, us boys, we thought we were somebody just because we got to go out in the gym and play. We didn’t get to play against him; we got to play with, you know, NBA star Pistol Pete Maravich and his dad. And boy, we thought we were somebody. “Hey, man, I got to go to camp and play with Pete Maravich!” And, you know, God came down, if you will. And if you will, He played basketball with us. You understand what I’m saying about that? God said, “I’ll come down in perfection can be with some messed-up people.” Why? Because that manger, Jesus—Jesus, that’s what He came for.

Just a couple of thoughts. Number one, why did He come? When you see that manger this Christmas season, think about it. He came because He understands so much more. He knows you now. He understands. He’s been there. Not all that, but He came to spend time with mankind, to dwell among them. Number three, to show you He loves you by giving His very best. And number four, so perfection can mingle with imperfection.

Then the last thing, very quickly, we’re done. Look, look back there, John 3. Look back in John 3. Look back in John 3:17. We’re done. We’ve already read it. You already know it. It’s just very simple here, but we just focused over the end, and we’re done. John 3:17 right there. John 3 and verse number 17 right there. John 3:17: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be—what’s the word?—saved.”

And you see that in the manger, you see Christ there. I want you to think about it: He came to save me. That’s why He came. I want you to take it personal. You see that, wherever it may be, on a Christmas tree or out in somebody’s yard, wherever it may be, and you’re trying to keep the true meaning of Christmas, I want you to think about, “Hey, He came to save me.” He didn’t come to condemn you. Man, if He came to condemn us, we have no hope.

I was able to visit a man in jail—oh, it’s been several years back, I don’t know—and we hadn’t known each other before, whatnot. And he, of course, was in jail, guilty of a crime, whatnot. And one of the first things I was able to tell him, I met with him and talked to him for a bit, and I said, “Now, I want you to know I didn’t come to condemn you. I’m not here for that. I’m not here to condemn you.” I was very happy. He said, “I know. I’ve known you over the years. He said, I know you didn’t come with that reason.” And Jesus didn’t come to condemn you either. He left heaven. He came down here. You see it, a little man—you’re saying, He’s not here to condemn you. He’s here to save you. When you see that, I want you just think about it. I want you to think about it: Hey, He came. He’s there to save me.

Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - What does the Manger mean to you - Wednesday PM 12202023