Away In A Manger, Carols, 16 December 2012
Away In A Manger
Big Idea: Jesus is more than a little baby. He is LORD.
Welcome to the third Sunday of Advent. Advent is about expectant waiting and preparation. For generations, the Israelites awaited the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We are awaiting His return. We are in between His first and second visits to our planet. We look back and forward.
During these four weeks of preparation for Jesus’ birthday celebration, we’re looking at four classic Christmas Carols, their lyrics, and their biblical message. It is my hope and prayer that as you hear these songs, you’ll not only hum the melody, you’ll think about the timeless message. This week’s carol is Away In A Manger.
History:
It was first published in 1885 in Philadelphia. The texts was credited for many years to Martin Luther, but that seems to be only a fable. It is one of the most popular carols in Britain.
Lyrics
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head. The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.
Intro
Before we get started, I want to dispel two myths.
First, the manger probably did not look most of our wood and straw mangers found in nativity sets. It most likely was a hard, stone trough.
Second, it says “But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.” He cried! Babies cry! Jesus cried! We know He even cried as an adult, but that’s another story.
Two weeks ago we talked about “O Holy Night” and how because of Jesus the weary world rejoices.
Last week we looked at “O Come All Ye Faithful” and said that although we are not always faithful, joyful, and triumphant, Jesus is and He allows us to experience faith, joy and victory.
This message will be more challenging. It challenged me! The phrase is simply this…“The little Lord Jesus.” There’s more to Jesus than just a 8 lb. 6 oz sweet little baby Jesus Jesus is LORD. 740 times in the NT He is referred to as LORD.
In Luke 2, the most detailed description of Jesus’ birthday, the shepherds were minding their own business in the fields and then an angel terrifies them!
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)
We don’t use that word “lord” much outside of church.
What does it mean for Christ to be LORD?
The Greek word, kyrios, means master or lord, as in a master of property or slaves. It means supreme in authority, controller.
How does that sound? Jesus as master and you as slave?
Controller is a challenging word because we all want to be in control.
Jesus is LORD. How do we make Him LORD in our life? We don’t. God made Him LORD long ago. We surrender to what already is. We surrender to the One who is in control.
I believe there are three types of people in this world.
The first are what I call the unsurrendered. These are the people that have no illusions about Jesus as LORD. To them He’s a swear word, a myth, or a good teacher. They don’t pretend to follow Jesus. They live their lives for themselves or some other lord. While this group is apparently growing rapidly in the west, it creates exciting opportunities for us to share how and why Jesus has become LORD to so many, especially those in 2nd and 3rd world nations where the Gospel is spreading like wildfire.
The second type of person is the partially-surrendered life. This is where the majority of USAmerican Christians live. Casual or cultural Christians. Christian atheists believe in God but act as if He does not exist. Jesus said to the partially-surrendered that surrounded Him
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46)
Jesus is not an accessory that you add to your life. A LORD seizes control of everything!
Jesus is not a part-time LORD and He doesn’t want part-time followers.
We come under His Lordship.
If there’s one question I want you to think about, it’s this...
What have I not surrendered to the LORD?
What area am I still trying to control?
Kids? Future? A relationship? Money?
For me, money has been one of my greatest struggles—not so much giving, but worrying about having enough. It’s a trust thing for me, which is silly because God has been faithful to our family so many times that Great Is Thy Faithfulness has been our family hymn.
The more I follow Jesus, the more I have learned to trust Him.
In a similar way, I daily need to surrender my family to the LORD. It’s easy for them to become idols in my life, obsessed with their health and well-being rather than trusting that God loves them even more than I love them.
God can be trusted with our money, our children, our future, ...everything.
That’s what lords do...they are in control of everything! That leads to the the fully-surrendered life. This is a person who is a slave to Jesus, an indentured servant.
Slavery is obvious not a popular subject in our culture. Race-based slavery is one of the great embarrassments of our nation’s history. Tragically, there are more slaves today than at any time in human history, many of them children.
Not all slavery is evil, however.
Not all masters are cruel and self-serving.
In the book of Exodus, God made a provision for a freed servant to stay with his master.
“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.
“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. (Exodus 21:2-6)
An indentured servant is one who chooses to serve their master.
This is the image of a person fully-surrendered to Jesus. They have made Him Lord. They give up their rights and entrust their time, talent, treasures, comfort, convenience, hopes, dreams,...everything to their Master. Their lives are not their own but rather belong to the LORD.
Paul’s letter to the people of Rome begins...
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — (Romans 1:1)
The third word of his letter is servant, doulos in Greek. It means “servant, slave.”
“In the NT a person owned as a possession for various lengths of times (Hebrew slaves no more than seven years, Gentile slaves without time limit), of lower social status than free persons or masters; slaves could earn or purchase their freedom.”
Later in the letter Paul writes...
For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:7-8)
Are you living? If we live, it is to honor…the LORD.
On my wedding day I was given a ring. I keep my wedding ring on. I belong to my wife.
I gave her a ring on our wedding day. How much did the ring cost her? Nothing. But when she received the gift, it cost her everything. She belongs to me. She’s mine. I belong to her. I’m hers. We belong to each other.
When Jesus died for you, He offered a free gift to you. Salvation costs Jesus everything and you nothing, but when you say yes, you surrender the rights of your life. Your life is no longer your own.
He is the supremely ruling, reigning King of the universe!!!
We don’t surrender in the areas of life where we don’t know Him. He is all-powerful, holy, good, trustworthy, …
If I truly believe God is my Provider and I am a steward, giving is how I surrender.
We need some reverent fear of God. He’s not your co-pilot! Get in the trunk!
Do you really know Him?
Jesus warned His followers...
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
These are sobering words.
What will He say to you?
We surrender to the lordship of Christ.
Jesus is no longer a little baby. He is the King of kings and the LORD of lords. Is He your King? Is He your Lord...of everything in your life?
Credits: Series theme and various ideas from Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch.tv
You can listen to the podcast here.
You can view a music video of Away In A Manger from LifeChurch.tv here.
Big Idea: Jesus is more than a little baby. He is LORD.
Welcome to the third Sunday of Advent. Advent is about expectant waiting and preparation. For generations, the Israelites awaited the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. We are awaiting His return. We are in between His first and second visits to our planet. We look back and forward.
During these four weeks of preparation for Jesus’ birthday celebration, we’re looking at four classic Christmas Carols, their lyrics, and their biblical message. It is my hope and prayer that as you hear these songs, you’ll not only hum the melody, you’ll think about the timeless message. This week’s carol is Away In A Manger.
History:
It was first published in 1885 in Philadelphia. The texts was credited for many years to Martin Luther, but that seems to be only a fable. It is one of the most popular carols in Britain.
Lyrics
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head. The stars in the bright sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes, But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky And stay by my cradle till morning is nigh.
Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay Close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, And fit us for heaven, to live with Thee there.
Intro
Before we get started, I want to dispel two myths.
First, the manger probably did not look most of our wood and straw mangers found in nativity sets. It most likely was a hard, stone trough.
Second, it says “But little Lord Jesus no crying He makes.” He cried! Babies cry! Jesus cried! We know He even cried as an adult, but that’s another story.
Two weeks ago we talked about “O Holy Night” and how because of Jesus the weary world rejoices.
Last week we looked at “O Come All Ye Faithful” and said that although we are not always faithful, joyful, and triumphant, Jesus is and He allows us to experience faith, joy and victory.
This message will be more challenging. It challenged me! The phrase is simply this…“The little Lord Jesus.” There’s more to Jesus than just a 8 lb. 6 oz sweet little baby Jesus Jesus is LORD. 740 times in the NT He is referred to as LORD.
In Luke 2, the most detailed description of Jesus’ birthday, the shepherds were minding their own business in the fields and then an angel terrifies them!
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)
We don’t use that word “lord” much outside of church.
What does it mean for Christ to be LORD?
The Greek word, kyrios, means master or lord, as in a master of property or slaves. It means supreme in authority, controller.
How does that sound? Jesus as master and you as slave?
Controller is a challenging word because we all want to be in control.
Jesus is LORD. How do we make Him LORD in our life? We don’t. God made Him LORD long ago. We surrender to what already is. We surrender to the One who is in control.
I believe there are three types of people in this world.
The first are what I call the unsurrendered. These are the people that have no illusions about Jesus as LORD. To them He’s a swear word, a myth, or a good teacher. They don’t pretend to follow Jesus. They live their lives for themselves or some other lord. While this group is apparently growing rapidly in the west, it creates exciting opportunities for us to share how and why Jesus has become LORD to so many, especially those in 2nd and 3rd world nations where the Gospel is spreading like wildfire.
The second type of person is the partially-surrendered life. This is where the majority of USAmerican Christians live. Casual or cultural Christians. Christian atheists believe in God but act as if He does not exist. Jesus said to the partially-surrendered that surrounded Him
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46)
Jesus is not an accessory that you add to your life. A LORD seizes control of everything!
Jesus is not a part-time LORD and He doesn’t want part-time followers.
We come under His Lordship.
If there’s one question I want you to think about, it’s this...
What have I not surrendered to the LORD?
What area am I still trying to control?
Kids? Future? A relationship? Money?
For me, money has been one of my greatest struggles—not so much giving, but worrying about having enough. It’s a trust thing for me, which is silly because God has been faithful to our family so many times that Great Is Thy Faithfulness has been our family hymn.
The more I follow Jesus, the more I have learned to trust Him.
In a similar way, I daily need to surrender my family to the LORD. It’s easy for them to become idols in my life, obsessed with their health and well-being rather than trusting that God loves them even more than I love them.
God can be trusted with our money, our children, our future, ...everything.
That’s what lords do...they are in control of everything! That leads to the the fully-surrendered life. This is a person who is a slave to Jesus, an indentured servant.
Slavery is obvious not a popular subject in our culture. Race-based slavery is one of the great embarrassments of our nation’s history. Tragically, there are more slaves today than at any time in human history, many of them children.
Not all slavery is evil, however.
Not all masters are cruel and self-serving.
In the book of Exodus, God made a provision for a freed servant to stay with his master.
“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.
“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. (Exodus 21:2-6)
An indentured servant is one who chooses to serve their master.
This is the image of a person fully-surrendered to Jesus. They have made Him Lord. They give up their rights and entrust their time, talent, treasures, comfort, convenience, hopes, dreams,...everything to their Master. Their lives are not their own but rather belong to the LORD.
Paul’s letter to the people of Rome begins...
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — (Romans 1:1)
The third word of his letter is servant, doulos in Greek. It means “servant, slave.”
“In the NT a person owned as a possession for various lengths of times (Hebrew slaves no more than seven years, Gentile slaves without time limit), of lower social status than free persons or masters; slaves could earn or purchase their freedom.”
Later in the letter Paul writes...
For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:7-8)
Are you living? If we live, it is to honor…the LORD.
On my wedding day I was given a ring. I keep my wedding ring on. I belong to my wife.
I gave her a ring on our wedding day. How much did the ring cost her? Nothing. But when she received the gift, it cost her everything. She belongs to me. She’s mine. I belong to her. I’m hers. We belong to each other.
When Jesus died for you, He offered a free gift to you. Salvation costs Jesus everything and you nothing, but when you say yes, you surrender the rights of your life. Your life is no longer your own.
He is the supremely ruling, reigning King of the universe!!!
We don’t surrender in the areas of life where we don’t know Him. He is all-powerful, holy, good, trustworthy, …
If I truly believe God is my Provider and I am a steward, giving is how I surrender.
We need some reverent fear of God. He’s not your co-pilot! Get in the trunk!
Do you really know Him?
Jesus warned His followers...
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
These are sobering words.
What will He say to you?
We surrender to the lordship of Christ.
Jesus is no longer a little baby. He is the King of kings and the LORD of lords. Is He your King? Is He your Lord...of everything in your life?
Credits: Series theme and various ideas from Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch.tv
You can listen to the podcast here.
You can view a music video of Away In A Manger from LifeChurch.tv here.