When we think about the Christmas account, those who are familiar with it, we think about bright stars, stables, shepherds, and angels singing. That is how we think about the story. However, the Matthew account is different. He doesn't go into a lot of details. Listen to how he describes this familiar story.
Text: Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1 (TLB)
These are the facts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her fiancé, being a man of stern principle,* decided to break the engagement but to do it quietly, as he didn’t want to publicly disgrace her. As he lay awake considering this, he fell into a dream, and saw an angel standing beside him. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “don’t hesitate to take Mary as your wife! For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus (meaning ‘Savior’), for he will save his people from their sins. This will fulfill God’s message through his prophets—‘Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and he shall be called “Emmanuel” (meaning “God is with us”).’” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel commanded and brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her Son was born; and Joseph named him “Jesus.”
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, in Judea, during the reign of King Herod.
Matthew's account is at best the reader's digest version of the birth of Jesus. He gives us the cliff notes version. The high notes and nothing else. He simply announces that Mary is pregnant. Joseph has doubts. He has an angel visit. He overcomes his doubts. Jesus is born under Herod's nose. In fact, Matthew fast forwards from Mary conceiving Jesus to Mary having Jesus. It is straight forward. It is nice and neat. It is the sanitized version that leaves out all the plans that it took to get to the point of Jesus' birth. Jesus' birth was the result of a long thought-out plan. Before the foundation of the world the lamb was slain. In the fullness of time Jesus was born. Long before Mary and Joseph had any plans, God was working on bringing His plan to pass to send Jesus to a virgin, in Bethlehem, in a stable, noticed by shepherds and wise men. God knew that to manage the manger you must plan. He also knew to manage the manger you must prepare! That is why, although Matthew doesn't record it, Mary goes and spends time with her pregnant cousin Elizabeth. Time away to prepare her own heart. Time away so that she could ponder all that had been promised. To hide in her heart all the truths of the prophecies. But there is one more crucial step in managing a manger. Planning is critical. Preparing is essential. However, there is one more thing we must do after we plan and prepare. We must perform.
To manage the manger you must perform.
God didn’t just have a plan. God didn't just prepare. God performed. I am so thankful that God had good intentions towards us. I am thankful that He had a plan to rescue us. I am glad that from before time began, He was preparing. But today I am most thankful that He did more than just plan and prepare. I am thankful that He executed the plan. He pulls the trigger. He sets things in motions. His intentions didn't save us. His preparation didn't save us. The thing that makes salvation and rescue possible is the fact that He actually did what He planned for and prepared to do. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" is more than just a proverb. It would have been a reality if God had only had good thoughts and intentions towards us. Instead, He goes takes one more step. He follows through. He sends His Son! He performs. I, for one, am grateful that God does what He told Jeremiah He would do - I watch over my word to perform it.
It is this aspect of God and His faithfulness to perform once all the plans and preparations are in place that we must address in our own life today.
Too many of us plan but we don’t execute or perform. We don't manage the manger correctly in our life because we never pull the trigger and we never follow through. We have dreams and plans. We may even start making preparations. However, we never really do what we spent time, money, energy on and we mismanage the manger and nothing is birthed. Why?
Most of us struggle to bring things to life and we stop short of birthing because it hurts! Matthew never addresses the pain of birth. He makes it seem tearless, bloodless, easy. But what I want you to know today is that even when you birth something beautiful it hurts!
Can I testify just a second. Passion is beautiful to me. You may see all the warts, the things we aren't. The things you wished it was. The blemishes. But this is my baby. How many of you know that everybody's baby is beautiful to them? This baby is beautiful to me. But don't get it twisted birthing this thing hurt! The days wondering if anyone would show up. If anyone would stay. If we would be able to pay the bills. If anyone's life was really being impacted. Watching people walk away unhealed. Watching people believe lies. Watching people move on to other places. It hurt! But it is still beautiful.
What I learned is that you can't quit because it is small. You can't quit because it’s hard! Once we plan and prepare, we must perform. Execute. Deliver the dream.
I mention this because if we aren't careful, then we will read the Christmas Story as if there was no pain involved and then we expect to give birth to our dream in the same manner. Your level of greatness is determined by your threshold for pain. To birth something you will go through pain. The question is will you stop pushing just because there’s pain? We can't miss the fact that Mary birthed the greatest miracle of all time and it hurt more than once along the way.
The truth is that the Christmas miracle was wrapped in pain. Christmas was disguised in contractions. The miracle was hidden in moans. The King was birthed in the middle of crying! A Savior was birthed through sweat!
You can’t stop pushing just because of pain! Don’t miss the greatest gift because you become distracted or disillusioned by the gasps. (SLIDE 21) Pain is not permission to quit! So, how do we perform when it is hurts? How do we keep pushing when it is costing us more than we thought it would? How do we keep from throwing in the towel when it is excruciating and feels like it is going to kill us?
To manage the manger you must have a pain plan!
You have to plan for the pain before the pain arrives because in middle of pain you will quit if you don’t have a plan on how to handle it. If you mismanage pain, then it will cause you to mismanage the manger.
Without a pain plan you will become cynical. You will become angry. You will become a victim. You will stop short. You will refuse to push through. So, before the pain comes you must decide these 4 things . . .
What will I say??Remember words matter! Power of life and death in tongue and if you aren't careful in the middle of a painful moment you can say things that will mess up the manger. I will never get through this! I will never see this! Decide now what you will say and what you won't say. What you choose to say in the middle of pain has the potential to turn your pain into a prison and a pitstop into a parking lot.
Who will I talk to??Mary went to spend time with Elizabeth. In the middle of pain, we need to talk to someone who will push you to push. Someone who will look at that dream inside of us and encourage us to carry it out. someone who will remind us that the end result will be worth it! Someone who will encourage courage in us rather than speaking death over our dreams. It goes without saying that who you will talk to also means you recognize who you can't talk to!
What will I not do? What will I do??I have to make up my mind before pain hits that temporary relief isn't worth the cost. I will not stop one month short of a 12-month program for temporary relief. I won't stop going to marriage counseling for temporary relief. I won't stop studying until I master the material. I won't stop working until I get enough experience to be promoted. I won't do something that will allow me to get relief for a moment that will cost me months and years of planning and preparing! I will not do those things!
What will I do??But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. She kept her eyes on the prize. She pondered the prophecies and the promises. She kept her mind fixed! So, I will hold on when it gets hard. I will apply myself when everyone sluffs off. I will develop!
What will I believe??Mary said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." In other words, even when it hurt she believed what God said. If you don't determine what you will believe before pain comes, then you will believe the pain more than you will believe the promise. Pain will lie to you. Pain will deceive you. Feelings are deceitful. Emotions are misleading! Your feelings and emotions can't be your pilot or guide! You must make up your mind and your heart before the pain hits that you will believe what God has said! That decision will mean that pain can stop you from performing, executing and giving birth to the promise He made you.
Before pain you have to resolve these things, or you won’t execute. You won’t carry to full term. You will stop short. Birthing your dream won't be easy. It won't be announcement and then delivery. No tears. No resistance. No clinching of teeth. Pain is the price of admission to the promises He has made you! But rest assured on the other side of pain is the greatest gift! The greatest miracle. The greatest days of your life! You have to push through the pain!
Some of you have a plan and you have prepared but you are in pain now. What will you say? What will you do/don't do? Who will you talk to? What will you believe?
