Too Busy For Christ

We know from our Christmas cards and our manger scenes who was gathered around the manger scene the night that Christ was born. We know from the Christmas cards that we get, right? Baby Jesus obviously was there. Mary and Joseph were there. We know from the Christmas cards and the manger scenes that the shepherds were there. We know from the Christmas cards and the manger scenes that the three wise men were there. We know from those same elements that we received this time of year that there were animals there, at least three camels, one donkey, one cow, one sheep. And we also know that the little drummer boy was there. Well, we know from the Bible that not all of those people were there. We know from what the Bible describes there were some of those people that we typically think of as being there that were absent. For instance, the wise men were not there. The night that Jesus was born. They didn't come until possibly up to two years later. We know that from Matthew chapter two. We don't know how many animals were there. I don't know how the little drummer boy even got in the picture, but he's often there. I'm not even sure where he came from. But one of the most amazing thoughts and facets of the Christmas story is who wasn't there? Who wasn't even aware? Who wasn't concerned? Who was too preoccupied? Who was too busy for Christ? To me, it's one of the most interesting aspects of the Christmas story from two perspectives. From one perspective of how God sent his son into the world. I mean, after all, if we were in charge, if Madison Avenue had been in charge of how Jesus' birth would be announced, no stone would have been a left unturned to make sure that everybody was aware that Jesus had come. I mean, it would certainly be on YouTube. There would be some kind of mass blitz on the media of the day that would alert everybody that Jesus had come. And yet God sends his son in a fashion in a way that most of the population of planet earth was unaware that he had come. There are even people who are mentioned in the Christmas story that had no clue what was happening. That had no understanding that Jesus, the son of God, the Messiah had been born. Quickly, I want to take a look at four of those people or groups of people who are mentioned in the Christmas story who have no clue what's going on. First of all, there is Caesar Augustus. Look at Luke chapter 2, these familiar words which introduce Luke's account of the birth of Christ. Luke chapter 2 and verse 1. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Carineus was governor of Syria and everyone went to his own town to register. We're familiar with those words. Caesar Augustus. He has a part in the Christmas story and yet he had no clue what was happening. Caesar Augustus, the first Roman emperor, the man who stopped the republic and instituted an imperial form of government in Rome. But the man who did it so well that he is often considered the best of the Roman emperors, the man who reigns 45 years. Who four years into his term was accorded the status of Augustus by the Roman Senate, no less, Augustus meaning exalted one. A man who is still considered today probably one of the greatest rulers that ever ruled. Caesar Augustus. Caesar the exalted one, the one who brought in the golden age of Rome. And yet he is preoccupied with so many other things. Imagine the night that Jesus makes his entrance into the world. Imagine what Caesar may have been doing. Obviously we don't know for sure. The only part he plays in the story is this decree that a census would be taken. A census was for the purpose of enrolling people throughout the Roman Empire for two purposes. Taxation and serving in the military. Jews were not required to serve in the military so all they would be concerned about was the taxation side of the census. But that's what he's concerned about. He's concerned about the affairs of state. No matter what was going on and we don't really know what all was going on. Maybe there's an insurrection in the northern frontier. Maybe the barbarians are beginning to show their ugly face against the Roman Empire. Maybe the Empire is pushing further east and he's concerned about consolidation of his gains in the eastern part of the empire. Maybe he's had trouble pushing this tax bill through the Senate. We know all about those kinds of things in our government and so maybe all of those things are on his mind in the palace that night. The very night that Jesus is born. Caesar Augustus is concerned about the affairs of state. He is too busy with issues of power. But what about us? I wonder if maybe at Christmas time some of us are more concerned about issues of power than we are the issues of Christ coming. Are you too busy with power? You say, well, I'm certainly no Caesar Augustus. Well, that's for sure for all of us in this room. But there are many ways in which we long for power. We long for power in our own little worlds. We long for power in the workplace to be able to rise another rung on the ladder. To be able to make it a little higher. To be able to maybe approach ultimate power of running the business, owning the company. Being able to be the one who tells others what to do. That's power. Maybe we're even concerned about power in our neighborhood. Head of the neighborhood association. Recognize by everyone as the person to whom you're looked to for answers. Maybe you're concerned about power in your own family. Making sure that you have the power. You control what happens in your family. There are lots of ways in which we may look and search for power and try to achieve position and power in life. Are you too concentrated on that too busy with power? To think about the fact that the Son of God has come into the world. That was Caesar Augustus. But there is another ruler that plays a part in the Christmas story. His name is King Herod. And he is introduced to us in loops or in Matthew's account in Matthew chapter 2. So flip back over there. Matthew chapter 2. First one. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed. And all Jerusalem with him. King Herod. Not even a Jew in Idyumiah, a man from the southern part of Palestine. A man who was so concerned about his position and his rule that he was fearful and suspicious of anybody who might be a threat to the point of paranoia, to the point actually of Mania. Some people actually think Herod was absolutely insane, incredibly suspicious and jealous. So much so that he had three of his own sons killed. One of his wives, his mother-in-law, a brother-in-law, an uncle, all killed because he saw them as threats to his throne, to his position. You see, here's a man who was extremely occupied with his position and suspicious of anyone who might take his position. And yet, for that very reason, he could be very diplomatic when he wanted to guard his position. You see, the wise men come. They are, they are King makers in the East, maybe from Persia. They are people who are responsible for installing Eastern Kings. They are also astrologers familiar with the movement of the planets and the stars. And they have seen a star that in no way shows up on their charts. And they have become concerned about what it is, possibly knowing of the prophecies, even from the book of Daniel, from Jews who still remain in that part of the world, they have become convinced that the King of the Jews, maybe God himself, has let them know what's happened. For whatever reason, they show up and they come finding, looking for the King of the Jews. Well, where do you go to look for a King of the Jews? You go to the Capitol, right? So they show up in Jerusalem. They have no idea that this has happened in Bethlehem. They show up in Jerusalem. We'll start here. We'll look for the King here. And so they ask the current King, Herod, we've come looking for the King of the Jews, the one who's been born King of the Jews. Now they don't realize they're talking to a man who has put three sons to death, a wife to death, a brother and a law, a mother and a law and an uncle to death because he sees them as threats to his throne. How's he going to respond when they come asking about another King who's been born King of the Jews? Well, here it can be very diplomatic. First of all, he calls the scribes and the people who know the Old Testament to find out where has this King been born. Then he has a private audience with the wise men to ask, when did you first see this star? Let me do a little calculating here about how old he might be. And already a plan is hatching in his mind to do away with yet another threat to his position. Are you more concerned about position than the fact that Jesus has come? You see, it is possible for you to be concerned about position where you rank even among your peers, where you rate among your friends, how you are looked at by others. Do you have the top position in whatever place you may be? Again, it could be your company. It could be your workplace. Could be your neighborhood. Could be your family. Could be your school. Always looking for the top position, unsettled even maybe to the point of paranoia if you're not in the top position. And there are people who live all of their lives striving for position. Striving to be number one, striving to be the one to whom everyone else looks. And everyone is amazed at and talks about. Herod, that was Herod. Are you so concerned about position in life that that becomes your ambition, that becomes your driving purpose in life to the exclusion of the one who came to give his life for you? To busy with position? There are some other people mentioned in this story. They're also found in Matthew's account. They are the religious leaders. Let's pick up in verse four. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. Now these are the people who ought to know the chief priests. These are the religious leaders. These are the people who lead the temple worship and the scribes, teachers of the law. These are people who know the Old Testament. The Old Testament scholars, they spend their life studying the Bible. They should know if there is any prophecy or any awareness of where this king of the Jews would be born. These are the people that will know these are the religious leaders. So Herod wisely calls them together. Says, I'm going to check these guys out. Find out if they know. Verse five, the answer is very clear. They know their Bible in Bethlehem and Judea. They reply, for this is what the prophet is written, but you Bethlehem in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah. For out of you will come a ruler who shall be the shepherd of my people Israel. No question, no problem for them. They have it right on the tip of their tongues. It's foremost in their minds. You ask us a question. We spit out the answer where Old Testament scholars, we know Mike a five too. We know where the prophecy is about where the Messiah, the king of the Jews will be born. Just punch it in. The computer spits it out. Bible scholars, we know all the answers. But they had no clue that the one who had been born at that time or before, shortly before, that time was actually the king of the Jews. They had no clue that the king of the Jews, the answer to the prophets had already been born. Nor would they recognize him later on when they could have put together more information from the Old Testament. The miracles that Isaiah 35 said would be done by the king. The other prophecies about his birth and where he would be born and how they all coalesced over 700 of them in the Lord Jesus himself. But they didn't put it all together. Is it possible that we are too busy with religion to really recognize Christ? I believe it is possible that we can become so consumed with knowing our Bible's better, with being able to spit out all the answers to people's questions that we become consumed with and amored with Bible knowledge, awareness of historical backgrounds, religious customs, and we miss the Christ of the Bible. It is possible to be so busy with religion that we miss Christ. There were other people, however, mentioned along the time of the birth of Christ back to Luke chapter 2 and we find we are going to call them big business. Well, maybe not such a big business, but pretty big business that weekend in Bethlehem, the inkeeper. I don't want to be unkind to the inkeeper. We really know very little about him. We know very little about the kind of establishment he ran. I've read the stories, understand the debates about what the inn was like and whether or not it was just a part of a house and understand all of that. But let's first say of understanding the busyness of what would have been happening with people flooding into that little town to be registered for the census. What it would have been like for this man who's concerned about his business. He is occupied with his business and business is in high gear because of people coming into this little hamlet, this little village to register for the taxes. After all, this is the city of King David. Any any descendant of David must come and register in this city and obviously there are many others who would come to this little town also. If big business then operated like big business today, the innkeeper had probably overbooked these rooms, but all the advanced reservations showed up. And so he's got no room for this couple who's seeking entrance. If big business then is like big business today, he's having trouble with helping the kitchen because some of them wanted Christmas Eve off. And so he's having trouble with getting enough help in the kitchen. He's got trouble with the wood stove and the west wing. The flu is all clogged up and so he's trying to get that taken care of and who knows what else. The plumbing is out over here in this section and so he's all busy trying to get things working right for his customers. That's at least given credit that he made room in the stable, traditionally a cave for this expectant mother and Joseph. Give him credit for that. But he doesn't show up again in the story. He doesn't appear to be there when the Savior is born. The shepherd's come. Where's the innkeeper? He's very busy making a living. I wonder, are you so busy at this time of year making a living? This is a busy time for business, isn't it? Most businesses will say, this is the best time of year. We make it or break it at Christmas. Are you so busy making a living that you forget about the Savior who has come? Now, the reason why I draw our attention to these four seemingly insignificant parts of the story of the first coming of Christ is because Jesus is going to come again. He will come a second time. And that's where you and I come in. You see, when Jesus comes a second time, we'll be so preoccupied. Will we be so busy that we are too busy for Christ? And here's where we need to examine our lives. I need to ask myself, am I so busy with power that I will not be ready when Jesus comes back? And it could be at any moment. Am I so busy with crafting and cultivating and keeping and guarding position that I won't be ready when Jesus comes back? Am I so busy with religious stuff with all the activities that I won't be ready when Jesus comes back? Am I so busy with making a living that I won't be aware? I won't be ready when Jesus comes back. If Jesus were to come back today, would he find any of us watching ready prepared for him to come? Or would we be like all of these characters so busy with our own stuff, with our own little worlds that it would catch us by surprise? Most of you probably have heard this quaint little poem was the night before Jesus came and all through the house, not a creature was praying, not one in the house. Their Bibles were laying on the shelf without care and hopes that Jesus would not come there. The children were dressing to crawl into bed not once ever kneeling or bowing ahead, and mom in her rocker with the baby on her lap was watching the late show while I took a nap. When out of the east there arose such a clatter I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. When what to my wondering I should appear, but angels proclaiming Jesus was here. With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray, I knew in a moment this must be the day. The light of his face made me cover my head. It was Jesus returning just like he said, and though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth, I cried when I saw him in spite of myself. In the book of life which he held in his hand was written the name of every saved man. He spoke not a word as he searched for my name when he said it's not here my head hung in shame. The people whose names had been written with love he gathered to take to his father above. With those who were ready he rose with a sound, without a sound, while all the rest were left standing around. I fell to my knees, but it was too late I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate. I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight, oh if only we had been ready tonight. In the words of this poem the meaning is clear, the coming of Jesus, is drawing near. There's only one life and when comes the last call, we'll find that the Bible was true after all. Now I don't agree with all of the theology in that little poem and we could go on to debate that, but the meaning is clear isn't it? Will we be caught unaware, unprepared, unready when Jesus comes to take us home just like so many at his first coming were totally unaware, unprepared, unready for him to come. What are you preoccupied with? What are you busy with today? Does your busyness with the things of this life, does my busyness with the things that concern me keep me from really focusing upon Jesus, keep me from understanding he's coming back, he's coming back, he could come any moment. Will I be looking for him? Will I be ready for him when he comes? Will we? Let's pray together. Father that you would come to lowly shepherds and to foreign wise men while the bulk of the people for whom you came did not even recognize you would come. When you would do that, we recognize that there will not be warnings and text messages and emails and YouTube announcements about your second coming either. When you come for us at the rapture, it will be in a moment in the twinkling of an eye when the trumpet sounds it will happen, ready or not you will come. I pray, Father, that we would be occupied with you to the point that we are ready expecting, looking for you to come. May we not be caught so busy with power, position, and religion, and making a living that we are not ready for you to come. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.