The Response of the Shepherds Luke 2:8-20 (NKJV)

Transcription

1 The Response of the Shepherds Luke 2:8-20 (NKJV) Today we finish up our Christmas series, Our Response to the Gift. We are looking at those who surrounded the birth of Christ. We have looked at Joseph, the one who was known for being a just man, a godly man, and obedient man. We then looked at his bride-to-be Mary, the one who received the grace of God in her life, and would give birth to the Messiah. She too would be obedient to the master plan. And the four kings and Herod, who took threat to Jesus and sought to destroy Jesus. The three wise men that worshipped Jesus and gave gifts to Him. And now, today, we look at our last group of people and their response: the shepherds. A group that was lowly and the outcast of the day. Let s read verses 8 through 20, and then we will make our way back through it Vs. 8-9 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Notice the setting here; the shepherds are in the fields, it s night, the sheep could be grazing or taking a short nap, like many of us do after we graze, we nap. Sheep don t sleep all night because it could be dangerous; they might end up being lamb chops. So the shepherds are on watch, and while they are watching, an angel of the Lord shows up. Of course, their hearts start racing, like most of ours would if an angel showed up at our workplace. The angel probably saw the fear on their faces Vs. 10 Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. Do not be afraid. We don t want you or lamb chops! Copyright 2015 Chris Fraley 1

2 Instead we bring you good news. It s important to note that angels visited Mary and Joseph, and this was not the only time. Angels were highly involved in proclaiming the birth of Christ; it s one of the reasons they were created. The writer of Hebrews reminds us they are ministers Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14 (NKJV) They re ministering to you and I; to those who will inherit salvation. I can remember my dad praying with me at night that angels would watch over me. I grew up believing that angels were all around. Listen to what the psalmist said about angels Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Psalm 103:20 (NKJV) Notice, they re heeding the voice of His word. That s what we see them doing when it came to the birth of Christ. Proclaiming His birth, and later, we will see they are praising His name at His birth. We are even told in Hebrews Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Hebrews 13:2 (NKJV) You never know, that stranger sitting next to you could be an undercover angel. Notice what they proclaimed Vs. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Bethlehem might have been a small town, and even a ghetto town, but it was noted for being the very place where King David grew up. It was all part of fulfilling the prophecy. Copyright 2015 Chris Fraley 2

3 Remember last week in Matthew s gospel, when Herod wanted to know about the birth of Christ, the chief priest and the scribes quoted the Old Testament. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel. Matthew 2:4-6 (NKJV) And notice, He would be a savior; that s what He came to do, to save us from our sin. He is also Christ the Lord. Christ speaks of Him being the Messiah. This name means anointed one. He is the Messiah, the anointed one who would save us from our sin. Vs. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. The wise men followed a star, but the shepherds would look for a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. How many of you have wondered what swaddling cloths are? The swaddling thing just means he would be an infant and not a toddler. Now the word manger can be translated stall, like an animal stall. It s what you tied up your donkey in. Jesus used this word in Luke s gospel The Lord then answered him and said, Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? Luke 13:15 (NKJV) That word stall is the same word for manger. So we can safely say it was not the Hilton, it wasn t even a hospital, it was an animal stall. Some of you want to wash your hands just hearing that. Out of all the places to be born, why would He choose an animal stall? Copyright 2015 Chris Fraley 3

4 Jesus never did anything on accident. There was a purpose in everything and to be born in a barn was totally planned. Do you remember what Isaiah prophesied about Jesus? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. Isaiah 53:2 (NKJV) Notice, He will be a tender plant that will grow up on dry ground. In other words, He was not born nor would He grow up in a beautiful place, but in a barren place; that s what dry ground speaks of. Even as He grew up and into His own, there was nothing about His physical appearance that people would say, Wow! That guy looks like a king! He is presidential. Comeliness: majesty, splendor, or magnificent. Jesus specifically chose to be born in simplicity and not majesty because He had a heart for the least of these. Jesus, in the beginning of His ministry, told us to whom He would minister. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed Luke 4:18 (NKJV) If you re in that category, then you re the target audience for Jesus. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men! Luke 2:13-14 (NKJV) What a powerful thing for the shepherds to see! A multitude of angels praising God. They got a glimpse of angelic worship. And notice what was said in their worship: Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth towards men. First it went vertical, Glory to God in the highest Copyright 2015 Chris Fraley 4

5 And then it went horizontal, Peace on earth towards men. Great example of how worship should be. It first exalts the one we worship our Creator and our Savior. And then it affects the world around us, Peace on earth and goodwill towards men. It also shows the heart of heaven wanting peace and goodwill towards men. Now it s important to note, this was a greater peace than just the absence of war on earth. The Roman world at this time was not experiencing much war. Jesus came at a time when war was not a great issue. The war that man was dealing with was the war within his own heart. The peace was to be a peace in the heart while living on the earth. It was towards men. It was a peace that could settle the restless heart, the rebellious heart within man. Do you remember what Isaiah prophesied? For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) Jesus came to bring peace to the restless sinful heart. A peace that you will never find in the world; it s only found in a relationship with Jesus. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 (NKJV) That s the purpose of the birth of Christ: to bring peace to the hearts of those He created, to bring good will to the lives of men. I love how the shepherds responded; notice Vs So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Copyright 2015 Chris Fraley 5

6 Notice the word haste, it means they dropped everything and went with urgency to see Jesus. They were not wasting any time. Vs Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things, which were told them by the shepherds. The shepherds became the evangelists of their day. A people who were lowly, outcast of the day, and dirty. Did you know that shepherds, because of their work, they were unclean to the point where they could not worship in the temple? The ones who could not attend worship, the ones who hung out and tended dirty sheep, the hardworking outcasts of the society were the ones that Jesus not only appeared to, but also would become the evangelists of the day. Totally how the Lord works; He used those who were the least to declare the message of the grace. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (NKJV) If that s how you re feeling today, you re in good company. You are prime for God to use you for great things. Vs. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. What a file to keep in your heart, an ever-growing file! She was taking in every minute of it, enjoying every bit of it. What a crazy ride that she was experiencing with heaven! Copyright 2015 Chris Fraley 6

7 Have you ever had a season where you re just overwhelmed with what God is doing in you and around you? It s humbling that you get to be a part of it all, right? Maybe for some of you, that was your wedding day, or when you held your first child, or maybe when you got that job you had prayed for. It was each of those things for me, and coming here, as I drive into the parking lot, I am always humbled by what God is doing here. Approximately 3,000 people made their way to our Christmas Eve services, and in every service, someone gave their life to Christ! Make sure you enjoy those moments that God brings something you prayed for into fruition, even those things He is doing that you didn t pray for, keep them and file them in your heart. Let s finish up Vs. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. Notice how it affected them when they returned to tending their sheep, they were glorifying and praising God. An angel had visited them, they saw angelic host worshipping their Creator, they had seen the Messiah who would save them from their sin, and now, they were worshippers. What a perfect example for us today: 1. They heard about Jesus. 2. They experienced Jesus. 3. They told others of Jesus. 4. They returned changed by Jesus. Copyright 2015 Chris Fraley 7