We have been learning many things from the important characters of the first Christmas story.
It was interesting to see how they received the news regarding the coming of Christ the Messiah in their lives.
In all these things, we see the hand of God at work making sure that they understood that this is part of God's marvelous plan.
On the first message, we talked about the three wise men who traveled from a far away place in search for the baby Jesus, the King of the Jews.
They just followed the star for many years with great perseverance until they arrived to the right place.
There, they worshiped Jesus and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
In coming home, they went through another route to avoid the evil intention of King Herod.
We have learned from them that the wise still seek and worship the Lord.
May we be like these wise men fully seeking Christ regardless of the difficulties they experienced.
Then, last week, we talked about Mary who was pledged to be married to Joseph.
But she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
After learning about this, Joseph wanted to divorce her secretly so that she would not suffer public disgrace.
But the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and assured him that this is part of God's plan.
That this is in fulfillment of the prophecy regarding a virgin who will give birth to a son.
He will call him Immanuel which means God is with us.
Joseph understood God's plan for salvation and his heart was at peace.
Mary too understood God's plan and recognized that she needed a Savior from her sin.
May we be like Mary and Joseph who fully accepted in their hearts the coming of Christ the King.
Do you know that George Frederick Handel’s great Christmas oratorio, “The Messiah”, was first performed in 1742, in Dublin.
During that time, King George of England attended and supported his first performance.
And this in turn led to one of the most interesting traditions connected to this masterpiece.
When the Hallelujah chorus began to play in the performance the King attended he abruptly stood up, apparently as a way of indicating he recognized that Christ was the King of Kings.
Now it was normal protocol that if the King stood at any time, no one in his presence sat, and so the entire audience stood for the performance of the Hallelujah Chorus.
This tradition has been maintained even until today.
Everywhere you go, whenever the Hallelujah chorus is played, people will stand in order to recognize that Christ is the King of Kings.
Handel could never have anticipated that this work would become perhaps the most performed piece of classical music in all of history, all to the glory of Christ.
We too must recognize that Christ is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Before we continue our study today, let me first give you some simple truths about Christmas that probably you are not aware of:
1. Do you know that the Puritans (the first Christians who traveled from England to America) at first forbade the singing of some Christmas carols judging them to be out of keeping with the true spirit of Christmas?
They argued that Christmas represented nothing more than "a thin Christian veneer slapped on a pagan celebration."
Believing in the holiday was superstitious at best, heretical at worst.
But after many years, they finally accepted the fact that Christmas carols must be sung in recognition of the birth of Christ.
2. Do you also know that the National Christmas Tree is a large evergreen tree located in the northeast quadrant of the Ellipse near the White House in Washington DC?
Each year, since 1923, the tree has been decorated as a Christmas Tree.
The grand illumination of the Christmas lights on the tree by the President of the United States early in December is an annual event.
Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has made formal remarks and lights the tree during the tree lighting ceremony.
3. Do you also know that no one knows the real birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ?
No date is given in the Bible.
So why do we celebrate it on December 25?
Because the first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25 was on 336 A.D., during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine. (He was the first Christian Roman Emperor)
A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th of December.
But no matter what the date is, the most important is that Christ was born to save us from our sins.
And so, today, we will learn more truths about Christmas particularly on the reaction of the Shepherds during that first Christmas.
These shepherds were out in the fields one night working when the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to them to announce the birth of the Savior.
According to some Biblical scholars, most likely these shepherds were tending their sheep just outside of Bethlehem when the angel came.
They were probably taking care of sheep being prepared for the temple sacrifices.
Their job was to guard these sheep from human and animal predators.
And so, we will learn three things regarding these shepherds:
1. They listened to the Message
2. They acted what they heard.
3. They celebrated with great joy
Our goal is for us to learn from the shepherds how their lives were forever changed after an encounter with Christ the King.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE SHEPHERDS?
1. THE SHEPHERDS LISTENED TO THE MESSAGE. Luke 2:8-14 (NIV) 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Here we find the shepherds doing their regular duty.
It was their evening shift - watching their sheep by night.
It was also a regular work night where they would often sit around the campfire and tell stories.
They had to make sure that the sheep are safe for they had to pay for a lost sheep out of their own salary.
Most likely, the watch was three hours in length per shift.
The evening was dark just like the night before.
When suddenly, they were interrupted by the appearance of the angel in the sky.
The glory of the Lord shone around them.
It was so sudden and unexpected. They thought it was a ghost. And so, they were afraid and terrified.
Probably they thought they were all going to die.
But when the angel of the Lord spoke, their fears vanquished because it was filled with the Good News.
And Good News will always bring great joy to everyone.
They were told that the Savior who is the Messiah and the Lord will be born this day.
Then, the angel proceed that they can find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
Then, suddenly, a whole host of heavenly choir appeared and sung praises to God declaring this wonderful event.
This brings us to LESSON No. 1. DON'T DRIFT AWAY.
Hebrews 2:1(NIV) "We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."
The shepherds heard the message and we need to hear it as well.
And when the shepherds heard the message, they listened carefully and cherished every single words from the angel.
And the message changed their lives forever.
They were never the same again after that.
Imagine if the shepherds were so engrossed in their work that night and decided not to listen to the message of the angel.
What would have happened to them?
Well, they would have missed that first Christmas.
They would have missed the Great News that would have brought great joy in their hearts.
But thank God they listened intently or attentively to the time, the place and the manner of the birth of Christ.
The text tells us to pay most careful attention to what we hear to prevent from drifting spiritually.
Imagine a boat in the midst of the storm with winds that are blowing so hard on it.
If that boat is not well anchored on the shore, it will be tossed and blown away by the wind.
But if that boat is well anchored, it will be tightly fastened and steady on shore.
Listening carefully to God's Word is like an anchor in your soul - steady, stable and fixed amidst the storms of life.
That is why we need to listen carefully to the message of Christmas.
We need to open our hearts and our ears and let God speak to us.
We need to hear the message of salvation through Christ our Lord.
How does God speak to us?
Through the living words of the Bible, through the experiences you go through and through the Holy Spirit's still small voice.
You see, the Bible is like a love letter written to us that we can read again and again.
I remember listening many years ago to the great evangelist Greg Tingson who was from Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.
He served for more than 60 years of fruitful ministry until the Lord took him home on April, 2010 at the age of 89.
His name was always associated with the "Billy Graham of the Philippines."
Whenever Billy Graham would come to the Philippines on a crusade, he was always there to assist.
I will never forget one of his most famous quote about the Bible.
He said, "The Bible is Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth."
That means, we get all the instructions about life from the Bible.
No wonder, we have to listen carefully to the message.
But we had to make sure that we slow down will not be always in a hurry.
The story is told about a young child who was having trouble keeping up in school.
He worked really hard to keep up with the others in his classroom, but because of his unique challenges, he kept falling behind.
As a result, his backpack was crammed full with homework every night.
There was no letup.
He no longer could play outside with his friends after school.
By the time he had made a swipe at all his school work, it was time for bed.
The parents consulted with the elementary school guidance counselor and decided that their son needed to be placed with a class of slower learners.
It quickly became apparent that the right decision had been made.
The third grader got his childhood back, complete with after-school play; a more positive outlook, and grades that matched the front end of the alphabet.
After several weeks of asking his dad if they could play together after dinner, he grew weary of the same response:
"I'm sorry, buddy, I have a briefcase full of work I have to do."
One day he simply said, "Well, Dad, can't they just put you in a slower class too?"
Brothers and sisters, if we are to get a lot this Christmas, we must slow down.
Take it easy.
Don't be so preoccupied with a lot of things that can easily distract your mind.
We must leave behind those obligations and commitment and we must listen to the message of Christmas.
If you attend our Class 201 Maturity class, we have a lesson on five ways to improve your hearing God's Word.
1. Be ready and eager to hear god's Word.
2. Deal with attitudes that prevent hearing God.
3. Confess any sin in your life.
4. Take notes on what you hear.
5. Act on what you hear.
2. THE SHEPHERDS ACTED ON WHAT THEY HEARD. Luke 2:15 (NIV) 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
After hearing the wonderful Good News from the angels, the fear was gone.
It was replaced with anticipation and curiosity to seek the child that was born in the manger.
The Shepherds acted on what they heard.
They went to Bethlehem to see the things that had happened.
There was this story adapted from Allen and Wallis Christmas pps. 54-55.
Dr. Clovis Chappell imagines one of the shepherds who had been a youth on the first Christmas night and has now become old.
His grandson sits on his knee as he recalls: "A long, long time ago, when I was little, I was out on the Judean hills, one night with some other shepherds, keeping watch over the flock.
And the angel of the Lord came upon us and the glory of the Lord shone roundabout us.
And we were sore afraid.
But the angel said, 'Fear not . . .for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. . . .
You shall find the babe in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
The old man's lips cease to move, and there is silence.
Then the lad turns and looks with wide, puzzled eyes into his grandfather's face and says:
"But, grandpa, is that all?
What did you do when you heard the good news?
Was what the angel said really true?
Was the Christ Child ever really born?"
The old shepherd sadly shakes his white head and answers:
"I never knew. I never went to see. Some say that it is all a myth. Others say they found in Him the light of God, the power for life. But for me, I could never be quite sure. I never did go to see."
What a sad story if the shepherds did not act on what they heard.
Fortunately, that is NOT what really happened.
For the text tells us that when the angels left the shepherds, I suspect they all looked at each other with a dazed expression.
I imagine one of them may have said, "did you guys see what I just saw?"
Maybe they discusses it a little.
But then there was a decision to go and see.
The Shepherds acted on what they heard.
They went to see the baby they were told about.
In the same manner, if you have heard of the Good News about Christ, you must do something about it.
Don't go about in a different direction and ignoring the message of salvation.
If the angel appeared to you personally and tell you about the Good News, the best thing to do is to run to town and tell everyone on what the angel told you.
"I have sen an angel. He told me about Christ the Lord!
Many times, we don't act on what we hear because of the following reason:
* We are afraid of what others will say
* We are afraid that what God has told us might not work . . . or we might have been wrong
* We easily get sidetracked . . . we get off on some tangent and miss the point. How many people go through the Christmas season celebrating the celebration and not the Savior? How many of you are doing that?
* We are not comfortable with what God is telling us. We don't like it because it means character change. Or it means doing something that is new or awkward. Or it means not doing something we like doing.
My brothers and sisters, Christmas is for everyone, for you and for me!
The message of salvation is offered to you and me free of charge.
Will you come to Him or will you continue to run in a hundred other directions?
This brings us to LESSON No. 2. DON'T DECEIVE YOURSELF. James 1:22-25 " 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."
The text is telling us that if we merely listen to God's Word and don't do anything about it, we merely deceive ourselves.
The word deceive means misled, defraud or simply being dishonest with ourselves.
You see, the worst thing we could do to ourselves is to be dishonest with ourselves and when we do not act on what we hard, we simply deceive ourselves.
And we don't want that to happen.
And so, when you hear God telling you that something you know is wrong or false, you had to obey God or else, you are deceiving yourself.
When God told you to mend relationship instead of breaking it, you had to follow or else, you deceive yourself.
When God tells you to stop living in the past.
Stop reliving the hurts.
Stop making excuses for your failures.
God calls you to make some bold action.
To do something productive.
To start telling people about Christ who came to die for our sins and give us eternal life.
doing something You have to do so or else, you are deceiving yourself.
That's why this is the perfect time to act.
Listen to the Christmas story.
Hear the message.
If God did indeed become man to reach out to us . . .
He must love us more than we can begin to comprehend.
If God did all that to reach you and me He can be trusted to guide us faithfully.
Do something bold this Christmas.
Follow the example of the Shepherds and dare to act on what God tells you to do.
First, we learned that the shepherds heard the message .
Then, we learned that the shepherds acted on what they heard.
3. THE SHEPHERDS CELEBRATED WITH GREAT JOY. Luke 2:16-20 (NIV) 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
These verses tell us about the things that happened in the lives of the shepherds on that glorious first Christmas when they acted on what they heard.
They were in a hurry to find the baby Jesus lying in the manger.
When they had found and seen him, they went and spread the word to others about what they had seen and heard.
Those who heard these shepherds were amazed, surprised and perplexed.
Then, the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God.
They celebrated with great joy.
Then they responded appropriately to that message.
And when they did, they discovered a wonder that changed their lives.
It was a wonder so great that they couldn't help telling everyone they saw.
These shy, backward, smelly shepherds were stopping strangers on the street to tell them about the baby they saw in the manger.
Maybe many or most of the people thought they were nuts . . . but they weren't.
They were changed.
Lesson No. 3 DON'T BE SAD. Nehemiah 8:10New International Version (NIV)
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The words "Don't grieve" in other translation means do not be dejected or be sad.
According to the National Institute of Health, Christmas is the time of the year that people experience the highest incidence of depression.
Hospitals and police forces report the highest incidences of suicide and attempted suicide.
One North American survey reported that 45% of respondents dreaded the festive season.
Why is this so?
Is this because of the dark winter weather that increases the incidence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
Might be, but there are other deeper reasons.
For many people, they get depressed at Christmas and even angry because of the excessive commercialization of Christmas.
The focus on buying the "perfect gifts" and preparing the "perfect food" for their Christmas party can put a heavy toll on their emotions.
For some poor people, they get depressed because they compare themselves with rich people who have more to spend this Christmas.
Still others become anxious at Christmas because of the pressure to spend more money on gifts and incur increasing debt.
Other people report that they dread Christmas because of the expectations for social gatherings with families and friends that they'd rather not spend time with.
And finally, many people feel very lonely at Christmas because they have suffered the loss of loved ones or their jobs.
But the lesson we could learn from the shepherds is that they just told the Good news about Christ to others and they celebrated with great joy afterwards.
I am not trying to say that from that moment on the shepherds never had problems.
I'm sure that there were still days the shepherds hated their jobs.
They still had to battle a prejudice that was attached to being a shepherd.
They still had disagreements.
They may have struggled in their marriages.
Many of their outward circumstances didn't change at all.
What did change, was their heart.
They found a joy that the world cannot deliver and cannot deny.
They found a wholeness they could not achieve through counseling.
They found a peace no back account could produce.
These men found a love that no person could ever give them.
They found the Lord.
And you can too.
So, will this be the day you turn to the Lord?
Will this be the day you do what God has called you to do . . . not because it is easy, not because it's what you want to do . . . but because you know He loves you . . . and because you trust Him.
Why not make this a Christmas to remember?
Not because of the gift you purchased or opened . . . but because this was the Christmas you went to Bethlehem and saw the King.
For many people the celebration of Christmas will end in another week.
They will start putting things away and their focus will turn to the changing of the calendar and then to other matters.
They will forget about Christmas until the madness begins again next year.
The shepherds never forgot. Their lives were changed forever by what they saw in Bethlehem. And I hope yours will be too. I hope you will look past the yearly date on the calendar and begin looking forward to knowing God better. Looking forward to a day when you will stand with others and celebrate the King in person. But let me warn you; when you get there, don't be surprised if you notice the distinct smell of sheep.
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