"Joy" Series

We are also shepherds, or ‘under-shepherds’ to the Great Shepherd. Jesus made us that, when He gave us the Great Commission. He made us that when, through Paul, He exhorted us to love and care for one another; keeping careful watch to see where we might be of service to one another.

The angels were sent to the shepherds, because they were most in nature like those who would receive Him as the sacrificial Lamb of God, Who would take away the sin of the world.

Now let’s look at WHAT THEIR MESSAGE WAS.

Verse 10-11: “AND THE ANGEL SAID TO THEM, ‘DO NOT BE AFRAID; FOR BEHOLD, I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS OF A GREAT JOY WHICH SHALL BE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE; FOR TODAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID THERE HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD’.”

Let’s break it down just a little. First notice that the angel dispels their fear. Verse 9 says that when the angel appeared, and God’s glory shown all around them, they were terribly frightened.

What a wonderful example of our Lord’s compassion. He could have skipped the formalities altogether, and just had the angel yell, “Stop quaking and beat a path to Bethlehem! There’s something there I want you to see and then tell about. I’ll watch the sheep; just go!”

Remember the great Oz, when Dorothy and her friends first received their instructions to bring back the broom of the witch? “But sir...” “JUST GO!”

Not our Lord; the King and Ruler of the universe. And His angels are reflections of His glory, and speak only from their Creator’s heart. “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy...”

God’s good news has always been around, folks. The shepherds weren’t running to Bethlehem that night yelling, “EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT”. They didn’t have some news flash; some scoop that had to be taken quickly to the editors before the competitors found out.

From the announcement God made to Adam and Eve, His good news has always been that a Redeemer would come and save men from their sins.

So this wasn’t ‘new’ news. What made it so good, so full of joy for all the people, was that what God had been promising through the centuries; what His people had been watching and waiting for through the centuries, had become flesh.

“FOR TODAY, IN THE CITY OF DAVID THERE HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD.”

Today, right here in your little community, is the fulfillment of the prophet Micah who said, “BUT AS FOR YOU, BETHLEHEM EPHRATHAH, TOO LITTLE TO BE AMONG THE CLANS OF JUDAH, FROM YOU ONE WILL GO FORTH FOR ME TO BE RULER OF ISRAEL. HIS GOINGS FORTH ARE FROM LONG AGO, FROM THE DAYS OF ETERNITY”.

They had watched and waited and prayed and wept and suffered and sacrificed, and now it had happened. It was good news of a great joy.

It was God’s joy. According to the determinate plan of the Triune God from eternity past, the Word had become flesh, and would now go forth to carry out the Father’s will perfectly and completely. He would dwell among men. He would be the light of the world. He would carry the burden of all sin for all time on His Godly shoulders, and when the time was finally come, He would drink completely of the cup of the Father’s wrath against sin, and open the way for all who will to be reconciled to God. It was God’s joy.