The Grand Message of Our Great God
Luke 2:8-15
December 9, 2007
Morning Message
Introduction
In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ. He says, "The chance that any man might have ...fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000." (one hundred quadrillion) Stoner suggests that "we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly... Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up [that one marked silver dollar.] What chance would he have of getting the right one?" Stoner concludes, "Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man,...providing they wrote them in their own wisdom."
Peter Stoner, Science Speaks.
Here are just some of the prophecies that were fulfilled by the birth of Jesus.
• God promised that the Savior would be human
• God promised that the Savior would be Jewish
• God promised that the Savior would be from the tribe of Judah
• God promised that the Savior would be born of a virgin
• God promised that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem.
As we look at the message of Christmas. We are reminded of just how awesome Christmas is and how great God truly is. This morning I want to look again at the first announcement of Christ’s birth. If you have your Bibles open them to Luke 2:8-20
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 of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ 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, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." 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." LK 2:16 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.
The Routine was disrupted
The men that were out in the fields of Bethlehem that night were shepherds. The shepherd was a herdsman of sheep and most likely not the owner of the animals in their care. Many times the shepherd was considered a lowly or common occupation in Israel. The point that Luke is making that Jesus did not come to the powerful because those who were in power missed His birth completely. Jesus came to be with the humble, the outcast and the ones who were on the low in of the social ladder. Jesus came to be with those who did not deserve His presence.
Notice that the shepherds were out with the flocks at night. Luke includes this because it is an important detail. This seems to be a time reference to give a season in which Jesus was born. Allowing the flocks out into the fields overnight would have been an event in the late spring or early summer. These specific shepherds were in the fields outside of Bethlehem watching over their flocks.
Essentially, these were the night watchmen, those who were given the care of sheep during the overnight hours. The sheep would have been outside of the city area because of good pasture areas that could have been found. The shepherds performed two important tasks for the sheep. First, they would guide them into areas of good pasture to provide their needs and second, they would guard them against predators or thieves.
The Report is delivered
The angel comes and does what he is supposed to do, and delivers a message. The word angel literally means messenger. Throughout Luke’s account of the birth narrative, he uses the phrase “angel of the Lord” to describe the messenger sent by God. It would make sense that this is the same angel who appeared to Zechariah and Mary earlier. This is most likely Gabriel.
The angel appeared with the glory of the Lord, which was the radiance of God’s holy presence. It would have likely been a dramatic display of blinding light. This would have been made even more dramatic by it being night. Why does the glory show around this angel? It gives credit to the message that is about to come.
Notice that the angel does three things here:
1.) Dispels fear
The shepherds were terrified by the presence of the angel. Can you really blame them? This would have been one of the most dramatic events of their lives and took them by complete surprise. Notice what the angel tells them first: do not be afraid. There was no reason for them to be afraid.
2.) Delivers good news
The angel goes on to tell them that they are about to receive good news of great joy. Then the angel drops the news flash of all time. There had been an amazing birth in Bethlehem that night, a birth that would change the world.
Look at what the angel says about the child who was born
• The child is the savior: The one who would bring deliverance or a rescue from certain death
• The child is the Christ: The promised Messiah that Israel had been waiting on for so long had finally arrived.
• The child is the Lord: The child born is not an ordinary child but given the equal title of God the Father. This child was God in flesh
This child was the savior of the world, who is the awaited Messiah and the embodiment of God. This is such an amazing and accurate picture of who Jesus is.
3.) Directs the shepherds
The angel then draws them a map of how to find the child. Look at the specific directions. You will find the baby wrapped in cloths. Now this is less than dramatic, most mothers would have used some form of cloths to wrap their babies after birth. The second part is the directive. The baby will be lying in a manger. The shepherds did not need to look house to house for the child. A manger is nothing more than a feed trough. They simply needed to start searching the stables. After this the angel is joined by a host of other angels who give praise to God.
The rejoicing was displayed
When the angels return to heaven the search begins and the shepherd leave everything to make their way to Bethlehem. They search until they find Mary and baby Jesus. Then they go out and share the good news with others. Mary seems to absorb the encounter with the shepherds. Notice what Luke says about her: treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Mary may not have understood everything that was happening around her but she did know one key fact. Jesus was born to a virgin. The visit of the shepherds was just one more confirmation to Mary that Jesus was going to be special beyond description.
The shepherds were changed by the encounter, they go out with great joy about all they had seen and heard. Remember, shepherds were not educated people and were not expected to have such special knowledge. The message that they shared was life changing and revolutionary. The shepherds spoke form the heart and communicated what the saw and heard. The people are amazed but do nothing about it.
What difference does all of this make?
God wants to disrupt your routine
Remember that this day would have been business as usual for these shepherds, nothing would have been different for them. They were doing what they always did, working. What is your routine like? We get up, get ready, speed off to work and do what we normally do. We come home and enter into another routine. We eat dinner, help the kids with homework and get ready for bed.
In the midst of your routine God may not send angels with a world changing message. However, God does speak to us on a daily basis, if we are willing to slow down and listen. The desire of God is to be a part of your life on a daily basis. He wants you to know His Son in a deeper way each day. This is the reason that He sent Jesus. God wants you to know Him.
God wants to deliver a report
God dispels our fears about life and about Himself. How many lies do people buy into about God or just about life in general? There are too many for us to count. The truth is that god made you and loves you more than life itself.
God dispenses good news about life. He sent us a savior to take our place and to rescue us from certain death. He wants us to grasp the true meaning of Christmas, the message of grace to a lost and dying world.
God directs us in His ways. God desires to give us direction for each day of our lives but He never forces us. We make the choice to follow or go our own way. God surrounds us with His divine presence. Direction is only good when in the presence of the one giving the directions
God wants to display reason to rejoice
Just as the shepherds went on a search so long ago, people today are on a search as well. The deepest longings of the human heart are for God. The desire of God is to fill that emptiness with His presence and peace. The greatest treasure of Christmas is found in the savior, Jesus called the Christ. All that you need to do is accept the gift that has been offered.
Today God is making you a Christmas offer, an offer to have an encounter with His Son, our savior. Today is the day to step away from you fears and your failures. Today is the day to step out and renew your faith. Today is the day to step up and reclaim the future God has for you.
