# 3~ LUKE 2:8-20 WHAT DID THE SHEPHERDS SEE AND HEAR? 12-25-10
Today we’ll read about the shepherds receiving the most wonderful news that’s ever been told.
Most people are not really aware of their lost condition, and when they hear about a Savior coming into the world to make away for man kind to do something about this dreadful situation it usually goes in one ear and out the other especially to the skeptics, as a lot of folks seem to think that because their pretty good people they’ll be alright.
Most every one enjoys what’s become as the Christmas season because of all the hoopla that’s on every hand, there’s Christmas parades, Christmas movies, and most of these are involved with Santa Clause and Rudolph or some type of miracle at Christmas, there’s lots of good eating, even free meals are offered by many helping hands organizations, so most folks enjoy all this activity, but put very little thought into what this time is really all about, and that is “A SAVIOUR HAS BEEN BORN”.
Ø Listen as I read today’s text found in Luke 2:8-20.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. –(Notice it’s dark)
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: (notice; the glory of the Lord caused light to be around them --and they were sore afraid.
and because the glory of the Lord lighted the area it scared these shepherds greatly and rightly so.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, (good news that will bring abundant joy) which shall be to all people. **(Notice not a select few but to all people)
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (CHRISTOS is the Greek word for God’s anointed,--MESSIAH or (māshīaḥ is the Hebrew word for “God’s anointed}
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, (strips of clothes) lying in a manger.
The sign was the rarity of finding a baby wrapped in strips of clothes lying in a manger.
A manger is a cattle-feeding trough, and lets remember that there was no room for them in the inn. All these things suggest poverty, loneliness, and even rejection. God could have created a situation that there would have been a very nice room there waiting for their arrival, but the very beginning of Jesus on earth would be a very humbling experience.
2 Corinthians 7:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we immediately become heirs and joint heirs with Christ, every thing that belongs to Him is also ours, we’re rich because of His poverty when He was on earth.
He came into this world as a human being, God incarnate, He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. God knows about the problems of mankind.
Listen as I read;
Heb.4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Infirmity- means-- feebleness (of body or mind); frailty:— disease, , sickness, weakness.
I want us to be sure to understand that Jesus was tested in {ALL POINTS) as it says here in Heb.4:15 not all ways.
He was not tempted or tested in a lustful way when He was around women like many men are, if this had happened this would have been sinful, He was tempted of the flesh in the fact that He became hungry and thirsty.
Ø JESUS SAID IN
Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
So let’s not ever say that Jesus was tempted in all ways.
James 1:13--God cannot be tempted with evil--
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13And suddenly (unexpectedly) there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host **(thousands of angels) praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Some commentators say that this verse is actually saying—Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will.
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15And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, (we’re not told how many shepherds there were) Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
Let me point out again that THE LORD made known to these lowly men, He didn’t go to the Pharisees or the Sadducees, He send this wonderful message to these shepherds as they were out in the county side with these sheep.
Ø Paul said in
1 Corinthians 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:--
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16And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
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Listen; why would God send a Saviour if a Saviour was not necessary? The very fact that we read in verse 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord, tells us that all people are lost in sins but now there’s a way we can do some thing about it, and that we can receive Jesus the Saviour as our personal Saviour.
I’m afraid there are a lot of people that want Jesus as their Saviour but they’re not all excited about Him being their LORD.
Lord implies that Jesus has authority over every person, as well as over all angelic and demonic powers.
He wants us to turn all our life over to Him. Not just a certain part, it seems that most of us call on Him when we need Him, when we find ourselves in trouble, and we certainly should do that, but He wants us to call on Him to praise Him and thank Him for what He is doing and has done and what He’s going to do, He wants to be our very best friend at all times. He is Lord of heaven and earth!
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I want us to notice that this Angel of the Lord **(who I believe to be Gabriel because Gabriel is always the messenger angel) didn’t go to the Pharisees or Sadducees, he came to the common people, he came to these shepherds, these shepherds were rugged out door men, they were in the field with these sheep, they were there to watch out for the sheep, to protect them from thieves and wolves that might do them harm.
I’ve talked about the fact that Jesus was God ‘INCARNATE” a couple of times on previous broadcast recently, God became flesh’ this was the only way that a Perfect Sacrifice could be possible, this little Baby that was born in Bethlehem was to be all mankind’s Substitute if people would only received Him as such, He would grow and become a man and be hung on a cruel cross when He was about 33 years old, but the Angel of the Lord came to these lowly shepherds with this wonderful news, never had they seen any thing like this before and it scared them greatly, and rightly so.
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Wonder why these verses don’t say, “Now there were in the same region scribes and Pharisees, keeping watch over their scrolls and religious rituals”? Or, “There were kings and princes keeping watch over their treasures at the palace.”
God chose to reveal the birth of the Savior to simple shepherds who were busy tending to their sheep.
He chose these people to show that …the good news is for all people, not just for an elect few.
If this good news were only for the highly intelligent people, people that had finished all kinds of academic courses in order to understand what this good news meant, then people like myself would be left out, but God has made this good news so simple that all of us can understand it, we don’t try to figure out the how God did it, we simple believe it, we’re glad that its made easy to understand, its all by faith, even the people that can’t read at all can be saved, we’re not told that these shepherds read about this good news any where, the people yonder in darkest Africa that have never went to any school at all can be saved.
God laid our sin on Jesus, God treated Him as if He were a sinner, though He was not, and had Him die for the sins of the entire world, it is important to understand that sin was imputed to Him, but He did not inherit it from Adam. He bore the penalty for sin, but He never became a sinner. His pure and perfect nature was untouched by sin.
God treated Him as though He were guilty of all the sins ever committed by the human race, even though He committed none. In exchange, God imputed the righteousness of Christ to believers and credited our accounts with His righteousness, just as God had credited our sins to Christ’s account
2nd cor.5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus would be the Perfect sin-bearer, Who gave Himself as our Substitute, He died for the sins of the whole world, every persons sin debt has been paid in full, but all people will not receive His payment, many will die in their sins and go to hell with their sin debt paid, but they’ll not except His payment, therefore these poor souls will forever pay their debt them selves.
1 Peter 2:22-25 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds, also David who was a picture and type of Jesus as Jesus will set on the Throne of David as King of the Jews, but let me say right here that Jesus was born King of the Jews, He has always been KING.
Matthew 1:1-2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? --
Again David was a shepherd, and so is Jesus,
Ø Jesus said in
John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Ø He is the chief Shepherd
1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
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So God revealed His Savior to these simple shepherds to show us that His good news is for common people. It involved the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. It provides us with Jesus as our Good Shepherd.
The good news about Christ the Savior is historically true. It is based on His unique Person. It reaches the common person.
All the O.T. sacrifices were a type of the Supreme Sacrifice that was to come, the LAMB OF GOD, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ø John the Baptist said in
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Jesus is the on going, forever active Savior because He “taketh”** away—present tense. This means that anyone can come to Him at any time.
Listen; I want to say something about SIN, there is 3 types.
1. The inherited-- inclination to sin entered the human race through Adam, and human beings became sinners by nature.
God used the principle of imputation to benefit mankind when He imputed the sin of believers to the account of Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for that sin—which was death—on the cross.
2. Imputed sin-- After the Law was given; sins committed in violation of the Law were imputed (accounted) to the people that were under the law.
3. Personal sin --that which is committed every day by every human being. Because we have inherited a sin nature from Adam, we commit individual, personal sins, everything from seemingly innocent untruths to murder.
But thankfully, inherited sin, imputed sin, and personal sin have all been crucified on the cross of Jesus.
Eph.1:6-7 6To the praise of the glory of his (G) grace, wherein he (G) hath made us accepted in the beloved.(J) 7In whom (J) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;--
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I want to say in closing, that the most Precious Gift that any one has ever received was given by God the Father, He gave heavens best for the worlds worst, you and I the sinners.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
