ARRIVAL Of The CHRIST-II—Luke 2:1-20
Attention:
Need:
How do I know that Jesus is indeed Lord as you Christians say He is? What makes Him so special? He was evidently an intelligent & gifted man, no doubt, but what makes Him any different than any other recognizable personality from history?
Luke records for us the revelatory/telling circumstances/events surrounding the arrival/birth of Christ the Lord.
The circumstances/events surrounding/dealing with the arrival/birth of Christ the Lord are revelatory.
What are the revelatory/telling circumstances/events surrounding/dealing with the arrival/birth of Christ the Lord?
3 revelatory events surrounding the 1st arrival of Christ the Lord.
A revelatory event of Christ the Lord’s arrival is His...
Previously we discovered that
Christ the Lord is revealed thru His...
1. BIRTH(:1-7)
2—Christ the Lord is revealed thru His...
ANNOUNCEMENT/(:8-14)
Explanation: (:8-14) Proclamation/Initial Exposure
:8—Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
In the same area(approximating Bethlehem(:4)) were some shepherds who were watching over their sheep in the fields. Shepherds always stayed with their flocks in the field.
?What does it mean to “keep watch” over one’s sheep?
It was night. Sheep are not nocturnal, so some of the shepherds must have been sleeping, Some probably were not.
Some were sleeping—as the door of the sheep— a common practice Jesus later use to describe a vital aspect of His ministry...
Jn. 10:7-14—“Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves & robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, & will go in & out & find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, & to kill, & to destroy. I have come that they may have life, & that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming & leaves the sheep & flees; & the wolf catches the sheep & scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling & does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; & I know My sheep, & am known by My own.”
“Living out in the fields/Abiding in the field/Staying out in the fields”—agraulew—1) To live in the fields, be under the open sky, even at night. Strong—To camp out:-- Abide in the field.
“Keeping watch”—fulassw—1) To guard; 2) To observe for one's self something to escape. Indicates safe custody & often implies assault from without.
:9—“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, & the glory of the Lord shone around them, & they were greatly afraid.”
An angel of the Lord suddenly appeared before the shepherds. The shepherds must have been in one area. At night, the sheep would have been penned & the shepherds themselves either being the door or guarding the sheep from intrusion.
“The glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds. “The glory of the Lord” was manifested as a light surrounding the shepherds. It was doubtlessly recognized by them as belonging to the manifestation of the Lord God’s presence(See :15).
Witness: The so-called Shekinah Glory— “There was not only an angel of the Lord by the shepherds, but "the glory of the Lord shone around them"; Jehovah, God Himself, was there as well as the angel. He had come down in the glory of grace near to the shepherds. It was not merely that He sent a message from heaven, to announce what had come in in the Babe that was born, but God in His glory was there; the glory of Jehovah shone round about them. It was the Shekinah glory...”—ENT CAC 28
The shepherds were extremely frightened by this sudden display of God’s glory in its brightness. Imagine God’s glory manifested before such lowly uneducated people as herdsmen going about their usual routines at night.
In the presence of God’s glory one’s helplessness before such majesty is realized. And this is merely “an angel”—not God Himself—albeit manifesting God’s glory.
“Glory”(See :14, 20)—doxa—N. f.—1) Opinion, judgment, view; 2) Opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone—2a) in the NT always A good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honor, & glory; 3) Splendor, brightness; 4) A most glorious condition, most exalted state. Strong—Glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal or figurative, objective or subjective):-- Dignity, glory(-ious), honor, praise, worship.
“Shone around/Shone round about”—perilampw—1) To shine around. Strong—To illuminate all around, i.e. Invest with a halo:-- Shine round about. Used 2X.
“Greatly Afraid”—efobhyhsan fobon megan—Lit.—“they feared a great fear”—RWP. —fobew—V.—1) To put to flight by terrifying (to scare away). “To fear”, the general term; often used of a protracted state. Strong—To frighten, i.e. (passively) To be alarmed; by analogy, To be in awe of, i.e. Revere:-- Be (+ sore) afraid, fear (exceedingly), reverence.—fobov—N.m.—1) Fear, dread, terror—1a) That which strikes terror; 2) Reverence for one's husband. Strong—Alarm or fright:-- Be afraid, + exceedingly, fear, terror.
: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.”
The angel spoke reassuringly to the shepherds & told them that there was no need to be afraid.
The angel had not come with frightening news but had instead come bringing them good news.
The angel’s good news was about a great joy.
The great joy was intended to be experienced by “all” people.
“Bring...good tidings”—euaggelizw—1) To bring good news, to announce glad tidings. Strong—To announce good news ("evangelize") especially the gospel:-- Declare, bring (declare, show) glad (good) tidings, preach (the gospel).
“Joy”—cara—1) Joy, gladness. Strong—Cheerfulness, i.e. Calm delight:-- Gladness, X greatly, (X be exceeding) joy(-ful, -fully, -fulness, -ous).
:11—“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
This great joy would come as a result of something which had already taken place in the city of David(Bethlehem).
A Savior had been born in Bethlehem. This Savior was born specifically “to you”(3rd person plural) the shepherds & thus for their people, particularly as they themselves were not heads of any people.
This Savior who had been born was identified by two titles. The Savior was both Christ(Messiah) & Lord. Thus Messiah(deliverer) was endued with ‘teeth’ in that He is also Lord(absolute sovereign deity).
What a fantastic, & instantly ponderable message for those unfamiliar with the extent & depths of God’s plan!
?When is the last time you honestly considered the plan of God as it relates to you?...Prayed for your part in it?
“Christ the Lord”—“This combination occurs nowhere else in the N.T. & it is not clear what it really means...It may mean "Christ the Lord," "Anointed Lord," "Messiah, Lord," "The Messiah, the Lord," "An Anointed One, a Lord," or "Lord Messiah.””—RWP
“Born”(See :6—“Delivered”, 7— “Brought forth”)—tiktw—1) To bring forth, bear, produce (fruit from the seed)—1a) Of a woman giving birth, 1b) Of the earth bringing forth its fruits, 1c) metaph. to bear, bring forth. Strong—To produce (from seed, as a mother, a plant, the earth, etc.), literally or figuratively:-- Bear, be born, bring forth, be delivered, be in travail.
“Savior”—swthr—1) Savior, deliverer, preserver. The name was given by the ancients to deities, esp. tutelary deities, to princes, kings, & in general to men who had conferred signal benefits upon their country, & in more degenerate days by the way of flattery to personages of influence.
“The people under Rome's rule came to call the emperor "Savior" & Christians took the word & used it of Christ.”—RWP
:12—“And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.””
The shepherds were told of the “sign”/proof of this momentous event.
They were expected to visit this baby Christ Lord.
They would find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths & lying in a feed trough.
?Wouldn’t the shepherds have known the locations of stables in Bethlehem?
“Sign”—shmeion—1) A sign, mark, token—1a) That by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others & is known—1b) A sign, prodigy, portent, i.e. an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature—1b1) Of signs portending remarkable events soon to happen, 1b2) Of miracles & wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God's. Strong—An indication, especially ceremonially or supernaturally:-- Miracle, sign, token, wonder.
“Babe”—brefov—1) An unborn child, embryo, a fetus; 2) A new-born child, an infant, a babe. Strong—An infant (properly, unborn) literally or figuratively:-- Babe, (young) child, infant.
“Wrapped in swaddling cloths”(See :7)—sparganow—1) To wrap in swaddling clothes—1a) Of an infant just born. Strong—from sparganon(a strip; from a derivative of the base of sparassw meaning to strap or wrap with strips); To swathe (an infant after the Oriental custom):-- Wrap in swaddling clothes. Used 2X.
“Lying”—keimai—Strong—To lie outstretched (literally or figuratively):-- Be (appointed, laid up, made, set), lay, lie. Properly reflexive & utterly prostrate).
“Manger”(See :7)—fatnh—1) A crib, a manger. Strong—from pateomai(to eat); a crib (for fodder):-- Manager, stall.
:13—“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God & saying:
:14—“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!””
:13—
Upon the angel’s revelation to he shepherds, an innumerable gathering of heavenly angels then appeared before the shepherds.
The multitude of angels then “praised God.” Their praise(plural) consisted of a particular revelation regarding the birth of Christ the Lord(:14 below).
:14—
The angels praised God for what had been accomplished among men thru the sign(:12—infant, swaddling cloths & manger)
The angels directed their praise to God. They proclaimed the highest glory/praise/honor, for His gift of Christ the Lord.
?Is 1)The glory the “highest” glory or is 2) God the “highest” God or yet still is 3)God in the highest plane of existence?
“And on earth peace”—
The angels also declared peace/harmony/tranquility among men on earth. The birth of Christ the Lord was cause for bringing real peace to mankind.
Simultaneously & in contrast to God’s glory, there would come to mankind, even on earth, “peace.” This signifies that there is currently—ie., previous to this birth of the Savior—no true, real or even lasting peace.
The peace would come only to those people who are pleasing in God’s sight.
“...real peace on earth exists only among those who are the subjects of God's goodwill, who are characterized by goodwill toward God & man.”—RWP
“Goodwill toward men”—Generally, God is extending His hand to all men on earth that they might experience His kind intent, peace being the proper couch for its widest expression.
OR:
“Among men with whom He is pleased.”— NASB
“To men on whom his favor rests”—NIV
“Among men in whom he is well pleased”—“The Textus Receptus... has eudokia, but the genitive eudokiav is undoubtedly correct, supported by the oldest & best uncials.”—RWP
This nuance would signify that those who are about to experience God’s peace are only those who are pleasing to Him(by faith & expounded later in Scripture).
“Goodwill”—eudokia—N. f.—1) Will, choice—1a) Good will, kindly intent, benevolence; 2) Delight, pleasure, satisfaction; 3) Desire—3a) For delight in any absent thing easily produces longing for it. Strong—Satisfaction, i.e. (subjectively) Delight, or (objectively) kindness, wish, purpose:-- Desire, good pleasure (will), X seem good.
OR—eudokew—V.—1) It seems good to one, is one's good pleasure—1a) Think it good, choose, determine, decide, 1b) To do willingly, 1c) To be ready to, to prefer, choose rather; 2) To be well pleased with, take pleasure in, to be favorably inclined towards one. Strong—To think well of, i.e. Approve (an act); specially, To approbate (a person or thing):-- Think good, (be well) please(-d), be the good (have, take) pleasure, be willing.
“Men”—anyrwpov—1) A human being, whether male or female; 2) indefinitely, Someone, a man, one; 3) in the plural, People; 4) Joined with other words, merchantman.
Argumentation:
Gen. 1:27-30—“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male & female He created them. Then God blessed them, & God said to them, “Be fruitful & multiply; fill the earth & subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, & over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, & every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. “Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, & to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; & it was so.”
In God’s speaking to Adam, we have had His witness!
Rom. 1:18-20—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”
God has always spoken to all men in generalities!
BUT He has also spoken specifically of Himself to those who will hear!...
Rom. 1:16-17—“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first & also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.””
Whenever God reveals Himself to us, it is up to us to act on that which we have been given. Not necessarily to know every detail of it.
Illustration:
The Military Draft(Compulsory Military Service) for Vietnam/Notice arrives in the mail stating ‘Selective Service System Order to Report for Armed Forces Physical Examination’/Assigned a unique number & a location to report to/Every able-bodied man anticipated but dreaded their being called to such a war effort/We have no excuse for denying it/ or running from it/ANNOUNCEMENT
Application:
?Have you heeded the ANNOUNCEMENT of Christ the Lord’s arrival?
?Has Christ the Lord arrived for YOU?
3—Christ the Lord is revealed thru His...
BROADCAST(15-20)
Explanation: (15-20) Publicizing
:15—“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 & see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.””
The angels left the shepherds. They went “into heaven” from where they had come.
When they left, the shepherds then collected themselves & discussed what had happened among themselves.
“Imperfect tense, inchoative, "began to speak," each to the other. It suggests also repetition, they kept saying.”—RWP
Their conclusion was that they should go unhesitatingly to Bethlehem.
They wanted to see the manifestation of what the angel(s) had proclaimed.
They knew that the angel’s message was a revelation from the Lord Himself(See :9).
Likewise...we must act on that which the Lord Himself reveals to us without hesitation.
Should we believe what the angels revealed?
Should we believe the shepherd’s account?
We must search for reasons that these accounts are true, otherwise alternate claims become validated. If this account falls apart then the reliability of the rest of Scripture is questionable.
Why would anyone choose to BROADCAST untruth?
“Thing”(See :17—“saying”)—rhma—1) That which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word; 2) Subject matter of speech, thing spoken of. Strong—An utterance (individually, collectively or specifically); by implication, A matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever:-- + evil, + nothing, saying, word.
“A Hebraistic & vernacular use of rhma (something said) as something done.”—RWP
:16—“And they came with haste & found Mary & Joseph, & the Babe lying in a manger.”
They hastily came to where Mary & Joseph were & indeed saw the baby lying in the manger just as the angel had declared & for which they all had praised God.
“with Haste/Hurried off”—speudw—1) To haste, make haste; 2) To desire earnestly. Strong—To "speed" ("study"), i.e. Urge on (diligently or earnestly); by implication, To await eagerly:-- (make, with) Haste unto. Used 6X.
“Found”—aneuriskw—1) To find out by search. Strong—To find out:-- Find. Used 2X.
“The compound ana suggests a search before finding.”—RWP
:17—“Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.”
When the shepherds had witnessed the “sign”, the shepherds publicized the word/statement(“a Savior who is Christ the Lord”) about the child, given them by the angel. This would also have confirmed what would have been heard previously thru Mary & Joseph regarding Gabriel’s visit(1:28-38).
The shepherds had been told & thereby they told others of God’s “good tidings of great joy” in the arrival of their Savior.
*We don’t have to be apologists to proclaim Christ! But we must tell what we know!
“Made widely known”—diagnwrizw—1) To publish abroad, make known thoroughly; 2) To discriminate. Strong—To tell abroad:-- Make known.
NU—gnwrizw—1) To make known—1a) To become known, be recognized; 2) To know, to gain knowledge of, have thorough knowledge of. Strong—To make known; subjectively, to know:-- Certify, declare, make known, give to understand, do to wit, wot.
“Saying” (See :15—“saying”)—rhma—1) That which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word; 2) Subject matter of speech, thing spoken of. Strong—An utterance (individually, collectively or specifically); by implication, A matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever:-- + evil, + nothing, saying, word.
“A Hebraistic & vernacular use of rhma (something said) as something done.”—RWP
“Child”—paidion—1) A young child, a little boy, a little girl. Strong—A childling (of either sex), i.e. (properly,) An infant, or (by extension) A half-grown boy or girl; figuratively, An immature Christian:-- (little, young) Child, damsel.
:18—“And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”
All who heard the shepherd’s declaration wondered at the significance of the events.
“Marveled”—yaumazw—1) To wonder, wonder at, marvel; 2) To be wondered at, to be had in admiration. Strong—by implication, To admire:-- admire, have in admiration, marvel, wonder.
:19—“But Mary kept all these things & pondered them in her heart.”
However, Mary herself took to heart the statement adding them to her personal knowledge of the birth. She pondered the significance of her circumstances, having been charged with such a fantastic motherhood.
Mary deeply considered all she had been confronted with, & all she had believed all her life, piecing them together in order to properly regard her new circumstances.
“Mary would go over each detail in the words of Gabriel & of the shepherds & compare the sayings with the facts so far developed & brood over it all with a mother's high hopes & joy.”—RWP
To live the life intended by Christ the Lord, we must rightly reckon with the truth. That demands some rumination so that we don’t end up like the seed sown on stony/rocky ground(Mk. 4:16-17), but rather end up as the house built on the rock(Mat. 7:24-27).
“Kept”—sunthrew—1) To preserve (a thing from perishing or being lost); 2) To keep within one's self, keep in mind (a thing, lest it be forgotten). Strong—To keep closely together, i.e. (by implication) To conserve (from ruin); ment. To remember (& obey):-- Keep, observe, preserve.
“Imperfect active. She kept on keeping together (sun-) all these things. They were meat & drink to her. She was not astonished, but filled with holy awe. The verb occurs from Aristotle on. She could not forget.”—RWP
“Pondered”—sumballw—V.-Present Active Participle-Nominative Singular Fem.—1) To throw together, to bring together. Strong—To combine, i.e. (in speaking) To converse, consult, dispute, (mentally) To consider, (by implication) To aid, (personally) To join, attack:-- Confer, encounter, help, make, meet with, ponder. Used 6X.
:20—“Then the shepherds returned, glorifying & praising God for all the things that they had heard & seen, as it was told them.”
The shepherds went back to their work in with the sheep. they returned glorifying & praising God for all they had heard & seen.
They did this just as the angels had told them for they were told of a great joy & God’s glory.
“Returned”—epistrefw—1) transitively—1a) To turn to—1a1) To the worship of the true God, 1b) To cause to return, to bring back—1b1) To the love & obedience of God, 1b2) To the love for the children, 1b3) To love wisdom & righteousness; 2) intransitively—2a) To turn to one's self, 2b) To turn one's self about, turn back, 2c) To return, turn back, come back. Strong—To revert (literally, figuratively or morally):-- Come (go) again, convert, (re-)turn (about, again).
“Glorifying”(See :14)—doxazw—V.—1) To think, suppose, be of opinion; 2) To praise, extol, magnify, celebrate; 3) To honor, do honor to, hold in honor; 4) To make glorious, adorn with luster, clothe with splendor. Strong—To render (or esteem) glorious (in a wide application):-- (make) Glorify(-ious), full of (have) glory, honor, magnify.
“Praising”(See :13)—ainew—V. plural—1) To praise, extol, to sing praises in honor to God; 2) To allow, recommend; 3) To promise or vow.
Argumentation:
Mat. 24:14—““And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, & then the end will come.”
Mat. 9:35-38—“Then Jesus went about all the cities & villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, & healing every sickness & every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary & scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.””
Lk. 10:3—“Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.”
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Mk. 16:15—“And He said to them, “Go into all the world & preach the gospel to every creature.”
Jn. 4:25-30, 39-42—“The woman[Samaritan woman at the well] said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” And at this point His disciples came, & they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, & said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city & came to Him.”.....“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; & He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him & we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.””
Illustration:
Graduation time is here!/We send out written invitations, telephone calls, e-mails, pictures/BROADCAST so all may know!
Broadcast seed/So all the land may yield fruit.
TV Broadcasts/Producers ensure their program is displayed to millions of households/BROADCAST
Application:
? Christ the Lord’s arrival worthy of your BROADCAST?
?Has Christ the Lord arrived for YOU?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Christ the Lord is revealed thru His...
2. ANNOUNCEMENT/(:8-14)
3. BROADCAST(15-20)
1. BIRTH(:1-7)
Presented 07/24/2011 to:
Needmore Baptist Church
162- Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
