Mega Christmas Joy!
Luke 2:8-20 Intro: We’re talking about joy today. I’ve been mulling over the whole concept of Biblical joy throughout the week. What is it? Is it that important? How do we get it? Now from my studies of the Bible I know that joy is not something that depends on how good things are going around you. How often do you hear people say that they are having a bad day, or something ruined their day, or they can’t wait until this day is over? They want out of this day. Let’s try a new day and see if we can dial up a better one so we can feel some joy! [This is where I’m supposed to remind you that “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” It’s the only one you have, so make the most of it!] The truth is, we all have those days we’d like to teleport out of when nothing seems to go right in our lives. Especially when we find ourselves in the dark days of grief when we lose someone close to us. How can we find joy during those times? Or you get bad news from the doctor that what you feared has come upon you. How can a person rejoice when they hear bad news that may change their life?
-Here are a couple of observations about joy: sometimes it comes as a byproduct, and sometimes it needs a kick start. Here’s what I mean. Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and more. If I have received God’s forgiveness and grace and have the Holy Spirit living in me, then joy will be one of the results of God’s Spirit in me. Joy can be natural, residual, unforced when the Holy Spirit lives in us. But sometimes joy needs a kick start. That is why we have the book of Philippians in the Bible. Joy or rejoice are used 16 times in the 4 chapters of Philippians (written while Paul was in prison for crimes he did not commit). Philippians 4:4 says it all… “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Sometimes we need to be reminded that we have much to rejoice about! And sometimes we need to be reminded to rejoice in the Lord always! That doesn’t mean we rejoice that things are going the way they are, but we do rejoice in the Lord, remembering that He can be trusted and has us covered!
-So, with those thoughts out on the table this morning, let’s look at these words in Luke 2 that inspired such songs as Joy to the World, How Great our Joy, and more. I want to see why and how these overlooked, underappreciated, unrefined and often unpleasant guardians of sheep could find on-the-job joy. I’m pretty sure it had nothing to do with their lack of coverage under Obamacare, but let’s take a look.
1. The Joy of Hearing from the Lord
Luke 2:8-14 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."
-Throughout the history of Israel, shepherding was a noble profession. Abel was the first to have this job, followed by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and of course, David. God calls Himself a shepherd and we’re compared to sheep, which is anything but a compliment. By the time we come to the first century however, shepherding has lost its luster. Shepherds made up the lowest class of people, coming in just ahead of the lepers. In the Talmud, which is a collection of interpretations and insight from the rabbis, we read these words: “No help is to be given to heathen or shepherds.”
-In order to understand how unusual it was to have the angels appear to these lowly shepherds, let’s learn a bit about them:
• Considered ceremonially unclean. Because of the nature of their work they were unable to attend any religious services.
• Isolated and forgotten. Because their flocks needed to move around to find new grass and fresh water, they never stayed in one place for long.
• Treated with contempt and mistrust. They were suspected of stealing from others and would often confuse “thine” with “mine.” Their testimony was never allowed in court because they were so unreliable.
• Known to be brash and bold. Living out in the fields away from society made them unappealing to most people. Most of them had foul mouths and were ready to fight at the drop of a hat. (Adapted from Brian Bill, sermoncentral.com)
-Are these the people you would want to announce the birth of your child? And yet we find the universality of the gospel message being illustrated on that first Christmas night! The good news is for everybody… even lowly shepherds! The Savior offers new life to everybody… even those who are messed up and don’t know how to give or receive love! It is for all the people… angry people, nice people, sinful people, stingy people, poor people, wealthy people, male, female, slave and free! It is for Jews and Gentiles, shepherds and heathens, blacks and whites, people from every nationality. Jesus came to bring joy to all people!
-This is good news of great joy. The Greek word here for great is “mega” which means exceedingly, large, loud and mighty. It’s a superlative of greatest degree. It’s a Mega-Joy Message!
-This message is for “all people” but notice the word “you”. It’s for the whole world but it must also become deeply personal, and it must be received. How? Encountering God.
2. The Joy of Encountering the Lord
Luke 2:15-16 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." 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
-I’m not sure what it was really like for these rough men of various ages to gather around a feeding trough in a crude shelter made for animals to see a tiny baby. Songs have been written to describe what it may have been like. Was it a silent night, a holy night? Was everything calm and everything bright? What did they expect to see? Did they hope that the baby would talk to them, miraculously speaking a blessing over them? I don’t know what they might have thought as they filed in through the stable opening. It probably smelled a lot like a barn. Baby Jesus was probably sleeping, nursing, crying, or filling His swaddling clothes, cause that’s what little babies do.
-But they came away from there, knowing that they had encountered a Savior, Messiah, the hope of Israel, the seed of Abraham, the prophet like Moses, the suffering Servant that Isaiah spoke of. And the angel of the Lord had called this baby Christ, the Lord.
-These shepherds had just been in the presence of God, spoken to by a powerful angel of the Lord. They had received the good news to the fullest extent possible at that time. They believed and obeyed and encountered the Lord for themselves.
-We don’t read any more about these shepherds in the Bible, although I would imagine that some of them probably ended up among His followers 30 years later. When Jesus began to teach, preach, and heal the sick, some of these shepherds could very well have followed Him, remembering the night the angels appeared and put on the light show.
3. The Joy of Sharing about the Lord
Luke 2:17-18a 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.
-They were so impacted by their encounter with the angel of the Lord and the message they had heard, and the baby they had visited, that they couldn’t keep it to themselves. They had to tell their friends and family about it.
-When we receive the good news about Jesus, and begin to know the Joy of salvation, the joy of being forgiven, that is a motivator for us to share what we’ve received with others. And as we share we find more joy as others come to know Him.
4. The Joy of Worshiping the Lord
Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
-I’m pretty sure they didn’t sleep that night. Maybe 1 of them got out a harp like King David the shepherd King who guarded sheep in the same area. They praised God and gave Him glory for noticing them and including them in the birth announcement of the Messiah.
-Today, there is still a joy to be found that rises above the stress and disappointments of a so-called bad day. There is a joy that comes from hearing from the Lord, that He loved us enough to come the first time and die as the sacrifice for our sins. There is a joy that comes from encountering the living God when we call on Him in faith, asking Him to forgive us and include us in His family. This joy is something that wells up within us, that we will want to share with those around us! This joy overflows into praise and worship as we glorify the Lord and thank Him for giving us the greatest gift we could ever receive – life with Him that goes on forever!
-"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people…. a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
-Is He your Savior? Have you received Him as your Lord? He is the promised Messiah, God made flesh who lived among men, and died at their hands, so that we could do life with Him forever. He is here today and wants to turn your mourning into dancing, your sorrow into joy, your darkness into light, your failure into victory. Will you say Yes to Him?
