INTRODUCTION
" SLIDE #1
" Christmas is tomorrow! I am sure most of you are excited for the day to come.
" Many children are excited because they are waiting in anticipation of receiving something they have been hoping to get for a while.
" I remember the excitement I had to go see Santa Claus. Santa was the man who was going to deliver the goods to me.
" I eagerly waited for the arrival of Santa's house on the town square back home in Mexico, MO, because I knew what when Santa's house was set in place, Santa was going to be there!
" The lines were lengthy, but I knew that my time would come when I could ask Santa for what I was wanting for Christmas.
" That time between when I sat on Santa's lap and Christmas seemed like an eternity, but the day finally arrived!
" Today we are going to build on what we have been doing over the past couple of weeks as we now move from the angels telling the shepherds about the coming birth of the Messiah, Jesus, to the angels departing.
" The backdrop to this story is that the nation of Israel had been longing for the coming of the Messiah, and as shared with you a couple of weeks ago, they were probably more eager for the Messiah because they believed He would deliver them from the grip of Rome and set the Nation of Israel on the top of the world.
" Nonetheless, the anticipation for the coming of the Messiah was running high, and now the angels revealed to the shepherds that it was now happening.
" So now what? What do you do if you are the shepherds. They have sheep to watch over and protect.
" What did you do on Christmas morning?
" When I laid out my wish list to Santa, on Christmas eve, I could hardly sleep.
" My parents told me that if I did not go to sleep, Santa would not come, so I forced myself to go to sleep.
" So, what happened on Christmas morning?
" I bolted out of the bedroom to check out the loot!
" Today we are going to see what the shepherds did with the information they were given.
" Let's turn to Luke 2:15-16
" SLIDE #2
" Luke 2:15-16 (CSB) - 15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.
" SLIDE #3
IT began with...
SERMON
I. Pursuing the king.
" These people of the nation were anticipating the coming to the Messiah. After the decades of being under the rule or Rome, they the people were longing for the day when that would end.
" Imagine walking down the streets of Sierra Vista ad instead of seeing our brave soldiers, you would see a foreign invading force patrolling the streets.
" That would not be an encouraging sight to see.
" The shepherds had been given a great gift, now what?
" When you eagerly anticipated your gift, what did you do?
" Verse 15 tells us what these shepherds did.
" As a side note, shepherds were not the group one would think God would announce the coming of the Messiah, they were some of the lowest people on the totem pole.
" WHEN THE the angels had left them.
" That is always the critical time. What the shepherds should do had been clearly implied. Will they do it?
" The minister has delivered his sermon. Will the listeners (including himself) take it to heart?
" The doctor has prescribed medication. Will the patient follow his prescription?
" The shepherds could have said, wow, that is nice, great message angels, ok, time to get back to work.
" When you are looking for something in life how what do you do?
" Are you the type that thinks, HOW NICE, then just goes on with life, only to later lament the fact that you did not go for it?
" It amazes me how many people are really searching in life, they are searching for meaning and purpose.
" They are searching for something more than what life is currently offering them.
" The shepherds were given a great opportunity what will they do with it?
" They decided to leave the sheep and go to Bethlehem.
" The Greek indicates that these men repeatedly said to one another that they needed to go to Bethlehem.
" These men found a way to take of the sheep and decided to go search.
" Ok, today we all know people who are searching for something in life, we offer them the good news about Jesus.
" What do many do, nothing.
" The Shepherds could have done nothing, and simply believed the Angels told them. Instead they said…
" "Let's go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
" This is important to see.
" These men believed the angels; however, they said let us go see what happened.
" Had they not investigated for themselves, I think they would have always had some doubt in the back of their minds.
" When we give the good news to people, we need to encourage them to investigate for themselves.
" We see this with the woman at the well, Jesus convinced her who He was, she goes back to her Samaritan village and many believe her testimony; however, they did some investing on their own when Jesus came to them.
" SLIDE #4
" John 4:42 (CSB) And they told the woman, "We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world."
" They were looking for the King!
" In verse 16 we are told…
" 16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.
" They found things as the Angels said they would find them.
" When we try to lead people to Jesus we need to encourage them to pursue Jesus so that they will believe because they have done the investigation and come to the conclusion that Jesus is the answer for their life!
" Look at verses 17-19 with me.
" SLIDE #5
" Luke 2:17-19 (CSB) - 17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.
" SLIDE #6
" Their pursuit of the King was actually a led the shepherds to…
II. Pursuing the truth.
" When the shepherds were given the message from the angels, they made the decision to pursue the King, but in their pursuit of the king, they also were in pursuit of verifying the truth.
" Notice the text tells us that AFTER seeing, they reported the message they were told about the child.
" When they saw the truth staring them in the face, when what they were told was verified by their own eyes, they shared the message they were told about the child with those who were at the scene.
" Luke knew this both because he was writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as well as the fact that in Luke 1:1-2 Luke tells us that he THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED all that he wrote about and talked to original eyewitnesses when possible.
" I think that many folks do not have a deep-rooted faith because they have never really pursued the truth on their own.
" Later when we look at the effect all this had on the shepherds, we will see what a deep-rooted faith will do for you.
" The Shepherds pursued the King, and they pursued the truth.
" When they verified the veracity of the message, they shared it.
" I wonder if we struggle with sharing the Gospel because we do not trust the veracity of the truth.
" EACH one of use owe it to ourselves as well as others to pursue the truth so that we can share the truth with conviction and passion!
" When the shepherds shared the truth, it encouraged all those who heard them.
" Mary treasured these things, the pursuit of the truth by the Shepherds encouraged and strengthened those who heard as well as Mary.
" When we can share the truth with passion and conviction, it will strengthen and encourage others.
" What was more amazing was the fact that it was shepherds who made the testimony.
" The information they shared was revolutionary and life-changing. It would change the lives of the listeners forever!
" The shepherds spoke from the heart, and their words connected to the deepest needs of others.?
" When you tell about Jesus, start with what you know best: your life experience. Tell the story of God in your life.
" You don't need to embellish, but don't hold back either. Your words will change many, and God will use you to change the world.
" SLIDE #6
" Luke 2:20 (CSB) The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.
" The whole situation led to the shepherds towards…
" SLIDE #7
III. Pursuing a new way of life.
" Look carefully at verse 20 again.
" Luke 2:20 (CSB) The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.
" When the shepherds returned, they were returning to pursue a new way of life.
" They returned to the job, to the home, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard!
" When you gain the information concerning Jesus, and you then authenticate the message, it will change you.
" Here's what scares people about Jesus. They are afraid that what they are going to do with Him once they realize who Jesus is!
" It is somewhat comfortable for people to know there is a God in heaven. A God in heaven does not imply accountability, but once you realize that Jesus is who is says He is, then what do you do with that?
" I believe that people reject Jesus because they are afraid of the accountability that knowledge brings.
" The Shepherds did the right thing, they left pursuing a new way of life!
" Once they realized that Jesus was the Messiah, it changed them!
" Once you come to the understanding that Jesus is the Messiah, it will change you!
" HE changed my life, He can change yours!
" I bet those shepherds were never the same. Were they still shepherds, yes, were they different, YES!
CONCLUSION
" One thing we do have right concerning Christmas is that it is about gifts.
" Christmas is about God giving us the ultimate gift, the gift of Jesus Christ, and the gift of salvation that is found in Him!
" I hope that this Christmas may be the time that you choose to pursue the king, pursue the truth, and pursue a changed life that you can have once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savoir!
" Share the gift of Jesus with courage, love, and conviction. When you do it will change lives!
