HEARING GOD’s GOOD NEWS-II—Luke 2:8-20
—OR—
DISCOVERING The GOOD NEWS!
Attention:
A portion of my testimony—My breaking point(in front of the TV)
Recognition of personal sinfulness despite having previously heard & read God’s truth for years.
There is actual Substance to Christmas even when surrounded by the Worldly traditional trappings.
*All those things that comprise the Christmas season(including New Year’s) are fun & exciting!—& nothing is wrong with that! BUT all those fun & exciting things should be a response to God’s ministry of love to us thru Christ Jesus.
Jesus’ birth is celebrated the world over by Christians because of:
A.)How He came—born of the Spirit, born of a virgin.
B.)Why He came—Our sins condemn us.
—&—
C.)What He would accomplish—
i)Deliver us from the penalty of our sins.
ii)Secure our place in heaven.
iii)Give us a new purpose...His purpose.
iv)Empower us to live for Him(moment-by-moment) by His Spirit, rather than by flesh.
Shepherds were given an official announcement of Jesus’ birth.
Jesus’ birth has been publicly announced.
BUT...
Who will hear God’s Good News?
4 means of Hearing God’s Good News.
Last Sunday, we found that Those who Hear/Discover God’s Good News are those who...
1. Are HUMBLED In GOD’s PRESENCE(:8-9)
2. Are PREPARED for it(:10-11)
3—Those who Hear/Discover God’s Good News...
SEE IT’s POTENTIAL(:13-14)
Explanation:(:13-14)Among men
:13—“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God & saying:”
Upon the angel’s revelation to the shepherds, an innumerable gathering of heavenly angels then appeared before the shepherds.
The whole “multitude” of angels then “praised God.” Their praise(plural) consisted of a particular revelation regarding the birth of Christ the Lord(:14 below).
“Suddenly”—exaifnhv—Adv.—1) Of a sudden, suddenly, unexpectedly. Strong—Of a sudden(unexpectedly). Used 5X.?From—ek/Ex—1) Out of, from, by, away from. Strong—a primary preposition denoting origin(the point whence action or motion proceeds), From, out(of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote).—& the base of—aifnidiov[non apparent]—Unexpected, i.e. Suddenly.
“With”—sun—Preposition—1) With. Strong—a primary preposition denoting union; With or together(but much closer than meta or para), i.e. By association, companionship, process, resemblance, possession, instrumentality, addition, etc.
“Multitude”—plhyov—Noun Neuter—1) A multitude—1a) A great number, of men or things, 1b) The whole number, the whole multitude, the assemblage—1b1) The multitude of the people. Strong—A fulness, i.e. A large number, throng, populace.?From—plhyw—To “fill”(literally or figuratively [imbue, influence, supply]); specifically--To fulfill(time).
“Host”—stratia—Noun Fem.—Eng.=‘strategy’—1) An army, band of soldiers; 2) in the NT, The hosts of heaven—2a) Troops of angels, 2b) The heavenly bodies, stars of heaven(so called on account of their number & their order). Strong—feminine of a derivative of stratov(an army; from the base of strwnnumi[to "strew", i.e. spread(as a carpet or couch)]as encamped); Camp-likeness, i.e. An army, i.e. figuratively--The angels, the celestial luminaries. Used 2X.
“Praising”(See :20)—ainew—Verb—1) To praise, extol, to sing praises in honor to God; 2) To allow, recommend; 3) To promise or vow. Strong—To praise(God). Used 9X.?From—ainov—apparently a prime word; properly--A story, but used in the sense of epainov[laudation; concretely, a commendable thing]; Praise(of God).
“Saying”—legw—Verb—1) To say, to speak—1a) Affirm over, maintain, 1b) To teach, 1c) To exhort, advise, to command, direct, 1d) To point out with words, intend, mean, mean to say, 1e) To call by name, to call, name, 1f) To speak out, speak of, mention. Strong—a primary verb; properly--To "lay" forth, i.e. figuratively--Relate (in words [usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas epw & fhmi generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while rew is properly, to break silence merely, & lalew means an extended or random harangue]); by implication--To mean.
The angels praised God for what had already been accomplished among men thru the sign(:12).
The angel’s testimony was a confirmation of the present & future fact!
:14—“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
The angels directed their praise to YHWH God. They proclaimed the highest glory/praise/honor, for His gift of Christ the Lord.
The angelic declaration compelled men to give glory...
1)Their call to give the “highest” glory?
2)God the “highest” God & worthy of praise?
“And on earth peace”—
The angels also declared the arrival of peace/harmony/tranquility among men on earth. The birth of Christ the Lord was cause for bringing real peace to mankind(Cf.-Dan. 9:24-26b; Jn. 14:27).
Dan. 9:24-26b—“Seventy weeks are determined For your people & for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision & prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore & understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore & build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks & sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, & the wall, Even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;...”
Jn. 14:27—“Peace I[Jesus] leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Simultaneously & along with to God’s glory, there is the statement that God’s “peace” would come to mankind, even all “men” on earth. The angels declaration signifies that at the moment in time spoken of—the time prior to this birth of the Savior—there was no true, real or even lasting peace in the world.
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, with “peace” being the proper surrounding for its fullest expression.
...OR also...
“among men with whom He is pleased.”—NASB
“to people He favors!—HCSB
“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--to be expounded in detail later).
Jer. 29:11—“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace & not of evil, to give you a future & a hope.”
“Goodwill/Good Pleasure”—eudokia—TR/Byz=Noun Nominative Sing. Fem.—OR—eudokiav—MajT=Noun Genitive Sing. Fem.—Lit.=‘well wishing/thinking’—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. Used 9X.?From a presumed compound of—eu—neuter of a primary euv(good); adverbially--Well—&—the base of—dokew—To think; by implication--To seem(truthfully or uncertainly).
“Toward/Among/To/In”—en—Preposition—1) In, by, with etc.. Strong—a primary preposition denoting (fixed)position(in place, time or state), & by implication--Instrumentality(medially or constructively), i.e. A relation of rest(intermediate between eiv[into, unto, to, towards, for, among] & ek/ex[out of, from, by, away from]).
“Men”—anyrwpov—Noun Masc.—1) A human being, whether male or female—1a) generically--To include all human individuals, 1b) To distinguish man from beings of a different order—1b1) Of animals & plants, 1b2) Of from God & Christ, 1b3) Of the angels, 1c) With the added notion of weakness, by which man is led into a mistake or prompted to sin, 1d) With the adjunct notion of contempt or disdainful pity, 1e) With reference to two fold nature of man, body & soul, 1f) With reference to the two fold nature of man, the corrupt & the truly Christian man, conformed to the nature of God, 1g) With reference to sex, a male; 2) indefinitely--Someone, a man, one; 3) in the plural--People; 4) Joined with other words, merchantman. Strong—Man-faced, i.e. A human being.?From—anhr—a primary word; A man(properly as an individual male)—&—wq(the countenance; from optanomai[to gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable]).
Argumentation:
Gen. 6:5-6—“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, & that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, & He was grieved in His heart.” *Sin is man’s greatest problem!
Jer. 17:9-10—“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
Eccl. 9:3-4—This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, & after that they go to the dead. But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”
1Kgs. 8:46/2Chron. 6:36—[Solomon’s prayer]—“...(for there is no one who does not sin),...”
Ps. 130:3—“If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”
Prov. 20:9—“Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”?”
Jer. 6:13-15—“Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.”
Jer. 31:33-34—“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, & write it on their hearts; & I will be their God, & they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, & every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, & their sin I will remember no more.”
Dan. 9:24—“Seventy weeks are determined For your people & for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision & prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.”
Rom. 6:23—“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Rom. 3:19-26—“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, & all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Mat. 5:48—“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Heb. 10:12-14—“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”
Mat. 6:19-21—“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth & rust destroy & where thieves break in & steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys & where thieves do not break in & steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Heb. 9:26b—“...but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
Heb. 9:11-12—“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater & more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats & calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
1Pet. 2:24-25—“who Himself[Christ] bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd & Overseer of your souls.”
1Pet. 3:18—“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”
Jn. 16:33—“These things I[Jesus] have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
1Jn. 5:1-5—“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, & everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God & keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Titus 2:11-14—“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness & worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, & godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope & glorious appearing of our great God & Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed & purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
Illustration:
‘Mo’s Chicken Koop’ restaurant(formerly Pat’s Place)/There is a screened in seating area facing SE 1st St./When Mo took it over there were two(?) pine trees that the porch was built around so that the trees were allowed to come up thru the floor & exit the roof/Benches were built around the trees in the seating area/The trees & their solution(holes in roof & floor) were a problem for the new owner, so he had the trees removed & the holes in the floor & roof repaired/See IT’s POTENTIAL
‘All we are saying is give peace a chance’??!!/Man’s peace is Fragile at best!/See IT’s POTENTIAL
Hymn:—“Oh, Come, Oh Come Emmanuel”/See IT’s POTENTIAL
Application:
?YOU SEE the POTENTIAL in God’s Good News?
?Have YOU Heard God’s Good News?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
What’s the world’s strategy in the Christmas/New Year season?
Holiday? Vacation? Family? Friends? Hunting? Gifts? Party?--ANYTHING BUT God’s truth in Jesus!
?Replaced Christmas & the New Year w/Worldly Traditional Trappings?
Action:
Those who Hear/Discover God’s Good News are those who...
3. SEE IT’s POTENTIAL(:13-14)
1. Are HUMBLED In GOD’s PRESENCE(:8-9)
2. Are PREPARED for it(:10-11)
Pt. 3 only! presented 12/31/2017am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
