“…IN TIMES OF GREAT CELEBRATION” Luke 2:8-20
FBCF – 12/18/22
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Christmas is a time of music! How many of you have been listening to Christmas music since at least T’giving? Before T’giving?
I love music! All types of music. If you looked at the history of the playlists on my Spotify account, you’d find several different genres & styles of music: Christian music (contemporary, traditional hymns, instrumental); 70s & 80s rock, pop (Chicago, Boston, Foreigner, Kansas, Lynrd Skynrd, Styxx, Toto, Boz Skaggs, Alan Parsons Project), & disco (mostly for Vicki); lots of movie soundtracks; smooth jazz; instrumental music for studying & meditation; a little bit of classical every now & then – Bottom line: I just love music – PERIOD! So thankful God gave it to us.
Let’s get back to that 70s & 80s rock & disco for a minute. There are a couple of songs that stand out in those categories. One is a 1971 rock song that hit #7 on the charts – “I Just Want to Celebrate” by Rare Earth (rereleased in late 80s as a pop Christian song by Kim Boyce). The other is a disco song that came out 10 yrs later in 1981 & hit #1 on the charts – “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang.
Although neither of those songs or groups are necessarily Christian, I want to take the theme from both of them & say to you: LET’S CELEBRATE! If there’s anyone in the world who has a reason to celebrate, it’s those of us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord & Savior. And not just those who have a head knowledge about Him & are keeping their annual tradition of going to church at Christmastime. It’s those who TRULY KNOW Him, who are faithfully living for Him, who are passionately worshiping Him, who are devotedly committed to Him, who are sacrificially living for Him. THESE folks know HOW to celebrate & know WHY to celebrate!
This is our 3rd message in the “God is With Us” series. Already established that He is with us through all generations & in life’s circumstances. Today, let’s revel in the truth that God is with us in times of great celebration.
EXPLANATION – Luke 2:8-20 (p. 857)
Luke 2 is the greatest story ever told.
- It’s the culmination of all the OT prophecies about the coming of the Messiah.
- It’s the promise of meaning & hope for everyone in the world.
- It’s the fruition of John 3:16 before Jesus ever spoke it – God giving his only-begotten Son to us to save us from our sins.
It’s also one of the most familiar stories ever told. Those of us who’ve been in church our whole lives have heard this story over & over again.
- We’ve told it in every way imaginable.
- We’ve portrayed Mary & Joseph & shepherds & Wise Men in plays & pageants.
- Our children & grandchildren have been precious cherub-like angels with halos fashioned out of gold Christmas garland.
- We’ve had nativity scenes & drive-throughs with live animals.
- We’ve had choirs & orchestras sing the majestic songs of Handel’s “Messiah.”
- Many people who never darken the doors of a church have at least some knowledge of this story that we Christians tell each year, whether they believe it or not.
It’s also the most life-changing story ever told b/c the events that happened in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago continue to echo throughout the world & our lives even today. When the angels announced that Jesus has come, it was an announcement that is just as real today as it was then. Why? B/c He wasn’t just some baby born in Bethlehem – He is JESUS – He is IMMANUEL – He was w/ Mary & Joseph & the shepherds that first Christmas, & He is WITH US NOW! And that makes all the difference in this life & in the life to come!
APPLICATION – Knowing that God is w/ us is one of our greatest reasons to celebrate.
Let’s talk about these shepherds. Of all the people in the Christmas story, the shepherds are my favorites – Common, hardworking men who were ceremonially unclean, just going about their everyday lives doing their job when the night sky & their world exploded & changed them forever.
Look at v. 20. Why were they “glorifying & praising God for all they had heard & seen, as it had been told them”? Because there’s something more to the story about these shepherds & something more about the sheep they were “keeping watch over.”
WHAT HAD THEY HEARD? – v. 10-12
First, let’s talk about Bethlehem, “the city of David.” We all know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. These shepherds were “in the same region” as Bethlehem. Bethlehem wasn’t just some random town that Mary & Joseph happened to stop at. The OT prophet Micah: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2 NIV). God had this town, this spot on the map in mind from the beginning of time.
“Beth-el” – house of God. “Le-hem” – bread – “God’s House of Bread.” Again, no coincidence or chance happening! The one who is the Bread of Life would & should be born in a place that is the very house of bread!
Let’s keep going. Long before Jesus came, the God required His people to make sacrifices to atone for their sins. It was a bloody, messy process that happened over & over again.
At Passover, the people would sacrifice an unblemished lamb to commemorate the time that God “passed over” them when He struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. All through the centuries before Jesus came, there was a very specific place where these unblemished lambs would be raised – BETHLEHEM – the place where Jesus, the final, consummate, perfect Passover lamb, would be born.
And one more thing: These shepherds weren’t just keeping ordinary sheep – they were watching over sacrificial lambs. When one of those lambs was born, the shepherds would inspect it, & if it was without blemish, guess what they would do? They would wrap it in swaddling clothes & place it in a manger!
So when they, in their moment of terror, heard the angel tell them that this would be the “sign” for them to look for: a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes & lying in a manger – they, of all people, would know what to look for. But more importantly & profoundly, they would understand what that sign meant! (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/bethlehem-little-town-big-significance/)
Listen! GOD IS IN THE DETAILS! Nothing is random. Nothing is coincidental. Nothing is a cute little story that make us feel warm & fuzzy. The perfect Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world was wrapped in swaddling clothes & placed in a manger 33 years before His sacrificial blood would be pouring out of His body & down a cruel Roman cross FOR YOU & FOR ME!
WHAT HAD THEY SEEN? – v. 13
Not only had they seen 1 angel w/ a message from God. They also saw “a multitude of the heavenly host.” They had seen the night sky erupt into glorious, magnificent, stunning worship.
What is the heavenly host? It is the description of the armies of heaven who dwell in the very presence of God. Just try to imagine what that must have looked like!
- Angels are not wimpy, effeminate, baby-looking creatures whose pictures are on the packaging of toilet paper.
- They are warriors in the armies of God, battling against the demonic forces of Satan right now.
- They are messengers for God.
- They are servants of God who bring answers to prayer, are instruments of God’s judgment, ministers of God’s comfort.
- They aid in winning people to Christ, encourage in times of danger, & carry us into the presence of God when we die.
- THIS IS WHO THE SHEPHERDS SAW!
- And it was a “multitude” of these amazing beings! What if that multitude – thousands upon thousands – possibly millions of angels – stretched from horizon to horizon?
- And they saw them doing what they were created for & what you & I are created for: to pour forth the praise & worship of God who alone is worthy of all praise & glory!
WHAT HAD THEY BEEN TOLD? – “…as it had been told them.” (v. 20) – They had been told the Good News of great joy that is for all people (v. 10). They had been told that the perfect eternal plan of God for the salvation of ALL people was moving forward.
- This Good News means there’s no need to fear b/c Jesus has come!
- This Good News brings great (Gk – “mega”) joy b/c Jesus has come!
- This Good News is for ALL people b/c Jesus has come for ALL people!
- This Good News is personal – “unto YOU” – b/c Jesus has come!
- This Good News means we can be rescued from our sin – “Savior”!
- This Good News means that JESUS IS LORD – Lord of our lives & Lord of ALL!
CONCLUSION – Back to my music preferences from the introduction. See why we should celebrate?
