THE SHEPHERDS’ RESPONSE TO THE CHRIST CHILD
A. As of today, there is only 17 days left before Christmas.
1. By this time people are in HIGH GEER getting everything READY for all the FESTIVITIES.
2. And, as I said last Sunday, this time of year can become so HECTIC that we forget about the JOY that
this SEASON is supposed to bring.
ILLUSTRATION:
A MOTHER preparing for a large Christmas Eve family gathering, had been giving out orders like
a drill sergeant: “Pick up your things! Don’t get your clothes dirty! Put away those toys.”
Well, her 4-year-old daughter had been UNDERFOOT all day long, so she sent her to the LIVING
ROOM to PLAY with their wooden NATIVITY SET that was displayed under the Christmas Tree.
As the mother SCURRIED around setting the Dining Room Table and BARKING out even more orders to the older children, she OVERHEARD her 4-year-old TALKING to the CHARACTERS in the
NATIVITY in the same TONE of VOICE her mother had been using all day.
The MOTHER made her way to the LIVING ROOM just in time to HEAR her daughter say, “And Baby Jesus, I don’t care WHO you are. Get those SHEEP out of my KITCHEN!"
B. Today I want us to PAUSE for a moment and think about what it must have been like to be the first people
INVITED, by ANGELS no less, to see God in the FLESH born in a BARN.
1. Luke 2:8-20 (READ)
2. It’s interesting that God sent the BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT of His Son to lowly SHEPHERDS.
a. Throughout the history of Israel, SHEPHERDING was a noble PROFESSION.
COMMENT:
Abel, the son of Adam and Eve, was the first to have this job, followed by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and of course, David. God calls himself a shepherd—“The Lord is my Shepherd”- Psalm 23. And we are compared to SHEEP, which is . . . anything but a COMPLIMENT.
b. By the time we come to the FIRST CENTURY, however, SHEPHERDING had lost its LUSTER.
c. Shepherds made up the LOWEST CLASS of people, coming in just ahead of the LEPERS.
COMMENT:
According to the ancient Talmud, which is a collection of interpretations and insight from the Jewish rabbis, we read these words: “No help is to be given to heathens or shepherds.”
3. In order to understand how UNUSUAL it was to have ANGELS appear to these SHEPHERDS, let’s learn
a little bit about them:
a. Considered ceremonially unclean. Because of the nature of their work they were unable to attend
any religious services.
b. 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. They were NOMADS—wanderers.
c. Treated with contempt and mistrust. They were known for STEALING from others, and their
TESTIMONY was never allowed in COURT because they were UNRELIABLE.
d. Known to be brash and bold. They had no social skills, and were always ready for a fight.
C. Yet, it was to these OUTCASTS that received a PERSONAL INVITATION from God delivered by a CHORUS of ANGELS to be the first to WORSHIP the Christ Child.
MESSAGE:
ILLUSTRATION:
The Scripture says that “the shepherds were living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their sheep.” This is what SHEPHERDS do. They were with their SHEEP around the clock PROTECTING them from robbers and wolves, CARING for their every need, TREATING their wounds, SEARCHING for them when they wandered off.
This night is just like a thousand other nights. The SHEPHERDS are sleeping under the STARS among their FLOCKS. Their STAFF is by their side just in case they need it to FEND OFF a PREDATOR that sneaks in under the CLOAK of DARKNESS. You can hear the CHIRP of the CRICKETS and the SOOTHING sound of the running STREAM.
Then all of a sudden, they are awaked by an ANGEL and the GLORY of the Lord shining around them. So how do the Shepherds RESPOND?
I. THEY RESPOND IN TERROR- v. 9
A. Now, understand that these are TOUGH guys.
1. There are no WIMPY shepherds.
a. Even when “David was a teenage shepherd boy; he was able to kill a LION and a BEAR that
dared to attack his SHEEP”- 1 Samuel 17:34-35.
b. These guys don’t SCARE easily.
2. But when an ANGEL of the Lord shows up, these TOUGH GUYS melt in FEAR.
a. What do you think is RUNNING through their MINDS?
b. I think they are experiencing the same FEAR that the Prophet Isaiah had when he was CONFRONTED by ANGELS in Isaiah 6, and even YOU and I would have if an ANGEL of the Lord suddenly appeared to US this morning: EXPOSURE!
B. When we are CONFRONTED with the HOLINESS and GLORY of God, we become painfully aware
of our SINFULNESS—our UNWORTHINESS to be in God’s PRESENCE.
1. When he came face-to-face with God’s HOLINESS the Prophet Isaiah immediately confessed,
“I am a man of unclean lips”- Isaiah 6:5.
COMMENT:
If God sent one of His ANGELS to APPEAR to us this morning, what SINS would be
EXPOSED? What would be our CONFESSION?
2. Undoubtedly these SHEPHERDS feel EXPOSED, VULNERABLE, UNWORTHY to be surrounded by God’s GLORY.
C. Sure enough, the MESSAGE that the ANGEL came to bring was that of SALVATION.
1. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people”- v. 10
COMMENT:
The GOOD NEWS is that even though we are SINNERS, God has sent His Son into the WORLD to SAVE us from our SINS.
It was a MESSAGE that the SHEPHERDS needed to HEAR. It’s a MESSAGE that YOU and I need to HEAR, and the WORLD needs to HEAR.
2. God’s MESSAGE is one of FORGIVENESS, ACCEPTANCE, and HOPE.
a. Choosing these lowly Shepherds as the very ones to receive the only ANGELIC announcement
of the BIRTH of His Son—God is saying to them, “I want a relationship with you.”
b. They may be DESPISED and SHUNNED by others, but God is letting them know that His Son has come into the WORLD to SAVE sinners like them.
3. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to YOU; He is Christ the Lord”-v. 11
a. Imagine what they are thinking now: “A Savior, for us? Who are we? We are nobodies.”
COMMENT:
Do you ever feel like a NOBODY—you just don’t measure up? This is a story of HOPE!
This event reveals to us that the very FIRST people that God wanted to see His Son, were not the RELIGIOUS ELITE. The passage doesn’t say, “And there were priests nearby, keeping
watch over the temple.”
The first VISITORS God wanted to see Jesus were not the powerful rulers of the land, or the
wealthy bankers, or the aristocrats and socialites of Judea.
b. No, it was the CALLOUSED, ROUGH, DIRTY, SMELLY Shepherds that God INVITED.
II. THEY RESPOND BY ACTION- vv. 15-16
A. As the angels leave, the Shepherds waste no time in saying, “Let’s go to Bethlehem to see what the
Lord just told us about”- v. 15
1. There is URGENCY in their MISSION.
a. They didn’t say, “It’s late and these parents need time for themselves, so let’s just wait until
morning.”
b. V. 16- “They hurried off to find the baby.”
COMMENT:
What these Shepherds did is simply unheard of—they LEFT their sheep UNATTENDED in the MIDDLE of the NIGHT. The news of the MESSIAH being BORN was more important than their LIVELIHOOD.
2. Going IMMEDIATELY to find the Christ child while leaving their FLOCK behind was a matter of
FAITH.
a. That’s what FAITH is, isn’t it? It’s ACTION!
b. Faith is BELIEVING and then ACTING upon that BELIEF.
COMMENT:
Just believing what the ANGELS said, and then staying in the FIELD wouldn’t be FAITH.
c. James 2:17- “…Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
B. It would have been so easy for these SHEPHERDS to make EXCUSES as to why they shouldn’t go
find the new born Messiah—especially considering their SOCIAL STATUS.
1. They just had this MIRACULOUS experience—this SUPERNATURAL revelation from God, and
they got MOVING.
COMMENT:
They could have sat around the CAMPFIRE talking about how GREAT it was, smiling and laughing and reliving the moment, but they didn’t. They GOT UP and headed straight for town.
2. Brothers and sisters, we are to be people of ACTION.
a. The Christmas story—Christ coming to save the WORLD, is to be just as ENERGIZING today
as it was for the Shepherds 2,000 years ago.
b. Knowing that Jesus is our Savior should cause us to get BUSY, to get ORGANIZED, to get
ROLLING.
COMMENT:
No EXCUSES! No DELAY! No SITTING on our SOFT-SEATED pews, PATTING ourselves on the back and TELLING each other how fortunate we are to have a SAVIOR.
3. Our FAITH requires ACTION, our SERVICE, our COMMITMENT to Christ our Lord.
III. THEY RESPOND BY SHARING THE GOOD NEWS- vv. 17-18
A. Scripture doesn’t say how long the Shepherds stayed once they got to the BARN where Jesus was born.
1. Undoubtedly, they showed the FAMILY respect, and bowed down and WORSHIPPED the Christ
CHILD. When you’re in the PRESENCE of God, isn’t that what you DO?
a. Apparently, they didn’t stay long.
COMMENT:
I can’t picture them pulling up a BUNDLE of HAY to get COMFORTABLE and just sit their
SHOOTING the BREEZE. They came to see the MESSIAH, and they did.
b. Now it was time to get MOVING again.
2. There is a sense of ENERGY about these SHEPHERDS, of ENTHUSIASM, of CONTAGIOUS
EXCITEMENT.
a. They had just been in the PRESENCE of God.
b. So what do they do? They go out and “SPREAD the WORD about the Christ child”- v. 17.
COMMENT:
I imagine them running up to complete STRANGERS and telling them about the angels and about Jesus. They couldn’t contain their EXCITEMENT of seeing the Messiah—the very One that the Prophets spoke about, the very One that every Jew had been ANTICIPATING His COMING.
3. And it says in v. 18 that “all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
COMMENT:
These shepherds are the first MISSIONARIES, the first PREACHERS to share with others “the GOOD NEWS of Great Joy” that the ANGEL spoke about.
B. Do you think PEOPLE still need to HEAR the GOOD NEWS of Christ today?
1. Now, this is what Satan wants PEOPLE to hear (BRING UP SLIDE OF BILLBOARD).
ILLUSTRATION:
A group of ATHEISTS who call themselves The Wisconsin Free Thinkers, paid for this AD a few years ago: It shows a little girl WRITING to Santa this message, “What I want for Christmas is to skip church! I'm too old for fairy tales.” I find it IRONIC that the SIGN depicts a little girl writing to SANTA CLAUSE, but she’s too old for FAIRY TALES. This group of ATHEISTS prefers people to believe in Santa Clause over Jesus Christ.
This is their latest AD (SLIDE). They want people to believe that The Christmas Story of God entering the world as a human being to SAVE us from our sins is nothing but FAKE NEWS.
2. I fear that ATHEISTS spend more time TELLING people that God doesn’t EXIST, than Christians
do in SHARING with others that God and His Son Jesus do EXIST.
a. Like the SHEPHERDS, we need to start “SPREADING THE WORD” about Jesus Christ.
b. Start by INVITING people to come to WORSHIP. (Action #4 in OUR MISSION.)
COMMENT:
This is a great time to of year to INVITE people to come to church with you. Just tell them that for the next two weeks the lessons are going to be about Christmas, and you’d love for them to
come worship with you.
Invite your FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS, NEIGHBORS to come to our Christmas Eve Candle Light Service as we CELEBRATE the BIRTH of God’s Son.
3. People are being bombarded by the Atheist message that “THERE IS NO GOD”. Let’s start SHARING with them who God really is and what He’s done for them.
IV. THEY RESPOND WITH PRAISE AND WORSHIP- v. 20
A. So the shepherds HEAR the message, FIND the child, SHARE the news, everyone is AMAZED, and
then what happens?
1. They RETURN to their SHEEP.
a. REAL LIFE continues.
COMMENT:
Shepherding is what they KNOW. This is their LIVELIHOOD. This is what they DO BEST.
b. They RETURNED to what they KNOW, but they don’t RETURN as the same MEN that they were just the day before.
2. Luke says, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard
and seen”- v. 20
a. There is a SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION that has occurred within these SHEPHERDS.
b. They have been in the PRESENCE of God, and they’re not the SAME.
COMMENT:
These men may very well have been just like the stereotypical shepherd of the day—THIEVES, ANTI-SOCIAL, QUICK-TEMPERED. But I don’t believe that you can WITNESS the COMING of the Son of God and not be CHANGED.
B. Yes, they are back in the FIELD, but this time they are conducting a CHURCH SERVICE.
1. Right there on a HILLSIDE, surrounded by SHEEP, they are WORSHIPING and PRAISING God.
2. Greek word used here for “PRAISING” means “to celebrate.” I don’t think it’s possible to
CELEBRATE silently.
COMMENT:
This must have been a sight to behold watching these ROUGH looking SHEPHERDS on the side of the hill DANCING, SINGING, SHOUTING, CLAPPING HANDS.
I wonder what the SHEEP were THINKING.
CONCLUSION:
A. The SHEPHERDS were the ones who provided the LAMBS that were SACRIFICED daily for the SINS of the PEOPLE.
1. Little did these shepherds REALIZE that the TINY BABY lying in the MANGER that brought them such JOY, would become the LAMB OF GOD that would be SACRIFICED once and for all for the SINS of the PEOPLE.
2. Jesus came to SHOW us who God is and to SAVE us from our SINS. (STEP DOWN)
B. People RESPOND to Christmas in different ways.
COMMENT:
Some look forward to Christmas with a child-like GLEE. While others DREAD the HOLIDAY
for one reason or another.
ILLUSTRATION:
A MINISTER of a non-instrumental Church of Christ told the story some years ago in a sermon on what he learned about the TRUE MEANING of Christmas while STRANDED at an AIRPORT:
“On an ICY winter’s night two weeks before Christmas in 1997, I was impatiently waiting at the O’Hare Airport in Chicago. All FLIGHTS had been CANCELED due to FOG and FREEZING RAIN. The TERMINAL was in BEDLAM. Thousands of people were CLUSTERED at the TICKET COUNTERS demanding projected DEPARTURE times. Others were sitting silently FUMING at the DELAY of their FLIGHTS. Children were CRYING, the PA SYSTEM was BLARING, and the DEFEATED were BELLYING UP to the BAR. And, yes, I, too, was extremely TENSE and ANXIOUS. I was on my way back HOME to Texas after holding a week-long REVIVAL.
“Sitting directly across from me was a middle-aged Hispanic woman with a child CRADLED in her ARMS. She was LAUGHING! I thought to myself, ‘The world is COLLAPSING, thousands are STRANDED, O’Hare is a shrieking SNAKE PIT, and this woman is LAUGHING.’ She started PLAYING with the CHILD making GOO-GOO sounds, and then LAUGH some more.
“She looked up and caught me staring. ‘Ma’am,’ I said, ‘every other person here TONIGHT is RATTLED and MISERABLE. Would you mind telling me why you’re so HAPPY?’ ‘Why sure,’ she said in BROKEN ENGLISH. ‘Christmas is COMING and that BABY Jesus?He makes me LAUGH.’”
The PREACHER concluded the ARTICLE with this comment: “I had become so DESENSITIZED by Christmas, teaching and preaching for years how WRONG it is to CELEBRATE Christmas as the BIRTH of Christ, that I had forgotten the JOY of KNOWING that Jesus came into this WORLD as a REAL PERSON with PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL needs and not merely as a SACRIFICE on a TREE. I had taken LIFE much too SERIOUS!”
HAVE WE GOTTEN TOO SERIOUS ABOUT LIFE?
Jesus as the Great Shepherd said, “I have come that you may have life, and to live it to the full!”
