SERMON OUTLINE:
Requirement #1: The story should UNUSUAL (vs 9).
Requirement #2: The story should VITAL (vs 10).
Requirement #3: The story should PROMINENT (vs 17-18).
Requirement #4: The story should PERSONAL (vs 12).
Requirement #5: The story should TIMELY (vs 11).
SERMON BODY:
The Carol, "Angels from the Realms of Glory,"
• Was penned by James Montgomery,
• Who would go on to write over 400 hymns.
• This carol celebrates the birth of Christ,
• And is structured to address different groups:
• Angels, shepherds, sages (wise men), and saints,
• Each called to worship the newborn King.
Question: But did you know that “Angels from the Realms of Glory,”
• Was not an original Christmas carol?
• It was an adaptation of the old French hymn,
• ‘Les Anges dans nos campagnes.’
• And Montgomery’s adaptation was not a song,
• But rather it was published as a poem.
• On Christmas Eve, in 1816.
• The readers of newspaper called, ‘The Iris,’
• (previously the Sheffield Register),
• Opened the paper to find a Christmas poem entitled The Nativity.
• In the original carol,
• He composed five stanzas,
• But then for a publication later that year,
• He dropped stanza #5 and later wrote a new stanza #4,
• And that's how we usually sing it.
• But earlier on, we had read to us all 5 stanzas,
• Once this poem was set to music,
• The rest as they say is…
• Now not a lot of people know this, but by 1916,
• The hymn had been set to more than 50 different tunes!
• And became a firm Christmas favourite.
• TRANSITION:
• From the different groups mentioned in the carol
• We are going to concentrate on the Angels song.
• In Luke chapter 2 verse 10 we read,
• “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.”
Ill:
• NEWS is sometimes said to be acrostic.
• N = north, E = east, W = west & S = south.
• That sounds good and fits the letters,
• But alas it’s not true.
• TRANSITION:
• It all started in the 14th century,
• When the English word ‘news,’
• Developed as a special use of the plural form of ‘new.’
• In fact, it derived from the French word "nouvelles,"
• Meaning "new things."
Ill:
• Those who teach journalism,
• Tell us that the best news stories have 5 characteristics,
• 5 things that make a story great.
• FIRST:
• The story should be UNUSUAL:
• e.g. Dog bites man is not unusual, but man bites dog is.
• SECOND.
• The story should be VITAL:
• e.g. Who cares if you started a diet yesterday!
• e.g. But we all care if you started chemotherapy for cancer.
• THIRD.
• The story should be PROMINENT:
• e.g. If the Prime Minister breaks a leg, it’s news!
• But if I break my leg, then I should have been more careful!
• FOURTH.
• The story should PERSONAL:
• e.g. If the government puts a penny on income tax,
• We are all involved,
• If they just tax the rich, then only Mr ????? is affected!
• FIFTH:
• The story should TIMELY:
• Quote: “Yesterdays newspaper is only good for fish & chips.”
• TRANSITION: now with all that as a backdrop,
• Let’s look at Luke chapter 2 verses 8-20,
• And see if it meets those requirements.
Requirement #1: The story should UNUSUAL (vs9).
• Verse 9:
• “An angel of the Lord appeared to them.”
Now I would say that encountering angelic beings is unusual!
• Question: Have you ever seen an angel?
• Answer: Me neither!
• But in case you do,
• I can almost guarantee the first words,
• That an angel will speak to you are, “Do not be afraid.”
Ill:
• Seven bits of Angel trivia.
• #1: Angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible.
• The New Testament, ancient Greek word for Angel,
• Angelos, is the same word for messenger.
• Angels are God's messengers.
• And in today's reading,
• These angels brought the single most important piece of news,
• That was ever communicated from God to man.
• #2: Angels are spiritual beings.
• Therefore, angels do not have a physical body.
• (Psalm 104 verse 4)
• #3: Angels are too numerous to count.
• The Bible indicates that an incalculable number of angels exist.
• (Psalm 68 verse 17)
• #4: Only three angels are mentioned by name in the Bible.
• They are, Gabriel, Michael, and the fallen angel Lucifer, or Satan.
• (Daniel chapter 8 verse 16, Luke chapter 1 verse 19, Luke chapter 1 verse 26)
• #5: Only one angel in the Bible is called an Archangel.
• Michael.
• The word "archangel" comes from the Greek word "archangelos" meaning "a chief angel."
• (Jude verse 9)
• #6: Angels are not omnipresent, omnipotent, or omniscient.
• Angels have certain limitations.
• They are not all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present.
• (Daniel chapter 10 verses 12-13, Jude verse 9)
• #7: Angels can appear in various forms.
• i.e. Sometimes they appear in human form,
• They have a knack of going “incognito” and looking like a man.
• (Genesis chapter 18, Hebrews chapter 13 verse 2)
• i.e. Sometimes angels are invisible.
• It's just a presence is felt, or their voice is heard.
• (Hebrews chapter 1 verse 14).
• i.e. Other times in the Bible and like in our reading today,
• Angels are bright, shiny, fiery beings.
TRANSITION:
• If these shepherds were terrified at seeing one angel,
• Then it was about to get a whole lot worse for them!
• Verse 13:
• NIV: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared…”
• ESV: “with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host…”
• Fair to say, “a great number,” too many to count.
• e.g. Just as you cannot count how many hairs are on your head!
• The answer is too many to count - no one knows.
• Now I would say that was unusual!
• Wouldn’t you!
Note:
• In this narrative,
• Angelic creatures rejoice over salvation,
• But never forget,
• While they can rejoice over God’s plan of salvation,
• When it comes to the gospel,
• The gospel is ALWAYS entrusted to people to share,
• And not angels!
• You and I are the messengers, not angels!
• Quote: 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 12.
• “Even angels long to look into these things.”
Quote: The Message (Paraphrase).
“Do you realize how fortunate you are?
Angels would have given anything to be in on this!”
Quote: I like what John Phillips said on this topic:
“God has not given the ministry of reconciliation to angels. The work of the gospel has been entrusted to men. World evangelism may be slower that way, but it is sweeter. The testimony of a believer has special weight. ‘I was once lost like you, but one day Jesus saved me.’ No angel can talk like that.”
• Application is simple,
• If God has entrusted us with the gospel,
• We had better be sharing it!
• (Grab a booklet or invite and pass it on this week!)
Ill:
• The one-minute apologist.
• What Are 3 Tips We All Need For Evangelism?
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/0LNDSJzos4U?si=zA_ah4N0F2-_mKZu
Requirement #2: The story should VITAL (vs 10).
• Verse 10: “In the town of David a Saviour has been born.”
• Now, you only need a saviour if you need saving!
ill:
• One time when I was on mission in Moldova,
• We were having a meeting in a home,
• And there was a young lad there (7 or 8 years old).
• His mother told us,
• That a few weeks earlier he had fallen into a well.
• In the villages of Moldova,
• Many people still get their water from a well.
• Some have a well in their garden,
• Or they use a communal one in the street.
• The boy was alive because a saviour,
• Heard his screams for help and rescued him!
• TRANSITION:
• The Christian message is a message that is vital!
Quote: C.S. Lewis (British author and theologian).
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
Note those words, “a saviour.”
Ill:
• When I am at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, London.
• I have to emphasize this fact again and again and again,
• With the Moslems that I speak to.
• God did not send into the world another prophet.
• (We already have plenty of those).
• God did not send into the world another teacher.
• (We already have plenty of those).
• God did not send into the world a perfect example.
• (We could not follow his example even if he did!)
• But God did send into the world a saviour.
• Because we were all lost and could not save ourselves!
Question: How did Jesus come?
Answer: As the God-Man!
• He embodied both full divinity,
• And yet full humanity,
• Fully divine, conceived by a miracle,
• And act of the Holy Spirit.
• (Luke chapter 1 verses 34-35)
“The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
• Fully human, born after a full-term pregnancy.
• Born of a biological woman.
• (Luke chapter 2 verses 6-7)
“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,”
Jesus the God man.
• Fully God, holy, sinless, pure & perfect.
• Fully man, he grew, he slept, he ate, he did all things we do!
• Except one – he never sinned!
Requirement #3: The story should PROMINENT (vs 17-18).
• This was the biggest news story on the planet,
• (And still is!) Verses 17-18:
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
This news that those shepherds heard.
• Was good news, I like that!
• I also like how verse 18 puts it, They were, “Amazed”.
Ill:
• The word “Amazed” is a word,
• You could write all over the ministry of Jesus.
• YouTube clip: https://youtu.be/ECxUupqLNQA?si=un-7zc3UBNA2NuWh
• TRANSITION:
• Question: Is there a better message than the gospel.
• Answer: No! It is a ‘one size fits all message.’
ill:
• It reminds me of a Bob Telford story,
• One time he was in the congregation of his home Church.
• On the row before him was a man whose Jeans were loose,
• They had slid down a few inches and when he got up to sing,
• He was revealing what we often call, ‘builders bum.
• An inch or two of flesh no-one wanted to see!
• Now, no matter how hard you try,
• It is like magnet for the eyes, you can’t help but look!
• You don’t want to but it’s hard not too!
• As Bob reluctantly glanced over,
• He noticed the label on the man’s jeans,
• Which read, “Styled to fit!”
• TRANSITION:
• Well, that may not be true for that man and his jeans,
• But it is true for the gospel,
• It is, “Styled to fit!”
Requirement #4: The story should PERSONAL (vs 12).
• Verse 12: “This will be a sign to you.”
• The sign was initially for these unidentified Shepherds.
• It was personal and individual.
Ill:
• Shepherds were on the lower rungs of society,
• They were considered insignificant,
• Yet God chose them to first hear of his Son's birth,
Shepherds were “Blue collar” workers.
• They were humble, hardworking, and often overlooked.
• From Passover until autumn,
• They stayed with their flocks in the open fields,
• Constantly tending to them.
• They slept on the ground,
• They were dishevelled and their clothes unkempt.
• This was the nature of their work.
• We don’t know who they were by name,
• We don’t know how many there were.
• We do know that God saw them as important.
• But… verse 10 has already stated,
• “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for ALL the people.”
Note:
• The message was also universal,
• And “all people” is very inclusive!
• That lets you and me in as well!
Ill:
• Jesus often spoke to the crowds,
• And was frequently surrounded by people.
• But I love the fact that Jesus sought out individuals.
• e.g. John chapter 4 the woman at the well.
• “He had to go through Samaria.”
• e.g. Luke chapter 19 Zacchaeus.
• He was hiding in a tree and Jesus knew where he was,
• He even knew his name!
• TRANSITION: All of us who follow Jesus,
• Are called to personal evangelism.
• As a preacher I too must make the effort,
• (We all have to work at it),
• To make sure I speak to individuals on a regular basis.
• Personal evangelism,
• Is the act of sharing the gospel one-on-one in everyday settings.
• It’s relational, intentional, and conversational.
• Personal evangelism focuses on individuals,
• i.e. Friends, family, neighbours, co-workers,
• And even strangers, through personal interactions.
• It allows us to build relationships, make the gospel relatable,
• And tailor the conversation to the individual.
Ill:
• After Penny and I take a monthly service at Hawthorne Court,
• We often on the way home,
• Pop into the Mermaid Café in Warsash.
• Two months ago, we arrived there, and the place was full,
• So, we saw one couple at a table for four,
• So, we asked if we could sit the other side.
• We hadn’t planned on having a conversation,
• After all we were the gate crashers,
• But they started to talk to us,
• And so, we told them,
• We had just come from taking a service at Hawthorne Court.
• At the end of the conversation,
• Penny invited the woman to the Ladies Craft night.
• Penny & the lady swapped numbers and we left.
• The lady never made the craft night,
• Because her husband was very ill.
• He was in the final stages of life, battling cancer.
• I tell you this story because a few days ago,
• Penny received a call to say the husband had passed away.
• TRANSITION: When God crosses our path with people,
• We never know,
• If we could be that person’s bearer of good news.
• We need to make the most of every opportunity!
Jesus enjoyed one-to-one evangelism.
Ill:
• Acts chapter 8 verse 35,
• We have the example of Philip the evangelist.
• Who encounters man searching for God,
• And reading the scroll of Isaiah the prophet.
• To paraphrase, searching for God by reading the Bible.
Ill:
• You might say that doesn’t happen very often.
• My reply would be, “It does!”
• i.e. Millar & Carter’s steak house.
“Are you religious can we ask you a question?”
• i.e. TXT from a friend asking me about godparents.
“You’re religious we knew you would know!”
• i.e. At Speakers Corner, Hyde Park London.
• This happens every week.
• TRANSITION:
• And I am finding in a variety of different situations,
• More and more people are seeking,
• They have plenty of questions and no-one to answer them!
• Pray that God will cross your path with seeking people,
• Pray that God will give you wisdom and how to witness to them.
• But remember Philip’s response:
“Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.”
• TRANSITION:
• Our job is to tell people the good news about Jesus!
Requirement #5: The story should TIMELY (vs 11).
“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
• “Today” you don’t get more up to date than that!
• God deals in the present,
Ill:
• The repentant thief on the cross who called out to Jesus.
• (Luke chapter 23 verse 43).
• Jesus responded, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”
• “Today” what speed!
• “With me” what company!
• “In paradise” what rest!”
• TRANSITION:
• Although we are often nervous and anxious,
• When it comes to evangelism.
• We should also go in confidence,
• Because our message never dates!
• It is always applicable for all people, all cultures etc.
• This should give us confidence!
• People need Jesus and we have him!
• This should give us confidence!
• People need Jesus and we have him!
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/VXmvDOUuOiQ
