"It’s Beginning To Sound A Lot Like Christmas"
An Angels Song & A Shepherds Laugh
Luke 2:8-20
December 23, 2001 FBC, Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker
I Introduction:
1 The world is full of common folks like us.
A Abe Lincoln said, "God must have an uncommon fondness for the common because he made so many of us."
a Most of are average, common, run-of-the-people.
b Average incomes, average homes, average families......average.
B Most days we feel like we can’t get break.
a I went to the Barnes & Noble yesterday and asked a salesperson where are the Self-Help books, She said, "If I told you where the self-help section, that would be defeating the purpose wouldn’t it?"
b It toughs being just a common guy....gal.
2 Christmas has something to say to common people like us. Today’s message is "An Angels Song and A Shepherds laugh."
A LK 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. [9] An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. [10] But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. [11] Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. [12] This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." LK 2:13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, LK 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." LK 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." LK 2:16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. [17] When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, [18] and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. [19] But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. [20] The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
a Jesus’ birth announcement was sent first to the common shepherd. (ETS)
b God uncommonly loves the common person. (ESS)
B I hope you’ll leave knowing that God loves common people like us. (Objective)
a What will you do about God’s uncommon love for you? (Probing Question)
b Lets listen to what Christmas tells people like us. (Transitional Sentence)
1 The first thing Christmas tells common people is that they matter.
A The shepherd was at the bottom of the ANE social scale. (Rednecks)
a Lonely & thankless Job. Noble? Yes. Respected? NO!
(Often felt forgotten, ignored, obscurity.......)
b God said, "Guys, I remember you! I care! I love you! I notice you!
*God didn’t send his angels to kings, queens, Caesar,...he went to six workings third shift. These guys mattered to God!
B How many of us have felt similar?
(Nobody cares, loves, concerned about us. We don’t matter)
a vv:10 & 11 ([10] But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. [11] Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
*Where ever you read the word "YOU", submit your name.
*The angels song is an announcement to YOU!
b John 3:16 "For God so loved....You, that he gave his one & only son....
*No one else may love you, care about you, concerned about you....but God does.
C D.T. Niles was a missionary to India was talking to a shepherd. He asked the shepherd boy, "How many sheep do you have in your flock?"
a The replied, "I don’t know, I can’t count." "Well, how do you know if you loose any, since you can’t count?"
b "I can’t count, but every sheep I have has name & if they are missing, I may not know how many are missing, but I know which sheep are because I know each sheep by name."
*Were not numbers to God. We are names, hurts, hopes, desires.
*We Matter To God!!!!
T.S.: Christmas tells us we matter, but it says more than that.
2 The second thing Christmas tells common people is to keep their faith.
A Do you think God would send a choir of angels to shady, deviant & disobedient shepherds? (Yes, but I doubt it.)
*These were practicing Jews. (Sacrificed, rituals,...temple.)
a I think these guys needed to know their faith was important.
(Micah 5:2-5 " "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. " 3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. 5 And he will be their peace. When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.
*700 years before this angelic concert, God had promised
*Thus far..too this point God is a "no-show".
b Other shepherds were living without God, w/o love, w/o faith, and the they were prospering.
*The angels song confirmed their faith and to keep it up!
B There are times/days when I think, "Is it really worth it to live this Christian faith."
a Wouldn’t it be easier to live like the world?
(Sleep in on Sundays, look out for #1, look and forget everybody else. Marriage works fine...if it doesn’t fine too. Unforgiving, hold grudges, hate, critical, cynical.....
*Why should I keep the faith? Be moral? Integrity/Character? Pray/read the bible?
b John 14:3 [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
*Jesus has promised to come. (Just like he promised to come to the Shepherd!)
*Christmas tells us that these are the things/values/morals will last forever.
(The World and everything in it will one day pass away. I don’t know if it’s very wise to be living like hell when it’s time to go to heaven.)
C In Somalia, a Muslim leaders 15 year old son made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ after an evangelist gave him a tract and shared the gospel with him.
a The dad of the boy took him before the council in the village and the boy refused to renounce his faith. He was then beheaded in the middle of town.
b Every four minutes, somewhere in the world a Christian dies for their faith. (400 a day)
*If our faith is not worth dying for, how can it be worth living for. Our Faith matters!!!
