NEWS THAT’S GOOD FOR YOU:
A COMMUNITY OF HOPE
Luke 2.8-20
S: Community
C: A Hopeful Community
Th: Advent
Pr: WE HAVE HOPE BECAUSE OF CHRISTMAS.
?: Why?
KW: Reasons
TS: We will find in our study of Luke 2 five reasons why Christmas gives us hope.
Type: Propositional
The ____ reason we have hope is the…
I. INCLUSIVE MESSAGE (8)
II. FULFILLED EXPECTATION (10-11)
III. OBSERVABLE EVENT (12)
IV. APPROPRIATE GLORY (14)
V. GIVEN CHILD (16-17)
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Rejoice in your hope.
• Come and worship.
Version: ESV
RMBC 03 December 06 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Wish
Walking along the beach, John tripped over a half buried kerosene lantern. He rubbed its side and sure enough, a genie materialized.
"I can’t grant your wishes, I don’t work like other genies" explained the freed spirit, "But since it is Christmastime, I’ll give you three gifts for releasing me: a potion to cure ill health, a very large diamond and a dinner date with a famous movie star. By tomorrow afternoon, you will have received all these gifts."
When John returned home from work the next evening, he excitedly asked his wife if anything had been delivered.
"Yes," she replied. "It’s been an unusual day. At 2 pm, a 55-gallon drum of chicken soup arrived. About a half-hour later, a telegram came saying that a long-lost relative had left you a minor-league baseball stadium. Ten minutes ago, MGM called, inviting you to dinner with Lassie tonight."
What do you hope to receive this time of the year?
It is a time for gifts.
We like to give gifts, especially ones that we have put a lot of thought into.
And admittedly, we like to receive them.
It is nice to feel loved and appreciated with a gift.
Last year during this time, you may remember that we asked this question from C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – can you imagine what it would be like if it was always winter, and never Christmas?
That is a very cold proposition, isn’t it?
We don’t want that to happen, because Christmas is a time of joy.
It is a wonderful time of the year for friendship and family.
TRANSITION:
You know…
1. We should not lose sight of how extraordinary a time of year this is.
The reason is because it is so much more than about family and friends.
Admittedly, we are bombarded with distractions during this time of the year.
The stores are vying for our attention.
They want us to buy, buy, buy.
The kids are filled with stories about Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
But as Christians, we know it is so much more than that, because…
2. WE HAVE HOPE BECAUSE OF CHRISTMAS.
When we use the word “hope” in English, it can mislead us from its use in Scripture.
When we use the word, we say such things, “I hope it doesn’t snow,” or “I hope the Bills get to another Super Bowl and not lose.”
It is generally used in reference to some thing that we either want or do not want to happen.
The word that is most often used for hope in the New Testament has to do with an expectation, or an anticipation, and is usually associated with a good experience.
This time of the year illustrates this well.
Consider, for example, one of your children on Christmas Eve.
The child may “hope” that the parents remembered that he/she wanted that certain toy for Christmas.
He/she doesn’t know for certain that is what they will get, but they hope so.
On the other hand, he/she has another hope that is more definite.
It is the expectation of the morning.
He/she is so excited about the coming of the next morning that they may have difficulty falling asleep.
But it is not anxiety that keeps them awake; it is anticipation.
It is a certain hope.
He/she knows the day and all that it represents and that it is coming.
Then they will awake, come down from their room and in the morning light, see packages under the tree that they have not seen there before.
And they will know for certain that some are for them.
This is the sort of hope that we are talking about today.
It is not a yearning for an uncertain thing, but a confident anticipation and expectation of something that will indeed, come.
So, today, since it is our goal to be a hopeful community…
3. We will find in our study of Luke 2 five reasons why Christmas gives us hope.
(8) And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. (9) And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. (10) And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. (11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12) And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." (13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
(14) "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
(15) When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." (16) And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. (17) And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. (18) And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. (19) But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (20) And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first reason we have hope is the INCLUSIVE MESSAGE (8).
When we think of shepherds, we think of these peaceful, pastoral settings.
We think of gentleness and peace.
But in the time of the New Testament…
1. Shepherds were not on top of the popularity scale.
They were not considered reliable.
During this time, shepherds’ honesty and integrity were considered questionable.
So much so, they were not even allowed to testify in a court of law.
In many ways, they were outcasts from all respectable society.
They were crude, tough, and you probably did not want your sister to date one.
So…
2. Their selection to hear the good news first shows God’s gracious nature.
The good news about the birth of Jesus is not meant just for respectable and rich people.
It is not meant just for the elite and intelligent.
It is meant for the normal and abnormal.
It is meant for the regular and the irregular.
It is meant for those who are well off, and for those with no means whatsoever.
It is a message for anyone that is willing to receive it.
I believe that God chose the shepherds because he wanted to show that His love is available to all.
He is not a respecter of persons.
He does not show more respect to kings.
His love is equally given to all.
So we have hope, a certain hope, because this inclusive message includes us!
II. The second reason we have hope is the FULFILLED EXPECTATION (10-11).
1. A long-awaited joy was at hand.
This was good news of great joy.
It has struck me that a lot of people hear the Christmas story, but unless they get the joy, they are not really hearing it.
They are missing it.
When people walk through our “Pilgrimage to Bethlehem,” it is an opportunity to hear the good news and know the joy that comes with it.
But still, many miss it.
At the time of the birth, it was a time of sadness.
Though the Jewish people were living in a time of peace, the pax romana, they were being ruled by foreigners.
They hated it, and the relationship between the occupiers and the occupied was arduous at best.
The ancient Jews looked for the coming of Messiah to earth.
They understood the prophecies to say that God’s anointed One would come as a man and deliver them from their enemies.
Then he would set up His kingdom of which they would be subjects, and His rule would have no end.
They longed for their Messiah-King who would be their salvation and make everything right.
This was the very good news that was announced to the shepherds…
2. The promise of the Messiah was being realized.
The Great Prophet had arrived.
The Sympathetic High Priest had arrived.
The Eternal King had arrived.
The Lord, as Messiah, had arrived.
So we have hope, a certain hope, because this fulfilled expectation has arrived to make our lives right.
III. The third reason we have hope is the OBSERVABLE EVENT (12).
The angel describes to the shepherd how they will find this good news.
In the description…
1. The sign was ordinary up to a point.
There was a newly born baby to find in Bethlehem.
That was a common experience, so that would be called ordinary.
In fact, there might have been a couple of babies born that day.
Then the baby is described as being put in swaddling clothes, that is, he was wrapped in pieces of cloth.
This too was normal procedure, and so it would be rather ordinary.
But here is what is unusual….
2. They would find the baby among animals.
He would be in a manger.
In other words, the baby was in a feeding trough.
And there is only one place you find those.
You find those where you keep the animals.
They are in the barn.
So, as a result, the shepherds were able to continue to act in hope.
This was a sign that would be unmistakable.
We, too, have hope, a certain hope, because the birth of Jesus was an observable event that has eyewitnesses.
Our faith is not based on some mysterious, unfounded concept.
It was a historical event.
IV. The fourth reason we have hope is the APPROPRIATE GLORY (14).
The angels do not want the shepherds to make any mistake about this next point…
1. This is God’s work!
The glory goes to God.
When we speak of glory, it is a word that is communicating that God is beautiful, magnificent, and even radiant.
The angels saw that this was a great act of God, and it was worth singing about.
Isaiah saw the certainty of this event when he prophesied (40:5):
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
You see…
2. God is making everything right.
What He had promised, He was bringing about.
His plan was altogether intact.
There were no unexpected surprises or blips along the way.
No, God was doing what He had ordained from the start.
So, He rightly receives the praise.
For He is preparing a glorious kingdom in which His people will live, rest and enjoy.
It is a place where we are content, because we are living in the right way, the way we are designed to live, at peace with ourselves and with each other.
So we have hope, a certain hope, because the salvation of humanity is not dependent on our efforts, but on God’s good and complete work on our behalf.
V. The fifth reason we have hope is the GIVEN CHILD (16-17).
1. The promise starts as a baby (Isaiah 7.14, 9.6).
Again, when Isaiah saw the certainty of the future, he prophesied these things:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Here was the news…
Messiahs truly grow up from being little boys.
God promised that the Messiah, Mighty God, would be a child that is born, a son that is given.
This was the greatest gift.
For the shepherds…
2. It was time to respond with confidence.
It was time to get going.
They had all the information they needed.
They had all the hope they required.
They were going to Bethlehem with the certainty that they were going to see and hold the baby.
And can you imagine that experience?
Can you imagine what it was like for a crude shepherd to pick up the baby Jesus?
To realize that the long-awaited promise was in your hands – a newborn king.
What a privilege!
Now, notice also what they do.
For if you’re the first person with good news, you want to be the first one to share the news.
You call someone on the phone and say, “Guess what happened!!!”
You get on the computer, and you email everyone you know.
You go and see them and say, “Do I have good news to share with you!!!”
ILL Evangelism
On July 4, 1854, Charlie Peace, a well-known criminal in London, was hung. The Anglican Church, which had a ceremony for everything, even had a ceremony for hanging people. So when Charlie Peace was marched to the gallows, a priest read these words from the Prayer Book: "Those who die without Christ experience hell, which is the pain of forever dying without the release which death itself can bring."
When these chilling words were read, Charlie Peace stopped in his tracks, turned to the priest, and shouted in his face, "Do you believe that? Do you believe that?"
The priest, taken aback by this verbal assault, stammered for a moment then said, "Well…I…suppose I do."
"Well, I don’t," said Charlie. "But if I did, I’d get down on my hands and knees and crawl all over Great Britain, even if it were paved with pieces of broken glass, if I could rescue one person from what you just told me."
Tony Campolo, Let Me Tell You a Story (Word, 2000)
That is what these shepherds did.
They didn’t care about their reputation or what people would think.
No, they had good news that was to be shared with all that they met.
APPLICATION:
Can we follow that example?
1. Let us rejoice in the hope that is given us.
Let’s not miss the joy in knowing that our Savior, King and Lord has been given to us.
If we are missing the joy, this is not the fault of the nature of the good news.
It is our lack if we somehow miss this joy.
So, stop today, in the midst of the activities, to learn and listen and enjoy.
Be sure to make room for Him.
ILL Christmas
There was a group of young children performing their Christmas pageant. Everything was moving along smoothly until the children playing Mary and Joseph "arrived" at the inn in Bethlehem.
"Do you have any room for us?" asked young Joseph.
"No, the inn is full," replied the innkeeper.
"But it’s so cold outside, and my wife is going to have a baby," pleaded Joseph. "Don’t you have any place for us?"
To the surprise of the director and the audience, instead of showing the couple to the stable, the young innkeeper replied compassionately, "I’m not supposed to say this, but you come right on in."
Won’t you say that to Jesus today?
Is there room for Him in your life?
You see, the truth is that if Jesus was born in Bethlehem a thousand times and not within you, you will still be eternally lost.
You can get all sentimental at Christmas, and have a warm fuzzy feeling.
But if Christ is not born into your heart, you are missing the hope and the joy.
So…
2. Let us respond appropriately – and come and worship.
While the shepherds may have been considered the undesirables of society, they did understand what it meant to truly worship God.
They were what we should be – a community of hope, living in the certainty that God does what He says, provides salvation to men and women that will receive Him by faith.
There is no better news.
So then…
Let us respond appropriately – and come and worship.
BENEDICTION:
Come and worship…for the message about the Messiah is good news, joyful news…news that includes you if you are willing to hear it.
Come and worship…for the message about the Messiah is good news…Glory to God in the Highest, for God has reached down to earth to prevent an eternal catastrophe, eternity without Him.
Come and worship…for the message about the Messiah is good news…the child that is born, the son that is given is the answer to our greatest needs if you will receive it.
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
RESOURCES:
Sermoncentral:
Crandall, Rick Let Christmas Put Hope in Your Heart
Hamby, John Experiencing the Birth of Christ with the Shepherds
Luke, Michael Joy – The Enduring Gift
Pankow, Joel The Birth of the Baby Brings Hope
Tanner, Clark Hope
Tison, Alan A Right Response
Books:
Barclay, William. The Gospel of Luke. Revised ed. The Daily Study Bible Series. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975.
Hendricksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987.
