Good News
Luke 2:10-11
Good News!!!
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 all sickness, 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 diamond. Ten minutes ago, MGM called, inviting you to dinner with Lassie tonight."
How many people like to hear good news?
The world is filled with so much bad news, it is refreshing to hear some really good news.
This morning I have some Good News!
A. Good News! There has been a New Birth in Bethlehem
1. How long the world had waited – about 3,000 years since sin entered into the world, now there is joy!
2. The hour had come!!
a. The angels brought good tidings of great joy!
b. Prophesies were being fulfilled from the old testament minute by minute…
3. This would be the best news the world would ever know.
4. Folks --- Jesus has come!!
READ TEXT: Luke 2:10-11
The Good News of Jesus Christ can be found in our passage today:
I. Good News “The End of Fear” (vs 10)
The good news was first given to the Shepherds who were frightened by the angels.
1. But the angel said, “Fear Not”. Those two good words are always in the vocabulary of angels.
2. But the shepherds were afraid,
a. vs 10 “An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”
b. I would think that terrified was probably an understatement for how these shepherds felt at the time.
c. I’ll bet that Gabriel must have been tired of saying these words by now.
d. It seems that every time he appeared to tell people who was coming, they cringed.
Luke 1:12 states, “When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was
gripped with fear.
When Gabriel appeared to Joseph in his dream, he had to tell him ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,’
And now, as Gabriel appears before the shepherds, his first words have to be ‘Do not be afraid’.
It’s a wonder that Gabriel didn’t quit appearing to people. I can hear him…… “every-time I appear they are terrified of me”
3. We have fears today…. Many times during the Christmas season
a. Local Banks – fear of robbery
b. Today, we fear the loss of our families.
c. We fear the loss of our jobs.
d. We fear the loss of our homes.
e. We fear loneliness
f. We fear the loss of our reputation and good name.
g. We are afraid of what people say about us. What they might think about us.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University reported that 30 years ago, the greatest fears of grade school children were: 1) Animals, 2) Being in a dark room, 3) High places, 4) Strangers, 5) Loud noises. Today, kids are afraid of the following: 1) Divorce, 2) Nuclear war, 3) Cancer, 4) Pollution, 5) Being mugged.
4. Fear: What is fear? Webster says: Anxiety, caused by expectation of evil. Something we dread.
a. Fear is something that grips the heart of every man, woman, boy, or girl at some time in our lives.
5. But why are we afraid?
a. Is it because we worry about what might happen to us?
b. Are we afraid of what someone might say about us?
c. Are we fearful because of what we already know
d. Maybe we’re afraid of the unknown?
e. Maybe we are afraid of loneliness, pain, or suffering
What is it that makes a person fear something?
6. I believe we fear because we feel powerless in the face of our trials. Because we are up against a power greater than the power we perceive in our own lives.
a. But I want you to know that when we receive the good news of Jesus Christ into our hearts and place our trust in Him, we don’t have to fear any more.
But: 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of Power, Love and Self-discipline”
7. The Good News today, is that we can still give all of our fears to Jesus.
a. The Bible says “Fear Not” ...because the peace of God, which passes all understanding,shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
b. Fear Not ... because He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ
c. Fear Not - and be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
d. Fear Not... believe only, and you shall be made whole
e. Fear Not - I will take your fears upon myself
8. Question is: Am I willing to give all of my fears to Christ?
a. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, all fear is gone.
One of the greatest Christmas Songs:
God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus, He came to love heal and forgive,
He lived and died to buy my pardon, an empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives…
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know who holds tomorrow
And life is worth the living, just because He lives.
II. Good News “The Birth of Joy” (vs 10)
1. “Good tidings of great joy”
2. We sing songs of Christmas joy (Joy to the world, O Christian hearts rejoice, joy joy joy)
3. Why this joy?
a. Because the Savior has been born. JESUS HAS COME!!
b. Because the scriptures have been fulfilled
c. Because Christ Jesus is Lord
4. Joy has been born.
At a church in Omaha. People were given helium filled balloons and told to release them at some point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. All through the service balloons ascended, but when it was over 1/3 of the balloons were unreleased. Let your balloon go.
5. MANY HAVE THE WRONG CONCEPT CONCERNING "JOY"...
a. That joy is a matter of personality. A joyful person is “just born that way”
b. That joy is a matter of circumstances or environment
c. But how can that be when being joyful is enjoined upon us all?
6. TRUE JOY IS ABLE TO RISE ABOVE THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE...
Neh 8:10 tells us that the Joy of the Lord is our strength.
7. If you want true joy this Christmas season and throughout your life, let it be filled with the joy of
knowing Jesus.
a. If we are not joyful, it is because we are not full of Christ
b. Not only is He joy, but He is the source of joy.
1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
c. Joy has been born…Let Jesus fill you with an inexpresable joy
III. Good News “The Beginning of Evangelism” (vs 10)
1. “Which shall be to all people”
2. Not only did the shepherds make a decision to find the Christ child, they spread the news about Him.
Verse 17-18 says that "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."
3. In other words, they had such a joyful experience at the manger that they wanted everyone to know what they had experienced.
4. This is a repeated pattern in the Bible.
a. Whenever someone has a joyful encounter with Jesus Christ, they want to spread the news.
b. In Mark 1:44, when Jesus healed the man with leprosy, he said to him, "See to it that you don’t tell this to anyone."
c. But the guy was so excited, that we find out in verse 45 that he went out and told everybody about it! He couldn’t help it!!
5. And in John 7, there’s a scene where the guards were sent to arrest Jesus.
• But they were mesmerized by his powerful preaching.
• And when the Jewish leaders wanted to know why they didn’t arrest Jesus when they had the chance, they said in John 7:46, "No one ever spoke the way this man does."
• They had a life changing experience
6. When you meet someone who can change your life, it’s hard NOT to get excited about it. It’s hard to keep quiet. It’s hard not to tell someone about it.
But you can’t share what you don’t have….
If you don’t have the joy of the Lord in your heart, you can receive it today.
7. Everyone needs this Savior – born in a manger
a. Each of us are called to “Go and Tell” “Share the good news that Jesus Christ has come”
b. Why? Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
c. Because the wages of our sin is death, but the greatest gift ever given is free to all who will accept it.
8. He is available to all people. He is available to you.
GOOD NEWS!
He will help to overcome our fears
He will give us Joy in our heart
He will empower us to share of His love
