Sermon Central
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Thankful For Jesus: Born In A Barn
Contributed by Troy Borst on Dec 7, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: I would like to challenge you this Christmas season to up your thankfulness!
Heresy! Heresy is being preached! I accept that Jesus was born in humble beginnings, but if we get super technical about what the Bible says, the Bible never says Jesus was born with cows and sheep and donkeys standing nearby. We assume that fact based on the manger. Someone could have brought the manger inside some house for Joseph and Mary because everything was cramped and they were sleeping on the floor. Even when the shepherds find Jesus, it simply says they found Jesus in a manger, not where the manger was located. I understand if you say to me… heresy! I do. I am probably going to continue to say and think that Jesus was ‘born in a barn,’ but the Bible doesn’t actually say that. [mind blown gesture]
Do you need a few minutes to recover?
I think I do.
TRANSITION
Let’s transition away from possible heretical thinking and focus on the Bible. What does God have for us in Luke 2:8-21? The first truth I notice in this passage is always connected with the shepherds. The second truth I notice in this passage is connected to Jesus.
FIRST TRUTH: THE SHEPHERDS
We find shepherds all over the Bible. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, King David, and the Prophet Amos were all shepherds in the Bible. When Joseph speaks to the Pharaoh of Egypt and describes his family, he describes them in shepherd terms. Shepherds are hard working folks of the land. It is not necessarily a ‘baaahd’ job, but I am sure there are better ways to make a living.
In Luke 2, the first people to find out about the amazing birth of Jesus were shepherds watching their flocks at night. The shepherds are minding their own business and making sure predators don’t snatch their lambs, when angels appear to announce that the Lamb of God was born.
In our passage, we have angels appearing and announcing the birth of the Messiah. The passage tells us something we could have guessed… the shepherds were afraid. I think you and I have a tame vision of what an angel looks like. I read about the four living creatures in Ezekiel and Revelation and I don’t think all angels look the way we think. These spiritual beings are tremendous and fear inducing which is why the angels tell them not to be afraid, but they are still afraid.
Almost every time God shows up it is accompanied with the phrase: “Do not be afraid.”
* Genesis 15:1 God appears to Abraham to enact the covenant and He says, “Do not be afraid.”
* Genesis 21:17 an angel appears to Hagar and says, “Do not be afraid.”
* Genesis 26:24 God appears to Isaac at night and says, “Do not be afraid.”
* Genesis 46:3 God speaks to Jacob and says, “Do not be afraid.”
* Numbers 21:34 God speaks to Moses about a battle and says, “Do not be afraid.”
* Joshua 8:1 God encourages Joshua about His presence and says, “Do not be afraid.”
* Judges 6:23 God appears to Gideon who is sure he is going to die, “Do not be afraid.”
* Daniel 10:12 an angel appears to Daniel and touches him on the shoulder, “Do not be afraid.”
* Luke 1:13 an angel appears to Zechariah as he is serving in the temple, “Do not be afraid.”
