MESSAGES
FROM THE
WORD
THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF CHRISTMAS
Luke 2:8-20
SERIES: Christmas
There is no other time of year that is more festive than Christmas. Christmas trees are up, neighborhoods are lit, people exchange gifts and are nice to each other, and nations even declare a short truce from war. Christmas is a wonderful time of year. There is another side of Christmas that isn't so pleasant. With the break up of so many homes, millions of children spend the day without at least one parent. The week between Christmas and New Year's Day is the highest suicide rate of the year. The average American will spend nearly $900 on gifts and travel for this holiday. What is this all about? Certainly Christmas can't be about suicide and debt. One person tried to explain the Christmas story this way: "Jesus was born just in time for Christmas up at the North Pole, surrounded by 8 reindeer and the Virgin Mary...Then Santa Claus showed up with lots of toys and some swaddling clothes...The three wise men and all the elves sang Christmas carols while the Little Drummer Boy and Ebineazer Scrooge helped Joseph trim the tree…In the mean time, Frosty the Snowman saw this star in the east…" I don't think that is the real Christmas story.
The Bible does not tell us when the Christ-child was born. The shepherds were in the fields with their sheep, so it probably was not as late in the year as December 25. That date came out of paganism when the sun god was supposed to have been born. When
As we come to Christmas Sunday I want to draw our attention to a passage that is very well known to most of us. If I were to ask people on the street to tell me one aspect of the Christmas story, they would probably tell me about 4-5 events. The most popular responses would probably be the wise men, the manger, “no room at the inn”, and the shepherds. Look at this year’s Christmas cards and those are probably on one of the cards that have a religious theme. I want us to look at the story of the shepherds and the message they received from the angels. We read, LUKE 2:8-20 I have never seen an angel, unless it was “unawares”. Were an angel to come to me, I am not sure how I would respond. However, I do know this, were an angel to come to me, it would have my attention. As we look at this event in the Christmas narrative, I want us to see the message of the angels from five different perspectives.
FIRST, CHRISTMAS IS A MESSAGE OF “NO FEAR”. We live in a world of fear. We fear terrorist bombings, biological attack, nuclear war, children being abducted, political unrest, financial ruin and a dozen other possible events. All of us have something to be afraid of, if God doesn’t oversee the affairs of men. However, one of the great realities of the Christian faith is that God watches over us. We read, ISAIAH 41:10,13,14; 43:1-7 The term “fear not…” appears hundreds of times in the scriptures. It is almost always associated with God’s reminder that He oversees the trials and the testing of His people.
You must remember that God had not spoken through a prophet for 400 years. The people were anticipating God’s sending a deliverer, but it had been a long time since He had communicated with His people. When an angel appeared, it brought fear and trembling to the shepherds. This was not an uncommon event. We read, MATT. ; LUKE 1:12, 26-30 The normal response of people when an angel appeared was to fear. That is usually a reaction to our own sinfulness. Even though angels are a creation of God, they are sinless and stand in the presence of a holy God. This is why almost every time an angel appeared their first words were “FEAR NOT”.
In a world such as ours, there are probably several issues over which you fear. It could be health, finances, future, or family. Whatever the topic is, the message of Christmas is addressed at you, “FEAR NOT”!
SECOND, CHRISTMAS IS A MESSAGE OF JOY. It is amazing to me that the angel would have to say this. God had taken the form of a human, of course it is a time of joy. However, look at your life. How often do you get discouraged, defeated, depressed, and want to throw in the towel? Why is that? Look at the shepherds to which this message was given. Look at their life. They were manual laborers in a dead end job, ruled over by an oppressive government with no hope for the future. What was it in their life to which joy would be the proper response?
Go to the mall and look for people who are filled with joy. Most are frustrated because they can’t find a parking place. They feel depressed because the toy they wanted to buy had just sold out. They are angry because they just blew their budget because all the items they thought were on sale weren’t. They are miffed, because the family they dislike the most just called and are planning to spend three days at their house. Why should they be filled with joy?
The message of Christmas is different. It is not a message of stuff, the rat race, or debt. It is a message that the God of the universe has solved the greatest problem in the human condition. Notice that this joy is not exclusive. It is for “ALL THE PEOPLE”. The greatest gift you could give your friends and neighbors is a reminder that God has involved Himself in their life so that they can be filled with joy. We read, JOHN This is the point that you need to remember. Did Jesus have any issues over which He could be depressed? His best friends deserted Him, He was betrayed by a friend, the election He deserved to win was stolen, God turned His back on Him, and the sins of the world were dumped on Him. You think you’ve had a bad week? Yet, HEBREWS 12:2 He focused on the results of His obedience and that brought joy. I do not know what trials you are experiencing, but I know that God is watching over you and that should result in joy. Notice that the Hebrew writer does not say, “for the joy He was presently experiencing…” Joy is often the result of going through difficult situations faithfully. If you are going through a difficult time, hold on and remember what the psalmist wrote, PSALM 30:5 Joy will come, because it is a manifestation of the presence of the Father.
THIRD, CHRISTMAS IS A MESSAGE OF SALVATION. This is the primary for the birth of Christ. “There has been born to you a savior…” That is why Jesus came to Earth. He was a great teacher, role model, social worker, and humanitarian, but His primary task was to deal with the problem of sin. He stated, LUKE This is why the church must stress this point. It is not enough to get people to come to church. It isn’t sufficient to get drunks of drug addicts sober. It isn’t enough to just get homosexuals to become straight. Those all benefit society, but they don’t deal with the ultimate issue of sin. Those are sins, but not the only sin committed. That individual needs to deal with all of their sin, not just that big one. That is why the church must preach against sin and offer love and forgiveness. That was the message of Jesus. You will remember that they brought a woman to Him who was caught in the act of adultery. His message to her was simple; there is forgiveness and don’t sin anymore. Both messages must be proclaimed. What better time to proclaim the message of a Savior than at Christmas. However, it can’t be understood apart from the proclamation of sin first.
There is an aspect of this that is true, but offensive to our culture. The angel proclaimed the message of salvation, but then went farther. He identified this salvation as being in, “CHRIST THE LORD”. Salvation is not generic. The angel did not announce, “TODAY YOU ARE ALL GIVEN FORGIVNESS…” He announced that salvation was in a person, the baby Jesus who was the Lord of all creation. What right do we have to say that salvation is only in Jesus? We have the right given to us by the angel who made that claim. Maybe the angel was wrong. Maybe all roads do lead to Heaven. We are told, JOHN 14:6; ACTS ; COL. 1:12,13; REV. 5:1-10 The Bible is very clear that the only means God has made available for sins to be forgiven is through Jesus Christ. That is confirmed by the angel.
FORTH, CHRISTMAS IS A MESSAGE OF GOD’S GLORY. Christmas is not about Santa, trees or reindeer. Christmas is about glorifying God. It is the most important act in the entire universe. It is what we will spend eternity doing. After the angels gave their message to the shepherds, we are told, VERSES 14,15 Notice though, that praising God did not stop with the angels. After the shepherds came to
FIFTH, IT IS A MESSAGE OF RESPONSE. One of the ways we glorify God is by responding to His message in a positive way. As you look at these few verses, there are six separate responses listed.
First, the angels spoke. They took the message which God had given them to communicate and they delivered it. That is the difference between an angel and a demon. Angels do what God tells them to do.
Second, the shepherds went. Once they heard the angel speak, they went to where they were told to go. You might think that is no big deal. If an angel spoke to me, I’d respond. The truth is, on many occasions people did not respond in positive ways when they heard a message from God. This is what our response should be. God speaks, we go.
Third, the holy couple submitted. Look at what they were asked to do. Mary was asked to be thought of as getting pregnant before marriage. Joseph was asked to marry a woman who was carrying another man’s child. To obey God, they had to be willing to receive the insults of friends, family, and neighbors. However, they were convinced that this was God’s leading and they submitted their will to His.
Fourth, the shepherds shared. They came in to see the baby Jesus and told those there what they had witnessed. Do you think that Mary and Joseph second-guessed what they had done? When the shepherds told them that angels had appeared to them telling them of God’s work, I’m sure they were encouraged. Sometimes your words of what God is doing in your life can be a great encouragement to others.
Fifth, the crowd contemplated. Luke tells us that the crowd “WONDERED” and Mary “TREASURED” what was said. We think that only Mary and Joseph were at the manger, but this seems to imply that there were others. It is a good thing to periodically reflect on what is going on. It is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament “SELAH”. Take time to reflect on what God is doing and has done.
Sixth, the shepherds praised God. When all is said and done, praise God. When you don’t know what to do, praise God. When God brings testing, praise God. When God delivers you, praise God. Notice, what it was they praised God for. Luke writes that they were praising God, “FOR ALL THEY HAD HEARD AND SEEN, JUST AS HAD BEEN TOLD THEM”. When God speaks, what He says is true, even if we can’t prove it yet. This is why your Bible study is so important. It will tell you what God is doing so that you can praise Him when it is done.
The message of Christmas is a message of joy, because it is a message of man’s greatest need. That is, his need to deal with his sin. How did God deal with our sin? He sent a savior to bring forgiveness. That is the Christmas story.
This message is from the teaching ministry of Glen Jackson, pastor of Faith Christian Church in
