← ArchiveAdventJoy Worth SharingDateDecember 22, 2019SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamText—Passages in this sermonLuke 20:58Psalms 2310:102 Corinthians 630:43Philippians 333:12Matthew 735:15Luke 1537:43TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00Music playing. If you have your Bibles with you, and I hope that you do,0:30join me in Luke chapter 2.0:58And you can go ahead and mark your Bibles because as we share, Brad is going to be preaching Sunday, and he's going to be preaching on the shepherds in Luke chapter 2. So I'm going to stop at the shepherds and then hand the baton because we've been talking about this this week. Brad, let me publicly just say thank you for your ministry. And for those of you who don't know Brad, he does have a heart. He's really been our outreach pastor for years and years and years, and that is his heart. And so what an incredible opportunity to reach the Birmingham area.1:26And I have no doubt that you will do that well. So we appreciate you, brother.1:43And really, I believe that him staying close is going to challenge every church in this area to be a part of this movement to reach Birmingham for the Lord and to lift high that. So next week, Brad's preaching, come, hear, respond, and then we celebrate at the end of the service together on the shepherds. But today, you're going to have to wait. Today is about the angels in Luke chapter 2. If you're using your pew Bible, it's 909, if my math is correct.2:08So you're close. If you get to 900, page 900 in the pew Bible. So for those of our covenant members, those who are new, those who have braved the rain, thank you for being here. I wore a rain jacket this morning, and I was walking to the door, and the hood kept flipping up. And so it just acted as a funnel down my shirt. If you saw some funny person fighting a rain jacket walking in, that was me inviting the rain to be a part of my life this morning.2:36For those who are watching online, I know we have people traveling and checking us out. Thank you for being a part of what God is doing. Why are days like today important? Because we join in the tradition of Christians for thousands of years with this simple message right now. We say to the world, do not fear. We bring you good news of great joy, because a child has been born.3:04This is the Messiah. This is Christ, our Lord. So let's look at that announcement this morning in Luke chapter 2, beginning in verse 8. Luke 2, 8. And if you read the scripture, if you want to look at the birth narrative at all, you either have to look at Matthew or Luke.3:31Mark does not mention the birth of Christ. And John, as we saw last week, simply says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God. So we see in Luke, the angels, and the shepherds, and the humanity of Christ. We see in Matthew, really, the regal Messiah of Christ.3:57So Luke 2, verse 8, begins in the same region, and we'll come back to this phrase. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them,4:27And do not be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today, in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger. Suddenly, there was a multitude of heavenly hosts, with this angel, praising God.4:57And they were saying, Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to people He favors. When the angels had left and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Well, let's go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened. Which the Lord has made known to us. And if you want to hear the rest of the story, we'll see you next Sunday.5:25Let's pray, Father. Only you know, in this room right now, and those online and hearing, Only you know our hearts. Father, some have come, and it is a dreary day. It's a heavy day. It's a weighty day. Lord, some are sick. Some have had diagnosis.5:55Some are celebrating new birth in their family this year. Lord, some are here rejoicing that you have saved them and redeemed them. Lord, some are here weeping because, Lord, they cry out for their spouse, and they cry out for their significant other. They cry out for their child that you would save them, that you would redeem them, that they would hear the call of God on their life. But, Lord, here we are, gathered together in the name of Jesus Christ.6:26Because we believe that you are the answer for every question that we have. Lord, you are the peace in our chaos. You are the joy in our sadness. You are the comfort for our fear. So right now, Lord, may our hearts be yours. May we hear your word, that we would do your word, that we would live out to a world that so desperately needs to hear.6:56Fear not, for Jesus brings good news of great joy for all people. Well, let us hear that clearly and freshly this morning. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. And amen. So last week, we left off with the haunting words of chapter 2, verse 7.7:25You might think, well, we didn't read that this morning. Well, it hints in the same region. So we left last week with because there was no guest room in the end. There was no room available. So in the same space where there were no vacancy in the hotels, we have shepherds watching their flocks by night.7:52Now, I don't think it should be lost on us that the Messiah was born in a town that had no place for him to lay his head. They basically said to Jesus, will you deliver out under the stars? And now the birth announcement comes to people who are sleeping out under the stars. The shepherds in Jesus, they were a riddle. They were uneducated.8:21They were uneducated. They were extremely poor. And they watched sheep. Now, that's not rocket science. But when you watch sheep, you need a place for sheep to eat, for them to graze. And if you're poor and uneducated, most likely you don't have a field for your sheep to graze and eat. And so you do the next best thing. You borrow someone's field where your sheep can graze and eat.8:50Now, if you're a shepherd who borrow people's fields, they would say borrow. You might say, if you're the landowner, steal, occupy. Then you can see that there's often tensions with the locals and the shepherds, right? So this is the ancient understanding. One rabbi said about shepherds that they were dishonest and unclean according to the standards of the law.9:13That's the ancient social view of standards in this day, in the day of Christ. But then we have the biblical side of shepherds. We have probably the greatest king in Israel was a shepherd, King David. And so the biblical view of that is a great picture of this pastoral lifestyle.9:37We know that Moses, when he fled because he killed the Egyptian, he fled to the wilderness, he fled to the area of Jethro, that he for 40 years was a shepherd. One of the greatest leaders in Israel's history, and the same with Jacob. We know that Israel themselves, they felt like they were a shepherding nation. They were nomadic and they were the shepherd.10:08And then you have Psalm 23 that tells us the Lord, Yahweh, is our shepherd. So you have the social stigma of the shepherd with the biblical view of the shepherd that is good and is pleasing. It is something that we should desire. And so I believe the shepherds are a riddle. Now, it's interesting. Socially, shepherds were outcasts and outsiders.10:39And biblically, they were part of the family. And to these people in the fields, we find the birth announcement. So shepherds generally slept in the fields in temperate climate. So that would be March through November. I know what you're thinking. I'm just going to leave it there. Shepherds probably slept out in the fields March through November. You can make your own application to that point.11:08And they receive an unlikely heavenly telegram. Now, here's what's fascinating for me as we look in depth about the shepherds. These religious outcasts, remember the rabbi, he said they're unclean and they're outcasts. They're dishonest. So these social and religious outcasts and sinners were the first recipients of the good news.11:33And I don't think this is accidental. I think this is a paradigm of the gospel message. I think this is the heavenly economy. I think this is God telling us, hey, the gospel first goes to the outcasts, first goes to the sinners. And so if you find yourself in that group, you say, well, I'm the outcast. I'm dishonest.12:03I'm dishonest. I borrow things. I believe God is saying, well, my son came for you. My son came for you. The shepherds heard and they received this joy we're sharing. So the divine marketing strategy is the gospel goes to the outcasts first. And they hear this in the same region. Shepherds were staying out in their fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.12:30And this is what we see. They're doing what shepherds do. Verse 8 and 9. What are shepherds doing? They are keeping watch at night over their flock. Why would shepherds keep watch over their flock by night? Because they're good shepherds. That's what they do. Now, I think it's significant, too. As they're outdoors with the sheep, smelling sheepish, the gospel comes to them.12:58Now, listen to what the scripture does not say. The gospel right here, this announcement was not made in the temple. It was not made in Solomon's portico. It wasn't made in the synagogue. It wasn't made in the seminary. It wasn't made in the place where we would think the announcement of the Son of God would come first.13:23It was made out in the fields. I think that God is reminding us this morning that his message is not confined by geography. And is not confined by any building. The gospel reaches all people. The gospel, the revelation of Jesus Christ can reach you in a field. Now, can you imagine if they were in someone else's field thinking, we have been busted.13:53God sent his angel to reprimand us because we are poaching. Thinking, oh, no, what have we done? And God is saying, I can reach you in a field. God's message can reach you in a bar. God's revelation can reach you in your house. It can reach you in a park. There's no place in your life that the revelation of Jesus Christ cannot get to you.14:22That's the hope that we have in the shepherds. And they would tell us, hey, we were just sleeping in the field, not our fields. And the message of Jesus Christ found us out in the field. I don't know exactly where you are today, but God does, and he can reach you. He can reach you right where you are. And I know you're here in the flesh, bodily.14:51Some of you might not be here emotionally. Some of you might not be here mentally. But God can still reach you. Praise God for that good news. And to these people, the angelos, the angels appear. Now, angels are a simple word for a divine messenger. I like to think of angels as the Amazon Prime of the ancient world. Like next day delivery.15:21God gave them a message, and here they were. Now, the shepherds were doing what they were supposed to be doing. This angel was doing what he should be doing. He was delivering the message of God. That's what angels do. Why is that important? Because the presence of the angel here. Look at verse 9. The angel of the Lord stood around them. The presence of the angel is a heavenly reminder that God wants you to know him.15:46God wants you to know him. Shepherds, I know what the rabbi says. I know you're outcast. Yes, you're dishonest. Yes, you're socially pushed aside. But I want you to know, this is the angel's message. God wants you to know him. God wants you to draw near.16:16The heavens declare the glory of God, the scriptures say. The expanse proclaims the work of his hands. And the angels bring good news. And what is their message? Don't be afraid. Look, I proclaim to you the good news. Why is this so important for us? Because our God, Yahweh, is not a hidden God. He is a God who is constantly revealing himself to us. That's why he created us.16:47He created us to know him and proclaim his glory. And the angels remind us today that God wants you to know him. And if you do not know him, it's not because God has hidden himself from you. The heavens declare the glory of the Lord. Creation screams of the creator. God wants you to know him right now. That's the message to the shepherds. Come in closer. Draw near.17:16Draw near. Get to know this Savior. So the angel comes and some of your versions say that he stands near them. The CSB says that he appears, which is a better translation. The word stood is really a word stand beside. Now, I find solace in the fact that the angel did not stand over and lecture the shepherds. But let's see what the scripture says again. Verse 9, the angel of the Lord stood before them.17:47Really, he appeared near them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. It doesn't say he appeared with a whip. He didn't lord over them. The Greek is he stood near them as a reminder that God is constantly drawing us. I believe there's some here today that you feel like God is a heavenly father who is judgmental and is just waiting for you to mess up.18:11And the opposite is true. He's drawing near to you and he wants you to come close to him. And he sends his angels to stand near, next to you, not to lord over you. That is the hope and the message that we have here in these angels.18:38The angel of the Lord stood before them. Now, it's remarkable what happens next. The angel stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them. Now, what I find fascinating for our sake is out of all the places that the glory of the Lord could have shone in this moment,19:02he's shining around the shepherds. The glory of the Lord is not at the manger at this moment, not here in this text. The glory of the Lord is not shining around Mary. The glory of the Lord is not shining around Joseph. The glory of the Lord is shining around the angel and around probably the shepherds. Why? Because of the power of the word of the Lord.19:32The glory is shining because the angel is delivering the gospel message. It's not history, but the word of God that has splendor. There is power in the word of Christ. God wants you to know him. He has sent his angel. And the glory of the Lord is just another reminder that God is saying, come close. Come near. You see, God's glory, as Piper said, is the going public of his holiness.20:02And I shared this quote several weeks ago, but Piper says, it is the way that he puts his holiness on display for people to comprehend. If God didn't share his glory in a way that we would understand, he would melt the eyeballs out of our sockets. And that's an understatement. I'm trying to be nice. If we saw God in his complete holiness, we wouldn't be here.20:28So God's glory is showing his holiness in a visible form that we might seek him. So the glory of God is the holiness of God made manifest. Can you imagine how bright this light would have been? Especially at what time of day? Shepherds were watching their fields by night.20:55It would have been blinding. This is the glory of God in their life. The light, the glory, the angels, all are proclaiming to us, God wants you to know about him. Don't miss this. God wants us to come close. But don't make a mistake as we read the Christmas story. Never mistake the knowledge of God with communion with God.21:23We could leave here right now and say, wow, what a great light. What a great story. Wow, the angel? Who would have thought? But God doesn't want us to stop there. God wants us to know him personally in communion. The shepherd's response to the light and the glory and the angel, these are rugged, these are rugged individuals.21:49These are men's men. These are rugby players. That we tackle without pads. These are the hockey players without teeth. These are the men's men of the ancient world. And their response to the angel and the glory of the Lord is what?22:20Fear. They are terrified. Now, can you imagine if they had given their life to Christ and they get to heaven one day, that David, the shepherd, is going to be like, guys, come on. And I don't know how I would feel if I were a shepherd. For history, for eternity, the gospel canonizes that these men were terrified of the angel.22:41I can just imagine them getting to heaven and after they see Christ and the Lord, they meet David and David's like, dude, I killed a lion and a bear and Goliath. And y'all were scared of an angel? Come on, you're giving shepherds a bad name. But yet they were reminded of their humanity.23:11Now, here's the message. It shows us that the shepherds see something unusual. These are men who aren't scared of much in life. And yet they shrink back at this message of the angel. Why? Because it is heavenly. It is not earthly. This is not your normal season's greetings. The greeting is personal and it is supernatural and it is transformational.23:38See, after the angel basically looks at them and says, snap out of it. Look, don't be afraid. The angel's bringing them back in. What is the message that the angel now brings them? Look at verse 11. It begins in verse 10, actually. He says, do not be afraid. Snap out of it, guys. Come back to me. God wants you to know him, right?24:07Don't be afraid for look, I proclaim to you good news. Now, we've already seen that the glory of God is shining around them. And now the message becomes personal. Don't be afraid for look, I proclaim to you in verse 10, the good news of great joy. That will be for all people. One day for people in St. Clair County, they will hear the same message. Today, in the city of David, a Savior has been born for you, shepherds.24:37And this will be a sign for you, shepherds, because you will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger. You see, it's one thing, and let me be careful when I say this, because I don't want to discourage any of you, but I want to encourage you.25:04That's my heart. It's one thing for us to know the Christmas story. It's another thing to know it's for you. It's one thing to go back and say, hey, guys, there was an angel, and he scared us. And he said, don't be afraid, and the glory of God shone around us. There was a bright light at night. But it's another thing to be able to tell people.25:34But you'll never forget what the angel said. He said, this Messiah has been born for me. And he said, there will be a sign, and it will be for me. And there will be joy, and it will be for me. It's one thing to know the story. It's another thing to know the Savior. And the angels are reminding us of this, to hear that this is good news.26:03And sadly, I believe that we are often content of knowing the story and not taking the step of faith towards God, to knowing him personally, to not knowing him. And so I don't know where you are spiritually. If you have never taken that step of faith, Brad mentioned that he walked an aisle. Some of you are thinking, what did he, what happened in his announcement?26:30I don't know if you caught that. But in the olden days, when we grew up, the pastor would say, if you want to come to Christ, just walk the aisle. And Brad would say the same thing as I would. You're not saved when you walk an aisle. It's Jesus that saves us. But you know what? And I did the same thing. When you take a step of faith towards Christ, he honors that. Walking the aisle saying, I'm going to put feet to my faith. To say, this is not just a story I've heard, but this is a story I have now embraced.26:58This is my good news. So what is this for you message? The angel says several times, right? This is for, look, I proclaim to you in verse 10, a story of good news, of great joy that will be for all people. Today, in the city of David, it was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth.27:26What is this for you message? Here it is. It's the fact that sinners and rebellious and shepherds and the shady could know Jesus Christ. Let me say that again, because some of you didn't hear that. It's the message that people living in St. Clair County in 2019, who are rebellious and imperfect and broken and outsiders and the religious who are externally religious,27:54but internally rotten, that you can know Jesus personally. It's the story that Bethlehem, there was no room in the inn, but Jesus is going to come anyway, because he loves you, because he wants to redeem you.28:18It's the story of God coming to people and saying, get off your high horse. Why did Jesus, why did this announcement come to the shepherds? Because they weren't on their high horse. They were sleeping outside with the sheep where no one go. And yet the good news comes to them.28:47And if this news is true, then it is worth sharing. That's why we should evangelize. The word means the good news. Evangelion is the good news. If you have received good news, then you share good news. And my heart really is this. If the world could only know one thing about our church, that it would know that we are about good news.29:11Those are some good news people, because they have heard the gospel message. Really, the Christmas story is that God wants you to know him. Not know about him, but to know him and draw yourself to him. So when does this happen? You're thinking, okay, I'm on board. When does this happen? Do they have to wait? The shepherd says, I mean, the angel says to the shepherds,29:43Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Verse 11. Not tomorrow. Not wait for it. Today. This moment in the city of David, a savior has been born to you. Why is this so important? Because the miraculous salvation that God is offering is not a distant memory.30:10It is a today moment. It's a right now moment. There is unique urgency in the gospel. Why do we as a church proclaim to you, if you've never given your life to Christ, come today. Because today a savior has been born. Today a God loves you. Today a God wants to redeem you. Don't delay.30:41Don't delay. 2 Corinthians 6 echoes this. Paul says, Working together with him, we appeal to you. Don't receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, At an acceptable time, I listened to you, and in the day of salvation, I helped you. See, now, right now, is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation. God wants you to know him. And when does he want you to know him? Today.31:11Today. Right now. As we teach our kids, we talk about this catechism book that we're going to use as a church next year, just to build deep roots of faith in our life. One of the questions was, recently for our kids, what does the resurrection mean for us? And the answer is, abundant life now, and eternal life forever. Like, now. Not tomorrow. God is offering abundant life right now.31:40Today, in the city of David, we should live with urgency. If this message is true. And I stand before you today, saying, I stand here because I believe the gospel is true. I believe every word of it. And I know it's changed my life. And I won't stop there. I believe it can change your life. And I echo the message of the shepherds.32:10They are going and they are declaring this. So how do we live this out? Maybe you say, well, I know the story and I know Jesus. Now what? That's a great question. And it's answered here in this text. So we see in verse 13. Suddenly, there was a multitude of heavenly hosts with the angel praising God. And they were saying, glory to God in the highest. And peace on earth to people that he favors.32:40The child is the Savior. He is the Messiah. He is the Lord. Why? Why is this important in verse 11? He says that a Savior has been born. Yeah, I believe that in verse 11, this is a formula that was very dear to the early church. I believe when they heard that Jesus was Savior and he was Lord and he was Christ, they held this very dear.33:05We see even in the writings of Paul in Philippians 3. He says this, that our citizenship is in heaven and we eagerly wait for the Savior. From there, the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe when the early church heard this, they rejoiced. They saw, they heard, and they sung the glory of Christ.33:31So do not gloss over this fact. Don't gloss over the sign that this baby was wrapped in swaddling clothes and he was lying in a manger. Now, the fact that they were wrapped in swaddling clothes would not have been unique. The whole manger thing would have been. This was a sign for the angels. From the angels to the shepherds.34:01I like to think of swaddling clothes. Some of you have seen newborn babies. Every baby that I've seen in the last 20 years has the same, and I think I have a picture of the same white blankets with the same thick blue stripes and the small pink embroidery. I don't know what salesman sells those to hospitals, but I think they've cornered the market in the United States. Anyone, you know that blanket? That's the swaddling clothes.34:31Every child would wear swaddling clothes, be wrapped there. But a manger, that's different. This would have been a unique sign. And we see that when the shepherds heard this, what do they do? Today in the city of David, a Savior has been born. And so in verse 15, we see that they go straight there. So the sign of God is given for us not to sit still, but to seek.34:59So how do we respond to this message? God wants his people to be seekers and not sitters. How do we know that? Because Jesus says in Matthew 7, Jesus reminds us of this truth, that we should constantly seek him. Shepherds, don't just look at me. Don't be afraid. Go. Jesus says in Matthew 7, ask and it will be given.35:27Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. Now the best translation would actually be this, of that phrase. Continue to ask and you will be continually given. Continually seek and you will continually find. Continually knock and the door will be continually opened.35:53God desires his people to continually come before him. That's how we respond to this Christmas message. It's not a one-time event. It's a lifestyle of seeking and serving. It's God saying, keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Come and see. Come and see. Today. Come and see the power of Christ. And with that, suddenly, we see the heavenly host.36:23One commentator says it this way about angels and the heavenly choruses in the ancient world. He says that the angelic praise serves the same function, literarily, for Luke, as choruses in Greek dramas. They supply commentary. The host is just hanging out, making everything a little bit better. And this is what they're saying. Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to people that he favors.36:52I believe the heavenly host gives us two ideas. First, they are praising God for his salvation. I believe the angels are saying, it's finally happened. God is offering to all people, through Jesus Christ, salvation and redemption and abundant life.37:16This is what we've been waiting for. Strike up the band. Warm up the voice. Glory to God in the highest. We've been waiting to sing this song for lots of years. Let's sing boldly. You know, Jesus tells us the same thing. He says that in Luke 15, I tell you, in the same way, there will be much joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.37:43That over 99 righteous who don't need repentance. The highest heaven is waiting and rejoicing at the salvation of the souls of men and women for Jesus. And when you find that salvation, there's a second thing we see here in this course. The second thing we have by the angels is what? Glory to God in the highest heaven.38:13Peace. Peace on earth to men and women who his favor rest upon. You see, peace is found when Jesus reigns. And if you do not have peace in your life right now, the angels are begging you and singing to you, find peace in Jesus. And if you think you don't have peace in Jesus Christ, you do find peace afresh in a new this morning.38:45That's his hope. That's his desire in your life. So if you can only do two things this Christmas, God wants you to know about him. God wants you to know him. Well, if you can only do two things, this will be my encouragement to you. Come and see the glory of God and then go and sing about the glory of God.39:10And you say, well, I don't know what to sing. We don't use hymnals in church anymore. I don't know. We have an ancient song. Verse 14. Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and goodwill towards men on whom his favor rests. Come and see and go and sing.39:38That is the message of Christ. What an unusual birth. I believe that the Messiah's life contains two bookends. The unusual birth in a place that had no room parallels the unusual death on a cross. Of a perfect, sinless Savior.40:08And he did it all for us. Let me put it in shepherd language. He did it all for you. The sign was for you. The message is for you. The good news is for you. The song of joy is for you. God wants you to know about him and he wants you to know him.40:36Do not miss that this Christmas. If you've never given your life to Jesus Christ. You say, well, how does that happen? Brad and I walked an aisle. But it wasn't the aisle that saved us. It was Jesus who did. And we prayed a prayer something like this. God, I know that I have sinned. God, I know that I'm a shepherd. I know that I'm an outcast.41:06I know that I'm a sinner. God, I know I borrow things that I shouldn't be borrowing. And I do things I shouldn't be doing. But God, the good news, I heard it today. And I believe. So God, I turn from my shepherd ways. I turn from my sin. I turn to you. And the Bible says, Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. And the angels are ready to rejoice when one sinner comes.41:34So we're going to have prayer partners down front. If you want someone to pray with you, to share that you have given your life to Christ. Brad, I think, is actually going to be in the lobby after the service. He would love to pray with you. I'll be down front and I'll remain down front. Do not miss a chance to share Christ. To respond to Him. Not just to know about Him, but to know Him. That is the good news. And for those of you who know Christ, I want to leave you with what the shepherds do.42:03Verse 15. When the angels had left and the lights faded away, the shepherds said to one another, most likely with a little more boldness this time, let's go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. How do we respond to this good news?42:33I think we respond like the shepherds. I looked at each other and said, let's we go. If this is true, we will give our lives for this. Father,← Previous in AdventCreative Christmas
