The Announcement: Luke 2:14

Introduction

Over the past 2 weeks, Pastor Siya has been leading us through this Advent series

Preaching firstly on our need - concerning the Fall and the subsequent curse of sin and death that resides on every one of us

so much so, that our every thought and every deed is sinful and set against God

and none are righteous at all, not even one of us

And then last week he preached on the promise - that even though Isaiah 59 spells out how thoroughly wicked mankind is…

so much so that our sin has made a separation between us and God

and God has suited up to come in vengeance against us and our sin…

effectively God is at war with sinners

yet there remains a promise of a Messiah and undeserved salvation

Today it is my task to preach on the Announcement of the arrival of that Messiah, the birth of the Saviour, Jesus Christ

Text

Luke 2:1–21 ESV

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. 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 great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of 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. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Outline

The Illusion of Peace

The Announcement of Peace

The Embrace of Peace

1. The Illusion of Peace

Luke 2:1-2 “1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.”

Each of the 4 gospels tell the same story, but each writer has a unique style and writes for different reasons and purposes

John, for example, is an evangelist. He tells us in his gospel that he is writing so that people would believe in Jesus and be saved

Matthew is more particularly concerned with showing the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah

So Matthew begins his gospel account with the genealogy of Jesus, showing that He is the descendant of Abraham and David

And he regularly says things like “…so that it would be fulfilled” or “as it is written” to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah

Mark, too, is written for the purpose of showing fulfillment - that Jesus is the Son of God, but in a more narrative, storytelling style

and a fast one - Mark likes the word “immediately”

Luke - Luke is a historian.

He tells us at the start of his gospel that his aim is to write an orderely account of everything, based on eyewitness accounts, so that Theophilus may have certainty about the things he has been taught

Who was Theophilus?

It seems likely he was an influential Greek Gentile and either a non-believer...

and that Luke wrote his gospel and Acts to convince Theophilus that Christians were not a threat

or

he was a new convert and Luke’s writing is for the instruction of new believers

The important and clear thing is that Luke is writing an orderly, historical account of the events surrounding Jesus, His birth, His life, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, and His continuing reign even after ascension,

based on eyewitness accounts,

and the purpose is to give certainty that the events took place in human history.

That being the case, it is easy to see why Luke begins the account of Jesus’ birth with a historical time stamp

This was during the reign of the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus

More specifically, this was during the time when Caesar Augustus gave a decree that the whole world should be registered in a census.

And this was at the time when a man named Quirinius was the governor of Syria

Now for all you history nuts, you’ll get a kick out of knowing that historical records do in fact show that:

the Roman Emperor at the time of Jesus’ birth was in fact Caesar Augustus, who was emperor from around 30BC to 14AD

and that at the time the governor of Syria was Quirinius

and they did actually conduct a census around this time - something that they generally did every 14 years or so

and there were a few reasons for doing this

there were possible military reasons for drafting young men into compulsory military service

it could have been for taxation purposes

it could have been an ego thing, to know the number of people in the empire

probably it was a combination of these and more

Caesar Augustus was an interesting guy, and this was also a very unique time in Rome’s history, and obviously, world history

The day before Jesus was born, Caesar Augustus was the most powerful man alive

His birth name was Gaius Octavian, and he was the grandnephew and later adopted son of Julius Caesar

During his reign as emperor, the Roman Empire was at its peak

Caesar Augustus united all Roman territories under his rule, which stretched from Britain all the way to Asia, and incorprated parts of North Africa

which really encompassed most of the known civilized world (which is why Luke speaks of all the world being registered)

Augustus set up a massive system of decentralized government to oversee the whole empire,

Allowing captured territories, like Israel, to be ruled by their own kings with their own customs and religions - as long as they paid a tax and swore allegiance to Rome

He began massive building and infrastructure programmes,

The Colosseum and the Pantheon were built in this time period

and over 80,000 km of roads were built - making travel through Rome much easier

He reformed and strengthened the military

until then, Roman soldiers were paid by their generals, which made soldiers more loyal to their generals than to Rome

Augustus paid them from state treasury, and was strategic about which territories and at which places they were posted

all of these things of course, which would have been served by the reasons I gave earlier for conducting a census

The most significant thing about his rule, though, was that under his leadership, Rome experienced that period in history known as the Pax Romana - the Peace of Rome

There was peace in the world

Peace within the united Roman Empire

it was a prosperous time, and Roman culture flourished

and Augustus himself was revered for it

He was hailed as the one who had brought peace to “all the world”

and he was given titles like “savior”, “lord”, “sovereign” and even “son of god”

One ancient inscription even read “Divine Augustus Caesar, son of a god, imperator of land and sea, the benefactor and savior of the whole world.…”

and he gave himself the title “Dominus et Deus: Lord and God - which is why the early church suffered the way it did under Roman persecution… they refused to worship the emperor

The census itself was a symbol of his lordship and sovereignty over the empire, as every household would have been required to take oaths of allegiance to the emperor.

It’s under these circumstances then, and at such a time, that Joseph and Mary must now make the 160km journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, without an Uber, even though Mary was pregnant

They had to go to Bethlehem to fulfill their obligation to the state, because the rules of the census was that each man was to be registered in his place of birth

And Luke points out and reminds us in the text that Joseph went to Bethlehem “because he was of the house and lineage of David”

And so it was that Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem when the time came for Mary to give birth

And we see in verse 7 the most significant birth in all history - that of the Lord Jesus Christ, God with us, God in flesh

The Son of God, born in the small town of Bethlehem

wrapped in cloth

lying in an animal’s feeding trough

which was probably in a cave or outside shelter, because there was no place for them at the inn or guesthouse

a sign of the hardship and rejection that Jesus would suffer throughout His human life

There are a few things to note and highlight here before we take a look at the Announcement of Jesus’s coming

Firstly, note that although Caesar Augustus is called sovereign lord by his subjects, and exercises sovereign control and authority over the “world” as they knew it…

it was only an illusion of control, an illusion of authority

Caesar Augustus thought he was exercising his free will and wisdom and authority,

by not only instructing the census to take place, but by even uniting the Roman territories, building the infrastructure and achieving the Pax Romana

but really, Caesar Augustus was unknowingly acting under the sovereign Lordship and control of God

Augustus is the most poweful emperor in history and the most powerful man on earth, yet he is acting out the decree of God

It was no coincidence that his decree to get every man registered in their home town should come at this time, with Mary being pregnant

but it was decreed by God and prophesied by the prophet Micah much earlier that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem:

Micah 5:2 “2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

Caesar August, for all his titles of sovereign, savior, lord, even son of god… was in the end just a pawn in the hand of Almighty God

God sovereignly orders time and history, and it was God who ultimately set the stage for the birth of the real Son of God, and the only true Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ…

… here in Bethlehem as He decreed

Even the Pax Romana itself, Casear Augustus’ greatest achievement,

was meant by God to create the environment under which,

the disciples could later more easily move around between territories to spread the gospel

Let this encourage us - because nothing has changed

In spite of all that we see taking place in our world today, know that God is ultimately directing history according to His sovereign will

and He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him

Secondly, note that although the Roman Empire is at this time experiencing the Pax Romana - Peace of Rome, an unprecedented time of peace…

that too is an illusion

It is an illusion and a deception and a lie

It was called a time of peace, it was hardly without bloodshed

Emperors including Augustus himself killed political rivals

Revolts in Judea and Britain were brutally suppressed

and military and imperial conquests continued

One Caledonian leader once said that “the Romans create a place of desolation and call it peace”

But the real reason I say the Pax Romana was an illusion of peace, is not because there was still bloodshed

relatively speaking, it was still possibly the most peaceful time in human history

BUT

the real problem was not that the human race was at war with each other

The human race was and still is engaged in a war that Pax Romana could not put an end to

and that no human government or political policies or human diplomacy can end

Because the war that was and is being waged is not a war between man and man

but a war between God and man

as pastor Siya reminded us last week in Isaiah 59.

Is 59:2 “2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

Is 59:17-18 “17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. 18 According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment.”

Nahum 1:2 “2 The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.”

The real problem is our sin, our rebellion against God

With every act of disobedience,

every thought that is not in submission to God’s good will

we declare war on God

I know the world doesn’t see it that way, and even Christians sometimes see sin as something light that can be simply forgiven and forgotten

but in reality, all sin is rebellion against God,

a declaration of autonomy and self rule apart from God, and a declaration of war against God

which has caused God to suit up, to put on garments of vengeance,

“According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies” (Is 59:18)

That is the real war going on

and an empire, a state, a Roman Emperor, a man… cannot - has no power to cancel the deeds or end the war with God...

… except for ONE MAN...

2. The Announcement of Peace

Luke now takes us to a field in the same region, where shepherds are watching their flock at night

Now shepherds in this culture were considered the lowest class of people in society

They were peasants, of low social status and low income

They couldn’t get land big enough to be self sustainable, so they often had to hire themselves out to care for the flocks of the more wealthy, so that they could provide for their families

They were heavily disciminated against and were not allowed to give testimony in courts of law...

…because they were considered to be untrustworthy

But although their society hated them or thought very little of them, shepherds held a special place in the heart of God

When God appeared in a burning bush to call a leader to bring Israel out of Egypt, He chose a shepherd tending sheep - his name was Moses

When Israel became a nation, a shepherd boy named David was anointed king and God said his seed will rule on the throne forever

Jesus Himself is called the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep

So then, it was not to wealthy statesmen, or kings, or even a powerful emperor that God’s angels now appear to announce the birth of the Messiah to the world

but to these lowly shepherds, out in a field, looking after sheep that were in all likelihood going to be used for temple sacrifices

In the empire, Caesar Augustus is esteemed as a god, but in the Kingdom of God it is the shepherds who are highly esteemed

The low are lifted up

The rulers of the day are unaware, while the lowly shepheds are entrusted with the announcement of the most significant birth in history

And of course, their first reaction at the sight of the angels is fear - but their great fear is quickly traded for great joy

Luke 2:10-11 “10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of 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.”

This is great news for “all the people” - for the whole world!

The true Savior is born - the Christ, the Messiah… the Lord

The prophecies have come true, the word of God is fulfilled

The promise of God is unfolding before them exactly as foretold

and as the angels make this momentus announcement, suddenly there appeared to the shepherds a “multitude of the heavenly host”

and heavenly host is a military term, referring to the great angelic army of God

the heavenly host is associated biblically with those who fight for God

And yet - amazingly - this heavenly host is not appearing to declare war on the world, but instead to announce PEACE

and they are singing praise to God and a song of peace, singing:

Luke 2:14 “14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!””

Now let’s take some time to appreciate the significance of this song and this statement:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST

The whole reason that mankind was and still is in the mess that it is, from the Fall in the garden until now, is because man seeks his own glory

In the garden, Satan persuaded Adam and Eve that they could achieve self autonomy, and be like God

Adam’s disobedience to God in the garden was an act of war, breaking allegiance with God, and seeking to elevate himself to his own throne

and from that moment and the result of the curse placed upon him by God, the human heart is always seeking our own glory

Cain murdered his brother over jealousy for glory

the Tower of Babel was man seeking his own glory

All of Israel’s rebellion against God through the Old Testament was because kings became drunk with the idea of their own glory and self-autonomy

Caesar Augustus and the empire was all about the glory of Caesar and the glory of Rome

Atheists deny God - not because they lack evidence that He exists, but because as Paul says in Romans 1:18 and 21, they suppress the truth because they don’t want to submit to God

Not only atheists, but everyone denies God by their sin and seeks their own glory

People want to submit only to their own desires

We want to rule… we want what we want

We want our own desires to be fulfilled, we want to be in control, we want to be praised, we want the glory

But here’s the truth we have to all accept:

We can never really receive glory - only an illusion of it

Rome was glorious, but fell

Caesar Augustus thought he was a god, but he died

We want to serve our own interests, and be sovereign over our own lives,

but ultimately God reigns

and all creation and all human history is in His hands, and all working together for His glory

Glory to God in the highest

Soli Deo Gloria

AND ON EARTH PEACE

and this is not the Pax Romana peace…

Pax Romana, like the glory of Caesar Augustus, was an illusion only and had an expiry date

Pax Romana came to an end, and so did the Roman Empire,

when after Marcus Aurelius’ death he made his son Commodus the emperor

and Commodus was so corrupt and incompetent that he was assassinated

which sparked a civil war which brought an end to the glory of the Roman Empire and Pax Romana

But again, the Pax Romana was not an illusion of peace only because it was temporary, but because it was not peace with God

As I’ve already mentioned,

The problem is not human relations with each other…

that is only a symptom of the real problem

It is human relations with God that is the problem

All have sinned, all have turned away from God, all have rebelled against His authority and rule

Our sin has made a separation between us and God

And no man in human history has had within him - even as a collective - the power or ability or the authority, to cancel the deeds that have been done against God

or to undo the declaration of war with God through human sin

But now, as the angels and the heavenly host appear before shepherds in a field…

it is announced to the world that one has been born, who CAN and WILL bring about peace with God

and that is what the prophecies said that the Messiah would do:

Is 9:6-7 “6 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. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

This is good news of great joy - this child has been born

Through Him, real, everlasting peace has come from heaven to earth, for the glory of God in the highest

Now how has that peace come about?

After all, Isaiah 59:17-18 “17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. 18 According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment.”

Does He now set aside His holiness and His wrath, and lay down His weapons and apparel of war?

No… God is still suited up and coming in vengeance

But Jesus came as a man, you see…

And as the only righteous man, He is the only one who is able to make peace with God on behalf of man

Jesus settled our bloodguilt by offering Himself as a sacrifice to pay our debt… to cancel our deeds

So that as He hung on the cross, God’s righteous judgment against our sin was carried out

Only, instead of pouring out vengeance on us, Jesus rendered repayment on our behalf

settling our debt, reconciling our account with God, making peace through the blood of the cross.

Col 1:19-20 “19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

All glory to God in the highest

3. The Embrace of Peace

AMONG THOSE WITH WHOM HE IS PLEASED

Good news of this magnitude demands a response

The heavenly host praises God and sings glory to God in the highest

For the shepherds hearing the news of the angel’s announcement and the child’s birth, great fear is replaced with great joy

They immediately go to Bethlehem to find this child

Mary, when she heard the shepherds’ tell her everything they saw and heard, treasured everything in her heart

The shepherds returned to their field, Luke 2:20 “… glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

Friends, we not only have heard the announcement of the King’s birth, but we have the full account of his death and resurrection

and the full story of salvation as recorded in the scriptures

Does the good news of the gospel and peace with God through the blood of the cross fill your heart with such rejoicing and praise?

It ought to

You see, the peace that Jesus brought through His death and resurrection was universal, but it was not universal, if you know what I mean

As the heavenly host declared, it is “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace...”

showing that the peace Jesus brings stretches beyond Israel and goes out to the whole earth

People of every tribe, every nation, every tongue are included in this peace offering that Jesus made on our behalf

and yet although it stretches to the ends of the earth, it is not for everyone on earth...

… but “among those with whom He is pleased.”

and we could have long theological discussions about that statement, but one verse in Hebrews 11 sums it up just the right way:

Hebrews 11:6 “6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Is your faith in God?

Have you renounced, and do you repent of all self-glorifying pursuits?

Do you repent of having sought for all your life to set and live by your own rules, making yourself king or queen on your own throne...

and do you worship Jesus as the one true King,

believing in Him, seeking Him, entrusting your salvation to Him?

Then rejoice, because He has made peace with you through the blood of His cross

But dear friends you must also know...

that without faith it is impossible to please God

and without faith in Jesus Christ, there is no peace with God for you

Your debt remains unpaid

You still have an account to settle with God

And He is coming in vengeance

Isaiah 55:6-7 “6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

In a moment, we are going to celebrate and enjoy the Lord’s Supper, which is also a sign of the peace that we enjoy with the Lord in relationship with Him

the bread, a symbol of the body of Christ

given up to death in order to settle our debt and our blood guilt

1 Peter 2:24 “24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

Col 1:21-23 “21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

So in obedience to the Lord’s command, we partake of this meal as a reminder that Jesus has removed the hostility between us and God by dying in our place

but although this meal is here made available to this whole room, it is to be understood that it is only for you if you are continuing in the faith

To be blunt, if you do not have faith in Christ, if you are not living in faith, and in repentance of sin, then you are to be excluded from this meal

And that is a grace, because it is a warning and a sign to you of your exclusion from the peace that Jesus made with God for us on the cross

so that you would see your need, and use this time now to turn to God and seek Him

So partaking - or not partaking - is to be taken very seriously

Now you may not have it all together, folks. There may be some sin in your life for which you feel ashamed this morning

maybe its making you worried that you cannot be loved by God

be reminded then, that this meal is not for the sinlessly righteous, but for believing sinners

Confess your sin to Him, and He who is faithful and just will cleanse you from your sin and make you righteous in His sight

Come then to the table in full faith and assurance, eat...

and drink this cup which is a symbol of Christ’s blood, shed for the forgiveness of our sin

and as a sign of the new covenant in Jesus’ blood

and be reminded that His grace is sufficient

All glory to God in the Highest