The Shepherd's Faith

The Shepherd's Faith - Luke 2:8-20 December 10, 2023 In the late 1990's, my parents bought a brand-new car. A Saturn SL2, if you were curious to what it was ... and they decided that since they had a reliable vehicle, they wanted to go on a road trip. So, we all packed into the four-door sedan and drove to Las Vegas. There was one problem. They didn't book a hotel room. They figured they could simply find something once we got there, not realizing that there was a large convention of some sort and nearly everything was sold out. If I remember correctly, we ended up driving around town looking for a place to stay, eventually did some sightseeing, slept a few hours in the car, and drove back home later that night. This is really like the background to the familiar story of Jesus' birth in a manger. Well, maybe not exactly like that. Truth is, verse 1 of Luke 2 reveals that Ceaser Augustus, a Roman ruler, called for a census in the known world. So, each family was to report to their ancestor's hometown to register, so Joseph and Mary set out to Bethlehem, the City of David. Unlike Las Vegas, who does expect large crowds year-round, Bethlehem did not. So, as families passed through, they stayed there, even those passing through to Jerusalem, they would stay there, resulting in why they ran out of places to stay, and why Joseph and Mary were forced to stay in a stable with a trough, or as we call it - a manger. Let's pause a moment, and recall that we're speaking of the arrival of God the Son - and He was born in a stable, in a manger. Why would God choose that way to send and reveal His Son? Many believe, and I tend to agree, that it was so that Christ can identify with even the least of us. But God did not stop there. We're going to pick our story this morning by looking at the example of the shepherd's faith. Follow along as I read Luke 2:8-20. 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. Last week, we saw that Christ was born to a humble young woman, in the background text, He was born in a stable and trough, and now, an announcement is made to a group of shepherds. Shepherds were not viewed as a very admired occupation, however, throughout the Scriptures we read of Shepherds becoming some of God's great heroes. Jesus Himself was called the Good Shepherd. It was one of those jobs that everybody needs, but no one wants to do. Coming from a hotel background, I think of the dishwasher or the housekeeper. Low pay, hard work, and little respect from others. Think about it, the shepherd was around a bunch of stinky sheep all the time, so the smell likely rubbed off them. They worked long hours, they were likely alone (not counting the sheep, of course) most of the time. If one of these sheep strayed away, he had to go after it - putting himself and the other sheep in a vulnerable position. If a predator came around, his job was to protect them. He had to feed them and care for them. Day and night. That last phrase - day and night - is important. Look again at the end of verse eight, when were the shepherds visited? At night. They were watching over their sheep at night. My brother was in town a couple Friday's ago, so that evening he came over to visit us and have dinner. He couldn't get over how dark it was in my neighborhood. He texted this to me after he left: "dude, it is so dark around your house. I kept thinking that so many people must get hit if they were like walking around in the dark." He's not wrong. One thing I don't like about Tucson is the lack of streetlights. It gets so dark. So, these shepherds get this visit at night, in the desert from an angel, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. Notice the term "suddenly." In my brain, these shepherds were keeping watch in the middle of the night. It doesn't say, but that's how I picture it. I've worked overnight shifts, even after a long full day. Many, many years ago, I did just that, worked my day job, then went to another hotel to cover their overnight shift, by the 3 or 4 o'clock hour, I was so tired. I was standing, drinking a lot of caffeine, and even paced back and forth, and somehow was still falling asleep. Any interruption or loud noise or even a customer walking into the lobby would've made me jump. Again, that's how I picture this appearance from the angel to these shepherds. Look again at verses 10-11, the angel's purpose was to share with them the good news, news of the coming of a Savior, news of peace and joy. They received this news with faith. Now, our main idea this morning can help us to understand how to have faith like the shepherds. Having faith like the shepherds means that I listen and act according to the Word of God. Think about it. When these shepherds received the message from the angel, they listened well, overcame their fears, and they went out and spread the Good News to all that they encountered. That's what we'll spend our time on this morning: HOW TO LISTEN AND ACT LIKE THE SHEPHERDS * Fear no more (v.10,15) o Of course, the appearance of the angel invoked fear, just as we saw with Mary last week. o What's different here, though, is the reason why the angel told them not to fear. What is that reason? Here's what the angel said: FEAR NOT, FOR BEHOLD, I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS. o The Good News removes fear. o Here's how author Timothy Keller put it (forgive me, it's a long quote): * "It all goes back to the original experience of profound fear described in Genesis 3. There we learn humanity was designed for a perfect relationship with God. Now it follows that, if you have a perfect relationship with the all-powerful, loving Lord of the world, you would have no fear at all. That was the original plan for the human race. Do you see why there will be no fear? We fear rejection and failure, but if you were completely filled with God's love, you would not care what people thought. We fear the future and circumstances, but if you knew God perfectly, and that he is good and in control, you would trust him. And you wouldn't be afraid of death because you know you would be with him forever." * You see. The angel brings the Good News to the shepherds. Effectively saying, once you hear what I have to say, you won't have to fear any longer. * What do you fear? * Allow me to share mine. I've shared this before, but I'll share it again. I actually have three fears: o To be alone o Possums o To be alone with a possum * Seriously though? Does your heath cause you fear? Does your car payment invoke fear? Your house payment? The Christmas gift list? The price of gas and groceries? What is it? o We fear what we can't control. o Christ, and His coming, is the answer to all fear. It won't come easy, and you'll have lapses of fear in your walk, but He provides a way and a reason to longer fear. o The message of Christ, the coming of a Savior, is a message of peace, joy, and hope. Not fear. o Next, speaking of peace ... * Make peace (vv.13-14) o Verse 14 is the praise and song of the host of angels. * A host of angels, by the way, is an army of angels. o This army brought a message of peace. o But, what kind of peace are the angels talking about? And, to whom is this peace for? o If you have a King James Bible, or you memorized this from childhood, you may read these words instead "good will among all men" rather than the ESV and other modern translations that read "those with whom he is pleased." o The difference? "All men" implies that Christmas meant everyone will have peace through Christ, while "those whom He is pleased" associates the peace with Christ alone. In other words, those in Christ will experience true peace - which brings us back to the first question, what kind of peace are we talking about? o Keller again says it this way: "Christmas means that, through the grace of God and the incarnation, peace with God is available; and if you make peace with God, then you can go out and make peace with everybody else." o So, this peace is peace with God, a relationship with God, only possible through Jesus Christ. o Because Christ reconciles man with God. o That reconciliation begins with repentance, turning from your old ways, and turning towards God. * In fact, Christ began His ministry with a call to repentance. In Matthew 4:17, immediately following the temptation from the devil, Matthew records: 17 FROM THAT TIME JESUS BEGAN TO PREACH, SAYING, "REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND." * In Luke 5, Jesus began calling His first disciples, and this is how Jesus responded to the Pharisees when they questions his call of Matthew: (Luke 5:32) 32 I HAVE NOT COME TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS BUT SINNERS TO REPENTANCE." o As we talked about last week, we must deny ourselves and surrender to God. o The shepherds also remind us to ... * Listen well (vv.15-19) o Verse 15 is evidence of the shepherd's listening well. o They realized that this was not simply something to know, but something to be shared and experienced. o Verse 16 tells us that they left "WITH HASTE" to 1) see what they had been told and 2) to tell others what they had been told and seen. * You know what really struck me about the shepherds leaving in haste? * They left the sheep behind. One of the primary functions of the shepherd was to protect the sheep. * They had so much faith that they knew the proper response was not to stay, but to share. o But why is this important? Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 that people need to hear the Good New, he says it this way: 17 SO FAITH COMES FROM HEARING, AND HEARING THROUGH THE WORD OF CHRIST. o The Gospel of Jesus is a story to share and to receive, to ponder, like Mary in verse 19. That word and phrase means to put things into context, to connect with the message. o It's about personal study of the words and phrases. Asking, what does this mean? How does this apply to my life? My situation? How does this fit with the rest of the Bible? o Think about it. Mary already heard it from Gabriel, now she's hearing it from a bunch of smelly shepherds. o In his book, Keller reminds us that the message is more important than the messenger. o If you think about today, how do we receive the message? From ordinary people like me, by faithful Christians who share their faith with others, and from an ancient book. o The message is more important than the messenger. God can use whoever He chooses. o Finally, we look to the shepherds and their example in how to respond to the Good News: * Glorify and praise God (vv.9,20) o I haven't talked about this term "glory" yet, and I won't spend too much time on it, but it is a very important term. In this passage, we first see it in verse 9 where the glory of the Lord shone around the angel and the shepherds. o Here's a quick and easy definition of what the "glory of God" means: It could refer to the display of his magnificence. It could also mean praise and honor being showered upon his great name. o The Hebrew meaning of "glory" stems from a root that means "weight" or "heaviness." Depending on its form, it could have the sense of "honorable," "dignified," "exalted," or "revered." o The Greek word used refers to an "opinion," "conjecture," "repute," "praise," or "fame." * But former New Testament professor Sverre Aalen believes that the word took on the same meaning of the Hebrew word. o In the Old Testament, we see many examples of the glory of God manifested. Here are some notable examples: * We see the glory of God at Mount Sinai when Moses received the Law. * We also know that the Glory of God was present at the Temple. * But Ezekiel 8-11 tells us that the Glory of God departed from the Temple, and we do not really see it reappear until this account. o So, what does that tell us? In the New Testament, the glory of God is revealed in Jesus Christ. * Here are a couple of examples: in John 1:14, John writes: 14 AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US, AND WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY, GLORY AS OF THE ONLY SON FROM THE FATHER, FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH. * In Hebrews 1:3, the writer proclaims: 3 HE IS THE RADIANCE OF THE GLORY OF GOD AND THE EXACT IMPRINT OF HIS NATURE, AND HE UPHOLDS THE UNIVERSE BY THE WORD OF HIS POWER. AFTER MAKING PURIFICATION FOR SINS, HE SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MAJESTY ON HIGH, o This means that the general purpose of God's glory is to draw our attention to Him. o So, when we glorify God, we're acting, living, and proclaiming Christ in a way that draws attention to the Father and the saving faith needed in Christ Jesus. o Christ has been revealed to us, in the process of a miraculous gift and through witnesses such as these Shepherds. o And as did the Shepherds, once we encounter Jesus, we glorify Him and praise Him. This is why I said earlier that: Having faith like the shepherds means that I listen and act according to the Word of God. I think this encounter of the Good News of Jesus to the shepherds rival that of the two disciples in Luke 24 who heard from Christ Himself what the Scriptures said about Him. Or the Ethiopian Eunuch who heard the Good News from Philip in Acts 8. Why? Because they all immediately acted, once they encountered the Good News. They lived out their faith with awe and wonder, with glory and praise. We too, should do the same. Because even during the business of the season, and even some of the heartache of the season, we were reminded today that a Savior was born. We were reminded today along with some humble shepherds that we've been gifted with that Good News and should respond in a way that brings God glory and praise. Will you respond that way today? Let's Pray. 2