The Angel’s Song - Luke 2:8-14

INTRO

Ryan

LOOK WHAT GOD HAS DONE

Use to be in a Christian metal band.

So when I was 19 years old and I got the invite to my first pastorate I was a bit nervous.

So naturally I listened to some hype up music.

Sweet old lady saw me and gave me a strange look. Never said anything else about it.

We come to the ultimate hype song, sung by a celestial choir announcing the birth of Jesus to the most unlikely group.

Today as we look at this extremely well known song I hope to peel back layers that will stir your heart to worship.

Because really this is a stunning moment.

Here is what I want you to catch this morning.

Big Idea: In Christ we find our peace with God

Keep that at the forefront of your mind.

Let’s go to the text together and look first at the shepherds

1. The Shepherd (v.8-9)

Luke 2:8–9 (ESV)

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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.

Looking at the stars in a field with Bobby when Headlights went by.

Now imagine these Shepherds.

On that cold, wintry night, these shepherds were gathered around their fire, under a sky of twinkling stars.

Suddenly, their humble setting is transformed as a brilliant light breaks through the darkness, and an angel appears before them.

Despite the angel's reassuring words, the shepherds are filled with fear at this heavenly sight.

This moment holds profound significance:

But why these shepherds?

It is to these simple shepherds, not to the powerful or elite, that the news of the Christ's birth was first announced.

In their society, shepherds were often looked down upon, even considered dishonest, ranking just above lepers in respectability.

They were ceremonially unclean.

Yet, these were the men chosen to watch over the animals destined for temple sacrifices.

This tells us something profound about God's way: God comes only to those who sense their need.

He does not come to the self-sufficient.

The gospel is for those who know they need Jesus!

Do you see that?

He comes to the lowest, the least, the unlikely.

1 Corinthians 1:26–28 (ESV)

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,

Christmas has a way of reminding of the simple hope of the gospel.

That we are broken and in need.

Part of our indifference towards the needy is a false view of who really are.

Tony Merida at a pastor’s conference with David Platt - We should be in hell bro.

Here are a group of scummy men.

The kind you lock your door when you drive by.

God send’s his angel to them.

Not to pronounce judgement, but good news.

But that isn't the only reason he came to shepherds. Think of the sheep they were caring for.

Temple sheep

Jesus would replace this temporary sacrifices.

Mary had a little lamb

Not only that but the theme of Shepherds are throughout the Bible.

You don’t have to go very far into the book of Genesis before you meet Abel.

And Abel was a shepherd and Abel laid down his life.

I wonder if God isn't saying to us as we look at the shepherds in the Bible.

That's my son……He's going to lay down his life as

Cain killed Abel. So the self-righteous Pharisees of Jesus day would kill him.

You move along. You come to Abraham.

He was a shepherd.

He had great flocks and herds.

And Abraham left home to obey God.

And Jesus Christ the shepherd left home to obey God.

Isaac was a shepherd, and Isaac was willing to lay down his life in obedience to his father.

And Jesus was a shepherd, and like Isaac, he was willing to lay down his life in obedience to the Father.

You move down the ranks and you find Moses.

Moses was a shepherd.

He began as a Prince.

He became a shepherd, and God came to Moses and said, Moses, you're going to be the deliverer.

And Jesus the shepherd was the deliverer.

Moses slaughtered some lambs and Israel had an exodus from Egypt.

Jesus gave his own blood, and we are now experiencing that marvelous exodus out of the power of Satan and the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God's dear son.

David was a shepherd, and David speaks to us of the power and the victory of God.

Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands.

So as you read the Old Testament Scriptures, wherever you turn you meet shepherds, a shepherd who is slain by the enemy, a shepherd who leaves home, a shepherd who willingly gives his life,

a shepherd who leads a redemption, a shepherd who is a great conqueror.

And all of these point to Jesus Christ.

And so God the Father said to the angels, go find yourself some shepherds.

That's what my son is, the goods shepherd.

Let’s look at the text and see what that sign these shepherd should seek.

2. The Sign (v.10-12)

Luke 2:10–12 (ESV)

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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Consider the angel's message to the shepherds, a message that echoes through time to us today:

'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord' (Luke 2:10-11).

This wasn't just news for those shepherds; it was an announcement for us all, a promise of a Savior who would change everything.

This Savior, Jesus Christ, came to us in the most humble form – as a human, just like us, yet without sin.

Through His life, He experienced all the trials and temptations we face but overcame them all (Hebrews 5:8-9; Matthew 4:1-11).

He walked this earth not just as God, but as a man who understands our struggles, our pains.

And then, in the ultimate act of love and sacrifice, Jesus took our sins upon Himself.

He became sin for us so that we could be freed from its grip (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Consider this sign.

Look back at the beginning of Luke 2 with me

Luke 2:1–4 (ESV)

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 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,

Jesus is born in Bethlehem.

Perfect that is where the Messiah, the Christ is supposed to be.

Where will they find him?

In a stinking feeding trough in a cave.

What?

If God sovereignly orchestrated a census from Caesar, has all the details worked out so Joseph and Mary are there.

Surely he could have made room at the Inn for them but he doesn't.

Because he plans to go low to pursue the lowest, the least, and unlikely.

The announcement comes to these shepherds.

The savior - your rescuer has come.

He is the Christ - He is the promise Fulfiller

He has come low.

“The Word of the Father, by Whom all time was created, was made flesh and was born in time for us. He, without whose divine permission no day completes its course, wished to have one day set aside for His human birth. In the bosom of His Father, He existed before all the cycles of ages; born of an earthly mother, He entered upon the course of the years on this day. The Maker of man became Man that He, Ruler of the stars, might be nourished at His mother’s breast; that He, the Bread, might hunger; that He, the Fountain, might thirst; that He, the Light, might sleep; that He, the Way, might be wearied by the journey; that He, the Truth, might be accused by false witnesses; that He, the Judge of the living and the dead, might be brought to trial by a mortal judge; that He, Justice, might be condemned by the unjust; that He, Discipline, might be scourged with whips; that He, the Foundation, might be suspended upon a cross; that Courage might be weakened; that Healer might be wounded; that Life might die. _Augustine

2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

ILLUSTRATION

There was a farmer who had some puppies for sale.

He made a sign advertising the pups and nailed it to a post on the edge of his yard.

As he was nailing the sign to the post, he felt a tug on his overalls.

He looked down to see a little boy with a big grin and something in his hand.

"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal."

The boy dropped his head for a moment, then looked back up at the farmer and said, "I've got a few dollars. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer, and with that he whistled and called out, "Dolly. Here, Dolly."

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy's eyes danced with delight.

Then out from the doghouse peeked another little ball; this one noticeably smaller.

Down the ramp it slid and began hobbling in an unrewarded attempt to catch up with the others.

The pup was clearly the runt of the litter.

The little boy pressed his face to the fence and cried out, "I want that one," pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you the way you would like.

With that the boy reached down and slowly pulled up one leg of his trousers.

In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking up at the farmer, he said, "You see, sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

Never doubt the compassion of Jesus. .

He understands your limitations and brokenness because has put on your flesh.

He became poor so that he could meet us in our spiritual poverty.

The gospel shows us our weakness.

But it doesn’t leave us there but gives us a high priest who meets us with healing in his wings.

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

All of this leads the grand moment when praise bursts forth

3. The Song (v.13-14)

Luke 2:13–14 (ESV)

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

A great company” is literally “a multitude”—not fifty, not 150, not 1,500—but beyond count.

I think every one of God’s angels was there because this was the most amazing event that had ever happened in the entire universe

Milton imagined them in serried ranks:

The helmed cherubim

And sworded seraphim,

In glittering ranks with wings displayed.…

The stars with deep amaze

Stand fixed in steadfast gaze.

Can you imagine the splendor that stretched across the sky?

This was the refrain of the song

1. God is worth all your glory

This is why we exist y’all

To glorify God means to honor and praise Him.

We do this because God is truly glorious.

In other words, He is great and magnificent!

His nature and deeds are beyond compare.

The Bible tells us in Psalm 111:3

Psalm 111:3 (ESV)

Full of splendor and majesty is his work,

and his righteousness endures forever.

When we glorify God, we are recognizing and celebrating His greatness and magnificence.

Giving God glory is about directing our praise, love, thanksgiving, and worship only to Him.

He alone is worthy of such honor.

So, when we glorify God, we're acknowledging His unmatched splendor and lifting Him up in our hearts and through our words, through our lives.

The angels are singing because what was happening was the greatest moment in all of history.

God was putting on flesh.

ILLUSTRATION

It was a raw winter night when a farmer heard an irregular thumping sound against the kitchen storm door.

He went to a window and watched as tiny, shivering sparrows, attracted to the evident warmth inside, beat in vain against the glass.

Touched, the farmer bundled up and trudged through fresh snow to open the barn for the struggling birds.

He turned on the lights, tossed some hay in a corner, and sprinkled a trail of saltine crackers to direct them to the barn.

But the sparrows, which had scattered in all directions when he emerged from the house, still hid in the darkness, afraid of him.

He tried various tactics: circling behind the birds to drive them toward the barn, tossing cracker crumbs in the air toward them, retreating to his house to see if they'd flutter into the barn on their own.

Nothing worked.

He, a huge alien creature, had terrified them; the birds could not understand that he actually desired to help.

He withdrew to his house and watched the doomed sparrows through a window.

As he stared, a thought hit him like lightning:

If only I could become a bird— one of them —just for a moment.

Then I wouldn't frighten them so.

I could show them the way to warmth and safety.

At the same moment, he saw the glow of his Christmas tree another thought dawned on him.

He had grasped the whole principle of the Incarnation.

A man's becoming a bird is nothing compared to God's becoming a man.

The concept of a sovereign being as big as the universe He created, confining Himself to a human body was-and is too much for some people to believe.

It is glorious.

That is the first part

what is the second part of the refrain?

2. Peace is possible today for all with faith in Jesus

In this time when Jesus was born.

Peace was at the forefront of everyones mind.

To live in the first century world meant to know violence.

For many the hope of peace came in the form of politics.

The angel's pronouncement bears some striking similarities to the way in which Augustus and other Roman emperors were discussed and worshiped in the imperial cult.

Listen to these statements from the 9 BC Calendar Inscription:

Since the goddess Providence, which has ordered all things and is deeply interested in our life, has set in most perfect order by giving us Augustus, whom she filled with virtue that he might benefit humankind, sending him as a savior, both for us and for our descendants, that he might end war and arrange all things, and since he, Caesar, by his appearance (excelled even our anticipations), surpassing all previous benefactors, and not even leaving to posterity any hope of surpassing what he has done, and since the birthday of the god Augustus was the beginning of the good tidings (gospel, good news) for the world that came by reason of him.

Augustus was known for bringing order and peace.

Pax Romana - An empire at peace - was what he was known for.

Epicetus, a first century philosopher rightly nails it though when he said:

“While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief and envy; he cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns for more than even outward peace.” _Epicetus

Caesar Augustus could not transform any of his subjects’ hearts or change any of their eternal futures.

To put it in more modern terms your presidential candidate cannot bring peace to your heart or change your eternal futures.

But, the angels say, this baby could.

Here is an announcement of a peace that goes deep within, and lasts beyond the grave—the peace “for which man yearns.”

The peace of God that invades a life is based on the discovery of peace with God.

This morning maybe you read verse 14 and you don’t feel very pleasing

Do you know what makes you pleasing to God?

The only other place we find the same greek word for whom he is pleased in Luke is over in chapter 10

Luke 10:21 (ESV)

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will (for so it pleased you well).

Footnote : Or for so it pleased you well

What pleases God?

When you come needy like little children.

What does Jesus do?

He takes our brokenness and shame and gives us his righteousness.

So that when God looks at you he sees his beloved son in whom he is well pleased.

God’s peace is given to those who understand the truth about Jesus: that he is the Savior, the Christ, and the Lord.

——-—— ILLUSTRATION

So what does it look like when someone understands Just how low Jesus has come to save and restore.

A pastor shared the story about Joe.

Who was Joe

Joe was a drunk who was miraculously converted at inner city mission.

Prior to meeting Jesus, he had gained the reputation of being a dirty drunk for whom there was no hope, only a miserable existence in the streets.

But after Jesus saved him to a new life with God, everything changed.

Joe became the most caring person that anyone associated with the mission had ever known.

Joe spent his days and nights hanging out at the mission, doing whatever needed to be done.

There was never anything that he was asked to do that he considered beneath him.

Whether it was cleaning up the vomit left by some violently sick alcoholic or scrubbing toilets after careless men left the men's room filthy,

Joe did what was asked with a smile on his face and a seeming gratitude for the chance to help.

He could be counted on to feed feeble men who wandered off the street and into the mission, and to undress and tuck into bed men who were too out of it to take care of themselves.

One evening, when the director of the mission was delivering an evangelistic message to the usual crowd of still and sullen men with drooped heads, there was one man who looked up, came down the aisle to the altar,

and knelt to pray, crying out for God to help him to change.

The repentant drunk kept shouting, "Oh God! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe!

Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe!"

The director of the mission leaned over and said to the man, "Son, I think it would be better if you prayed, "Make me like Jesus.'"

The man looked up at the director with a quizzical expression on his face and asked, "Is he like Joe?"

Joe had found peace in Christ he could never find in his vices.

That kind of peace is contagious.

In Christ we find our peace with God ‌

Do you know this peace that surpasses all understanding?

How do I relate to the least in my own life? Am I aware of the times when God has revealed himself to me in my ordinary moments?

How does the peace of Christ differ from the world's peace? How have I experienced this peace in my own life?

How does my understanding of Jesus' identity as Savior, Christ, and Lord grow as I consider the Christmas story?

What steps can I take to embrace and share the peace and joy that comes from knowing Jesus?