Wanting Them to Know

Opening Scripture Verse: Mark 9:28–29 “And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.””

Opening Prayer

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-7

Sermon Text: Luke 2:8-20

Prayer

Giving a Gift

Have you ever purchased a gift for someone because you have the same or similar thing and you believed that they will like it as you do (i.e. Legos)?

When you get a Christmas gift for someone, you are excited for them to know what it is.

Giving the Truth

Giving a gift is like giving the truth.

If we believe that the gospel is true, then we should want others also to believe that the gospel is true.

Which means that if we have relationships with unbelievers, we will not only want them to believe, but we will also want to tell them the truth.

That is one of the main reminders this text should bring us to.

Luke gave the truth to Theophilus.

This passage and Luke’s record of this event fits into the overall purpose of the entire book (Luke 1:1-4), and also the entire corpus of Luke (Luke - Acts).

Basically, Luke wanted Theophilus to know the truth (Luke 1:4). What truth? The truth of the gospel or the good news about Jesus Christ (because this is what he recorded for him).

Why? Certainly not to reject it, but to believe it - either initially, or continually.

What Luke wants for one person who reads his gospel record is the same thing he wants for any other readers of his gospel record.

So what is the truth to believe in Luke’s record of Christ’s birth here in this text?

Two summary truths about this event that I want to highlight...

This event was truly spectacular!

What details (highlighted by Luke) make this event so spectacular (striking, sensational, impressive, dramatic, amazing, astonishing, breathtaking)?

The angel of the Lord (v. 9).

A messenger of God from heaven.

So these messengers are not from this world or of this world. They are in no way normal or natural by human or earthly standards. Their existence and presence is beyond reason and supernatural, and therefore wonderful and awe inspiring to the extreme.

In fact, they are representatives of direct revelation from God to mankind, which in itself is rare, special, amazing, and more serious by far than anything else that could be known or seen or heard.

The glory of the Lord (v. 9).

Some glowing brightness/light in the night (v. 8) that could only come from God Himself (the same word for “shone around” is used in Acts 26:13 “At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.”).

Naturally the shepherds were afraid. This could only be explained by someone sent from God (if it were God they would have already been dead). And their gut reaction/impulse revealed their awareness of their own ungodliness (sinful, unholy, undeserving of God’s attention unless it be for destruction).

The heavenly host (v. 13)

“Suddenly” - unexpectedly, immediately, at once - “boom”

Which is probably a way of referring to an army of angels.

How many? (“multitude” - great, crowd, large number) Hundreds? Thousands? When you are just a small group looking in awe at an army of angels, they would be uncountable and quite overwhelming.

Then imagine how their audible praising (v. 14) in unison would thunder out and penetrate their soul. This was beyond imagination.

So this was spectacular! But...It was real! Not a scene in a movie; not a story in a book; not CGI; not special effects; not figurative language. Luke wanted Theophilus to know/believe that this truly spectacular event truly did happen! Luke believed it, and he wanted others to believe it, and he had this opportunity to tell it to Theophilus.

So, the first summary truth about this event is that it was truly spectacular.

Second...

This event was truly significant!

What details (highlighted by Luke) make this event so significant (meaningful, important, worth your attention, and more than that…worth your belief)?

The message is significant.

Because of Who it is about (v. 11)...

Savior - this is what Caesar was known as in that day in a political/national sense, but it is only true in an eternal sense of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”). This is the greatest need of all people.

Christ - the Messiah/anointed/chosen one whose coming for salvation with God’s authority was predicted throughout the OT.

Lord - He is the master of all people/things in the same sense/way that God is the master of all people/things. This was Israel’s title for God alone. Luke already used this title for God (a couple of them could also be for Jesus) about 17 times (here alone in verses 9, 11, and 15). Some other examples include...

Luke 1:6 “And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.”

Luke 1:9 “according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.”

Luke 1:11 “And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.”

Luke 1:32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,”

Luke 1:42–45 “and she [Elizabeth] exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.””

Luke 1:16–17 “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.””

Luke 2:26 “And it had been revealed to him [Simeon] by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” (ESV, NASB, and NKJV)

Because of what it means for those who accept it...

Joy (v. 10) - for THE people. What people? HIS people. The message of verse 11 will give joy to those who accept/believe/embrace it.

Peace (v. 14) - from God with God (Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”)

All people need THE Saviour - Christ the Lord. Not all will believe, but…all those who do believe will have their greatest need met , and all those who do not believe will not have their greatest need met.

The shepherds responded to it’s significance.

In the beginning they were afraid.

Then they wanted to know (vv. 15-16).

In the end they wanted other people to know (vv. 17-18).

Just like Luke wanted Theophilus to know - Luke wanted Theophilus to know/believe that this truly significant event is truly important for him to know (to know that it’s true and that it applies to him)!

Giving the Truth

If we believe that the gospel is true, then we should want others also to believe that the gospel is true.

Which means that if we have relationships with unbelievers, we will not only want them to believe, but we will also want to tell them the truth.

Do you believe that this happened?

Do you believe that it applies to you?

Do you want others to believe?

Who?

Who?

This is something that I struggled with during my sabbatical.

Because we should want to grow primarily through RELATIONAL evangelism.

Do I really want that? Yes! BUT, WHO do I want that for?

Who do I want to know/believe the truth?

Let’s praying for them.

Benediction:

2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”