Fear Not: Condemnation (The Shepherds)

Luke 2:8–20 KJV 1900

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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, Good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Beth-lehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

One of the first murder trials I remember as a kid - Timothy McVeigh

Oklahoma City Bombing

The bombing occurred April 19, 1995 - It killed 168 people and injured 684.

Timothy McVeigh was tried and condemned to death by lethal injection.

What does it mean he was “condemned to death?”

It means he was “declared to receive a guilty verdict and sent away from the public to face future punishment.”

Our court system condemns people every day. They declare them to be guilty and cast away from the public.

But there are people in our world today who are condemned by society, yet they were never declared that way in any court of law. They were condemned because of the type of people they are.

Such were the shepherds of the first century: they were the condemned and outcast of society. They were never condemned by a court, yet they were cast away from the public into the dark and lonely hillsides.

Now what comes to our minds when we think of shepherds is a handsome young lad with a fluffy white lamb on his shoulders.

But that’s not how it was…

Shepherds were considered by the religious community to be dishonest and unclean. They were not allowed to go to the synagogue or temple and worship.

They were more than just ceremonially unclean; they were physically unclean. They smelled like sheep.

They were considered to be on the lowest rungs of society: with the tax collectors and dung sweepers.

Shepherds were disqualified from giving testimony in a court of law. Their “testimonies” would be seen as nothing more than rubbish or rumor.

And so…They were cast out of the cities and had to wander with their flocks on the hillsides surrounding the villages.

As I said a few weeks ago, put humanity into the Bible.

Imagine being a shepherd. Imagine the loneliness. Imagine the dirtiness. Imagine how it feels to be forgotten. Imagine how it feels to be insignificant - outside, in the dark, dirty and forgotten.

And yet, some of you here this morning don’t have to imagine too hard. You feel it. You are an outcast from society. You feel forgotten and alone. You know exactly how they felt.

Or maybe you are here and you aren’t an outcast, is this message for you? Yes, absolutely - God wants you to love the outcast and the condemned as much as He does! Isn’t that what the Christmas message is all about? God loves us all.

PROOF THAT GOD LOVES THE CONDEMNED AND OUTCAST:

1. They were the first people He told the good news!

There are many places God could have gone to tell the Good news of the birth of His son.

You would think He would have gone…

To the temple and told the priests.

To Rome and told Caesar Augustus.

To Jerusalem and told Herod.

But God didn’t go first to any of those places. He went to some stinky, outcasts outside Bethlehem.

When a birth happens - You always tell the people that are most important to you, right?

Illustration - When Camden and Kayla were born, I didn’t call my dentist. I didn’t call my hairdresser. No, I called my parents!

God shows how much he loves this group of people by telling them FIRST!

SO WHAT WAS THIS GOOD NEWS?

God makes it clear that this good news isn’t just for them. Yes, He was telling them first. But this good news was for ALL PEOPLE.

This news was for the shepherd sitting in the dark as much as it was for Caesar sitting on His throne. This message is good news for all!

For unto you is born this day…

“A Savior” - Someone who will save us. Save us from what? Our own sin and disobedience.

“Messiah” - The long awaited Jewish Messiah had come. The one foretold for ages had now arrived.

“The Lord” -Master over all creation, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

2. They were the first people to see the good news!

There has always been some debate on some of the aspects of the Christmas story.

Was it a cave or a barn that Jesus was born into?

How long later did the wisemen show up? What house were they in?

But there is no question among anybody that the first people that actually got to SEE the good news made flesh was.

Now I want you to think of how ironic this was.

If these shepherds were surrounding Bethlehem, then they were raising sheep for only one purpose - to raise them up so they could be sacrificial animals. After all, Jerusalem was only 10 miles away. They were literally raising the sacrificial animals.

And night after night they looked at those sacrificial animals. And they thought day after day of what was going to eventually happen to them.

And NOW, they are in Bethlehem, and they get to see the sacrificial Lamb that will end all sacrifices.

3. They were the first evangelists He sent with the good news!

Vv. 17 makes it clear they went out and shared with everyone they could about the birth of the Christ Child!

Now I want to remind you of something I said earlier - shepherds were unable to give testimony in a court of law. And yet, God chose them to give the first testimony of Jesus’ birth to those in the surrounding areas.

Why were they sharing? They were so excited they couldn’t keep it in..

Maybe this Christmas we have lost the wonder of the whole Christmas story. Maybe that’s why we are not sharing the Gospel anymore.

I pray this year you are invigorated to share once again the exciting good news for all people!

CLOSING THOUGHT:

God doesn’t condemn; He invites.

Jesus had many opportunities in His life to condemn sinners, yet He didn’t take a single one. Every time He invited them to a new way of life.

Think first of all of the shepherds - he didn’t condemn them, He invited them to participate in the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Think of the woman caught in adultery - When Jesus stood up, He said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 "No one, Lord," she answered. "Neither do I condemn you," said Jesus.

Think of the woman at the well - Jesus didn’t condemn her, he invited her to partake of the living water.

Jesus Himself said He didn’t come to condemn

John 3:17 CSB

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Some of you are thinking - “Well if God doesn’t condemn, then is this preacher saying no one goes to hell?”

That is not at all what I am saying. What I am saying it God doesn’t condemn you; you condemn yourself.

That’s exactly what Jesus said in John 3:18

John 3:18 CSB

18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

This morning - you have the gift of a full pardon. You can choose to accept it or reject it. The choice is completely yours. You do not have to be condemned to eternity without God. But you have to accept the pardon.

Let me relate it in a story.

On December 6, 1829, two men, George Wilson and James Porter, robbed a United States mail carrier in Pennsylvania. Both men were subsequently captured and tried. On May 1, 1830 both men were found guilty of six indictments which included robbery of the mail “and putting the life of the driver in jeopardy.” On May 27th both George Wilson and James Porter received their sentences: Execution by hanging. The sentences were to be carried out on July 2nd, 1830.

James Porter was executed on schedule. George Wilson was not. Shortly before the set date a number of Wilson’s influential friends pleaded for mercy to the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, on behalf of their friend.

President Jackson issued a formal pardon. The charges resulting in the death sentence were completely dropped. Wilson would have to serve only a prison term of twenty years for his other crimes.

According to the official report, The United States Versus George Wilson (Peters 7 Report Sections 150-163) Wilson was returned to court as they attempted to “force” the pardon on him. It is recorded that George Wilson chose to: “… waive and decline any advantage or protection which might be supposed to arise from the pardon referred to.”

Incredibly, George Wilson Refused the Pardon

The case reached the Supreme Court. The Attorney-General made the following comments:

“The court cannot give the prisoner the benefit of the pardon, unless he claims the benefit of it.”

In other words, George Wilson committed a crime. He was tried and found guilty. He was sentenced to be executed. A presidential decree granted him a full pardon. But George Wilson chose rather to refuse that pardon. The courts concluded that the pardon could not be forced upon him.

Some of you here may think - How foolish? George Wilson, a condemned man refusing a pardon?!

And yet how foolish many of you are here this morning. You are offered a full pardon from the Lord and you reject it.

My advice: Don’t be condemned any longer. Accept the pardon.

And when you do accept the pardon, you will understand what we are saying when we sing:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.