Angels & Shepherds Glorify God

a) We’re continuing in our Advents series called Silence Broken. Before Advent we walked through the book of Malachi. We saw that God’s people were back in the promised land after exile, but they were struggling economically & politically. There was no Davidic King ruling over Israel.

b) And we also saw God’s people struggling spiritually. But in the midst of those struggles, God sent Malachi to give His people hope. Malachi declared the messenger of the covenant, God Himself, was coming. But what followed that great promise & hope was over 400 years of silence.

c) No prophets. No inspired Scripture. No visions, dreams or theophanies. Just silence & waiting. But over the last few weeks, to prepare our hearts for Xmas, we’ve been looking at Luke’s gospel to see how those long years of waiting & silence finally came to an end.

d) We saw the angel Gabriel come to a priest named Zechariah in the temple & then to Mary, who he said would give birth to the Lord Jesus. And we saw their response to the years of silence being broken. We saw Mary magnify the Lord & Zechariah bless the Lord for this coming child.

e) This is the 3rd Sunday of Advent which focuses on the theme of joy. Today we are going to see a 3rd response to the silence being broken by angels & shepherds who announce the good news of Jesus’ birth. W/ that background, let’s now hear God’s holy word in Luke 2:1-21. READ & PRAY

I’ve titled today’s sermon: “Angels & Shepherds Glorify the Lord”

a) Luke begins his account of Jesus’ birth by speaking of the Roman Empire. He says at that time Caesar Augustus was the Emperor & Quirinius was the governor of Syria. Notice Luke’s telling us about real people in real places. Luke doesn’t begin by saying: “Once upon a time.”

b) This isn’t a myth or a fairytale. Luke says at the beginning of his gospel that he’s writing a narrative of the things that happened among us. He’s sharing eyewitness information. He’s writing an orderly account of what happened so we might have certainty about these things.

c) So Luke begins Ch. 2 & the announcement of Jesus’ birth w/ the details of the people, places & events that were taking place. He’s showing that the birth of Jesus happened on a real day in history. And notice Luke begins by telling us about 2 very different kings.

d) 1 king sits on an earthly throne. He is the ruler & emperor of Rome, who was the greatest power on the face of the earth at that time. But the 2nd king isn’t sitting on a throne. He comes as a baby boy wrapped in swaddling cloths & lying in a manger, but He will rule over Rome & over all things.

e) But this earthly king, Caesar Augustus, the most powerful man in the world at that time, issued a decree that everyone must return to their hometown & register for a census. Now the purpose of that census was so each person could be taxed by the Roman Empire.

f) See, while this earthly king oppressively ruled over his subjects, the King of Kings was coming into the world to deliver His people from oppression. This King came to serve & give. But God uses this earthly king & his decree to fulfill His plan & purposes foretold by His prophets.

g) 400 years before Jesus’ birth, God declared in Mic. 5:2 the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

h) Joseph & Mary lived in Nazareth, but God used this census to bring them to Bethlehem. V4 says Joseph went up from Nazareth b/c Bethlehem lies on a mountain 2,654 feet high. And Luke tells us  that Jesus is born where no child should be in v6–7.

i) The God of the universe, who took on flesh & became like us, was laid in an animal’s feeding trough. There is no glory in that. Nothing about this scene of Jesus’ birth in v6-7 screams “glory.” We don’t see glory until v8-9 tell us that an angel appeared to shepherds out in the field at night.

j) Here’s what you need to know about shepherds in that day. They weren’t well thought of, nor held in high regard. Shepherds couldn’t observe Israel’s ceremonial laws. They were seen as being on par w/ tax collectors. They were considered unreliable & couldn’t give testimony in the law courts.

k) Shepherds were a lowly, despised people. But Luke says in v9: “an angel of the Lord appeared to them & the glory of the Lord shone around them.” Shepherds typically divided the night into various watches & took turns watching the sheep. So, most of the shepherds were probably asleep.

l) It would’ve been extremely dark & quiet. Now I don’t know if you’ve spent a lot of time in the country, but it gets dark. (Story of Estes Park) Now imagine it being that dark & then suddenly an angel & the glory of the Lord appears. v9 says these shepherds were rightfully filled w/ great fear.

m) Once again we see the upside-down nature of God’s kingdom. Lowly shepherds are the 1stto receive the good news of Jesus’ birth. Look at v11-12: “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 & lying in a manger.”

n) Now this is the only time in the Gospels all of these titles are used together. Savior, Christ, Lord. But when the angel finished declaring this good news to the shepherds, Luke says in v13 an angelic choir suddenly appeared.

And that leads to our 1st response to this good news of great joy, as the angelic choir glorifies God

a) v14 says a multitude of angels declared: “Glory to God in the highest & on earth peace among those w/ whom he is pleased!” Now notice, these angels are called a multitude of the heavenly host, which refers to an army. Luke presents these angels as mighty warriors preparing for battle.

b) What does this army announce? Their mighty King has come. They praise God b/c they’re convinced He has come to win the battle. They proclaim His victory before His mission begins. They sing Glory to God in the highest & on earth peace among those w/ whom He is pleased.

c) The coming of this child will be the greatest revelation of God’s glory. And the coming of this child will also bring peace to God’s people. Those are the 2 great purposes for the coming of Jesus: God’s glory & God’s peace. His glory, our peace. His greatness, our joy.

d) God created us & sent His Son to redeem us for His own glory. God sent His Son to redeem a people for Himself so we might glorify & praise Him now & forever. See, left in our sin nature we are consumed w/ pursuing our own glory. The wisdom of the world declares: “My will be done!” The wisdom of this world tells us: “Pursue your own glory.”

e) But this pursuit of our own will & glory cannot & will not bring true peace. But this host of heaven sings b/c the eternal Son of God took on flesh in the person of Jesus. They sing b/c this baby lying in a manger had come to bring glory to God & peace to those the Father had given Him.

f) This child would live for God’s glory. This child would do what Adam & Noah & Abraham & all of humanity failed to do: to perfectly image & reflect God’s glory. To perfectly live for God’s glory. But this child also came into the world for another reason. To bring us peace.

g) He came to bring peace between God & man. This child was born to die. This child came to live the perfect life God requires of us & to be the perfect sacrifice for us & our sin. This child came into the world & laid down His glory to pursue His Father’s glory & to secure peace for His people

h) And this causes the multitude of the heavenly host to declare: “Glory to God in the highest & on earth peace among those w/ whom He is well pleased!” As those who know the Savior has come, let’s join the heavenly host this Xmas season & declare to all: glory to God & peace on earth.

Here’s the 2nd response we see to this good news of great joy, as the shepherds glorify God

a) Luke says when the angelic choir went away, the shepherds said to 1 another in v15: “Let us go over to Bethlehem & see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” Notice, they don’t say what the angel made known to us, but what the Lord has made known to us.

b) And v16 says they went w/ haste to Bethlehem. And when they found Mary & Joseph & the sign the angel gave them: a baby lying in a manger – they made known what the angel told them. Don’t miss their 1st response to this good news of great joy. 1st they came to Jesus.

c) But 2nd, they didn’t just try to live a good life after the angel’s announcement. Nor did they wait for people to come & ask them what they’d seen & heard & what had been made known to them. They went. They opened their mouths. They told everyone they could about this good news of great joy.

d) And Luke reports in v18 that all who heard the shepherd’s testimony marveled. Now think about what I said earlier. Shepherds weren’t well regarded. Their testimony wasn’t even admissible in a court of law. But God used them to testify to this good news of great joy.

e) Friends, God doesn’t need perfect vessels to deliver His message. He needs willing vessels. He doesn’t need people who have all the answers to every possible question someone might ask. He just needs those who’ve come to Jesus & those who will share what has been made known to them.

f) Like these shepherds we should go in haste to tell everyone the Savior, Christ the Lord has come. Look at v20: “And the shepherds returned, glorifying & praising God for all they had heard & seen, as it had been told them.” The shepherds went back to where they lived, worked & played.

g) They glorified & praised God. Why? Notice the personal nature of what the angel told them in v10. “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.” They knew the Savior came for them. They weren’t just observers of His birth, but objects of God’s love & redeeming work. The message of Xmas is Jesus hasn’t come for perfect people, but broken sinners.

h) Remember what Jesus said in Mk 2:17 when He was charged w/ eating w/ tax collectors & sinners? “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” The angel told the shepherds in v10: “Fear not.”

i) Jesus’ 1st coming or advent was not to bring fear, but good news of great joy. But the message of Xmas is also that Jesus is coming again. And on that day, all who’ve rejected Him as Savior & Lord will be filled w/ fear. But these shepherds praised & glorified God b/c today was not that day.

j) It was not a day of fear, but a day of joy. Jesus came to do for them & for us what we could not do for ourselves. He came to take away our condemnation & to give us His righteousness so we might have peace. So we might be accepted by God. So we too might be God’s beloved children.  

k) In Christ, we are not accepted based on who we are & what we’ve done. We are accepted based on who Jesus is & what He’s done. All who come to Jesus as Savior, Christ & Lord no longer have to fear being rejected by God. And that’s b/c Jesus was rejected by His Father for us.

l) Until Christ returns or calls us home we will sin & fall short of God’s glory. But united to Christ by faith, we are forgiven, pardoned & accepted. Why did these shepherds glorify & praise God? B/c the child born of the virgin came to save them.

m) So let’s join the shepherds this Christmas season in glorifying & praising God, who has given us the greatest gift: taking away our fear & bringing us joy & peace in believing.  

But there’s 1 last response I don’t want us to miss in v19. Notice Mary’s response to this good news

a) v19 says: “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Now if you look ahead to v51, Luke repeats that same phrase. He says when Jesus was 12 years old, his family (which would’ve included his extended family) went to Jerusalem to observe the Passover.

b) But when Passover ended & the family began heading back to Nazareth, Jesus stayed behind. Luke tells us that at 1st, Mary & Joseph assumed he was w/ them. But after a days journey, when they realized Jesus was not w/ them, they returned to Jerusalem & searched for Him for 3 days.

c) On the 3rd day, they found Him in the temple sitting among the teachers listening to them & asking them questions. And Luke says all who heard Jesus were amazed at his understanding & answers. Then at the end of v51 Luke repeats: “And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”

d) All that Mary saw & heard, she treasured & pondered. When Jesus was born, Mary treasured up & pondered these things in her heart. When Jesus was 12yo, Mary treasured & pondered these things. And Mary pondered all these things as she stood at the foot of the cross & saw her son crucified.  

e) But don’t miss this dear friends. She pondered all these things for 3 days. Once again, Jesus was missing for 3 days. But when Sunday came, 3 days later, He rose from the grave. Not in swaddling cloths, but in power & glory. Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

f) To treasure something means to prize them. To think & meditate on them. This Xmas season, let’s join Mary in treasuring & pondering these things in our hearts. God’s promises. God’s purposes.

g) God’s plan. God’s Son. God’s salvation. God’s glory. That we have peace w/ God.

Let me end this way. What is your response to Jesus & the good news of great joy?

a) See, Luke tells us many of the people who heard the shepherd’s testimony were fascinated at 1st. They wondered. But if you read the rest of Luke’s gospel you’ll see many of those same people

who heard this good news weren’t changed by it. They didn’t glorify & praise God for it.

b) They didn’t ponder & treasure up these things in their hearts. And years later when Jesus grew in stature & wisdom & went public w/ His ministry, they rejected Him as Savior, Christ & Lord. Their response to Him was: “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Their response was to mock & reject Him.

c) See, all of us must answer the question Jesus asked His disciples in Lk. 9:20: “who do you say that I am?” God’s gift of peace will come not to all humanity, but only to those w/ whom God is pleased. And Heb. 11:6 tell us: “w/o faith it is impossible to please God.”

d) Xmas & this good news of great joy does not bring peace to all. It is proclaimed to all, but it only brings peace to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know Jesus as your Lord & Savior? If not, I exhort you this Xmas season to come to Jesus just like the shepherds did.

e) Look to Him. Call upon His name. And if you’ve already come to Jesus, I pray this Xmas season God would restore to you the joy of your salvation. I pray you would join the angels & shepherds in praising & glorifying God & sharing this good news of great joy w/ others.

f) I pray you would join Mary in pondering & treasuring our God & Savior & all that He’s done for you. “Glory to God in the highest & on earth peace among those w/ whom He is well pleased.”   Let’s pray.