Advent 2025 - Part 4 - The Promise arrives for Everyone.

GREET EVERYONE-

If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.

PASTOR INVITES

BIBLE READ through

Christmas Eve

ADVENT INTRO

Welcome to THE season of Advent our season of Arrival -

For the Past 3 Sundays and again today we have taken this season to join the millions of other believers throughout the world and the hundreds of millions of believers who for the last 1800 years or so To walk together in the season of Arrival - The Season of Advent.

A season where we celebrate the promise of the Arrival of HOPE - The Arrival of PEACE - The Arrival of JOY and the Arrival of LOVE into the brokenness of our world. The Promise of all of this that comes with a promise of return.

We join the rest in our setting aside this season of Arrival this season of Advent to prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of the day when in fact God came in the flesh and was born of a virgin to dwell with us - Emmanuel.

The Promise that was Made - The Promise that was foretold - The Promise that came through obedience - The Promised Fulfilled - The Promise that will return.

LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND

Open it to The Gospel of Luke and Chapter 2 today as we look at the arrival of the Promise of God, this good news of great joy that came for everyone.

PRAYER OVER SERIES

Is and will be that as we walk through the messages of Advent that three things would happen to us.

One that we would be deeply reminded of the Love of God - The Love that God has for us who believe and his deep love for the whole world and everyone in it.

and

TWO that we would experience a deep and intense renewal of the Gospel in our hearts.

THREE - That as we are reminded of Gods love for His church and for all of humanity - And as we experience a deep and intense Gospel Renewal. That we would it would be so powerful in our lives that we would live it out, walk it out as never before.

Living for the Child in the manger because the REASON for HIs arrival - is He is the one who died and was raised.

PRAYER OVER MESSAGE

IS that we would come to KNOW that through the message of the Angels to the Shepherds - and the Fact that God used Shepherds - First century Shepherds as the Birth Announcement Platform of Jesus

That we would all come to know that this Good news of Great Joy is for All people. And the Gospel would be renewed in us.

As as we ponder on the depth of what “all people” really means - The Love of God would become incredible to us

And Realize what the depth of what ALL PEOPLE means in our culture becasue of the Shepherds

As we understand and realize this we would get a glimpse of the phenomenal endless love of God.

And in the midst of the tinsel and decorations - In the shine of the lights an the presents - the among family, and the fun and the depth of emotions this season can bring for many -

I Pray all of us WILL be INCREDIBLY renewed that this Good news of Great Joy, This gift, this beautiful gift, was Given to the World, Sent from Heaven - And it is a gift that is absolutely for Anyone and Everyone.

ENGAGEMENT –

Gifts - Man o Man what a time of year it is for Gifts.

I think sometimes we can get pretty sinical about the commercialization of Christmas -

And in all of that I think Everyone can so easily get distracted with all of the things that happen and go on around Christmas Day.

And we have all been there and will probably go back there - Christmas Morning - For most of us - Its a time of Gathering - Gathering with friends - Gathering with Family - and all of us, if we life long enough will also be gathering with memories of people who are no longer there.

The Christmas Tree - or Christmas morning or Sometime on Christmas Day when everyone gathers. There will be gifts that are exchanged

I always found something strange about Christmas morning when I was growing up.

Everyone Got at least ONE gift -

In fact My grand mother and I think my mothers still does it to this day - What they would do, is they would purchase extra gifts - wrap them and place them under the tree -

We actually used to thing those were empty boxes mom wrapped just for decoration.

But what we found out was they were filled with gifts - A picture frame - Something for the Shelf - A usable kitchen item - Something small but something useful -

Here is what my mom and Gmom used to do with them - And this is how we figured out they were not empty boxes.

IF and when (and it happened often) an unexpected guest came to Christmas Dinner - then mom or gmom would take one of those extra gifts and give it to the visitor.

It did not matter who that person was - If mom or gmom knew that person - Mom made sure they got a gift for Christmas.

When I was Sr in High School - I was dating this lady - My mom did not like her at all - She wanted me as far away from this girl as humanly possible - and she was totally and complete right in her reasons Why.

But what this girl showed up at my moms house for Christmas time - Mom made sure she had a gift -

And I never really understood why Mom and Gmom used to do that.

Especially with people that they did not like at all.

Here is the thing - Christmas Gifts - The Gifts we exchange on Christmas day - they are supposed to represent the Gift of Christmas -

And come to find out my grandmother believed that anyone and everyone deserved a Christmas Gift becasue the gift of Christmas - Jesus - was given by God to anyone and everyone.

TENSION

I mean - Think about it from a very young age we are thought that there are people who deserve a present under the tree and those who don't -

How many of us grew up with the teaching that if we are good and mind our manners and behave ourselves we would get a gift for Christmas - and if we were bad and didn't mind our manners and didn't behave ourselves - we would get a lump of Coal for Christmas -

We all, if not most of us grew up with this Idea of a master list -

Ya know this list -

I mean we all sang the song - He’s makin a list he’s check 'in it twice, He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice.

What happens to us form a very early age is we begin to compare - I'm not as bad as so in so - And at least I didn't do such and such -

Here is another thing that happens - We began at a very early age to separate ourselves and separate other people in to the groups who deserve a gift at Christmas and those that don’t -

Consequently when we arrive into adulthood we then so very easily slip into the very same framework - There are those that deserve and those that don't -

And then we begin to follow Jesus - And the same thing happens to us - Except its just slightly less severe.

We then subconsciously hear in the back of our minds - They do! and so we share - And then we se others and we think in the subconscious they don't and we are silent.

and what we will hear from one of the most familure stories surrounding Jesus Birth - Wrapped in the very birth announcement of Jesus that was first delivered to the lowest of the people on the class order in Jerusalem -

That this Gospel - This good news of Great Joy - Is absolutely for anyone and everyone.

BACKGROUND

Luke - Who, by and through the influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God -

Writes or Compiles what He calls a Narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,

Writing an Orderly account - Derived from the people who were there in the beginning of Jesus time on earth -

Luke writes this to a person he refers to as “most excellent Theophilus.

The Purpose of Luke's putting all of this together was for Theophilus to be certain of the things which Theophilus has been taught.

SO thinking through the question: If Luke was not there in the beginning then How did Luke gather all of this information to put together.

Well He heard Directly from those who were there and wrote it down.

Luke was a medical Dr.

Very will educated for His day - and I imagine being Luke and hearing all the stories - Thought to Himself - I better talk to these people and write their stories down - Almost like and interview.

So He begins His story well before Jesus is Born -

Moves through the conversation with Jesus mother Mary about how she came to be the mom of Jesus and Her conversation with her cousin Elizabeth and all the stuff with her family -

and then gets to the actual birth of Jesus.

That he heard from Mary, Possibly Joseph and very possibly the Shepherds that first heard the news.

UNPACKING

When we get to chapter 2 it begins with a setting of History in actual time

Luke 2:1–3 “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.”

When we read the Gospels we must remember that Luke’s Gospel was written by Luke some where between 30 and 60 years after Jesus was crucified and resurrected - and everyone who was there at the beginning when Jesus was born - was still alive and very possibly connected to the movement when Luke wrote this Autobiography of Jesus life.

The Movement was also known as The Church

So when He is talking to Mary, Elizbeth, Zacharia and here in a minute some shepherds that were there.

They make this general reference. about all of these things happening at the general time frame of a census that Julius Caesar ordered - Caesar ordered several -

This was the first one while a guy names Quirinius was Governor of Syria - Syria is where Luke is from - Antioch in Syria to be exact and Luke would have also been subject to this world wide registration and He would have certainly known about it.

Everybody had to return home -

Including Mary who was with Child -

and the man she was engaged to be married to Joseph.

Just in case we don’t know the rest of this part of the story here it is.

Luke 2:4–7 “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, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

VVS8

Luke 2:8 “And in the same region (Meaning around Bethlehem) there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

Shepherds do what shepherds do.

Here is the interesting thin about shepherds in the days of Jesus.

Shepherds were not well like people in society -

They were loaners - The Shepherds Life was a lonely one -

They lived outdoors - They would stay in what you and I would consider a lean two — A basic shelter that would provide shade in the day and rain protection at night. Usually made of sticks, tree branches and straw.

They were excluded from temple worship becasue they were considered always being unclean -

They were always unclean becasue of what they did with their hands - Dealing with sic sheep - Dealing with sheep that died - Shearing sheep and in doing that nicking the sheep skin and getting the sheep’s blood on them.

and so they were always unclean and were excluded and they were stopped by the religious from going to the temple and worshiping GOD!

They were lonely men - Excluded men - Single men usually - becasue they were always tending sheep 24-7-365 and their companions were the sheep - They would spend so much time with them that they would name them one by one -

they would talk to them

The shepherds sheep woudl come to know their shepherds voice and if ever two or three shepherds got together to talk or visit or run into each other while moving the sheep -

separating their sheep from one flock to the other was not a problem becasue the sheep knew their individual shepherds voice and they would follow their own shepherd and not get confused.

So shepherds were there but mainly ignored and excluded by their culture -

and becasue they were on the outside of society they were often accused of theft - especially of food - and they were pretty rough men -

They were really one of the lowest people on the socio economic scale and certainly in the culture of the day.

It was not an occupation that people were clamoring to get into, if you know what I mean.

If you went home one day and said to mom and dad “I'm gonna be a shepherd” Mom would probably cry in saddens and an overwhelming sence of failure as a mom and Dad would try to talk you out of your choice of occupation.

and when and if you ever went to a dinner party and the question was: “What do you do for a living” and you answered “I am a shepherd” people might say: “Oh ok” and just walk off.

SO these are first century Shepherds.

and watch what happens to them

Luke 2:9 “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.” -

Now when it says “an angel of the Lord appeared to them -

We often think that these guys had to look up.

That this Angel was somewhere floating in the Sky and they had to look up -

I wonder if it happened differently than that -

Like they are standing there - a couple of shepherds had gotten together - They were sitting their having a chat - They had gotten together becasue some of their boy sheep of one flock were dating some of the girl sheep of the other flock -

These guys were just minding their own business when suddenly another person this time with wings just poof showed up standing there with them and began to talk.

I mean think about it - That would freak us out if that happened to any one of us.

Either way if they looked up or if the angel just showed up standing there -

The Glory of the Lord was all around and these guys were afraid -

Watch what happens in vs 10-12

These lowly of low - These excluded from society and culture - These rough men - Lonely men - often accused men - They are the first ones to receive the birth announcement that God in the Flesh, Emanuel (God with us) is born.

Watch

Luke 2:10–12 “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.””

The angels Brought to the Lowest of the Low - “Good news of Great Joy” what will be for who?

For “All the people”

and what is the Good News of Great Joy

A savior is born -

Who is that Savior? - Christ - The anointed of God

The Lord - The master - the king - the one who is sovereign the one who reigns and rules!

And then there were a bunch of angels!

again don't know if they were up in the sky or suddenly there were a bunch of angels standing tin the field among the sheep.

By the bunch of angels start saying something - I often thing that these angels began singing - Often what is happening when you hear the words “praising” in your bibles it often implies singing.

Luke 2:14 ““Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!””

VSS15

Angels are done delivering the birth announcement - Shepherds reconvene and decide to go and visit Mary and the Child that the angels called “Christ the Lord”

It says “they went with hast” which means they went in a hurry.

Here is what is interesting to think through - They must have left their sheep to go be with Jesus.

As a shepherd, back then, you didn’t go anywhere without your sheep - and your sheep didn’t move in a hurry - There was no “haste” when leading the flock.

So these guys must have been compelled by something far greater than anything they had ever experienced before to go be with Jesus in order to leave their sheep.

And the reason they go is not just to be with Jesus - They go to share what was told to them -

Shepherds - The lowest of the Low - Now being used and engaged by God to take the Good news of Great Joy to the people who were centrally involved and share it with them -

these guys were the birth announcement to the whole world.

VSS16

They get there

VSS17

They share the message -

VSS18

All who heard it wondered which means they were in Awe -

The word Wonder in the Original language of the New Testament means to be astonished - to be shocked in a good way -

Astonished so much that you get a vision of what the implication are of what was said - you are so astonished that it causes you to contemplate all the possible implications of the message or event -

So All who heard it were astonished to the point of having a vision and thinking about the full implications of what these shepherds share with them that the angels had told these shepherds.

When it says “all who heard it” implies there were many who were there - Joseph heard it - He wondered -

The Manger owner and His wife - They may have been there... He wondered,

there may have been a mid-wife there to help Mary with the delivery, Since Joseph probably had no Idea what to do.

The text doesn't Give us the list of all who attended - But it does imply more than Joseph and Mary.

VSS19

Says “but Mary treasured up all these things and she pondered them in her heart -

Which meant that of all the people that heard this message from the Shepherds - This news was the most severe, the heaviest, and caused Mary to think of the implications of this message more than anyone - As it normally would for any mom.

VSS20

Shepherds go back to Shepherding - But this time they go back different they go back singing - Praising God for all they had seen — all they had heard - and all that had been told to them

VSS21

The baby in the manger - Who is the Anointed of God and the Master and king of all things is given His name that the angels said He would be given.

THE GOSPEL CONNECTION - AS JASON AND TEAM COME BACK TO LEAD US INTO SINGING

Let us all be reminded this season that this is “good news of great joy to all people”

Let the fact that the Birth Announcement of Jesus - The Birth announce of the anointed of God - The Lord and King of all things - The birth announcement of Emmanuel (God with us) was not given to the righteous - It was not given to the religious - It was not given to the accepted in crowd - nor to the rich and the haves of the culture -

Loved ones - it was given to the lowest - to the lonely - to the isolated - to excluded - to the homeless - to the ragged and rough and often accused.

This gift - The Gift of Christmas - is not just for you and for me - It is not just for a select few who deserve it -

This Good news of Great Joy is given for the whole world. FOR ALL THE PEOPLE says the angel the messenger of GOD.

So before we step out - Before we cross the line and go into this world and share this good news of Great Joy, I want to remind us of who this Good news of Great Joy is for.

And if you are hear this morning or watching over live stream and you feel like you are the lonely and the excluded, the ragged and the rough, the hopeless and helpless in our culture this morning

I want to share with you that this Good news of Great Joy is for you as it is for me.

I know that many many times in my life I have to be reminded that this Gospel - I heard this years ago from Joni Hendrickson and it is often a reminder to me of who This Good News of Great joy is for in our day and in our culture:

Loved ones: This good news of Great Joy is for

alcoholics - exotic dancers -

Its for High Rollers and Gamblers with nothing left

its for bartenders, and waitstaff and runaway's and dealers, bangers and addicts.

It is also for the People pleasing, coning, deceitful impure materialistic rebels.

Its for the Poor, the Forgotten, THe Homeless and the Helpless, The Illiterate, The uneducated, the Oppressed, and the enslaved.

Its for witch doctors, sorcerers, satanists and warlocks.

Its for people who are starving - Some literally for food - Some for hope and Some for love.

This good news is for Frat Boys, and Girls Gone Wild!

And its for the kid that has been showing up for Sunday School since He could breath.

ITs for Firemen, and Farmers, Truck drivers, and stock brokers.

its for Army men, and Navy men and for Airmen and Marines -

ITs for Dock Workers, Shift workers, Construction workers, Ship builders, Homebuilders and stay at home moms.

Its for nurses, Doctors, and lawyers and cowboys with old pick-up trucks.

ITs for Rednecks, and seminary Graduates, college failures and high school drop-outs.

Is for People who live secret lives with stagnant faith -

Its for Politicians, and Factory workers, for pastors and missionaries and self righteous church leaders.

Its for Families and people who pretend to have it all together - And for families and everyone who are a falling apart.

This good news of great joy is for everyone -

It is for you and it is for me - It is for Everyone -

ITs not that some can be forgiven and accepted by God - it is that Anyone can come to Jesus - In faith - Surrender you life to Jesus, in an act the bible calls repentance to, the one who died and was raised and you to can be be saved -

This Christmas - If you have never opend your heart and surrenedered your life to recieve the Gift of Christmas that is given for all people.

Know that this gift is for you, prepared by God becasue God knew you were coming - open the gift Surrender your life through the gift of faith that God is giving you, and be saved by his grace.

PRAYER TEAM