THE INCREDIBLE CHRISTMAS PART 2

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

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.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

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, good will toward men.

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 Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

INTRODUCTION

Good Morning Southpointe, We are in our Christmas series, The Incredible Christmas. And I really think this is great because what I am teaching in here thru December it is the same thing that the both children’s ministries, the Bridge pre-school ministry and the Southpointe kid ministry are teaching on.

So you parents, and grandparents can discuss the Christmas story with your kids.

Last week, I talked about how Mary and how that Mary had to trust the angel’s word and how that she was facing her world being turn upside down because of what God was telling her, His plan for her life.

And because of her trust in God, that she birth a miracle and that miracle changed the lives of the whole world. And If we trust God at His Word then we too can birth a miracle that will changes so many lives and our own life.

So this morning, I am going to talk to you about the shepherds.

Shepherds were not the most visible/important people in Biblical times.

They lived out in the countryside.

They slept under the stars with the sheep.

They lived a very isolated lonely existence.

They had themselves, their sheep and the occasional predator trying to snatch a lamb.

They probably smelled like the sheep and the field.

So I am very sure when they came into the city, they kept a very low profile.

This is what I want you to notice that God sent angels into those fields to invite the shepherds to see the baby Jesus.

I believe that God was showing the shepherds that they mattered because God invited them to the biggest birthday ever.

God could have sent those angels anywhere, but He chose to reveal Christ child to the shepherds.

This is what I believe that God shows us things in His action also.

God was saying to everyone that no matter what level man may have put you in, God was saying and still is saying today that you are important/ you are valuable to Him.

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings (NIV)

11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest

10 In a desert land he found him,

and hovers over its young,

in a barren and howling waste.

We read in that David says he is the apple of God’s eye.

We read in that David says he is the apple of God’s eye.

(NIV)

This means that God will keep an eye on him and protect him. Why? Because David is precious to him.

that spreads its wings to catch them

He shielded him and cared for him;

What does this mean? It means that God will keep an eye on him and protect him. Why? Because David is precious to him.

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;

But the question would be how can David claim to be the apple of God’s eye?

How can David say this remember his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, her husband?

And did he forfeit this claim after he committed these sins?

And, what about us? Surely we couldn’t lay hold of this title. We know our sin. How can we be the apple of God’s eye?

If the devil isn’t telling us that we are no good and we are nothing, then the people around us will.

Many times we feel invisible, not valuable that we are useless and no good and nobody care for us and nobody know my name. But there is one>>>

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

Now I want you to listen to this: At the baptism of Jesus, the voice of God the Father says,

and carries them aloft.

he guarded him as the apple of his eye, (NIV)

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (NIV)

17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (NIV)

At Jesus’s transfiguration, the voice of God the Father says,

hide me in the shadow of your wings (NIV)

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (NIV)

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (NIV)

Jesus is the very apple of God’s eye.

Our English phrase the apple of your eye translated in Hebrew means the little man of the eye.

When you look into someone’s eye, you can see yourself reflected in the pupil of their eyeball as a little person.

Also, your eye is the most vulnerable part of your body. You protect it by blinking or turning your face turning away from a ball or a blow.

When we think about this term we should think of presence and protection.

But there’s a twist. Instead of protecting Jesus at all costs like we do with our eyes, you know we will cover up, deflecting the coming suffering, it actually pleased God the Father to crush His own son for us.

Like David before God, Jesus pleaded with God as Jesus was dealing with the cup that was appointed to Him.

Jesus knew the terror and horror of that cup of divine wrath. But Jesus received no answer as He cried out to the Father.

Jesus pleaded his case before the Father like David does in , but it wasn’t “deliver me from my enemies because of your faithful covenant-keeping love, but Jesus was deliver me over to my enemies and fulfill your covenant-keeping love.”

The Son’s pleading to His Father was to, “fulfill your promise made before the foundation of the world that I would keep the law and satisfy the just requirements for their sin, usher in the New Creation, redeem them from bondage to sin death and Satan and bring them into our family.”

Because of the true Son of David we become the apple of God’s eye. We are children of God adopted and cherished in Jesus Christ.

He has His eye on you. He protects you. What great news!

He loves every one of us, and He wants all us to come and see Jesus.

The Shepherds weren’t the only invisible, not valuable people in the Christmas story.

Jesus Himself was born to pretty humble circumstances.

The King of Kings, the Prince of Peace, The Almighty God was born in a stable.

He slept in a borrowed animal food trough, wrapped in dirty rags and snuggled in the arms of his parents, a poor carpenter and his young bride.

She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Mary was another who was down and out the Christmas story is filled with people who the society rejected and put down.

Jesus spent His ministry reaching out to people just like Him. He went to the invisible,not valuable people. The leapers no one wanted to be around.

the blind beggars, the Disabled. He spent time with people the religious leaders wouldn’t give the time of day, sinners and tax collectors.

Jesus went to great pains to let people like Mary Magdalene, Zaccheus, and His own disciple Matthew know they are not invisible, and they are valuable.

Jesus came to save everyone and no one is invisible and not valuable in His sight.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (NIV)

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (NIV)

God loves you!!

Christmas is a happy time for most people, but for some it is a very lonely time.

In fact people struggle more with loneliness and feeling invisible, not worth noticing at Christmas than any other time of the year.

If only those people knew about how much God value you.

How do you measure the worth, the value of something? -- how do you measure the worth of a person?

Publius Sirius, a famous Roman writer who lived a century before Christ said, "A thing is worth what someone will pay for it"

Publius knew what he was talking about -- Publius had been a slave -- there had been a value placed on his life -- society had determined what he was worth.

At one point, Publius was brought from Antioch to Rome, where he was purchased by a wealthy philanthropist and set free -- more than likely, his wealthy benefactor paid more for Publius when he purchased him to set him free than Publius was originally worth -- did that mean that he was more valuable than before? -- that he was of greater worth than before?1

At one point, Publius was brought from Antioch to Rome, where he was purchased by a wealthy man and he set him free .

More than likely, this wealthy benefactor paid more for Publius when he purchased him to set him free than Publius was originally worth

Did that mean that he was more valuable than before? -- that he was of greater worth than before?

With that thought let me ask you few questions.

How much are you worth? -- how do you determine your value in life? -- how do you determine the value of another person?

Whether we admit it or not, we all assign value to others based on how we perceive their worth to us -- maybe we value them based on their worldly success.

Whether we admit it or not, we all assign value to others based on how we perceive their worth to us -- maybe we value them based on their worldly success.

Whether we admit it or not, we all assign value to others based on how we perceive their worth to us -- maybe we value them based on their worldly success.

Maybe it is because of their wealth or their financial resources. Maybe it is because of their importance or status or class.

Maybe it is because of their skills or talents.

We have put the wrong value on people and things in our lives.

This morning, let Christmas remind you of your value. And understand the world didn’t put in value in the virgin Mary, the world didn’t put in value in the shepherds.

And the world didn’t put any value on the child that was born in the manger.

But God did!!!

God called the shepherds to see the baby Jesus because God wanted us to know that nobody is invisible, and everybody is valuable.

You are valuable to God. So valuable that God gave His very best for us.

God bankrupt Heaven and sent Jesus into this world, not a ruling king, but as a infant. Jesus wasn’t born in the palace, but instead in manger.

That Son who was born in that manger became the sacrifice that set us free.

"A thing is worth what someone will pay for it"

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (NIV)

you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:20(NIV)

Know this Christmas that you are valuable and that Christ came into to this world for you and Christ died a horrible death for your sins.

Because you are valuable to God! What a Christmas Gift, being set free!!!

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver.

It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.