Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Good morning and Merry Christmas!

If you will start turning in your Bibles to .

This morning we are going to be covering , looking at the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.

An account that we have covered before and one that we will likely cover again.

An account that right now in churches all over the world is being covered.

Because, it is Christmas.

And Christmas is what we want to talk about this morning anyway.

No, not the concept that the world has of Christmas, but what Christmas really is.

When we first started I told you “Merry Christmas!”

Merry Christmas . . .

a phrase that has led to lots and lots of controversy in the last several years.

So much so that the Politically Correct will not even say it anymore.

They defer to “Happy Holidays,” which is fine I guess because it really doesn’t matter what you say, the truth is still the truth.

And the truth is Christmas or the “Winter Holiday” that I’ve heard some say is about one thing.

Actually it is about one person.

And that person is Jesus Christ.

And the reason that people don’t like saying Merry Christmas is because of the word “Christ” in the phrase.

Heavens forbid we acknowledge the person the Holiday is actually about.

When I was at the doctor the other day they even asked me if I celebrated Christmas before they would even say Merry Christmas to me.

I personally think it’s ridiculous, but the reality is people want to avoid the real meaning of Christmas because they get uncomfortable.

The convicting power of the Holy Spirit will penetrate even through something as simple as a phrase, like Merry Christmas.

Because by saying it they are acknowledging some things.

They are acknowledging that Jesus was born in a manger just like the Bible says.

They are acknowledging that Jesus lived a perfect life, just like the Bible says.

They are acknowledging that Jesus died on the Cross, just like the Bible says.

They are acknowledging that Jesus rose from the grave just like the Bible says.

And, they are ultimately acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ—the Messiah—The Savior—The Only Hope, just like the Bible says.

And ultimately, they are missing out on the one aspect and concept that they definitely need—Hope.

We live in a world today that is filled with evil and violence.

Fear and hopelessness.

Which is the exact opposite of what Jesus is all about.

It is the opposite of what the Christmas story is all about.

And this morning I want to look at the “Christmas Story” but I want to really focus in on the shepherds and the significant part they played in not only the story of Jesus’ birth but also the message of hope that was contained in their role.

So, if you have found in your Bibles, I’d invite you to stand with me if you are able.

I am going to be reading verses 8-12 this morning.

Luke writes . . .

Scripture Focus

Luke 2:

Jesus is Born (vs 1-7)

I love that portion of Scripture for many reasons.

But I guess mostly because it stimulates my imagination about what was going on around that time and how things must have looked.

And how excited and afraid they would have been at that moment.

When an Angel of the Lord shows up with all the glory of God surrounding them.

Something you don’t see every day!

But before we actually get to them we have to back up a bit.

We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here.

We have to get Jesus born, before we can put the shepherds to work.

So go back in your Bibles to the beginning of the chapter.

Luke begins this way . . .

Very familiar and nothing out of the ordinary for those times.

It was very common for the Romans to take a census.

They did it all the time because that was how they kept up with the number of people for taxation purposes.

You’ve got to know where everybody is at so you can tax them.

Which is what prompts Joseph and Mary to take this trip back to Bethlehem.

And the NIV doesn’t do justice to how imminent the birth of Jesus was.

The KJV puts it this way . . .

Luke 2:

She was great with child, or “really, really pregnant.”

And some had questioned why Mary would have even made this journey with Joseph if she was that pregnant.

It was because she was that pregnant.

Now, both of them already knew she was going to give birth to the Messiah, the Son of God and #1 Joseph didn’t want to miss it.

But more importantly it was really about protecting Mary.

Face it, people still didn’t believe that she was a pregnant virgin and if she had been home alone and given birth, the support she would have needed would not have been there.

And also, since she was a virgin Jesus was her firstborn child, so neither one of them had ever done this before.

So, we can pretty well assume that they were both pretty much winging it at that point.

But they go to Bethlehem and just like the prophecies foretold, she gives birth to Jesus, but not in a hospital (which didn’t exist) or even a home, because the town was full and all of the houses were full.

There was no place for them to go except a stable or more than likely a cave used for a stable for the animals.

And there were no beds, no cribs, only a feeding trough, a manger full of hay for the animals to eat.

All she could do was swaddle him up and lay him there.

And think how scared she and Joseph must have been.

Here it is, they are out in the elements, out in a dirty old cave turned into a barn.

She has this baby and puts him in a feeding trough.

And at that moment it didn’t really matter to them that this was the Son of God.

This was a baby they had to care for and protect from the world.

So, they were scared.

Just like it is scary for new parents of all children.

But you know it’s also scary some days when we get up and face to face the world.

Joy Overcomes Fear (vs 8-15)

Not knowing which way to turn or what is going to happen next.

That is some scary stuff.

And we often forget that the Son of God came to remove all of our fears.

He can to take all of that away.

He came to offer us peace, joy, and most importantly hope.

Hope that in Him we can face every trial and every tribulation.

Hope that in Him nothing can stand against us and nothing can defeat us.

Joy Overcomes Fear (vs 8-18)

But it is that hope that we oftentimes forget about.

We get wrapped up in what is going on around us, that we forget who is ultimately in charge.

We forget that while we are worrying about what’s going to happen next, God has already worked it out.

I’m sure Mary and Jospeh at that point were probably worried about whether or not Jesus would even live.

But God had already foretold exactly what was going to happen here, from beginning to end.

Including what happens next with our shepherds . . .

Luke 2:8-

You had better believe they were terrified!

The KJV says they were sore afraid, or literally shaking in their boots would be how we would put it.

Have you ever been so afraid you were shaking or even paralyzed by fear?

That’s what we are talking about here.

We use the term “scared to death” well these guys were literally scared to the point that they were as close to death as you could get without actually dying.

And the reason they were so frightened is #1 this was the Angel of God.