Joy: Advent of the Messiah

Introduction

Today we are continuing to look at the Advent of the Messiah, this morning we are going to look at the idea of Joy. Joy was ushered in the story through the shepherds.

The shepherds, the most coveted part in the Christmas play for boys. Well, not really, it was the easiest part to fill.

I remember growing up and the many years the director of the children’s program will ask all the boys to bring your housecoat. You will be a shepherd.

There is no skill needed. Most plays don’t even have lines for the shepherds, perfect for the shy boys, who do not want to speak.

In one church I served at, there was a lady who spent the entire year searching garage sales for sheep. She would bring them out on the Christmas story day and fill the whole stage with sheep, because, well, the shepherds were watching their sheep. They are in the story.

I grew up thinking that the shepherds were just a small part in the story, but recently, my thinking has changed. This morning as we look at the shepherds, who brought in the Advent of the messiah, we will discover the joy that came along with this advent.

Turn with me to the second chapter of Luke. We will be reading the story in sections. We will be looking at the shepherds, the angels, and their various responses.

Luke 2:8 ESV

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Shepherds Joyfully on Duty

Shepherds joyfully on duty.

For years, I had and understanding that these shepherds were the average shepherd of their day. There is nothing wrong with being a shepherd, after all, they provide the source of food. But if you didn’t know, there were different types of shepherds in this narrative. They had a specific purpose.

Their Location

The first words that we gloss over is in the same region.

Same region as what.

Bethlehem. Same region in the previous verses where the Christ child has just been born.

Bethlehem, a small hamlet south of the famous Jerusalem.

In the same region.

We often remember Bethlehem because that is the place where God became Emmanuel. God with us, but this is not the first time God appeared to his people.

We need to turn back to the first book of the Bible, Genesis 35

Genesis 35:15 ESV

15 So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.

God appeared to Jacob, another shepherd, and shared the plan, the promise of the Advent of Messiah.

God spoke to Jacob, and changed his name to Israel. God will bless the nations through these people. A saviour will be come from the line and lineage of you.

Jacob marks this spot, the same region where God spoke to him and now in the same region we find these shepherds.

Their Purpose

The second reason why these shepherds were Joyfully on Duty is there role was not just regular shepherds. They had a purpose.

They were the shepherds raising temple lambs.

To me this is a critical part of the story. You see Bethlehem was the place where lambs were raised for the sole purpose of temple worship. God was setting an example of His Advent of the messiah by preparing the people that a sacrificial lamb would take their place. Theses lambs had to be perfect without blemish.

That is why the shepherds were out watching their flocks. They had to protect these sheep for worship. They played an intricate part in the worship in the temple.

It was their Joy to serve.

As they were serving with Joy out in the fields, the angel made an entrance

Luke 2:9 ESV

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.

The Angel’s Entrance

Imagine the Angel’s entrance? What would be your response? Your out doing what you have been doing for years, and then there is an angel.

The Angel’s entrance was something to take note of this morning. we need to look at the Angel’s approach and its appearance.

Let’s first take a look at the approach.

The Approach

Luke was very clear on how the angel approached the shepherds. The angel appeared to them.

The greek word used here is more than just showing up, but it implies showing up with a purpose. After all, they were shepherds watching. Watching for anything that could come up to their sheep. They were there to protect their sheep.

Could you imagine if the Angel decided to appear in a distant field and saunter over to see what the men were doing?

Luke doesn’t describe the angel slowing appearing from a distance. He didn’t describe the Shepherds noticing someone coming and asking each other, say who is that? Joe do you know him. Is that Henry? Wait, maybe its my dad coming out to see what I am doing. I told him I was watching the sheep tonight.

Nope, That’s not how it happened.

The angel of the lord appeared to them. He stood among them with boldness and with authority.

This was not the first time that the Angel of the Lord had done this. It wasn’t the angel described in the wonderful life who appears to George Bailey on the bridge.

He came from God directly to the shepherds. His approach was direct, it was purposeful.

God’s message does come with clarity. God’s messengers throughout the Bible bring messages from God for clarity.

The Appearance

The second thing we need to note in this section is the appearance of the angel.

The glory of the lord shone around them.

I have lived in several locations across Canada and each location has its pros and cons. One of the pros of some of the locations I have lived is the appearance of the Northern light.

During my early years of ministry the Lord allowed me the opportunity to serve as a camp director in Northern Saskatchewan.

One night as we had finished the Campfire, the cabin leaders had taken their cabins off to the cabin and I stayed a while around the campfire reflecting on the day. It was my duty to make sure the fire was out, but this night I choose to keep it going and enjoy the experience alone.

After a while, I decided to put out the fire and head back to my own cabin. Upon leaving the area where I had been focusing on the flicker of the fire light I walked out into the darkness, but to my amazement it wasn’t dark.

I looked up to the sky and saw the most beautiful display of the Northern Lights that I haven’t seen since.

The picture you are seeing is not what I saw, in fact it, was much greater. I just stood there in amazement and wonder enjoying God’s beauty. Then a thought came to me, I began to go throughout the camp waking the cabins and telling them to come out and enjoy God’s wonderful light show.

For those brief few moments, we experienced God’s beauty unfold in all its glory.

If you haven’t had a chance to experience the northern lights, may I encourage you to include that on your bucket list.

If you have, you all know what I am talking about. God’s beauty.

The Glory of the Lord Shone Around Them

Let that sink in for a moment. The shepherds are out on a field thinking it was another night like the many more before them and suddenly this.

The Glory of the Lord shone around them.

Folks I could imagine that God’s glory is much greater than any light show produced by modern light shows

God’s glory is greater than any other firework display showcasing the best and greatest fireworks ever created.

God’s glory is greater than all the Northern light shown throughout time.

It is that Glory of the lord that was given to these shepherds that night.

There stood an angel before them and then God’s Glory showed up

Have I got your attention. Are you aware of what the Shepherds were about to experience. And with all of that, the Angel gives the Proclamation. I think the angel had their attention at that moment.

Let’s look at the verses

Luke 2:10–12 ESV

10 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. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

The Proclamation

These verses are packed with a proclamation filled with Joy, a promise, and a sign

Words of Joy

Words of Joy.

Have you had God speak to you. Has God’s words jumped off the page as you are reading through the text. Has a song, the message in a song bring you words from God. Has his spirit whispered in your ear telling you words of Joy.

Can you image the shepherds, they have been shown God’s Glory, Glory that has been for years hidden away in the temple for only a select few to see. The Glory of God that has only been given sparingly throughout Israel's history, and now they are right in the moment.

It’s no wonder the first words out of the Angel was Fear Not....because Joy is coming

Are you experiencing fear.

Fear not.... Joy is coming

Are you dreading the next stage in your life no matter what stage that is.

Fear not.... Joy is coming.

The angel was telling the shepherds and us.

Good News that require

.... or will bring

--- or will usher in Great Joy

Did you catch it.

For all people.

Not just the shepherds...

Not just the couple with the new baby....

Not just the wise man ......

For all people.... that’s us

That’s you, that’s me

The words of Joy given to the shepherds that night were for us.

In this series of the Advent of the messiah we have witnessed the Hope, Last week was the Peace that will come and now we are looking at the Advent of Joy

Words of a promise

These were not only words of Joy, but they were also words of a promise.

You see the difference between a friend promising you something and God. God will always deliver. That is why this is a promise of Great Joy.

The promise was

The long awaited promised messiah has been born.

Today.

The moment man fell into sin, God set out a plan and a promise that he would come as Emmanuel.

The promise has been fulfilled...he has today.

All the promises of a messiah have been fulfilled.

In the City of David

Born of a Virgin

each and every promise was delivered that night.

The Advent of the Messiah in Joy brings in an excitement that cannot be contained.

The Baby, known as the Christ, fulfilled all the promises of God. It’s no wonder why it was Joyful.

It was the words of Joy, words of a promise, finally the Angel’s proclamation was finished off with words of a sign.

Words of a Sign

and this will be a sign for you..... Shepherds of the temple lambs.... As sign for you......

The words were for the shepherds the angels were addressing.

A sign. A seal that this proclamation is trustworthy.

A Sign of fulfillment.

It’s also important to know that the Angel used three signs of fulfillment

Saviour - The greek translation refers to someone that will rescue us. He came to rescue us from our sin and to remove the danger of eternal destruction for our lives.

Christ- better known as the messiah. The promised one throughout the OT scriptures. The promised one that will usher in a new kingdom. The Jewish people were looking and waiting for a conqueror to deliver them out of the bondage that they consonantly found themselves in life.

Lord- The title that Caesar himself gave to himself equating Caesar with God, But this child is God. God in the flesh.

The Angel’s Joyful Support

If one angel wasn’t enough to get the point across, God summoned the host of Angels!

Luke 2:13–14 ESV

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 among those with whom he is pleased!”

Imagine that, the first Flash mob.

I can only image the angels watching from Heaven the Angels proclamation and God says, go!

Suddenly you are surrounded by voices not singing, but proclaiming praises to God for all that he has done and will do!

The greatest flash mob.

God pulled off the greatest flash mob and he did it for us as he was pleased with mankind.

The Angels disappearance was just as quick as their entrance.

They left, after completing their task and returned to Heaven

Now the narrative turns to the shepherds once again.

Luke 2:15–20 ESV

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Shepherd’s Response

The shepherd’s response was no surprise.

Let’s Go

I wonder if they were still in shell shock.

If I was in their place, I think I would have been.

I wonder if they are pinching each other to see if what just happened really happened?

The shepherd’s response was clear. The had a plan, there was a plot, and finally the praise that was due was clearly executed by the shepherds to usher in the greatest event of the times.

The Plan

Let’s go, let’s see

I really don’t think at this point in the narrative that the shepherds truly understood all that had happened.

I believe they knew something had happened, after all, how could you not. With that great production from the Angels

but a child? A King? The messiah?

let’s go lets see for ourselves, what has been revealed to us.

The Plot

This next section is what I have described as the plot. A plot that has forever changed Christmas Productions through the ages.

If they were your typical congregation, they would have struck a meeting and had a vote to see who would go, but obviously it was a small group of shepherds because you can see that they all went.

Little Joe wasn’t left with the sheep.

The Bible describes this plot as a verification.

Let’s go and verify what has been made known to us.

Not sure what happened to the sheep.

The various Bible stories we have been taught over the years, the Christmas pageants, our manger scene in the foyer, all show us that they took the sheep with them, or least some of them.

But I wonder if they did.

Remember, these sheep were the ones that were being raised to take the place of the sacrificial lamb.

God had just reveled to them that pure and spotless lamb had just been born in a stable.

There is no longer a need for these lambs.

If what God had just told us, If the Christ child is the Messiah, there is no need for our services.

Another reason I believe that the sheep were not with them is that they went with haste. Sheep don’t move quickly and surely not with haste in the direction you want them to go.

But more importantly, the sheep where not the plot. It was to go with haste and see the fulfillment of the prophecy.

The advent of the Joy had come. Emmanuel, God with us is here.

There is the belief out there, one that makes good sense to me is that these shepherds knew exactly where to go to find the child.

The sign was a dead give away.

You see, our western world view read the words of a manger and we design this type of structure.

A barn. Afterall, there was no room in the super 8

The baby would be found in the manger, some have interpreted that to be the feeding trough.

But I believe it to be the place where the temple shepherds laid their newborn lambs for protection.

The shepherds were all too familiar with a newborn wraped in clothes.

Clothes that they raped their lambs to keep them from blemmish.

They didn’t have to travel far, they knew where to go, because the sigh had been given to them.

Luke 2:15–20 ESV

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Praise

Did you see the comparison between Mary and the shepherds?

Mary Pondered,

the shepherds told everyone they could about what they had been told and what they had seen.

They heard the message and saw the message in action which led them to praise and tell the message.

This news would have been the top twitter feed.

It would be on all the news cycles, radio, tv, internet.

If the shepherds had cell phones, they would have been texting everyone in their phone’s contact list.

The message of the Advent of the messiah brought great joy to the shepherds, their life would never be the same.

Our Response

Let me ask you a couple of questions that you can think about.

1. What has brought joy into your life?

2. Are you missing joy in your life?

Two questions that are complete opposite.

The shepherds experienced true joy that morning as they heard the words from the Angel, saw the Christ Child, Emmanuel, dwelling among them and there life from that moment on were filled with Joy.

Christ has come

He came to this world to rescue us from our sin. To restore our lives back to worshiping God.

It’s the greatest gift that God has given to mankind, He has sent his son as a child, to take the place of our sin. Christ walked among us for a short while then became our saviour dying for us on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. This should bring great joy into our lives.

The Joy comes when we accept this free gift for our lives.

As the worship team comes to lead us in a response to worship, would you respond.

If you are missing the Joy that the shepherds received that night, come and find out more.

This has brought great joy into my life. I would love this Christmas to usher in Great joy into your life. Why not this Christmas season, as we walk through the advent of the messiah, accept this free gift for yourself. I would love to spend some time showing you more.

If you would like prayer, feel free to come to the front during this song of response of make your way up here at the end or track me down after the service. True Joy comes from God when we bring Him into our lives.