The Shepherds Story

Luke 2:15–20 KJV 1900

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 Beth-lehem, 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.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Two: The Lord Is Come! (Luke 2)

The verb found in Luke 2:16 means “found after a search.” The shepherds knew what to look for: a newborn Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And they found Him!

I. Introduction

II. The Enlightenment of the Shepherds — (Vs. 15a)

We begin this morning by picking up where we left off last week. The angels of heaven have just finished delivering the most joyous and glorious message this world has ever received to a bunch of unsuspecting and most in that day and time would say undeserving shepherds.

And we pick up here in verse 15 with the angels returning to their heavenly home but the best part is...they didn’t leave without leaving something behind! I love what Chuck Swindoll says about this verse.

Swindoll — Just as suddenly as the angelic host had filled the skies, these celestial celebrants retreated to the invisible realm of heaven, leaving the shepherds in the dark of night—but glowing inwardly.

You see, something took place within these shepherd boys during this proclamation process! These shepherds were enlightened to the fact that someone had come to save them from their sins and they believed it! They received this message brought to them by the Angelic host and by faith they believed it! They received and they believed, Amen!

And that same two-step process is still how a lost person must come to be saved today! When a person hears the gospel they have one of two options. They can receive it or they can deny it! To receive and and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be saved but to deny the word of God and the person of Jesus Christ is to be utterly lost!

We can clearly see here by what happens next the choice that these Shepherds made!

III. The Excitement of the Shepherds — (Vs. 15b)

When the Bible says here that “the Shepherds said one to another” the verb that is used here expresses the fact that this was an ongoing kind of discussion. They were continuing to say over and over to one another… “we’ve got to go, we’ve got to go, we’ve got to go!”

It’s like me on a Sunday morning rounding everyone up for Church saying “we’ve got to go!” “we’ve got to go!” The worst part about it is...somehow I still end up being the last one out the door!

But these Shepherds were excited about the news they had just heard! So excited that they couldn’t wait to go see this good news they had received! They said, “Let us now go unto Bethlehem!”

Notice they didn’t say, “let’s go to Bethlehem in the morning when the sun comes up.” Not, “let’s go to Bethlehem tomorrow evening when we get all our chores done.” But they said, “right now!” “Let’s go right now and see this thing that the Lord has made known unto us!”

That thing these Shepherds were talking about was the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes named Jesus, Amen! They were excited to go see Jesus! Oh how I wish that everyone had the same excitement about coming to see Jesus that these Shepherd boys had! I long for a day when the news of a Savior being born gets people excited again! Dear friend we ought to all be excited, Amen! I’m excited that God didn’t leave us stranded in our trespasses and sins but sent His one and only Son Jesus to save me! I’m excited that He washed away my sins and wiped my slate clean when I trusted in Him as a little boy at that Vacation Bible School! I’m excited that He gave me, O’ wretched man that I am, an opportunity to get to know Him! I’m excited that He not only gave me a chance to know Him but He also gave me this chance ,this great opportunity of telling others about Him as well, Amen!

If you’re born again this morning friend, you have a reason to be excited! And that excitement shouldn’t just be contained within you but it should be shared with everyone around you which is what happens here in these next few verses!

But before we get to that, I want to point something out to anyone here this morning or anyone who may be joining us online that may be lost. The Bible says here, “let’s see this thing which the Lord has made known unto us.” I want to tell you this morning friend that there won’t be one person make it into heaven by saying, “well God never made Himself known to me.” The Bible says in:

(KJV) — 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

One day all the lost from all the ages will stand before God almighty and give an account of every deed done in his/her body and when they try to use the excuse, “well I didn’t know you existed” God’s going to say how did you not know? Haven’t you ever walked outside and seen the sun hanging up in the sky? Haven’t you ever seen the moon and the stars hanging in the heavens at night? Haven’t you ever wondered how those got there? Did you not ever feel the wind blow or see the changing of the seasons? Did you not ever wonder how the world sits on it’s axis and spins in perfect rotation day in and day out without uncontrollably spinning off into oblivion? Haven’t you ever seen the birds soar through the air and wonder how they are able to stay afloat? What about all the different animals that I created? Can you truly tell me that it never dawned on you that someone had to create all this?

On that great and terrible day friend every excuse in the book will try to be used but not a one will be accepted! Every person who has never accepted this babe we’re talking about here today, will be in wanting and found without excuse! If you’re sitting here and have never believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, I want you to know friend that you’re one breath away from meeting Him! One heartbeat away from meeting the one who created you, suffered and died for you and if you were to meet Him right now without having a personal relationship with Him, this is the verdict that would be rendered unto you…”depart from me ye that work iniquity, I know ye not” and the Bible says that you will cast into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth! A place where the fire is never quenched and the worm dieth not!

If God is speaking to you today and convicting you that you need to be saved, then dear friend be like these Shepherds we’re reading about here and come “now” unto the throne of mercy and grace and ask Jesus to save you! Notice they said, “let us now go!” Dear friend if they had of waited a day or two, chances are they would have missed the Lord Jesus altogether and if you put off coming to know him today that same thing just might happen to you! You might just miss Him altogether! Oh what a sad day that would be! To know that you had an opportunity to come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior but you passed it up and didn’t take the opportunity when presented to you! I wonder how many people are sitting in hell at this very moment saying to themselves, “why didn’t I listen? Why didn’t I answer that call of God upon my heart? Why did I turn God away? Why, Why, Why?!!!

Listen this morning friend, if you are lost, don’t make the same mistake that many a soul before you has also made! Come and ask Jesus to save you today for the Bible says...“Behold now is the accepted time and today is the day of Salvation!” Put not off for tomorrow what should be done today for the Bible says...“the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” “The Bible says...“the Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.” The great prophet Isaiah said...“seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near!” And the Bible sums the topic up by saying that men should...“seek the Lord if haply they might feel after him and find him though he be not far from everyone of us.”

That should be a great encouragement to every man, woman, boy and girl sitting here today! To the lost and the saved! He be not far from everyone of us! He’s here and if you have a need, all you have to do is take it to Him in prayer and He will hear, Amen!

So, we have the Enlightenment of the Shepherds and the Excitement of the Shepherds now let’s move on to verse 16 and see the Exploration of the Shepherds.

IV. The Exploration of the Shepherds — (Vs. 16)

The bible says here that the Shepherds didn’t wasted any time getting to Bethlehem. “They came with haste!” I love what one writer said about it...

Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke Luke 2:15–21

This conveys an important lesson. Instead of allowing the word of God, as many do, to pass away with the sound, we must take care that it strike its roots deep in us, and manifest its power, as soon as the sound has died away upon our ears.

Formations Commentary: Luke-Acts III. The News Is Out; The Word Is Spreading, 2:15–20

A teaching point: We hurry lots of places; when we start hurrying to Bethlehem we will be hurrying in the right direction.

Formations Commentary: Luke-Acts III. The News Is Out; The Word Is Spreading, 2:15–20

A teaching point: We hurry lots of places; when we start hurrying to Bethlehem we will be hurrying in the right direction.

We hurry lots of places; when we start hurrying to Bethlehem we will be hurrying in the right direction.

A teaching point: We hurry lots of places; when we start hurrying to Bethlehem we will be hurrying in the right direction.

I can tell you one thing from experience…when I was sitting there that night in VBS and God convicted my heart that I was lost and in danger of dying and going to hell I couldn’t get to Jesus fast enough! I was like the Shepherds here, I went with haste and told my teacher that I needed to speak to the Pastor! I’ll never forget it, the thought of burning in flames of fire for eternity flashed before my eyes and it scared me half to death and that’s no lie! I was scared to go one more minute without finding Jesus!

I’ll tell you one thing…I bet if every lost person sitting in hell right now were given the opportunity of a second chance, they’d come with haste to Lord Jesus Christ

BEC

But praise be to God just a few minutes later after telling the Pastor what was going on with me, I knelt down there in that office and asked him to save me and that was the greatest day of my life! If you need to be saved this morning, come with haste to find the Lord Jesus and be saved!

When the Bible says here that they “found” Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger the verb “found” means “found after a search.” It carries the idea that these Shepherds were on a mission and wouldn’t give up until they found what they were looking for!

I’m here to tell you this morning Church, there’s never been a man who went on a mission to find the Lord Jesus Christ and come up empty handed! The Lord said in Jeremiah... (NASB) 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

If your here today friend and you’ve never found Jesus sweet to your soul there’s one thing i can guarantee you...if you will search for him as these shepherds did, you too shall find him for he’s not to far away from any of us! The Bible says in… — That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

We’ve seen the Enlightenment, the Excitement and the Exploration of the Shepherds. Next, let’s look at the Expounding of the Shepherds.

— That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

V. The Expounding of the Shepherds — (Vs. 17)

Notice here that the shepherds did not start proclaiming about Christ until they had come to Christ. It’s one thing to hear about Jesus but when you come to know Him personally something inside you just can’t help but to go and tell someone else about Him and what He’s done for you!

And they use that verb here to express the fact that this was an ongoing kind of discussion. In verse 15 they were all continuing to say over and over to one another this … we’ve got to go, we’ve got to go.

These Shepherds had heard the gospel message and by faith had come to see for themselves and now that their faith had ended in sight it was time to go tell someone about it! Literally overnight, these Shepherds had now become the first New Testament evangelists of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Tell me this isn’t just a wonderful picture of a lost sinner coming to know a loving Savior. A lost person is wondering around out in the darkness. Through the preaching of the gospel the light of God is shined into their hearts. They don’t just hear the message but they come and taste and see that the Lord is good themselves and they believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and then, once they’ve come to know Him personally they take the message of a Savior who saves sinners, the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, our to others who sit in darkness so that they too can come to know Him!

I mean how beautiful is that!

When was the last time you shared with someone what God has done for you? When was the last time you took the light of life and shared it with someone who set in darkness? We, the born again children of God, should have a desire in our hearts to share the Lord Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world. If you don’t, then friend one of two things is true…you either don’t understand what it was that Jesus went through so that you could be saved, or you simply aren’t saved. In either case, there are some things you need to get taken care of here this morning!

I

These Shepherds start going all over the town of Bethlehem telling everyone about baby Jesus and how He was to save His people from their sins!

Now, let’s look at the Effects of the Shepherds Expounding.

VI. The Effects of the Shepherds Expounding — (Vs. 18-19)

A. The Wondering of the Crowd — (Vs. 18)

A. The Wondering of the Crowd — (Vs. 18)

The word “wonder” used here means to marvel or be amazed. This verse leaves one curious as to it’s outcome. Did any of these people who heard the gospel go and see for themselves? Did any of these “wonderers” believe upon that babe lying in a manger? You see, you can be amazed at the gospel, you can marvel at the gospel but unless you believe the gospel, you’ll never be born again!

A man by the name of Kent Hughes said — It is not enough to hear about Jesus. It is not enough to peek in the manger and say, "Oh, how nice. What a lovely scene. It gives me such good feelings." The truth is, even if Christ were born in Bethlehem a thousand times but not within you, you would be eternally lost. The Christ who was born into the world must be born in your heart.”

Dear friend you must be born again! When a person comes in contact with Jesus it’s not simply a reformation that must take place but a transformation! You are regenerated, reborn into the kingdom and family of God! Your old life is passed away behold all things become new! You are now a new creature in Christ Jesus by the washing of the water of the Word and dear friend I’m not talking about the written word but the physical word that John talked about!

John stated that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and then he says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father! Dear friend that Word was the one and only Lord Jesus Christ and I’m here to tell you this morning that when you meet him you have one of two choices to make!

Will you be like these people who just “wondered” or will you “wander” your way down this isle and give your life to Christ? You must make a choice! You may say, “well I’m not doing it Preacher. I’m not making a choice!” Dear friend what you need to know this morning is this…to not make a choice is to make a choice! If you choose to not choose, then you’ve chosen to not choose Jesus! Jesus said in... (CSBBible) — Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

You see, to not choose Jesus is to choose condemnation. Don’t make the same mistake I’m sure many of these people made this night by wondering and miss Jesus.

And whether or not you allowed him to be your lawyer on this side will determine what verdict he has for you on that side! He’ll either say, “enter in thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things now I’ll make thee ruler over many” or he’ll say, “depart from me ye that work iniquity, I know ye not!” The question I pose to you this morning is this…if you were to draw your last breath right here, right now, what would he say to you?

We’ve seen the Wondering of the Crowd now let’s look at the Pondering of Mary.

B. The Pondering of Mary — (Vs. 19)

B. The Pondering of Mary — (Vs. 19)

And they use that verb here to express the fact that this was an ongoing kind of discussion. In verse 15 they were all continuing to say over and over to one another this … we’ve got to go, we’ve got to go.

Opposite of the crowd, the Bible says that Mary “kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” The word kept used here means to preserve and the word ponder means to bring together in one’s mind. Nine months ago Mary had been told she was going to have a child who was going to be the Savior of the world and now that reality has come to fruition! No doubt, during the process of giving birth, the amazement and nurturing of her newborn son this reality had probably taken a backseat until a bunch of Shepherds show up and begin worshiping Him. Then undoubtedly it all comes flooding back to her mind and the Bible says she kept…she preserved these things by writing them upon the tables of her heart!

My prayer this morning is that this message would be ingrained upon the tables of your heart and that you would preserve it’s words for ages to come! I pray that you would ponder upon Jesus and the Scripture daily and as you do, just like a jigsaw puzzle, everything you read in this book will slowly start putting itself together.

And if you are here and lost or watching online and lost listen friend, the first part of the puzzle that you have to find is Jesus! Once you’ve got Him all the other pieces will begin to fall into place!

And lastly this morning let’s look at the Exiting of the Shepherds.

VII. The Exiting of the Shepherds — (Vs. 20)

As these Shepherds began to exit Bethlehem there is something very important to notice about them. They were the same Shepherds headed back to the same old fields to do the same old jobs that they had always done but something was different! They were going back with a new song in their heart! Their lives now had purpose and a promise of better days to come, Amen!

And when you come to know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you too will receive this same joy and gladness that these Shepherds experienced! You may look the same on the outside but on the inside everything has been made new!