Sermon Tone Analysis

ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD

*Luke 2:8-14*

 

For the past month we’ve been studying the role of angels in the Christmas story.

The angel Gabriel came to the old priest, Zechariah in the temple and informed him that his wife was going to give birth to the forerunner of the Messiah.

His name would be John.

Then, six months later, the angel came to Mary and said that she was going to give birth to the Son of God.

Then several days later the angel came to Joseph and said,*/ “Don’t divorce Mary because that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”/*

Now, today, we want to look at the appearance of the angel on the eve of the very day that Christ was born.

Luke the Gospel writer records the event with these words, *“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’”*

* *

I want us to consider the message of the angel in the outfield that night.

There are four short phrases that communicate good tidings of comfort and joy to us as well.

! I.                   FEAR NOT

 

*“Fear not,”* the angel said.

Now, there was much to be afraid of that night.

The shepherds were living in Palestine and the Romans were ruling.

There were Roman soldiers all over the place.

They could be arrested without reason.

They could be imprisoned.

They could even be executed.

But they were guarding their flocks.

Guarding their flocks against what?

Well, there were rustlers.

Or, perhaps they were guarding them against wild animals; predators that would feed on defenseless sheep.

And any sudden movement would certainly disturb the shepherds.

And when the angel burst on the scene they were terrified.

I like the way the old King James reads.

It says, *“They were sore afraid.”*

But the angel said, *“Don’t be afraid.”*

They were living in a terrifying time, and that’s pretty much the way we live today.

We’re sort of like the little first grader who was given a role in the Christmas pageant as an angel and his mother rehearsed his one line with him over and over again, /“It is I.  Don’t be afraid.”/

But when it came time for the pageant, he walked onto the stage and the floodlights, and the size of the crowd unnerved him.

When it came time for his lines he couldn’t remember them and suddenly he blurted out, /“It’s me and I’m scared to death!”/

 

John Ortberg in his book, /If You Want To Walk On Water You’ve Got To Get Out Of The Boat/, writes,  “The single command in Scripture that occurs more often then any other -- God’s most frequently repeated instruction -- is formulated in two words: Fear Not.

Do not be afraid.

Why does God command us not to fear?

Fear does not seem like the most serious vice in the world.

It never made the list of the Seven Deadly Sins.

No one ever receives church discipline for being afraid.

So, why does God tell human beings to stop being afraid more often than he tells them anything else?

My hunch is that the reason God says, “fear not” so often is because fear is the number one reason human beings are tempted to avoid doing what God asks them to do”

 

Dr.

Ralo May, psychologist at the Mayo Clinic said/, “Anxiety is the official emotion of our age.”/

But the angel said to the shepherds and says to us, *“Do not be afraid.

Because unto you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”*

Jesus Christ comes to save us from our fears.

Whatever you would say about that little baby as he grew up, you would have to say that Jesus was fearless.

* When he was 12, he got separated from his parents in the Temple.

But he wasn’t terrified.

He stayed for 3 days by himself.

* He entered that Temple and debated with the religious rulers there.

And although he was only 12 years old at the time, he wasn’t stage struck.

And the teachers were amazed at his understanding.

* When he was age 30, he was baptized and then he went 40 days into the wilderness to battle the elements all by himself.

* He walked into the Temple and faced all the power-brokers of that day.

He was really disturbed that they were making the Temple a market place and he fashioned a whip and he cleared the marketplace saying*, “My house shall be a house of prayer and you’ve made it a den of thieves.”*

* Jesus went to the cross and never said a word of protest.

Now, the Bible says this Jesus says to us, *“Don’t be afraid.”*

Now, he never promises us that we’ll never go through difficult circumstances, but he says*, “In the world you are going to have all kind of troubles.

But be of good cheer.

I have overcome the world.”*

And he said, *“I will with you always, even until the end of the age. .

.

So, do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”*

The angel said to the Shepherds and he says to us, *“Do not be afraid.”*

! II.

I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS

 

*Because I bring you good news*.

Boy, there’s so much bad news in the world today: murder, wars, and terrorism.

We like good news.

We certainly don’t like bad news.

A father came home from a very rugged day at work and said to his wife, /“I’ve had a bad day.

Please!

If you have any bad news tonight, keep it to yourself.”/

To which she replied, /“O.K.

No bad news.

Now for the Good News.

Remember our four children?

Well, three of them didn’t break an arm today.”/

The angel said to the shepherds, *“I bring you good news.

A child shall be born to you this day.”*

I wonder if there was a little bit of a let down when they heard the birth announcement?

Good news?

* Does that mean we’re going to have new jobs?

* Does that mean we’re going to make more money?

* Does that mean we’ve won the Roman lottery? 

* Does it mean that the Romans have now been overcome and the Jews are now free?

No.

A child has been born.

It takes awhile for a child to grow up.

That means they had to be patient.

And their deliverance was going to be spiritual and not physical in nature.

That meant they had to have a little deeper insight.

But he brought them good news.

And we need to understand that the message of Christmas is good news for us in this day and age of bad news.

The message of the Gospel is good news.