Why the Shepherds ; Luke 2:8-20

Is the king is coming? We all know who that King is going. You know who the king? Yes. He is coming. And so today we're going to be in Luke Chapter 2, but I swear we were last week we going to be in Luke Chapter 2 in the baby going to look at verses 8 through 20.

And today what we going to talk about is the title of this message is why the shepherd? I know we looked at why was why did Jesus come to this earth? And we looked at you know, why Joseph and why Mary and we looked at why was he born in Bethlehem last week we looked at why was there no room in the end and we studied that and today what I want us to do is to look at why the shepherd's why were shepherds involved in this Nativity Story, you know, not many celebrities or politicians or richbow for intellectuals, whatever you want to call him. Not many of those people recognize their spiritual poverty. To be honest, not many of them received the gospel message because for many of them is foolishness to them. But those who discovered Jesus for themselves. Find out that when you discovered Jesus you Delight in him. And when you Delight in him, what you do, is you go and you declare his salvation to everyone that you come in contact with. That's exactly what we do, but that's what I wanted to look at the day and we're going to talk about the shepherd and I want to look at four aspects of the Shepherds that I think that weed that sets an example for us. And this is how we should be when we're confronted with the gospel. So let's look in Luke Chapter 2 and I'm going to read verses 8 through twins. So remember last week in verse 7. It said she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes laid him in a Manger because there was no room for them. And now let's pick up a first date. Now there were in the same country Shepherds living out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and behold an angel of the Lord stood before them in the glory of the Lord Shone around them and they were greatly afraid then the angel said to them to not be afraid for behold. I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people for there is born to you this day in the city of David a savior. Who is Christ the lord and this will be the sign to you. You will find a baby 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 Goodwill toward men. So it was when the Angels had gone away from them into heaven. The shepherd said to one another let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing. The Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a Manger. Now when they had seen him they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who hurt Marvel at those things, which were told them by the Shepherds. I want want married but Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart in the Shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them for the only night that the savior is born who received the invitation to go. See was it the King was it the emperor know was it all the priests and Prophets was it was it the scholars of the day the soldiers of today? Well the wise men did, they they brought gold frankincense. And myrrh, and the Angels were praising God, but who were the first human visit? It was the shepherd's the honor was reserved not for those who had all the clap not for the elite of the day. It was reserved for the lowly lowest of the low. the least educated of all ranch hand if you will, that's what you can call them. Me and probably who spent 90% of their time outside you would need them and they'll be all dirty and sweaty. And their clothes smell like sheep and probably didn't smell that good. They probably like the most basic of manners and probably they probably use language that would been unfit for job to hear. They were what we would call the minimum wage earners if you will. Their names are not giving it just says shattered. But they were on the guest list. Of the most joyful moment in human history the savior of the world. Well, you can make sure that no Jewish historian would ever have passed. The Shepherds as the main character of the story in the coming of Christ the current Jewish thought would have been completely against this. So why were the Shepherds such an important part in the birth of Christ? Well, there's a gentleman by the name of Alfred edersheim. He's a historian. And he says that you have to understand that the flocks of sheep around Bethlehem. They were not ordinary sheet. You see those sheet there were raised so that they could be used in the daily sacrifices at the pit. That's what they were raised for and you see the picture of a lamb. Is the Bible is most consistent picture of Christ? The Bible says he's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So who would be a more appropriate audience? For the good news of the Lamb of God than the Shepherds info. Cancel God chose the shepherd. Well, let's see what I want to give you four aspects of the shepherd beer, and I want to see if we can apply this to her life as well. So the first thing is this the shepherd's received the message and I look at it in verses 8 through 11. It says now they're wearing the same country Shepherds living out for feels. I swear they lived keeping watch over their flock by night and by holding Angel of the Lord stood before them in the glory of the Lord Shone around them. So it was very bright and they were greatly afraid and then angel said they only going to calm the nerves here don't be afraid for behold. I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people for their is going to you this day in the city of David. Who is Christ the lord a savior? Who is Christ the lord? I just imagine The Wonder of these humble men with these lonely man these or me an out there with her. One moment. The skies were dark and all of a sudden it was like 12 noon around them and Angels team heralding good news. Surely. They said what in the world is going on. Why here why why now what in the world is going on they were afraid but they received this message. You see God hadn't had many human saviors or is it just think about you he was a favor because of a cross Nazi Moses was David thinking that he was asking that he was a savior sewed the all the people no doubt. I'd seen human say But no one had ever seen the same you're from happen. This little baby is from heaven. So they received this message. Let me give you three parts of this message what this message was about. This was a message. Of the helpless saving the helpless. Look what it says in verse point. It says this will be a sign to you. You will find a water key. My baby, you'll find a babe. Oh baby, it's you know, you just have to take care of a baby. They can't do anything for himself. This was a help with if this is a favor. This was a helpless savior. I doubt anyone in Israel ever thought that Jesus Christ Our Savior. Would come as a baby. No one was looking for baby. What were they looking for? They were looking for a king. They were looking for a military leader who could go in and stomp out run home and all their tier need that they lived on it. That's what they were looking for. When will they were looking for a military someone who could just take over and set things right economically and militarily all those ways but yet what did they find in found a baby we can do nothing because I cry lady and you hold them in Rocklin and all listen to what Max said about the helplessness of the face and I wrote this town. This is what he said. He loves anything but her King his face is prudish and red is cry all those strong and healthy is still the helpless and piercing Cry of a baby and he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being Majesty in the midst of the Monday holding us in the field of sheep manure and sweat Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stage of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter this baby at once Overlook the entire universe these Rags keeping him warm wear. The Robes of Eternity is Golden Throne Room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep in and worshiping angels have been replaced with kind but bewildered check is not something the one who created this world.

Was lying there in a sheet then. in a feet drop the king of King God himself in the flesh He was the helpless safe. I tell you something else about he was a humble fight. Look what it says in verse where it says. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a while a Manger by Steve from the word means you're means that it needs a feed trough the most humble of cribs. His first visitors were the Shepherds the humblest of people. You see if Jesus had come as the Jews expected or as culture had predicted as a king than anyone who felt beneath that status. Would never receive you seem to reason that Jesus came the way he did in the most humblest away because no one could ever say what I feel for him. I'm too insignificant for him. I'm just too inconsequential for him know. He's opened the door to us all no matter what you may have. What color your skin is. He came in the most humblest of ways, so he he came he was the helpless singer. He was the humble savior. Remember he was the one that went in and ate with the spies Tax Collectors. Remember that when he grew up he ate ate with these Brands. He came to bring Salvation to everyone you see and I think this set the tone for his life and his entire message. God brought a delegation of shepherds. First to worship him and then to celebrate remember Jesus begin his ministry by being hungry yet. The Bible says, he's the bread of life. He ended his ministry by being thirsty because he was on the cross but yet he himself said I am the living water I think about that. He he was weird but he says all you that are heavy laden come to me and I will give you what rest he was weary, but he'd give rest he paid his taxes. But yet he was the King of Kings. He was accused of having a demon inside him. But yet he went around casting out demons out of everyone else. You see this is the king of King we're talkin about he wept at the death of Lazarus, but the Bible says when we get to heaven, he will wipe away every tear. He cried himself, but he wipes away our tears. He was sold for 30 pieces of silver yet when he died on that cross and a road. He redeemed the whole world. We all have been bought with a price yet. He was sold for 30 pieces of silver. And Isaiah said he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, but the Bible says yet. He himself is the Good Shepherd. He's been good shepherd. Jesus died. But by his death, he destroyed death for everyone else and not something you see the Paradox here. He was a humble help with safe, but there's something else. He was a Heavenly safe. He was from heaven now look at it and verse 11. For there is born to you this day the city of David Bethlehem.

He was going to save the people not from Rome. He's going to save them from their sinks. Remember I said in Rome the emperor was worship. As God matter fact that the emperor Caesar was called savior of the people now all of a sudden Here Comes This little baby and wrong hears about this little baby. Who is the savior of the world and how you think that went over with Rome you say he was savior, but not only that it says he was the Christ was price May. Well thought it means it means the anointed one and the anointed one and the Messiah was the one who was looking for to be there. The leveler well wrong looked at their hamper or he's on the liver us when he's going to come and set things right. He's going to put up right where we need to be and all the sudden. He was a little baby. Not only is he save you He's the Messiah. He's the anointed one. And then it says he is Lord. Well, what does Lord mean? Well, it's the word for goblet. In other words what this message was saying. This little baby is born. He is God in flesh. This is God that is being born. He is Lord not the emperor not the manager not Pontius Pilate not any of the rest of them. This little baby is savior. He is Christ massage deliver and he is God himself. You see that was the message. He was a Heavenly stay. Well, let's look at it. We got it. I got a scripture here for you on the screen if Olivia food 6 through 8, this tells us what price did I let's read this. Making a profit who being in the form of God he was God. Did not consider it robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation taking the form of a bondservant when you came to this earth in the humble mean. Taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men God In the Flesh. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death. Even the death of the Cross somebody needs he was a helpless humble. Heavenly say well, let's move on point too. So the shepherd received the message number 2. The shepherd's responded to the mask. Now what you think as we go through this don't just think about this long 2000 years ago. What was going on? I want you to think about your own life. He's received but you have heard the gospel. Have you responded to it? You seem to Shepherd responded look at it in verse 1516. So it was when the Angels had gone away after they had given them this message. When angels that got away from them into heaven, what did the Shepherds do that? The shepherd said to one another let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass with the Lord has made known to ask and they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a Manger, you know, that's that's what the gospel supposed to do to us. It compels us to go and when we go and when we do something for the Lord, we do it with haste. They follow the angel simple instructions. They made your way the bet with him and you know something these for humble. check loneliness of the look they were the first ones to receive. When he came to this earth, the Shepherds were the first ones to receive him as their savior. You see it's not enough to hear the message. They heard it from me.

You have to receive it and you have to respond to it. Believing is not hearing but leaving is responding to what you do. Have you responded to the gospel? You see believing in a baby? That's our kind of windward really with Angel told them what to do. They have a and they express their fate. So not only did the Shepherds receive the message. They responded to the message number 3.

The shepherd's ringtones the message and I look at it in verse 17. Now when they had seen you speaking of the Shepherd have seen Jesus. They made widely known the sandwich was told them concerning this child as they left the manger they couldn't help but they had seen what they had seen what the Angels had told. They told everybody their lives would never be the same again. You know, that's exactly what witnessing is. You tell other people what Jesus has done for you. That's exactly what witnessing is. People want to know. What is it about you that makes you different. Well, it's Jeep when I met Jesus I became a different man. I have a new heart every time you get a chance you ought to do what the chaperon did and how do we Garrett keep it to ourselves when there are so many people out there that needs it here that store. It said they made it widely. No, thank you. Tell these shepherds are saved not only did they immediately a bag they went and found this baby when they found and they went and they spread the news. That is what witnessing. How about Shepherds received the message? They responded they heard they believe they responded to the message and then they returned the message. What's the last thing that we're going to go or where do I have a song in our hearts when we saved? You know that and this is the last thing the shepherd's rejoiced at the message that look at it in verse 20. In the Shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told. I think about that. Is it any wonder that the world wants to take Christmas away from us? Why because they don't know what it's about and they don't know how to explain it and the word effort in the nothing but spending about two and a half billion dollars just to buy presents for everybody. Nothing wrong with people you love and things like nothing wrong with what Christmas is about. You see, they're celebrating Christmas and they don't even know why they're celebrating but they are bringing gift each other and that's what happened at this first Christmas as well. You see Christmas actually doesn't belong to the world. It belongs to us. It's pretty sure it belongs to the church. That's what Christmas wooden Christmas belongs to It's a Wonderful celebration what cause of the message of peace and love and it was all wrapped up in swaddling clothes in the baby who was born in Bethlehem.

That's what Christmas is all about. So think about what these Shepherds did. They receive the message. They heard it. They believed it. They responded to the massive. BDM retold the message and then they go out and rejoice in the message. That's not what the gospel is all about. And I think it'd be a good messed, but I'm not going to quit. Because we left out some verses. very important verses that we have to go back and look at It when we look at these verses I want you to think to yourself.

How do I receive the Gospel? Making yourself this what is it? That I like about her. Like a bat as we read these two verse what is it that rev your motor? What is it that gets you started and compels you to do something. I want to give you to contrast beer and we can look at it and we can see which one we are artists. Look at look at verse 17. The Shepherds have come with haste and verse 16 they found Mary and Jody in the bank. So they saw him. Don't you look at burst 17? Now when they had made had seen him be made widely known to say in which we told them concerning this out. So they told everybody around I walk per second. And all those who hurt the crowd, you know, there was always a crowd Around Jesus always following him. They not they didn't all believe in him, but he was something different and they wanted right here. He's born and what is it? There's a crowd around already. Look what it says all those who heard it. Look at this network marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherd. They Marvel at what is that word marvel mean? It means that they wonder that they are amazed that they are astonished it gives the sense of emotional subjective response to Christ Let me say this when I was saying that wasn't an emotional part of it. I didn't cry.

But I felt a deep burning in the pit of my life at the moment that I accepted him something happen inside physically I'm talking about I was burned inside in the pit of my stomach. So she certainly cries in the gospel deserves an emotional response. But this word marvel means that the people saw it and then a one-time thing they looked at it with amazement and wonder but it has nothing to do with changing their hearts. They just marvel at Did you know that there's people in churches like that today? They hear the gospel and they say wow, that's good. And they go to Evangelistic meanings and they want to hear these preacher stand up and preach hard and sweat and stomp and spit and go on and they just love to hear a firing preacher. Nothing wrong with re prefix. I like fire and preachers but see what they want is some emotional response. We want to be moved in their emotions, but the problem with that is sometimes when we look for the healing services and sometimes when we look for the Evangelistic Services, we're all fired up. Night but you guys later we're down in the dumps because that motion has worn off these people here. It said they came and made a marble in the tense of the verb means it's a one-time thing. They looked at it. They Marvel they turn their back and get the other way. You say they're not like the shepherd or married because we going to look at the shepherd's heard. They received it they believed it they went and then they were Joyce and told it to everyone these people just Morrow they come to Paris and they like to hear good preaching at good music that gets them excited. It tickles their ears, but it doesn't change their hearts. This is what I'm saying. So you said that they marble but look what it says about Mary inverse night.

But there's a contract right there any time you see a state and it happens when you see but we're going to see a contrast those marbles, but married. Kept all these things and pondered them in her heart a little teenage girl. Just giving birth. to the savior of the world without ever being intimate with a man. Now, can you imagine what was going through her mind? How is this happening? The angels visited her and told her what was going to happen. I'm sure she didn't understand it and now here come these Shepherds. Tell her you just gave birth to the Savior to Christ the lord. How in the world would she understand that? And it says here that she can't all these things. I want to look into words cat in pain this work at I don't know how you are King James says, but my new team at the proper translation is that she was keeping. If I guess I am perfect bird, which means it's something that happens in the past, but it continues in other words when she heard this message. She kept thinking about the actual wording there a cat means to keep in one's mind or memory for Mary was looking at this everything that happened the angel coming to her and now the shepherd's coming in her giving birth. She didn't understand it but it says that she was keeping these things in her memory. She constantly fought about these things because that's the way it is with the gospel is not just a one-time deal. But the gospel comes to you. We need to have an intellectual moral reasoning about the gospel and we need to keep it in her heart and in our minds and we need to keep thinking about it. Just like Mary did. Keep thinking about it. Then it says she pondered them in her heart. That word pun. Comes from a Greek word soon by Lalah sune is the preposition with followed is the word for throw what it means to throw together what Mary was doing here. She was thinking about all this stuff that it happened with Shepherds and the angels and giving birth to a savior. She was trying she was putting it all together just like you would have probably read about the Visas and all of a sudden you got all the pieces around and you start looking and thinking and you start placing pieces here and what she was putting it all together. She was putting the gospel together in our own heart in my good friend. That's what we need to do when we hear the gospel. We don't need to just say, you know, just call her and say amen and then go home and forget it. We need to keep it. We need to treasure in our hearts and we need to put the pieces of the Gospel together and then we need to receive price. That's how you do it. It's not just an emotional response. Well, there was a department store years ago. It was actually won the nation's largest. And they put out a product at Christmas if they wanted to sell and it ended up being a disaster and what it was. It was a doll in the form of baby Jesus.

And it was advertised is unbreakable when you can wash it and cuddle it and it was packaged like in straw and like a little plastic crib and cover and it had a couple of Bible text over there and it was the baby Jesus. Well, the problem was it didn't sell. No one bought so the manager one of the stores try this last bit for motion ride around Christmas. He hung a sign outside the store that said this Jesus Christ mark down 50% get it while you can. Play Martin down 50% and said get him while you can friends. Listen, Jesus Christ. Did not come to this earth. The be packaged and sold after he didn't do that. Jesus is not some Black Friday deal. Jesus is not a blue light special at Kmart know he came as God himself close in the road of human flesh just so that he could be with us and while this world has turned it in commercialism. They have almost ruined the picture why he can't the friend is he still offers himself to those who will receive it as their personal safe. Have you received? The back for your forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. You see it's not enough to receive the message. It's not even enough to believe the message. You have to respond to them at just like these Shepherds did so the question today. Is this what will you do? What have you done?

This humble helpless Heavenly save who was born as a baby.

Are you like the social? B12 like this emotional subjective experience I just want to hear the store and I want to get happy about it, but I'm not going to give my life to him. I'm not going to take it that far. I'm not going to be a help. You know, I'm not going to just going to be one of these Jesus freak. I like the story and I think it's a nice story and it gives me these warm fuzzies, but that's about as far as I'm going to take if you want some of the most emotional subjective response to the gospel or you going to be like Mary Ewald treasure in your heart. You going to keep it on the front door of your heart and you going to keep it on the bottom shelf of your mind with every time you open that door. You see the gospel and you going to ponder you going to put the pieces together and you going to say yes, he died. He came he died for my sins. I believe it. I know it and I'm going to respond. That's the gospel that in that will leave my father we do thank and praise you in love you today for your word. Lord thank you for this message of these humble humble Shepherd or 19 that you change in this earth. And the first people you invited wouldn't be lowly of the love. Lord thank you for that that none of us could ever say that we're too sinful for you that you're too high for us know you came to this earth in the humblest of me the show us Lord that you died for everyone. Not just the ranch not just the mighty not just those who in charge but you died for every person no matter color creed ethnicity. It doesn't matter who died for us. Oh Lord. We thank you for that and thank you for this season. We thank you for this Nativity Story continue to speak to our hearts Lord as we said it is in Christ's name. I pray amen.