Let Us Go and See ... And then Go and Tell

Text: Luke 2:8-18

Theme: God's message of hope is for all those who are lowly of heart and downtrodden of spirit.

Date: 12/13/2020 Title: JourneyTowardChristmas03.wpd ID:

As a pastor, there have been times in my life when I have staggered under waves of discouragement. (Thankfully those times have been few and far between). There have been those Sundays when it seems as though my sermons just dribble out of my mouth, struggle over the pulpit, and died somewhere between me and the congregation. A sense of personal inadequacy for the tasks of pastoral duty feeds a sense of hopelessness that I'll ever really do this calling justice. Not often, but every once in a great while I feel like David when he wrote in Psalm 25:

"I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!" NIV (vv. 16-17)

The good news? I know I'm not alone. Many Christians, when faced with crisis, and stress, and anxiety—and there has been an abundance of all three of those in 2020—struggle regularly with the feeling of hopelessness. The tell-tail sign is the heavy sighs that issue from our lips at the end of a busy day.

In a secularized society, hope consists of little more than a half-hearted optimism. But that optimism has no firm foundation—no anchor. Hope, as the word is commonly used in our culture today, is little more than wishful thinking.

“I hope I win the lottery."

"I hope Bobby will ask me out."

"I hope the state trooper didn't have his radar gun turned on."

"I hope I get that new digital camera for Christmas."

"I hope the teacher didn't see me pass that note."

"I hope I go to heaven when I die."

There is no sense of assurance in any of these statements.

The Bible, on the other hand, reveals a hope that consists of unrelenting, confident faith in God's promises. Listen as the Apostle Peter talks about this hope:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3–5, ESV)

As we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate the promise of a Savior and the believer’s hope in Christ that brings unimaginable joy.

For the Christian, life in Christ is an endless hope. For those without Him, life leads to a hopeless end. That's why we continue our Advent celebration by talking about hope. And no one needed a more sure word of hope than those shepherds tending their flocks in the fields around Bethlehem. These men remind us how men should responded to God's invitation.

I. GOD'S MESSAGE OF HOPE IS FOR THE LOWLY AND DOWNTRODDEN

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” (Luke 2:8, ESV)

1. why would God choose to announce the coming of His son first to shepherds and not to the rabbis and spiritual leaders of Israel?

2. let me tell you about these shepherds

a. 1st, they were religious outcasts

1) according to Jewish religious law, these men were ritually and spiritually unclean

2) their line of work prevented them from participating in many religious rites, feasts and holy days that pious Jews were to observe

3) whatever might have been in their hearts, they weren't able to participate in the religious life of the community

b. 2nd, they were cultural outcasts

1) they were looked upon with suspicion much as we might look with suspicion at gypsies, carnival roustabouts or migrant workers

2) they were often assumed to be thieves – if something showed up missing, it must have been ‘those shepherds'

3) they were considered untrustworthy and forbidden to give legal testimony in a Jewish court of law

ILLUS. The Mishnah, essentially an ancient Jewish commentary on the Law, considered shepherds “incompetent” and says that no one should ever feel obligated to rescue a shepherd who has fallen into a pit.

c. Third, they were social outcasts

1) let's face it—shepherds stink—these guys were with their sheep 24/7, 365 days a year; they even slept with the sheep

2) they were poor people, and uneducated people, and oh, and did I tell you that they stunk?

3) they were the lowest of common folk in Jewish society—only one class of people were beneath them and those were the lepers—you did not want your daughter to marry a shepherd

4) have I told you that they didn't smell good?

3. shepherds were religious outcasts, and cultural outcasts and social outcasts

a. they did the 'dirty work' that respectable people didn't want to do and were disdained because of it

b. they put up with simple food, harsh weather, primitive lodging, dangerous animals, and disparaging stares and comments

c. ironically they provided Israel with its most important commodity—sheep for sacrificial slaughter

4. amazingly, these were the men to first hear the good news of Messiah's birth

“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.” (Luke 2:10–11, ESV)

5. that the angel of the Lord first declared God's message of hope to them teaches us two lessons\

A. THE SELF-SUFFICIENT AND ARROGANT WILL FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”” (Matthew 19:16–25, ESV)

1. this guy had everything going for him

a. he was rich, young and prominent

b. he was clean, keen and reverent

2. he was the kind of individual we would covet as a church member if he and his family were to visit our services some Sunday

3. this young man is to be commended for going to the right person with his inquiry about eternal life

a. sooner or later the thoughts of one’s eternal destiny come to every man

4. sadly, the young man left his encounter with Jesus condemned

“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18, ESV)

a. why did the rich young ruler leave condemned?

1) he gloried in his self-sufficiency

2) notice his emphasis on personal endeavor in his quest for eternal life ... what good thing must I do that I may possess everlasting life?

3) he sees eternal life as something he can purchase like some commodity off the store shelf

b. confronted with the choice of either following Jesus or clinging to his material wealth, he chooses the latter

1) it is still true today that not many who are great, or noble, or rich, or mighty, open their hearts to the Savior

“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ” (1 Corinthians 1:26–27, ESV)

c. this doesn’t mean that the wealthy and well-connected can’t be saved, but it’s hard—like a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle

5. there is a second lesson the shepherds teach us . . .

B. THE NEEDY AND HUMBLE ARE MORE LIKELY TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD

1. does this mean that all those who are poor and the outcasts of society will enter the Kingdom?

a. no—being poor or an outcast from society does not give you a free pass into The Kingdom

1) even the lowly and downtrodden must commit their life to Christ and follow Him as a disciple

2) Nicodemus must be born again and so must shepherds

2. the point that Scriptures repeatedly make is that the poor and humble have less to loose and so may be more inclined to turn to the Lord

3. all those who are needy and humble of spirit—regardless of their position in life—will be open and receptive to the good news—whether it comes form the lips of angels or men

a. don’t miss the ordinariness of how the gospel come to most people

1) the shepherds got an angel, but everyone else just got shepherds

2) the shepherds were just ordinary men who were given an extraordinary message

“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,” (Luke 2:17, NIV84)

4. most of us get the good news in very ordinary ways ...

a. a Sunday School teacher, a sermon, or a friend who shares the gospel with us

b. like the shepherds we hear and then we believe—salvation is that simple

II. MEN MUST RECEIVE GOD'S MESSAGE OF HOPE WITH OPEN HEARTS

“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. 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.” 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!” 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.” (Luke 2:9–16, ESV)

1. salvation requires intellectual belief in the historical events of the Bible, yet salvation is not an academic discipline

2. salvation presupposes an acceptance of the miraculous and the supernatural, yet salvation is not a philosophical pursuit

3. salvation is a matter of the heart and the will

“For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:10–11, ESV)

A. GOD CONFRONTS MEN WITH HIS MESSAGE OF HOPE IN STRANGE PLACES AND AT UNUSUAL TIMES

1. God does not always meet us in a Temple, a Cathedral, a Church or a Chapel

a. God met Moses at a burning bush in the desert

b. He met Elijah in the still small voice while the prophet was hiding in a cave

c. He met Joseph in a Egyptian dungeon

d. He met Daniel in a Babylonian lions den

e. He came to Isaiah in a vision

f. He met Jonah is a whale's tummy

g. He approached the Apostle Paul on a lonely stretch of desert highway

2. God's encounter with the shepherds is consistent with His peculiar tendency of invading human history—and human lives—at the most unexpected moments

a. here were normal men going about their normal routine at a normal time

b. suddenly, unexpectedly, a messenger of the most high God is present and the darkness is pierced by the illumination of God's glory

c. the shepherds were sore afraid the Scripture tell us

1) what an understatement!

2) they were absolutely terrified

3) the text literally says, they feared with a great fear

3 it’s easy to listen to an angel's message when you’re frozen in your tracks!

B. GOD'S MESSAGE OF HOPE IS THAT A SAVIOR HAS COME INTO THE WORLD

1. when God speaks, men should listen

2. in spite of their anxiety over this heavenly encounter, the shepherds do listen to the angel's message of hope

a. there is no reason to be afraid

1) stop fearing the angel says (v. 10)

b. the angel's message is a message of hope

1) the shepherds had feared a great fear

2) the angel brought news of a great joy

3. what is the reason for this joy?

a. the angel brings good news

b. this good news will bring joy—literally calm delight

c. the message is for all people—it's the same word we translate as whosoever in

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)

d. the source of this joy is the birth of the one who will deliver his people from their sin

1) He is a Savior

2) He is the Anointed One

3) He is Messiah

4) He is the Christ the Lord

4. this heavenly birth announcement initiates spontaneous praise from God's celestial army

“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!” (Luke 2:13–14, ESV)

a. the Good News is a message for all, but only those who receive it into their hearts get the peace that is promised

C. GOD'S MESSAGE OF HOPE CALLS FOR A RESPONSE

1. the shepherds believed the message and desired instantly to see what God had done on their behalf

“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.” (Luke 2:15–16, ESV)

2. they came with haste the Scriptures tell us

a. the word means to accelerate or to cut across

1) the implication is that these shepherds had no time to travel the ordinary paths to Bethlehem

2) rather, they cut across the fields, and bounded across the creeks—running all the way—in order to reach Bethlehem more quickly

b. their rapid journey was not disappointing

3. they heard the message, they saw the proof, they believed

a. their response tells me that you too, must respond quickly to God in your life

4. one of the most counterintuitive and radical themes of the New Testament is that, before we became Christians, we were at war with God

a. most people don’t believe that, and even many Christians struggle with that

ILLUS. You look at your eighty-two year old grandfather, who’s not a Christian—he’s never made a profession of faith—but he’s a great guy, who took you fishing when you were growing up. He’s funny, he’s been a faithful husband, active in the community. But regardless of those things, if you could peer deep into his soul, you’d see that he hates God.

You look at the eleven year old neighbor girl. She’s as sweet as can be. She’s polite, she is studious, she is kind. But if she’s never confessed Christ as Savior, in the depth of her soul she has an intense dislike for God.

b. people may say, “I don’t believe in God” or “I’m indifferent about God” but rare is the person who says, “I hate God”

c. but the Bible tells us that the natural heart ... the stony heart ... the unconverted heart is at enmity with God

d. until you understand that you’ll never understand the depth of you sin and your need for a Savior

5. but the message of the angels is a message of redemption and reconciliation

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV84)

III. THOSE WHO BELIEVE GOD'S MESSAGE OF HOPE MUST SHARE IT WITH OTHERS

1. the simple shepherds were the first to receive communication concerning the birth of the Savior

2. and these same shepherds were the first to proclaim this event to others

“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.” (Luke 2:17–18, ESV)

A. GOD'S MESSAGE OF HOPE IS NEVER FULLY FIXED IN OUR HEARTS UNTIL WE PROCLAIM THE MESSAGE OURSELVES & GIVE GLORY TO GOD

1. these shepherds made known abroad what they had been told

a. they broadcast to all who would listen – and even to those who wouldn't

1) so thoroughly convinced were these men of the truth of their story, and so sure were they of its importance, that they were willing to risk disbelief and even ridicule

2) these shepherds looked at a baby and saw in his face the hope of Israel

ILLUS. No wonder Charles Wesley could write the lines "Veiled in flesh the Godhead see: Hail th' Incarnate Deity" We sing those words in that great carol of Christmas "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing."

b. those that heard the story were amazed

c. how faithful are you in telling the story?

2. these shepherds returned to their simple and routine responsibilities of guarding sheep

a. but their lives could never be quite the same

b. the praise of God would continually be upon their lips

Biblical hope is based on God Himself, revealed to us in Jesus Christ, the living Word and in His written word.

How have you responded to God's message of hope? It's a message for the ‘down and out' as well as for the ‘up and in'. It's a message you must receive with an open heart, just as the shepherds did. It's a message that will bring joy to your heart and praise to your lips. It's a story that we cannot help but tell to those around us.

What’s the application? What do you do with this Christmas narrative? Let me close with a story.

Dorothy Sayers was one of the first women who ever graduated from Oxford. She was a student of classical and modern languages. She was a playwright, a literary critic, and an essayist. But she is best known as a writer of detective mystery fiction.

Her most famous detective stories were about the fictional character Lord Peter Wimsey. He was an aristocrat—rich and handsome, and he was a detective. He solved all kinds of mysteries and crimes. Sayers wrote a whole series of short stories and novels about him. About halfway through the series, a new character emerges; a woman. The character’s name is Harriet Vane. It turns out that Harriet was one of the first women who ever graduated from Oxford. She’s a mystery writer. She’s not particularly attractive (just as Dorothy Sayers was not particularly attractive by her own admission). Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey fall in love and get married and go on to solve mysteries together and live happily ever after.

Most scholars believe that Dorothy Sayers looked into the world she had created and looked at the man she had created, and fell in love with him, and wrote herself into the story. He was lonely, and she solved Lord Wimsey’s problem by writing herself into the story. Some of you are out there saying, “Aw, isn’t that sweet.” But do you realize the claim of Christmas is infinitely more wonderful than that?

Christmas means God looked into the world He created and looked at us and saw the mess we were in, and he wrote Himself into the world He had created. He came into the real world as Jesus Christ. He didn’t come just to embrace us but to die for us.

Luke shows us God in that feed trough. That’s who the baby is. He temporarily laid aside his glory so that we might have glory forever. He lost his peace so we could have infinite peace.

Look at what he did for you. Won’t you trust somebody who did all that for you? Why can’t you trust him with your future? Why can’t you trust him with your life? If he did all that for you, you can trust him. So do you see what the angel is saying? “Do you want to stop all your fear? Behold! Look at Christmas. Look at what he did. To the degree you behold it, to the degree you grasp it, to the degree you treasure and ponder it in your heart, to that degree those fears will start to diminish. Fear not; behold.”