Worship Through the Praise
Come Let Us Adore Him • Sermon • Submitted
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13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Theologian William Barclay shared that tradition holds that when a baby boy was born during this time, local musicians would congregate in the house to provide simple music to greet that new baby boy. Jesus was born in a stable and therefore the ceremony of music could not be played out. However, the musicians of God Almighty sang the songs for Jesus that the earthly singers could not sing.
On that first Christmas, we learn that the angel that makes this incredible announcement and is then accompanied by a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men whom His favor rests.” This announcement brought out a celebration of praise. It seems the heavenly hosts were poised and ready to begin right after the sole angel made the announcement of Good News. The word for suddenly indicates as if they were waiting for the messenger to be done so they could begin their heavenly praises. There is much we can learn about praise from these angels in the nativity.
Praise is Contagious
Praise is Contagious
First, notice that praise is contagious. We see that the praise was sudden and spectacular. Can you imagine how incredible it was? One angel speaks and gives the good news, then immediately a heavenly host joins in with the praise. This had to be an event like no other had ever been seen. We don’t have a number in this passage representing the heavenly hosts, but it had to be incredible. Do you think it could have been like want John wrote about in Revelation 5:11-12?
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
Except they were saying, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!” One made the announcement then joined in with the others. That first angel did not make the announcement and sit down, no that angel joined the might chorus! This tells that this praise was sudden and sure. Seeing this, the shepherds had to echo Psalm 27:13 in their minds.
13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
They say that often the first thing that comes out of your mouth is the truth of what you feel and think. If that is the case, we see here with these angels that the first thing out of their mouths was “Glory to God in the Highest!” We can learn much from that can’t we? An announcement is made about Jesus, Christ the Lord and it is sure and confident. As a result, praise happens. When we see, it is contagious because once it becomes airborne everyone that sees it wants to experience it! As the Spirit of God fills our lives, it overflows into all that we are and all that we around. The shepherds experienced what Ezekiel testified:
29 I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
The Glory of God was no longer hidden! After years of God dwelling in the Tabernacle and the Temple, the Holy of Holies was now lying in a manger because it was the Son of God lying there! The Glory of God was returned to the earth in the person of His Son!
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Praise is Compelling
Praise is Compelling
Praise becomes compelling. It has a powerful effect that requires my attention. I see in this passage that the heavenly hosts go into a praise session after the announcement of Christ the Lord being born. I find it very interesting to see their excitement. Evidently the good, good news shared on earth made all of heaven rejoice. C. S. Lewis called this event the turning point of history. It could not be the turning point unless God allowed it. But He did, and the angels praised Him!
1 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens,
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
The good news compels us with an imperative to praise Him. The greatest gift ever given was God giving us the gift of His Son. The greatest gift ever given has been given to be enjoyed by mankind to the fullest. No wonder they shouted, “Glory to God in the Highest!”
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
When we fully understand what God has done for us in the gift of Jesus, we will find it irresistible and we cannot hold our praise back. No wonder those angels got all excited.
4 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
“Let God be exalted!”
Praise is Consuming
Praise is Consuming
Just like the angels, don’t you know that the shepherds became the first to be consumed with praising God and shouting, “Glory to God in the highest!” They had a first hand experience in seeing the glory of God. Have you ever seen the glory of God? I would say that we have experienced the work of God and perhaps seen the results of God’s action. However, I would say that glory of God demonstrated in this passage is not something that is seen every day, nor is it something that we may even see in our lifetimes. One reason is explained Paul.
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
When we take our eyes of Jesus, we lose sight of the glory of God. So then, how do we see the glory of God during this Christmas season? Simple. We put our eyes on Jesus!
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we are going to savor the peace of God. That was part of the praise that the angels sang. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” Leon Morris wrote that this word peace “means peace between God and people, the healing of the estrangement caused by human evil.” Peace means well-being, harmony and strength. The world was not war during this time. Remember, the Romans has instituted the PAX ROMANA, which had been in effect since 27 B. C. The absence of war does not guarantee peace. In fact, there is much peace in the inner conflict of mankind. The angels welcomed the birth of Christ with praise to God and a blessing that called for peace. Peace will never come from good human intentions but only from God. Only those who are dedicated to praising God can be instruments of peace because God is the only source of peace.
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.”
3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned
until the time when she who is in labor gives birth
and the rest of his brothers return
to join the Israelites.
4 He will stand and shepherd his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be their peace.
When the Assyrian invades our land
and marches through our fortresses,
we will raise against him seven shepherds,
even eight leaders of men.
Matthew Henry writes, “If God be at peace with us, all peace results from it: peace of conscience; peace with angels; peace between Jew and Gentile.”
When we are consumed with praising God and savoring the peace of God, then we will sense the favor of God.
16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
The fullness of His grace is His greatest favor for us! The joyous gift of God’s Son to us gives us an opportunity to praise Him and do so courageously!
Praise is Courageous
Praise is Courageous
The praise that the angels sang that Christmas morning came in a multitude of heavenly hosts like no one had ever seen before. The strength in those numbers helped the shepherds as the first believers to have great courage. I just imagine that those shepherds joined in that time of praise. Perhaps they remembered from the words of Isaiah:
2 Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.”
I am reminded that as strength comes, so does stamina. When I praise God, I find that it in itself helps me to have the endurance to do more. It is just like exercise, the more you do the longer you can do. It will not be easy, but there is a reward for having the stamina that comes from praise.
22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Finally, when we worship through praise, we will see that we are given a strategy to helps us move forward. The angels did not say “Glory to God in the Highest” to give Him something He lacks. Rather it was a confession of who He is! And just as the shepherds witnessed this confession, they were led to praise which led them to more praise. A strategy was made, a plan developed.
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
This verse tells me that my praise to the Lord moves me into action. They acknowledged what God had done then they said “Let’s go.” The implication is that they were never going to be the same. They were going to move closer to Jesus. What is your strategy in moving closer to Jesus this Christmas? What is it that you need to do? Where is it that you need to go? The angels of the Lord were not just making the announcement for the shepherds. They were making that announcement to you and me today. Are we going to let it be just another thought that clutters our mind, or are we going to worship through the praise? If you are not going to give God the glory, what are you giving it to? Because if He doesn’t get it, then you are making yourself of something else worthy of the glory intended for God.