Sermon
delivered on December 14th, 2014
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Text: Luke 2:8-11
Introduction
I love the Christmas story. It is the
greatest story ever told. It's the greatest day of all! It is a glorious day! I
love the Christmas story because it is a true story and because it is about the
faithfulness of God. It is about the fulfillment of God's promise of the
Messiah. But I am afraid, because we hear this story so many times that we lose
its glory and wonder.
Throughout the Old Testament, God
told His people that a Messiah was coming. In his "Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy", J. Barton Payne itemized 127
Messianic predictions involving more than 3,000 Bible verses, with a remarkable
574 verses referring directly to a personal Messiah!
The first promise made regarding the
Messiah is found in ...
Genesis 3:15 And I will
put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This promise was fulfilled in ...
Galatians 4:4 But when
the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made
under the law, 5: To redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons.
Christmas story is about fulfillment
of the long promised Messiah!
So, my prayer this morning is that,
as I bring these messages on the First Advent of Christ, we would not let its
familiarity to rob us of its glory and majesty. But rather we will see and
learn what God is seeking to teach us in this story. My prayer is that, we
would respond in worship and adoration, faithfulness and greater service,
greater boldness and passion in spreading the good news.
Let's revisit the first night when
Christ was born ...
I - Fear Not
Luke 2:8 And there were
in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their
flock by night. 2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 2:10 And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: ...
The shepherds were sore afraid at the
appearance of the angel. The
appearance of angels causes people to fear. At least there are four instances
in the Christmas story where an angel appeared and the response was the same -
fear.
Luke 1:13 But the angel
said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard ; and thy wife
Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luke 1:30 And the angel
said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Matthew 1:20 But while
he thought on these things, behold , the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in
a dream, saying , Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary
thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Luke 2:10 And the angel
said unto them (shepherds), Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. 11: For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Fear is a natural response to divine
revelation. Fear is one of the results of the fall. The angel assured there is
nothing to fear because he did not come to hurt them but to bring them good
news - "Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings."
The angel did not come to declare the
judgments of the Lord, but announce the blessings from Him who is merciful and
loving God. The angel was sent to give the shepherds good news of great joy.
There is need to be afraid, the angel appeared not to announce judgment but to
announce blessing.
II
- Behold
Luke 2:10 And the angel
said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. 11: For unto you is born this day in the city of
David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
There is that word again - Behold! It is an old English word:
Bi - thoroughly; hold - take hold
What the angel is about to say is
worthy of the shepherd's undivided attention and admiration. What the angel is
about to announce will radically change their lives. It is a good news of great
joy.
Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
In a busy and noisy world we need to
stop and think and consider. Do not let Internet, TV, music, activities,
shopping, and all the trappings of commercialized Christmas, crowd solitude and
silence out of your life. Behold, and see the glory and majesty of Christmas
story.
III
- Good Tidings
Luke 2:10 And the angel
said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
It's time to hear good news. In a
world filled with bad news, we need to hear some good news. But research
reveals that people love to hear bad news rather than good news. We cannot blame it all on the media
for focusing on bad news? Because
there is a market for it. Good
news does not sell newspapers, bad news does. People want to see and hear bad
news and are addicted to it, as a result, many are stressed out. Study shows
that the stress level in America is rising.
Someone said, "If you want to
reduce the anxiety in your life stop watching 24 hour news channels and stop
listening to talk radio."
Turn it off. Instead behold the
message God wants us to get.
IV - Great Joy
Luke 2:10 And the angel
said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.
There are good news that do not bring
great joy but this one does!
This good news, if received with
faith will bring great joy. The joy it brings is not the the joy that the world
gives. It is
not found in parties, food, gifts, decorations, drunkenness, bonuses, families
and friends, concerts, pot lucks, feasting. It is a joy that does not depend on circumstances. The joy
that this world, and the devil offers is small and temporary.
Hebrews 11:24 By faith
Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter; 25: Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26: Esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the
recompence of the reward.
The joy this world and the devil
offers is a pleasure for a season. Its a pleasure that is destructive. The joy that the world offers is
small. It is trivial. It is temporary. It is for a season. It's destructive.
The joy of Christmas is great joy. It
is pure joy. It is unending joy. It is a joy that last forever.
The shepherds, may be poor and lowly
and therefore not highly regarded in society but there is good news for them
that will give them great joy.
V - To all the people
Luke 2:10 And the angel
said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people.
This good news is not only for the
select few. It is to all the people. It is not just for the rich, for the
educated, for the religious, for the morally upright people. It is for all the people.
Regardless of religion, race, gender, age, education, position or contribution
in the community. This good news is for all.
This good news was meant to give
exceeding joy to all people but unfortunately not all receive the news with
great joy. For there are people like King Herod was troubled at it. The greater
part of the Jewish nation, who when he came to them, received Him not, but rejected
Him as the Messiah. The chief priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, though they knew
the scripture and heard about the birth of Christ did nothing about it. And
when they saw Him, said, this is the Heir, let's kill Him, and seize on the
inheritance.
Luke 19:14 But his
citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this
man to reign over us.
But to all that were waiting for Him,
and were looking for redemption in Israel; to all sensible sinners rejoiced at
His birth, and in His salvation.
To these the incarnation of Christ,
with all the benefits resulting from it, is the cause of great joy, when
receive with faith.
VI - The Reason for
Great joy
2:11 For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
This day
It was the day appointed by God,
planned by God, promised by God, the long expected and long awaited promised
has been fulfilled.
in the city of David
Today, in Bethlehem, when Jerusalem is busy going about
their business, preoccupied with Caesar Augustus' decree and in taxes, a child
has been born, a son has been given.
2:11 For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
The angel announced the birth of a
Saviour, which is exactly what we need. What the world needs is not a great
teacher, a great economist, a great politician, but a great Saviour. Because
man's greatest need is not education, wealth, or health. Our greatest need is
forgiveness and deliverance from
sin, from its guilt, penalty and power. Man's
greatest need is met through the Gospel.
Saviour
He is a complete Saviour. He not only
is able to save from Hell. He is able to save you from this present world.
Titus 2:11 For the
grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12: Teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world;
Galatians 1:3 Grace be
to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4: Who
gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil
world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Jesus Christ is not only a Saviour
who can take us to Heaven when we die but also is able to take Heaven into our
hearts and lives while we still live.
We need a Saviour that can save us
not only for the future life but also now in this present life.
Christ the Lord
Who is this Saviour? It is none other
than Christ the Lord! The long-awaited Messiah who is the Lord. The Anointed
One. The Prophet, Priest and King.
VII - Closing thoughts
2:11 For unto
you is born this day in
the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Unto you is born
It is not just a Saviour has been
born but unto you is born today, that is, today, a Saviour had been born for
you.
Today, in the city of David, a child
has been born for you. Your
Saviour, Christ the Lord, was born in David's city.
To all people
Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people.
This good tidings of great joy is not
only for you, but it is for all people. That first Christmas night, when Christ
was born, God had in mind to bless all mankind. This is the message of the
angels ...
Luke 2:13 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, good will toward
men.
The shepherds got it
Luke 2:17 And when they
had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning
this child.
When they saw Christ, they repeated
what they had been told about this child. They spread the good news about the
Messiah.
God wants this message to get to the
people, to this community, to your friends and family. How is He going to do
that? The shepherds are all dead and gone. He is not sending Gabriel or any
other angels to deliver the message. He is sending you and me. He is giving us
the privilege to be His messenger. Oh, you don't have to quit your jobs to do
that. I don't think the shepherd quit their jobs as shepherds. But returning to
their occupation they made known abroad the message about the Saviour. It is up
to us to deliver the message.
First things first
Before you can deliver the good tidings of great joy, you must first receive it yourself. Have you receive it by faith? May God grant you eyes to see and ears to hear the message of salvation!