Life of Jesus #3: Christmas Child Ser. 2 of 5‘No Paparazzi Please’
Andover Baptist Church-November 30th, 2008
Opening
A. Texts for today is Luke 2:8-20(SLIDE)
B. Children’s Sermon(SLIDE)
1. Have the kids come forward (for Christmas game show)
2. Have Richard and Brian on one team (chairs set up)
3. Call dad to be on the kids team (total 21 questions)
C. Introduction(slide)
1. Can anyone here tell me about some famous births?
2. Prince Hisahito of Japan 1996(slide)
a. Probably one of the most anticipated royal births
in history
b. Had not been a male heir in more than 40 years
c. Lots of worry in the male dominated society
d. When born received a welcoming party like few
in our time
3. Who can forget the births of Prince William and Prince
Henry of Great Britain children of Prince Charles and
Princess Diana(slide)
4. What about the quote unquote ‘Hollywood Royalty’
births like the Bradalina (slide)
a. May 27th, 2006 Angelina Jolie gave birth to her
and Brad Pitt’s child
b. People magazine paid $4.1 million for the North
American picture rights, the British magazine
Hello! Paid roughly $3.5 million for international
picture rights (that’s just to be allowed to put the
child’s picture in their magazines)
c. Total rights worldwide went in upwards of $10
million (most expensive photo rights in history)
All the money was donated to an undisclosed
charity.
d. To commemorate the birth Madame Tussauds in
New York unveiled a wax figure of two-month-
old Shiloh; it was the first infant re-created in wax
by Madame Tussauds
e. On July 12th, 2008 (great day to be born by the
way) the couple gave birth to twins
f. Breaking their old record the first images sold for
$14 million
5. Millions and millions of people recognized and
celebrated these births
a. Was there that much fanfare when the Creator of
all was introduced in the flesh to the world?
b. Hardly! When the One who deserves all glory
and honor stepped into the world there were no
Paparazzi waiting impatiently outside
c. His birth was barely noticed except for the most
unlikeliest group of men and the choir of heaven
itself
d. While we won’t be opening the latest copy of
People to read about His birth, I would ask you to
follow along in the Bible in Luke 2:8, 9
Sermon
READ: Luke 2:8, 9(Scripture slide)
“8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”
A. ‘And there were….nearby’
1. At the moment of Jesus' birth something else is taking
place and we transition out into the fields to where the
shepherds are
2. 'nearby': the shepherds were not far off from the birth of
Jesus
B. Angelic Interruption of the peaceful night
1. ‘angel of the Lord’
a. At first only a single angel appears
b. Greek indicates that it was in front of them
2. Delivers a divine proclamation
C. ‘glory of the Lord shone around them’
1. What is this glory?
a. God reflected off of His angels, they were in His
presence
b. Intensely brilliant light, likely as when Jesus
appeared to Paul
c. Moses face shined when he came down from the
mountain that the people couldn't look at him
2. Imagine this scenario
a. You’re out in the field watching your sheep
b. Your shepherding comrades have just fallen
asleep after their shift
c. W/o warning the sky blazes brighter than the
noonday sun
d. You’re temporarily blinded by the intensity of the
light and you friends immediately bolt from their
sleep
e. Get one of those powerful spotlights and shine it
out into the crowd (from Keith)
f. How would you feel?
3. Produced terror
a. Greek wording indicates a very intense fear
b. Literally means 'they feared a great fear'
c. Other than the light and surprise why else would
they have reason to fear?
1. It had to be supernatural
2. Either God or an angel
3. Divine judgment (list of sins in their
heads)
d. In reality the sin they feared would be their
undoing, actually would find it's undoing in the
coming of this little child
C. Who were these frightened recipients, the shepherds?
1. Seemingly strange choice for God to make
a. For over 400 years His glory had been
suspiciously absent from Israel
b. And now God sends His angels to announce an
event that is obviously of the utmost importance
c. This is a great move of God
d. So He chooses the high priest in Jerusalem, no,
the priests, no, prophets, no, any religious leader,
no….shepherds
2. The social outcasts of society
a. They were not allowed to give testimony in a
court of law because they were seen as
untrustworthy
b. Would have been unschooled in the Law, and
therefore looked upon as ignorant
c. They found their substances from what was
around them (such as grasshoppers and wild
honey)
d. Because they were out in the fields all the time
they could not keep the ceremonial cleanliness
laws and therefore were seen as perpetually
unclean
e. Religious Jews lumped them together with the
‘godless’ and restricted them to farthest part of
the temple courts
1. Imagine an immigrant field worker trying
to gain entrance to a swank country club
2. And you see the situation the shepherds
were in trying to worship at the temple
3. Before we say poor shepherds and bad
religious people what about us?
4. If a homeless man walked in here and sat
down beside you what would you think?
3. Strange way to treat a group of people from which some
of the greatest leaders of Israel came
a. Abraham, Moses and David
b. When Moses was called by God he was tending
sheep (Ex 3:1)
c. Likewise when David was chosen by God to be
king of Israel he was out tending sheep
2 Sa 7:8“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel."
4. David foreshadowed another Shepherd who would be
the ultimate Shepherd: the Messiah
Eze 34:23 "I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd."
5. The Great Shepherd was welcomed into this world by
none other than the shepherds that foreshadowed His
ministry and sacrificial death
D. Says that they 'living out in the fields'
1. Better translated: 'living in the fields and guarding their
flock'
2. Shepherding was not a job, it was their life, no
Thanksgiving, Bank Holidays, vacation..none
3. Likely lived in tents (the Great Shepherd did not have a
house to call His own)
4. Most would be out in the field from April to November
a. This would make, under normal circumstances,
December 25th too late for the birth of Christ
b. Unless these were very unique shepherds with a
very unique flock
1. Only one group of shepherds would have
been out in this season
2. Only one flock would have been fielded
so late in the season
3. Who? The sacrificial lambs and the men
who took care of them
4. They were the only group that was out in
the field all year long
E. So why did God choose these shepherds?
1. Near Bethlehem, on the road to Jerusalem, is a tower
known as Migdal Eder (slide)
2. It was the station were shepherds watched their special
flocks who were destined for sacrifice in the temple
3. Animals straying from Jerusalem on any side, as far as
from Jerusalem to Migdal Eder, were offered in sacrifice.
4. It was a common conviction in that day among the Jews
that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem and that
his coming would first be noticed from this tower
5. Our shepherds fit the bill
READ: Luke 2:10-12 (Scripture slide)
“10 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. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
A. ‘Don’t worry I ain’t gonna smite ya’
1. He immediately calmed their fears or else they would
like have been too afraid to listen
2. The angel literally says: 'I evangelize to you great joy'
3. Word for joy: 'chara' is often associated with salvation in
Scripture
B. This is for ‘all people’
1. Jew, Gentile, you name it this was good news that
everyone could take part in
2. Reminiscent of the promise God gave to Abraham
Ge 12:3" I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
C. When is this going to take place? ‘Today’
1. Used 11 times in Luke and 9 times in Acts.
2. Each time it is used to indicate a dawning of a new era
in human history: the Messianic Age
3. Fulfillment of God's plan and His people's salvation
D. ‘town of David’: Already established that as Bethlehem
E. Who is born? Savior….Christ the Lord
1. Savior, Christ and Lord
2. A Savior saves one from oppression….Jesus came to
save us from the oppression of sin
3. The angel made it clear this was no common man this
was the Christ (the Anointed One), the Savior (a rescuer)
and the Lord (God in the flesh)
4. The world would be forever changed
F. What sign were they to look for to find Him?
1. They expected to be told, “You shall find him, though a
babe, dressed up in robes, and lying in the best house in
the town, lying in state, with a numerous train of
attendants in rich liveries.”
2. But instead of a throne He’ll be in a manger
(little unique)
3. Imagine the inconsistency in this thought
a. Hey Guys God has been born in Bethlehem today
b. You won’t find Him in the Presidential suite at
the Bethlehem Hyatt nor down the street at
Herod’s palace
c. But you will find Him in a feeding trough
d. He’d be hard to miss, but I’m sure their hearts
beat a little faster when they realized that the
Messiah had more in common with them than
they would have ever previously though
READ: Luke 2:13, 14 (Scripture slide)
“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.”
A. Here we go again: ‘Suddenly’
1. No warning as before
2. God acts like this a lot…especially in the end times.
Ac 2:1-2 "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting."
Ac 9:3"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him."
B. What exactly is the ‘great company of the heavenly host’?
1. Company: term used to describe an army encampment
2. Here it stands for an army of angels
3. Scripture tells us they there is a great multitude of them
1 Ki 22:19"Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left."
Da 7:10"….Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him…."
Re 5:11"Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand [10 million]. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders."
Mt 26:53"Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?"
4. Putting that last one into perspective: A legion consisted
of about 5k men, 60,000 angels of which one killed
185,000 men once…11 billion people almost twice as
many people as are on earth today
C. The purpose of this company of angels: Praise music
1. It’s climax of the angel's message
2. Cultural significance
a. When a Jewish child was born local musicians
would come to the home and welcome the child
with music and song
b. With Joseph and Mary away from home and
under different circumstances they did not get
this…but they got so much more
3. Theological significance
a. Only once before had a mortal heard the choir of
heaven
b. It was when Isaiah, in chapter 6 of his book,
details the vision of heaven that he saw…and the
foretelling of the coming of the Messiah
4. The message: God deserves all of our worship and
honor
5. When we glorify God, He in turn givesus peace
a. Not the type of peace we think of, and it would be
silly to imagine that, for if it were civil peace
why would Jesus have become the biggest
divider in human history?
b. How does this peace come about? Through Jesus
Christ
c. Peace comes to those in whom their relationship
with God has been fixed by faith in the Savior
d. In order to gain this peace you must give the
Bethlehem Child the same respect the angels
spoke of for the Father
Jn 5:23 “that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.”
READ: Luke 2:15, 16 (Scripture slide)
“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.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”
A. The shepherds exhibited a great faith
1. They believed and didn't waste any time responding in
that belief
2. These quote unquote simple people believed,
uneducated, low economic and social status and yet the
affluent and socially elite religious leaders didn't
B. Where o’ where did the angels go?
1. Into heaven
2. As Christ did in Acts
Ac 1:10-11 "10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
C. The shepherds were so excited that they did the one thing
shepherds never do….leave their sheep
1. Literally they went to see the Word of the angels
2. I'm sure that the angels did not give the shepherds a
street address…they had to go searching for the child
3. Imagine the surprise of Mary, Joseph and the people in
who's home they were in when the shepherds showed up
READ: Luke 2:17, 18 (Scripture slide)
“17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”
A. God chose the shepherds to be the first evangelists of the
Gospel message
1. Nobody in all of Israel would have chosen them to be
their spokesmen…except God that is
2. Proves that you don’t have to come to God with a clean
slate and that God can use anyone to accomplish His
will
3. And the message as not changed: Praise God the
Messiah, our Lord and Savior has come!
B. Response to the message of the Christ Child
1. Emotions the Christ Child evoked: wonder, puzzlement
and joy
2. 'amazed': It is a hard word to translate with one term in
this context. There is a mixture of amazement and
pondering at work in considering the surprising events
here.
3. The concept is simple: those who understand and accept
the Gospel do so with enthusiasm
Lk 2:33"The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him."
Lk 2:47 "Everyone who heard him was amazed at his under-standing and his answers."
READ: Luke 2:19 (Scripture slide)
“19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
A. Mary is more reserved and thoughtful as to the meaning of her
Child
1. She had to come to grips with fact that God had chosen
her to be the vehicle through whom He would send His
Son into the world
2. Now she was told the message that the shepherds
received from the angels in regards to her Son's mission
B. Literally she is trying to put all the pieces of the Messianic