The Shepherd's Final Response

In the four weeks od advent leading up to Christmas day our church family took part in a teaching series; “And There Were Shepherds”

·         We have looked at the message of the birth of Jesus Christ according to Luke 2.

·         We looked at the response to this message by the shepherds.

·         And we looked at the response that this message requires of each us

Luke 2:8-20 says:

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 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. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 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.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."

We asked questions within the church family:

·         “What will the glory of The Lord bring to you this Christmas?”

·         “How will we (as a church) continue to go and to see this Christmas?”

·         “How will we come to Christ this Christmas?”

·         “How will we act (with love) toward others this Christmas?”

We see the final three responses that the shepherds took;

·         The shepherds returned

o   They returned to their normal environment

§  We too must return to our normal environments

·         Where hearts begin to harden to the thoughts of generosity

·         Where hearts grow cold to the message of Christ

·         Where it’s not as easy to drop Jesus name into everyday conversation

o   They returned to their normal tasks

§  We too must return to our normal tasks

·         Where the drive to achieve and outdo can drive our time and our energy

·         Where the stress and anxiety can overwhelm

·         The shepherds glorified

o   To glorify is to give honor – to impart glory on something – to declare it excellent – to clothe it with splendor.

o   They glorified what they were once unaware of.

·         The shepherds praised

o   To praise is to make promise or vow to something – to  admire – to worship – to devote yourself to.

o   They praised what they were once terrified of.

See, this is what we do – or all called to do;

·         Glorify and praise a God that we were once unaware of

·         Glorify and praise a God that we were once terrified of

·         Glorify and praise a God that is deserving of all our praise and glory

Worship, as defined by Colossians 3:17, is doing “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

As we celebrate Christ’s birth this Christmas season, let us glorify Him

·         When we return to our normal environments and our normal tasks, let us praise Him

o   Let us do everything we do “in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”.

The Shepherds Acted Inwardly

This Christmas season the sermon series on Sunday mornings are focused on Luke 2 and specifically on the response; the response that the shepherds had to the message they heard and the response that we must also take to the message of Jesus Christ.

Luke 2:8-11 says: And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

The shepherds were...ordinary men...living ordinary lives...doing ordinary tasks.

In the middle of the night it was...quiet...dark...and still

And an angel of The Lord appears to them. And the glory of the Lord came to them.

And their initial reaction was...TERROR!

The angel announces to them...comfort...goodness...and joy. But also...a sign...and an invitation.

Luke 2:12 says: This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Jesus birth was a sign...of God's promises fulfilled...of Jesus' humility...and of Jesus' humanity.

And because of these signs, the angel extends an invitation to the shepherds; "you will find a baby". But, the shepherds would only "find a baby" if they responded to the message...in faith and I'm action.

But, these shepherds were terrified. What could take them from their state of terror to a state of faith and action?

Luke 2:13-14 says: Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

This one angel is joined by a great company of angels proclaiming praise to God...glory to God...and peace to men.

But this is not peace on earth as many understand it today, it is a peace that comes through...this invitation of Christ...forgiveness of our sins...freedom from this world...the control of God...the security in eternity...and a response to God.

And, this peace only comes when we first make peace with God. When we give Him all the glory, with our lives and our actions.

And that's what the shepherds did, they responded.

Luke 2:15 says: 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.”

The shepherds responded inwardly. They said to one another...let's go...let's see.

Let's go and see what the...glory of The Lord I'd all about...glory of the Lord has brought to us...Lord's comfort and joy is...Lord's peace is.

You see, the shepherds had to respond to the message of Jesus Christ. And so do we!

How will we act inwardly this Christmas season?

Will will continue to go and see?

Will we continue to act?

Will we continue to respond to the glory of God?

Take Time

This past fall we focused on prayer within our church. As I said to our church family; God desires for us to be people of prayer. God desires that we desire to talk to Him - to communicate our wants and needs to Him. God desires that we desire to listen to Him - to have Him communicate to us.

There is much to be said about prayer, much that is stated in the Old and New Testaments, and much that God continues to reveal to us today. I believe that prayer must be at the heart of our local churches and that prayer must be the pulse of Christ's worldwide Church.

Allow me to pause this thought for a moment, I'll come right back to it.

Our current teaching series looks to the shepherds who first heard the message of Christ's birth. (Luke 2). The amazing thing is that God picked these shepherds, who had been despised by much of the religious community, to be the first to hear the amazing news. Many reasons can be given for why God chose this group. As Max Lucado writes; "God goes to those who have time to hear Him - so on this cloudless night He went to the simple shepherds".

Let me say this; take time to hear God this Christmas season, allow the glory of God to come to you as you worship, pray, and celebrate Him.

Extraordinary Stories

Last Sunday I began an Teaching series from Luke 2; "And There Were Shepherds". This series will focus on the message of Christ's birth that the shepherds heard, what their response was to this message, and what our response must be now that we have heard this message if Jesus' birth.

See, these shepherds were ordinary men, living ordinary lives, and doing ordinary jobs on the night "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1). But, their lives were changed and their story made extraordinary when they heard of Jesus birth.

The same can be said of us. When we hear the message of Christ and respond in faith and action, our lives are transformed, changed forevermore, and the story of our lives go from ordinary to extraordinary.

The Shepherds Were Terrified

Luke 2: 8-11 says;
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."

The shepherds were
- Together, as a community
- Living, in their normal environment
- Working, doing their normal task

This is what we are called to this Christmas season, to live and work together. God does not call us to abandon others, to abandon our lives, or to abandon our tasks - He calls us to live life together for Him.

An angel of the Lord came to the shepherds with a message of comfort, good news, and great joy. Then, the glory of the Lord shone around them. And their reaction was terror!

The glory of the Lord came to the shepherds (and to us). "Today...a Savior has been born to you, He is Christ, The Lord."

WHAT WILL THE GLORY OF THE LORD BRING TO YOU THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON?
o To some it brings fear (vs. 9)
o To some it brings comfort (vs. 10)
o To some it brings good news (vs. 10)
o To some it brings great joy (vs. 10)
o To some it brings a Savior (vs. 11)