Shepherds seized the moment

Another clap offering this morning.

Amen.

I don't know about you, but uh, this time of the year, from Thanksgiving to the end of the year, is my favorite time of the year because it's a time that everybody has to think for just a moment that maybe there's something about this theme of Christmas.

And it really is.

Because most of the time people get so caught up in all the festivities and all the partying and the even the gift giving and all the other activities that are going on that they really miss the true meaning of Christmas.

So this morning I want you to turn with me to Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Searching for Christmas.

And when we thought about when Rick and I talked about what we wanted to do this month, I thought to myself, where to start?

If you were searching for Christmas, well, we know there's two groups of people that really had a hunger and an excitement to go find Christmas.

To go find the true meaning of Christmas.

And that was the shepherds and the wise men.

And so today I'm gonna be dealing with how the shepherds seize the moment.

That when that first announcement by the angels, the angelic beings, and how they brought the announcement, and then how the shepherds responded, and what a picture it is in Luke chapter 2, picking up at verse 8.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were all so afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tithings of great joy, which shall be to all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly it was with the angel, a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go and go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which it's come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they, hey, now what's this?

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the sayings which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told to them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that had heard and seen as it was told unto them.

Wow, what a story! Can you imagine?

Have you ever thought why the shepherds?

Why was the announcement first brought to the shepherds?

Why did God choose the shepherds to be the first one to hear the announcement of baby Jesus?

Wow.

I got to ponder in those thoughts.

And sure enough, I began to think, oh, there's really, I came up with three reasons why I really believe in the introduction here of why God chose the shepherds, first of all, because of their dedication.

Have you ever thought about that?

You got to realize something about these shepherds.

See, they were not like the Orthodox Jews.

In fact, they were known as almost the outcast, or at best, just simple people.

Because, see, their job was tending the sheep.

And what people don't realize, every day in the morning and at night, in the afternoons, they would sacrifice a lamb in the temple.

And so, for them to sacrifice a lamb in the temple, they had to be the best of the best sheep.

The best lambs, unblemished.

And so what they did, they had their own field and their own group of shepherds that tended.

Are you ready for this?

The temple's lambs that they offered.

I meant they were the best, the most choice of all the lambs.

So these guys had the duty of taking care of those lambs.

And because of that, watch this.

They could not, are you ready for this?

They could not participate in all the ceremonial rituals that you had to do.

The washing of the hands, the cleanliness, and all those rituals that they had to go through.

So because they then couldn't do that, they would be considered as kind of like unclean.

So they couldn't participate in all the worshiping in the temple.

So kind of like outcast.

Or at best, the common people.

So why would God choose them?

I don't know.

Well, yes, I do know, at least what I think.

But hey, aren't you glad he chose the common people?

Amen.

Aren't you glad he chose the misfits, the outcast?

Because that's what I was before I came to Christ.

I was a misfit.

I was an outcast.

I was a common person.

He didn't choose the most wealthy, the most powerful.

He chose the everyday common persons.

But you know what?

They were hard workers.

Listen to what it says.

Hey, they stayed on the job.

Look at what it says.

It says in verse 8, they continue abiding in the fields.

Hey, they were hard workers.

Do you know it was, hey, it wasn't just an eight-hour day job.

Actually, it was a 24-7 for them.

They actually lived and slept in the fields.

They worked hard.

They were dedicated.

They cared, watching their flock by night.

They were courageous.

Do you realize it was at night when the wolves and the wild animals came out to try to steal a sheep for their meals?

So here these guys are watching their sheep on a normal evening.

And then something happens.

Oh, does that happen?

But not only were they dedicated, let me tell you another reason they chose them.

Their occupation.

Shepherds.

Think about that.

Jesus was the good shepherd.

Amen.

John 10, 11.

He was a great shepherd.

Hebrews 13, 20.

He was a chief shepherd.

1 Peter 5, 4.

Oh, and Jesus is the shepherd and the bishop of our souls.

1 Peter 2.25.

So there's a parallelism, there's a correlation here.

You know what a shepherd's main job was to lead the sheep, to protect the sheep, and to care for the sheep.

Now that's what a real shepherd is.

When I was over the seminary all those years at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, when I took over, Dr.

Falwell gave me one job.

In fact, he appointed me.

I didn't ask for the job.

He appointed me on national television with millions of people watching.

He said, We found our new dean.

Susan turned to me.

She said, Who is it?

Because at the time I was over the evangelism in the seminary and teaching, um, preaching in the seminary.

I said, I have no idea.

I gave him a few names.

And about that time he says, Dr.

Lovett, would you please come up?

Susan said, What?

Did you know this?

I said, Nope, but I do now.

So that's how I was chosen to be the seminary for the next almost 12 years, Dean.

But you know what he said?

I'm tired, and don't get this wrong.

He said, but I want a seminary instead of trying to build, hey, train theologians, I want a seminary that's going to train preachers and shepherds, people that go plant churches and win people to Christ and build churches and reach their community with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I said, is that really what you want?

He said, yeah.

I said, I can do that.

Because I'd just done it for over 12 years at Open Door Baptist Church.

I can do that.

I can teach, teach these young men to be shepherds.

And you know what my biggest, my biggest billboard was you come to Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, you come here not to be a theologian, nothing against theologians.

We need them.

Hey, but you come here to learn to build churches and to reach your community.

In fact, I said, what we're gonna train is shepherds.

It's gonna be shepherdology, not CEO ology.

And we ended up exploding over the next 10 to 11 years.

Actually became the largest seminary online.

Evangelical seminary.

So God just blessed it, but shepherds, why?

Shepherds lead, they care, they protect, they take care of their sheep.

Thank God for CCW.

That's what this church was born to be.

A church led by shepherds caring for their sheep.

So the occupation fits.

And then the third reason I believe they chose, God chose the shepherds, not only because of their dedication, their occupation, but their expectation.

Because once they heard the news that had been given to them by God, they did not hesitate.

They did not, hey, think, say, let's pray about this, let's think about this, or we gotta go get somebody to take care of the sheep.

No, they took off.

They made haste.

He knew that they would go get it done.

God knew that they would do because they were diligent, they were dedicated, and that they were shepherds.

So, with that said, let's look at number one.

Why did he choose these shepherds?

Because number one, he knew the shepherds would ascertain the facts.

He knew that once they were told something, they would go check it out.

And you know what breaks my heart?

These shepherds make us feel so guilty for all these 2,000 years.

Oh, how undiligent have we been about ascertaining the facts about what the true meaning of Christmas is.

When Adam said that, the reason for the season is Jesus.

Jesus, years ago, 25, 30 years ago, they came out, the main saying, first time it they used it was, Jesus is the reason for the season.

Can you say that, Wendy?

Come on, church.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

And that was a big deal.

I mean, they had shirts and coffee mu, everything.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

Well, how diligent have we been over the last 2,000 years to seek the facts?

Sadly to say, not too diligent.

Not too diligent when we got a country that's so divided and so much animosity and hatred.

Why?

They don't understand it.

But even during those days, and we'll see before we finish today, there was ignorance of that day.

Herod.

The religious folks, the NK, all of these folks did not care about ascertaining the facts, and Jesus was born right in their backyard.

Right there.

The religious folks even knew where he was supposed to be born.

They knew it was, and Micah 5-2 said he's going to be born in Bethlehem.

They knew it.

They had the scrolls.

That's where they looked it up when the wise men came.

And Rick would be preaching on the wise men next Sunday.

They knew.

Herod had never heard of it.

Hey, the religious folks, they didn't care because they had not told anyone.

Nobody knew.

That's why Jesus, hey, when he was born there, nobody came but just a handful.

Nobody but the shepherds and the wise men.

And the wise men was two years later.

But what's this?

Oh, this gets exciting.

Look at what he said in verse 15.

Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.

Underline that if you underline your Bible.

That the Lord has made known to us.

Oh, now look at verse 10 through 12.

Look at what he says.

When they hey, they show up.

Fear not.

Oh, that's a great word.

It's Fabio.

Fabio.

Fabio is the Greek word.

And it really means to be seized with fear.

In other words, when how would you like to be standing there doing your job diligently, watching out for all the wild animals that may be coming around?

And all of a sudden, this angel, this angelic being, and somebody said, I wonder what he looked like.

Don't know.

But I do know this.

Whatever it looked like, it was bright and it was scary.

They had never seen anything like it.

And then, before you know it, before the leaves, man, there's there's hundreds, thousands of them singing and praising God.

Can you imagine that whole field on the hillside there was just lit up?

And here they are.

And first thing he says, don't be seized with fear.

And then notice what he says.

Yet, hey, and I really see this, I see them so fearful, but yet there's an excitement, there's a wonder.

And that then the shepherds hear this word because I bring you good tidings.

That's a great word.

The word good tidings there is you angelozo.

And it literally means to bring good news.

In fact, it's where we get our English word, evangelism.

In other words, he says, Don't be afraid.

I've got some great news.

Folks, let me tell you something.

When God starts stirring your heart, and if you're lost, hey, and he starts bringing conviction, I've got good news.

You don't have to be afraid.

He brings you great tidings.

He's got good things coming towards you and for you.

And then he says, I bring you great joy.

Great joy will be to all people, for there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord, and this will be a sign to you.

You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me say something right now.

When, and I've been a Christian now 45 plus years, in ministry 45 plus years, and listen to me.

When Jesus shows up and he gets your attention, hey, he will give you a sign.

You will know it.

Now I'm not saying go around and start looking for signs.

I'm talking about the sign will be the power of the Holy Spirit of God working on your heart, and you will have confirmation.

Where God leads, he confirms.

Amen.

So he gives them this word.

Woo! And he says, hey, three major statements.

He says, first of all, I come the command was fear not.

You don't have to fear.

And for us Christians, when God does something in you other than the ordinary.

Now let me share with you what the ordinary is.

Ordinary is daily living for Jesus.

Amen.

You wake up, you have your quiet time, you go to your job just like the shepherds.

And by the way, you'll see after this tremendous unenlightenment and radical change in their lives, they did two things.

First thing, they went and told everybody.

And then they went back to work.

But when God does the extraordinary like he did to them, he showed up in an extraordinary way because he's got something special for you.

I've got news for you.

There will be a tremendous confirmation.

And greater the calling, greater the confirmation.

That's good.

That's good.

Every time God has moved me and Susan, we had that confirmation.

We had the stirring, and then we had the confirmation.

Every time.

Every time, not sometimes.

And so here's this command: fear not, don't worry.

And then he gives them comfort, good tithing.

Then he gives them cheer, great joy.

Listen, here's what I'm saying, man, this is so good, folks.

Listen, this is what I'm saying.

When God's, hey, hey, hey, he may not send the host of angels, but when he sends, hey, a word to you, whether it's through the word of God, whether it's through other Christians, but God gives you a word to do something, you don't have to fear because he's going to comfort you, he's going to encourage you, he's going to guide you, he's going to direct you, and he will confirm it.

Now, what we have to do is not ignore it.

Can I get an amen?

What we have to do is make haste.

We got to move.

Yeah, but no, there are no butts when the angels show up.

No buts.

Notice quickly how they did it.

Two things.

They seriously ascertained the facts concerning Christ.

Let us now go.

Hey, underline it.

Now go to Bethlehem and see the things which he has to come to pass, which said, Lord, and underline it again, if you hadn't, made known to us.

Now watch something here.

At this point, nothing else really mattered.

At this point, nothing else really mattered.

Listen, when you get clear confirmation that God's called you to do something, nothing else, young people, nothing else ought to matter anymore.

You just stand and you do it.

Nothing else ought to matter.

Nothing.

And we see that here.

Now they were responsible, so I'm sure they were training younger shepherd boys.

There's no doubt in my mind.

They're always training.

So they didn't just run off and leave the sheep with no one because they were responsible shepherds.

Can I get an amen?

But they they seriously took off, they didn't ignore the evidence.

They didn't ignore the facts.

Are you ready for the facts?

I wrote this down.

Facts.

The fact that God invaded history for the purpose of redeeming the human race.

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

That's a fact.

Amen.

Fact number two, the fact that Jesus died so that we might live.

He says, I'm come to give you life and give it more abundantly, John 10, 10.

Amen.

That's a fact.

Who his own self bear our sins in his body on the tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness by whose stripes we are healed.

That's a fact.

And then another fact.

The fact that salvation from sin depends upon the acceptance of Christ as Savior and Lord.

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, shall believe in thy heart that God had raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10, 9 and 13.

That's a fact.

But notice secondly, they speedily ascertained the facts concerning Christ.

Look at verse 16.

They came with haste.

The sense of urgency.

You know what I'm I've seen over 40 plus years of ministry.

That when God calls us to do something, sometimes there's not that sense of urgency.

No, they didn't hesitate, they didn't think about it, they didn't pray about it, they didn't discuss it.

They said, we gotta go now.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, listen to me.

When the Holy Spirit touches your heart, are you watching online?

You're here today, and you're lost.

You don't know Jesus.

If you're not sure that if you were to die today, you'd go to heaven.

And you don't know when your time's coming.

And Christmas is a glorious time, but a sad time.

There's more suicides committed in December than any other month.

God help us.

But there's a reason for that.

They haven't seized the moment.

Because if you seize the moment when Jesus speaks to your heart, you can't think about it.

Hey, well, you can think about it, but if you know it's the Lord's tugging at your heart, Paul said, Behold, now's the time.

Behold, now the day is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6, 2.

Oh, now.

Urgency.

Do it now.

Which leads me to the second part.

In fact, Jesus even said, Come unto me, all you that labor and heavy laden, and I'll give you rest.

Are you having a hard time today?

Are you having a hard time in your life?

You know what Jesus says?

Hey, come unto me.

I'll take that burden.

I'll take it all and put it on my shoulders.

Casting all your care upon him, he cares for you.

1 Peter 5, 7.

Wow.

So not only did they ascertain the facts, but number two, they accepted the findings.

They accepted what they found.

Oh, this gets good.

Look, three things here.

First of all, they found the miracle of the Savior's birth.

Look at what it says in verse 16.

They found Mary, the witness of Mary, centered in the miracle of the Savior's birth.

Wow.

Mary was the mother of Jesus.

She had never known a man.

That is unbelievable, folks.

We're talking about one of the major doctrines, if not the most important doctrine of Christianity is the virgin birth.

In fact, the Bible tells us in Luke 135, he says that Mary was the mother of Jesus, but notice what it says.

The Holy Spirit had come upon her, and the power of the highest had overshadowed her.

Therefore, the holy thing, holy thing now, that hey, had been born in her was called the Son of God.

Now I thought about that.

The natural process of birth had brought Christ to the point of delivery.

But the miracle of the supernatural conception had preserved, hey, hey, had preserved that pure line so that you and I would not be, hey, that so you and I would have a Savior that was without sin.

Because see, sin is passed down through our lineage.

Wherefore, as by one man, sin entered into the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned.

Romans 5.12.

Adam, the first Adam.

So he had to be born without sin to be our Savior, or he couldn't be our Savior.

Can I get an amen?

So it's so important.

In fact, let me tell you what's so exciting.

The dynamic of this supernatural miracle here is, first of all, we see the deity of God.

Now, watch this.

When I saw this, I said, wow.

And by the way, God throughout, from starting at Genesis 3.15 to the end of Revelation, always portrays and shows his deity.

Watch what it says in that verse.

In Luke 135.

The Holy Spirit had come upon her, and the power of the highest, that's God, had overshadowed her.

Therefore, the holy thing that had been born in her was called the Son of God.

You got God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Son right there.

Wow, is that not good?

That's the deity of God.

All that He is God in three persons.

Wow, what theology.

What doctrine, what teaching.

Without the virgin birth, we would have no Savior.

Alright, notice the second thing.

They found the message of the Savior's birth.

They found Joseph.

Luke 2, 16.

The witness of Joseph centered in the message of the Savior's birth.

Now you got to go back to Matthew 1, 20 through 21, but I'll tell you, if you remember Joseph, how would you enlighten to have been Joseph?

You're engaged to Mary, and Mary comes and she says, Joseph, would you please sit down?

I've got something I really need to tell you.

Now here's a guy that has found his sweetheart.

Yeah.

Forty years worth.

But can you imagine Susan setting me down?

We're engaged.

And she says, Danny.

Or maybe Pastor, because I was your pastor.

Now that'd be made a really bad, wouldn't it?

I know we had him say, Where are you going with this one, preacher?

I lie, I get in trouble.

Okay.

All right.

Hey, Pastor.

I love you.

Yeah, I love you too.

I'm pregnant.

What?

What?

Honey, no, yes, no way.

We've not had sex.

Don't get bashful over the word sex.

They start teaching it now in kindergarten.

Hello?

This is where it ought to be taught from the pulpit.

Amen.

Can I get amen, church?

Preach it, preacher.

And all of a sudden, you know what I'm starting to think?

What would you think I would think?

I know it's not me.

She's been unfaithful.

I mean, there's no other explanation, guys.

They didn't have all that artificial insemination and all that.

Which that's don't get me going on all that.

But listen to me.

Can you imagine?

And then he says, oh no, Mary, Mary, Mary, oh, I need to take a walk.

And then he goes and he's walking and he's pondering and he's thinking, oh, what am I gonna do?

Who, who, I know probably what what he might have said.

Well, Mary, who, who, whose baby is it?

Are you ready for this?

It's God's.

Oh, yeah, sure.

God's got it.

That's God's baby.

Come on, you can do better than that.

I mean, don't blame God for your infidelity.

Hello, y'all okay out there?

And I could I could we need to do a play.

That would make a good play.

Now listen, what's this?

What's this?

But what does he do?

He bats off, he takes time, and he goes to pray.

I know he does.

And all of a sudden the angel taps him on the so shoulder and he says to the same thing he said to Mary, and he, and by the way, I'm gonna preach Sunday week, those our Christmas service.

Mary, did you know?

And and but but he and the angel had told Mary, fear not.

He told the shepherd, fear not.

Then he tells Joseph, same word, fear not.

Don't be seized with fear.

Don't try to figure this out.

It's okay.

The conception really is of God.

But before he told him that, you know what Jack what you gotta admire about Joseph?

He loved Mary so much.

Do you understand?

She could have been stoned to death and killed right then for infidelity like that after being betrothed.

Seriously.

And he knew that.

So what he was, you know what he did?

What he had done?

He had come to the point, well, this is bad.

So what I'm gonna do, I love her so much.

I don't want her to be stoned.

I don't want her to be killed.

I don't want her to be tried.

I don't want her to be marked as as a bad woman.

I'm gonna take her and I'm gonna take her away secretly.

Because I love her that much.

Now, folks, that's real love.

And then the angel says, No, Joseph, you don't have to do that.

Is that not good?

The miracle, the conception of God, the message, it's God's son.

And then the third thing, they found the majesty of the Savior's birth.

They found the babe lying in a manger, the majesty of the Savior's birth.

See, only God could descend to that lowly, lowly part.

Man can't do that.

We want to be on the top.

But God, and I love this verse, what Paul says, made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man.

Hey, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

God so humbled himself to be a man so that he could take on our sin and so that he could be, hey, be as much God as God is, but also as much human as man is, so that he could be our substitute, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

Now that's a miracle.

That's what we see here.

In the babe, we see the majesty of his identity.

In the swaddling clothes, the majesty of his simplicity.

And then in the manger.

Are you ready for this?

The majesty of his humility.

Wow.

Wow.

Does this not make us want to worship and adore him?

The shepherds did.

They knelt and adored him and worshiped him.

And then what did they do?

The last thing, number three.

The shepherds announced their faith concerning Christ.

Look at verse 17 and 20.

Now, when they had seen him, they made widely known the sayings which was told of them concerning this Christ.

The shepherds returned, glorifying God.

Oh man, I love this.

Praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them.

The shepherds had accepted the heavenly announcement as a special word.

Watch this, to their hearts.

Notice what it says.

When they said to one another, let us now go to Bethlehem and see.

Now, watch this, this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.

Woo! This thing.

The remindable, hey, you know what they said there?

Let us investigate his word.

Let us investigate his word.

Let us go.

We've got to see if this word is true.

Wow.

Let me remind us all faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10, 17.

After they had ascertained the fact, they had accepted the findings.

Now they proceed to announce their faith, which they had received as they knelt before the cradle of Christ.

The evidence that a person has authentic faith is that he cannot keep it to himself.

Can I get an amen?

Folks, if you really get saved, you can't keep it to yourself.

I can't keep it.

I've been saved 40 plus years.

I can't keep it to myself now.

Everywhere I go, I'm a I'm Jesus is awesome.

Jesus is awesome.

I don't care what I do.

People can you ought to see them when we get on a, when I'm playing in a tournament with pickleball and we get ready to play, we all have to come up and choose which all the time.

You know what I say?

Do you mind if we pray?

And I do this.

You mind if we pray?

Jesus is awesome.

And they always make the server wear bands.

So I they I say I've got my band.

Every once in a while they say, Well, you need to wear this one too.

In fact, the other day I said, Well, do I have to take that one off?

And the lady smiled at me.

She said, No, sir.

You don't have to take it off.

Just put the other one on.

I said, Yes, ma'am.

But I'm not ashamed of the gospel, folks.

For it's the power of God and did salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and to the Gentile.

Listen, he radically changed my life.

I'm not the same old man I used to be.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ Jesus, he's a new creation, old things that pass away.

Behold, all things have become new.

Whoa, glory.

I can't help but speak to things that I've seen.

Acts 4.20.

Can't help it.

Got the cane hepants.

We need to catch the cane heppants.

Amen.

You just crazy preacher.

No.

No.

No.

Not crazy.

Just changed.

Let me show you why I'm not crazy.

Number one.

Look, they publicly announced their faith.

When they had seen him, they made widely known the sayings which was told them according to his child.

And those who heard it, look at verse 17 and 18.

They marveled at those things which, hey, were told them by the shepherds.

When I saw that, I'd never seen this before.

Listen to me.

Let me show you what God, you know, most of the time we are so scared to share our faith because we're worried about what people are going to say.

We feel like, especially young people, teenagers, listen to me, we feel like people will make fun of us.

Well, let me just say something right here.

They made known abroad the good news that Jesus had been born, the Messiah, and that he had changed their life, and they had made a they made this announcement when you got a whole city that could care less about Christ, didn't want to know about Christ.

And guess what?

They didn't mock them, they marveled.

So when you think about witnessing, you ask God, you protect me, and you let your word pierce their hearts.

And they will marvel.

And let me tell you what they will do.

I've been doing this 40 years.

Listen to me.

First of all, they're going to be a little skeptical.

The whole football team said, that won't last long.

We'll love it.

But after they keep seeing you, be faithful.

And you're not changing.

You're not going out and having a drink of beer with them or smoking dope or whatever they want you to go do that you were doing.

But now you're not doing.

Something's different.

They're going to watch you.

Thank God someone says, man, I don't want to know if I want.

Yes, I want them more.

I want them to see the testimony.

I want them to see the difference.

Because I couldn't do that, but God, through the power and the person of the Holy Spirit, can and did, and there's a major difference.

And they can't make me back down.

I can't.

I can't help it.

Wow.

What a word.

What a word.

You know what I see here?

These men at the bottom of the social scale of Israel were chosen to be the first preachers of, hey, the first preachers of the newborn kings.

They were the first evangelist preachers.

Well, I'm glad I'm a shepherd.

As they may known the story, it spread to Bethlehem, to Jerusalem, and now to the uttermost parts of the earth.

And do you realize right now, 2,000 years later, we're still talking about it.

We're still talking about it.

And then the last thing.

Are you ready for this?

There was nothing apologetic or pessimistic about their testimony.

Amen.

Nothing.

I never I I seen it, but in this application.

Turn real quickly to Acts two.

What is a church body?

That has an encounter with God act like.

What does a church body that's had an encounter with God?

I'm not talking about playing church.

I'm not talking about doing our social duty.

But what does a church that's encountered God really do?

Wouldn't you like to know?

See if we fit this picture.

It's not my doing, it's God's word.

Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

And boy, what a beautiful picture.

Verse 42.

Look at verse 42.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine.

They studied the word of God faithfully.

Not stories, not some kind of political agenda or some jokes.

They studied the word of God.

They were eager to search the word of God daily in Acts 17.

And fellowship, uh-oh.

Here's the society.

That's a group of believers that love each other and fellowship together.

They want to be together.

Friday night with the couple's thing, Dave did a marvelous job in his, and Amanda Nall that put that on.

What a lovely evening.

It was awesome.

But we had 50 people there, you know, fellowshipping together, having fun together, getting to know one another.

They do that regularly.

And in breaking bread, oh, yes.

Last Thanksgiving with our supper.

And hopefully by the first of the year we'll get back.

When we went back over and started doing our fellowship meal back together every Sunday, that was so crucial because that's what a real church body does.

They eat together.

They don't go in a hundred different directions or can't wait to leave and go.

No, they want to be together.

I want to get to know you better.

I want to get to know you.

I want to get, I want to understand your life and your joys and your hurts.

We want to be a body.

We want to see how we can encourage each other, how we can help each other, how we can pray for one another.

And that brings me to what it says next in prayers.

It's praying together, it's praying for one another.

And then he says, and fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

You're going to see miracles done if this is taking place regularly.

You're going to see lives changed, but you're going to see prayers answered.

And what have we seen here?

It's been unbelievable.

And in verse 44, and they believed, were together and had all things in common.

They're not backbiting.

They're not talking like a bunch of gossipers trying to hurt people.

In fact, if they hear anything negative, say, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Have you talked to that person?

Well, good.

Here, let's call them right now.

Or go to them and love on them and say, hey, you hurt me.

I love for people.

If I hurt you, I want you to come tell me.

I will make it right.

I don't want alt.

When I hurt Susan, I have to make it right.

And then they sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need.

They met the needs of the people in their church.

Wow.

Even if it meant them having to sell something to meet that need.

When's the last time we've done that?

You've done that.

I've done that.

Have I done that?

Absolutely.

And then verse 46, and they continued daily with one accord.

They were in one.

In the temple and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.

They were one.

And then what look, praising God and having favor with all people.

Now that's the way you're going to have favor.

We as a church is going to have favor to this community.

Now, what I just read to you and preached to you, why is this building built?

Because in a little bit, we're going to take the chairs up in the morning.

We're going to roll this tart back.

We're going to move those things out of the way so that we can reach out to a community that we can be a blessing to and let them use it and bring them in and love on them and minister to them and let them see a difference in a place that it's not just a place to play basketball, volleyball, pickleball, or to have concerts or what, but it's a place of the love of Jesus Christ.

And we can't help it.

We bring them in to tell them the good news.

Amen.

But the next time he comes, he'll be recognized by all.

The first time he came, a star marked his arrival.

But the next time he comes, heaven, all heaven will be lit with his glory.

The first time he came, wise men and shepherds brought him gifts.

But the next time he comes, he'll bring gifts and rewards for his own.

The first time he came, there was no room for him in the end.

But the next time he comes, the world won't be able to contain his glory.

The first time he came, only a few attended his rival.

But the next time he comes, church, every eye will see him and every knee will bow to him.

The first time he came, he came as a little baby.

But the next time he comes, he'll come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

That's what Christmas is all about.

Amen.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

So as we leave here, let us make known abroad the good news that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Amen.

Everywhere you go.

I love this time.

Merry Christmas.

Not happy holidays.

Merry Christmas.

And add a little nugget.

Just tell them Jesus loves you.

Jesus loves you.

That's all we gotta do.

Or for me, Jesus loves you and he's awesome.

I've had more people when I want my bracelets.

It's been awesome.

Giving them out.

Every head bow, every eye.