Good News of Great Joy: Shepherds, Signs, and the Savior

Good morning. Welcome to the preaching ministry of Dillingham Moravian Church.

My name is Pastor Simon, and for those of you who missed our Christmas Eve service,

I wanted to present that to you this morning.

During World War II, news was often sparse and heavily controlled.

One day in 1944, folks in London gathered at a local café, anxiously awaiting updates.

Suddenly, a radio broadcast announced the Allied victory in Normandy.

The cafe erupted in joy and relief as tears of happiness screamed down faces.

This reaction was similar to the experience of people throughout the Allied

countries around the world.

And just as the good news of a nation's victory can uplift spirits,

it pales to the joy that we are called as Christ believers to experience as

we remember the good news of greatest joy,

the birth of Christ Jesus, who is God in the flesh. Let us pray.

Oh, Heavenly Father, as we come to your word today, may you show us who you are.

That you are God, Jesus Christ, your Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth and

in the flesh and dwelt among us.

Thank you for your love for us, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and all the work that

you've done in our salvation,

and the continuing sanctification and the work that you're doing to get ready for Christ's return.

Thank you, O Lord. Use us, teach us, grant us your Spirit so that we may be

able to understand your word and your truth.

In your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, I pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Turn with me to Luke chapter 2, verse 8 through 11. Luke chapter 2, verse 8 through 11.

Luke 2:8–11 Luke 2:8–11

In the same region, meaning where Jesus was born, there were some shepherds

staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord

shone around them, and they were terribly frightened.

And here's where we're going to focus on today.

But the angel of the Lord said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold,

I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people.

For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

Previously in Luke 1 and 2, Jesus the Christ was born in Bethlehem.

But when God Almighty conceived Jesus in Mary's womb, Mary was living in Nazareth,

a city in Galilee, not Bethlehem.

Now, please pay attention to this. This is no small matter. The only earthly

reason why Jesus was born in Bethlehem and not Nazareth was because Caesar imposed

a census on the entire Roman Empire,

which caused all people to go back to the town of their birth in order to be registered.

And thus, Joseph had to take his wife Mary and the unborn child to Bethlehem

because of Caesar's law. I'll see you next time.

This census law was a huge undertaking with massive upheaval for the entire empire.

It is my belief that it all happened because Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem

in order to fulfill this prophecy.

God orchestrated worldwide events using evil people and evil leaders and millions

of people around the world to make sure that his son was born to be the king of Israel.

And this goes to show us that small events that seem so insignificant in the

perspective of the world, such as a baby being born in tiny Bethlehem,

can actually be an event that is so important to the history of the cosmos that

everything in the universe hinges on this little baby being born at the right

place and at just the right time.

As we continue on in Luke chapter 2, the first truth that God is teaching us

Luke 2 · chapter mention

today is that we are to rejoice in the Lord because we have news of great joy of the Savior.

Jesus was born in a manger, in a stable in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit.

In the same area as the stable that Mary and Joseph and Jesus were in,

an angel appeared to some shepherds who were watching their flocks by night.

Since it was dark out, the shepherds could only see by the light of the firelight

and by the distant stars, and it was very quiet out.

The only sound would have been the animals and insects in the fire.

You have to remember, there were no cars in ancient times. The shepherds did not have headlamps.

The angel appeared suddenly in front of the shepherds, and the awesome,

majestic glory of the Lord lit up the darkness around them.

This totally unexpected scene frightened the sandals off these guys They were

shaking, they were absolutely terrified Nothing in human existence can prepare

anyone to witness a scene like this.

Then the angel said to the shepherds, Do not be afraid, for behold,

I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people.

For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

I want to bring your attention to the fact that in the midst of the darkness,

God shone his light on these shepherds and gave them the news of great joy about

the birth of the Savior of the world.

That the Savior and Messiah who was foretold by the prophets of old and who

would free Israel from bondage to sin,

the Messiah whom Israel had been desperately waiting and praying for for over

400 years was arriving right at that moment.

And He chose to come, He chose the shepherds to see the baby.

For the shepherds, this would have been such joyous news that they would have

dropped everything and ran to see this baby.

The good news about the Christ would have changed their attitude towards everything.

From that moment on, their lives changed.

What is the truth that we can apply to us as Christians this Christmas season?

Joy comes from God and from the truth that God in Jesus Christ is our joy.

I often hear the phrase from people

or on social media or on television shows, God wants me to be happy.

Meaning that if a circumstance does not make a person happy,

then they are endorsed by God to find a situation that does.

However, the Bible does not teach this.

The good news of great joy is that God in Jesus Christ was born in the flesh

to be with us and to die to free those who put their faith in Jesus,

from the slavery of sin and reunite us with God.

Christ died so that we could be set free from the requirement of the law to

be completely perfect in order to be saved.

Paul wrote in Romans 8, 1-4, Therefore

there is no longer condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh,

God did, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as an offering

for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

so that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us,

who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

The Mosaic law required that in order to be saved and live at all in God's presence,

we had to be absolutely perfect at all times.

This was impossible for us, but not for God.

Christ took our place, and He paid the blood debt that we owed through His own

bloody slaughter on the cross and made us completely clean before the Father,

as if we have never sinned before.

Christ had broken sin's power over us and gave us freedom to live for God as

we put our faith in Him and live a life of faith in Christ.

Christ also broke death so that this life is not the end, and that if we truly

have been born again into Christ, then we will be able to go to heaven and be

in God's presence forever.

It is this news, this gospel truth that causes us great joy as we live in the

love of God and act out the love of God towards others.

The Christmas season can often be an unhappy one for many.

Christmas time is a very busy and hectic period. We can also be reminded of

the losses of our loved ones.

Financially, this season can carry a heavy burden.

Relationships with families can sometimes be strained during Christmas.

Your situation may not be a happy one right now.

It certainly wasn't for the shepherds and for Israel under cruel bondage under the Romans.

However, joy does not come from us, nor from our circumstances.

The gospel is news that should cause us to live with such joy that every day

is a day that we have the great privilege and true happiness to be Christ's

messengers through our speech and through our examples.

So far, we've learned that the angel announced to the shepherds that the long-awaited

Savior was to be born in Bethlehem.

God gave a sign to the shepherds and to all people that the Savior was to be born.

God gave a sign that leads to death and new life.

Signs are an important part of life. We who live here in Bush,

Alaska, we know that when hunting or fishing, there are signs as to whether

there are fish or game around.

When hunting, there are tracks to follow, disturbed grass or ground,

trees, the sounds of an animal's call.

During commercial fishing, when the fish are jumping, we put our net out.

When driving, there are signs that follow to keep us safe.

Signs that tell us when and where to stop. Signs that tell us how fast we are

allowed to drive to be safe and to keep others safe.

Signs that tell us of upcoming road hazards. To be successful in fishing or

hunting or driving or any part of life, we have to follow the signs.

And I believe this is what God is getting at in the next verse.

In Luke 2, verse 12, the angel declared, This will be a sign for you.

Luke 2:12

You will find a baby wrapped in claws lying in a manger.

In verse 12, the angel gave a sign to the shepherds. And this sign was that

a baby was wrapped in claws lying in a manger.

And so when the shepherds found this baby, they would know that they had found

the Savior who is Christ the Lord.

I want to draw our attention back to the sign for a moment. The sign that the

angels told the shepherds was that the baby was wrapped in claws lying in a manger.

Mangers in that part of the world at the time of Christ would have been hewn

out of stone in a stone cave.

Now let's fast forward 33 years to Jesus' death. Where was Jesus buried?

In a stone cave, wrapped in claws lying on a stone slab.

You see, the sign was not just to let the shepherds know that Christ the Savior

was being born in that manger, but that Jesus came to die.

Just like the moose tracks are pointing towards the moose, being somewhere up ahead.

So this baby in the claws lying in a stone manger in a cave is pointing the

head when Christ the Lord will actually save us through his blood sacrifice

on the cross and then be placed in that cave tomb wrapped in claws.

But Jesus did not stay in that cave or in those cloths, did he?

Just as God miraculously intervened into human existence and God was born in

the flesh and placed in that manger,

so God also miraculously intervened again into human existence and raised Jesus

the Christ from the dead,

proving once and for all that Jesus is not only the Savior and Messiah,

but that He is God Almighty, who has broken the power of sin.

He has crushed death and has given us new life.

1 Peter 1, verse 3 proclaimed, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus

1 Peter 1:3

Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again into

a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The purpose of Christmas is not primarily about the baby in the manger,

nor is it about Santa Claus or the commercialized holiday.

Christ was born so that death's power could be vanquished.

Christ was born so that he could die and pay the debt of the blood guilt that

we owed to God because of our sins and could not pay.

Christ was born so that those who believe in Christ as Savior and God could

be saved without having to be completely perfect.

Christ was born so that we could be forgiven by God and our sins remembered no more by God.

Christ was born so that He could die and rise again, conquering death and sin's

power over all who live by faith in the Son of God.

Christ was born to die and rise again in order to proclaim His glorious Godhood over all of creation.

And if you and I truly believe that we desperately need a Savior and that this

baby wrapped in cloths in a stone cave truly was and is God who died for us

and rose again to break sin and death's hold over us,

then the Scripture says that we are saved.

Acts 16, verse 31 promised, Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

Acts 16:31

And if we truly believe in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit,

then we will turn away from our sinful desires and more and more walk in the

freedom of Christ, loving Him and others.

Jesus' birth is the sign that leads us to His death and resurrection,

which then leads us to a new and victorious life in Christ.

Not only did the angel give the sign that the Savior was born,

but the angelic choir praised the Lord with a song giving glory to God,

and that God gives his peace to whom he is pleased with.

Our cats Snowball and Belka have a very important job in our household.

They are rodent catchers.

Unfortunately, they would rather play with the mice than actually kill them.

But our former cat, Vasti, even when she was about 20 years old,

was the master rodent catcher.

Whenever she caught a mouse or a bull or a shrew, she would leave the dead carcass

of her kill in a place where she knew that we would see it, in the kitchen or

the front entryway or in the hallway by the bathroom or even on my feet.

And the cat would mope around until we saw her and petted her and congratulate

her on the successful hunt.

Her whole countenance was transformed when she knew that we were pleased with her.

My point with the story is that although we are not cats, our whole lives are

transformed under the favor of Almighty God when we know that God is pleased with us.

Luke continued recording in Luke 2, verses 13-14.

Luke 2:13–14

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts

praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace amongst

men with whom He is pleased.

I want you to notice something extremely important in the angel's praise.

God is giving glory, and God's peace is given to those whom God is pleased with.

The angels make it very clear that God is not pleased with all people,

but only with those on whom his pleasure rests.

And with those people, he, Yahweh, almighty God, is at peace with them.

The word that was used for peace was a Greek word used to convey the Hebrew word shalom.

Shalom did not just mean peace, but all of God's good for that person.

Thus, God was extending his good, his love, his mercy, peace,

protection, joy, to be present with those whom God was pleased with.

Shalom is the state of well-being that we as Christians are now in right relationship with God.

So where do we get this shalom? We get this shalom from God.

Shalom with God is not something that we can earn or buy.

We can have this shalom peace with God only by the death of Christ where he

paid our blood debt for our sins on our behalf.

And as a result of Christ's death and His resurrection, we now have this shalom,

or right relationship with God.

And if we have responded in faith to Christ's death and resurrection,

the shalom, or right relationship with God Almighty, has been given to us.

But there is more to shalom than just receiving it from God.

As we live or stay in the shalom, or right relationship with God, we will have His joy.

In Luke 2.14, the multitude of heavenly hosts proclaimed, Glory to God in the

highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.

I want you to notice something else in this verse. As recipients of God's pleasure

and of all of God's good shalom towards us, we are compelled by the Spirit to

give glory and praise to God.

And as Christians, we give glory to God because God is pleased with us and He is so good to us.

What is God teaching us this Christmas season?

The first truth that God has revealed to us is that the good news of great joy

that God in Jesus Christ was made flesh and dwelt amongst human beings to die on the cross,

rise again so that we who surrender in faith to Christ may be able to be in

a right relationship with God.

The second truth that we have learned is that the sign that the angels gave

the shepherds about a baby wrapped in cloths,

lying in a stone manger in a cave, pointed ahead to when Christ the Lord will

actually save us through His bloody sacrifice on the cross and then be placed in the cave tomb.

Lastly, God is to be given all glory, and God's peace is given to those whom God is pleased with.

And the only way for God to be pleased with us is through being saved by the

grace of God in Christ's death and resurrection, through putting our faith in

Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Christ is our joy. And it's only when we are in Christ that God is pleased with us.

And I heartily encourage anyone who is listening.

Who has not surrendered their life to Christ through faith to do so,

so that you too can be recipients of God's goodness and His pleasure.

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the wonderful and greatness of you,

of your acts of salvation that you've done in Jesus Christ, sending him to earth

as a baby to live, to preach,

to teach, to make disciples and teach us how to make disciples.

And of course, to die on that cross and rise again, to give us a relationship with you.

And we know that your son is returning. Thank you.

Thank you so much for what you've done in Jesus.

And Lord, as we go about our days and our week, may you teach us,

may we walk continually with you and in your grace and in your precious favor.

In your wonderful Son's name, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.

Let me leave you with this blessing from 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 16-17.

2 Thessalonians 2:16–17

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave

us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish

them in every good work and word. Amen.

Again, Merry Christmas to you all and Happy New Year.