The Angel and the Shepherds - Glory to God in the Highest

I gotta tell you, I enjoy our service is so unique.

You know, to hear God's people give praise and prayer and being able to share that together

as a family, it is a very unique opportunity and I'm so grateful and thankful.

That being said, I want us to turn to Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

What's interesting is I was thinking through this week on the message, because there's

a lot of Christmas messages you can pull out of scripture.

This happens to be our songs, again, by the guiding of the Holy Spirit, which is amazing.

Here we are talking about the glory of God and not letting distractions remove us from

those truths.

So let's pray.

Ask God to guide the words that are coming out of my mouth for His honor and glory and

that our hearts have been prepared to receive what He has for us today as we get through

the rest of this service.

Father, I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness and goodness.

Thank you for your word.

You are good.

You are the God of all creation.

You gave one way to salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And this is the beginning of the promise fulfilled, the way, the way by which you bring the good

news to the whole world.

So Lord, I pray as we go out into the world that we would be confident in the truth of

Christ, the gospel, and that everyone that we would come in contact with, very similar,

Lord, to the shepherds, that we would proclaim the good news.

Lord, help us to sing aloud as the hosts of heaven sung, glory to God in the highest.

May we be willing to scream from the rooftops to tell it on the mountain.

I pray that you are honored and glorified, and Lord, help us to love you supremely.

May the whole full counsel of your word be spoken today, and I pray, Lord, that your

people's hearts have prepared themselves to receive the manna that you have given us for

this day.

Lord, we praise you and thank you in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Luke chapter 2, verse 8 through 21.

Luke 2:8–21

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their

flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.

That is amazing.

Now, Old Testament context would kind of show us some things here.

Think about what happens when the glory of the Lord shows up.

When in the Old Testament did they show up?

So I want you to think about this statement, because this is God's glory, deserving to

him and him alone.

So let's keep reading.

And they were filled with great fear, and the angel said to them, fear not, for behold

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

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

And this will be a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and

lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly host.

I want to read that again.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying,

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, let us

go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known

to us.

Monkey wrench number two.

I love monkey wrenches.

We won't spend a lot of time on that, but I'm just saying.

All right.

Here we go.

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told to them concerning

this child.

And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them, but Mary treasured up

all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen

as it had been told to them.

Shining story.

Now many probably look at the movies and you guys have rehearsed this moment that there

happens to be this one moment, a shining light, and in every movie I've ever watched there's

angels speaking.

But here in this particular reality of truth when you read, take the time, we see an angel.

The question of the day is, is it an angel or the angel?

I've done some research quite a bit on word study on this and the word and is not present.

Anything enough.

So the word ho, this that meaning the, is.

So what's that mean?

So let's look at the context of this.

But I don't want you to miss the whole principle.

The main part of this story is not this moment when the shepherds come face to face to the

reality of the chief shepherd.

It's this moment when they go as a result of the impact of the good news in their life.

This is what happens when a heart is changed.

That's the moment of the story.

They come face to face with the savior of the world wrapped in swaddling clothes and

what was told to them was so impactful that they go and they share this news with everyone.

Why the shepherds?

See, most people when they have important news to tell others, there's typically nothing

to stop them from letting everyone they know about it.

It's God we got to tell you.

This is good news.

Everybody's like this.

I haven't met any person that's like, I got great news and I'm just going to keep it to

myself.

It's just in the heart of man I think.

But when there is good news like this, like this news at this moment, many celebrate it

and tell everyone about it, even strangers.

That's what happens when you have good news, this kind of news.

This is the greatest news of all time.

This moment in world history was critical.

This is a pinnacle moment and God has chosen to reveal the truth of this moment in this

way.

We have to pay attention to it.

We can't miss the point of this moment.

What we do?

Why?

Because we get wrapped up in the Christmas moment instead of wrapped up in the gospel

moment.

The announcement to all creation that the king was born and God himself had come to

save his people.

That's the announcement that they got from the angel and from the multitude of angels

present.

Glory to God in the highest.

This promise that was made at the fall, I will put an enmity between you and the woman

between her seed and your seed and he will crush your head but you will bruise his heel

or he will bruise your head and you will bruise his heel depending on your translation.

The reality of this moment has now been fulfilled.

This is the savior himself, the God of all creation born and that the promise that this

child would be born of a virgin has been completed.

He's born and he's born wrapped in claws that you wrap your sheep in.

Happened to be born in the city where sheep of sacrifice were brought.

Happened to be born and laid in a trough, a manger which is actually a stone, youned

out for water.

That the God of everlasting water is laying in a manger who is also the rock of your salvation.

It's not by coincidence it happens to be this particular manger.

In a house, not a hotel, not a motel, an inn which is the bottom of a home where shepherds

would live because they would bring their sheep in, protect them.

Just happened to be that time of year it was safe for them to wander and go out into the

fields at night.

Interesting.

Freedom, this is what I think, I want you to think about this proclamation.

It's like freedom is at hand.

The promised Messiah who has come to set you free is here.

The promise has been fulfilled and the angels say go and find the child wrapped in swaddling

clothes.

Come and see the same response that Jesus has with his disciples when he meets them

for the first time.

Come and see.

Where are you staying?

Come and see.

Have you ever noticed that every gospel moment throughout scripture is a come and see moment?

Why the shepherds?

Because the chief shepherd had come to the shepherds.

We read that last week, did we not?

And Jesus prayed for his disciples that the father would keep shepherd, guard, keep watch

over his people.

Do you see the heart of Jesus here?

It's the constant shepherding moment.

How can we miss this moment in the scripture?

Because we're wrapped up in the story of Christmas.

We're wrapped up in the excitement of the moment and the Hollywood of this time of year

that we miss some very important things.

So I want you to kind of think through this.

This is going to be a little bit challenging.

Principle number one.

When God gives good news, it is worthy of the highest exaltation.

When God gives good news, it is worthy of the highest exaltation.

Now I want you to get this.

The greatest gift given to mankind is worthy of all creation and all the heavenly host

to sing praises.

The question is, who delivered this good news?

Verse eight, we're going to go through each verse again.

And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their

flock by night.

Same word in John 17, just letting you know.

And here it says, an angel of the Lord appeared to them.

Is it an angel or is it the angel?

Because every time an angel shows up, they declare who they are to man.

But any time in the scripture you see the angel of the Lord appeared to them, it's

expected that they know.

And the response that these shepherds have is the same response to everyone who comes

face to face with a theophany response.

I want you to think about this.

Who better than to proclaim the good news than maybe, just maybe, the God of all creation?

I'm going to give you more as we think through this process.

And this is quite different.

I trust me, I know.

It says, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.

The glory of what?

Ah, how could we miss that?

Everybody thinks this, oh, the glory of the Lord is just a shining light.

No, this is the glory of God there.

This is not the glory of the angelic beings.

This is the glory of the Lord.

This is an important moment, so important that when he enters into world history, the

proclamation of himself is done with a purposeful intent.

God is purposefully attentive in what he's about to do here.

Wow.

What a beautiful day.

And the scripture says, and they were filled with great fear.

Now, if you remember, the reason why I think people get this mixed up a little bit is because

there's this moment that Mary asks when Gabriel shows up.

And we know it's Gabriel because God actually says, hey.

I mean, Gabriel says, hey.

I'm like, I'm Gabriel.

And it's so shocking that she's like afraid.

And he says, Mary, don't be afraid.

It's okay.

Don't be afraid, Mary.

But here, I want you to notice what verse 10 says.

And the angel said to them, fear not.

Doesn't that sound like the Lord?

Isn't that what he says to his disciples?

Fear not, I'm with you.

It's okay.

They're so afraid, greatly afraid, that the angel said to them, now understand this word

angel, and this is where I think a lot of people get it messed up, is the word angelos,

or ang-el-os, depending on how good your Greek is.

And that word literally just means messenger.

That's all it means.

Okay?

And this is what the messenger says, fear not, behold, I bring you good news of great

joy that will be for all the people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord.

And you're probably going to ask, well, how can it be Jesus if Jesus is born?

Well, I never said it was Jesus, because if you read the story in Genesis 19, Abraham

is confronted with a theophany, where the persons of God stand before him, and he has

a wonderful conversation.

Abraham, go do what you said.

The scripture says, and they said, do as you said.

Go get my food.

We'll sit down, we'll have a nice little conversation.

There are moments throughout world history, biblical history, when a theophany appears.

Moses in the burning bush.

Is that not an important news?

Why would God send an angel there?

How come every time there's an important message that has to be spoken to a people, God shows

up?

Very interesting.

Just some thoughts to think about as you guys are thinking through the scripture, and as

you're thinking about Christmas, how important this moment in world history is.

Out of all of the things we know, according to 1 Corinthians chapter 15, what the most

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

important thing is.

What is it?

The gospel.

First Corinthians 15 verses 1 through 4, we know.

1 Corinthians 15:1–4

Why would God not do this with the shepherds too?

Why would he change?

Verse 11, he says, for unto you was born this day in the city David, a savior who is Christ

the Lord.

Would this angelic, this messenger be a theophany?

And this is what it says, and this will be a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped

in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

What an amazing moment.

Now granted, I think there are many that would say, well, that doesn't kind of fit the whole

story.

But remember, you're taking a story that is found in Matthew and in Luke only.

And you're combining all that information to come to one conclusion.

When if you read chapter 2 of Luke, and the clarity by which it is spoken, you clearly

start to see there's a much bigger important message here.

Principle number 2.

So the praise and song that changed everything, this one declaration in verse 14, when God

keeps his promises, the whole world knows about it.

And suddenly there with the angel, with the messenger, a multitude of heavenly hosts praising

God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among those whom he is

pleased.

You ever notice this when you've read this, or have we have always assumed that he's just

one angel among many?

Or could this be Gabriel?

I don't know if the language implies that.

But interesting enough, if it is a theophany, or if it's not a theophany, it doesn't change

the impact of the reality of what happens here.

I'm just very careful not to give God's glory away, which belongs to him and him alone.

Teaching the full counsel of God is very important.

Why is this word, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among those whom he is

pleased?

Very important statement here first.

To God and God alone be glory.

That's what he's saying here.

That's what the multitude of heavenly hosts are praising God, singing here.

Glory to God in the highest.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.

This is what he's saying here.

The God of all creation deserves glory.

Only he alone who is the El Shaddai, the Adonai, he alone deserves the glory.

But what have we done during Christmas?

We have removed the glory of God from this moment because we get wrapped up and too busy

with the stuff that's around us that we forget who this is really all about.

And the glory of God, he brings upon the earth by declaring peace among those with whom he

is pleased.

Now some translations would say peace on earth and goodwill to men.

No, it's actually peace on earth and among those whom he is pleased.

Who is he pleased?

Who is he pleased with?

His people.

Why did he come to the shepherds?

They're his people.

There is people.

Principle number three, there is only one response to be made at this moment.

That is go tell it on a mountain and shout it from the rooftops.

Look at what the shepherds do.

When verse 15 through 20, when the angels went away.

This is one of the reasons why many would teach or declare that this particular angel,

this messenger who came and shared this news has to be an angel.

Because this word here, when the angelos went away from them into heaven.

Could it be multiple?

It is multiple when you read the previous verses.

So they imply that maybe this is them.

Or could it be the theophany?

Or could it be just Gabriel among many other angels?

I'm going to let you dig this out a little bit.

I know where I stand on it.

Why?

Because God and God alone deserves all the glory at this moment.

And I'm not willing to share his glory with anyone else.

The shepherds said to one another, let us go over to Bethlehem and see the thing that

has happened which the Lord has made known to us.

This is very clear in the language here.

This is not which the angels have made known to us.

This is which the Lord has made known to us.

Man, we got this news from God.

We need to go.

Let's prove this out.

Let's go see.

Verse 16, and they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger,

just as he had said.

And when they saw it, they made known the same that had been told to them concerning

this child.

And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

Now I want you to get this moment because now it makes this one statement in verse 19

so much more impactful.

Because if this was some type of maybe angelic moment, she's already had one of those.

But if this is Jesus or this is the Holy Spirit or if this is God the Father, if this is a

theophany, wouldn't it make Mary think a little bit deeper?

And that's what verse 19 says.

These little verses are purposeful.

God is amazing in His intent in this moment, but Mary treasured up all these things, pondering

them in her heart.

Wow.

She was in awe.

That the God of all creation, she birthed and is laying right there.

And yet could the God of all creation just told these shepherds to go and see?

What a treasure of truth.

What a treasure.

Could it just be?

Verse 20, and the shepherds returned as a result of all that they experienced.

Look what it says, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen as

it had been told to them.

What do you think a shepherd's going to go and do?

He's going to go tell everybody this is the impact of the gospel, the reality of the living

coming in contact with the living God.

Could this be?

Could this be that amazing moment?

And trust me, I was praying.

I'm like, Lord, are we really going to talk about this?

And I was really thinking about a different part of the, it didn't go that way.

And I'm okay with that.

Because what a powerful, amazing, omnipresent God we have.

Do we miss the omnipresence of the holy God of all creation in this moment?

Do we really think that the triune God who was present at creation, who had chased away

the darkness, the or, when the or, which is known as the foes in the New Testament, when

the foes comes into his creation, that the father and the Holy Spirit wouldn't be present?

If he was present creating the world, I have to assume he might just be present here too.

And the light of all creation enters into man's human world to chase away the darkness

of your sin.

Is it not God's right and responsibility to his promise to proclaim that for himself?

I believe so.

I believe so.

I know this is quite different.

But God's glory is too important.

And I was like, Lord, this is a heavy truth.

My glory, it's his glory, belongs to no one but him.

I'm okay with that.

So as you think about this Christmas day, this Christmas Eve, as you go into tomorrow

celebrating the first coming of our Lord God, our King, and how he has chosen in all creation

to proclaim to the creation of the world, I am here, glory to God in the highest.

I am the peace giver.

The Prince of Peace has entered the world.

I want you to think about that.

Could this be?

Could this just be the angel of the Lord and not an angel of the Lord?

I would contend in my opinion that Old Testament context and New Testament context of the presence

of the word of God is clear.

The hard part is, are we willing to submit to it?

I struggled with that.

This changes a lot in how I look at God.

The only thing I can do in my heart is prostrate before him in awe and wonder and say to him,

glory to God in the highest and peace among those whom he has pleased.

Father, I want to thank you for this amazing story, the reality of the impact of the gospel

and the life of these shepherds.

This moment in all creation, this one moment in world history, Lord, you have come in and

declared your presence among your people that you have chosen through your purpose and plan

and promise to tabernacle among your people.

There is no one else in all of creation who deserves that proclamation and truth but you.

Lord, I pray that we reflect on the deepness of the truth of this intentional moment in

world history.

When light came into the world and darkness has not understood it, but to those who call

on you, to those whom you have saved, you have given us the right to be called children

of God.

We thank you and praise you.

In Jesus' name, amen.