The greatest event in history had just occurred. The long-awaited Messiah had been born! For ages the Jews had waited for this day to come; but when it finally happened, the announcement didn’t come through ‘official channels.’ It didn’t come from the palace press corp. It didn’t come through the press secretary for the Sanhedrin—the religious elite of the day. The GOOD NEWS about Jesus’ birth came through some humble 3rd shift shepherds…
The GOOD NEWS about Jesus is that he comes to all types of people with his message of PEACE. He comes to the plain, the ordinary, the common, and the outcasts (shepherds) of society. He comes to anyone with a humble heart—humble enough to accept him…
Whoever you are, whatever you do, you can have Jesus in your life! Don’t think you need extraordinary qualifications; Jesus accepts you just as you are; that’s where the relationship begins… So, as we COME TOGETHER today to celebrate the coming of Christ, come looking for his GOOD NEWS of PEACE! And listen now to our Bible lesson for today, as we look to the shepherds’ story (Luke 2:8-20, NLT)…
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
God’s PEACE, when it comes to our lives, absolutely transforms our lives in miraculous ways, such as:
PEACE: Brings Out Your Best for God. Verse 8 tells us, again, “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.” As they were going about their ordinary lives, the most extraordinary news this world has ever heard came to them … and their reaction was definitely their very best for God!
The angel Gabriel announced the coming births of both Jesus and John in Luke (1:5-20, 26-38). But here there’s ‘a host of angels’ announcing the GOOD NEWS of Jesus birth, breaking out in exuberant praise! They called the baby Jesus—promised Messiah, Savior, the bringer of true PEACE…
Such an announcement was typical of a child born to a royal family. [Caesar] Augustus himself had been called ‘savior’ at the time of his birth. But while Augustus’ birth would’ve been delivered to members of the Roman Senate and other dignitaries in Rome, the privilege of hearing about Jesus’ birth was given to ordinary shepherds…
Again, as they went about their ordinary lives, God sent a host of messengers to give to them the greatest news ever announced! Colossians 3:23-24 (NLT) says this:
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”
That’s what the shepherds did; they were doing their ordinary job … as if unto the Lord; I believe these common people of faith were rewarded by being entrusted with the greatest announcement ever… The coming of PEACE in our lives should bring out our very best for God! Then…
PEACE: Brings Obedience to God. Verses 9-15 are the heart of the story today. Here it is once again (think of Linus, in Charlie Brown’s Christmas, as you read this):
“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
Folks, notice the shepherd’s response: “Let’s go!” Now, like many of us, FEAR was their first response … but who can blame them? Look at all of the people in scripture who responded to God or God’s angels with fear (and there’s quite a list):
• Abraham (Gen. 15:1)
• Moses (Num. 21:34 & Deut. 3:2)
• Joshua (Josh. 1:8)
• Jeremiah (Lam. 3:57)
• Daniel (Dan. 10:12, 19)
• Zechariah (Luke 1:13)
• Mary (Luke 1:30) … from last week…
• Peter (Luke 5:10)
• Paul (Acts27:23-24)
• John (Rev. 1:17-18)
But, understand that the deal is … their FEARS turned to OBEDIENCE before the story was over … just as the shepherd’s did! “Let’s go!” was their response to the birth of the Prince of PEACE! Next…
PEACE: Brings Excitement about God. Verse 16 says, “They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.” Yes, the shepherds were terrified to start with, but their fear turned to excitement as the angels announced the Messiah’s birth!
So, what happened when their fear turned to excitement? First, they ran to see the newborn baby … and then they spread the word (which God had entrusted to them): “Jesus is your Messiah, your Savior!”
The arrival of God’s PEACE (Jesus) in our lives should be cause for great excitement in us! It should motivate us to witness to others about him! Have you discovered a LORD so wonderful that you can’t help but share your JOY with family and friends? When they think about you, do they also think about your excitement for your faith in the Christ of Christmas? They should… Along these same lines, know this:
PEACE: Brings Out Your Witness for God. Verses 17-18 remind us, “After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished….” These shepherds told everyone who would listen … all that had happened—in other words, everything they’d seen or heard…
Now, it’s been my experience that many who like to tell all they know … are politely avoided. Sometimes it can be offensive when someone tells everything they know to everyone they meet. However, listen to the shepherd’s witness for Jesus as they never pause to take a breath…
• The witness of the shepherds revealed startling information; this is not what shepherds were known for, to be on the inside loop of important information…
• Their message was revolutionary, breathtaking, and transforming; in other words, it changed listeners’ lives…
• The shepherds spoke from their hearts, their words connecting to the deepest needs of others…
In a similar manner, when you tell others about Jesus start with what you know best—your life. Tell the story of God in your life. You don’t need to embellish, but don’t hold back either. Your words will open the way for transforming grace … and God will use YOU to change the world, just as he did those shepherds! Finally:
PEACE: Brings Praise to God. Verses 19-20 conclude, “…but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.” I want you to notice that both Mary and the shepherds demonstrated their praise to God for the coming of Jesus, the Savior of the world! But they were a bit different, weren’t they? Mary’s praise was being ‘treasured’ and stored up for the time being … and the shepherds’ praise was boisterous and easily noticed … but both praised when realizing that true PEACE had arrived…
Folks, when we come to know personally the Prince of Peace, that will change our lives—never to be the same again! And one of the things that changes is this: We come to know PEACE—true peace—on the inside … a PEACE that’s not really affected by what’s going on on the outside… There’s a story told about a young 8-year-old boy who knew this kind of PEACE. He had a conversation with his doctor and it went like this:
“Tomorrow morning I’ll open up your heart” the surgeon said to the 8 year-old-boy. “You’ll find Jesus there,” the boy said.
The surgeon continued, “I’ll open your heart and check the damage.” “You’ll find Jesus there,” the boy said.
“When I see the damage, I will suture you back up and then think about the next step,” said the surgeon. “You will find Jesus in my heart because my Sunday school teacher told me so. She said it says so in the Bible. Besides that, our Sunday school songs say He lives there,” said the boy.
The surgery took place the next day. After the surgery the surgeon began to make notes of what he found. In his mind there was no hope and no cure. The little boy would die within a matter of months.
The thought began to get to the doctor and all of a sudden the doctor shouted to God, “Why did you do this to the boy? Why can’t he live a normal life?”
God spoke to the surgeon’s heart and said, “The boy is a part of my flock and will always be a part of my flock. When he is with me there will be no more suffering and pain. He will have comfort and peace. One day his parents as well as you will join him and my flock will continue to grow.”
The next day the surgeon went to the boy’s room and sat down with the parents beside the bed. In a moment or two, the boy opened his eyes and asked very quietly, “What did you find in my heart?” With tears flowing down his cheeks, the surgeon said, “I found Jesus there.”
The PEACE Jesus gives absolutely transforms our lives in miraculous ways. But, now this: PEACE is not the absence of trouble, but it is the absence of FEAR—the calming presence of Christ in the midst of our lives, which causes us to:
• Do our best in all things “…as unto the Lord”…
• Obey whatever God leads us to be and do…
• Be excited about who Jesus is in our lives, sharing the GOOD NEWS with all…
• Offer praise for the life God’s given us, no matter what’s going on around us…
Just like that young boy, my mom came to know the PEACE of Christ in the last few weeks of her life, like she’d never known it before. The Prince of Peace had helped to transform her fears into laughter! That’s why her last words before her death at age 67 were: “I’m happy!” And she meant it… The peace that only Christ can give, that peace that came when he was ‘born unto us,’ is that peace that continues to grow on the inside—no matter what’s going on on the outside! Do you know that peace? You can. It’s God’s promised to you this season, as you open your life to him…