Title Luke 2:8-20 Advent Sermon Series (4)
Contents
One day, angels appear to the shepherds and talk to them. Verse 10 tells us “good tidings of great joy that will come to all the people.” But the news is said to be delivered “to you.” The good news is that, as verse 11 says, “a Savior has been born for you.”
Who are “you”? Of course, you can also call them the Israelites. It can be said that they are people who believe in God. But specifically, “you” here are the shepherds.
At that time, the Greeks and Romans used the word 'Savior' to refer to great military and political leaders. However, at that time, those who often called the Savior were not those who could look back on the shepherds' anguish and the pain and suffering of life.
In order to receive direct life comfort and fellowship from the great military and political leaders called the Savior, the shepherds must succeed by any means possible. It is only when we do our best to be successful and do our best to be successful, the background to live as a human being is created.
There is no hope. You don't know what joy is. They are representative people who do not know what the peace and peace of those who have it. Moreover, they are the ones who keep their eyes on fire to protect their master's flock from wild beasts and robbers even in the middle of the night.
But in verses 11 and 12, we hear the saying, “For for you a Savior has been born, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you, that you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Who is most likely to understand this absurd event that the baby Jesus is in the manger who will save the whole world? And who can see it and realize the greatest comfort and hope for their lives as well? It's the shepherds. The troughs from which their beasts feed are only a means of subsistence.
It is a place where people of low status who cannot die day by day use it as the last means of livelihood. Angels appeared to them. The news that the man who saved them was in the manger was surprising news and joy for these lowly shepherds.
In the middle of the night, shepherds suddenly visited the manger where the baby Jesus was lying. The shepherds tending their sheep in the fields did not wash well, so they must have smelled the disgusting sweat and the smell of dirty sheep. They were still shocked by what they had seen in the sky. At the time, shepherds were considered wild and dangerous, and no one would welcome them.
There seems to be something twisted in the story of the birth of Jesus, which had been awaited and awaited for thousands of years, as revealed by the angels. A baby born before marriage, a difficult journey, a selfish city that can't even afford to give a room to a full-term woman, noise, confusion, extreme pain of childbirth, and now strangers visit in the middle of the night.
Even in such a harsh reality, God's will is done on this earth. So is our life. Important things don't happen exactly when and where we always want them to. When that happens, most of us wonder if our prayers or our relationship with God are wrong. However, when we learn about the actual birth of Christ, these thoughts disappear. In this regard, the text tells a very important story.
Listen to the angels singing in verse 14. We are glorifying God in the highest. It then proclaims ‘peace’ to those on the earth. But to whom does that peace come? It comes to “those who are pleased with God.”
So let's summarize. After all, peace is not for everyone. It is a grace given only to those who are pleasing to God. It is not something that can be achieved through human effort. It does not come from people's earnest hope. Only those who experience the glory of the kingdom of God can enjoy true joy on this earth.
Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
In verse 15 and below, the shepherds finally see the baby Jesus. But there is something important.
First, they went to see what they heard. Instead of analyzing and procrastinating one by one, we act right away. See verse 16. Note the words “Go quickly” and “Find”. Angels appeared to lowly people like themselves, and they ran to the news that a Savior had been born for you. This one message touched their hearts.
What could be more important to this world than the message that Jesus came for me as a sinner? The characteristic of those who realize this is that they move. Many people are still hearing that the one who will give us true peace in our lives, who have been living in doubt all our lives to find peace in our lives, is to meet Jesus Christ. However, there are not many people who make a profession of faith and dedicate their lives to meet and find that Jesus.
See verse 20. If the shepherds looked only at the baby Jesus lying in a manger, it would be incomprehensible. They think of a baby in a humble manger as their Savior and glorify God. That's nonsense.
But what do they do? “The shepherds glorified and praised God for all that they had heard and seen.” This is faith. It was the realization of the signs of faith that he showed them. Because God said so, we believe this event as it is, which cannot be understood by human knowledge and experience.
As they watch the baby Jesus born in a manger, the shepherds witness a surprising fact that they have never heard of or seen in the past. Jesus Christ saw that there is an opportunity and hope to start over, even for those who have lost their lives like themselves and cannot untangle their twisted lives on their own.
The sign of a new beginning for a life in despair is meeting Jesus. What is needed for a life whose dreams have been destroyed is that the word of God be proclaimed right where you are right now, and your ears to hear the word are opened. Instead of sitting down in the chaos and incomprehensible conflicts of life, we need to go and find Jesus today.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord of our lives, amazing changes happen in our lives. Calmness comes to the sea of the heart where the storm does not rest, and the mind wandering around the tomb like a man possessed by a Gerasa can be healed and find peace.
Like a woman at the well, He heals a broken family and heals hidden wounds. Just as Zacchaeus, who was rich but always lonely and anxious, found true joy, at least joy springs up with what he has. A man suffering from paralysis for 38 years is healed and has new strength to run and run. When we have the forgiveness of sins and the joy of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, many things change.
finish the speech. At the bottom of life, a person who lived a life that was considered strange when he did a non-sinful act was changed. There are people who have always lived a life of emotion and gratitude because they were so grateful for the mercy, love, and grace of God who changed them. He is John Newton, the author of a hymn.
The original lyrics are this.
Verse 1, The amazing grace of the Lord, how sweet his voice His grace He has saved a poor person like me.
Verse 2, It is the grace of the Lord that taught me to fear, and it is the grace of the Lord that I was set free from fear. How precious was the grace of that time when I first believed!
Verse 3, After passing many dangers, snares, and traps, I have already come here. It is the grace of the Lord that has made me come safely until this time, and that grace will lead me to heaven.
Verse 4, Even if we live long in heaven shining as bright as the sun, we will give more praise to the Lord than we did in the first place.
Verse 5, The Lord has promised me good; His words give me hope. You will be my shield and my inheritance, until the day that my life is over
Verse 6 Surely this body and mind will become useless, and the life of the flesh will be cut off, and you will have a life of joy and peace within the veil.
Verse 7: Even if the earth soon melts like snow and the sun loses its light, the God who called me on this earth will be mine forever.