SERMON: THE HERALDS OF CHRISTMAS

 

9 December 2012

I.  Introduction

      -- turn in Bibles to Luke 2:1-20

 Luke 2:1-20 (NIV)
¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
³ And everyone went to his own town to register.
⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
¹⁰ But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

-- as you know, it's Christmas time -- the signs are all around us -- the stores are filled with people -- Christmas trees are for sale on every corner -- but the greatest sign of all is when Christmas lists start appearing in your e-mail or on your refrigerator -- everyone wants to make sure you know exactly what it is they want for Christmas so you don't go out and get them the wrong thing

-- it reminds me of a joke I heard the other day -- two little boys had gone over to their grandparent's house to spend the night right before Christmas -- and when they were getting ready for bed and had kneeled down to say their bedtime prayers, the smallest boy began yelling his prayer at the top of his lungs: "DEAR GOD, FOR CHRISTMAS I WOULD LIKE A PLAYSTATION, A MOTOR BIKE, SCOOTER, NEW VIDEO GAMES..."

     -- His brother said, "Why are you yelling? God can hear you; He is not deaf." -- The younger brother replied, "I know God's not deaf, but grandma is..."
      -- this little boy had an announcement to make, and he wanted to be sure his grandmother heard what he had to say

      -- it seems like there are always announcements like this at Christmas -- in addition to the lists we make that announce what presents we want Santa to bring -- there are the announcements of special sales in the stores and special services in our churches and in our communities -- and if you visit one of the major stores in our area right now, you'll hear the bells ringing out from the Salvation Army bell-ringers announcing they need our help to feed the homeless

      -- it seems like someone always is trying to get our attention and tell us their particular message at this time of the year -- so this morning I wanted to spend some time talking about the heralds of Christmas -- those people who had a message to share about Christmas and the coming of the Messiah and Savior

II.  The Angels

      -- look back at verse 1

 Luke 2:1-20 (NIV)
¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
³ And everyone went to his own town to register.
⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

            -- Luke opens his story of the birth of Christ with three words wrapped in a depth meaning we sometimes miss -- he write, "In those days..." 

      -- what are "those" days? -- what is he referencing? -- it appear Luke has a specific time period in mind when he writes those three words, "In those days..."
      -- in order to understand the point Luke is trying to get across you have to know the message of Malachi and what happened since Malachi's day -- Malachi was the last prophet of the Old Testament -- his words are recorded for us in the last book of the Old Testament
      -- Malachi prophesied to the nation of Israel about the coming of the Lord and the need to prepare their hearts for His arrival -- in Malachi 3:1 we read, "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me -- Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire will come," says the Lord Almighty."
      -- and over in Malachi 4 we are told the day of the Lord is coming and coming soon -- and from the moment Malachi wrote those words and delivered this message to the people of Israel, God was silent -- no more prophets were sent -- no more scriptures were written -- and the people were left waiting for 400 years until Jesus arrived on the scene as a baby born in a manger
      -- so, when you read those words, "in those days," it points to the time of waiting -- the time of anticipation -- for the coming of the Messiah -- and everyday, when the nation of Israel woke up to greet the dawn, they wondered, "Is this the day the Messiah comes?"

      -- now that the long period of waiting is over -- now that the Messiah has been born -- now that Mary has given birth to Jesus and laid him in a manger in the small town of Bethlehem -- how will the Israelites know? -- who will tell them that their Savior has come?

      -- verse 8

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
¹⁰ But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

      -- and here we are introduced to the first heralds of Christmas -- the angels of God sent to shepherds living out in the fields to tell them the Savior had been born

      -- isn't it funny how you can wait for something for so long and then miss it when it comes? -- as we just talked about, the people of Israel had been waiting for the coming of the Messiah for a long time -- it wasn't just Malachi who promised the coming of the Messiah -- it goes all the way back to the book of Genesis

      -- for millennia, the world had been waiting for the Messiah, but when He came, they didn't even notice -- even though the Jews were supposed to be preparing the world to receive the Savior -- even though every day they got up thinking, "This could be the day," their longing and their anticipation got wrapped up in the ordinary existence of life and they quit looking with eyes of faith and let the cares and worries of this world distract them from what was truly important
      -- but, we can't say much to criticize them because we do the same thing -- we get so caught up on the hustle and bustle of Christmas we miss the real reason for the season -- Christmas just kind of gets lost in the midst of preparation

      -- let me share with you a story called, "Coffee at the Mall," that talks about this very situation  -- it was written by a gentleman named Mr. Durango:

     -- "Mrs. Durango and I took a trip to the mall on Saturday, seems she had a couple of last minute items she needed to get. While Mrs. Durango ran into the card store I grabbed a cup of coffee at Starbucks and sat down at a table outside of the coffee shop.

     -- I watched as people rushed by running from store to store in a frenzy doing their Christmas shopping -- seemed the people were being very abrupt and pushy toward one another -- Christmas hustle and bustle at it's worst -- People arguing over who was first in line to pay for the overpriced items they held in their arms -- arguing over who was the first one to grab that last green sweater -- arguing over trivial things all in the name of "Christmas" -- All these people acting so anxious and obnoxious all because "Christmas" was coming . . .
     -- And I sat back sipping my coffee wondering if they'd all be as anxious and obnoxious if they were truly anticipating the Lord's return . . . Would they all be acting the same way -- pushing and shoving -- Arguing and fighting -- over such meaningless things.
     -- Then I noticed a little boy standing there in the middle of the mall -- he couldn't have been anymore than four years old -- He was standing there in the middle of this hustle and bustle crying his little eyes out . . . And no one seemed to notice . . . people simply walked by the poor little guy ignoring his cries for help.
     -- I walked over and asked the little guy why he was crying and he told me he was lost -- He didn't know where his Mommy was! -- There in the midst of the Christmas madness somehow he got separated from his mother and no one seemed to care . . . or even notice!
     -- I was able to attract the attention of the policeman who was patrolling the mall and explained the situation to him -- he took the little guy and was able to reunite him with his mother a short time later -- I returned to my coffee and waited for Mrs. Durango.
     -- As I sat there sipping my coffee I thought about the madness going on around me . . . I thought about how that little boy got lost and forgotten in the shuffle, ignored by everyone around him because everyone was too busy getting ready for "Christmas" . . .
     -- And then I thought about that little baby Jesus, lying there in the manger . . . And how HE seems to have been lost and forgotten in all the Christmas madness as well. May we all remember that "Jesus is the reason for the season!"

            -- I think we can all sympathize with Mr. Durango's story -- sometimes we get distracted from what's important -- sometimes we get so caught up with what's going on around us that we fail to see God in our midst

            -- I think that's the reason God sends heralds into the world -- He sends them to get our attention -- that's certainly the reason He sent the angels to the shepherds on that first Christmas night -- even though it was "in those days," I think that the majority of the world had forgotten that the Messiah was coming -- they had gotten so caught up with getting ready for the Messiah that they missed Him when He finally came 
            -- so God sent His angels that night to proclaim the coming of the Messiah and to remind the people of His promises -- He sent them to the lowest of the low -- to shepherds living out in the fields -- rejected from most of society because of their lowly condition -- but the first to hear the good news of great joy about the Messiah

III.  Shepherds

            -- have you ever wondered why God only sent the angels to a bunch of shepherds out in the fields near Bethlehem? -- if He really wanted to herald the coming of the Messiah -- if He really wanted the world to know about Jesus -- why didn't He announce it from the mountaintops -- why didn't He send the angels to Jerusalem or even to the whole village of Bethlehem?
            -- for that matter, why doesn't God just speak out to the whole world right now at once and tell them to believe in Jesus?
            -- I really don't know, but I think it has to do with the fact that believing in Jesus is more about the heart than about the head -- it's not just knowing about Jesus that gets you saved -- it's believing in your heart and trusting in faith in His promises
            -- and the best way to spread that message to the world is not through angelic intervention -- but through the hands and feet and voice of those who have been changed through the message of Christ

            -- In his book "Quiet Talks on Service", Dr. S. D. Gordon tells us a fictional story about what happened after Jesus ascended to heaven -- All heaven is eager to greet Him and welcome Him, and the first to rush up in excitement and greet Him is the angel Gabriel -- Gabriel says, "Master, You died for the whole world down there and suffered much for them -- do they all know what You did for them?" -- Jesus replied, "No, only a few in Palestine know about it so far"

            -- Gabriel replied, "Well, Master, what’s Your plan? What have You done about telling the world that You died for them, that You shed Your blood for all of them? What is your plan?"
            -- And Jesus answered, "Well, I asked Peter and James and John and Andrew and a few other fellows to make it the business of their lives to tell others -- and then the ones that they tell could tell others -- and then the ones that they tell could tell others -- and on and on and finally it would reach to the farthest corner of the earth and all would know the thrill and power and blessing of the gospel."
            -- Gabriel said, "But suppose Peter fails? -- Suppose after awhile that John just doesn’t tell anybody? -- What if James and Andrew are ashamed or afraid? What if the rest of them simply chicken out? -- What your plan then?"
            -- Jesus said, "There is no other plan -- I'm totally counting on them"

            -- verse 15

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

 

            -- when the shepherds heard the message of Christmas from the angels, they did two things:
            -- first, they acted on it -- they went to Bethlehem to see for themselves if the message was true and the promise fulfilled
            -- when God speaks to us -- when He sends His messengers and heralds to our door, the first thing we have to do is act on what He has told us -- when God speaks, He speaks for a reason -- and His message is an invitation to join Him in His work
            -- when Paul spoke to the people in Berea, they didn't just receive the gospel message passively -- they didn't just listen to Paul speak in the synagogue and go home and forget about it until the next Sabbath -- no, we read in the Book of Acts that they diligently searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was true -- they acted on the word that had been given to them -- and they believed in faith that what God had told them through Paul was true

            -- secondly, the shepherds passed the message on to others

            -- Luke says that once the shepherds saw Jesus lying on the manger, they immediately went out and shared with the people around them the good news that the Messiah had come -- he says they "spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child" -- we are called to do the same
            -- there is nothing more important that you can do in your life than to tell someone else about Jesus -- and there's no better time to do that than Christmas
            -- we are part of God's plan to spread the word concerning what we know about this child born at Christmas -- we are the ones who have been entrusted with the precious knowledge of the Messiah and who are called to be the heralds of Christmas to those around us
            -- I'm not going to ask you to raise your hands, but I do want you to honestly answer this question in your heart -- have you told anyone about Jesus this year? -- have you shared with anyone the hope you have in Christ?
            -- this is the perfect time to do that -- at a time when the name of Christ is on everyone's lips and everyone is rushing around getting ready to celebrate the birth of the Savior, we have the best opportunity in the world to tell others about why He came and to remind them that He's coming back soon

IV.  Closing

            -- Two women were having lunch together in this elegant hotel when a mutual friend saw them and stopped at their table to visit -- she asked why they were sharing such a fancy meal in the middle of the week -- One lady replied, "We are celebrating the birth of my baby boy."
            -- her friend looked around, but didn't see a baby anywhere -- "But where is he?" she asked -- "Oh," the mother said, "you didn't think I'd bring him to a restaurant like this, did you?"
            -- What a picture of the way the world treats Jesus at Christmas -- we rush around celebrating the birth of the Savior and don't bring Him with us or even think about Him in all the preparations

            -- that's the reason we are here -- that's the reason this church exists -- we are called to remind the world of Jesus -- we are called to proclaim the coming of the Messiah and to share with all those around us the good news of Jesus

            -- the first heralds of Christmas were the angels who appeared to the shepherds in the fields where they were living -- the second heralds were the shepherds themselves -- but the true heralds of Christmas today are supposed to be you

            -- will you go from here and tell others about Jesus? -- will you leave here today and share the good news of Christ with this world who has forgotten Him and left Him behind?
            -- will you use this opportunity in this Christmas season we are in to tell someone the true reason for the season and the hope we have in Christ?

            -- let us pray