Luke chapter 2. Luke 2, we'll read from verse 1 down through verse 14, and I guess we're working kind of backwards because we looked at the passage after this Sunday morning, but Luke 2, beginning in verse 1, Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth, This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region 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. But the angel 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. This will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in claws and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." Pray with me, please. Father, we turn to you again in the middle of a week, and God, we are glad to come to you. There's no better place to come. And Father, we pray that the Christmas themes and familiar passages would not be lost on us, and that we would not glaze over as though there's no glorious truth here to delight in. God, we pray that the great realities that we see would captivate our hearts and minds and turn our thoughts and our praises to you. God, may all that Christ died to procure on our behalf be ours in full measure. God, make us to cherish Christ and to cherish the salvation that he brings. God, we pray that even tonight some would hear good tidings of great joy, that they would come to know the peace that You give to those with whom You are pleased. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen. Oh, Luke 2. Tonight we're looking at the message of Christmas as it's given to the shepherds by the angels. And it is in this declaration of the angel and the angelic chorus in our passage that we have a divine explanation of the birth of Jesus. In verses 1 through 5, just briefly, Luke gives us this historical detail about this decree that was sent out during the time of Caesar Augustus. And although Luke doesn't say it explicitly, it is this decree, as I mentioned Sunday, that God uses providentially to get Luke, pardon me, to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy so that Jesus would be born there. And so God moves in this way and moves them to get them there. God works out His plan to bring His Son into this world, fulfilling prophecy, and He orchestrates the details of that plan through politicians who are taking a census so they can get the record straight to tax people. But God used that providentially to get them there and fulfill prophecy for the birth of Christ. Now in verses 6 and 7, while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And so the idea is that they arrive in Bethlehem and it's time for the baby to be born. And verse 7 says, she gave birth to her firstborn son and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. One of the amazing things about this text is not only do you have the historical situation of the decree of Caesar Augustus and people returning to their home cities, if you will, for census purposes, for the sake of taxation, but then you have in two verses the record of the birth of the King of Israel. If we were writing that, don't you think we'd probably take more than two verses? And so often we wish that there were more details about certain things, and this might be one of the places where we would take a chapter, you know, and explain all about what's going on and what's happening around and what was there and what wasn't there. But in two verses, Luke gives us everything we need to know that God wants us to know about this birth. And so, the days are fulfilled or completed, the text tells us. I think Luke, being a physician, probably at least partially is thinking of the fact that her pregnancy has come to completion in the sense it's time to give birth. The days are fulfilled. But there's also more than that, isn't there? Because Luke is making a redemptive historical observation The days were fulfilled. The appointed time has come. And it's the very fullness of time in which God is about to intervene and make this mark in the world by sending His Son. As they came into the city, And because of this decree, the cities were very full. People were having to go to these cities for the record, the census. And so the cities are flooded with people in that regard. And then you've got government officials there taking the records. And so the city is very full, and they go there to, register for the census, and as they get to an inn, which would have probably been someone's larger house, there's no holiday inn or comfort inn, so probably a larger house, and I assume no reservations, they get there and there's no room. Sometimes we might look at that and think that there's something cruel here, but I think really it's an observation of fact. It was full. I don't think that there's necessarily malice on the part of the innkeeper, It's just that someone got here before you did, and the place is full, and there's not room. And probably, in an act of kindness, He offers them something that might seem less than desirable to you, the stable. And so, in an act of kindness, He gives them what He has available, and there's a cattle stall and a manger, probably a feed trough. But in these very few words, Luke paints for us a picture of the birth of the king. And one of the remarkable things is that he is not born, this king, as he arrives, is not born in a castle, you know, a palace, silk sheets and whatever else you would say is luxuriant and, you know, just the kind of fittings and trimmings for a king. but He is born into poverty and deprivation. And as Paul would say later, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that through His poverty we might become rich. Well, in the Bible we often have a description of a deed or an activity And then, there is an explanation. And we kind of have that here. So in verses 1 to 7, we have a description of what happened. The act. We have an event. But then, Luke shifts gears and in verses 8 through 14, he moves to an explanation about it. We move not only to an explanation, but it is a heavenly explanation. It is an explanation that comes from this angelic announcement. And so, beginning in verses 8 through 10, we have an announcement of good news. In verse 8, in the same region, 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. But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people. As the angel makes the pronouncement to the shepherds, one of the things we could remember is that King David himself had been a shepherd. And so there's a kind of a poetic appropriateness to this, that the birth of the royal descendant of David would be announced first to shepherds. But I think there's more to it than that. In the first century, shepherds were not people of high status. They were people of low status. They were not held in great regard. I think I read in one place that they couldn't serve on a jury or certain things like that. They weren't trusted. And little boys growing up, when you ask them, what do you want to be when you grow up? I guess unless dad was a shepherd, and you're still kind of enamored by that. Shepherd wasn't at the top of the list. there was something about the job that was considered to be a lowly job. And so God's about to send into the world this heavenly explanation of the events that have just happened in this little town of Bethlehem. And the very first ones to get the heavenly announcement, the explanation, are not the kings or the governors or even the priest. but it's the lowly shepherds. It's not the high and the mighty that God's impressed with, but so often it's the nothings and the nobodies that He sets His grace and affection on. How often, though, are we tempted to think that God's for the good people? You know, He's come for the good people. But Christ Jesus was sent into the world for needy sinners who are desperate for grace. when Mary sang her song in Luke 1, she said in verse 52, He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has exalted those who were humble. These lowly shepherds are, in a sense, exalted by the reception of the good news that God sends to them by the angel. We don't even know their names, but God had grace for them. And so an angel appeared, and God's glory shone all around them. And again, if we think about the way that this is working, kind of the logistics of things, we have these shepherds who are out in the fields, and they're watching the flocks, and while they're watching the flocks, the glory of God appears to them. Now, we're not told how far away they are from Bethlehem, but they're not in Bethlehem, they're in the region around. So we don't know exactly where they are, but you have here this magnificent event happening at the manger, the birth of Christ, and yet the manifest presence of God is in the field with the shepherds as the angel comes and announces the birth of Christ and the glory of the Lord shown all around. Now certainly there was glory displayed at the manger. Christ is there, but like I said earlier Sunday, there's no halo around His head, His skin doesn't glow, there's none of that. How many people see the baby Christ and don't think anything except here's a baby? When they go to the temple and Simeon sees Him and recognizes Him, how many other people walk by and didn't think anything about this baby that Mary's holding? But the shepherds know they're in the presence of God because God makes Himself He manifests His glory to them. And so, all of a sudden, the glory of God is overtly displayed to these shepherds, and the angel appears, and the Bible says they were terribly frightened. I assume partially because the glory of the Lord appeared, shone around about them, But also, because there's something fearful and awesome in the appearance of this angel, something soft and cuddly, this figure strikes fear into their hearts. And so the angel tells them, do not be afraid. And then he goes on and says in the 10th verse, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people. As I mentioned Sunday, this is a particularly Jewish part of the announcement. The word people is singular, and it would have been very understandable or even appropriate for the shepherds to understand that he's talking about, here's an Israelite savior, a savior for Israel. It expands after this, and he is a savior for all peoples, but this part was, here's great joy for the people. Thankfully, while the gospel is to the Jew first, it is also to the Greek, and so there was more to be said. But this very word, the phrase, I bring you good news, it translates one word, and it's the word that we get the word evangelized from. I proclaim good news of great joy. The gospel itself is a message that brings to us joy unspeakable and full of glory. I pray tonight that during this Christmas season there would be something that goes beyond the tradition and the trappings, and that the message would actually come home to you in such a way that it would give you personally a sense of great joy because of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. In verses 11 and 12, the angel continues his announcement. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." One of the other surprising things about this text is the way that this birth announcement is worded. The angel said that this child was born for you, the shepherds. Other translations say, to you. and it could be either word, but the point is that here is a baby that's been born to or for you, not just born to Mary and Joseph, born to them in the sense that Mary gives birth, but here's a baby born to you in a way that no other baby, you can't say that about any other baby. What if the baby comes and we can say, this baby has been born to you, a savior to you. Here's good news to you because this baby's been born. But the angel comes to the shepherds and says, to you, this baby's been born. And so an unusual birth announcement in that regard, not just the fact that it's an angel making the announcement, but it is a child to you. Well, as you read the first part of verse 11, and that part of the announcement is made, so far the child had not been identified. But now the angel does identify the child, and he does so with four titles. And all four titles come together in this one person. The first word that he really uses is Savior, but he also mentions the city of David, and he's mentioned David a number of times, and David has been mentioned by Luke a number of times in his account. And part of who this baby is, who this man will be, he is the son of David. Alluded to here, I believe, by the mention of the city of David, Bethlehem. The child that the angels were announcing was David's royal son who would sit on his throne forever. He also identifies him, though, as the Christ. And that is, of course, the Greek term for Messiah. Jesus is the Savior that God had always promised to send. He is the Anointed One. When you hear that term, you might think about the kings and the priests of the Old Testament that were anointed with oil as a sign of their office. And here's one who's anointed as prophet, priest, and king, and He is the Anointed One. He's the one that all the others had looked forward to and foreshadowed. God had promised this anointed one who would save his people. He is also identified by the angel as the Lord. He is Christ the Lord. This term, I believe, pointed to his deity and to his sovereign rule. He is the Lord God, the promised and anointed Savior was none other than God himself appearing in the flesh. and then I've taken these a bit out of order, but the first one that he mentions is the word Savior, and I've reserved it for now. What the angel's announcing is the very best news that ever could come to people who were fallen and dead in trespasses and sins, who were lost and unable to save themselves. There has been born for you and for me a Savior. a Savior who is willing and able to save. The reason that you and I need a Savior is because without a Savior, we're lost. By lost, I don't mean that you're in a strange city and turned around and not sure exactly how to get back to where you know where you are. Not that. But by lost, I mean that you are a stranger to God, outside of His favor, outside of His grace, outside of His mercy, You are, as the Bible describes it, an enemy of God and a stranger of Christ. Let me try to put it in simple terms. The Bible explains to us that those who are lost, that is those who are outside of the saving grace of Jesus Christ, they're lost and they will perish in their lostness. That's what it means. It means to be under the just condemnation of a holy God because you've broken His law and you've offended Him. And so what do people need who actually come to the realization that I'm under the condemnation of a just and holy God? Well, here's what we need. We need a Savior. And there's only one. And God provided this Savior for you today in the city of David is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And by this heavenly announcement, God was revealing this good news to the shepherds. And think about it. If God had not revealed it to them, they would not have known it. But God did reveal it to them and made it known to them out in the fields where they were watching over the flock. And the shepherds acknowledge that this is what happened because in verse 15 they say, See this thing that's happened which the Lord has made known to us. He's made it known to us. He's revealed it to us. And oh that God might reveal it to all who are here tonight. The angel then says, This is how you're going to know that you've found Him. Here's a sign. And you might think again that since it's a king that's been born that the angels would say you're going to find him wrapped up in fine linen and surrounded by angelic attendants. But no. What we have here is, in the words of one commentator, the rough simplicity of the gospel. The rough simplicity of the birth of the Son of God. You're going to find him in a manger wrapped in cloths. And it would be this declaration that would send the shepherds on their way. But before they could go, there is this angelic anthem. Verses 13 and 14. 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 among men with whom He is pleased. Here with the angel that's made the announcement now is a host, a heavenly host, praising God. We don't use the word host very often in this way. If we say host, we usually think about like hosting a party, a shower, hosting, you know, in that kind of way. But here's a host that's a large multitude, and it's really, here, it's a military term. It is like the host of heaven, the army of heaven, this multitude of people. This army of heaven has appeared and they are praising God. And while this is the third song or chorus that's recorded in Luke's gospel, this one is distinguished from the others by the fact that it's a heavenly host that is singing. Jesus, the second person of the triune Godhead, had always enjoyed the worship of the angels. But now here was Christ in His humiliation as He comes and is born as a baby, here He is in a place where He would be despised and rejected, crucified for the salvation of a lost and fallen race. And here in that was the greatest display that God had ever made of His grace. And accompanying His Son's incarnation was the highest praise of heaven. J.C. Ryle wrote and said, Now is come the highest degree of glory to God by the appearing of His Son, Jesus Christ, in the world. He, by His life and death on the cross, will glorify God's attributes, justice, holiness, mercy, and wisdom, as they never were glorified before. And the angels, looking on, sing, glory to God in the highest. And they add to that, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. Some translations say, and goodwill to men, but I do think this is the better translation. On earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. So the angels, give glory to God in the highest and proclaim peace to men, the men that God is pleased with. And another old commentator says here that you have an army of heaven declaring peace, peace on earth among men of God's pleasure. The very language of God's pleasure is the language of election. One New Testament scholar says another way to say this is that God's peace rests on those whom He has chosen. He's pleased with them. He's decided to be pleased with them. It was God's good pleasure to select certain people to be the recipients of His peace that came with the coming of the Savior, Jesus Christ. And so, here's the glorious proclamation. the one who is Savior, that is Christ the Lord, will bring peace to those with whom God is pleased." And that's the testimony of the angels and the explanation they give of the birth of this child. Christmas, the birth of Christ, is about God's glory being demonstrated and bringing peace through His Son according to His own good pleasure and will. He's chosen to be pleased with you, believer. And He's so resolute in His determination and His choice that He's done everything necessary to make it so. He sent His Son. Jesus Christ was born so that He would reconcile us to God. God and sinner reconciled, we just sang. The Bible tells us that He has made peace through the blood of His own cross. That's what Christ's coming is about. It's the Son of God coming into this world to bring peace between God and us. The Christ who came into this world in such a humble way came into this world in order to lay down his life for us, to bring us peace, peace with God. And so I want to ask you, do you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ? I don't care what's under your tree or what's on your Amazon wish list. It could not compare with this. Do you know this peace? The only way that you will know that peace is if you are savingly attached to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. He gives this peace to those with whom He is pleased. So how do you know that you're a person of God's good pleasure? That's a big question, right? I mean, verse 14, how do I know that I am a person of God's good pleasure? Well, one way, I believe, is very simply by having faith in Him and clinging to His promises. If you do that, you know that God's pleased with you because Hebrews 12, 6, pardon me, 11, 6 says, And without faith it's impossible to please Him, for he who comes to Him must believe that He is and that He's a rewarder of those who seek Him. You can't please Him without faith. I believe in Him. He's pleased. And so the real question perhaps is not, am I a person of God's good pleasure? But it is this, do I believe God? Do I trust Him? Is my faith in Christ and in Christ alone? And if so, then in believing, you have confidence you're a person of God's good pleasure. And so when the angels were announcing peace, they were announcing the very reason, the very purpose for which God sent His Son into this world. And there's nothing better in this life, but even more so, better in the life to come, than to know that you have peace with God. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this peace secured by Christ. We thank you that he has reconciled God to man and man to God. And Father, we pray for all who know this Christ, that we would know this peace in the fullest measure. And for those who are yet strangers, God, that you would make them want it and that you would lead them, Father, to trust Christ completely. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.