Please turn with me to the Book of Luke. Luke, Chapter 2, verses 1 through 20. Following the reading of God's Word, we will sing the Gloria Patri, which is printed for you in your bulletin. Please stand for the reading of God's Holy Word. Hear the Word of the Lord. In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to his own town to register. 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. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. 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. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were terrified. 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. Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. 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. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what they had been told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Praise be to God. This is the word of the Lord. If I were to ask you, what words would you use to describe this time of year? I wonder what you would say. Many people would say presents, wrapping paper, Christmas lights, trees. I doubt very many people would say the word news, but in our passage this morning, in verse 10, the angel says, behold, I bring you good news. That word for news is the same word that we get the gospel from. It's the same word that over and over again is used to describe the message concerning Jesus. Now if that angel had said, I bring you good news, and the news is this, be kind to everyone, treat people with dignity, be whoever you want to be, we'd probably say, that's an interesting message, but it's not really news. That sounds much like what the culture might say on a news program or something, but it's not really news. This morning, we're going to see two things. What is the news, the good news, and how does it benefit you? I think one of the reasons that Christmastime feels fake, at least it feels fake to me in many ways when I witness what the culture, the kind of materialism that goes along with this time of year. The reason I think it feels fake is because people don't understand the historical rootedness, the news. What is that news? The account opens up with something that was, of course, a historical detail that everyone would have known in the days of Caesar Augustus. This would have been Octavius Caesar, the great nephew of Julius Caesar, who had defeated Antony and Cleopatra. He had consolidated the Roman Empire and instilled a time of peace known as the Pax Romana. The Roman Senate was so impressed with the peace that had been instilled, they conferred on him the title Augustus, which meant holy or reverent. It was a title that until that time belonged to the gods. There was an inscription in a city known as Halicarnassus, an inscription that went like this, Augustus Caesar is savior of the whole world. That's the honor and reverence which this man was afforded. He takes a census. A census would have been taken for taxes and military service purposes. Now, the Jews would have been exempt from military service because of their religion, but they were not exempt from taxes. And it is in that context that... The camera zooms in on two very insignificant people. And before I tell you about them, consider this, that God's people for 400 years had not heard a single word from Him. They had no prophet. They had no sign. And of course, they would have perhaps known Psalm 74, we are given no signs from God, no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be. How long will the enemy mock you, God? But there was a flicker of hope. The flicker of hope was in the ancient promise of a Messiah. The promises went like this in Jeremiah 23, verse 5, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. There was, of course, the promise from Isaiah of the increase of his government and of peace. There will be no end. On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. These were the promises that they were clinging to, that they were hoping would become fulfilled When Luke opens his gospel, which by the way, we say the gospel according to Luke or Matthew or Mark, same word we use that's found here in verse 10. But when Luke opens his gospel, he says, many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled. What kind of things have been fulfilled? Is this the daily news, the Roman Gazette? You know these things, daily news? No, the things that have been fulfilled are the ancient prophecies that have come into fruition because of the birth of this Son. The camera zooms in in verses 4 through 6 on two insignificant people, certainly not as significant as Caesar Augustus. But Mary would have been perhaps 13 or 14 years old. She would have been very young. Perhaps she was 8 or 9 months pregnant. Joseph, of course, was of the line of David, but other than that, we don't…he's not a very significant person. They traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, which was probably an 80 or so mile trek. This would have been a long trek, especially for someone who was 8 or 9 months pregnant. Bethlehem was not a very significant place. In the Old Testament, of course, it was known. It was also known as Ephrathah. In the book of Genesis, Rachel is buried in Ephrathah in Genesis 35. Also, Bethlehem was known as the setting for the book of Ruth, David's great-grandmother. Of course, it was known as the birthplace of David. Pretty insignificant, but there was one significant detail about Bethlehem, and it came from Micah, chapter 5, verse 2. Micah said that, you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, shall come forth for me, one who is ruler, to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is of old, from ancient days. This is the fulfillment of that ancient promise. And there is no doubt when the angel appears to these shepherds and he says, do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born. He is Christ. There would have been no doubt that this was the Messiah. He is the Lord. But what is so unusual is that this Messiah would be born in a manger, a very insignificant place to be born, perhaps even maybe a dangerous place. Here's what J.C. Ryle has said. We see here the grace and condescension of Christ. Had he chosen to dwell in a palace with power and great authority, we should have reason enough to wonder, but to become poor, as the very poorest of mankind and lowly as the very lowliest. This is a love that surpasses knowledge. It is unspeakable and unsearchable. Never let us forget that through this humiliation, Jesus has purchased for us a title to glory. This is a love that surpasses knowledge. We like to sing the hymn Silent Night, but I want to read for you another song that was written by Andrew Peterson that I think would have been more historically true and real. He said, there was blood on the ground. You could hear a woman cry in the alleyways that night on the streets of David's town, and the stable was not clean. The cobblestones were cold. And little Mary, full of grace, with tears upon her face, had no mother's hand to hold." This would have been a very, very dark place to have a child. Phil Riken says this, "'Everything we know about the birth of Jesus points to obscurity and dignity, pain and rejection. One of the great mysteries of our universe is that when God the Son became man, he spent his first night in a barn.'" What do we learn from this? One of the things that we learn is that no one should say, God doesn't care about me or my life. God doesn't love me, because consider the distance that this God went to be with you and I. He went from heaven to earth, and not just to earth in a palace, but in a manger. What is the news then? If this is the person, it's Christ the Lord, what is the news? It comes out in verse 14. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests. What kind of peace is this? It's not a geopolitical peace. It's not an economic peace. It is a peace with God between God and man. That there is one mediator between God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And His life is coming. His perfect life and His substitutionary death has won us peace. One commentator put it this way, this word, it means a total peace for the whole person. This meant peace with God first of all. Until we have peace with God, we cannot have any true peace at all. Our sins cry out against us and we are afraid to die because deep down we know that we deserve judgment. But Jesus came to give us peace with God by paying the penalty our sins deserve. This is, of course, the same peace that is spoken of in Colossians chapter 1 when it says that Christ made peace by the blood of His cross. But to whom is this peace given? Those on whom His favor rests. That phrase, interestingly, is the same phrase or the same word is used in the next chapter when Jesus is baptized. and the spirit descends upon him in the form of a dove, and there's a voice from heaven that says, behold, this is my son in whom I am well pleased. What this is saying is that those who put their faith in Christ are, in God's eyes, pleased. He's pleased with us. Why? Not because he sees my good deeds or I have any merit. In fact, I have great sin. No, it's because when he looks at you and me, he sees Christ. And in Christ, he is well pleased. In Christ, we have peace with God. This is the same message that Jesus Christ preached himself when he was preaching. He said in John 14, verse 27, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let me suggest to you a reason why this message doesn't seem so real to people today. Perhaps it's because the messengers are really not that significant. The angels here were very significant. The shepherds were afraid. I imagine if we saw an angel, we would be afraid too. But they go off, and it says in verse 17, they spread the news because of the joy that they have. But the shepherds were not very significant messengers. They were the lowest class of people in Israel. They were uneducated and unclean. Today the message is entrusted to very insignificant people and ordinary people like me, Pastor Johnson, other pastors. People might think, well surely if God had such a significant message and did such a significant work, he would entrust it to angels or we would see great messengers. But we don't see that. There are probably people who passed by and saw a baby in a manger or saw Jesus later on and thought, hey, this is not someone who's very significant. But for those who put their faith in Jesus, something very significant happened. Let me suggest to you now what the blessings are for those who receive this news. If the good news is the person and the work of Jesus Christ, that He has won peace with God for us, how does that benefit you? One way that it benefits you that I've already said is that your sins are forgiven and you are put right in the court of justice, in God's court. But there's another a few other ways that this benefits us. One of them is the peace that Jesus Christ brings. It's not only an objective peace, but it's also an experience in which we can have if we have a relationship with Jesus. When He says, In John 14, I don't think it's only an objective peace. I think there's comfort to be had through the Holy Spirit's work in our life in a relationship with Jesus. But there's another word here, and that word is in verse 10, great joy. The news is meant to produce in us great joy, and of course it does produce joy in the shepherds. They go out and spread the word. But it's also meant to bring you and I joy. Not a joy that's transient and fading, but a joy that can withstand even suffering and death. The reason I can stand here and say that that's the kind of joy that Jesus offers is because we know that's the joy that He had. Hebrews 12 says, for the joy that was set before Christ, He endured the cross, despising its shame. even in the midst of that dark hour, He could see past the cross to the joy that was set before Him. That joy He gives to you. That joy is available to you in a relationship with Jesus. Another thing that is available is The absence of fear. I don't think this passage is a how-to manual on how to get over fear, but I do think in verse 10, when the angel says, do not be afraid, I think there's a lesson here for us today, that if you accept this news, it should mean the beginning of the end of fear. Perhaps one reason that we fear things in life is that they seem more real to us than Jesus. At this moment, what was real to these shepherds were the angels that were right in front of them. They saw with their own eyes. How could they deny it? And so, even with that great sight, they were still afraid. But let me give you a few reasons why you shouldn't be afraid. One reason you shouldn't be afraid is because God's judgment has fallen upon Jesus Christ. When someone sees an angel in Scripture, they're usually afraid, as they are here. When Adam and Eve heard the sound of God walking in the garden, they were afraid. But if you know that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken your sins upon Himself, it should mean you begin to lose the grip of fear in your life. One of the verses, one of the words rather that doesn't get brought over in the NIV, and I wish it had, is the word to behold. It's the word I do in Greek. It comes before do not be afraid in verse 10. And one of the people who really beheld Jesus here in our passage is Mary later on in verse 19. It says that Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. One of the commentators said that the word ponder is, quote, an indication of an extended period of sustained reflection by someone trying to make sense and plumb the depths of all that she had experienced. Mary ponders the things that had been told to her. She beholds the glory of God. And that's an instruction for you and I. We are to behold Christ, and Christ is meant to be more real to us than the things that are in front of us that we see. When he appears later to Thomas, he says, you believe me because you have seen, but blessed are those who believe even though they haven't seen. One of the things that really helped me in my own life, I was reading, I can't remember who it was by, but I read a quote that said, we often fear what we worship. And I thought that was very silly. I was reading that, and I read that, and I thought, one of the silly things I'm afraid of is snakes. I don't worship snakes. I'm not bowing down to snakes. Fear and worship, how are they the same thing? But later on, I realized that there is a connection. And the connection goes like this. Jesus Christ really is the Messiah, and He really is Christ, and He really is the Son of God come in the flesh, that He really has triumphed over sin and death, that He really has ascended into heaven, and He really is seated at the right hand of God the Father today. then ought He not also be the Lord over my emotions? Ought He not be the Lord over my thoughts? Should He not occupy the throne in my own heart? And so, to be afraid, even of certain silly things, and by the way, fear seems so uncontrollable, it's so prevalent, isn't it? And we seem so powerless to defeat it. But I think it is true that The things we're afraid of, we tend to give an honor and a reverence that may be the honor and reverence that only Christ himself deserves. If in the presence of a snake, I'm absolutely powerless and paralyzed, perhaps I'm giving it an undue reverence, an undue weight. Perhaps one way to think about it would be to say, snake, what can you do to me? You can bite me, you can poison me, you might even kill me, I know whom I have believed. And there is nothing, death nor life, angels nor demons, that could ever separate me from His love. And it's to put the snake in his proper place and remember to behold Christ, the Lord, the Messiah. That's what we're to do. Finally, consider this, that the Lord Jesus Christ gives us a new birth. The birth He gives is a spiritual birth, born through the Spirit. And this manger, that it's so lowly, it's so humiliating, which by the way, most people believe, the theologians say, the incarnation is the first step of His humiliation. And that manger points us to the final stage of His humiliation, an even lower stage when He goes to the cross. and he takes upon himself the wrath of God that we deserve. He gets the wrath and we get the righteousness. That's the substitution at the heart of the gospel. And it starts here in the manger. I want you to know that Christ is real. I want you to have real change in your life, to have real joy and real peace, real comfort. I want your life not to be ruled by fear. But if that's going to be the case, you need to believe in the news. You need to believe in Christ as Lord. You need to put your faith in Him and behold Him for all that He is. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Almighty God, we thank you and praise you that you have given us a Savior. We praise you and thank you that this is indeed news, good news, that the news is not something that we need to do. It's not to be kind and respect people, live however we wanna live. No, the news is in the birth, the life, the death, the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's historically rooted. We pray that we would ponder these things in our hearts. We pray that Christ would be more real to us than all of the transient things of this world. He would be more real to us than our bodies, the aging process and death, but rather He would be Christ in Lord in our hearts as well as on the pages of Scripture. We pray this all in Jesus' name, our great Savior. Amen.