Let's get you to turn with me again this morning as we return to the Gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 2. And as we will be looking at, once again, some familiar verses of Scripture surrounding the birth of Christ, His coming into this world, the incarnation, as it were, of our Son of God. that would come and to take on human flesh and doing so in the fulfillment of God's plan and of our salvation, those whom He has set aside. We have now examined some of the verses leading up to chapter 2. Namely, looking last week at the Magnificant, the Song of Mary, as it is proposed. We had mentioned that by some's assessment here in dividing these passages, one could argue that it is the first of the Christmas carols, Christmas songs that are presented in Scripture, those words that have been put to music. Not only hers that is found in Luke chapter 1, but also Zacharias, which is presented to us later in that same chapter 1. And then we come to chapter 2 today in verses 1 through 20. where we hear the third of those as the angels glorify the Lord and sing and declare God to the heavens. So as we look to this passage this morning again, we're going to navigate some familiar verses of scripture. It may be something that you read to your family on Christmas Day. It may be something that you take a moment to continually look at during the month of December. Regardless of that, I do want to challenge you. As I try to do each time that we look at a passage of scripture that may dangerously become so familiar to us that we take it for granted or imagine that we have seen all there is to see in it. There is a need whenever we come to such a passage in God's Word and the intent of looking at all 20 verses is incredibly important. because we could pull a couple of verses out of this and probably devise some sermon to give you. But the importance of recognizing and understanding and appreciating the incarnation of Christ is to try to get as much of the picture of the circumstances and the events that are happening because you and I may separate them out into three or four different things, but to God, they are all one sentence. They are all one act. It is hard for us to wrap our minds around it, yet the more we try, the more the better off we are as God's people to grow and to understand what he commits to us in these gracious words. So our text is Luke chapter 2 beginning with verse one. And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go to Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. It is a precious passage of scripture, but there is also an event, a historic event that surrounds it, that is important actually to tie this passage together, even with those that we have already examined. We have touched on this before when we read this passage and it speaks about this registration that Caesar Augustus called for. The occasion upon him calling for that is suspected to have believed to send a message to men like Herod. Herod, whom we are an important factor or character in this story as well, believed himself to be the king, the king of Israel. And therefore he presented himself as such to Caesar. He sought to be recognized as a kingdom, but Caesar would not. Caesar termed him nothing more than the province of the empire of Rome. And therefore, in order to prove his point, it is believed that Caesar took the unusual step of announcing this census, this accounting of the Israelite people, this registration. And during this registration, it would require that everyone would go back to their ancestral home in order to be registered and accounted for. Now, of course, we know that this is not simply for population. It is about naming the people, counting the people, so that the Romans would have an even greater or more accurate accounting of the population and know how much tax revenue they should be expecting. Sends quite a message to Herod and to the people, doesn't it? So we imagine this to be nothing more than a political move based on an emperor who wants to put Herod in his place and as a result puts the nation of Israel through something that is historically unprecedented. However, what Caesar does not know is unwittingly he has been a pawn in turning the world upside down not according to his own plan but in accordance with God's plan. For it is by virtue of this census's registration that Joseph and Mary will be dispatched from Nazareth back to the city of Bethlehem. And in doing so, two things will happen here. One, we are now brought back to an understanding of a double, if you will, mentioning of the lineage of David into the birth of Christ. For they would have returned to Bethlehem not based on Mary's lineage, but based on Joseph's. And so as they come to be accounted for, we're reminded here of the promise that is made, the prophecy that is given, the declaration or acknowledgement of God that is presented in Mary's Magnifica. For if we go back and look in chapter one in verse 51 and verse 52, where it says, he has shown the strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. Now, we look at that event that transpires between Herod and Caesar, and nobody during that contemporary age could have ever perceived that this was a move by God. No one would have seen that. In fact, for years of time, nobody would have appreciated it. I have no question in my mind about that. But in fact, as we're reminded of the sovereignty of God in the issues and the movements of man and of nations, Mary's words in verse 51 and verse 52 have become true already in the depiction of what's happening in chapter 2. For God is scattering. He is actually utilizing these men who imagine that they're in charge. Herod thought he was in charge until Caesar put him in his place. Caesar thought he was in charge and yet didn't know that right under his nose he was actually an accomplice here. One that was a very much cooperative part of bringing Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem and therefore fulfilling the prophecy of Micah chapter 5 and verse 2 where we are told very simply emphatically that it would be in this city, in this town that the Messiah would be born. What an amazing thought and what an amazing reminder of what's happening before our eyes and the fact that it didn't just happen for the birth of Christ, that it continues to happen every day. in our existence. When we look at these first three verses and it reminds us of this fact that everyone is going to be registered in their own city. What is the point of this? We even got Luke reporting this to us. Not only is he telling us the events as they unfold, but he's also presenting to us, in effect, the very credentials of the son of God. We will find that he has already declared in verse 32 that Jesus is to be the son of David in verse 32 of chapter one. We'll note the language here where it tells us he will be great and will be called the son of the highest. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David. It is intended to give us an understanding of the prophecy being fulfilled with regard to the Lion of David as being King of Israel. Zechariah would speak in much the same way in verse 69 of chapter 1, where he speaks about God raising up a horn or a Savior. Because he says in verse 69, "...and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in..." Where? "...in the house of His servant David." So time and time again, Luke is directing our attention and telling us that even now, not only do we find the evidence of Mary as the one who will carry him in his womb and her line to David, but also his earthly father, Joseph, for good measure. Jesus, by virtue of God's word, by virtue of God's prophecy, by virtue of God's determination, would indeed be a direct descendant in the line of King David in his human form. Romans chapter 1 in verse 3, Paul would write, concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. 2 Timothy chapter 2 in verse 8, Paul would write here, remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel. In every case we see in Scripture and those who had presented to us this continuing tie as we have already mentioned that of Micah chapter 5 and verse 2. So as we look to the first few verses here of Luke, what does he want us to understand? He wants us to understand that historic events happening in the empire of Rome is no less the historic happening in the kingdom of God. And it is happening, and it is forged, and it is working according to everything that God has prepared, and everything that God is determined to carry on. This is no less important than connecting to what Peter said in the book of Acts. When he told everyone there that they were guilty of murdering Jesus Christ, but then told them that your murder was foreordained by God the Father. who sent his only begotten son to die on that cross. And so we find this tension in our lives that we must recognize every day of our lives. No less in the birth of Christ than in anything else. That as we see human circumstances unfold before our very lives, and we imagine, we say such things as it's never been this bad before. I don't know what's going to happen next year. I don't know what's going to happen in this country or what's going to happen in that country. And you're absolutely right. With our finite minds, we cannot begin to perceive this. But my friend, we must be encouraged today to understand, as surely as God had His finger on the pulse and controlled every human aspect, that involved the birth of Christ, He continues to control every human aspect of our existing life on this planet. And He is forging ahead with the Kingdom of God, and He's doing so with or without our help. So if we recognize that truth, it is only affirmed in the birth of Christ, how can we imagine it being any different in the life and the death of Christ? This was as is presented to us here, the delivery of the good news. But the circumstances under which the good news is delivered is worth taking a moment to reminding ourselves of. For it says they came to Bethlehem to be registered. And it says so while they were there, then Mary, of course, was advanced in her pregnancy and it became time to give birth. She brought forth her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the end. And so immediately we are face to face with not only the place of our Lord's birth but the circumstances surrounding the Lord's birth. Obviously for this registration we can understand why the Motel 8 is booked up. Everybody's in town and the surrounding area coming in for registration. They're required to come forward. And therefore, there was no place to be found. You must understand of this day and this time that the idea of a motel, the idea of an inn, technically speaking, is not anything compared to what you and I would have expected it to be. But anything that would be considered a room, which may be a squared off spot in the middle of a larger dwelling, maybe with a curtain, something to draw around you. Maybe it was some type of makeshift stall of a room, but even none of those were available. And therefore, Christ was put in a manger, and so we perceive them to be, by virtue of the fact, not only in a manger, but where a manger belongs, and that is in a stable area, near the animals. Then we have to parse out and try to imagine what that area must have looked like, and there is much debate as to what that would be. One has shown it as being the courtyard area even in between people and where they would do. They would have their animals near them and they were simply out in this common area. There are those who ascribe to the idea that was known in the day and time that often a stable or a place for animals was nothing more than a hewn out spot of a cave that would take them out of the weather. In either of these cases we can find reasons to understand what is transpiring here, what is taking place. Very few of them match the description of what we most popularly put forward in the nativity scene in our homes. But we must recognize that there is an incredible indignity that Luke wants us to be aware of with regard to what happened with, in fact, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that is the indignity, the human indignity, if you will, of Christ's birth. One must remember what this must have been like for Mary. We cannot know for certain what Mary's living conditions were in the city of Nazareth, but I think we can take a safe bet that it was better than this. And here she had made this incredible journey to the city of Bethlehem because she had to be registered for this census. Can she know? Can she understand the gravity of all that's taking place? We have no way, no means to understand nor know this. We know that there is often times when God's Word tells us that Mary is taking in all of this and she is considering it, pondering in her heart, thinking through the implications of it all. But who can blame Mary as a young teenage girl imagining herself leaving the confines of her home, even if it means also the streets of scandal because of her pregnancy and the circumstances and the stories surrounding it. And yet, but to give birth to her firstborn child in a stable. to not have a proper place to lay him other than a manger that is otherwise a trough, not having a security blanket to wrap him tight in, but instead strips of cloth that were intended for animals themselves. This was Mary's firstborn. This would be compelling to us enough emotionally, but there's more. The indignity is not simply because he was Mary's firstborn. The indignity was that he was the son of God. Indeed, not simply her firstborn, but the firstborn of all creation. Paul would write in Colossians 1, verse 15, He is the image of the invisible God and declared Him the firstborn over all creation. Creator of the universe, King of kings and Lord of lords, He is absolutely eternal even as He takes on this body of flesh. We cannot begin to fathom the greatness that is of Christ. Even as believers, we search the riches of His glory, we search the riches of His Word, and we come up still with more questions than answers. So when we think about the indignity and the message that is being sent, it is twofold. It is not simply the indignity of man toward the coming of Christ, but it is also the purposeful humiliation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to come and to live among us. If that is not proof of it enough, then what happens the night of the Lord's birth is even more so. As we return to our text in verse 8, it says that they were in the same country, shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. So now we have the birth that has been taking place. All right. When when we have a glorious addition to our families in our culture today, There is, in some form or fashion, an announcement of the birth, right? It takes on all forms. You know, before we had the social network and the grand technology that we have, people might even send out a card announcing the birth. You might even have it posted in the local paper announcing the birth. I grew up in the age of the famous Dallas New Era. You probably don't know anything about that paper. But it was a fashionable rag in the Dallas, Georgia area. And so all sorts of things might be publicized of things happening in their lives in an announcement so that everybody would know some prominent factor, something that had been happening here. Well, when the Lord was born into this life, taking on human flesh, there was an announcement of His birth too. Strangely enough, God determined that His birth would be announced that night to a group of shepherds. Now this would not be the obvious group that we'd be looking to tell about the birth of the Son of God. Had you been living in the neighborhood of Nazareth, had you been present in the city of Bethlehem, this is not whom you would have picked. This is not the group that you would have targeted for evangelism. And the declaration of the Lord's arrival, it would not come natural to you. But this group, this terrifying group of shepherds are the ones whom the message was delivered to. And therefore, combined with the indignity of Christ in His birth, combined with the fact of who it is that God has dispatched the angels to, to announce the birth, there is no mistaking the fact that Emmanuel, which means God with us, spoke to being God with us in our poverty. God with us in our lowliness. The shepherds being set aside are the absolute poster child of this coming to pass. Why? Why on earth would He choose the shepherds? Because you need to understand, the shepherds of the day of Christ's birth are not how we probably commonly or naturally view the shepherds today. The shepherds at this time in society were absolute outcasts. They were not considered men of good character. They were presumed to be common criminals and liars. They had no influence in the community. In fact, their witness in the case of a crime had no credibility whatsoever. They were considered by the church to be unclean and defiled because of the constant time that they spent out in the fields watching their flocks. Therefore, they cannot observe the acts that were required of them according to God's Word. This was the group. And you say, well, that's unfair. They were obviously better people than they recognized. Were they? By the way, we get stereotypes for a reason. Now, if your third cousin twice removed was a shepherd in the hills of Bethlehem, he may have been a fine man. I don't know. But do not elevate these men and imagine them to be what they're not presented to be. They may have been hardworking, but they were unclean. They may have been somebody's son, somebody's husband, somebody's father. But to the world, they were the dregs. And you say, well, I resent that. Well, you shouldn't. Because the lower they are on the totem pole, the more hope you have in Christ. That's the point. That's the point. The announcement has been given to those that the world would not put forward. This destroys the very idea that someone has to be quote-unquote good to be saved. In fact, they must recognize just how awful they are to be saved. And let God exalt them. I would remind you again of that verse in Mary's song in verse 52. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and what? And exalted the lowly. Exalted the lowly, no matter what your income, no matter what your position in life. Why is it that He chose these shepherds? It wasn't their connection with David as a shepherd himself, though that's something to be examined. But I'm content that it wasn't. It's not even the prophecy of Jeremiah 33 and verse 13, 15 and 16 where you will find declarations with regard to this idea of a shepherd and being chosen. But more so than all of these, I am content that the condescension that Paul speaks about in Philippians chapter 2 and verses 5 through 11 is no greater examined and expressed than the announcement made to the shepherds that night. So therefore, these men, they were on the hillside doing their job, putting in their time as a shepherd would. This is what comes to them in the message of the angels. And what is the message itself? Well, we have to get past the calming down point first. She says in verse 10, the angel looks at them and says, Do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all." And in fact, the exact translation of that verse, which will be to all the people, not all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. So this good news that they bring to them, how is it described? First of all, she tells them not to be afraid, which that's a stretch at this moment. And then she follows it up by saying, I bring you good tidings, good news, good tidings in the Greek language as it's being translated here. We find the origin for the word that describes the proclaiming of the gospel. Ewangelidzo, if I pronounced it correctly, you may not recognize it initially as I say it, but in fact, it is the word that forms the root from where we get evangelism or to evangelize. It means to bear the good news, to proclaim it. The good news that the angel told these shepherds was not only good tidings to them, not only good news, but in fact, it was going to be something that would bring to them great joy. Great joy. If we're to understand that, then we need to understand that what they're bringing, what is being brought to these shepherds is something that's going to give them a means of satisfaction, a means of contentment, that surpasses all their worldly circumstances. There is no fault here. There is no statement born that these shepherds lives will be changed circumstantially by the coming of Christ. When I say circumstantially, I want you to understand what that means. There's no stories in the after part of this that one of those shepherds became the president of a bank in Jerusalem. There's no follow-up story that one of these men got into a business somewhere and was wildly successful and became one of the greatest Christian influences that Jerusalem ever saw for the next decade to 20 years. There is no reason to believe that after these men would depart and declare the great things that had happened and had been shown to them this night, that sooner or later they returned to that flock that they had been gardened out in the fields. Now if you want to know what the headline should be is, is to realize that chances are, and I'm content that it was, that when they returned to their duties and that flock, they were exactly where they left them. For if God had summoned them, God had provided a means for them to do so and return to their work. I'm content. So when we recognize this, the good news, Of course, this night is the birth of a baby. The good news, this night is the birth of a Savior. But here again is where we need to take in the context of all of God's Word. This is the reason why we examine, when we examine a book of God's Word, we need to do it from verse 1 to the end of it, because one of the great things we find in the Gospels is, is the story may begin with a birth, but it does not end there. By the time Luke is finished, he has presented to us the life, the sinless life of Christ. He has presented to us the sacrificial death of Christ, and he has rejoiced in the resurrection of Christ. The very moment of salvation being brought to this earth in the form of a baby was the end of the beginning of this part of God's plan of our salvation. And so these men could not begin to understand all that was coming this night, but they would. They would. When we return to our text here, and the angels introduce Christ as to whom He is, He says, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all the people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David. Ah, we see the city of David once again, giving us a connection with David, alluding to the son of David again. Now, for the sixth time, it has been mentioned by Luke. But then he goes on. A savior. Who is Christ the Lord. Could we take a moment to examine these words and remind just the impact and the meaning that is being said by the angels? He is the Savior. When we define that word that is translated Savior, it means a deliverer. In fact, in its proper use in the language, it is often associated with someone who would rescue people from death and destruction. No more appropriate meaning. For us, we were to be rescued, we were to be taken from death and destruction, and that was in the form of sin, Satan, and in fact the righteous wrath of God Himself. This is what the Savior has rescued us from. We have been taken from our sin. Our sin has been covered in the atonement of Christ and the shedding of His blood. We remain people who commit sin. But eternally, we have been justified before God, so that we are no longer subject to the wrath of God regarding our sin for eternity. We have been delivered from Satan. Before our salvation, we have no means to battle Satan. We have no means to resist Satan. But in our life of Christ, we have that. The Scripture literally says that if we would resist, He would flee. It does not say to take a stick and beat him. It does not say pick a fight with him. It says stand in a defensive posture. Resist. Take on his attack and defend them and trust in the Lord to deliver you. From the righteous wrath of God, for if we are not justified in our sin by God through His only begotten Son, you and I are awaiting, destined to the judgment of God, that we absolutely deserve to stand before. Because outside of God's divine intervention, we are wretched sinners. We are enemies of God. And therefore God will be glorified, both in His love, mercy, and grace, and indeed in His wrath. The news that came to these men was that born to them this night was a Savior. The angels then referred to Him as the Christ. The Christ. It is in fact translated from the Greek term for Messiah. Not only is He the one who is the Savior, but most importantly, He is the Savior whom God the Father has sent. He is the Christ. The Anointed One. He does not come of His own volition. He does not come of His own plan, but He comes as He has been sent by God the Father distinctively to accomplish what He and the Father have absolutely joined in an agreement. And that is the salvation of these men guarding their sheep by night, and it is my salvation too. This indeed is accomplished in Jesus the Christ. But I want you to see something that is added here for the first time. These two words together as we know it in the Gospel of Luke. And that is that they tell us that not only is He Christ, but who is Christ the Lord, the Master, the Deity, the Sovereign Ruler. Luke now has put these words together, though he has said them separately. And so we are reminded again that this Savior, this One who has been sent by God the Father, is absolutely God Himself as well, only appearing in the flesh. We cannot begin to fathom this fully in our finite minds, but we should endeavor to try. something wonderful happens here after they are told this by the angels they say this will be assigned to you you'll find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger now before they could leave verse 13 tells us and suddenly there was with the angel of multitude the heavenly host praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill toward men in our human thought process, how do we contemplate what it was that would have this happen? There's an angel come, they deliver the message, and then there is this moment, this moment grandly on cue, where this angel is joined by a heavenly host, and they're making this wonderful declaration. Is it something somebody wrote just for this day? I think not. I think these are words that they have said time and time again. Knowledge that they have known time and time again. But as they declare them. It is a moment that is striking to all of us that often misunderstood and misapplied. When we look to this text. And we hear this statement. It speaks of an incredible promise that is made to us that comes with the coming of Christ. Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace. Peace. What does it mean to have peace? In this we too should also remind ourselves of the time period in which we are examining. This peace that is offering, this glad tidings that are presenting has been attempted to be imitated by man many times but has never come forward. For these men, they have been told about a peace that is coming, a peace like they've never seen before. It's not because people have been trying to bring peace. In fact, the historical time period in which these men lived was referred to as Pax Romania. The basis of that title was it was believed to be the historic time period in the Roman Empire in which the empire or the emperor had brought peace to the entire land. And was credited with doing so. This, of course, was a lie. The good news that is being brought to them here is a contradiction of that which the world had presented. And, in fact, there were those in the world who knew enough to know that. If I could offer you here for a moment, there was a philosopher by the name of Evictus who famously wrote, in fact, he was a contemporary of the time in which Luke lived and wrote, And he said, while the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy. He cannot give peace of heart for which man yearns more than even for outward peace. I consider that important because when he's talking about bringing peace, he's talking about bringing something that the emperor could not. He's bringing peace with God. The philosopher knew very well that something was missing. Our world knows perfectly well that something is missing. They may chase after peace, but it is elusive. They can only craft it from outward circumstances. We imagine that we can accomplish peace if we can get somebody to sign a treaty and lay down their gun, but that doesn't bring peace. It brings a temporary stop. to the hostilities, but it by no means brings peace. There is no peace between man unless there has first been accomplished peace with God. This was the promise this night. It was to have peace with God because once we have peace with God, then we have the capacity to have peace with one another by virtue of that which God has given us. In Colossians chapter 1 verse 20, Paul would write, And by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross. And through that action brings in earnestness the ministry of the Holy Spirit, which is how we may have peace with one another. And thus we get back to the same old problem. We look at the country that we exist in and we start asking, how can we bring peace? How can we find unity? How can we all get along? We cannot, outside of God's divine work in our heart and our lives. Hearts and minds must be changed. You want to have greater peace in this country? See God get more people saved in this country. And we'll have greater opportunity for peace. This is peace with God that was being offered. For you see, the shepherds may have been saved this night. They may have been on the verge, on the very early days of what it means to walk with Christ. But there is absolutely no indication that the people in Jerusalem are going to think any differently about those shepherds the next night as they were this night. I suspect they'll still be thought of as common men, criminals. Not trustworthy. You can tell them you've been with the Lord all you want. Who is this piece for? It's not for those people yet. This piece is for those whom God has brought to himself. We must remember the shepherd did not know this until God pointed it out to them. They could not know it until God pointed it out to them. And therefore we understand what is the translation that is often misused in verse 14, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. It is suspected when we read the new King James translation and the old King James, if you want to call it the old, that when it says that, that it speaks that it's brought goodwill toward numerically all men. However, when we go back to the Greek, that's not what it says at all. In fact, it literally says this with whom he is pleased. Goodwill toward men with whom he is pleased. The other phrase that is often put in more modern translations of scripture is to those whom God favors. Both statements are more accurate to the text. And both statements give us some clarification. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, peace to whom? If it's the peace with God that we're speaking of, Then it's only to those who are saved. Those who are saved are those whom God has placed His favor upon. This night, there were some shepherds. They were in the field, tending their flock like they had done every other night of their job. The only thing that was different this night was they had visitors. They had company. God had sent angels with a message. A message that would forever change their lives. For it would open their eyes and their hearts to something they could have never conceived otherwise. All they could think about was being scared to death by the presence of the angels. They had no thought that these angels were bringing life to their dead existence. But they had now began to understand. For the Bible says, So it was that when the angels had gone away from them, that the shepherds said to one another, This can't be all they said to one another. But it is very important. Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass which the Lord, what? Has made known to us. What a wondrous testimony. These men found out this night that that joy and that peace that the angels were talking about was for them. They came with haste. They found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. Now again, it is impossible to appreciate what happens between verse 16 and verse 17. We know what we need to know. But we know nothing of the search We know nothing of the conversation. I don't know about you, but this would be a lousy pastoral visit if it only lasted between 16 and verse 17. I suspect there was some conversation. I suspect there was some excitement. For however, how they come to this babe in a manger wrapped in these cloths. There is a moment here. that has to wash over you if you are human at all. There is this first glance and say, oh my goodness, how could our Savior be born like this? And then it immediately goes to elation, oh, our Savior has been born like this. Such that verse 17 says that when they get up from this, when they say their goodnight, they do not go away silent. They have no desire to simply hold in something they cannot fully explain. They intend to declare what they know. And it says, They widely made known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at these things they were told. And Mary took it all in as well. This same calling has been coming to our lives. In the same measure that it came to the shepherds, it comes to us. God, in His way, through His messenger, whether it be the preached Word of God, whether it be the Word of God shared by a friend, by a neighbor, in whatever way, in whatever form, as we saw in our study this morning, God prepares those who are being saved and God prepares those who will be the instrument of their salvation. I have no idea how God prepared these shepherds, but I'm convinced that He did some preparation, because they didn't run to the hills. Instead, they responded. Their hearts and their lives were turned around. They left their flocks that night, and they did exactly as they were instructed to do. And when they found exactly what God had promised them through His angels, they did not waste a moment to turn around and talk to anybody who would listen. about what had happened that night. And thus, we have seen in the most incredible moment in these 20 verses, the encapsulation of our salvation and our call to service. It is God who will bring us to faith in Jesus Christ, and once He has, what is it that is to happen? We are in turn to worship and to witness. These men praised the God, and it would not be the first time or the last time, I should say, in their lives that they would do so. And they would go and they would declare to anyone who would listen the reason for the faith, the instructions of Peter. And even though I have no idea how much they knew of God's word at this point, I am content that even as uneducated shepherds, they would be committed, they would be devoted to learning more. You and I must do the same. And when we examine a story like this, I pray that it would cause us to understand the value of knowing more of God's word. Because in this one story, we have witnessed people who live in a very uncertain world, a very judgmental world, a very prejudiced world. A world where we assign categories of people and importance of people all the time. These men lived in that world. They were on the short end of the stick. And God calls them to understand that they could be delivered from the very mire of the world's clay and be exalted to be citizens of the Kingdom of God. children of God, joint heirs with Christ, so that the world may look down upon them in a judgmental fashion, but they will rejoice over the fact that God has already condescended to them in a saving fashion. This is our hope today. As we face the year 2024 on our calendars, I do not want to dismiss the satisfaction or the joy of turning the page of your calendar. But as a child of God, I hope we will remember. That all 2024 means to us, January 1st, January 2nd, January 3rd, I pray that we would know that as God's people, we're one day closer to being home. that we stop worrying so much about how much longer we're going to be here and maybe start asking the question, how long do we have to be here? I sit around with my friends and we talk all the time about what's to happen with this country, what's to happen to this world. I'm not saying it's not a worthwhile conversation, but it should be. It should be somehow overrun. By the joy of what awaits us. if we are indeed his children. If you are so fearful of not being here another day, as opposed to you're fearful of having to be here another day, I urge you to commit your life to God's word this year. And I pray that it would encourage you to not place so much hope in this earthly temporal existence. but to as much as possible keep our mind and our eyes on Christ. This is the life of the believer. This is the life that those shepherds were being summoned to. They would be part of the early group as we see after the birth of Jesus Christ, but they would be just a few in a long list. And God would intervene their lives as He did ours as His children. And I pray as if He hasn't before, He is now in yours. Stand with me. Steve comes. Let us pray. Father, we thank you. We praise you for what we know to be true in our hearts and our minds. I pray that we as your people would not examine these scriptures and simply see the birth of a savior. The Lord that we would see the condescension of the very son of God. carry through the womb of an incredibly blessed woman of faith and trust. To come into this life in such an undignified manner, such tragic circumstances to the world's eyes, and yet we can rejoice. For it is in this very humble birth, Lord, that we are encouraged. to know that it is the promise and the execution of that humble birth that gives us hope in you. That reminds us that as you chose those shepherds, you would choose us. That reminds us as you chose those quote unquote wise men, magi, who would come after these shepherds, that you would choose us. In this we see the humble, that have no problem humbling themselves in society and rejoice all the more in humbling themselves before you. We have men like the Magi who may be thought to be intelligent, wise men, and yet they would pack up their things and take a journey in their own humility and trust. To find the King. The King who had been born. There's a commonality in all these things. That each one that comes to you has been brought to you. And those who have been brought to you will not hesitate to fall on their knees before you. To humble themselves as you have humbled them. To respond in the faith that you have given. to trust in the truth that has been presented, to believe, to follow. And in this, we find a joy that is beyond our description. We find a peace with the very one that we so desperately need peace with, God, our Father, which gives us the means to live peacefully with those around us. These are all truths that come to us when we have heard and responded to the good news of the gospel, when we have seen and recognized our Savior, the very Son of God, Jesus Christ. We ask your blessing upon us today and, Lord, we pray that we as your people would humble ourselves before you time and time and time again. We ask all these things, not in our own authority, not in our own confidence, but in the name, the authority, the righteousness of the very Son of God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.