From the Fields to the Manger
Luke 2:8-16:
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and say- ing,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
How many of you are planning to travel during this upcoming Christmas holiday? Or do you have some memorable trips during Christmastime? In the past, I have known families who have traveled to the Philippines, the Middle East, or Europe during Christmastime because they wanted to experience how those countries would celebrate Christmas. I know my sister's family plans to spend their Christmas holiday in Disney World.
In March 2011, the International Missions Board invited us to Shanghai to expose us to what the Lord was doing there, and the missionaries who hosted us mentioned that Christmastime is one of the most significant opportunities for them to share Jesus openly. They said that although the population of Christians in China is only about three percent (3%), shopping malls and many busi- ness establishments have Christmas decorations. So, Christians would often begin their Gospel con- versations with their friends and loved ones by asking, "Do you know what these decorations mean?" or "Do you know what we celebrate during Christmas?"
As we begin our Christmas sermons, our theme will be "Christmas Journey." This series will highlight the people who embarked on a journey during the first Christmas and discovered the priv- ilege of personally meeting the promised Messiah.
The reality is that throughout the Scriptures, God has always invited people to an adventure with Him. Some great examples of these people would be Abra- ham and David. With their journeys with the Lord, we can discover the following components:
It demanded faith because although the destination was given, they were not given complete details. They had to keep trusting that they would arrive at their destination.
It developed obedience in them. As they walked with the Lord, they learned that disobeying Him would always result in complications in their journeys.
It defined perseverance and faithfulness to them because they encountered lots of ups and downs along the way. They realized that if they continued pressing on, things would get better in the end.
Indeed, there will be lots of ups and downs. I believe it was Max Lucado who gave this re-
minder about the believer's journey with God:
"God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worth- while."
For our sermon this morning, we will start with the shepherds out in the field when Jesus Christ was born. Let's examine our passage and see three critical aspects of their journey:
I THE GRACIOUS INVITATION (v. 8)
If you are planning to save the world from its problem of sin and condemnation, whom do you think you would invite to announce your plans to the world? I’m pretty sure that you would not con- sider the outcast of society to be your best option.
However, when the Eternal God was born in Bethlehem, the Lord chose the shepherds as fit for this job. Our text plainly states – "And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night." This statement is quite a surprise because we naturally as- sume that if we want the message to go around faster, it would be better to invite the most influen- tial people like rulers, scholars, and religious leaders. So, what's wrong with choosing the shepherds?
Let me give you two quotes to understand why the shepherds should have been the unlikely choice: First. From J. Dwight Pentecost:
"These were the most unlikely recipient of such revelation, for shepherds were despised as a class because they were unable to observe the customary laws of ceremonial purification. They were considered unclean. Also, they had not been schooled in the law and therefore were consid- ered ignorant."
Another quote would be from the Pulpit Commentary:
In the Talmud, it is written that shepherds were not allowed in the courts to be
witnesses. In fact, the Talmud instructs that no help be given to heathens or
to shepherds. Shepherds were despised because they were unable to attend
temple services and to keep the rituals and ceremonial laws as their flocks kept them from practicing their religion.
Again, God could have excluded the shepherds because they were unclean, ignorant,
and unreliable witnesses. Yet, God chose to invite them because they could magnify the essence of salvation that Jesus Christ would bring to the world, and it is salvation by grace alone.
There are so many verses in the Bible that support this truth, and the most familiar will be Ephesians 2:8-9:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Since our salvation is by grace, we cannot boast about ourselves; instead, it would lead us to boast about the Lord. Speaking about salvation by grace, the great pastor and Bible teacher John T. Seamands provided a sharp distinction between man's religion and the true Gospel:
Religion says, "Attain;" the Gospel says, "Obtain." Religion says, "Attempt;" the Gospel says, "Accept." Religion says, "Try;" the Gospel says, "Trust." Religion says, "Do this;" the Gospel says, "It is done."
II THE GLORIOUS INSPIRATION (vs. 9-11)
Going back to our text, you will also read these words in verses 9-10 – "And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
The image you will get from these words is that while the shepherds were in the field dili- gently guarding their flocks, the angel of the Lord appeared to them in glory. This sight was enough to get their attention. In the course – Life of Christ that I'm presently teaching, we recently learned that this glory (bright cloud of light) that appeared with the angel has some beautiful background from the Old Testament. Let's check this out:
It is the same glory that appeared in the Tabernacle during the time of Moses (Exodus 40: 34- 3
35).
It is the same glory that appeared in the temple's dedication (1 Kings 8:11).
It is the same glory that Ezekiel saw depart from the temple because God's people abandoned the Lord (Ezekiel 10:4, 18-19; 11:22-23).
So, the glory of the Lord, which was a visible sign of God's presence, was absent from the na- tion for almost 500 years. But now, it is being restored at the coming of Jesus into the world. It was indeed a privilege for the shepherds to have had this experience!
But, according to the text, the shepherds became so afraid instead of being excited. Why? Since they were possibly familiar with the words in Exodus 33:20, saying, "But," he said, "you can- not see my face, for man shall not see me and live." So, they thought that with that sight, they would die.
However, the angel immediately calmed them down by telling them about the good news of great joy he was bringing to them. I love the implication of this for us. Often, fears would also show up in our lives; how do we usually deal with our fears? Based on how the Lord dealt with the shep- herds' fear, let's teach ourselves to shift our attention to the Gospel God gave us to overcome our fears. For example:
When we fear death, God promises to give us eternal life (John 3:16).
When we fear being alone, God promises never to leave or forsake us (Heb. 13:5).
When we fear the future, God promises a better future for us (Jeremiah 29:11).
When we fear because of the overwhelming circumstances we are facing, God promises that all things will work out for our own good (Romans 8:28).
All of these are only possible because of the baby born in Bethlehem that day. Notice verse 11 declares, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord." Three important titles are ascribed to Jesus Christ:Savior – He is man's deliverer from sin and sure condemnation.
Christ – He is the anointed Messiah, and He is the One whom the prophets have prophesied
throughout the Old Testament Scriptures.
B. Lord – The same title ascribed to Jehovah in the Old Testament, and He is the Lord who pos- sesses the authority to rule over everything.
All these descriptions of the newly born baby should inspire the shepherds to meet Him. I trust that we already know Jesus Christ, whom we celebrate every Christmas season. Unfortunately, there are so many people who celebrate Christmas without knowing the true character of Jesus Christ personally. It is possible to know Him as Savior and Christ but undermine His Lordship. In oth-
er words, you know He is Lord, yet you are unwilling to surrender to His Lordship over your life. We all understand that Jesus Christ will never be able to give us His fullest joy in life until we know Him as our Savior, Christ, and Lord of our life.
III THE GRATIFYING INSPECTION (vs. 12-16)
Lastly, since the angel expected them to check out and inspect the Savior Messiah and Lord, he gave them two vital signs to identify:
A. ABabyWrappedinSwaddlingCloths
It was not unusual to wrap newly born babies with strips of cloth. According to Bible scholars, this was customary during the time of Jesus. But what is really unfamiliar is the King of kings and the Lord of lords wearing ordinary strips of cloth. There were no royal garments or extravagant ward- robes given to Him.
B. LyinginAManger
Another vital sign is where the Messiah was born. He is lying in a manger or a cave designed as an animal dwelling place. Again, a palace or a luxurious suite could have been more fitting for the eternal Son of God; instead, He opted for a lowly place.
The theme of humility is seen from the very beginning of Jesus' life – from peasant parents, poor shepherds, ordinary clothes, and lowly place of birth. Why? It is because it corresponds to the very purpose of why Jesus came to the world, as indicated in Isaiah 61:1-2:
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
Clearly, Jesus came to the world to uplift the lives of people who desperately need hope in this life. If you and I know Jesus Christ
Fast forward, with these signs on how to identify the Savior, Messiah, and Lord, they would leave their flocks in the field and travel to Bethlehem. Listen to these concluding verses in the shep- herds' visit:
Luke 2:15-20:
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The shepherds set aside all possible excuses, even the inconvenience of leaving their flocks at night. Verse 16 tells us they went right away and found precisely what the angel described about the Savior, Messiah, and Lord. Notice verses 17-18, after they confirmed the birth of Jesus Christ, they all went home, sharing how they met Jesus Christ with everyone they met.
With these words, I can definitely imagine the shepherds coming out of the cave full of joy, having experienced Jesus Christ that day. Thank God that He invited them through the angel to this life-changing experience with Jesus Christ. I trust, today, we all recognize that an angel will no longer appear before our loved ones and friends and invite them to Jesus Christ.
This responsibility has been given to us to invite others to check on Jesus Christ and experi- ence Him personally. Christmas gives us tremendous opportunities to point people to Jesus Christ. Let's be honest. If we want people close to us to experience a "Merry Christmas," we have to make sure they have found Jesus first in their lives.
Bishop Jeremiah Lepasana/December 11, 2022
Leading People To A Life of Commitment and Productivity in Christ
