Luke 2:8-20 – 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 cloths 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.” When the angels had gone away from them into heaven,
the shepherds began saying
to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that
has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they
came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay
in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the
statement which had been told them about this Child. And
all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the
shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering
them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and
praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Scripture
records God’s people waiting for a Messiah, coming in the name of the Lord. The
promise of an Anointed One goes back to the first man and woman in the Garden
of Eden. Even though the first couple failed miserably, and everyone since then
has failed living to their fullest potential, God made plans to restore His
creation. Millenniums passed and the day of the divine appointment arrived.
An angel made
appearances to several people who had a significant role in the redemption
story. A Roman census brought the descendents of David to Bethlehem, the
location prophesied for the Savior’s birth. His birth occurred in an animal
stable instead of a spotless medical facility.
On His
birthday, a holy messenger came to some local shepherds to announce His arrival.
They were told Good News: the Lamb of
God was in a nearby stable. Three significant statements were given to them.
The end of fear
“Do not be afraid.” (V. 10) These words are always in the vocabulary of
angels. To Zechariah, Mary,
Joseph and shepherds the message was consistently the same – what God has done
is not fearful.
The shepherds were naturally afraid by an
unusual event. There is a fear, however, that runs much deeper. A worst kind of fear happened when Adam chose
to sin.
“They heard
the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the
man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the
trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where
are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I
hid myself.’” (Genesis 3:8-10)
Fear of consequences, caused
by rebellious, erroneous and unwholesome behavior, is the greatest kind of fear.
Fear has been
stalking mankind through the centuries. Abraham out of fear lied to Egyptians about
his relationship with Sarah. (Genesis 12:11-13) Jacob lived in fear of his brother Esau, not wanting to face him. (Genesis 32:6-8) Moses feared Pharaoh, wishing the divine
assignment would be given to someone else. (Exodus 4:1) Israel was afraid to enter the Promised Land
because of reports about giants occupying the territory.
Jesus abolishes fear. Wherever He traveled fear was dispelled.
Blind Bartimaeus, sitting by the road outside
Jericho, feared he would never see. Jesus restored his sight.
Ten lepers feared they would never be with
their families. Jesus cleansed them all.
Mary and Martha feared for Lazarus’ life and
asked Jesus to come quickly. He delayed coming but raised him from the dead.
Jesus calms each and every kind of fear, no
matter the circumstance.
People every Christmas struggle with fear;
afraid about health, family, world
conditions and economy. Some are
simply scared of life itself. Jesus
has come! Do not be troubled. He is the answer to your every fear.
The birth of joy
“Bring you good news of a great joy.” (V.10)
Songs sung around Christmas give emphasis
to joy. Why is rejoicing
associated with Christmas? The
sin issue has been dealt a fatal blow. The guilt, shame and condemnation
attached to sin can be finally removed from the human heart.
Jesus Lordship causes joy. No one else is Lord; no one else is His
equal. Occasionally believers wrestle
with sin, demonic influences and maybe the devil himself but only Jesus has the
right of ruling His followers.
Many years ago a little boy was given a
priceless possession, his deceased grandfather’s gold pocket watch. He treasured it. One day, while playing at his father’s plant,
he lost the watch amid all the tools. He frantically searched but could not find the watch. He suddenly realized what to do. He stopped
scurrying around and became very still. In the silence, he heard the watch ticking.
In Jesus you have the priceless gift of joy.
Circumstances and the hectic pace of
life make it easy to lose the gift. Joy is found when you pause and listen for the presence of Jesus. Christmas reminds you to come to Him and
experience joy.
The announcement
to all
“Which will be for all the people.” (V. 10)
The nations need Jesus! Everyone is flawed; no one lives perfectly.
“For all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God.” (Romans
3:23) “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus came and is available
to everyone. His coming to earth is the celebration of Christmas.
Note the
action of the shepherds after they came and beheld Him: “When they had seen
this, they made known the statement which
had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the
things which were told them by the shepherds. (Luke 2:17-18)
Too many in
God’s family are sitting and soaking their way to heaven. After personally
beholding Him, make Him known to others. There are people all around you needing
to know the amazing story of divine grace.
An artist,
seeking to depict on canvas the meaning of salvation, painted a storm at sea. Black
clouds filled the sky. Illuminated by a flash of lightning, a little boat could
be seen disintegrating under the pounding of the ocean. Men were struggling in
the swirling waters, their anguished faces crying out for help. The only
glimmer of hope appeared in the foreground of the painting, where a large rock
protruded out of the water. Clutching desperately with both hands was one lone
seaman.
The scene
was inspiring. One could see in the tempest a symbol of mankind’s hopeless
condition. The only hope of salvation is “the Rock of Ages,” a shelter in the
time of storm.
As the
artist reflected upon his work, he realized the painting did not accurately
portray his subject. He discarded the canvas and painted another. It was very
similar to the first – the black clouds, the flashing lightning, the angry
waves, the little boat crushed by the pounding sea and the crew vainly
struggling in the water. In the foreground the seaman was clutching the large
rock for salvation but the artist made one change. The survivor was holding on
with only one hand and with the other hand was reaching down to pull up a
drowning friend.
The
Scriptural picture of salvation is a hand
reaching down to rescue the perishing. Until a hand is extended, there is no
hope for the world.
Good News
Be thankful
for the end of fear, relish the birth of joy and reveal the Savior to others.
No comments:
Post a Comment