Sermon notes from Sunday 16 December 2018 pm
I suppose one of the most beautiful accounts of the Christmas message is found here. It is the scene of the shepherds on the hillside, the angels coming right to where they were to proclaim that there was born a Saviour. A wonderful message.
Firstly the fear that gripped the shepherds hearts. The first emotion that gripped their hearts and was evident on the hillside. I don`t know whether fear came about because of the sudden appearance of the angels on the hillside. They seemed to come out of nowhere. How do we know their hearts were afraid? Chapter 2 verse 9 "sore afraid". The very first emotion on a person`s heart when they come face to face with the gospel message is a fear that grips the heart. Have you experienced that? Remember Isaiah the prophet in the house of God when the presence of God came down, he said "I am a man of unclean lips." He realised what he was in the presence of God. Peter said "depart from me for I am a sinful man." Paul to the Romans in chapter 1 verse 17 said "for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith." There should be no fear, no alarm. They had a wonderful message about the Saviour. When the Holy Spirit comes to our heart and we are not saved, when he applies it to our hearts there should be no fear. The only fear we should have is the fear of the wrath of God. The message is of saving grace that he sent his Son into the world to shed his blood and die for our sins on Calvary. The wonderful message that one came to save me. The Bible tells me of a mark that I have come short of. The good news is that the Lord came that he might make us up to that mark, that one day we might enter into the portals of heaven with him. When Adam heard the voice of God in the Garden of Eden his first reaction was to run away, to get as far from God as possible. He had fallen short of what God expected of him. When God called out "Adam where art thou?" he tried to hide, to take cover because of his shame. God had a wonderful message for him. God came to bring redemption for him. The good news is there is a Saviour for you if you will only trust him. God is telling you to fear not. Your heart may be gripped right now. The wrath of God is abiding on you. There is a Saviour though tonight.
The focus. See the angels coming down to the hill with this message. He doesn`t look for any fancy words. The focus of his message was none other than Jesus. Verse 11 pointing these shepherds to Bethlehem, to the one who left the realms of heaven to come down into this world. Verse 20 the clarity of the message was evident. The whole focus of the message was Jesus Christ. Verse 16 they found Mary and Joseph and the baby. The preacher must focus on the Lord. If the preacher leaves out the fact that man needs a Saviour, the preacher has lost out completely. You have gone away knowing you have lost a Saviour. Man is losing tonight. We were conceived in the womb as sinners, on your way to a lost and Christless hell for all eternity. When he was born into the world, grew up amongst men, walked the streets of Galilee, time when rejected by men, that he bled and suffered and rejected - why - because we were cut off from God. He came into the world to reconcile a lost mankind unto God. The focus of the gospel message is the Lord himself. We need to get focused on the Saviour tonight. The old religious leaders and Pharisees tried to turn people away from recognising him as the Messiah, they didn`t recognise him as the Saviour of the world.
Notice the following. The shepherds took in what was happening. They saw the lights, the angels, heard the message and they decided when they heard that message to go and see what had happened. Verse 15 the angels have descended again into heaven, the hillside has gone dark again but that is not the end. The shepherds wanted to prove what the angels had said unto them. They made their way into Bethlehem. There is a beckoning for a response tonight. They wanted to see if this thing is a reality.
The faith - "let us go and see this thing" They exercised faith - verse 15. Maybe you have never trusted Christ as Saviour, you have heard the message for yourself. Revelation 3 verse 20. That is your part tonight. The Lord has done it all to satisfy his father in heaven. God uses all sorts of things to catch your attention - sickness, pain, great joy - all to ask you to let him in. He waits for you to open the door and to allow him to come in. Paul preached to the people of Athens, he preached about the Lord, how he came into the world, died, was buried and raised the third day, now sitting at his Father`s right hand waiting to receive all who come to him. When Paul finished "when they heard of the resurrection of the dead some mocked." They had never heard such nonsense before. "Others said we will hear you again of this matter." They couldn`t make up their minds there and then. They didn`t close in with God`s offer of mercy. What will be your response tonight? The shepherds response was "let us go now." They wanted to prove for themselves that this great Saviour they had heard about was actually born. In Athens other people believed on that day.
There is the finding. They made their way down and they found the baby as they were told - verse 16
The fruit that came from this. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told unto them. Verse 20. God makes us a new creature, puts a new song in our mouths even praise unto our God. Would you come like the shepherds? They gazed on him. They took him as Saviour and Lord. Trust him fully tonight. Will you come and make him yours tonight?
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