LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER 2023
LUKE 2 VERSES 8 – 14
The announcement of the Saviour’s birth was unique and special. Birth announcements were normally made by new parents. It was angels and a star that made the announcement of the Saviour’s incarnation. It was not given to religious leaders in Jerusalem but made to shepherds looking after their sheep. Men faithful in their regular duties. Ordinary people busy about ordinary tasks, first given the glory of the Lord. As we note the announcement of the Saviour’s birth to the shepherds there are a number of characteristics we can draw from this portion of scripture.
The shepherds were faithful men. Faithful and trustworthy. “The shepherds were abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks” – verse 8. The fact that these shepherds were abiding in the fields shows faithfulness in their duty. The word “abide” means to lodge or camp out. A continuous action – abiding. These shepherds stayed in the field. They were attentive and focused on what they were doing. Their utmost priority was fulfilling their present duty. Faithfully they stood on the job and stuck to their post. They were faithful minding shepherds. They knew what it was to be steadfast and unmoveable. Is that not the cry that we need today particularly when it comes to the work of God? How many can be counted to stood on the job and stick to their posts like these shepherds? Are we faithful in our duty? Are we attentive and focused? What is our priority? Is it to fulfil our present duty faithfully? If there is no faithfulness there will be no fruit in the Lord’s work. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 58 said “be ye steadfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord.” These shepherds were not only faithful in duty but also faithful in diligence – “keeping watch over their flock by night.” Watching at night. They made an extra effort to stay with the sheep and protect them during the night hours. They were not just going through the motions, they were doing their task with much diligence. Making the effort. Faithfulness to the task is more than just showing up. It was not a matter of passing the time. It is not a case of diligently doing the job. Child of God there is a danger of going through the motions, doing enough to get by and never putting in the extra effort. That ought not to be the case when it comes to the Lord’s work. We are to be diligent, put our whole heart and soul into everything we are doing for the Lord. Blessing follows from diligence. They were faithful and diligent. When they received news of the Lord’s birth they were not standing around idle. The Lord reveals his great and mighty plan to those who are faithful not to the slothful and lazy. We need to be diligent in these days. They were faithful in the darkness too. It was dark. They were not just sunshine shepherds. They were faithful in their duty in the midst of darkness. It is easy for these shepherds in the day. They could see the whole flock without a problem, They saw all the predators coming to snatch away the sheep. Their duty would have been more difficult after sunshine. They could not see as much then in the midst of the darkness. The shepherds remained faithful. We are living in a day of great darkness. We are living in a day of spiritual darkness. There is a great falling away from the truth. Anything goes. In the midst of the great darkness and falling away are we going to remain faithful? It is easy to be a faithful Christian in the sunshine when things are going well but difficult to continue being a faithful Christian in the darkness. In this day we must stand firm and true, to continue to be faithful. Revelation 2 verse 10 “be thou faithful until death.” The shepherds were faithful men.
They were also favoured men. When the wonderful announcement was made by the angels who were the first people to hear it? It was not revealed to the upper class of society. The first people favoured with the announcement of the Saviour’s birth were lowly shepherds, ordinary men doing an ordinary task. God did not send an angelic declaration to the Caesar’s, to King Herod or other men in great power. He didn’t sent a host of angelic beings to the religious hierarchy in Jerusalem. The chief priests, scribes and elders were not the first to hear. None of these people who held high positions, were of the right standing spiritually but shepherds were favoured. Their hearts were not in the right place to receive the wonderful news but the faithful shepherds were favoured by the Lord. They had the right heart to receive the greatest news the world could ever hear. Their standing was so pleasing to the Lord that he revealed to the shepherds the news of his son’s birth. It is not position that receives favour with God. The heart must be right. I wonder what is our standing spiritually today? Are we favoured men and women before God? What about our hearts? Are they in the right place? Eligible candidates in a position to receive from the Lord? Men who were employed in a very humble occupation were the first to hear of the Saviour’s birth in Bethlehem. To many they were insignificant and unimportant shepherds but they were greatly favoured by the Lord. What an encouragement this should be to us walking in the ways of the Lord. To the world we may seem insignificant or unimportant. Our employment may seem obscure and unimportant as far as the high and mighty are concerned but we are greatly favoured by the Lord. Isn’t that wonderful. The things concerning God’s kingdom are often hidden from the great and the noble and revealed to the humble. Moses was keeping sheep, Gideon was threshing wheat and Elisha was ploughing a field when honoured by directs calls and revelations from God. You could have the highest position in the land, the greatest job going, have no favour or communion with God. You could have the most insignificant job like the shepherds and be greatly favoured by God.
The shepherds were fearful men – verse 9 “and they were sore afraid.” As soon as the shepherds saw the host of angels great fear came on them. It is no surprise to see them fearful. People in those days would have said that a sign of the supernatural would have doomed them to death. It not only caused fear to rise up in their hearts but also for the glory of the Lord to arise up too. The extent of the shepherds fear is found in the word “sore”. Not just frightened but they were tremendously frightened. However there was no need to be afraid. The angel told them why – because the angel came with a good message – verse 10 “good tidings”. In the midst of fear, they were on the verge of receiving the best news ever given to mankind – that Jesus Christ is our Saviour. The message of Christ coming to save people from their sin is always a good message. It doesn’t matter how many times you read it or hear it from preachers God’s message will remain to be a good message. It was not a message of judgment that they expected to hear. The Lord’s first message in coming to the earth was to save – John 3 verse 17. The shepherds had no fear. The angels came with a good message but also with a glad message – “great joy”. There is no great source for mankind than the Lord Jesus Christ. The joy that he brings to the heart and life is not fleeting but lasting, it does not change with the changing circumstances of life. You can take the joy of the Lord wherever you go. Philippians 4 verse 4 "rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice." Even in the darkest hours of his life Paul had the joy of the Lord in his heart. The joy of the Lord rises above circumstances. There are many today who have a form of joy that is often disappointing and infrequent. That is not the case with the joy of the Lord. The world is fleeting but the joy of the Lord is lasting. The shepherds had no need to fear because the angel came with a good message, a glad message but also a global message – “which shall be to all people.” The angel was clear about this message. It was not a limited one. It was not restricted to a certain group or class of people in society. Rather the message was for the whole world. Every man and every woman – “to all people.” Throughout the public ministry of our Lord Jesus he made it clear he loved the world. His mission was the world – John 3 verse 16 – “whosoever shall believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” At the birth of the Saviour, when the announcement was made the gospel of Jesus Christ is a whosoever message. The gospel brings joy to all who receive the Lord Jesus as Saviour. What a global message we have today.
We have considered the shepherds who were first to hear of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were faithful men, faithful in their duty, in their diligence and in the darkness. We must be faithful people, stay on the job and do it with the best of our ability despite the spiritual darkness today. Not only faithful but favoured men. Their standing before the Lord was so favoured so much – they were the first to hear of the birth of Jesus Christ. How is our standing today? Are we in a position to receive from the Lord? We saw how the shepherds were fearful, tremendously frightened but they had no need to fear because the angel came with a good message, a glad message and a global message.
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