LUKE 1-2 THE ANGELS PROCLAIMED WHO JESUS IS2019 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Luke 1-2 The Angels Proclaimed Who Jesus Is

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2019. Well, this is the season to celebrate. We rejoice, we celebrate, we have great joy and make merry because we reflect on and remember the birth of Jesus. But it's

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You know, you can ask that question and you can get a variety of responses. Even when Jesus was here on this earth back in his day, he asked the question, who do men say that I am?

It's found in Matthew chapter 16, and he was asking the disciples who the people around him declared, you know, about Jesus and who they thought that he was. And they offered a variety of opinions. Some people thought he was John the Baptist raised back from the dead. Some thought that he was Elijah the prophet or Jeremiah or maybe one of the other prophets that were brought back to minister to the people.

But then Jesus looked at his disciples and said, okay, well, that's what everybody else says. What about you? Who do you say that I am? And Peter gave an amazing response. He said, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. It was the right response. It was an accurate response. But although that is the case, ever since then, there has still been a great variety of opinions about who Jesus is.

There's still a great variety of perspectives on who Jesus is. And as you look around today, you could ask people around you. You could ask people on the streets. You could ask your coworkers or family or friends or neighbors. And you would get a variety of responses about who they think that Jesus is. Different religions teach different things about Jesus as well. Islam has a particular perspective on who they think that Jesus is.

And Mormonism teaches some certain things about who they think that Jesus is. And Jehovah's Witnesses have other ideas that are different from all of the others about who they think that Jesus is. Netflix has its own idea of who Jesus is. Perhaps you've been hearing about that, right? But there's one that I found was really interesting as I was considering who Jesus is this past week.

And it's found from a legend in Japan. I don't know if you knew about that, but there's a legend in Japan. It's recorded for us in the Smithsonian Magazine. It's a little known legend that Jesus was a garlic farmer there in northern Japan. And their understanding, what they teach about Jesus is Jesus is the one who, well, when he was about 21, he left Japan.

Galilee. He left the area of Israel, went to Japan, and there he learned theology. Then he went back to Israel, and when he was rejected, he substituted his younger brother to be sacrificed on the cross. And then he went back to Japan and lived to the ripe old age of 106, farming garlic and rice and raising a family. And some interesting legends there that you can find about who Jesus is.

And that's the point. There's a great variety, all kinds of legends and ideas and myths and fables. And how do we know who Jesus really is? Well, here in Luke chapter 1 and 2, we find some concrete truth. We find some things that we can grasp hold of because here the angels proclaim who Jesus is.

The angels declare, and they know, they were with Jesus in eternity, and they speak from an authoritative position, this is who Jesus is. And so as we look at these events around the birth of Jesus, we're going to focus in on the message of the angels and see who do they say that Jesus is so that we can grasp hold of the truth and remember the reality of who he is as we celebrate his birth this week.

And so we're going to start here in verses 26 through 33 for point number one this morning. Point number one is that Jesus is king forever. Jesus is king forever. This is the first thing that the angels proclaim about Jesus, that he is the king. Jumping into verse 26 again, it says, Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.

Here we're introduced now to the primary characters, the primary people involved. The first one is the angel Gabriel. He was an angel of the Lord that was used frequently in God's messages to his people regarding the coming of the Savior and the things surrounding that. And so here we have Gabriel on the scene. He's sent to Bethlehem.

A virgin named Mary. She's engaged or betrothed to a man named Joseph. And a young couple, here they are, kind of growing up in a poor area in Nazareth that's in northern Israel.

And as they're growing up, they have no idea what's about to come upon them, right? But all of a sudden, this angel now appears to Mary. And it's going to change her life. It's going to be a shock. It's going to be a completely different course than they had expected. Verse 28, and having come in, the angel said to her, rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was.

You can imagine Mary, we don't know exactly the circumstances, you know, what she was involved with, you know, uh,

Maybe having a good time with some friends, maybe off by herself doing laundry or, you know, singing in a meadow or reading a book. I don't know what Mary was doing. But all of a sudden, whatever she's doing, she's interrupted by the angel Gabriel.

And it's a little bit unsettling, right? The angel has to tell her, hey, calm down, relax. Don't be afraid. It's okay. You're highly favored. I'm not here to rebuke you. I'm not here to correct you. I'm not here to, you know, do something that will be unpleasant. I'm here to bring you some news. You are highly favored of the Lord. And you are going to give birth to a son. And you're to call his name Jesus.

The name Jesus, for us, it's a unique name because of all the history that now, you know, comes after this event. But for them, it was a common name. It would be like Joshua today. Like you hear someone named Joshua and it doesn't like stop you in your tracks like, oh, you're Joshua, you know, like it's just a common name. It is actually the same name. It's just, you know, different ways of pronouncing it. And so Jesus literally means Yahweh is salvation or Yahweh saves us.

And so it's the combination of God and salvation joined together, kind of contracted into the name Jesus. And so the angel Gabriel tells her here, your name or his name is going to be Jesus. There's going to be this event that takes place. You're going to give birth to a son.

And it's not just going to be a regular occasion. It's not just going to be a regular baby boy that you are going to give birth to, but there's something special about him. So call him Yahweh saves. He goes on in verse 32 to say, he will be great and will be called the son of the highest. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom, there will be no end.

And so Mary, this boy that you give birth to, he's going to be great. He's going to be on the throne of David. He's going to be a king. He's going to reign over the house of Jacob. And his kingdom will never end. And so there's some incredible things that the angel is telling Mary about Jacob.

This son that is to be born. And what the angel is declaring here is that this son is going to be the fulfillment of all of the promises that God had given throughout the Old Testament of the Messiah. The Jewish people were looking for their Messiah. That was the one. The word Messiah means anointed one. It's the same word as Christ in the Greek. And so it's the anointed one. This is the one that has been promised since the very beginning.

You go back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve first sinned in Genesis chapter 3. God began at that point to begin to promise this one who would come.

And there's different aspects to the promises that are given throughout the scriptures. And sometimes it's referring more to or emphasizing the salvation aspect of his coming. Sometimes it's referring to some of the benefits and the beauties and the things that will take place as the anointed one is on the throne. Sometimes it's referring to some of the judgment that the Messiah will bring. And different aspects are given throughout the years. But from the very beginning with Adam and then later on through Abraham,

You might remember the promise that was given to Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him and because of him in Genesis chapter 12. It was a reference to the one who would come that would be the blessing to all the families on the earth. Well, there was also a promise of the Messiah that was given to David. Back when David was king, he was on the throne in Israel and ruling the nation. He was a great king, the greatest king that Israel ever knew.

Well, as he's on the throne, he begins to think, you know, I want to build God a house. I want to build God a temple. We have the tabernacle. We have a tent. But he needs something more beautiful than that, something more substantial than that. I'm going to build God a house. It's found in 2 Samuel 7. And God sends David backward and says, no, David, don't build me a house. Instead, I'm going to build you a house. And in 2 Samuel 7, verse 16, he says,

God says, Here, the promise given to David is that his throne, a descendant of David, would be the one who would rule and reign forever. It would be an ongoing, eternal reign from David's lineage. And here is the angel Gabriel comes to Mary. He is referring back to this promise here.

And he's saying, look, the son that you will give birth to, this is the one who will fulfill that promise. He's going to sit on the throne of David. It says in verse 32, God will give him the throne of his father, David. He's a descendant of David because Mary was a descendant of David. Joseph was a descendant of David and Joseph is Jesus's adopted father. And so on both sides, he's a descendant of David. He has the legal right to the throne and he will be on the throne forever and ever. That Jesus will be the fulfillment of this promise given to him.

a thousand years previously. Now, as we read this today, we have not seen this fulfilled yet. During this time of year, we celebrate the birth of Jesus and remember the first coming of Jesus, where he came in humility, not coming to rule and reign just yet, but he came in humility to, well, deal with some other things that needed to be done. And we'll see that as we continue to consider the messages of the angels in the following verses.

But when Jesus ascended into heaven, he ascended with a promise that he would come back. He's going to come again. And at that time is when he's going to assume the throne of David and rule and reign forever. And this promise will be fulfilled. But the angels tell us in advance. Here Gabriel tells us, he lets us know in advance, this is the king who will rule forever. His name is

Pastor Warren Wiersbe puts it this way, And so we look forward to that day, the return of Jesus Christ, when he will come back, when he will rule and reign. And we know, they've told us in advance, the scriptures have revealed, the angels have declared, God has said...

that he will come again and establish his kingdom here upon the earth. Well, continuing to consider this announcement from Gabriel, we're going to move now to verse 34 and 35 for point number two. And that is that Jesus is the son of God. Not only is Jesus the king who will sit on the throne of David, but he is also the very son of God. Verse 34 and 35 say this.

Then Mary said to the angel, how can this be since I do not know a man? And the angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore also that holy one who is to be born will be called the son of God. Mary here in receiving this message from Gabriel, she believes the message, but she's a little bit perplexed about how it's going to take place.

You ever experienced that? You know what God has said, but you look around, you look at the situations and circumstances and say, I mean, I see what God says. I see what God has promised, but I cannot figure out how on earth that could ever be fulfilled. Mary, in responding a similar way, she is considering the fact that she is a virgin. She says, I do not know a man.

Now, most women will tell you that. That's just because they call all of us little boys, right? I don't know any men. I only know boys, you know, like you guys are foolish. But that's not what she's saying. She's not being like that. She is instead saying, look, I've never been with a man like that. How can I give birth? I'm engaged to Joseph, but I'm a virgin. How can I give birth? How can I have a son? How can this be

fulfilled. Pastor Warren Wiersbe says, she believed the promise, but she did not understand the performance. How could a virgin give birth to a child? It's a mystery.

for her. She's perplexed. She's confused. How is this going to happen? It's not doubt. Now, earlier in chapter one, and we're not reading it today, but there was a promise of a son that was given to a guy by the name of Zacharias, and he doubted the promise. He doubted the message of the angel, and he said, no, that's not going to happen. And his heart was different than Mary's. Mary believed the promise. She believed what he said, but she was really confused. I don't see how this could take place. How could this happen? And

How could God do this? Well, the angel explains how in verse 35. He says, the Holy Spirit will come upon you. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. It's interesting to consider the relationship that we have with the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit being with us at believing in Jesus Christ at conversion. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling within us.

But then we also understand the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That is when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. That's the idea here. The Holy Spirit will come upon you. Mary, you're going to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And the power of the highest will overshadow you. The power of the highest. He's talking about the power of God, the creator of the heavens and the earth. The power of God will overshadow you. This is going to be something miraculous.

Mary, you've not known a man, but nevertheless, God is miraculously going to do a work, and you will conceive and bear a son. This word overshadow is an interesting one because it's a word that's used always in connection to the relationship of God with his people. In

Looking at the word overshadow, literally it means to cover with a cloud. And you can think back, you can go back to Mount Sinai. And you remember the cloud descended upon Mount Sinai and then Moses went up into the cloud to meet the Lord. The cloud was the presence of the Lord.

And there Moses met with God face to face, so much so that when he came down, remember his face shined, the Shekinah glory, it was glowing because he had been there in the presence of God, in the overshadowing of the presence of God, in the cloud with the Lord. It was there at Mount Sinai that God gave the law, that God gave the instructions for the tabernacle.

And then as they built the tabernacle, remember as they did the inaugural ceremony in the book of Exodus chapter 40, that the cloud descended upon the tabernacle and indwelt within the holy of holies. It was the presence of God manifesting himself, revealing himself in this way. So Pastor Warren Wiersbe says, Mary's womb became a holy of holies for the son of God. The power of God, the power of the highest will overshadow you.

But then we also see in Matthew 17 and Luke 9 on the Mount of Transfiguration. Remember, there was the brilliance of Jesus. He was transformed, transfigured into, you know, his clothes were bright white, more than any launderer could make them, it says. And there he was with Moses and Elijah and the disciple. A couple of the disciples were there. But it tells us that while Peter was speaking, Matthew 17, verse 5, a bright cloud overshadowed them.

And a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. They were overshadowed, immersed in the presence of God. And God spoke. Here Gabriel tells Mary, the power of the highest will overshadow you. You're going to have and you're going to receive a direct work from the power of God, a miraculous work. And you will conceive and bear a son. So that the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

This is going to be a work of God, and the one that you give birth to will be called the Son of God. Now this phrase, the Son of God, is a very significant phrase, an important one for us to consider. Because it means that this child that will be born will be equal to God, and will have the same nature as God. Now that's not the way that you and I would typically use God.

The phrase, when we talk about the son of something or a child of something, we may think of it differently than the way that they understood it. And in their culture, in their mindset, the son of was an equal to with the same nature. Now, another title that Jesus would refer to himself with was the son of man.

Now with that one, I think, you know, we would understand that. We would recognize when Jesus calls himself the son of man, he's not calling himself less than human or, you know, somewhat distant to humanity. He is referring to himself in the fullness and the reality of his humanity. In a similar way, the phrase son of God is not something that is indication of lesser than God or later than God even, but it's a statement of equality with God, right?

It's saying that I have the same nature as God. And this is what Jesus claimed for himself. We find this referred to throughout the New Testament, but here's one example in John 5, verse 18. It says, The Jews understood exactly what it meant to be the Son of God.

and they were offended by it. Not only did Jesus break the Sabbath, he broke their traditions. He didn't actually break God's law of the Sabbath, but he broke their traditions, and that upset them. But then also, he said that God was his Father. Now, they understood the sense of, we're all God's children, in the sense of, he's the creator, and we're his creation. They weren't offended by that concept, but they were offended by Jesus saying, I'm the Son of God.

Because the Son of God is a statement declaring, I'm equal with God. They didn't like that Jesus claimed to be equal with God. But here, the angel Gabriel tells us, Mary, the son that you will give birth to, he will have the nature of God. He will be equal to God. He will be God who now, through this virgin conception, virgin birth, he will become man as well.

Jesus did not begin to exist at conception like you and I did. He didn't begin at that moment. He's always existed. He is the creator. We studied a few weeks back on Wednesday evening in Colossians chapter 1. It tells us that by Jesus, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or power, all things were created through Jesus and for Jesus. He's the creator. He's always existed.

And yet, miraculously, he entered into time and space. He added humanity to his deity and was born of the Virgin Mary. Pastor Thomas Constable puts it this way, the deity and pre-existence of the Son of God required a miraculous conception. His virgin birth resulted in his assuming a human nature without giving up his divine nature. He never stopped being God.

He never stopped having the nature of God or being equal to the Father, but he added humanity to his nature. Fully God, fully man, Gabriel says, he is the Son of God. This is who Jesus is. The angels proclaimed it. Jesus declared it. Something important to consider this Christmas is do you believe it? Jesus is God who became man.

Well, we're going to move into Luke chapter 2 as we move on into the rest of what God has for us. We're going to read through verses 1 through 7 to kind of catch up on the account and see where Joseph and Mary are in the birth of Jesus. But then we're going to pick up in verse 8 afterwards with the next appearance of the angels now to the shepherds. But let's read verses 1 through 7. It says...

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. The 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. Here we find the familiar account of Mary and Joseph, the travel from Nazareth to

to Bethlehem. It was about an 80-mile journey. Depending on the route they took, it might have been as much as 100. They made this journey. We don't know exactly when. In our minds, we probably picture, you know, she's nine months pregnant and making the trek. It's possible. But it could have also been earlier in the pregnancy. And the idea is that they went down there to register as part of this census, and then they stayed there.

And while they were there, however much time that was, it came time for her to be delivered. Now last week we looked at an amazing prophecy in the book of Micah chapter 5, which named Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah. And so just speculating, just kind of thinking out loud here, it is possible that Joseph and Mary kind of caught on to what was going on.

Because, well, they had this angelic appearance declaring this is the Messiah that is coming. And we know the Messiah is going to be born in Bethlehem. And then they get, you know, the census notice in the mail. You know, it's kind of like when you get jury duty notice. You're like, oh, joy. But wait, it means we have to go to Bethlehem. I know the prophecy about Bethlehem. I know the promise that I'm going to have the Messiah. And so maybe they're fitting all these pieces together and saying, this is how God's working it out. And so they go to Bethlehem.

And they stay there because they know this is where God wants the Messiah to be born. This is where God declared that the Messiah would be born. And so there they are in Bethlehem. It's crowded because of the census. There's not much room for them, but they're there in probably a cave attached to a home. Jesus is born. He's wrapped in swaddling cloths, laid in a manger or a feeding trough,

Because there wasn't room enough for them at the inn or at the house where they were. Now, as Jesus is born now, it's not in great grand splendor. It's in great humility and obscurity. And so God sent some angels to make an announcement. What a birth announcement, right? To have a host of angels to declare that

The birth that has taken place. And that's what we see happen now as we move on in verses 8 and following. Now the Lord is going to speak to the shepherds through the angels. And here's point number 3 as we continue on. Considering the angels proclamation about who Jesus is. Jesus is the savior for all people. Jumping into verse 8 here's what it says. 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. So now we kind of switch scenes. We're with Joseph and Mary. It's a nice, beautiful manger scene. You're thinking about that nativity scene that you have in your mind. And now we kind of change scenes. Now we shift focus. We're out in the fields, and here are some shepherds watching the sheep.

Now, this announcement coming to shepherds is interesting because shepherds were not regarded well in the Jewish culture. We might think of it differently, right? We kind of think every little Jewish boy, you know, dreamed about one day they could grow up and be a shepherd, right? But that's not how it was. Shepherding was not an esteemed profession. It was something that was looked down upon, so much so that shepherds

shepherds would not be allowed to testify in a legal matter. No, no shepherds. We don't trust any shepherds. We don't want to hear from them. They have no part in any legal testimony in any court case or anything. We can't trust them. It was an occupation that was not highly esteemed, but really disregarded. Even David, when he was a young boy and a shepherd, remember everybody else was gathered to meet up with

the prophet Samuel and, you know, to be there for that occasion. But little David, you know, he's insignificant. He's out with the sheep, you know. It was not something that people took great value in or thought highly of. But here's God. He sees things differently than we do. And he says, here's my son, born in humility, born in obscurity. I'm going to give this announcement to those who are in similar positions today.

Have you ever seen an angel like this? Can you imagine what that would be like? They're out there at night, right? It's all dark. It's kind of peaceful. Maybe some background noises from the sheep and

All of a sudden, bam, like here's this brilliant figure, this angel of the Lord and the glory of the Lord shown around them. It says they were greatly afraid. That's probably an understatement, right? Just like you and I, like we probably have heart attacks right there on the spot as the angel of the Lord appears. But then the angel tells him in verse 10, do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people.

He says, don't freak out. Don't be afraid. I'm not here to kill you, right? That's probably be our first thought. Oh no, I'm doomed now. Here's the angel of the Lord. You know, it's death, you know, probably with a sickle and everything, right? Coming to take me. But no, no, no, don't be afraid. I'm not coming to get you. You're not in trouble. I bring you good news, good tidings. There's good news that you need to hear. And it's going to be for great joy, not just for you, but to all the people.

The good news is verse 11. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. A Savior has been born. The Christ that is the Messiah, the anointed one, the one that God has been promising from the very beginning. He has come. He's been born. He is here today. It's really good news of great joy for all people. A Savior has been born. Now in those days,

Most of the Jewish people agreed that they needed a savior, but they had in their mind a political savior. And so when Jesus announced himself as the Messiah, that's why they were always asking, hey, is it now that you're going to set up the kingdom? Is it now that you're going to set up the kingdom? Is it now? Now overthrow Rome? When are you going to be the king that we want you to be, that we see promised throughout the scriptures?

They wanted a savior, but in their mind, they were thinking, we need a political savior. Maybe some of you are thinking that even today, right? We need a political savior. Now, there are some, though, who were convinced we don't need a savior at all. In John chapter 8, when Jesus is interacting with some of the religious leaders, he says that famous line that he says, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. And their response was,

We're not slaves. We don't need to be set free. Why are you talking about freedom? We're free already. We don't need a savior. We don't need to be delivered. Their perspective already was, hey, we're good. We don't need a savior. We don't need to deliver. Don't try to put yourself in that position for us. So some were looking for that political savior. Some were convinced they didn't need a savior at all. But here the angel says, good news. That should cause great joy for all peoples. The savior has been born.

Jesus was born to bring salvation of a particular kind. Now, another angel is sent to Joseph. It's before the shepherd event. It's after the Mary event, but it's recorded for us in Matthew chapter 1. As Joseph hears about Mary's pregnancy, he learns. It says it's found out that she's pregnant. She's with child. And Joseph is thinking, man, this girl that I'm engaged to cheated on me. She had an affair.

And so he's thinking, what do I do? And he's wrestling with, well, should I divorce her? Now they were engaged, but for them and their culture, it was as serious as marriage. And to break an engagement required a certificate of divorce. They were even referred to as husband and wife during the engagement, although they did not live together and had not consummated the marriage yet. But that'll happen. But there's this period of engagement and that's where they were. And it's found out that Mary is pregnant.

And Joseph's wrestling, what do I do? And while he's wrestling with that, the Lord sends an angel to speak with him. It's found in Matthew 1, verse 20 and 21. It says, while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, and she will bring forth a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people forever.

from their sins. And so here is Joseph is encouraged by the Lord through this angel. He's encouraged to go ahead and continue with the plans to marry Mary for them to get together, right? And that she didn't cheat on him. This was a miraculous work of God. And so, you know, he can trust her. He can rest that, you know, she's faithful to him. She hasn't been unfaithful. But then he goes on to say, she's going to give birth to a son.

Call his name Jesus, Savior, because he's going to save people from their sins. Now, some people could be looking for political salvation or financial salvation or salvation, you know, and deliverance in a variety of ways. But Jesus came to be the Savior for sin.

It's a great announcement, good news that brings great joy for those who recognize that they need a Savior. For those who recognize the problem of sin, the issue of sin, and that deliverance is required. The problem with sin is that, well, we all do it, and the penalty for it is death.

We cannot escape it. We cannot atone for it. We cannot make up for our sin. We cannot reverse our sinful nature. All we can do is continue on in it and store up more wrath and judgment that we deserve. And so when we learn that there is a Savior for sin, it can bring us great joy because now there's hope. But if we're not acknowledging our need for a Savior, then it doesn't mean anything to us. A long time ago when I was young, in line for Indiana Jones at Disneyland, I

You know how lines at Disneyland are. It's a long line. It takes forever to get on the ride. And so you have to occupy your time and entertain yourself, right? We're in one section of the line where it's this rocky room and you're winding through the room and then there's an entrance at the end or an exit at the end where you go around the corner. You're still going into just the next section of the line. Right before that exit, there was a wall.

And me being the, you know, typical weird guy that I am, I stood up on the wall one time and I said, fear not people, I will save you. And nobody cared. Nobody applauded. Nobody came to say thank you. Nobody celebrated and had great joy. Everybody just thought, what a weird kid, right? Like it was just because there was no sense of need. I don't need a savior. We're good. We're just in line. I mean, yes, if you can get me to the front of the line, I'll take you up on that. But savior, I don't need that.

Not concerned about that right now. But here's Jesus. He was born to bring salvation for the issue of sin. Good tidings of great joy. Now, as this announcement is given to the shepherds, and they're informed, hey, a savior has been born. It's interesting to consider that, well, the shepherds of Bethlehem were often the ones who were charged with taking care of the flock for the temple.

So that the sheep that they were taking care of were the sheep that would be sacrificed for sin under the Levitical system, under the law that God had given to them. And so here you have shepherds taking care of the sacrificial lambs being given this announcement. The sacrificial lamb. The one and only, the full and final resolution of the sin issue has been born.

And this is a savior for all people. It's glad tidings or good tidings of great joy to all people. The savior that has been born is not just for the Jewish people. That is his people. That's the context where he comes from. And there's a lot that relates to the Jewish people as a result of the coming of the Messiah, of course. But it's not limited to the Jewish people. It's not limited to a certain select people. This is to all people.

But then also, along with that, it's important to note that the Savior is not one option amongst all the people. He is the one and the only option. Jesus will go on later to say in John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus is the Savior for all people. He's the only option for salvation, the only option for the sin issue.

It's not limited to a certain group, and it's not one option of many. You know, hey, you want to be saved from your sin? Here's a multiple choice list. You know, pick the one that you want to follow. No, Jesus says, I'm the only way. I am the truth and the life. There's no way to the Father except through me. So here the angel announces, Jesus is the Savior for all people. The angels proclaimed it. Jesus declared it. But again, a good question to consider as we celebrate Christmas this year is, do I believe it?

that Jesus is the full and final resolution of the sin issue. Well, the final point to consider found in verses 12 through 14, point number four this morning, is that Jesus is the Father's expression of peace and love. Here as the angels continue on to declare to the shepherds, they inform us the birth of Jesus, the coming of Jesus,

is the expression of our Heavenly Father saying, what I want for you is peace because I love you. Verse 12 says, As the angel gives this message, he also gives him a sign.

Here's how you can validate and verify these things that I'm telling you that the Savior has been born. Here's how you can validate and verify that these things are really true. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths. Now, all of this was taking place nearby Bethlehem. Bethlehem was where Jesus was born. And the angel is essentially saying this, go find him. I'm telling you that he's been born.

I'm telling you that he is here today. He arrived tonight. Now go find him. Bethlehem was not a big place. It was maybe 2,000 or 3,000 residents at that time. Go find him. Now, what's interesting for me to consider about this is that here's this supernatural experience, right? Shepherds out in the field, all of a sudden,

An angel appears to them, and then a host of angels fills the sky, and glory to God in the highest. It's this glorious, supernatural, like God went way out of his way to reveal himself and to speak to these shepherds in this way, right? Now, if God's going to go through all that trouble to send the angel, to have the appearance, to have the multitude of angels, like why not take it like just a little tiny step further and bring the shepherds to the baby boy, right?

Bring the shepherds to the child. Have you ever had an angel appear to you? No, it's probably not something you've experienced. It's unusual. It's unique. And God could have at the same time just as easily transported them there. The angels, you know, an angel for every shepherd, just pick them up, you know, under the armpits right here and just like carry them over to the, he could have just done that.

or the angels could have said, okay, here's what you want to do. Go down the street, you know, there's going to be a palm tree that's fallen over, turn left there, and then go down to, you know, the swap meet, and then turn right, right? And here, and give them exact clear directions, here's where to find exactly, x marks the spot, you know, here's the map, here is the baby that has been born. But none of that happens. They give the announcement, and then they say, now you go find him.

This is a small town. It wouldn't be that hard to find. But at the same time, it would take some effort. It would take some diligence, you know, some strategy. They're saying, okay, split up guys, sound the trumpet. You find them, you know, they're searching the streets. They wouldn't have to go visit seven hospitals and, you know, try to find. No, no, 2,000, 3,000 people though, that's still a good amount of searching, right? Still a good amount of effort being applied for them to find Jesus. And I consider all of that to say this.

Everybody needs to discover Jesus themselves. Go find him. This is who the angels have declared that he is. The angels, along with the scriptures, along with the prophecies. I mean, we have great testimony about who Jesus is, but you don't find Jesus by just laying out there in the field. Even when you believe all these things that are said, then now, okay, now you need to put it into practice. And now go find him. Go do some searching.

Go do some investigative work and dig up and connect with and find the Savior that has been born. And so here we find the shepherds. We don't read about it right now. I mean, in the verses that we read, but in the following verses, they do and they go and they go find Jesus and they worship him and then they testify to everybody about the Savior that has been born. Go find him. Here's the sign. You'll find him wrapped in swaddling cloths.

Well, as the angel gives them this instruction, then the heavenly host appears with them. And they say, glory to God in the highest. And on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. Glory to God in the highest. The testimony of the angels here is a connection between heaven and earth. They're glorifying God in the highest, God in heaven, who has now ascended.

Come to earth, on earth, peace and goodwill toward men. This phrase, goodwill toward men, scholars kind of debate the exact correct translation and understanding of this. But I like the way that the New Living Translation words it. It says, glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased. The idea here is that, look, Jesus came, God sent a savior to,

not because he hates humanity, not because he's upset with humanity, but because he loves humanity, wants to redeem humanity from its sinful condition and bring peace. Where there was enmity with God because of our sinfulness, he sent his only begotten son to bring peace, to reconcile us, to bring us back into right relationship with God and have access to fellowship with God and

And so the angels are just rejoicing and celebrating glory to God in the highest heaven. Here's the God in the highest heaven who has made these incredible steps to reach out to earth, to bring peace to those that he loves or to those that he is pleased with.

It goes along with that famous verse, John 3, 16. It's all because of the motivation of love. It's all because of God's love that Jesus came, that the Savior was born. Jesus is the expression of peace and love.

from his birth all the way then to his death which is the ultimate expression of his love for us the final evidence and proof of his love for us that while we were still sinners christ died for us jesus is that proof that expression that evidence of peace and love and so here we have an authoritative declaration of who jesus is he is king forever he is the son of god he's the savior for all people

He's the expression of peace and love from God to you. And as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Christmas this week, I would encourage you, go find him. If you've not believed in Jesus, if you've not accepted what he has done for you and the peace and the love that he offers to you, the forgiveness of sin, now's the time. Go find him. Connect with him. Receive. Believe the message of the angels and believe in Jesus and be forgiven of your sins.

Then there are also so many of us and many times it's easy, even as believers, to kind of get distant from God and to kind of wander and waver a bit. And I would encourage you to use this season and this week as an opportunity. Go find him. Go rekindle that fire and go be refreshed and renewed in your awe of who God is and what he has done for us. Just laying out in the field, you're not going to find God that way.

Go search him out in his word. Spend time with him. Believe in him and receive from him all that he's promised to you. Jesus is the Father's expression of peace and love to you. Receive it. If you don't have peace, run to Jesus. Turn to Jesus. You don't feel like God loves you, run to Jesus and turn to Jesus. Talk to him. Invite him to save you. Receive the forgiveness that he offers.

Believe that he is the son of God, that he is God who loves you so much he became man. He humbled himself for you and for your benefit. Let him be your king. We may not see him on the throne of David just quite yet, but he can be on my throne and I can submit to him and surrender to him right now as I believe his word and the message of these angels. Let's pray. Lord, I pray for each one of us as we prepare our hearts today.

to celebrate your birth. Lord, we thank you that you are alive today and we can speak to you and talk to you and pray to you and cry out to you and you hear us because you love us and because you've made the way by humbling yourself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even the death upon the cross. You became the savior for us, for all people. And so Lord, this morning we look to you. We trust in you. We receive who you are today

what you have done, and we ask, God, that you would help us to surrender and to submit to your role and to your reign. May you be king of our hearts and lives. And I pray as we celebrate this, this Christmas, Lord, that you would refresh and renew these things, Lord, that we would be your children, your disciples, your followers, in response to all that you've done for us. We pray this in Jesus' name.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.