A Savior is Born (Lk. 2:8-14)

Good morning!

If you were with us last week, you’ll remember how the sovereign hand of God was at work bringing about the timely birth of Jesus. In conjunction with the census issued by Caesar Augustus, the prophecy of Micah 5:2 was fulfilled. Mary and Joseph ended up in Bethlehem where Christ was born. As I mentioned then, His arrival into our world challenges us to live sacrificially as we pursue Him, and it is also an affront to our comforts and indulgent lifestyles. But there is a blessing for the spiritually bankrupt! Theirs is the kingdom of God! (Matt. 5:3). But, in order to take hold of this blessing, you gotta make room for Him in your heart.

Imagine setting aside all that you currently possess, and in its place, fully grasping onto what God is doing in your life and going where He is leading you. Think seriously about that. For some of you, that’s a terrifying proposition. Your heart skipped a beat even considering this and yet, that’s exactly what Christ did to save you. Born inside of a cave, He shows us that His life was always meant to be, as the KJV puts it, “the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10). He is the Atoning Sacrifice for the sins of Christians and non-Christians alike.

Hebrews 9:28 NKJV

28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. [Listen to me! Jesus was the offering for your sin. He was the only and final offering. One for the many. What does that mean? It means that, if you are trying to attain salvation by any other means, you are wasting your time!] To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Zane Hodges rightly affirms,

So adequate is Jesus Christ as God’s atoning Sacrifice that the efficacy of His work extends not merely to the sins of Christians themselves, but also to the sins of the whole world. (cf. 2 Cor. 5:14–15, 19; Heb. 2:9).[i]

And the early church father Athanasius of Alexandria boldly confesses,

“...it was our sorry case that caused the Word to come down, our transgression that called out His love for us, so that He made haste to help us and to appear among us. It is we who were the cause of His taking human form, and for our salvation that in His great love He was both born and manifested in a human body.”[ii]

Today, we are continuing with the story of the Incarnation. This time, we will meet angels and shepherds with a joyous message of peace and goodwill for all peoples to the glory of God.

Grab your Bibles and go with me to Luke chapter 2 verse 8.

The Lexham English Bible Luke 2:8-14

8 And there were shepherds in the same region, living out of doors and keeping watch, guarding over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and ⌊they were terribly frightened⌋.
10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring good news to you of great joy which will be for all the people: 11 that today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.
12 And this will be the sign for you: you will find the baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying,
     14 “Glory to God in the highest,
       and on earth peace
       among people ⌊with whom he is pleased⌋!”

The Messenger (Lk. 2:8-9)

Luke begins this portion of scripture by telling us that news of the Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God first came to a lowly bunch of shepherds in Bethlehem late one night. These men, doing what they had been trained to do for years, ordinary and routine work they had performed over and over again, are interrupted by the plans of God. We are told that they were “keeping watch” that night. I would imagine that they were probably on guard to make sure they hadn’t loss a single sheep. I’m sure they were watching to make sure no thieves tried to rob them that night. They were also watching in case a predator showed up.

You and I are also instructed to “keep watch” as well.

As Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane with enemies approaching in the distance, He tells His disciples to stand guard; to watch and pray (Matt. 26:40).  In the parable of the ten virgins Jesus tells His disciples to “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matt. 25:13). This lesson of attentiveness to spiritual matters is repeated throughout the NT.

Matthew 26:41 NKJV

41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Mark 13:33 NKJV

33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.

Luke 21:36 NKJV

36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Don’t get distracted by things of this world. Don’t abandon your spiritual post because of what’s happening in your life. If anything we should be more alert.

The shepherds were on guard, and as they took notice of what was going on around them they saw something they hadn’t expected and they started to shake in their sandals.

All of a sudden, an angel pops out of nowhere!

The Hebrew writer confirms what we discover of angels in these verses,

Heb. 1:14 NIV
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

And with the sudden arrival of the angel, the shepherds learned something that night which would change their lives forever.

Joy (Lk. 2:10)

Luke 2:10 NKJV

10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

Again, as we have emphasized over and over, in this verse we hear the universal proclamation of the gospel. The angel tells the shepherds "I bring you good news.” The Greek word translated into this phrase is εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō), it’s where we get our word evangelize or evangelism. It is a verb used to describe what a messenger does when carrying an official report from the king, or to tell of a military victory, finally it is used to bring news of the birth of royalty.[iii] All three of these examples apply to Jesus. As the King of kings Jesus sends the angel with news that He has come in flesh and that His coming has resulted in victory.

John 8:14 NKJV

14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going;

If you want to know the victory that Jesus has won for you by taking on the sinful shell of humanity then you have to trust Him.

1 John 5:4 NKJV

4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Not only is the news brought by the angel “good”, it is also “joyous.”

A few weeks ago, Pastor Mike talked about the mega-mercy of God. Well, that same word he translated as “mega” is used here to talk about the joy of the gospel proclaimed by the angel. It is good news of God’s mega-joy.

The word of God tells us that

Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV

10 ...the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Psalm 16:11 NKJV

11 ...In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

According to Habakkuk 3:18, joy is a response to the salvation of God.

And Romans 5:13 tells us that joy is a result of trusting in God.

When we think about joy, we should also be thinking about grace. The word joy, (Gk) chara, and the word grace, (Gk) charis, are closely related. These words together mean to “be glad about or in response to the undeserved and unearned favor of God.”

When we think about joy, we should be thinking about that first Christmas morning when the Word of God became flesh and lived among us. How He was tempted in every way that are tempted and still He did not sin. We should remember how He willingly laid down His life so that we could have life. How He took our place upon the cross. How He was buried in a borrowed tomb. How He defeated death when He rose from the grave on the third day and how He sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us! THAT is grace! THAT is the joy of the Lord!

Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said that whenever we want to define or explain New Testament joy we should stay away from the dictionary, instead we should go to the New Testament itself. The reason he says that is because he believes (I agree) that this type of joy

“...is something quite peculiar which cannot be explained; it is a quality which belongs to the Christian life in its essence, so that in our definition of joy we must be very careful that it conforms to what we see in [Jesus]....He was ‘a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.’ [Therefore] our definition of joy must somehow correspond to that… Joy is something very deep and profound, something that affects the whole and entire personality. In other words it comes to this -There is only one thing that can give true joy and that is contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ.”[iv]

The angel also tells the shepherds that this good news of God’s mega-joy is for all people. Anybody can get it! It’s been placed on the lowest shelf so that we can all take hold of it! That’s why Paul says,

Romans 1:16 NKJV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

So then, what was the good news of God’s mega-joy that the angel evangelized? We find the answer in the next set of scripture.

Savior (Lk. 2:11-12)

Luke 2:11–12 NKJV

11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

The angel tells the shepherds what Isaiah prophesied 700 years earlier!

Isaiah 9:6 NKJV

6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The angel gives the shepherds key information regarding the good news of our Savior’s birth.

First, they are told when the news happened. “This day.” What had been prophesied, what the entire nation of God’s people had been praying and waiting for, had finally arrived! That same message of the Lord’s salvation is spoken to us at this very moment. The prophet Isaiah told of a day when salvation would come.

Isaiah 49:8 NKJV

8 Thus says the Lord: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;

And the apostle Paul assures us that what Isaiah prophesied is currently available for all who would place their hope in Christ.

2 Corinthians 6:2 NKJV

2 For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once preached on the “urgency of now” in a message titled, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” and I believe his words, which were a cry for justice and change then, equally apply to our acquisition of God’s saving grace today.

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there "is" such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”[v]

That’s why the prophet Isaiah implores us to,

Isaiah 55:6 NKJV

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

NOW is the day to be saved!

If you don’t know Him this morning, don’t fool yourself into believing that you can put off the grace of God until tomorrow.

Second, the shepherds were told where the birth took place. “In the city of David.” Again, this is in keeping with Micah’s prophesy about the Messiah as well as the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise to David.

Third, they are told Who the news is about. “[The] Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” It has been noticed by some that nowhere else in the entire New Testament is this phrase used of Jesus accept here in Luke’s Gospel.[vi] The three titles cover ALL that He is for us.

•     Savior - He is our only hope of escape from the bondage of sin! (Mt. 1:21; Acts 4:12)

•     Christ - ”the Anointed One”. Before Jesus takes upon Himself the sinful tent of humanity, anointings were reserved for those whom God had called and recognized for special assignments. Kings, prophets, priests, artisans, etc. But what we discover in the New Testament of God’s record is that all anointings before Jesus were only shadows of what was to come (Heb. 8:3-6).

•     Lord - He is Master, Ruler, and Authority over our lives and all that concerns our us. You just thought that you were running the show. You thought that you were steering the ship of your life, my friend, how mistaken you are.

Colossians 1:16–17 NKJV

16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Finally, the shepherds are told how to know when they have found Him. “this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

The word “find” means that they had to go searching. They had to go from house to house and stall to stall until they found the Baby. And there would be no mistake. He would be wrapped in swaddling clothes, I’m sure most newborns would’ve been wrapped in swaddling clothes, but there was one thing that would distinguish Him from all others that night. He would be lying in a manger. There was only One who fit that description.

Think about this for a second…

How many babies do you think the shepherds had to reject before settling in on the One they were actually looking for? How many beautiful newborns did they close the door on as they made their way to God’s Anointed One? We don’t really have the answer to that question, but I would imagine it was more than one.

Church, we need to have that same attitude. We need to learn how to close the door on what God has not ordained in our lives. We need to practice rejecting whatever is not of God and set our entire pursuit upon ALL that He has for us!

For those of you who are not Christians, maybe you come from a Buddhist, Hindu, or Islamic tradition. Maybe you are agnostic or atheist. No matter what you are, you have been searching for what only Jesus can provide. There is a distinguishing characteristic about the Jesus of the Bible that sets Him apart from all others.

He is our only hope of salvation! There is no other Name that saves except the Name of Jesus! No one else has overcome death but Jesus! No one else has taken your place in judgement but Jesus! No one else is seated at the Father’s right hand but Jesus. No one else, but Jesus will return, apart from sin, for salvation.

Even in your sin God loved you and gave Jesus up to save you.

Peace (Lk. 2:13-14)

Luke 2:13–14 NKJV

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

At the time of the events in Luke 2 the famous Pax Romana (Roman Peace) had been in effect since 27 BC. This “peace” first began with Octavian and would last for more than 200 years, ending in 180 AD.

“The Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, 'While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy. He cannot give peace of heart for which man yearns more than even for outward peace'”.[vii]

But we serve a God who promises to give us a peace that surpasses all understanding. A peace that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. You need that kind of peace from God when your child dies. You need that kind of peace when your future is in the hands of a judge. You that the peace of God when life overwhelms you.

Listen to what the Prince of Peace says,

John 14:27 NKJV

27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Not only does Jesus give us peace, but the word of God tells us that He is our Peace (Eph. 2:14-18) and that we have been justified by faith in Him and because of Him we can live in peace with God (Rom. 5:1) and this is all to God’s highest glory so that nobody can boast (Eph. 2:8-9).

Respond

Have you found the Savior? Not that He is lost, but that you have not yet discovered Him. You have been searching for a sign, and at some point you have settled for what God has not approved of in your life. Today, my friends, the search is over! The Sign you have been looking for, the Savior you’ve been searching to find is none other than Jesus Christ. Now you won’t find Him wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger anymore. He was once wrapped in grave clothes and placed in a borrowed tomb to pay the debt you owed, but on the third day, He rose up. On the third day, He got out of that borrowed tomb and left those grave clothes there. Because He lives you too can have life simply by placing your life into His hands by faith.

It is by grace that you have been saved, through faith.

He has the power to give life to whomever believes! You don’t have to search anymore, you have discovered what you need.

If you aren’t a Christian, the hard truth is this,

You are a sinner and because of that you cannot live in relationship with a holy and just God. Your sin and God’s holiness prevents it. What this tells us is that you need to be saved from your sin and the consequences of your sin. The wages of sin is death and no amount of works or good deeds will ever satisfy a holy and perfect God. But there’s grace for you.

Jesus, the One the angels proclaimed. The One the shepherds found. He is your only hope!

Today, I want to ask you, if you don’t know Jesus as Lord and Master of your life, if you’re not a Christian, I want to invite you to come and confess your need for Christ as Savior.

[i] Zane C. Hodges, “1 John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 887.

[ii] Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation, p16

[iii] Charles Swindoll, Living Insights: Luke,67

[iv] https://www.preceptaustin.org/joy_-_chara

[v] Martin Luther King, Jr., Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence, 1967https://www.crmvet.org/info/mlk_viet.pdf

[vi] Thabiti Anyabwile, Exalting Jesus in Luke, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018), 43.

[vii] The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete New Testament in One Volume, p.143.