THE BIRTH OF JESUS AS DECLARED TO THE SHEPHERDS



THE BIRTH OF JESUS AS DECLARED TO THE

SHEPHERDS

Luke 2: 8 - 20

A Post- Christmas sermon by:

Rev. H.A. Bergsma

PUBLISHED BY

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

OF THE

FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA.

(December 2004)

LITURGY:

Votum

Psalter 374

Scripture Reading: Luke 2: 8 – 20

Text: Luke 2: 8 – 20

Psalter 40: 1, 2, 3, 5

Congregational Prayer

Offerings

Psalter 52

Sermon

Psalter 362

Thanksgiving Prayer

Psalter 429: 1, 2

Doxology Psalter 315

Congregation of the Lord,

We are in the afterglow of Christmas, so to speak.

The great fact of salvation has been established.

Jesus is born in a stable in Bethlehem.

But, and I trust you agree with me, the celebration just would not be complete without hearing something of the shepherds in the fields of Ephrata, and of the angels who brought them a glorious message.

Although this great fact of salvation – the birth of Jesus – has been established, it would have remained just that – a fact – if it had not been declared by some angelic messengers, and if it had not been responded to by some listeners.

Those two aspects turned the salvation fact into a saving event, as the Holy Spirit is pleased to work it.

The same still goes for today.

Jesus Christ has come into the world to save sinners.

This is a salvation-fact; no question about it.

Yet, if this salvation-fact is not declared to us, and not responded to by us, to whom it is declared – it will be of no benefit to us, and it will not become a saving event.

In other words, Jesus may have been born in a stable, and He may have died on the cross some 33 years later – all to save sinners – but if this is not applied to us, under the mighty influence of the Holy Spirit, it will never become a saving event for us.

This great salvation-fact has to come home to us; it has to be embraced by faith.

And preaching, and the response to it, is the ways by which the Holy Spirit is pleased to turn a salvation-fact into a saving event.

Well, the angels declared this great salvation-fact of the birth of Jesus, and the shepherds responded it to, and it became a saving event for them.

As an afterglow of Christmas, let us consider …

THE BIRTH OF JESUS AS DECLARED TO THE SHEPHERDS

1. The Condition Of Those Shepherds

2. The Experience Of Those Shepherds

3. The Response Of Those Shepherds

Congregation,

God sent His first declaration of the birth of His Son Jesus to a group of shepherds.

But who were they?

Our text-chapter begins with telling us in verse 8, “There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

In the same country, that is, in the region around Bethlehem, in the field called the Fields of Ephrata.

In those fields some shepherds were keeping the watch over their flocks by night.

It was here, in those same fields, that David used to take care of his father’s sheep.

It was here that David used to compose his Psalms to the honor of the Lord whom he loved. “My Shepherd is the Lord who knows my needs, and I am blest.”

But this time there are other shepherds in the Fields of Ephrata, who, I am sure, did not feel themselves very blest at all.

Rougher; much poorer; less cultured; less noble than the youthful David, these shepherds did not have much of a life.

At this stage in Israel’s history, the job of shepherd was left to the lowest class of people.

To be a shepherd in those days meant to be a social outcast; which meant that you were not welcome in the temple; you were considered to be unreliable; and your testimony in a court of law was worthless.

To be a shepherd in those days meant that you just did not count for much.

Now, those were the shepherds in the Fields of Ephrata.

But to such people God would send His first message of the birth of His son Jesus, the Savior … to a poor, uncultured group of social outcasts.

This is what Mary predicted already in her song some nine months back … “He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich He hath sent empty away.” (Luke 1:53)

Well, it was the shepherds’ job to look after the sheep that were designated for temple sacrificing.

The sheep they were looking after were the sheep that would one day be offered in the temple for the sins of the people.

Isn’t it a coincidence that the same shepherds who were to look after sheep that were singled out for eventual sacrificing … that those same shepherds were the first ones to hear of the birth of Jesus who would one day be the Lamb of God to be the ultimate and final sacrifice for sin?

From looking after sacrificial sheep, they would soon be called to look at Him who would one day be led as a Lamb to the slaughter.

Perhaps you can see them sitting around a small campfire.

The crackling fire has to keep the chill from their bones.

And besides, this campfire has to keep the wild beasts at a distance.

After all, as shepherds they have the duty to make sure that none of the sheep, which are asleep in the nearby compound, are molested or stolen by thieves or wild animals.

They are the night-watchers, so to speak.

They have the difficult task of staying awake in the darkness, while the rest of the world lies asleep.

They are the night-watchers.

Again, some spiritual significance … God is pleased to show His great salvation to people who have learned to become night-watchers.

God is pleased to show His wonders to people who have learned to be alert in the darkest of times; to people who have learned to stay awake and watchful even though the whole world around them has dosed off to sleep in spiritual complacency.

Night watchers; those are the people that God has taken a liking to.

They are the ones who will receive His saving attention.

Have you already learned to become such a spiritual night-watcher, who in the darkest of times can still remain awake and alert?

They are apt to say with the words of Psalm 130 …“For the Lord my soul is waiting, More than watchers in the night”

Have you already become such a night-watcher?

No, I do not mean if you are a person who cannot sleep at night.

But if you, in times of religious darkness and spiritual decay, can still have your eyes open for the things of the Lord.

To be a good night-watcher spiritually, means to be watching for and being alert to the things that the Lord is still doing; to be awake to signs of grace and mercy; to be discerning of some good things the Lord is doing; to be sensitive to the Spirit’s operation in the hearts and lives of others in the congregation.

For instance … Office-bearers especially have to be night-watchers, that although many around them might be spiritually asleep, they are awake, alert, and can speak of signs and indications that the Lord is still at work.

Yes, true enough, they are also to guard and protect the flock of Jesus Christ … but more than that … they are to be discerners of spiritual life; watchers for new life; encouragers of spiritual growth … night-watchers.

They are the type of people from whom at times you may still hear songs in the night.

The shepherds at Ephrata then were night-watchers… alert, watching, waiting, while the world was still in darkness.

The world is in darkness now too, isn’t it?

Great spiritual darkness in fact.

And even much of the religious community has fallen asleep.

But how is it with you?

Are you personally awake … spiritually awake?

Are you alert, watching and waiting for what the Lord has to say?

This is definitely the way to sit under the preaching of the Gospel … alert, watching and waiting.

This is the sort of attitude the Holy Spirit is pleased to work with.

Because in His time, He will then also give you to experience the riches of the words you hear.

We see this clearly with the shepherds in Ephrata’s field, as we must consider in the second place, what those night-watchers experienced.

“And lo,” so our text continues, “The angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.”

Now, some people have interpreted that the reason for those shepherds being “sore afraid” was, that they had been great sinners, and that at the appearance of the angel they were scared out of their wits.

The application is such then that this is what happens when the Holy Spirit comes with His convicting light …then we see our true self, and we become sore afraid, because we stand condemned before a holy God.

Of course, there is truth to this … when a sinner comes face to face with his sin, in the light of the holiness of God, such a sinner may very well become sore afraid.

But I am not sure if we can extrapolate this from our text.

I do not think that the shepherds were frightened so much because they were suddenly convicted of their sins.

I think they were frightened simply because of the great flash of light from the descending angel.

Now, that can be expected; I would be frightened too!

Imagine! If in the middle of the night’s darkness you would suddenly be confronted with the blinding light of an angel.

I’m sure we would all be very much shaken up.

The point of our text is not so much the fright that those shepherds momentarily experienced, but the wonderful message that was delivered to them.

The angel very quickly put them at ease … “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

At that moment, in the dark fields of Ephrata, the shepherds were placed under Gospel preaching.

And this gospel preaching was of the happiest sort … “Good tidings of great joy!”

This is what Gospel preaching is, and what Gospel preaching means … the bringing of good tidings.

And this is what Gospel preaching must be, even in dark times, as it was in Ephrata’s fields.

Dear people! The Gospel comes in the darkest of times and brings light to those who sit in darkness.

It comes to those who are alert and watching and waiting.

And whoever they are, they may hear the good tidings that will bring them great joy.

God would not want it any different today than in the days of the shepherds.

Therefore, good tidings may still be declared to people who are like those shepherds of old … nigh-watchers.

Good tidings of great joy!

And what is this Gospel that should bring you great joy?

“Unto you is born, … a savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

No, not just factually is there a Savior born … but personally … “unto you is born a Savior.”

Whoever is alert, watching and waiting … to you is born a Savior.

Whoever is not asleep spiritually in this dark, sin-intoxicated world, … to you is born a Savior.

These are good tidings for people who are different from the world; for people who are not at ease with sin; for people who are not comfortable with the deadness and dullness and hardness they see in their own hearts.

For you there is Gospel preaching that tells you of a personal Savior for personal salvation and for personal enjoyment.

Gospel preaching, after all, is still salvation-preaching of the highest joy.

Not a dictating of doing good works, but a preaching that leads to embracing a Savior and believing Him for a full and free salvation.

This is the sort of Gospel preaching I may still be engaged in today.

And how necessary such preaching is today.

Indeed, we are living in dark times.

The wickedness that our nation and our government and our law-courts are condoning is appalling.

But in this dark and troublesome time, we may yet hear the Gospel.

And what a joy it is to declare it!

And therefore, you who are alert, watching, waiting night-watchers … listen!

There is a Savior for you; a wonderful, powerful Savior.

His name is Jesus … and what a Savior of sinners He is!

He has shown Himself accessible in days of old even to publicans and harlots and murderers and thieves and robbers.

Perhaps you fit in this category somewhere, though perhaps to a lesser degree.

Perhaps you are troubled about your degree of sin, and desire to repent of it and be set free from it.

Well, Jesus has shown Himself zealous to seek and to save the lost.

I may declare the Gospel of the Savior to you, the Savior, who once stood outside the gates of sin-riddled Jerusalem and cried out …

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! How often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings ….”

This is the good tiding, my friend … Jesus still wants to gather men and women, boys and girls to embrace Him in faith.

There is still great willingness on Jesus part to save you from your sin.

After all, He has kept you alive till now; He has brought you in church; He has given you to hear Gospel preaching of good tidings.

But surely, the greatest display of His willingness to save you is that He died a punishing death on the cross, a death that you should have been punished with.

Jesus did so as a sacrifice for sinners like you, and in the place for sinners like you … in order that you might be saved.

Surely, this should be enough to convince you of His willingness to save you.

This, my friend, is the good news for you … the good tidings of great joy.

It’s all part of Gospel preaching.

All of this may seem to be a regular weekly fare to you, that has been served up to you for years already, but please, do not trifle with it.

It was enough to make the angels burst forth from heaven and sing … “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

It was enough I’m sure, to trigger joy in the hearts of the shepherds.

But now, in the last place, what was the response of those shepherds to this Gospel Message?

As we observe the shepherds, we notice at least three stages of response.

The first stage of their response can be read of in verse 15, where it says that the shepherds turned to each other, and encouraged each other, and spoke positively to each other, about what they had just heard by way of the message.

Dear people! How do you respond to the messages that come to you in church?

Are you an encouragement to others, and do you speak positively to others about what you have heard?

Notice, the shepherds did not say anything about the messengers that brought them the message … no those shepherds grabbed each other by the sleeves as it were, and prodded each other on … “Come, let’s go to Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”

Notice! They did not say, “Let us see if this is come to pass” but “let us … see this thing which is come to pass”!

Dear people! Let us learn also to respond in such a way … positively; encouragingly … and verbally.

For the good of the congregation, and for the good of your own spiritual life!

The next stage of response is seen as the shepherds went to see Jesus.

… “And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”

The Gospel message had told them “You shall find” and with specific directions … and the shepherds followed those directions.

No, they did not say, “I’ll wait for the right opportunity” or, “I’ll wait till I’m in the right mood and in the right frame of heart.”

They did not debate the matter of what they had heard.

They did not say, evasively “Yes, I should – but you know how it is; the flesh is sluggish, and my spirit is naturally so unwilling!”

Those shepherds did not excuse themselves by saying, “But I can’t just leave those sheep!” “I can’t just let go of my job!”

No, it says emphatically, “And they came with haste.”

How much haste are you willing to put into being obedient to the Gospel?

How soon will you bow before Jesus the Saviour, and express your need for Him and worship Him and give Him your heart and life?

Will you make haste to be found at the feet of the Saviour?

No, you do not need to bring anything with you.

Those shepherds did not bring anything either – no gifts, no little lambs, nothing.

They had nothing to offer Jesus, except themselves … as the saying goes … “Nothing in my hands I bring; simply to thy cross I cling!”

With haste!

And the third stage of response is something that must not be minimized or neglected … verse 17 … afterwards, those same shepherds “Made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.”



Those traditionally unreliable shepherds became the first witnesses of Jesus the Savior.

They did not care if the people did not respect their reputation.

They had seen Jesus, and they made it known abroad.

Dear people!

If the Word and the Spirit have led you to Jesus, you will find it difficult to keep silent about it.

You will not worry too much about what people will say about you.

You will not worry too much about your reputation.

You will find that there is an inward compulsion to speak about Jesus, the Savior, in order to let others know about Him too.

You won’t mind being a witness of His saving grace and sinner’s mercy.

Well, how will it be with our response to the Gospel?

I pray it may be with you as it was with the shepherds … “And they returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”

Amen

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