Let's take our Bibles now and
turn to Luke chapter 2. I want to speak this morning
verses 10 through 20. Let's read these verses together and
then I'll make some comments. And the angel said unto them,
that is unto the shepherds, 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. And this shall be a sign unto
you, you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill towards
men. And it came to pass as the angels
were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one
to another, let us now go unto Bethlehem and see this thing
which has come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto
us. And they came with haste and
found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they'd seen it, they
made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning
the child. And all they that heard it wondered
at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things
and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen
as it was told unto them. There's three things I want us
to think about here in Luke chapter 2. In these verses that I've just
read to you, I want us to talk a little bit about the shepherds,
the shepherds to whom the angel of the Lord appeared. And then
I wanna talk a little bit about the angels themselves, and then
the object of all concern, the object of their wonder. So first of all, let's consider
the shepherds. Now I've told you this before,
that every relationship, I don't care what it is, if it's one
who's in charge, or an employer, or an employee, or a father,
or his wife, their marriage, their
children, every relationship that we know in this world, We
view them as common. We see them every day. We experience
them in our own lives. We have all of these things,
and we talk about them. But all of these relationships
are of God. Man didn't just see these things
and say, well, I think we'll just call this a marriage. No,
he was taught them of God. And he knows what they are. And
they were made for a purpose. He uses these relationships.
There's no way, old Nicodemus, he said, well, born again? You
think I need to crawl back in my mother's womb and be born?
This was a wise man being a smart aleck. And the Lord said, if I told
you earthly things and you don't understand, what would you do
if I got up on my level? What would you do if I told you
heavenly things in heavenly language? How could you handle that? So
you better take these earthly things and make them sufficient. And so we just understand in
part. That's what the scripture says.
We understand in part. We wouldn't understand at all
if God didn't teach us. But all of these relationships,
all of these shepherds, their trade, they were out on that
hill. That trade is to tell us something about Christ and his
church. These shepherds. These things all have their purpose
in Christ. Christ didn't learn what a shepherd
was and what a shepherd did. and then used them to describe
himself and his sheep. These things were ordained from
the beginning. Ordained from the beginning.
And I find it amazing that God passed by the great high priest. He said nothing to the high priest.
He passed by all the teachers, Gamaliel, all these men of renown,
he passed them by. He passed by the Sanhedrim, whose
training and job it was to look for the Christ. They were taught
in all of the scriptures that spoke of the coming Redeemer.
They memorized them. They knew them by heart, and
they were searching and looking for the coming Redeemer. But
he passed them by, and he passed by the Pharisees and the scribes
who hand-transcribed the scriptures. He passed them by, too. and he chose first to announce
the birth of his son to shepherds. Shepherds, why? Paul said, because God hath chosen
the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, that's
why. All this time, the Pharisees
thought Christ wouldn't appear in this world, he wouldn't come
into this world, and especially be raised up to 33 years old
and go out and start a ministry and not even let us know? See
how foolish it was to them? Oh, my soul. God has chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the
weak things of the world Who would have even considered a
shepherd? Nobody considered David. His own father didn't consider
him. Just left him out in the field tending the sheep. Well, if he's going to anoint
a king, it's going to be my firstborn. It's going to be this one. No.
No. No, it's not. It's going to be
David. He'd chosen the foolish things
of the world to confound the wise He's chosen the weak things
of the world to confound to things which are mighty, and he did
it so that no flesh should glory in his presence. He never tells
us in the scriptures here in Luke 2, he never tells us how
many shepherds there were. I always see pictures of three.
So unless I've overlooked something, but I can't find anywhere where
he tells you how many shepherds. I just know they were shepherds,
plural, so there were at least two out in that field. And I'll tell you something else
I know about these shepherds. I know their election of God.
I know their election. These were elect men and women,
people that God had chosen to save before the world began. How do you know that, preacher?
They were just shepherds. Well, I'll tell you how I know.
The messenger of God, sent of God to them, said unto you. He didn't say unto the world.
He said unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior. Unto you. I know the election of God. And men can fight all they want
to against election, but the Bible declares it, pictures it,
shows it, typifies it, all the way from one cover to the other.
There's always been a division between God's people and the
world. There always will be. Election is just a part of that.
God's sovereignty is another part of it. And you can go on
and on. And he always picks the most
unlikely people to be his witnesses. When God picks, you know, we,
pastors, we're the world's worst. We'll get a congregation, and
we'll find somebody out there, we'll find a wise young man,
a well-trained young man, a man, he can do this, and he can do
that, and in the back of our mind, we'll say, one of these
days, God's gonna call that man to be a preacher. And God always
calls somebody else that you didn't think about. He always
does. He'll call the least likely in
the congregation to be a preacher. He always picks the most unlikely
people to be his witnesses, and these shepherds heard from God
by a messenger. That's how God made known that
his son was coming into this world and that he was born. He
was now here. He sent a messenger. He sent
a messenger. All right, well here's the second
thing I want us to think about out of these verses. We talked
about the shepherds. And the second group that I see
here is the angels. The angels. A single angel first appears
with the good news of the birth of Christ, but he hardly gets
it out. He just barely gets it out, and
suddenly there was with that angel a multitude of the heavenly
hosts praising God, saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, goodwill toward men. Now, several things I want you
to think about here. First of all, the heavenly host. They appeared. They appeared. But they'd always been there. They'd been there, I believe
they were there before man was created because they were created
to minister to man. The heavenly host was always
there. Now they're seldom heard and seldom seen, but they're
there, and they're always there. There's six things I know about
angels. First of all, I know they were
created by and for the Lord Jesus Christ. Angels have a specific
reason for their creation. They were created for the Lord
Jesus Christ and they were created by him. In Colossians 1 16 it said for
by him were all things created that are in heaven, everything.
So I know what I said is so. And they owe their being to him
who is their creator. And then secondly, I know they're
eternal creatures. They're not creatures like dogs
and cats and farm animals and things. These creatures, angels,
are eternal creatures. Mankind is an eternal creature. He doesn't live so many years
and die, and then that's it. His soul is eternal. It's eternal. And so it is with these angels.
In Revelation 20, 10, he talks about the fallen angels and the
devil in particular. And he said, the devil that deceived
them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the
beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and
night forever. If they were not eternal beings,
they wouldn't be judged and suffer forever. Jude verse six says,
the angels which kept not their first estate but left their own
habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains of darkness
unto judgment, unto the judgment of that great day. Angels are
eternal creatures. And then thirdly, I know that
some angels are called of God, elect, elect angels. Did you know that? One third
of the heavenly host fell from heaven under the leadership of
Satan. Why didn't the other two thirds
fall? They were just as susceptible to lies as the first one. Why
didn't they fall? Because God didn't let them.
They were elect. They were elect, and that's what
he calls them in the scripture, elect angels. He kept them from falling just
as he keeps us from falling. I don't know the details of it,
only the meaning of election and the power of him who keeps
us from falling. So they're elect angels. And
then fourthly, I know where they abide. They're called the heavenly
host. The heavenly host. They abide
in heaven. They're called holy angels. which
makes them fit to be in the presence of God. And they're called the
heavenly host, which means there's a multitude, a multitude of them. And then fifthly, they're called
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who shall
be heirs of salvation. This is their purpose of being,
their whole purpose of being. They're to minister to those
who shall be heirs of salvation. And their being was ordained
of God to that end, to carry his message to his people, to
announce his birth, to declare his resurrection, to warn his
people of imminent danger. He always sends his angels over
and over and over, all the way through the scriptures. And then,
sixly, that they are indeed a host, an army ready to protect and
defend the elect of God. Maybe you remember the story
of Elisha. Elisha, the prophet of God, went
down to Dothan, and the king of Syria despised him because
God would reveal to him what he was going to do before he
did it. And they could prevent it or
just not be there. And it was frustrating him to
no end. And he finally got somebody to
tell him what was going on. And so he secretly encamped all
the way around Dothan. Evidently, Dothan was down in
a valley and there's mountains all around. And here he is, this
king of Syria, and he's all around on this mountain. And here's
Elisha down here in a tent down here in Dothan. got his servant
there, and he sent his servant out in the morning to draw water,
whatever his duties were. And the servant went out, and
he looked up, and man, there was an army all around. And he come back in trembling,
and he said, Master, he said, the Syrians are all around us.
How are we going to fare? And Elisha said, Lord, open this
young man's eyes. Allow him to see how things really
are. And his servant went back out
and looked, and all around that Syrian army, there was a massive
chariots of fire, angels, the whole heavenly host was encamped
all the way around them. When they show up, oh, they were
always there. They were always there. But you don't see them apart
from faith, do you? You don't even think about them. They've been there since the
creation of the first man. And from the dawn of creation,
they've been watching the eternal purpose of God. You think about that. These angels
watching. The eternal purpose of God unfold
to save men. Elect men. What a wonder that must be to
an angel. Because men are a little lower
than the angels. So here's these angels. They've
been abiding since they were created in the presence of God,
they're holy angels. And they're looking down here,
and they're seeing these things unfold, and they're just filled
with wonder. And let me add this, and I'll
quit. In Hebrews 12, 22 it says, But ye are come unto Mount Zion,
the church, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. What's he
talking about? He's talking about when we gather
for worship. When we gather for worship. According to 1 Peter 1.12, this
glorious gospel, declared by men, men of old,
Preached by men in our day by the Holy Ghost are things the
angels desire to look into. They're fascinated. They're filled
with wonder. They know what a holy God is.
They know what a righteous God is. They know what a just God
is. They saw a third of their own race cast out. They know something about God's
justice and something about His holiness and righteousness. And
they're filled with wonder as God saves fallen men. Listen to this. He said, be careful. These Pharisees were talking
bad about him and talking bad about his elect to whom he was
ministering. He said, you better be careful. He said, for in heaven, now listen
to this, there, T-H-E-I-R, there angels do always stand before
the Heavenly Father. You be careful how you talk about
these little ones. All God has to do is send them.
They're there, they're ready. So that's the shepherds and the
angels. And then thirdly, let's look
at the one whom they both owe everything. The reason for the
shepherds abiding in the fields this night and the reason for
the messenger sent and the heavenly host praising God is the one
who had entered this world. It's the one who was foretold
from all eternity, purposed of God. Purposed of God to come,
the Savior, the Christ, the Messiah. King of kings and Lord of lords. Listen to this, Hebrews 1, 6.
When he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith,
God said, God commanded, and it was done. He saith, let all
the angels of God worship him. Huh? He no sooner got it out,
didn't he? No sooner, that one messenger,
he barely got it out, and the whole heavenly host began to
praise God. Glory to God in the highest. This is the God-man. This is
the one that they'd heard about. This is the God-man. This is
the savior of fallen men. And here he is. He's in the world. God Himself, of whom it was said
no man had ever seen Him at any time, but His Son had declared
Him. Oh, how the angels, after Satan
and a third of the heavenly hosts were cast out, and looking down
on the new creation, and seeing man deceived by Satan, Seeing
man fall in the garden, it must have shocked him because God
didn't destroy all humanity. And they looked on. And a few
generations later, he looked on as God sent a flood and covered
this whole earth with water. But he saved some in the ark,
didn't he? Those angels looked on and wondered.
Know how they must have wondered that man breathed out his rebellion
against God and demonstrated his depravity in the idolatrous
images that he worshipped, and filled with wonder when God proclaimed a flood,
and baby after baby being born, and each time Come forth from
the womb, speaking lies. But now he says unto you this
day, this day, in the city of David is born a Savior, Christ
the Lord. I don't know how much these angels
knew. I know enough to know they saw the glory of God in it Huh? They saw the glory of God in
it, and when you see the glory of God in something, you praise
Him. And that's what they did. Seeing the incarnate Savior. And here's what they said when
they saw it. Peace on earth. Huh? Goodwill toward men. Not goodwill toward man, goodwill
toward men. And peace on earth can only be
taken in the context of the man Christ Jesus. There's no peace
apart from him. He said, think not that I come
to make peace. I didn't come to make peace with the world.
He said, I didn't come to make peace, but rather a division. Father and sons and mothers and
daughters, there are going to be divisions. There's not going
to be peace among men. That's not what he's talking
about at all. He's talking about peace between his elect and God. He's going to make peace. No peace in this world. In the
world, he said, you'll have tribulation. And Christ is our peace. And
then he says, goodwill toward men, not mankind, but chosen
men of God. He chose us in Christ, having
predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself according to the good pleasure of his will. That's
goodwill toward men. Having made known unto us the
mystery of his will according to his good pleasure. That's
goodwill toward men. And Christ said, I come not to
do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And this
is the will of my Father which has sent me, that of all which
He hath given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up again
at the last day. And this is His will, that everybody
who calls upon the Son, everyone that seeth the Son and
believeth on Him may have everlasting life. That's goodwill toward
men. Peace on earth, peace in Christ,
he's our peace. Goodwill toward men. And I might
be mistaken here, but I don't know of a single incident in
the scripture where God sent an angel to curse a man. Or to even let him know that
he was cursed. The only time he sent angels
was to those who shall be heirs of salvation. And every time
he was sent, he was sent with good news. Good news. Oh, I hope the Lord teach us
something about this salvation. Something about the glory of
God. Thank you.