So we're going to read together
from Luke chapter two and we're going to verse eight. Luke chapter
two and we'll go to verse eight. And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock
by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,
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 Saviour, 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 toward 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 even unto Bethlehem and see this thing
which has come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto
us. And they came with haste and
found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when
they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told
them concerning this 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 that they
had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And when eight
days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his
name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before
he was conceived in the womb. Amen. May God bless to us this
reading from his word. It is worth mentioning, I think,
when we consider the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, just how
intentionally low-key was the Saviour's presence in the world. Now, it might surprise you to
hear me say that, and yet I believe it is true. Because whether we
think of the time that he came, or the place that he came to,
or the circumstances, it seems to me that everything about the
Lord Jesus Christ, his birth and his life, was understated,
was veiled, was modest, and purposely, purposefully so. People who tell
us that the point of the Lord Jesus Christ's coming into the
world was to gain as many followers as possible, or to make as many
converts as possible, I think have to, in all honesty and integrity,
deal with the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ's coming seems to
have been intentionally low-key. Take for example the timing of
the Lord Jesus Christ's coming. Almost 2,000 years ago. 2,000 years ago. The Lord Jesus
Christ didn't come in the age of information. He didn't appear
in the day of mass communication. If the Lord Jesus Christ had
designed and desired to be made known to more people in the world
than anyone else, would not the time of 24-hour rolling news
broadcasts have been the time to come? When there would have
been a camera in everyone's pocket? When there would have been the
opportunity to take a quick shot of the angel that spoke or to
hear in live news broadcasts about what was happening in some
part of the world or other. The Lord came at a time when
it was so difficult to communicate with one another. And think about
the place to where he came. He didn't come to Rome or to
Athens. the nation states that were major
and significant even in the day in which he did come. He didn't
come to New York or London or Paris. He didn't come to any
of the great cities of the world, but to Judea, a backward Roman
province of the day, a place that was more deserts and fields
than anything else. And think about the condition
in which he came. He was not born in Caesar's palace
or in Pharaoh's court. He was not raised as Moses was
in his day or to one of the great European aristocratic dynasties. He didn't come at the head of
an army as a general. He didn't have worldwide political
connections. Rather, when the Lord Jesus Christ
was born, there was a meagre handful of clues that indicated
something special was happening. A virgin was pregnant and ready
to give birth. An old man had a vision An unusual
star is observed by a few distant astronomers. And one single nighttime visitation
announced the incarnation to the least likely audience imaginable. a group of shepherds watching
their sheep. The most historically significant
event in the history of the world up to that point. It came with
astronomical significance. It came with supernatural dimensions. And yet hardly anyone noticed. Nevertheless, behind the scenes,
the great components of covenant purpose were lining up perfectly
according to the will of God. The long promised and eagerly
anticipated prophecies and revelations found their fulfilment that night
in the birth of a baby boy. And what, or rather who, because
it's speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ personally, Luke calls
him the consolation of Israel. When that little baby, that consolation
of Israel, drew his first breath in a cold, smelly stable. When he cried out in the darkness
above the noise of the animals, the redemption of Jerusalem was
begun. The long-awaited Messiah had
come. Jesus, the Saviour, Christ the
Messiah, the Lord and King of heaven had been born. And hardly anybody noticed. The angel host was joyful. The gates of hell shook. But men and women largely slept
in the blindness that was born of natural ignorance. In that
moment, God became man, but very, very few had any notion of anything
special happening that night. on a hillside above a little
town called Bethlehem in the Judean mountains, a small group
of shepherds were watching sheep. They were about to hear God's
gospel. They were about to hear the most
wonderful message that this world has ever received. and that from
a messenger that was quite literally out of this world. So here's the first thing that
I want you to notice, what we've just said. The angels didn't
come to kings and princes and governors and presidents, but
to ordinary common men without influence and power. Everyday
people like you and like me. Do you see what this is telling
us about the Lord Jesus Christ's coming? It isn't about the masses. It isn't about the throngs. It
isn't about the power. It isn't about the influence.
It's about the individual. It's about the needy people. It's about those who long for
forgiveness with God. about common men and women who
are sinners. Do you remember what the Apostle
Paul said? 1 Corinthians 1, verse 26, following. Not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen
the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
that are mighty, base things of the world, and things which
are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not
to bring to naught, to bring to nothing things that are. For what reason has God chosen
to work in this way amongst men and women, amongst boys and girls? That no flesh should glory in
his presence. That's the reason why the angels
have said, glory to God in the highest, because all glory for
the incarnation. all glory for the life of Christ,
all glory for the atonement in the death of Christ, for forgiveness
by the blood of Christ, all glory for the resurrection and ascension
for the gathering in of his church, all glory for salvation in its
entirety is God's and God's alone. Man Flesh never can and never
will glory in the presence of God. And the lesson here is surely
that once again, man has gotten God's message wrong. Christmas has just come and gone
and celebrations, though muted this year, I grant you, have
taken place all over the world. And what has happened is that
as a society, we idolise the incarnation. We make an idol
of it to serve our purpose, to serve our passions, to serve
our appetites, while we lose the proper perspective as to
the why and the purpose and the meaning of God's message in the
coming of Christ. Second thing I want to point
your attention to is that the angel brought a message which
was of the utmost importance. The first thing was that he brought
it to the simplest, commonest people in the most low-key way,
but he brought a message which was of the utmost importance. The angel said to him, the verses
that we read, verse 10, angel said to them, 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 saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Fear not, behold. This was the introduction. This
was the first words of the angel to these shepherds. I imagine
that the fear in these men, there may have been women there for
all I know, the fear that came upon these people here was very
real and very tangible. What else would be their first
reaction in the dead of night to this strange visitor? and some would be rousing from
their sleep because that's what keeping watch means. Keeping
watch isn't that they were wall-watching their sheep, rather that they
were fulfilling the watches of the night, taking it in turns
to stay awake, stay alert for the fear of damage to their flocks
and taking turns to sleep. Men and women always have fear
in the presence of God. And that is why very often the
first reaction to a sense of spiritual need is for us to have
fear. We fear for our soul's well-being. We fear for our eternal destiny. We fear the holiness of God and
we fear the judgment and the wrath of God. That fear comes
from Adam in the garden. The very first thing that Adam
said to God after he had sinned was this, I heard thy voice in
the garden and I was afraid. And every time the Holy Spirit
causes us to hear the voice of God, to in some way have a sense
of the awesomeness of God, the holiness of God, the judgment
of God, when we hear the voice of God, it instills and inspires
fear. Darkness, which is what is in
our soul, flees from light. Flesh, the flesh of our humanity,
the flesh of fallen Adam, the flesh in which our sinful soul
dwells, recoils from the purity of God. You cannot stand in the
presence of God with sin. It just cannot happen. Such is
the holiness of our God. And that sin has to be taken
away in Christ. So the angel said, fear not,
but the angel also said, behold. Behold. So there's more here. It's not just fear not, it's
fear not behold. Now we tend to use that word
behold in the sense of look, look and see. But really, if
you look at the word, if you think about the word, it's not
just to look and see, it's to hold onto, beholding this. which I am about to show you. Receive this that I am about
to tell you. Retain this that I am about to
teach you. Remember this that you are about
to see. And so when the angel says to
the shepherds, fear not behold, he is giving them this message. And he's saying, hold on to this,
remember this. This is going to be the ground
of your hope. What I am about to tell you is
of such significance, such moment, such importance, that you need
to hold on to this. I bring you good tidings of great
joy. Good tidings is literally gospel. Literally that's what the gospel
means, good tidings. So what the angel is here saying
is that this is the gospel. This isn't the angelic gospel. This isn't the gospel of angels. This isn't my gospel. I'm just
a messenger, which is what angel means, a messenger. This is good
tidings from God. This is God's gospel. The gospel
of God is good tidings to guilty souls. It brings joy where there
is fear. It brings peace where there is
distress. And here is a messenger preaching
the gospel. That's just what a preacher is
called to do today. That's what the Apostle Paul
was. That was his message, his testimony to Agrippa. That was
my calling, said Paul, and I have endeavoured to be faithful to
it. God grant us men today who will be faithful messengers of
the Gospel, angelic as they come and call us to fear not, but
to lay hold upon this message of good tidings and great joy. Why was it great joy? because
the angel spoke of a sure salvation. Therefore it was a message of
great joy. It was to be accomplished and
it was certain. So I tell you, we mentioned a
little bit earlier that Paul believed in sovereign grace.
This angel believed in sovereign grace. Salvation was not conditional
as far as this angel was concerned and as far as God's gospel is
concerned. The angel did not say to these
shepherds in their fields during the night, I've got a great offer
for you. I've got a wonderful opportunity
for you. And you see, that's the problem.
Free willers don't get this. Grace isn't grace if it requires
us to do something to get it. What the angel said was that
here is good tidings of great joy. If he had said, I have salvation
for you and all you need to do is reach out and take it, than
those who are fearful in the presence of a holy God, who are
craving and recoil from Him, who are dead in their sins. How
do dead men and women reach out and claim that which God offers
to them? It is a false gospel because
there's no great joy in it for those who are dead in trespasses
and in sin. The angel said, there is good
tidings of great joy because it was a sovereign gospel of
grace to sinners accomplished by the death of Jesus Christ
on the cross. That was what the angel was speaking
about. And notice that he says that
this is good tidings of great joy to all people. Ah, says the
universalist, there you are. You see, it's for everyone. It's
for all people. Well, what did the angel mean?
Let me ask you a question, Universalist. Did Herod think that this was
good tidings when he heard about it from the wise men that came
to his palace looking for he that was born King of the Jews?
Did the people of Jerusalem think that it was good news of great
joy? Did the Jews The Pharisees and
the scribes think that it was good news, good tidings of great
joy. No. No. Herod slew countless infants
in a rage against this very message, which the angel claimed was good
tidings of great joy to all people. He didn't find it so. Therefore,
when we read all people, we are not to think of every person
individually. But we are to think of all kinds
of people, all sorts of people, all to whom the Gospel comes
in power, and in all parts of the world. This was the point
about the coming of Christ, that this message was to go to the
ends of the earth. Go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel to the parts of the world where it had never
been preached before. And that was what the disciples
at the end of the life of Christ when he ascended into heaven
were commissioned to do. This is a message of good tidings
of great joy to all those made to feel their sin. to be in a
need of those good tidings and great joy, and to be in need
of a Saviour. Luke chapter 2 verse 11 said,
For unto you, it's you who have a need of a Saviour, is born
this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the
Lord. It is to you, sinner, it is you
who need a Saviour, you who cannot save yourself, You for whom Christ's
blood was spilled, you who are afraid to stand before God in
your own righteousness or lack of it, it is to you that this
message comes as good tidings of great joy. You for whom the
blood of Christ was spilled and salvation was accomplished, It
is only as we are given such a glimpse of our own sin and
unworthiness and made to have that sense of need and have that
gift of repentance and faith granted to us that any can come
to Christ and find the good tidings of good news, of great joy. Christ is not saviour to all
who are in hell. He is not saviour to all the
Jews who rejected and crucified him. He is not saviour to Judas. He is not saviour to those in
our own age and day who reject him and go headlong into a lost
eternity, spitting their venom and rebellion in the teeth of
God. Now Christ is saviour to those who are called by the grace
of God into the experience of mercy. Christ is the Messiah. He was the saviour who is Christ
the Lord. Christ the Messiah, the anointed
of God, the chosen way, the one who was given as redeemer of
his people. The Lord is saviour of all and
only of all who were given to him in covenant purpose, by the
election, by the free choice of God. He is the saviour of
all for whom he died. He is the saviour of all for
whom he was buried and all for whom he rose again and ascended
into heaven to intercede for them. He is Lord of all to whom
it is given to believe in him. To him we gladly bow when the
gospel, the good tidings of great joy, are declared powerfully
to our souls by God the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the
gospel. And finally, Look at the reaction
of these shepherds because I think that it suggests more than curiosity. There are lots of people who
are curious about religion and curious about spiritual experiences. Those to whom the shepherds spoke
after they had been to Bethlehem wondered at their words. wondered at their words. And
there are lots of people who wonder about the words of the
Bible, wonder about the words of the angels, wonder about the
words of the shepherd, wonder about the words of the preacher.
But the shepherds saw the hand of God in this message. They
saw the purpose of God. It would be some 30 years before
the Lord began his ministry. And I suspect that it is very
unlikely that any of those shepherds knew anything about the child
Jesus or the man Jesus during those 30 years. We know nothing
about the Lord save for one incident that happened at the age of 12
in Jerusalem when he went to the temple. I don't think these
shepherds would ever have encountered anything else about the Lord
Jesus Christ, maybe for the rest of their lives. Bethlehem was
about 100 miles from Nazareth. It's not the distance that you
easily travelled. They would have lost touch with
what happened in that stable that night, as far as the people
were concerned. But in their minds, in their
hearts, in their memories, they remembered what they had seen
and they remembered what they had heard. If these men were
indeed the Lords, what anticipation must have built in their hearts
over the years concerning the revelation of Christ the Saviour
that they received that night out in the fields above Bethlehem? They may not have lived to partake
in Christ's public ministry, or seen Him go to the cross and
rise from the dead, But just like all the Old Testament believers
before them, they continued to look forward to the fulfilment
of God's promises that they had personally received. So what's
the common feature of then and now? Well, it's what Paul talked
about to Agrippa. It's the sanctification of faith. It's having faith, trust in God's
promise, believe in God's word, laying all our hope upon the
accomplishment of redemption by that saviour who is Christ
the Lord. We dare not rely upon our own
righteousness, our own works. We cannot, we will not lay our
soul's eternal destiny upon the foolish speculations of religious
men and women. Only Jesus will do. Our saviour is Christ the Lord. May it be so for you and for
me and for all who hear this testimony today. Amen.