1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,440 I want to start this morning by asking you guys a series of questions, and I think I know the answers to each of the questions. 2 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,560 You don't have to say it out loud, but say it in your own heart. 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:16,920 But I think this will be instructive for us as a way to begin our service for today. 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:18,200 Here are the four questions. 5 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,080 Do you believe that God's Word is true? 6 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:26,520 Secondly, do you believe everything that's contained in God's Word? 7 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:35,080 Third, do you believe that miracles are not only possible, but they have happened many times in the past, and still happening today? 8 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:41,720 And last, do you believe that there is a spiritual realm beyond this physical world that we see? 9 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:49,720 If your answer to all four of those questions is yes, then you are ready to fully embrace this morning's message. 10 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:55,080 And to walk out of here, I hope, with greater joy this Christmas season. 11 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,520 God created you and I to inhabit a physical world. 12 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:06,600 We were designed that way, to see things and touch things and to be able to record things in time and space. 13 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:19,320 But despite how wonderfully we are made, we don't have the capacity to know that all that is going on in the invisible spiritual realm that God also created. 14 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:27,960 But if you believe God's Word, then you know that the spiritual realm is every bit as real as the material world that we live in today. 15 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:35,080 And that what happens in that invisible realm has an impact on the human affairs of this earth. 16 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:40,600 And we just have to acknowledge all of that because it's in the Bible before we get started this morning. 17 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,120 So grab your Bibles, and we're going to dive into Luke chapter 2. 18 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:52,040 Luke chapter 2, now we were there last Sunday as well, but we're going to cover some very specific verses this morning, verses 8 to 16. 19 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:56,840 And actually, let's back up to verse 1. 20 00:01:56,840 --> 00:01:59,800 We'll read that whole first section and just read it in context. 21 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:02,440 So we'll read verses 1 to 16 together. 22 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:04,760 Very familiar story, right? 23 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:06,040 We see it on the Bible. 24 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:07,240 We see it on the Bible. 25 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:08,600 We see it on the Bible. 26 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:10,200 We see it on the Bible. 27 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,280 We see it on the Bible, and we'll read it from verse 1 to 16 together. 28 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,280 Very familiar story, right? 29 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,760 We see it on greeting cards every year. 30 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,480 We sometimes read it to our families on Christmas morning. 31 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:25,000 But listen for the details as we go through this. 32 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:33,160 Verse 1, now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of the inhabited earth. 33 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:38,360 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 34 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,040 He was to register for the census each to his own city. 35 00:02:42,920 --> 00:02:53,240 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David. 36 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:59,480 In order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was with child. 37 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:06,920 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in cloths, 38 00:03:06,920 --> 00:03:11,000 and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 39 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:13,880 All right, so the Christ child is born. 40 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:15,320 We covered all that last Sunday. 41 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:20,760 If you missed that sermon, go online, go to Spotify, YouTube, and listen to the details on all of that. 42 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:21,560 What happens next? 43 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:28,680 Verse 8, in the same region where there were shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night, 44 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:35,480 and an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were 45 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:36,680 terribly frightened. 46 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:44,360 But the angel said to them, do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people. 47 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:50,600 For today in the city of David, there's been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord. 48 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:56,440 And this will be a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and laying in a manger. 49 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:02,440 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 50 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:08,040 glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased. 51 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:12,760 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, 52 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:18,920 let us go straight to Bethlehem then and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. 53 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:25,880 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby as he lay in the manger. 54 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:31,240 Okay, so two Sundays ago, we started the Advent series by talking about the heavyweights of this story. 55 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:37,400 Remember, Caesar Augustus and Herod the Great, and we laid a historical foundation talking about 56 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:43,160 Augustus representing the world situation and Herod representing the situation in Israel. 57 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,800 And then last Sunday, we took a dramatic shift, right, from the heavyweights to the nobodies. 58 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,840 And we focused our attention on Mary and Joseph. 59 00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:57,240 And it's interesting what we found was that, yeah, they're nobodies, you know, according to that time and place. 60 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,120 But Mary and Joseph were really quite extraordinary, weren't they? 61 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:07,880 Their strength and determination, their ability to adjust to changing circumstances, and most of all, 62 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:13,080 their trust in the plan that God had revealed to them, all of that was far greater than you would think 63 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,120 of an average couple of Galilean teenagers. 64 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:20,920 And today we're going to see something similar in the shepherds of Bethlehem, a group of very common 65 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:27,560 people chosen to receive a revelation from the Lord, and then we're going to see how they act on that in faith. 66 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,320 Now, God has always had a special place in his heart for shepherds. 67 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,120 We know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, right? 68 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:39,080 But even before that, right, we think about all the biblical characters who at one time or another 69 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,080 actually cared for flocks. 70 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:51,320 All three patriarchs were shepherds, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job cared for flocks, Moses, Amos was a shepherd by trade, 71 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,880 and of course, David, before he became a king. 72 00:05:54,920 --> 00:06:00,520 So you could make the case that at least in the Old Testament days, being a shepherd was a very noble profession. 73 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:07,480 But by the time we get to the New Testament era, the time of Christ, the idea of being a shepherd seems to have 74 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:11,480 fallen out of favor in terms of the Jewish tradition. 75 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,840 And if you think about it on a practical level, you can sort of understand why. 76 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:19,080 Shepherding is not what you would probably call a sophisticated profession. 77 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:20,600 Right? 78 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:25,400 We reserve that for people like academics and people who work in office buildings and things like that. 79 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:27,400 Not so much shepherds. 80 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:33,400 And listen, if you know this, if you have children and you've just gone to a petting zoo, 81 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,520 you know how dirty those places are, right? And the smell. 82 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:38,520 You all know the smell of a petting zoo, right? 83 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:40,520 With your kids or grandkids? 84 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:41,560 It's bad. 85 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:43,560 So being a shepherd was a grimy business. 86 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:50,520 Grazing your animals, watering your animals, milking them, shearing their coats, dealing with things like 87 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:53,560 parasites and constant hoof problems. 88 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:59,000 And of course, long nights out on the fields, watching over them, protecting them, 89 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:04,600 from predators. So the life of a shepherd was to be constantly outside, constantly dirty, 90 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:09,400 whether you were under the blazing sun of summer or in the cold of winter. 91 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,720 And so when you get to the first century in the rabbinical world of that day, 92 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:18,680 shepherds were considered unclean in a ceremonial sense. 93 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:23,160 And actually worse, if you read the Talmud, you read of the religious establishments, 94 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:25,640 absolute contentment of the shepherds. 95 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:31,080 You read of the religious establishments, absolute contempt for these people. 96 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:36,920 They were referred to in the Talmud as generally dishonest and prone to violating the Torah. 97 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,640 Most of them were illiterate, so the public viewed them as ignorant people, 98 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:42,920 irreligious people. 99 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:50,120 In the eyes of the law, they were seen as not trustworthy enough to come and bear witness in a court of law. 100 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:52,520 That's the way that they were seen. 101 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:58,040 And having said all that, as you and I know by our own lives, God loves a good underdog story, doesn't he? 102 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:00,200 That's just the way he operates. 103 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:04,120 The Lord often uses unlikely vessels to accomplish his will. 104 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:09,400 He uses shepherds and he uses fishermen and he uses tax collectors. 105 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:13,000 Paul calls them the weak and the foolish things of this world. 106 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:19,720 These God uses to confound the wisdom of those who think they are so wise and so sophisticated 107 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:20,600 in their own eyes. 108 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:25,720 And in the case of the Christmas story, God ironically uses a class of people, get this now, 109 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:31,800 who are not allowed to bear witness in a court of law to bear witness to the birth of his son. 110 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:34,680 It's just dripping with irony, isn't it? 111 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:36,840 But the logic is consistent. 112 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:42,760 If Jesus came to save and deliver the meek and the despised of this world, why not announce it to those 113 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,160 who are meek and despised? 114 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:47,720 So think carefully about that. 115 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:49,240 God chose wisely, didn't he? 116 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:51,640 Now, let me address something that you may or may not have heard about. 117 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:57,800 I've heard about this from a scholarly perspective for probably the last 20 years. 118 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:04,200 A theory was put forth about 150 years ago by a Messianic Christian and a biblical scholar 119 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:05,960 by the name of Alfred Edersheim. 120 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:11,560 And he suggested the possibility that the sheep being kept in the fields of Bethlehem that night 121 00:09:11,560 --> 00:09:13,720 were what we call temple lambs. 122 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:15,480 Temple lambs. 123 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,680 In other words, they were being raised specifically in the fields of Bethlehem. 124 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:23,400 They were being raised specifically to be sacrificed in the temple in Jerusalem. 125 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:28,360 And Edersheim put forth this theory that basically said that would mean two things. 126 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,320 Number one, these weren't just ordinary shepherds. 127 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:37,160 They have sort of a more open and receptive appreciation of the message of the angels. 128 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:42,440 But more importantly, number two, there would be all this different symbolism built into the story. 129 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:43,000 Get this. 130 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:48,440 The angels announcing the arrival of the Lamb of God to the very shepherds caring for the lambs 131 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:51,320 and go to the temple to be slaughtered for the forgiveness of sins. 132 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:54,520 If that's true, that's a ton of symbolism, isn't it? 133 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:56,920 Now, what did he build this theory on? 134 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:03,640 Well, Edersheim went deep into the Mishnah, which is the oral Torah, developed about 200 years 135 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:11,720 after the time of Christ, and he found a unique passage that talked about in the region between 136 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:18,120 Jerusalem and a very particular landmark called the Tower of the Flock, animals raised in that 137 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:19,080 zone, so to speak. 138 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:21,240 This is by the Mishnah, by the rabbis. 139 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:25,800 Those animals were qualified to be temple sacrifices. 140 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:27,560 The Tower of the Flock. 141 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:33,960 Now, that phrase is found in Genesis 35 in connection with the Tomb of Rachel. 142 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,480 And it's actually called, that's referred to the Tomb of Rachel is by the Tower of the Flock. 143 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:46,440 And modern archaeology has found that tomb and has located it right near present-day Bethlehem. 144 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:53,160 And then adding to the intrigue from Edersheim's perspective was this tower is found again in, 145 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:55,320 of all places, the prophecy of Micah. 146 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:00,520 And of course, Micah is the one who predicts that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, 147 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:04,600 but Micah writes about where the kingdom of God will arrive. 148 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:09,960 And here's what he says, as for you, Tower of the Flock, to you it will come. 149 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:14,280 So here's the thing, Edersheim's theory is not embraced by all scholars. 150 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:20,200 And I don't think we can be sure about this, that somehow those shepherds and those lambs were 151 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:21,880 connected to the temple sacrifices. 152 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:27,320 But because of those like sort of breadcrumbs that we see in the historical record and the close 153 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:32,360 proximity of Bethlehem to Jerusalem, it's not beyond possibility either. 154 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:37,080 So I'd love to be able to stand up here and say, yep, this is what it was, but it's not 155 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,920 beyond possibility. 156 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:45,560 And what a thought it would be that the shepherds, the shepherds who take care of the temple lambs 157 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:50,040 would be the first ones to see the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 158 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:51,080 Think about that. 159 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:51,720 It's amazing. 160 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:54,600 Okay, are there still shepherds in Israel today? 161 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:56,120 Yes. 162 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,880 Those of you who have been to Israel, it is one of the most amazing things to see. 163 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:04,200 In fact, if you go to Herodium outside of Bethlehem, you will still look on the hills 164 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,120 and see shepherds and sheep. 165 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:08,520 They are part of the larger Bedouin community. 166 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,040 I just I took this picture. 167 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:15,720 Bedouin shepherds that still still work in the fields and still take care of flocks. 168 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:22,120 And when you go to go to Israel, we always try to spend at least one day with a Bedouin 169 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:22,600 family. 170 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:27,080 And you you go into their tents and they're known for their kindness and known for their 171 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:27,560 hospitality. 172 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:29,560 They also like American dollars, by the way. 173 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:31,720 But but they're known for their hospitality. 174 00:12:31,720 --> 00:12:33,800 They will serve you some wild Turkish coffee. 175 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:36,440 And I mean, it's and really some delicious food. 176 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:41,160 In fact, I got a picture from of our group in 2017 sitting around a table. 177 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:43,480 You might recognize some of those folks. 178 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:46,760 Oh, and then they always like to take you out for a camel ride. 179 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:48,760 Which is a blast. 180 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:50,600 And so I had to throw this picture up there. 181 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,360 Oh, hey, now. 182 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:53,800 Hey, now. 183 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:57,640 Meredith is shaking her head at me. 184 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:01,720 David Meredith on a camel. 185 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:02,520 Isn't that great? 186 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:03,800 So good. 187 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:05,800 I'll take that picture down in just a moment. 188 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:06,600 Don't worry about it. 189 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:11,320 Anyway, it's really, really neat to see these shepherds and to see the Bedouin community 190 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:15,400 still active in Israel today and to sort of enjoy their hospitality. 191 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,760 OK, let's look more carefully at the narrative in Luke two. 192 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:20,120 Let's go back to verse eight. 193 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:23,160 I will take it down in a second. 194 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:26,200 You guys look great. 195 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:29,880 Getting on those camels and getting off. 196 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:30,680 Not easy, by the way. 197 00:13:30,680 --> 00:13:32,680 Man, those things are awkward. 198 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:39,480 Verse eight, in the same region, referring to the fact that the child was just born in 199 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:43,560 Bethlehem in that region, there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping 200 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:45,480 watch over their flocks by night. 201 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:49,560 So here's just an artist rendering of, I don't know, you know how I love images, right? 202 00:13:49,560 --> 00:13:51,640 Just to help us understand the text. 203 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:56,760 An artist, you know, rendering of what old Bethlehem might have looked like back in the 204 00:13:56,760 --> 00:13:57,400 day. 205 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:02,280 And I want you to think now, and I know we sing about this every year in carols, but 206 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:07,720 think about the quiet of working out in that environment, the stillness of the night and 207 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:09,240 the quiet of the night. 208 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:14,520 If Bethlehem is about a mile away, the only sounds you would hear would be the animal 209 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,400 shuffling around in the occasional bleeding. 210 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,760 Now, Bethlehem today is a built up city. 211 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:22,680 This is what it actually looks like today. 212 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:24,600 In the far distance is Bethlehem. 213 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:26,120 It's a big, big city. 214 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:32,360 Now it's under Palestinian control, but you can see still sheep in the area of Bethlehem. 215 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:33,480 Really, really amazing. 216 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:36,200 Back to this picture because it's better. 217 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:41,400 And it says, verse nine, in the middle of the stillness and this quiet, an angel of 218 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:46,120 the Lord suddenly stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they 219 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,560 were understandably terribly frightened. 220 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:51,720 Imagine this. 221 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:56,360 I know we read this all the time, we read it every year, and we read right past this 222 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:58,360 and go, oh, that's cool. 223 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:01,080 Are you serious? 224 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:04,120 Can you imagine this experience? 225 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,360 It's just a regular night on the job. 226 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,080 I mean, you guys, we all have jobs, right? 227 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:12,840 It's just every, you go into your day, every day you think nothing new is going to happen 228 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:17,080 today, you just, just regular old day, not for these guys. 229 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:18,520 Regular night on the job. 230 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,960 There's a chill in the air, everything is still and dead quiet. 231 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:26,200 I don't know if they were sitting around a fire or whether they were standing and leaning 232 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:31,880 on their staffs and watching over their flocks, but think about this in an absolute instant, 233 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:36,840 this blinding light that just enveloped them and the shock to your system that would have 234 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:37,560 been. 235 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:44,280 Sensing this heavy presence and as their eyes adjust, there's this being standing before 236 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:48,680 them that their brains cannot even process. 237 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:51,960 Again, try to put yourself in those sandals. 238 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:56,040 And when the text says that he stood before them, that's actually what it means. 239 00:15:56,040 --> 00:16:01,640 The Greek word there is used to describe somebody coming near or even confronting somebody, 240 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:03,160 attacking somebody. 241 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:07,720 So this angel, we often picture the angel hovering above like, whoa, you know, looking 242 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:08,360 down. 243 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,160 No, he gets up into their personal space. 244 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:14,440 So imagine how terrifying that would be. 245 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:19,320 I mean, first by the suddenness of it, but then I'm guessing by the size and the appearance 246 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:22,680 of this being, they're absolutely terrified. 247 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:26,360 My guess is their first thought was, I'm a dead man. 248 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:27,160 That's it. 249 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:29,080 This is the end of my life. 250 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:31,160 Again, the suddenness of it all. 251 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:32,280 I am a dead man. 252 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:36,440 And that's why the angel has to say very quickly, don't be afraid. 253 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:38,680 I'm here to give you good news, not destroy you. 254 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:41,880 Now, he doesn't actually say that, but that's basically what he implies. 255 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:42,840 I'm not going to hurt you. 256 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:44,280 I'm not going to destroy you. 257 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:45,800 I'm here with good news. 258 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:49,880 Now, we're going to come back to that good news in just a moment. 259 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:54,840 We're going to do a little theological side trail if we can, because we need to talk about 260 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:55,720 angels. 261 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:59,960 And we don't often do angelology here at Oak Hill, but now's a good time. 262 00:16:59,960 --> 00:17:03,800 Now, we could do a whole five-week series on angels and demons. 263 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,800 But I'm going to talk about a few things today, because I'm going to talk about a few things 264 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:10,120 today, because it's important when we read these stories to understand what's really 265 00:17:10,120 --> 00:17:12,840 going on. 266 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:20,200 More often than not today, how do we view angels in our mind's eye? 267 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:28,760 We see them as cutesy and human-like and sweet and gentle and benign. 268 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:33,160 They always have really big, pretty wings, and they're wearing beautiful, flowing white 269 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:33,960 robes. 270 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,640 And they have golden halos over their heads, all of these things. 271 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:39,320 By the way, I did it last night. 272 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:41,880 I did a Google image search for angels. 273 00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:43,880 It's all ridiculous. 274 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:44,840 It's literally ridiculous. 275 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,880 In fact, I love to put images on the screen. 276 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,280 I will not put an angelic image on the screen. 277 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:52,520 I can't do it, because you can't capture it. 278 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:53,480 I wish we could. 279 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:58,120 I wish there was an artist out there that could truly capture what a biblically accurate 280 00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:02,120 angel looks like, because they are imposing, and they are imposing. 281 00:18:02,120 --> 00:18:08,440 Because they are imposing, and they are fearsome, and they're strange. 282 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:09,640 So think about this for a second. 283 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,000 So let's talk about a few facts about them. 284 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:17,080 First of all, they're incorporeal, meaning they're not physical. 285 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:18,360 They're spirit beings. 286 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:20,200 They don't have bodies. 287 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:25,880 But they can appear in various types of physical forms according to God's commands. 288 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:31,080 And as God's messengers, they often deliver news and share prophetic messages. 289 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:32,280 But here's what you have to understand. 290 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:33,240 They go beyond that. 291 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:35,720 Angels do far more than just speaking. 292 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:38,200 It's really important to understand that. 293 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:43,240 They're all described in scripture almost as soldiers who are commanded to go out by 294 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:45,320 God to serve believers. 295 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:52,120 In fact, in Hebrews chapter 1, they're called ministering spirits sent out to render service 296 00:18:52,120 --> 00:18:54,680 to those who will inherit salvation. 297 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:57,640 That's in Hebrews 1. 298 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:03,800 Ministering spirits sent to render service to those who will inherit salvation. 299 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:08,760 And we see in scripture angels doing a whole number of really wild things. 300 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:14,440 For example, rescuing Lot and his family in Genesis 19 from certain death. 301 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:17,320 Opposing Balaam in Numbers 22. 302 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:23,720 Nearly destroying all of Jerusalem because of David's sin in 2 Samuel 24. 303 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:26,040 God stops him before he destroys Jerusalem. 304 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:33,160 Perhaps most dramatically, an angel slaughters 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night 305 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:35,160 in 2 Kings 19. 306 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,560 So they are clearly powerful beings. 307 00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:41,240 And when you look at the book of Revelation, which we'll talk about a little bit later, 308 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:46,040 you find, yeah, they have a very distinct role to play in the end of days. 309 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:51,960 They will bring pestilence and destruction upon the earth, even killing a third of humankind 310 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:53,960 during the Great Tribulation. 311 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:55,240 Angels are not to be trifled with. 312 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:57,240 They're not cutesy little things. 313 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:00,280 And that's what the shepherds found out that night. 314 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:05,480 It was fearsome and it was scary and they were terribly frightened. 315 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:07,000 Now, back up for a second. 316 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:12,440 If we start at the beginning and talk about angels, we see various hints drop throughout 317 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:16,760 scripture that God made two distinct families of servants. 318 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:21,560 He made angels in one realm, the spiritual realm, and he made men. 319 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:23,560 In the physical world. 320 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:30,440 And as early as Genesis 2, 1, at the completion of creation, we read that the angelic host 321 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:31,640 is present. 322 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:36,520 So the Lord had his two families, both were made for his glory, both were made designed 323 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:38,840 to love him and to serve him. 324 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:40,920 But then rebellions followed. 325 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:43,000 And we're familiar with this. 326 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,600 First of all, you had the fall of Satan and those who followed him. 327 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,840 Then you have the fall of man in the garden in Genesis, and then you have the fall of 328 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:52,280 Satan in the garden in Genesis 3. 329 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:58,440 And what's interesting is in his sovereignty, God chose to pass by the fallen angels. 330 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:00,840 He does not offer them a chance at redemption. 331 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:06,520 That's clear in scripture and Hebrews 2, it says, surely it's not angels that God helps, 332 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,400 but he helps the descendants of Abraham. 333 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:14,760 In first Timothy five, a phrase that might just you might just read right past. 334 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:21,320 Paul says to Timothy that there are chosen angels or elect angels, which implies the 335 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:21,960 opposite, right? 336 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:28,440 That some are rejected, but in his great mercy and kindness, the Lord chose to do otherwise 337 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:29,320 with fallen man. 338 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:32,120 And aren't you glad he didn't just pass us by? 339 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:35,400 He chose to offer us redemption. 340 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:39,480 He carried out an eternal plan in which his own son would become what? 341 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:45,720 A little lower than the angels for a time by taking out a human nature so that by his 342 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:48,760 death and resurrection, he might bring many sons to glory. 343 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:52,120 You find that in the book of Hebrews. 344 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,760 And yet here's the cool thing about angels far from envying the grace that God has shown 345 00:21:56,760 --> 00:21:57,080 to us. 346 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:02,040 They rejoice whenever a human being repents, right? 347 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:02,600 They rejoice. 348 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:07,480 They long to look into God's plan of salvation because they don't have it hasn't been offered 349 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:08,120 to them. 350 00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:14,200 They long to understand why God would redeem us, how he redeems us, and how we end up 351 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:14,760 repenting. 352 00:22:16,360 --> 00:22:21,240 They long to look into it and they marvel at God's wisdom in taking hostile groups of 353 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:26,200 human beings and forming them into one body, the church by the blood of his cross. 354 00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:31,560 Yeah, that's what angels do in the spiritual realm right now. 355 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:32,840 They are all of us. 356 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,360 And the work that God has done in our lives. 357 00:22:36,360 --> 00:22:37,560 They long to look at it. 358 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,880 Now, contrary to popular belief, we don't become angels when we die. 359 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:43,880 Darn it. 360 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:45,000 No wings. 361 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:47,080 We don't get harps. 362 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,000 We don't sit on clouds. 363 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,400 The two families of God remain distinct. 364 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:57,320 Angels will forever be angels and we will forever be redeemed men and women. 365 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:02,600 But and what I thought this is, we will meet these spiritual beings in glory when all 366 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,520 things are united in Christ. 367 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:10,040 And according to Revelation seven, we will gather together with angels around the throne 368 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:14,760 someday to worship the father and to worship the lamb. 369 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:17,240 That's Revelation seven. 370 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:20,040 It would be good to read the book of Revelation this week. 371 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:21,560 It'll fill you in on a bunch of things. 372 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,760 Now, it's interesting to know just how many terms are used for these spiritual beings, 373 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:27,640 not just angel. 374 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,440 And actually, angel is more of a verb than it is a noun. 375 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:38,760 In both the Old and New Testaments, the terms malach in Hebrew and angelos in Greek mean 376 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:41,560 messenger or envoy. 377 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,360 And as we've noted already, they do far more than just speak. 378 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:49,080 They do far more than just go and deliver messages. 379 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:54,600 Sometimes they're called any one of these names, spirits, heavenly ones, holy ones, 380 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:59,880 mighty ones, sons of God, watchers, and even Elohim. 381 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:01,480 Little G God. 382 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:02,760 Little G Gods. 383 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:09,080 So, some of these heavenly beings are angels in the truest sense, meaning that is their 384 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:13,000 primary role, to be messengers, but others don't function that way. 385 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,880 And so it's actually not accurate to call all of them angels because they're not all 386 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:18,440 messengers. 387 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:22,440 So in terms of types of angels, there are, first of all, archangels. 388 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:26,920 And there's only one we're sure of, and that is who? 389 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:28,600 That is Michael. 390 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:34,040 We're told that he's an archangel, although in Daniel 10, he's called one of the chief 391 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:35,640 priests, or chief princes. 392 00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:38,440 So we know that there are other archangels. 393 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:40,440 We just don't have their names. 394 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:45,800 Some scholars surmise that Gabriel might be an archangel, but we don't know for sure. 395 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:50,120 But those are the only two specific names were given in scripture of angels with their 396 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:51,160 personal names. 397 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:55,320 Now, Gabriel, we've already encountered in the Christmas story a couple of times, right? 398 00:24:55,320 --> 00:25:00,440 And really, he stands out as the primary messenger of the biggest news that comes out of heaven 399 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:01,880 when it comes to the birth of Christ. 400 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:08,280 Remember, first of all, he appeared to Zacharias, the husband of Elizabeth, to announce what? 401 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:14,840 That Elizabeth, in her older age, will become pregnant and give birth to a son named John 402 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:15,960 the Baptist. 403 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:20,440 And what's interesting about that appearance is this is how Gabriel introduces himself. 404 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:26,360 He says that he stands in the presence of God when he's not delivering messages, which 405 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:29,240 may indicate that, yeah, he's an archangel as well. 406 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,360 He's right there at the throne of the Almighty. 407 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:39,400 Of course, we saw last week how Gabriel appeared to Mary, convincing her of her miraculous 408 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:40,120 conception. 409 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:44,760 And even though he wasn't named in Matthew 1, it's likely that it's Gabriel who appears 410 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:48,760 to Joseph as well and says, hey, Joseph, I know you're strong. 411 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:53,400 He says, hey, Joseph, I know you're stressed out right now, but go ahead and take Mary 412 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:54,120 as your wife. 413 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:57,560 So that's all likely the work of Gabriel. 414 00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:58,600 But this is interesting. 415 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:04,040 Gabriel actually shows up in the Old Testament as well in a very fascinating way. 416 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:09,080 In Daniel chapter 8, Gabriel is sent from the throne room of God to Daniel. 417 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:15,320 Now, Daniel has just received a wild vision about the end of days, and Gabriel goes and 418 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:21,080 fronts him, comes and stands near to him to give him an explanation of that vision. 419 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:22,760 And again, what does it say? 420 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:25,400 Daniel was terribly frightened. 421 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:31,240 In fact, so much so that it says a few verses later that this confrontation with Gabriel 422 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,200 caused him to be sick for days. 423 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:36,040 He was so shaken by it. 424 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:44,280 Now, most fascinating of all, in that chapter, Daniel 10, God gives us just a smidgen of 425 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:49,080 information about spiritual battles that take place in the heavenly realms. 426 00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:54,760 And based on what it says, it appears that Gabriel and Michael were engaged in a battle 427 00:26:55,480 --> 00:27:00,360 with a series of demonic principalities, and they're given titles in Daniel 10. 428 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:05,480 One's called the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia, and another is called the Prince of 429 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:07,720 the Kingdom of Greece, and more on that in a second. 430 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:10,760 But there are spiritual battles taking place. 431 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:15,960 So I share that with you, again, not to get you obsessed about things that we can't see 432 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:21,240 or understand, but to know that there's always more going on in this world than we can even see. 433 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:26,040 So archangels, then there are cherubim, right? 434 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:29,960 Mentioned, and cherubim are mentioned all the 58 times in 13 books. 435 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:32,440 Cherubs are mentioned. 436 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:35,480 And their appearances are quite terrifying. 437 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:37,640 They are fearsome protectors. 438 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:39,960 That seems to be their job. 439 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:41,960 Guarding the Tree of Life in Genesis 3. 440 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:44,520 Cherubim, right? 441 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:51,960 Depicted on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, and on the curtain that separated the Holy of 442 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:57,720 Holies in the Tabernacle, the implication being that they're designed to protect areas where 443 00:27:57,720 --> 00:27:59,560 some people are not allowed to go. 444 00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:01,960 So they're divine protectors. 445 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:07,400 In Ezekiel 10, the cherubim are said to have wings that are as loud as the voice of God. 446 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:09,400 You can imagine their size and volume. 447 00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:12,360 Their entire bodies are covered with eyes. 448 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:18,280 They have faces that, depending on how you shift around and look at from different angles, 449 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:20,360 they look like one of four things. 450 00:28:20,360 --> 00:28:25,320 An ox, a man, a lion, and an eagle. 451 00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:31,160 Again, try to picture what that might look like as you spun around this particular being 452 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:32,920 and saw one of those four faces. 453 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:41,480 And if the section in Ezekiel 28 is written about Satan, and most scholars believe it is, 454 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,480 that tells us that Satan was at one time one of the cherubim. 455 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:53,320 He was a guardian cherub in the throne room of God before he got prideful and rebelled against the 456 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:53,800 Lord. 457 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:55,480 So cherubim. 458 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:56,920 Then we have Seraphim. 459 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:02,520 Again, not messenger angels, but unique spiritual beings who are mentioned only one time, 460 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:10,600 and that is in Isaiah 6 in this great throne room vision that Isaiah gets of how God operates. 461 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:16,600 And they're described as fiery and described they have six wings, and their primary role is to 462 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:19,160 worship and exalt the holiness of God. 463 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:25,240 They're the ones who fly around the throne room of God and say, holy, holy, holy, in the name of 464 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:28,280 God, holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts. 465 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:30,280 The whole earth is full of his glory. 466 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,680 And then there's this interesting parallel with them in the New Testament. 467 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:42,040 In Revelation 4 and 5, we're told of something called four living creatures that are in the 468 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:48,120 presence of God, who God sits on his throne, and these living creatures, they're full of eyes, 469 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:49,880 it says, in front and behind. 470 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:55,880 They also have six wings and four types of faces, and they too worship the Lord, but now 471 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:57,800 something is added in Revelation. 472 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:04,600 They worship the lamb before the throne, singing, holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, 473 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,880 who was and who is and who is to come. 474 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:13,160 And then later, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom 475 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:15,640 and might and honor and glory and blessing. 476 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:19,560 So although they're not called Seraphim in the New Testament, these living creatures 477 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:25,400 seem to function in the same way, almost like priestly worship leaders in the throne room 478 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:26,200 of God. 479 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:28,360 Man, it's wild, isn't it? 480 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:32,680 It's mysterious, and hopefully I get excited when I think about this. 481 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:37,800 Someday we'll lay eyes on this and see it for ourselves. 482 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:42,280 And friends, I think it's important for us to take note of this fact for the purpose of our 483 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:47,800 spiritual walks. The New Testament is not shy about describing the reality of these beings. 484 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:51,080 It's not shy about describing their activity. 485 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:55,880 And yes, both holy angels and fallen angels, they're active in our world. 486 00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:59,640 There's a whole number of angelic encounters in the New Testament. 487 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:01,960 Many of them connected to Jesus himself. 488 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:03,880 Jesus talked often about them. 489 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:07,240 Even disciples like Peter had angelic encounters. 490 00:31:08,200 --> 00:31:10,280 So we don't want to be obsessed over them. 491 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:14,280 But we should realize that they are actively present all around us. 492 00:31:14,280 --> 00:31:18,840 And even though we can't see them, and even though we don't think about them much, 493 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:22,040 we should be aware and be encouraged by this. 494 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:28,920 God has at his disposal all of these servants that are ministering to believers like us. 495 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:31,400 So we can be encouraged by this. 496 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:34,440 Finally, the last category are fallen angels. 497 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:36,200 Oh boy. 498 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:38,440 This is where it really gets interesting. 499 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:40,600 This is where it really gets interesting, right? 500 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:48,040 Once holy and faithful, but then engaged in a rebellion against the Lord and driven out of 501 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:52,840 heaven. Some of them, by the way, Genesis 6, some of them actually put into spiritual dungeons for 502 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,520 all time. But most of them simply thrown down to the earth. 503 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:01,320 And that includes their leader, the one we know as Satan, who is the accuser. 504 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:04,920 Strictly speaking, that name is not a personal name. 505 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:05,720 It's an epithet. 506 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:07,320 It describes who he is. 507 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:09,480 And by the way, he's known by a whole number of names. 508 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:13,560 Revelation 12 describes him as the dragon or that ancient serpent, 509 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:19,000 making a connection to the serpent that tempted Eve in the garden. 510 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:25,000 In the Septuagint, in the New Testament, he's called in Greek, Diabolos, or the slanderer. 511 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:28,280 Transliterated in English as the devil. 512 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,280 And that's the one who tempted Jesus in the wilderness. 513 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:38,840 Paul calls him the little G, God of this world, responsible for blinding the minds of the unredeemed. 514 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:45,560 He's also called Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons, identified in Second Kings 1 with the 515 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:50,760 pagan God of the Philistine city, Ekron, Baalzebub from Baal. 516 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:53,160 So he's known by all they see. 517 00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:59,080 Now that last one being identified with a king in Ekron is interesting. 518 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:00,600 This is important to understand. 519 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:03,960 Because the biblical writers, including Paul, by the way, in the New Testament, 520 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:10,200 they have a worldview that says, look, physical idols made of wood or stone are absolutely 521 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:10,760 nothing. 522 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:12,120 They're meaningless, right? 523 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:13,000 They're just wood or stone. 524 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:16,440 But there is a spiritual power behind them. 525 00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:23,400 The fallen sons of God wield real power among the unbelieving nations and people of the world. 526 00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:28,920 And that becomes the basis for the spiritual warfare that we see dotted throughout Scripture. 527 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:34,440 That's why there are princes in the kingdom of Persia, princes in the kingdom of Greece, 528 00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:37,480 real principalities that wield power. 529 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:39,160 Now, where does that go back to? 530 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:44,200 Well, in the beginning, we're told that Yahweh assigned different heavenly beings, sons of 531 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:47,880 gods, and gave them real power over nations. 532 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:53,720 Moses himself says in Deuteronomy 32, he says this, when the Most High gave the nations their 533 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:59,480 inheritance, when he separated the sons of man, he set the boundaries of the peoples 534 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,280 according to the number of the sons of God. 535 00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:09,160 And a lot of scholars believe that this is the basis for the whole prologue in the book of Job. 536 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:11,880 Have you read chapters one and two of Job? 537 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:14,040 It's this wild scene, right? 538 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:17,560 What happens in that particular chapter? 539 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:24,920 God calls the sons of God, the angels, to come to the throne room and to report to him. 540 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:27,480 He commands them to come up and give a report. 541 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:28,840 And who's included in that? 542 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:30,520 Satan. 543 00:34:31,160 --> 00:34:33,960 The fallen angels are to report as well. 544 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:34,520 Why? 545 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:37,240 Because they have some jurisdiction over the nations of the world. 546 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:42,280 So the mysterious picture we're given in Scripture is that God sits on his throne 547 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:47,960 and he is surrounded by this angelic host. 548 00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:52,920 And that's what Isaiah saw in Isaiah chapter six, right? 549 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:56,200 That's what's described in the book of Revelation. 550 00:34:56,840 --> 00:35:00,200 The Lord presides over this gathering of spiritual beings 551 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:03,240 acting as supreme monarch over the entire universe. 552 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:09,560 And in various places, that gathering of beings is called an assembly in some places. 553 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:14,360 It's called a council, a congregation, and a court. 554 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:21,080 And these spiritual beings interact with him and they carry out his will as he issues decrees 555 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:24,760 and as he dispatches angels to do his bidding. 556 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:27,080 It's quite a scene. 557 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:31,320 And we're not given a whole lot of detail, probably because we couldn't handle it 558 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:33,560 or we get just obsessed with it. 559 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:39,160 But the deeper you dig, the more you see how Scripture paints a royal portrait. 560 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:43,080 A royal portrait of the Lord operating in this unseen realm. 561 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:46,200 And guys, it expands our view of God's sovereignty, does it not? 562 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:49,000 Because we always think he's sovereign over the things of the earth, 563 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:50,280 but it's far more than that. 564 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:54,280 He is sovereign over the material world, but also the spiritual world. 565 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:56,680 Utterly sovereign. 566 00:35:56,680 --> 00:36:01,240 And he instructs both of his families, both angels, holy angels, 567 00:36:01,240 --> 00:36:04,040 and his redeemed to carry out his will. 568 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:08,040 So while we're doing that, while we are fulfilling the purposes of God 569 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:13,320 according to his sovereign reign, the angels are doing the same in the spiritual world. 570 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:14,520 It's really quite amazing. 571 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:18,840 Now the good news is there's a day coming when every rebellious being 572 00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:23,480 who followed after Satan will be judged and their authority will be stripped away. 573 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:27,640 In fact, we're told in the Gospels that that process has already begun. 574 00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:31,880 Paul says that at the cross and at the resurrection, 575 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:36,520 God disarmed the rulers and authorities, made a public display of them, 576 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:39,240 having triumphed over them through Christ. 577 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:44,440 That process has already begun and will someday be completed. 578 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:47,800 And all their power will be stripped away and they'll be judged forever. 579 00:36:49,720 --> 00:36:53,720 So that was a really condensed angelology for you. 580 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:56,280 Let me just say this before we get back to the text. 581 00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:59,560 Angels aren't the most important thing in the Bible for us to understand. 582 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:02,360 Otherwise, we'd be given more information. 583 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:05,720 But we shouldn't be purposely ignorant about them either. 584 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:10,600 Again, be encouraged that as a believer, the Lord has his servants at his disposal 585 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:15,880 that he can send them, dispatch them to render service to you and me. 586 00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:17,720 And that's good news. 587 00:37:17,720 --> 00:37:19,720 Okay, back to Luke 2. 588 00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:23,480 Was that a good rabbit trail? 589 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:25,880 Send me questions. 590 00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:27,480 No, actually, Adam at Oak Hill Bible. 591 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:30,680 He'll answer all the hard questions for me. 592 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:31,880 All right, look at verse 10. 593 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:36,040 Let's dissect what the angels told the shepherds that night. 594 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:38,360 Now you understand more about Gabriel, right? 595 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,080 Says, but the angel, and this could be Gabriel. 596 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:45,960 He's not identified, but it would make sense consistently that this might be Gabriel. 597 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:50,120 But the angel said to them, to the shepherds, do not be afraid, for behold, 598 00:37:50,120 --> 00:37:53,560 I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people. 599 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:56,440 For today in the city of the Lord, the angels are going to be 600 00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:59,560 going to be with you, for today in the city of David, 601 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:03,160 there's been born for you a savior who is Christ, the Lord. 602 00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:08,440 So after communicating the most urgent news, relax, I'm not here to kill you. 603 00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:12,680 The angel says to the shepherds, I have good news. 604 00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:17,080 And yes, in the Greek, that is the exact word we use for the gospel. 605 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:18,680 The good news, right? 606 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:19,880 Ewan galizomai. 607 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:22,440 It's the exact same word. 608 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:24,120 And I've always marveled at this. 609 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:29,560 The teaching of the New Testament gospel came from an angel dispatched by God 610 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:31,160 to speak to man. 611 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:32,200 It's amazing, right? 612 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:33,960 And notice it's a simple message. 613 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:37,240 A savior is born for you today. 614 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:43,000 And the angel includes two details, and I just, I wonder, I wonder about this so much. 615 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:43,720 I have questions. 616 00:38:43,720 --> 00:38:44,760 I know I say that every week. 617 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:46,280 I have questions when I get to heaven. 618 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:47,640 I want to meet these shepherds. 619 00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:51,800 Like in that moment, when you were overwhelmed by the presence of the angels, 620 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:55,000 how much of the nuance of what they were saying did you pick up on? 621 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:59,400 But there's two important details here that must have caught their attention. 622 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:06,200 First, he dropped a name and a title that had great significance for every Jewish man in Israel. 623 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:07,880 King David. 624 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:10,280 Oh, David, we know that name. 625 00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:11,560 We know all about David. 626 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:19,800 And then the title, a savior, the Christ, which means in Greek, the anointed one, 627 00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:22,120 and the Hebrew transliteration means what? 628 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:23,720 It's Messiah. 629 00:39:25,240 --> 00:39:26,440 That's what he was announcing. 630 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:32,360 And obviously that connection matter because every Jewish man in the first century understood 631 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:36,200 that when Messiah came, he would sit on the throne of his father, David. 632 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:42,280 So the connection there must, this was, this was not just good news of great joy. 633 00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:44,920 This was the best news a Jewish man could hear. 634 00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:46,920 That must have excited them. 635 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:52,520 But then the second personal thing about this is he says the savior is born for you. 636 00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:55,480 And they must have thought for me? 637 00:39:56,440 --> 00:39:57,400 Shepherds? 638 00:39:58,360 --> 00:39:59,640 You got this wrong. 639 00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:02,440 Jerusalem is, is about six miles that way. 640 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:05,080 And that's where you'll find the Sanhedrin. 641 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:07,880 But he says, no, it's, it's for you. 642 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:10,040 That's mind blowing, right? 643 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:15,560 These are men that lived on the fringes of culture, always on the outside looking in 644 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:17,160 dismissed by everybody. 645 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:21,960 But now they hear that this gift was being announced for them too. 646 00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:24,440 For all people, it says, all the people, right? 647 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:31,240 That includes all kinds of people and people from all nations, Jew, Gentile, men, women, slave, free, 648 00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:33,240 priest and shepherd alike. 649 00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:35,640 That's good news. 650 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:38,440 And then the angel says something really cryptic in verse 12. 651 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:40,040 And this will be a sign for you. 652 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:43,240 You'll find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger. 653 00:40:43,240 --> 00:40:48,920 Lying in a manger, so I'm not going to give you the specific location, but here's a clue for you, 654 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:49,160 right? 655 00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:51,640 Other than it's Bethlehem, the city of David, right? 656 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:55,480 And that's a town that they likely would have known very, very well. 657 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:56,120 But where? 658 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:58,120 How do I find this, this baby? 659 00:40:58,840 --> 00:40:59,720 Here's the good news. 660 00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:02,440 Shepherds would have understood mangers really well. 661 00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:03,400 Where we're like, manger? 662 00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:03,960 What's a manger? 663 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:05,320 What's a feeding trough? 664 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:09,320 And they must have thought, wait, you can see the math in their head. 665 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:11,800 Messiah, Savior, feeding trough. 666 00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:13,480 That makes no sense. 667 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:16,600 But we know where all the feeding troughs are in Bethlehem. 668 00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:20,680 So it became a great clue that they knew exactly where to look. 669 00:41:20,680 --> 00:41:21,400 It makes sense. 670 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:27,720 Now, in hindsight, we look back at the story 2000 years later and we get the privilege 671 00:41:27,720 --> 00:41:32,920 of studying the text and all the languages and finding all the parallels and all the 672 00:41:32,920 --> 00:41:35,240 contrasts that are woven into the story. 673 00:41:35,240 --> 00:41:38,840 So just listen, the son of God in the body of an infant. 674 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:40,280 What? 675 00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,520 An eternally rich being becoming poor. 676 00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:49,720 Leaving the heights of heaven to come all the way down to the basement of the earth. 677 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:56,920 A pure and spotless lamb lying in a dirty, smelly manger. 678 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:05,080 Born into the unclean world of unclean shepherds despised and rejected by his own. 679 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:06,840 What a story. 680 00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:08,280 Human beings couldn't write this. 681 00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:09,880 I'm telling you, it's too wild. 682 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:13,000 Okay, the glory scene isn't over. 683 00:42:13,000 --> 00:42:14,360 Let's go to verse 13. 684 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:16,520 It gets more spectacular. 685 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:21,800 Suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying 686 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:27,000 glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased. 687 00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:28,760 So what is a heavenly host? 688 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:30,920 You've probably used that phrase before. 689 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:31,640 What does it mean? 690 00:42:31,640 --> 00:42:33,000 What does a heavenly host mean? 691 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:39,960 What we see in scripture in many places, the word host or hosts, saba in Hebrew and strata 692 00:42:39,960 --> 00:42:43,560 in Greek and in both languages, it means the same thing. 693 00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:45,560 It means an army. 694 00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:53,880 So wherever you see the Lord of hosts in scripture, you can translate it as the Lord of heavenly 695 00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,200 armies, which is so cool. 696 00:42:56,920 --> 00:42:57,640 Right? 697 00:42:57,640 --> 00:43:03,080 Right? God's a warrior, he says, and he has an army of spiritual beings. 698 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:05,240 And that's what these shepherds see. 699 00:43:05,240 --> 00:43:06,600 Can you imagine this sight? 700 00:43:07,080 --> 00:43:08,840 I mean, one was enough, right? 701 00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:15,400 But then to see this, it's almost like an uncountable number of angels were hiding behind 702 00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:16,840 some celestial door. 703 00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:21,240 And then they heard the term Christ the Lord, and they burst through the door with such 704 00:43:21,240 --> 00:43:21,800 great joy. 705 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:23,080 They just had to see it. 706 00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:27,880 They heard the term Christ the Lord, and they burst through the door with such great joy. 707 00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:33,480 They just had to be there in that spot to sing praises and to become visible to these 708 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:34,280 shepherds. 709 00:43:35,320 --> 00:43:36,280 It's crazy. 710 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:38,920 And why wouldn't you rush to worship like that? 711 00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:44,200 In the fullness of time, God had done something in Bethlehem that even the angels could not 712 00:43:44,200 --> 00:43:46,280 have understood or foreseen. 713 00:43:47,240 --> 00:43:50,280 That God the Son, who they knew in the spiritual realm, right? 714 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:52,200 They know God in the spiritual realm. 715 00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:56,280 God the Son would take on flesh in order to ransom the souls of men. 716 00:43:57,640 --> 00:43:59,480 They long to look into those types of things. 717 00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:02,920 So they are as blown away by this story as anybody. 718 00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:05,000 And so they rush in to worship. 719 00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:06,440 And what do they sing? 720 00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:08,520 We sang it this morning. 721 00:44:09,560 --> 00:44:11,880 Gloria in excelsis Deo. 722 00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:14,680 Glory to God in the highest. 723 00:44:14,680 --> 00:44:16,440 This is the hymn of the angels. 724 00:44:17,240 --> 00:44:20,840 And here's something I find interesting about this, and it hit me at like, I don't know, 725 00:44:20,840 --> 00:44:22,440 one in the morning last night. 726 00:44:23,640 --> 00:44:25,880 As every good thought hits me at 1 a.m. 727 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:33,960 There was another time when the heavenly host did this and came and sang at the dawn of 728 00:44:33,960 --> 00:44:34,920 creation. 729 00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:39,560 In fact, God himself tells Job about it in Job 38. 730 00:44:39,720 --> 00:44:45,240 God says to Job, where were you, Job, when I laid the foundation of the earth, when the 731 00:44:45,240 --> 00:44:49,400 morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 732 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:51,160 Think about the parallels now. 733 00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:57,800 So the same thing that took place at the first creation here in the fields of Bethlehem, 734 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:02,520 it's as if a whole new creation had dawned with the coming of Christ. 735 00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:07,720 And so here's God once again, just as he had done at creation, showing forth his wisdom 736 00:45:07,720 --> 00:45:09,880 and his power and his love. 737 00:45:10,840 --> 00:45:14,600 And the angels cannot help themselves but sing glory. 738 00:45:16,120 --> 00:45:16,760 It's beautiful. 739 00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:20,120 Now there's controversy to the second half of what they say here in verse 14. 740 00:45:20,840 --> 00:45:24,680 On earth, peace among men with whom he is pleased. 741 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:29,240 Some of you may have a translation that says, on whom his favor rests. 742 00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:34,200 But if you grew up in the church way back in the day, you probably heard the more 743 00:45:34,200 --> 00:45:38,200 traditional rendering of this, and it comes out of the old King James version. 744 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:41,640 And it goes like this, peace on earth and goodwill towards men. 745 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:43,160 Do we sing a song, Grant? 746 00:45:43,640 --> 00:45:44,120 Yeah, we do. 747 00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:48,440 And that usually gets printed on the greeting cards, peace on earth and goodwill towards men. 748 00:45:48,840 --> 00:45:54,040 And as that translation has sunk in over the years, it's caused a lot of people to go, what? 749 00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:59,000 And to sort of doubt that message, because look, you look at the world today, not a lot 750 00:45:59,000 --> 00:45:59,960 of peace happening. 751 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:06,040 And that's unfortunate because that's not even close to the best translation of this particular 752 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:06,600 verse. 753 00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:12,600 This was not a promise from the angel that there would be an absence of conflict or conflict 754 00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:14,360 or war. 755 00:46:14,360 --> 00:46:18,760 This was not a promise that somehow, because Jesus is born this day, human beings are going 756 00:46:18,760 --> 00:46:21,160 to start getting along with each other. 757 00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:22,920 That was not the promise. 758 00:46:23,480 --> 00:46:29,400 The promise peace here is the peace enjoyed by men and women with whom he is well pleased. 759 00:46:30,200 --> 00:46:35,240 Meaning, all those who've been reconciled to God through faith alone in the Savior that 760 00:46:35,240 --> 00:46:36,920 was born that night in Bethlehem. 761 00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:39,960 That's the peace, right? 762 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:41,240 He is our peace. 763 00:46:41,240 --> 00:46:44,440 Jesus is our peace and he came as the Prince of peace. 764 00:46:44,440 --> 00:46:47,160 But in this world, he said, you will have tribulation. 765 00:46:48,440 --> 00:46:54,440 But in the midst of tribulation, in the midst of trials, those who know Christ, those on whom 766 00:46:54,440 --> 00:46:56,840 his favor rests, we are at peace. 767 00:46:57,960 --> 00:46:59,560 That's the peace they're talking about. 768 00:47:00,680 --> 00:47:03,160 After all, remember, who's going to inherit the earth? 769 00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:05,400 That's right. 770 00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:06,680 Who's going to reign with Christ? 771 00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:10,840 The meek, the humble, those who are persecuted for righteousness. 772 00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:13,640 And all those who are washed in the blood of the lamb. 773 00:47:13,640 --> 00:47:16,120 And if you fall into that category, guess what? 774 00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:17,640 You have peace. 775 00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:19,960 You have peace. 776 00:47:20,680 --> 00:47:22,760 And that's what the angel was promising that night. 777 00:47:25,080 --> 00:47:26,360 So let me close with this. 778 00:47:26,840 --> 00:47:29,640 Just the importance of how the shepherds responded. 779 00:47:29,640 --> 00:47:30,520 Verse 15. 780 00:47:31,800 --> 00:47:34,200 Because look, this should be our response too. 781 00:47:35,960 --> 00:47:38,040 The angels have gone away from them into heaven. 782 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:40,040 Now, stop for a second. 783 00:47:40,040 --> 00:47:41,160 Come on now. 784 00:47:41,640 --> 00:47:42,680 Now, I said it last week. 785 00:47:42,680 --> 00:47:46,920 Luke gives us this really brief, simple account, and he does that because he's a facts-based 786 00:47:46,920 --> 00:47:49,640 guy, and it lends credibility to the story. 787 00:47:49,640 --> 00:47:50,600 But come on. 788 00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:57,160 These shepherds, these guys who, whoop, they disappear up into the heavenly realms again. 789 00:47:57,160 --> 00:47:59,160 You think these guys went, oh, that was nice. 790 00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:01,880 They'd have gone, what is happening? 791 00:48:02,840 --> 00:48:05,400 I mean, they had to have had a download conversation. 792 00:48:05,400 --> 00:48:08,120 Did you see that? Did you hear that? 793 00:48:08,120 --> 00:48:09,080 That was wild. 794 00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:10,440 Did you see how big that thing was? 795 00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:13,000 I mean, they would have had that whole conversation, right? 796 00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:15,560 Okay, I think we can, yeah. 797 00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:20,360 But then Luke just simply says, the shepherds began saying to one another, let's go straight 798 00:48:20,360 --> 00:48:25,560 to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. 799 00:48:25,560 --> 00:48:29,800 And they went in a hurry, and they found Mary and Joseph and the baby. 800 00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:30,760 What an understatement. 801 00:48:31,560 --> 00:48:35,000 Can you imagine saying, oh, I'm going to go to Bethlehem and see what's going on? 802 00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:37,880 And Mary's just saying, that was a pretty cool show. 803 00:48:37,880 --> 00:48:39,880 But look, we've got sheep to care for. 804 00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:42,280 So let's just, the fire's nice. 805 00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:43,560 Let's just stay here. 806 00:48:44,200 --> 00:48:45,240 Of course not, right? 807 00:48:45,240 --> 00:48:48,520 They rushed to Bethlehem because it's the Messiah. 808 00:48:49,240 --> 00:48:50,520 Are you kidding me? 809 00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:52,360 Again, Jewish sandals. 810 00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:54,360 The Messiah has been born. 811 00:48:55,160 --> 00:48:57,160 They rush over there, right? 812 00:48:57,400 --> 00:49:02,440 And the biggest indicator that they went in a hurry was they had bailed on their sheep. 813 00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:04,440 Shepherds never do that. 814 00:49:04,440 --> 00:49:06,040 Shepherds never leave their sheep. 815 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:07,080 They're like, what sheep? 816 00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:08,600 Boo! 817 00:49:08,600 --> 00:49:09,880 And they run off to Bethlehem. 818 00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:10,760 It's amazing. 819 00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:13,240 And they find Mary and Joseph and the baby. 820 00:49:13,240 --> 00:49:18,760 Now, think about how their arrival must have affected Mary and Joseph, right? 821 00:49:19,640 --> 00:49:23,800 I mean, all of a sudden, you know, it's probably pretty quiet other than the animals, wherever 822 00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:28,520 they are, and all of a sudden this rush of feet, and these guys come bursting in with 823 00:49:28,520 --> 00:49:32,920 all this excitement, and they're probably surprised and taken back, who are these guys, 824 00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:33,480 right? 825 00:49:33,480 --> 00:49:35,400 But then you can picture them. 826 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:35,960 They sit down. 827 00:49:35,960 --> 00:49:37,800 They go, let me tell you what just happened. 828 00:49:38,680 --> 00:49:41,320 I would love to have been a fly on the wall, right? 829 00:49:41,320 --> 00:49:42,440 Listen to what just happened. 830 00:49:42,440 --> 00:49:47,320 And they talk about David, and they talk about a Savior and Messiah, and the voices and the 831 00:49:47,320 --> 00:49:48,920 sight of this heavenly host. 832 00:49:49,720 --> 00:49:54,440 And I think what was going on in that moment is Mary and Joseph are like, yeah, yeah, yeah, 833 00:49:54,440 --> 00:49:54,760 I know. 834 00:49:55,640 --> 00:49:58,040 Because they'd had their own angelic appearances. 835 00:49:58,040 --> 00:50:01,720 They'd received their own promises about their child, and they're connecting the dots. 836 00:50:01,720 --> 00:50:02,920 What a cool moment, right? 837 00:50:02,920 --> 00:50:04,760 They must have been so encouraged by this. 838 00:50:04,760 --> 00:50:09,720 In fact, my guess is it was the arrival of the shepherds and their report that finally 839 00:50:09,720 --> 00:50:12,680 brought everything full circle for Mary and Joseph. 840 00:50:12,680 --> 00:50:18,520 All the inconvenience and the pain and the dirtiness of all of it brought it all together, 841 00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:20,360 and they said, ah, the sovereign hand of God. 842 00:50:21,720 --> 00:50:26,200 And it all came together for them, and they must have been so joyful and encouraged in 843 00:50:26,200 --> 00:50:26,840 that moment. 844 00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:31,560 So next Sunday, we're going to celebrate Christmas on the 22nd, and we're going to look at the 845 00:50:31,560 --> 00:50:32,200 prophets. 846 00:50:32,200 --> 00:50:35,240 So we talked about the heavyweights, the nobodies, today the heralds. 847 00:50:35,960 --> 00:50:41,640 Next Sunday, we'll talk about the prophets, both Old and New Testament, that see Christ 848 00:50:41,640 --> 00:50:43,800 as the Messiah. 849 00:50:44,440 --> 00:50:47,800 But for today, just want you to walk away with just a few things. 850 00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:54,280 Again, first of all, recognize that the gospel has been given to the simple and the ordinary, 851 00:50:54,280 --> 00:50:56,920 and the humble and the poor in spirit. 852 00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:02,200 If it were any other way, guess what mankind would do? 853 00:51:02,920 --> 00:51:04,120 Boast in themselves. 854 00:51:04,760 --> 00:51:05,320 Right? 855 00:51:05,320 --> 00:51:08,520 Oh, my own wisdom, my own insight, my own intellect. 856 00:51:08,520 --> 00:51:09,880 Look how spiritual I am. 857 00:51:09,880 --> 00:51:14,280 And they would congratulate themselves on how much greater they are than everybody else. 858 00:51:14,920 --> 00:51:16,520 And so God said, that's not the way it's coming. 859 00:51:17,560 --> 00:51:19,080 That's not the way it's going to go down. 860 00:51:19,080 --> 00:51:24,920 And so Luke gives us the simple narrative delivered to a simple people, and the response 861 00:51:24,920 --> 00:51:26,120 is a simple response. 862 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:28,280 Believe and go see. 863 00:51:29,160 --> 00:51:29,640 Right? 864 00:51:29,640 --> 00:51:30,440 Believe and go see. 865 00:51:30,440 --> 00:51:31,960 That's the lesson of the shepherds. 866 00:51:31,960 --> 00:51:35,320 First of all, they knew the promises of God, the Messiah. 867 00:51:35,320 --> 00:51:38,200 They recognized it when the fulfillment came to them. 868 00:51:38,200 --> 00:51:41,480 They ran off to see for themselves, and they came back, what? 869 00:51:41,480 --> 00:51:42,920 Glorifying and praising God. 870 00:51:44,680 --> 00:51:46,680 Simple message delivered to them. 871 00:51:46,680 --> 00:51:52,680 Simple message delivered to simple people with a simple response. 872 00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:56,840 And like those of us who sit here this morning as redeemed people of God through Christ our 873 00:51:56,840 --> 00:51:59,720 Lord, the lives of these shepherds would never be the same. 874 00:52:01,080 --> 00:52:02,440 And that should be true of us as well. 875 00:52:02,440 --> 00:52:02,840 Amen? 876 00:52:04,360 --> 00:52:05,480 I'm going to have you bow your heads. 877 00:52:06,920 --> 00:52:10,920 So I hit you with a lot of information this morning, but I want you to process with the Lord. 878 00:52:10,920 --> 00:52:17,160 I want you to take a few minutes here and just talk to the Lord about anything that you heard. 879 00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:23,880 Thank him and praise his name for the fullness of the times that he would do this remarkable thing 880 00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:27,240 and deliver the gospel through men like the shepherds. 881 00:52:27,240 --> 00:52:41,320 Go ahead and pray for a few minutes.