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We now come to Luke, chapter two, verses eight through 20, as we journey through this wonderful gospel. And I've entitled my discourse to you, "The Good news of the Savior's Birth." A Christmas message on Super Bowl Sunday. Let me read the text to you, Luke two, beginning in verse eight.

"In the same region, there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

"And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

"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;

"'for today in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord.

"'This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

"And suddenly, there appeared with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

"'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'

"When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, 'Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.'

"So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

"When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

"And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

"But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

"The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them."

Everyone struggles with problems in their life. And if you ask the average person to describe some of the problems in their life, especially the greatest problem in their life, you will hear them describe something that falls under the category of an emotional problem, a relational problem, perhaps a financial problem, a health problem, and so on. But very seldom will they describe the greatest problem in their life as being a spiritual problem. Can you imagine asking the average person, what is the greatest problem in your life, and them saying, "Oh, by far the greatest problem in my life is that I am a sinner, and all that I do and all that I am is fundamentally offensive to a holy God. By my very nature, I am unable to conform to his moral character and his desires. I sin against him in ways that I don't even know that I can't even see; worse yet, I have no means in and of myself to merit his forgiveness. God is holy and just, and I am unholy and unjust, and I know that when I stand before God, when I die, he will judge me, and I will stand there guilty as charged my greatest acts of righteousness being woefully insufficient to in any way meet his standard of perfect righteousness. So you ask me, What's my greatest problem? My greatest problem is that I stand condemned before an infinitely holy and righteous God, and his just wrath abides upon me, and I have no remedy in myself, So I am doomed to eternal punishment."

Now, mind you, if a person said that - which would be true before they come to faith in Christ - they would have said that because the Spirit of God had done a work in their heart. And never is a man closer to grace than when he is quite certain he cannot attain it. Of course, this is hideously offensive to most people. Most, frankly, do not see themselves as all that bad, and therefore they don't see God as all that holy. And others will agree with the problem up to a point, but they will insist that somehow, they are able, on their own, to merit forgiveness through their good deeds and religious rituals. Of course, that mindset is at the heart of all false religions; and those people are never quite certain if they're going to make the cut, as I call it. For example, with the people of Islam today, whenever Muslims mention the name of Muhammad, they always add the phrase, "Peace be upon him." And the reason they do that is because Muhammad's eternal destiny is uncertain, and Muslims must ask Allah to be merciful to him. How sad. But for those who are truly convicted of their sin, and would agree with the greatest problem, as I just stated it, to that individual, the gospel is the greatest news you could possibly imagine; that Jesus lived a perfect life of perfect righteousness and obedience to God, and then voluntarily bore the punishment of our sins in his body, and thus paying the penalty of our sins, satisfying the justice of a holy God. But the only way you can receive the benefit of Christ's life and death is by placing your trust in him alone, and that is the good news of the Savior, which is at the heart of our text this morning.

I've divided it into three categories that I hope will be helpful to you. We're going to see the angelic proclamation of the good news. Secondly, the divine purpose of the good news. And finally, the believer's passion for the good news. And I trust you will allow the light of divine truth to shine brightly upon your life and even into the secret caverns of your imagination and of your heart, that you might see the great truths of the gospel and that you might believe if you haven't.

Now remember the setting. Mary, now has given birth to the Christ child, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger, a food feeding trough, which is a marvelous picture of humiliation; a condescension that boggles the mind. And now about five miles away, another miracle is taking place. An astounding event filled with spiritual meaning, and we see it beginning in verse eight. "In the same region, there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night." Now the Jewish Mishnah, which is a clarification of Jewish law, reveals to us, with a measure of certainty that this specific region was set aside for the pasturing of sheep that were to be used in temple sacrifice; and especially at Passover time, there would be approximately a quarter of a million sheep that would be slain. And it's interesting to note that shepherds, according to the Jewish culture of that day, were the lowest on the socio-economic ladder. They were the outcasts. They were poor, they were homeless, they were considered to be ceremonially unclean. They could not worship in the temple, and they were even banned from being a witness in a court of law. What a unique identification the Lord Jesus would have with these humble men - rejected, despised, forsaken, no credibility. And what an amazing demonstration of grace that the good news of the Savior's birth would be first announced to the lowliest of the culture.

And like those shepherds, the Great Shepherd of the sheep would live and he would die in poverty. But unlike the sheep that they tended, the Lamb of God would be the perfect and the final sacrifice. And who better to be the first messengers of the good news to the poor and to the afflicted, to the outcast, the oppressed, the despised of the world? And what a picture of the Man of Sorrows, as well as his apostles. And so under the first heading, let's look at the angelic proclamation of the good news. Verse nine, "And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened." Now, what is happening here? What is this glory of the Lord? This terrifying light accompanying the angelic messenger? Well, Old Testament background helps us see that the presence of God was housed within the tabernacle and the temple. In fact, the Hebrew term for tabernacle, "mishkan," is derived from the root "shakan," which means to dwell or to rest, to abide. And from "shakan" came the word "Shekinah," denoting the glorious presence of God that would come and that would dwell, that would be manifested - the glory of the Lord. When you read about the glory of the Lord, this is what you need to have in your mind: the ineffable, dazzling light, the effulgence of his glory being made manifest, revealing his very presence. And mind you, the Shekinah hovered between the cherubim, the outstretched arms of the cherubim over the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant. And you will remember in Daniel two and verse 22 we read that God emanates light without shadow, saying, "light dwells with Him." In Psalm 104, verse two, "He covers himself with light, as with a garment." First John 1:5, that, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."

Now we know from scripture that God who is immaterial, whenever he materialized himself -  in other words God is Spirit - when he would materialize himself, he would reduce his attributes to visible light. That's the Shekinah, a blazing forth of his glory. So the glory of the Lord here refers to his presence being manifested in resplendent, brilliant, dazzling, unapproachable light, like the shining of the sun. And this was the same Shekinah that continued to glow on the face of Moses after he descended from Mount Sinai. You remember that great story, a reflection of the glory of God that was so bright that the Israelites, according to Second Corinthians 3, could not look intently at his face. You see, the Shekinah is now contained in a child, the Lord Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus Christ the Light of the world. In the gospel of John, we read that, "The Word became flesh,” in John 1:14, "and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." And Paul described Christ in First Timothy six, beginning in verse 15, as, "...the only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see."

Now let me give you some important background; and by the way, the Jewish people would have been fully aware of all of this, in Ezekiel eight through 10, there's a description of the hideous corruption of idolatry committed by the Jewish people. It characterized them. And there we also read of the gradual departing of the Shekinah, the glory of God, from above the Ark of the Covenant and the temple itself. You can read how in that section of Scripture, how it rises above from between the cherub, hovers over the threshold of the temple court, and then it goes on and moves and pauses over the east gate of the Lord's house, which, by the way, would be the same gate from which the Savior would later depart when he was rejected. And then in chapter 11, in verse 23 we read that the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain, which is east of the city, referring to the Mount of Olives. A fascinating footnote, the precise sequence of the departure of his glorious presence will be reversed when he returns again in power and great glory.

Now fast forward, it's been 500 years and there's been no sign of his presence, no appearance of his glory. There's been no angels, and suddenly the celestial brilliance of his Shekinah envelops a group of lowly shepherds caring for sacrificial sheep on a Judean hillside. Naturally, they would be terrified. So too was Ezekiel, as you read in Ezekiel one when he saw some glimpse of the glory of God. Read Isaiah and his reaction in Isaiah six; Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration; Saul on the road to Damascus. Remember Saul, who became Paul, recounted his conversion in Acts 26:13, he said, "At midday along the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun shining around me and those who journeyed with me." You read how it caused them all to fall on their face in absolute horror. And now the angel appears out of the glory of the Lord to announce the prophecy, frankly of Balaam, back in Numbers 24:17; a prophecy given 1400 years earlier, where we read that, "...a star," in the Hebrew, a "koshav," a blazing shining forth of light,  "...shall come forth from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel." This, dear friends, was the sign of the incarnate Christ, who is the personification of the Shekinah, the light of the world; the true tabernacle of God that came to dwell among men, the one that would die for all who would believe, the one that would be the propitiation for our sins, the one who would satisfy the divine justice and allow the redeemed to enter into his presence by his shed blood.

I might add that this is also a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. We read in chapter nine and verse two, "The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them." Then he goes on in verse six and says, "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." I might add as a footnote to that, the same Shekinah was probably the star, the "austere," - the blazing light - that would appear and then disappear and then appear again, that led the Persian king makers to the house where Jesus lived. So the shepherds are terrified here; they're petrified. Quickly the angel brings comfort to their panic-stricken hearts. Don't you know you would be terrified too. You would just be speechless if you saw that. Verse 10, "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;" Here in this context, this is a specific reference to Israel, but through them to all the nations of the world.

Next, the divine messenger goes on to explain this good news of great joy. And what's fascinating is he gives a threefold description of Jesus. Notice verse 11, "...for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." "Savior" - "sōtēr" in the original language - means "one who makes safe, a deliverer, a rescuer, a preserver." So a Savior is being born. Now if you think about our culture, you ask people, "What does he save us from?" Most will say something like, "Well, he saves us from our unhappiness, our lack of success in life, our failures, our disappointments. He saves us from the oppressors so we can have social justice," and all of that silly stuff. But the truth is, he came to live a perfect life and die a sacrificial death for our sins. He came to save us from our sins. Sin is the violation of God's law. In First John three and verse four, it says that "sin is lawlessness." It is rebellion against the Most High. It is the failure to conform to his character, to his will. We are unable to obey even the essence of the first and greatest commandment, to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, much less love our neighbor as we love ourselves, right? Sin is the defining characteristic of our very nature that separates us from the life of God and makes us his enemies; makes us subject to his wrath, because, indeed, as Scripture teaches, we are spiritual cadavers before we come to Christ. We are dead in our trespasses and sins, unable to save ourselves.

So we need, number one, a Savior. But it's also Christ he says, Christ. By the way, this is a title, it's not a name. "Christos" means "the anointed one." It's the Hebrew equivalent of Messiah. And Jesus was God's Anointed One. He was commissioned by the Father to be the Prophet, Priest and King that would come. Now remember, messianic expectations ran very, very high in Jesus’ day, and now the Anointed One has arrived. The long awaited, long promised Messiah has come in fulfillment of the Davidic promise to establish a kingdom for Israel; and eventually, a kingdom that would last forever and and extend into the new heavens and the new earth and so forth. But also, as the Anointed One, bear in mind that Jesus is the Savior of the world in his prophetic, in his sacerdotal, as well as his regal offices. In other words, as Prophet, Priest and King. In ancient days, prophets, priests and kings were anointed with oil whenever they were installed in their respective offices, but only Jesus held all three titles. He alone was the anointed one. As Prophet, he would preach the gospel and instruct men in the way of the truth. He would say, "Thus saith the Lord." As priest, he alone could offer up sacrifice and make atonement for sin. He alone is the mediator between God and man, and he alone could transform sinners into saints and bring them into the presence of the glory of God. But he is also King, not only prophet and priest, but king. He alone can reign in the hearts of men and sovereignly rule the universe as King of kings and Lord of lords.

So, "there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." He's Savior, he's Christ the anointed one. And then he says, "the Lord." Literally in the original language, he is Christ and Lord. "Kyrios" is the term. It's a designation of deity, a designation of supreme power, the absolute and legitimate power who rules over his universe. In other words, Jesus is God. In fact, in the Septuagint it translates "Yahweh" as Lord; the tetragrammaton; the four letters. The old theologians used to call it "the ineffable." In other words, the too wondrous to even speak from your lips four letters, "the ineffable," tetragrammaton - Yahweh. So he is the self-existent, eternal God. You want to remember here, this is what separates Christianity from all of the cults and all of the false religions like Islam. I mean, think of the Jehovah's Witnesses, for example. To them, Christ was a created being like the Archangel Michael. And Jesus is a mighty God, but he is not God Almighty like the Father. They believe he is a lesser God than the Father, and he should not be worshiped as the Father. And of course, their whole system is the system of salvation by works. They believe that Christ's spiritual and invisible Second Coming took place in 1914 and he has been ruling ever since as King through the Watchtower Society. It's just satanic deception; frightening. What about the Mormons? Well, they believe that Jesus and Satan are brothers, both being created beings, but not God, and Jesus is merely an exalted man. All men can become gods. They believe that Mary was not a virgin, that Jesus was the bridegroom at the marriage of Cana and salvation by works and on and on it goes.

But isn't it interesting here, the testimony of the angel, and all of Scripture, is that "a Savior, who is Christ the Lord," has come to earth again. Isaiah 9:6, "A child will be born to us, a son will be given; the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God," there it is, "...Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." Beloved, no wonder the absolute explosion of the divine presence here - the Shekinah glory blazing forth - I'm reminded of Hebrews one beginning in verse two. God,

 "...in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

"And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power."

Folks herein is the reason for such joy: a Savior who is Christ, the Lord, has come to earth to save us from our sins. God's violated law requires justice. Justice has to be satisfied, and justice cannot be satisfied apart from atonement. Atonement means to provide a moral or legal repayment for a fault or an injury. And as we look at the concept of atonement in Scripture, we see that it requires two things. It requires satisfaction, as well as substitution; satisfaction of the offended holiness of God, which can only be accomplished by a substitute, one that would be the substitution for the guilty party. Now the problem is, sinful man can never atone for his own sin. You see, God's holy and infinite justice could not be satisfied apart from a holy and infinite ransom, and only God could supply that, though there's a huge dilemma here, but it is not one that has baffled God. What would appear to be an unsolvable dilemma was perfectly resolved through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Jesus had to take upon himself the nature of a man in order to be punished in our place. And yet he also had to be God in order to endure the sufferings of all those who would believe. He had to be a son of a virgin according to the flesh. But Emmanuel - God with us, according to the Spirit - Jesus had to be conceived by God. He had to be born of a virgin in order for him to be both the Son of Man as well as the Son of God. The atoning work, indeed, the work of redemption, demanded a theanthropon, a god man, one who would be able to supernaturally fuse the human nature and the divine nature and form an indissoluble bond; a man to bear the punishment that men deserved, and yet only God could endure it to the end. And so for this reason, the angel declared, "'I bring you good news of great joy...a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord," has come.

Beloved, I only give you some of these great theological truths so that you will realize what really happened there. And when you realize what really happened there, it will be really, really, really, really, unbelievably good news. Verse 12, "'This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'" I mean it's an incomprehensible statement, is it not? I mean, you've got the Lord of Glory condescending here in the form of a human infant, and then you find him where? I mean, he's not seated on a throne of grandeur here in Caesar's Palace. He's not surrounded by a heavenly host. He's not clothed in purple robes, and you don't see majestic splendor all around him. He's not illumined by unapproachable light. No, he's a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a feed trough. Seems absurd, doesn't it?

So we see first the angelic proclamation of the good news, now, the divine purpose of the good news. Verse 13, "And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying..." Now, let's stop here. The "multitude" translates the Greek word "10,000" which was the largest number. For example, in Revelation 5:11, John saw 10,000 times 10,000 and 1000s of 1000s of angels. So the point is, all of a sudden, a whole bunch more angels showed up. We don't know how many, but it was a whole bunch more. And while all of creation is an orchestra of praise and a choir of adulation, creation's praise was altogether eclipsed by this sudden eruption of angelic adoration. The angelic host that for untold millennia have worshiped the Triune God are now allowed to express their own doxology. Those magnificent creatures - that for untold millennia witnessed his infinite perfections and the relationship between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - those celestial spectators of infinite holiness, ineffable glory; those ministering spirits who instantly and perfectly do the bidding of God, who are fully aware of his divine decrees to save a chosen group of sinners, suddenly, they bear witness to the miraculous birth upon which the world would establish its calendar. With their eyes, they see the Lord of Glory emptying himself, taking on the form of a bond servant, appearing in the likeness of men; an infant that would grow to be a man, yet fully God; the one that would become obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Now, what must they have thought? I don't know. Perhaps one day we'll be able to ask them, but what they're seeing here is the mighty work of redemption now underway, and they now witness a new dimension of his glory, and that new dimension of his glory beloved, is the humility of his incarnation. It's a love they cannot understand, and frankly, it's a love we cannot understand. But oh, dear friends, please understand that there is more than just his birth that fueled their praise. Notice what they were saying. I emphasize the word "saying," not singing. There are only two times in Scripture where angels are found singing. One is in Job 38:7 where they sang at creation before Adam sinned, probably before Lucifer fell. And then also in Revelation 5:8-10, after the curse of sin is removed. So apparently, in this interim of fallenness, they minister without song. Can't be dogmatic on that, but it's interesting to think about it. And if that's so, I think we probably need to change the words a little bit "Hark the herald angel said" Right? That doesn't matter, just a little interesting footnote.

So notice what they said in magnificent union, verse 14, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." The King James Version says, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." Now, sadly, many people misinterpret this text, or they use it out of context. You will see, for example, at least occasionally in yard decorations at Christmas, "Peace on earth" or on a Christmas card. And it's kind of the idea of, you know, we need the absence of conflict. You know, let's stop all wars and enjoy a relaxed peace of mind. You know, let's all strive for tranquility. And of course, this is typical of our naive and theologically ignorant society. But understand this: because of sin, those apart from Christ, the unregenerate, are at war with God. They are enemies of God. But when they put their faith in Christ, they can be reconciled to God and have peace with him. You know, remember what Jesus said in John three and verse 36 that for unbelievers, "the wrath of God abides upon them." Romans 5:10, we were "enemies of God."  Colossians 1:21, we were once "alienated and enemies of God." So what's being said here is "Glory to God in the highest," because he has provided a way for us to have peace with him. Also notice the phrase commonly used, "with whom He is pleased." The King James, and I believe the New King James translates it "goodwill toward men." You know, again, many Christmas cards will say this, naively thinking, you know, let's just all show kindness to one another; a sentimental version of "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you" type of thing; and others even erroneously assume "with whom He is pleased," refers to salvation through works; that is really out there, but there's a people that actually believe that. But neither are true. Literally, what he's saying here, "peace among men of his good pleasure." So let me summarize this: what the angels are so excited about is glory to God in the highest, because those whom God has sovereignly chosen as recipients of his grace, purely on the basis of his good pleasure, can now have peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ the Savior. I mean, folks, this is the triumph of sovereign grace. This is the very heart of the gospel. Oh Child of God, think about this: we have received the gift of salvation solely on the basis of his good pleasure. For by grace, you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Now please understand, the angels are not exploding in praise here merely over the birth of Christ, as wonderful as that is, but over what he will ultimately accomplish on the cross. But will you notice the brevity of this account? You know there's more space given in Scripture to Christ's death than to his birth, and sadly, most people focus far more on the babyhood of Christ than on the atoning work of Christ. I mean, after all, everybody loves a cuddly little baby, helpless and weak. They prefer that over a holy and sovereign God that had to die to save sinners, otherwise he will pour out his wrath on all who reject him. People don't want to talk about that. And while we all celebrate his birth, we've got to look beyond the babe in the manger and focus on his righteous demand for us to trust in him, he's our only hope of salvation to serve him as Lord, and that's what we conclude with here this morning.

We've seen the angelic proclamation of the good news, the divine purpose of the good news, and finally, the believer's passion for the good news. Verse 15, "When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, 'Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.'" The word "thing" in the original language is much more expressive than it is in the English. It literally means "word" or "message" or "reality." So they understood that they had received a word, they had received a message from God, a reality of something that has just occurred; an event confirmed by this breathtaking, terrifying, angelic announcement. It would be one that would be further verified after they make the little hike of about four or five miles to the village of Bethlehem on the outskirts of Jerusalem. So they are beyond excited.

Verse 16,

"So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

"When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child."

So think about it, worship and witness cannot be separated. You cannot have one without the other. Verse 18, "And all who heard it..." So there must have been others now that are gathering around probably. "All who heard it wondered at these things which were told them by the shepherds." I find it interesting, the word "wondered"; I don't want to make a big deal of this, but too bad it didn't say all who heard it "believed" in these things. The word "wonder" in the original language means "to be amazed, to be astonished, to be filled with wonder." It's used often to denote amazement mixed with fear and anxiety and curiosity like signs and wonders. Whoa, look at that. But that's altogether different than embracing the truth with unwavering belief. That's the stuff of genuine, repentant faith, the work of the Spirit. In fact, we see in John 15:26, Jesus said, "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me." That's the great work of the Spirit. John 16:8, "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." You know most people today, including some of you who are bored out of your mind listening to this pastor go on and on, many people are like some of those citizens there in Bethlehem. They hear of the Savior's birth, they hear of the saving implications, and they react with, "Wow, that's really amazing." "Wow, it's an interesting story, fascinating. There's probably some other explanations here that we don't know about. Boy, if all of that's true, I'm in serious trouble. But I'm sure that can't be the case. I mean, how, how could billions of people who don't believe this possibly be wrong, right?" Most people today will wonder about these truths all their life, but they will never embrace them in genuine, saving faith, and dear friends, if that is you, you will have an eternity to regret the hardness of your heart, but oh, happy day when the Spirit of God opens the eyes of the blind in the miracle of regeneration. Do you remember that day, maybe that season in your life, when suddenly the light came on? And isn't it interesting how that light burns brighter and brighter as we get older.

Now we know the basic content of the shepherd's proclamation by Mary's reaction in verse 19, "But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart." I mean, she didn't just marvel at them, "Whoa, my goodness, that's amazing." I mean, she treasured these things. The term "treasure" means "to store up mentally, to meditate upon something of great importance for later use," and "pondering" literally means" to meditate, to deeply reflect on a subject." And don't you know she's thinking, "My look, what God has done here. God has sent his Son to redeem his people and put his law and in our heart, just as he's promised." Her mind was probably filled with Old Testament prophecies and the great truths of redemption. Isaiah 53 I'm sure would be screaming in her mind. Folks, I would ask you, do you not treasure and ponder these things even now? Do you not marvel at God's redemptive purposes, and do you not long for the final fulfillment of his covenant promises? Boy, I do, and I know most of you do; and what a joy to hear saints, as I've heard even this week, rehearse these great truths in the midst of profound stress and sorrow and disappointment and oh, to hear saints rehearse them in the final hours of their life, what a blessing.

Well notice finally, in verse 20, "The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as been told them." Now they were probably devout worshipers of Yahweh who were looking for the Messiah. Like later on we'll read in verse 25 and in that area about Simeon. It said that he, "...this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him." He was a man probably like these shepherds that was waiting for the Messiah to come, to bring comfort and redemption and restoration to the people; all of the hopes that are rooted in the Abrahamic, Davidic and New Covenant promises foretold by the prophets, particularly by Isaiah.

So obviously the Spirit had prepared their hearts to receive these truths. And I find it interesting here that the shepherd's responses are really illustrative of a common progression that we will see when people come to genuine faith in Christ. First of all, they heard the divine revelation that a Savior has come to redeem and to restore. First, we have to hear the truth of the gospel, but secondly, they believed the message that they heard and they placed their faith in the Savior. I'm reminded of Romans 10 and verse 14,

"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

"How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, of good tidings!'"

But not only did they hear and they believe, but they sought him out, having been told where they could find the Savior, they hurried now to seek him out and to worship him. Beloved, please hear this: true, genuine, saving faith is an energized faith that will stop at nothing to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. And if that's not true in your life, there's something woefully wrong with your faith. Suddenly, we are in him, and he becomes the object of our affections, the lover of our soul, our greatest delight, our greatest desire. This is at the heart of Paul's doxology, recorded in Ephesians, one three, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Bear in mind that when we are saved, we are suddenly in Christ, which signifies the deep wonder of Christ being more than just with us. More than just existing outside of us, but the one who is in us and we are in Him. To be in Christ is an expression of interconnectedness, whereby we share a common spiritual life with the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:3, "For we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God." Verse four says that he is "our life." Galatians 2:20, "He lives in us." So therefore, there's going to be a longing to know Him, to obey Him, to serve Him. And remember belief in Jesus Christ is more than just a way of getting our ticket punched in heaven. You know, to go to heaven. It's so much more than that. You must understand that Christ is not merely a means to an end, but he is the all sufficient, all glorious end in and of himself; therefore genuine saving faith will energize a person to seek him out, because nothing else in life even comes close to satisfying the longings of our soul than the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.

So they heard, they believed, they sought him out. Finally, they praised him. The idea here is that they're evangelizing now. They're praising God. Their hearts are overflowing. "The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them." Well, let me leave it at that. May I challenge you to measure your life against the response of the shepherds, even of Mary. Many of you have heard and many of you believe, but then it kind of stops there, because you've got more important things to do than to seek out the Lord and really get to know him and serve him and honor him. That's why you have no appetite for his word. There's something terribly wrong with your heart, if that is you. And if that's not happening, you're not going to go and praise him publicly, because you're not praising him privately. And so your evangelism is virtually nonexistent. So I trust that you will hear these great truths and that the Spirit will bring conviction and repentance to your heart. And for those of you who get it, who understand this by God's grace, let's just celebrate it all the more. Amen. Let's do that,

Father, thank you for these truths. Cause them to bear much fruit in each heart, and we give you praise for the Lord Jesus, who is our Savior, Christ Jesus our L