Luke 2:8-14
God’s Christmas Message
As a preacher and pastor, I find myself asking God repeatedly, "God,
what do you want me to say today?" On this Christmas morning, the
answer seemed obvious, Luke 2:8-14. Why is it obvious? Because this
is the message that God had delivered on the first Christmas morning,
roughly 2016 years ago.
Let’s consider the message God had delivered by far worthier carriers
for a few minutes this morning.
I. \\#10\\ This was a public message.
Luke 2:10 …I bring you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all people.
A. The message that the angels brought is to everyone, of all
nations, of all colors, of all social and economic statuses,
of all ages, and of both genders.
B. God both wanted and wants everyone to know that Messiah had
been born, and He wanted that message to be shared with
others—which the shepherds did \\#20\\.
C. Why? Because this message is essential! You may not realize
it, but the message of Christmas is the message of the whole
Bible!
D. That is one of the main reasons Christians SHOULD celebrate
Christmas, but we should celebrate like a Christian.
1. Everyone is welcome to celebrate Christmas any way you
want. I am not here to punch at your way of celebrating
it.
2. But our decorations, cards, and gifts, either tell the
story of Jesus or they hide it.
E. And that is one of the reasons why so many HATE the message
of Christmas.
1. Again this year, some cities have been threatened with
legal action for putting up nativity scenes. Menominee,
Michigan, removed their nativity. So they removed it,
but later put it back.
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2016/december/a-nativity-scene-is-
returned-to-a-city-park-in-michigan
2. Why is the nativity scene hated?
a. It is because of the message that it shares with the
public.
b. It screams out that Christmas is about the birth of
Jesus Christ.
c. And for it to be up today, it means that someone
believed the message enough to risk the wrath of the
anti-God establishment.
II. \\#10\\ This was a joyful message.
Luke 2:10 …Fear not: for, behold, I bring you
good tidings of great joy,
A. This is a different kind of message from God.
1. We have a whole Bible full of God’s messages, and many of
them are messages of judgment.
a. Not all but many.
b. Not so with the Christmas message.
2. Everything about this account was a signal to the people
that God was reaching out to them to help them not to
hurt them.
a. The news was big and deserved a great host of angelic
beings to deliver it, but God sent just one at the
beginning to give the shepherds a few moments to
get the hang of it.
b. The first words out of the angel’s mouth are words of
comfort, "Fear not."
c. \\#14\\ God wishes to the earth PEACE and GOOD WILL.
(1) Good will means joy, blessings, prosperity.
(2) God came offering the human race a Child and all
of the best wishes the people had missed out on
because of sin.
B. Somewhere along the line, we have tried to keep the joy but
get rid of the message.
1. We still give gifts but we have forgotten the Gift.
2. We still put up lights but we have forgotten the Light.
3. We hang up our evergreen tree but have removed its message
of eternal life.
4. We speak of the holiday but not the Holy Day.
C. If that is the Christmas that you want to celebrate, fine; but
it has made what should be a joyous day into a sad day for
many.
1. Article:
According to the National Institute of Health,
Christmas is the time of year that people
experience a high incidence of depression.
Hospitals and police forces report high
incidences of suicide and attempted suicide.
Psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental
health professionals report a significant
increase in patients complaining about
depression. One North American survey reported
that 45% of respondents dreaded the festive
season.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201011/why-people-
get-depressed-christmas
2. Why is that?
a. It is because the focus of Christmas for many is just
family and worldly fun not eternity and what the
birth of Jesus has done for us.
b. If there is a season that ought to lift the spirits of
those who have been separated from their loved ones
by death, it is Christmas.
c. Christmas provided the Means by which we will one day
can be forever reunited with those loved ones.
III. This was an anointed message.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord….
A. The word "Christ" means "Anointed."
1. It is a reference to the many promises of God concerning
the coming of a Deliverer.
2. The Anointed means appointed, approved, and authorized by
God.
B. How can we know Jesus is the Anointed One?
1. Fulfilled prophecy!
2. Depending on your source, Jesus has already fulfilled
at least 100 prophecies and maybe more than 300!~
C. What kind of prophecy?
1. \\#Ge 3:15\\ He will come.
2. God began to narrow down the line through which Messiah
would come. This would go on for centuries.
a. \\#Ge 9:25-27\\ Line of Shem
b. \\#Ge 12:3\\ Line of Abraham
c. \\#Ge 49:10\\ Line of Judah
d. \\#Is 11:1\\ Line of Jesse
e. \\#2Sam 7:12-13\\ Line of David
3. At the same time, God began to flesh out the promises:
a. He would come as a Child \\#Is 9:6\\.
b. He would be born of a virgin \\#Is 7:14\\.
c. He would be born in Bethlehem \\#Mic 5:2\\.
d. He would come in humility \\#Zech 9:9\\.
e. He would come as a Servant \\#Is 53:11\\.
f. He would be rejected by man and die \\#Is 53:1-12\\.
g. He would rise from the dead \\#Ps 16:10\\.
4. And all of these are but a few of the promises which began
to be fulfilled with at the birth of this Child.
D. He is indeed the "Anointed," the Appointed and Empowered of
God.
https://expositorythoughts.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/the-promise-of-
messiah-in-the-ot-2/
IV. This was the saving message.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Saviour,
A. There is a lot of preaching packed into the word "Savior."
B. The message of Jesus’ birth began the message of salvation.
1. In thirty years, John will say of this Child, "Behold the
Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world."
2. Jesus’ birth was the entrance of the sacrificial Lamb into
this world.
C. Salvation is a bit complicated. It requires several things.
1. First, there had to be a standard. God provided that. It
was perfection.
2. Then there had to be a sin, a violation. Man provided
that in the Garden but has continued to accent it daily
with an untold number of additional violations.
3. Then there had to be a solemn judgment. God rendered that.
It was death, complete separation from God for all
eternity.
4. Fourth, a Substitute.
a. That is what salvation is, One taking the place of
another.
b. Christmas is the entrance of the Substitute, the
Sacrifice, the Savior coming into this world.
5. Fifth, there must be s sacrifice.
a. The Substitute must take the place of the guilty and
pay the death penalty.
b. This is why I refer to Christmas as the beginning of
salvation. The entrance of the Substitute would
mean nothing if there was not also a sacrifice on the
Substitute’s part.
6. Last, there must be a submissive sinner.
a. Just like it does not good for the Substitute to be
born and not be sacrificed so it does not good for
their to be a Savior with no submissive sinners!
b. You and I all qualify as sinners the question is will
be submissive so that we can receive salvation?
(1) We must believe that Jesus is the Christ who died
for our sins.
(2) The best we know how, we must submit ourselves to
Him, turning from our sins.
c. That last part (submitting ourselves to Jesus) was
also part of the original message God sent.
V. This was a submitting message.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord.
A. As there is a lot of truth packed into the word "Savior," so
there is a lot of truth packed into the word "Lord."
1. The word means "Master, Owner, Lord of all."
2. It was just a Babe born in Bethlehem 2016 years ago.
a. It was a Savior to save the people.
b. It was a Lord to rule over the people.
3. The Babe was just the size Package within which the Savior
and Lord came wrapped.
B. Notice, there is no mention of having Jesus the Savior without
having Jesus the Lord.
1. This was not two separate Persons.
2. They are one in the same.
3. To take Jesus as Savior is to take Him also as your Lord,
and to reject Jesus as your Lord is to reject Jesus as
your Savior.
C. Sadly, too many do not understand the importance of
submitting to Christ.
1. That is in part the fault of a good many preachers not
preaching the whole truth.
a. They like to preach "You must believe" but they leave
out the part "You must repent."
b. That is what we call "easy-believism salvation."
Mt 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
2. But is also the fault of the hearers.
a. Too many want heaven and their sin and that is just
not an option.
b. You must make a choice as to which one you will love
and which one you will hate.
Mt 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either
he will hate the one, and love the other; or else
he will hold to the one, and despise the
other….
VI. This was an invitational message.
Luke 2:12 …Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
A. The angel did not say "You COULD find…." He said, "You
WILL find…."
B. There are assumptions in that statement.
1. It is supposed that shepherds were being invited to go
find this Babe. Indeed, the angels’ appearance all
together was leading to that assumption.
2. It is supposed that the shepherds would accept the
invitation and go looking for the Babe.
C. You can make the same two assumptions.
1. The fact that—after 2000 years—God has brought this
message to you means that God has invited you to come to
His Son.
2. If you will go looking, you will find Him.
What will you do with God’s message of Christmas?
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