The Angel’s Gospel
December 23, 2018 Tom Shannon, Pastor
Restored Life Church
•
There are two kinds of people in this world.
1. Wise men still seek Him. That’s the story of the wise men, using their own
abilities (astronomical charts and mystical beliefs) to seek the new born king. They found God.
2. Then there’s the shepherds, instead of seeking the king are focused on
working out their existence, not seeking God, but the good news is God found them.
•
This morning we are going to look at Luke 2:8-14.
•
We are going to explore how it
• Addresses the fall in Eden which impacted all humanity,
• Reveals God’s Grace to all humanity and
• Reveals Jesus as the Savior of all humanity.
•
Listen carefully as we read this portion of Scripture to see if you can catch
it.
•
I assure you it’s in there, but just like all Christmas gifts, its beautifully
wrapped.
The Angel’s Gospel
• Luke 2:8-14 (NKJV), 8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in
the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
• 9And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
• 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
• 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord.
• 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling
cloths, lying in a manger.”
• 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying:
Shepherding 101
Luke 2:8 (NKJV),
8Now there were in the same country shepherds living
out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
•
Shepherds consumed in their work.
• Nomadic lifestyle• Long hours, 24/7
• Exposure to the weather
• Distant from the comforts civilization
• Hazardous: life threatening
• Poor pay
Poof, There He Is…
Luke 2:9 (NKJV),
9And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and
the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
•
Poof, suddenly, out of nowhere an angel appears in their midst.
•
Gods glory encompassed them
• 1391. δόξα dóxa; noun from dokéō (1380), to think, recognize. Glory.
• A look at the root word of dóxa, i.e., dokéō (1380), to think or suppose, is necessary.
• Etymologically, the word primarily means thought or opinion,, and in a secondary sense reputation, praise, honor, splendor, light, perfection, rewards.
• It is the true apprehension of God or things.
• The glory of God must mean His unchanging essence.
•
They were greatly afraid
Greatly Afraid?
Luke 2:9 (NKJV), 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
• Greatly afraid?
• They feared, 5399. φοβέω phobéō; verb, from phóbos (5401), fear. To put in fear, terrify, frighten.
• Fear, 5401. φόβος phóbos; noun from phébomai (n.f.), to flee from. Fear, terror, reverence, respect, honor.
• Great, 3173. μέγας mégas; adj. Great, large, particularly of physical magnitude.
• They feared, aorist indicative typically denotes past time; a fear rooted in existential
crisis, of hearing God and hiding in the shrubs (Genesis 3:10)…
καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν .
καί φοβέω φόβος μέγας
and they feared fear great
The Angel’s Gospel
Luke 2:10 (NKJV),
10Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
•
Don’t fear
•
Good tidings, evangelized,
2097. εὐαγγελίζω
euaggelízō
;
• from euággelos (n.f.), bringing good news, which is from eu (2095), good, well, and
aggéllō (n.f.), to proclaim, tell.
• To evangelize, proclaim the good news, preach the gospel.
•
Great Joy, Great joy,
5479. χαρά chará
; noun from chaírō
(5463), to rejoice.
Joy, rejoicing, gladness.
• The root word of grace.
•
To all people (not just some)
• Romans 5:19 (NKJV), For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
A Savior
Luke 2:11 (NKJV),
11For there is born to you this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
•
A Savior,
4990.
σωτήρ
sōtḗr
;
• noun from sṓzō (4982), to save.• A savior, deliverer, preserver, one who saves from danger or destruction and brings into a state of prosperity and happiness.
•
Christ the Lord
•
Who isn’t for just a few but all.
A Sign
Luke 2:12 (NKJV),
12And this
will be
the sign to you: You will find a Babe
wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
•
A sign…
An Angelic Host…
•
Luke 2:13 (NKJV),
13And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14“Glory to
God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
•
Glory to God in the highest
• 1391. δόξα dóxa; noun from dokéō (1380), to think, recognize. Glory.
• A look at the root word of dóxa, i.e., dokéō (1380), to think or suppose, is necessary.
• Etymologically, the word primarily means thought or opinion, and in a secondary sense reputation, praise, honor, splendor, light, perfection, rewards.
• It is the true apprehension of God or things.
Peace and Goodwill
Luke 2:14 (NKJV), 14“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill
toward men!”
• And on earth, Epi, 1909. ἐπί epí;
• On, upon. (I) With the gen. as here. rest upon, on, in, and of motion upon, to, towards
• Peace, Peace, 1515. εἰρήνη eirḗnē;
• noun. Peace.
• The opposite of war and dissension.
• Metaphorically, peace of mind, tranquility, arising from reconciliation with God and a sense of a divine favor (Rom. 5:1; 15:13; Phil. 4:7 [cf. Is. 53:5]).
• Goodwill, 2107. εὐδοκία eudokía;
• noun from eudokéō (2106), to please, favor.
• Good will, good pleasure, good intent, benevolence, a gracious purpose
• Toward men, ἐν ἄνθρωπος
• 1722. ἐν en; prep. Has the primary idea of rest, as compared with eis (1519), motion into or unto, and ek (1537), motion out of or from, it stands between the two.
• It is revealing Gods peace and goodwill as being already present in men; they just don’t see it yet.
Two or Three Witnesses…
•
Matthew 1:20-21 (NKJV),
21And she will bring forth a Son, and you
shall call His name J
ESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
• The mission of a Savior, to save.
•
Luke 1:29-33 (NKJV),
32He will be great, and will be called the Son of
the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father
David.
33And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His
kingdom there will be no end.
• The Son of God• The throne of David
• Reign over Israel
The Rest of
the Story…
Luke 2:14 (NKJV),
15So it was, when the angels had gone away from them
into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go
to
Bethlehem and
see this thing
that has come to pass,
which the Lord has
made known to us.”
16
And
they came with haste and found
Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying
in a manger.
17
Now when they had seen
Him,
they made widely known
the saying which
was told them concerning this Child.
18
And all those who heard
it
marveled at those things which were told them
by the shepherds.
19
But Mary kept all these things and pondered
them
in her heart.
20
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things
The Angel’s Gospel
•
The Angel’s Gospel
• Reveals Jesus as the Savior of all humanity,
• Gifting His Grace to all humanity,
• Freeing all humanity from
• Addresses the fall in Eden which impacted all humanity,