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The Shepherds and the Angels
LUKE CHAPTER 2
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” 13 And 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 among those with whom he is pleased!”[d]
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
THE LOWLY SHEPHERDS
We are the lowest of the low. We look after the sheep near Bethlehem, there are thousands of them.
Many of them are used in sacrifice. Hundreds are fattened ready for Passover each year.
It's a lonely job. It's a boring job. We don't sleep... we just count sheep.
Every day it's the same and every night it's long and lonely.
每天都是一样的，每一个夜晚都是漫长而孤独的。
But there was a night like no other! Let me tell you about it!
I was a young man then, but now I am old. The memory is imprinted of my brain.
The night is usually dark, lit only by the moon and the stars.
That night... suddenly, it was like the lights of all the world had been turned on.
There was a great noise, like the sound of many waters.
Angels, thousands of them saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
At first, we were terrified. Fear gripped us.
But this wasn't anything to be feared. This was good news. The angels were telling us what many had hoped for; a Saviour, a Redeemer, [was born, who] would he set our people free from Rome.
At last God was speaking to us. He hadn't for many years, despite all the sacrifices and offerings we gave.
The angel told us where to go. Was it to a royal palace? No it was to a lowly stable! This King, this Saviour, was being born in a stable. I don't get this!
Then all was quiet. The angels had gone, so we decided to find out for ourselves. Let's go to the stable.
We found the stable and sure enough there was the Child, just born. His mother was so young, and hey I know that man... it's Joseph, the carpenter from Nazareth.
We stayed a while. It was so touching; the baby cried a little. He snuggled up to His mother. She was holding Him in cloths from the stable.
We left, and wondered, "Why us?"
Why not tell our rulers?
We decided to tell everyone about what we had seen and heard, but despite us telling people the truth, they looked at us and thought we were mad.
They thought we had been dreaming. After all it does say in Isaiah 53: 1
Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
We knew and believed what we saw was true. After all, we heard it from the mouth of angels, the messengers of God.
My eyes are dim now, but I still remember that night. I remember that Baby safe in His mother's arms.
During my time as a shepherd, I have seen millions of sheep, but now I have seen the promised Messiah who came as a Lamb to be slain and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Sheep... let me tell you are the most disobedient creatures on the planet. They need someone to turn them the right way. They are like us.
Isaiah 53:6-7:
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
Like the sheep I once took care of, you and I are disobedient and alienated from God. We need a Saviour.
Isaac asked Abraham, "Where is the lamb?"
Abraham answered, "God will provide a lamb."
He surely has... His name is Jesus.
Many years later, I went up to Jerusalem at Pentecost. Some fishermen from Galilee was preaching about Jesus, one born in a stable near Bethlehem.
It's Him! I saw Him! Now I have trusted Him for salvation.
Once I saw Him in the stable, but now I have Him in my heart.
This Christmas, you can in repentance and faith, come to know God through the atoning sacrifice of the Baby in the stable, who went to the cross and rose gloriously defeating the power of sin and death forever by His resurrection.
One final lesson. Remember Christian, that the world will not listen to you. It is oblivious to the truth of the gospel, but like the shepherds and the apostles, we can only say these words.
ACTS 4
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[c] by which we must be saved.”
20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
We tell of salvation by no other way, but by Calvary's cross.
We speak of what we have actually experienced in our own lives.
They can say we are fools, but they cannot disprove the power and boldness of a changed life.
SO, THIS CHRISTMAS, TELL EVERYONE.
THAT THE SAVIOUR HAS COME!
EVEN IF NO ONE BELIEVES YOU
PREACH THE WORD!
Who am I?
I am an ordinary Christian just like you and me, I love to study the scriptures and share what God shows me. I am from the UK, and at present live in Nanjing China. I am an English teacher. I have been saved from my teenage years, am now eligible for Pension.
I believe the whole of the bible, especially love the five Solas of the reformation.
I am saved by GRACE alone by FAITH alone in CHRIST alone through the WORD OF GOD alone for the GLORY OF GOD alone.
LUKE CHAPTER 2
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” 13 And 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 among those with whom he is pleased!”[d]
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
THE LOWLY SHEPHERDS
We are the lowest of the low. We look after the sheep near Bethlehem, there are thousands of them.
Many of them are used in sacrifice. Hundreds are fattened ready for Passover each year.
It's a lonely job. It's a boring job. We don't sleep... we just count sheep.
Every day it's the same and every night it's long and lonely.
每天都是一样的，每一个夜晚都是漫长而孤独的。
But there was a night like no other! Let me tell you about it!
I was a young man then, but now I am old. The memory is imprinted of my brain.
The night is usually dark, lit only by the moon and the stars.
That night... suddenly, it was like the lights of all the world had been turned on.
There was a great noise, like the sound of many waters.
Angels, thousands of them saying:
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
At first, we were terrified. Fear gripped us.
But this wasn't anything to be feared. This was good news. The angels were telling us what many had hoped for; a Saviour, a Redeemer, [was born, who] would he set our people free from Rome.
At last God was speaking to us. He hadn't for many years, despite all the sacrifices and offerings we gave.
The angel told us where to go. Was it to a royal palace? No it was to a lowly stable! This King, this Saviour, was being born in a stable. I don't get this!
Then all was quiet. The angels had gone, so we decided to find out for ourselves. Let's go to the stable.
We found the stable and sure enough there was the Child, just born. His mother was so young, and hey I know that man... it's Joseph, the carpenter from Nazareth.
We stayed a while. It was so touching; the baby cried a little. He snuggled up to His mother. She was holding Him in cloths from the stable.
We left, and wondered, "Why us?"
Why not tell our rulers?
We decided to tell everyone about what we had seen and heard, but despite us telling people the truth, they looked at us and thought we were mad.
They thought we had been dreaming. After all it does say in Isaiah 53: 1
Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
We knew and believed what we saw was true. After all, we heard it from the mouth of angels, the messengers of God.
My eyes are dim now, but I still remember that night. I remember that Baby safe in His mother's arms.
During my time as a shepherd, I have seen millions of sheep, but now I have seen the promised Messiah who came as a Lamb to be slain and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Sheep... let me tell you are the most disobedient creatures on the planet. They need someone to turn them the right way. They are like us.
Isaiah 53:6-7:
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
Like the sheep I once took care of, you and I are disobedient and alienated from God. We need a Saviour.
Isaac asked Abraham, "Where is the lamb?"
Abraham answered, "God will provide a lamb."
He surely has... His name is Jesus.
Many years later, I went up to Jerusalem at Pentecost. Some fishermen from Galilee was preaching about Jesus, one born in a stable near Bethlehem.
It's Him! I saw Him! Now I have trusted Him for salvation.
Once I saw Him in the stable, but now I have Him in my heart.
This Christmas, you can in repentance and faith, come to know God through the atoning sacrifice of the Baby in the stable, who went to the cross and rose gloriously defeating the power of sin and death forever by His resurrection.
One final lesson. Remember Christian, that the world will not listen to you. It is oblivious to the truth of the gospel, but like the shepherds and the apostles, we can only say these words.
ACTS 4
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[c] by which we must be saved.”
20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
We tell of salvation by no other way, but by Calvary's cross.
We speak of what we have actually experienced in our own lives.
They can say we are fools, but they cannot disprove the power and boldness of a changed life.
SO, THIS CHRISTMAS, TELL EVERYONE.
THAT THE SAVIOUR HAS COME!
EVEN IF NO ONE BELIEVES YOU
PREACH THE WORD!
Who am I?
I am an ordinary Christian just like you and me, I love to study the scriptures and share what God shows me. I am from the UK, and at present live in Nanjing China. I am an English teacher. I have been saved from my teenage years, am now eligible for Pension.
I believe the whole of the bible, especially love the five Solas of the reformation.
I am saved by GRACE alone by FAITH alone in CHRIST alone through the WORD OF GOD alone for the GLORY OF GOD alone.
