Good morning.  For the next few weeks, we will be taking a look at the 3 most important groups of people as we approach Christmas.  Each week, we will take a look at a different group of people and see what we can learn from them.  Now, on my tie this morning, is a picture of a Reindeer.  But what I want us to realize this morning, is that it is not about the reindeer, but instead, it should be about the Shepherds.  Go ahead and turn with me to Luke 2:7-20.  That is where we will be this morning.

Before we get started though, allow me to begin with a word of prayer.  Let’s Pray!

Today we are going to be experiencing the birth of Christ with the Shepherds.  Listen to this passage.  It says in Luke 2:7-20 that, “1”

The telling of the Christmas story can be such a familiar and common experience that we miss the significance of it.  With the annual repetitions the familiarity of the story of the shepherds can cause us to take it for granted, to overlook just how amazing this evebt really is.  So this year I want to challenge you to see it again for the first time.  Who does God announce the birth of His Son to?  To whom would you expect the announcement to go?  We could see how God might choose to announce the birth of Christ to Herod the King.  We could see how He would want to announce the birth in a splendid ceremony in the Temple led by the High Priest.  But we have trouble understanding why He would choose a group of shepherds instead.

The only invitation from God to anyone to come and visit Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus is to a group of shepherds.  At best the shepherds were common, ordinary folks.  They were not the socially elite.  Most likely these shepherds were tending their sheep just outside of Bethlehem and the sheep they were tending were probably sheep being prepared for the temple sacrifices.  They were the last people that you’d expect God to take notice of.

However, in the story of God’s announcement to the shepherds are some very important truths.  Let’s take a second look at this text today and let’s look at it as if it were the first time we have heard this.  Take a look at verses 7-9 with me once again.  It says in Luke 2:7-9 that, “1”

First, These Shepherds Learned That Everyone Is Important To God

The invitation of God comes to the most despised of people, outcasts from all respectable society.  Their honesty and integrity was so questionable that they were not even allowed to testify in a court of law in those days.  Shepherds were so far down on the list of social outcast that the only people lower than what they were would have been the lepers.

Now, I believe that God chose the shepherds because He wanted to show that His love is available to all.  He is not a God that looks at the status of a persons, He does not show more respect to kings than He does to hourly wage workers.  You may think, “If God is even aware that I exist, He probably doesn’t have a very favorable opinion of me!”

Deep down a lot people may feel like that.  But no matter how insignificant you may think you are God knows you and you are important to Him.

The Apostle Paul explains this in his first letter to the Corinthians.  Listen to these couple of verses.  Paul says in I Corinthians 1:26-28, “2”

So, these lowly shepherds realized that night that everyone was important to God.  No social standing would keep them from experiencing all that God could do.  For us today, we need to realize that same truth.  God loves everyone no matter what!  When it comes to our own lives, we need to realize that there is nothing that we could ever do to cause God to love us any less than He does right now.  Now matter what, God loves each and every one of us, and He wants us to come to Him and enter into a relationship with Him.

When it comes to outreach, we need to realize this same truth.  No matter what we see in people, we need to realize that they are part of God’s creation and that He loves them the same that He loves us.  It is our job to make sure that the shepherds of today, see and know the love that God has for them.

But, the lessons learned by the shepherds didn’t stop there.

Secondly, They Learned That God Has Wonderful News For All Who Will Believe

Take a look at verses 10-14 with me once again.  Luke 2:10-14 says, “1”

Note with me that the message that the angel brought from God spoke to their most immediate need when the angel said, “do not be afraid.”  The Bible says that, “they were terrified.”  When the angelic messenger suddenly appeared the shepherds reacted in the way that a normal human would if they were terribly afraid.  You too may have a heart filled with fear this Christmas.  Fear about, your health, your family, your job security, the economy, or the condition of our world.  But we need to hear what the shepherds heard.  “Do not be afraid.”  Why, because, “…we have good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today …a Savior has been born to you…”

Because scripture has been fulfilled, and because Christ is LORD over all, there is wonderful news for all who will believe in the Lord.  Notice also that this news “will be for all the people.”  This news is not just for a privileged few.  Scripture says, “Whosoever will let Him come.”  Jesus came to pay for the sins of all sinners.  He is available to all.

After the angel’s reassurance that they need not be afraid verse 13 says, “Suddenly a great company of the Heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.””

There was a Heavenly flash and then the shepherds, who are already bewildered, are surrounded by angels!  Other translations say that there was a multitude of Heavenly host.

The word “multitude,” is not 50, not 150, not 1500, but beyond counting.  It is amazing to consider that Heavenly host stretched from horizon to horizon to witness the most amazing event in the history of the universe.

Then the Heavenly host began to sing praises.  Scripture says in Job 38:7 that at creation the angels “sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.”  Now they join voices again to welcome the birth of the Savior of all mankind.  The sign to them is that they will find the Christ child lying in a manger.  No other child was born in a cattle stable that night, no other child’s first resting place was a crude feeding trough designed to feed cattle.

So, the shepherds leaned that God had great news for all those who would believe.  The news is the same today.  There is a Savior who has paid the price for all of our sins.  All we have to do is believe in Him, and come to Him.

Next, These Shepherds Learned that How You Respond To The Invitation Of God Makes All The Difference

Listen to these verses once more.  Luke 2:15-16 says, “1”

They could have doubted what they had been told.  They could have said, “It can’t be like we were told.  In fact why should we have been told at all.  We better just forget about it.”  They could have ignored it.

They could have had any number of excuses that would keep them from checking out the story they had just heard.  They could have debated it.  They could have sat down and analyzed what they should do.  Could they afford to leave the sheep?  What if something happened while they were gone?  Talking, talking and more talking.  Sometimes we actually talk ourselves out of responding in faith.  They could have rejected it.  They could have said, “This is not for me!  This sounds kind of flaky to me.”  We often reject what we think demands too much of us.

But the shepherds chose to believe.  The belief of the shepherds in the message of the angel is shown in their words, they did not say, “Let us go and see if these things are true…”  Instead, they said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.”

It is not enough to hear about Jesus.  It is not enough to look into the manger and say, “Oh how nice.  This touching scene gives me good feelings.”  But the truth is that if Jesus where born in Bethlehem a thousand times and not within you, you will still be eternally lost.  You can get all sentimental at Christmas, and have a warm fuzzy feeling, but if Christ is not born into your heart, there is no real significance to all of this.

So the shepherds realized the importance to responding to the message in a positive way.  How you respond to this message makes all the difference here in this life, and in the life to come.

And Finally, They Learned That What You Do With The Good News Is Of Great Importance As Well

Take a look at the rest of this story with me.  Luke 2:17-20 ends by saying, “1”

As the first evangelists they did not emphasize what it was like to see an angel, or to hear the angelic choir.  Nor did they dwell on how frightened they were.  Their main interest was in reporting what had just happened to everyone they came in contact with.  Every individual is important.  It is impossible to live, even for a few moments on this earth and not influence somebody in one way or another.  We are always influencing someone, either for the good or for the bad.

The last verse of our text says that the shepherds who had just seen all of these amazing things, had to go back glorifying and praising God.  When this event was over, they had to return to the ordinary life they were living, and had to take their message with them.  That is true for us each year, for the celebration of Christmas is a special time.  But when the fun and excitement is over we have to return to our jobs and our responsibilities.  But the shepherds returned so full of what had happened in their lives that they could not keep themselves from sharing the good news with everyone they came into contact with.

Let’s remember who these shepherds are, they are real men, which means that they were crude, and tough, and you probably wouldn’t want your daughter to date one.  The celebrating that these shepherds were doing was not the artistic praise spoken by the cultured, nor the quiet reflection of the scholar.  When the Bible says that they were “…glorifying and praising God…”, in the original language it is describing something like the last second of the National Championship when Ohio State beats LSU.  It is more of a whooping and hollering and screaming out praises to God.  It is likely that this was the only kind of praising and glorifying they knew and I think that it brought a smile to God’s face.

These shepherds wanted everyone around them to know how excited they were from their encounter with the new King, the Savior of the world.  Now, when you become a Christian, you have a choice in what you do with the message that has been given to you.  One, you can store that up inside of yourself, and never let anyone know what you have inside of you.  This will usually lead you to not being truly satisfied.  Or the second option, and the proper response is to share that message with everyone that you have the chance to.

God’s desire is that you take that message, and you make it known to as many people as you can.  That is what these shepherds did, and that is what we need to do as well.  They realized just how important it was to share that message, and they did it with great results.

So, these lowly shepherds had an amazing encounter.  And here is the application.  What the Shepherds learned at the manger:
1. They learned that they were important to God.
2. They learned that they could know the Savior personally.
3. They learned that God has wonderful news for all who will believe.
4. They learned that when God calls it is up them to respond.
5. They learned that the good news is not something that you can keep to yourself.

Being a shepherd was lonely, weary, usually very boring, tedious, and had its moments of extreme danger.  You know what kept the shepherds going?  It was hope.  God had promised His people that one day he would send the Messiah, that when the Messiah came everything would be different.  It was that hope that burned in their hearts and kept them going.

How about us?  Sometimes we become weary.  There are times when we wonder if it is worthwhile to keep on going.  But the Lord has promised that one day He will come back.  He is coming for all of us, shepherds and kings, wise men and peasants.  He is coming for all of His people.  May we take the message that the shepherds received that night, and may we apply that to our own lives this Christmas season?

Let’s Pray!