By Ronald E.
George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church
(Face Off is a sermon series that invites all to come
face to face with the Lord.) Over
2000 years ago the Creator decided it was time to come to earth and to meet
face to face with His creation. To
make it possible to be known by the creation He chose to become one of them.
He grew a people who believed in Him through the faith of a man named
Abraham. Abraham and his
descendents would be the family through which God would come to earth.
The difference between the God man and earthly man was that He would be
perfect, as He had created them to be in the beginning.
This meeting of God and man would begin in a tiny place in the world
called Bethlehem. In this
forgotten place God would come into the world through a virgin woman named
Mary. He would live in a
carpenter’s home and be visited by shepherds, wise men, and others.
This sermon series declares that through the eyes of these humble
people we can see today the Lord face to face.
Through the eyes of the shepherds who were working the night shift we
can experience the joy of the birth of the Savior of the world.
On that lonely hillside the shepherds heard the Good News that Christ
was born in the city of David, Bethlehem.
That gift is the gift of God Himself.
C.H.
Spurgeon wrote, "This little planet of ours was made to burn with a
superior light among its sister stars while the Creator sojourned here in
human form. If for the first time
you had heard of the visit of the Incarnate God to this world, you would be
struck with a wonder which would last throughout all eternity.
This is the heart of the gospel -- the incomparable fact of the
incarnation of the Son of God, His dwelling upon the earth, and His
presentation of Himself as a sacrifice unto God for the sins of mankind."
This
is cause for rejoicing today and every day throughout the year. As John Hus said, "Rejoice, that the immortal God is
born, so that mortal men may live in eternity.
Rejoice, because the rich Lord of the Universe became poor, that He may
enrich us needy ones."
The
news of the birth of Christ is certainly "good tidings of great
joy"!
Scripture Text:
Luke 2:8 And there were
in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their
flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in
the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this [shall
be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
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, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the
angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to
another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come
to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with
haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And
when they had seen [it], they made known abroad the saying which was told
them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard [it] wondered at
those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all
these things, and pondered [them] in her heart. 20 And the shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard
and seen, as it was told unto them.
1.
God interrupts your life. Do
you hate to be interrupted? Especially
when you are involved in some important task you know interruptions can be
disrupting to your plans. God
wants to interrupt your plans today to let you know that He came and wants to
be seen and known by you. He
wants to interrupt your life with some Good News. The good news is that He is here. He came to the world and now He is here.
2.
God selects those to whom He will reveal Himself. He is
revealing Himself to you today. He
chose those shepherds working in the fields the night He came.
He could have gone to anyone in the whole world, but He didn’t.
He came to the shepherds. He
came to them because he wants us to know that you don’t have to be a
prestigious person to warrant His attention.
He came to average people as an average person.
If you are a coal miner or a king He has come for you.
He is interrupting your life to let you know that He wants you to know
Him.
3.
God’s glory will shine around you.
Have you seen the glory of God?
Have you seen a beautiful sunset?
How many ways have you sent he glory of the Lord?
We have seen His glory in creation.
We have seen his beauty in the fellowship of the people of God.
We have seen his glory in all that He does, but you have never seen the
full measure of the glory of God until you have seen Him. He shines because He is.
The glory of the Lord (not the angels) shone around the shepherds.
Then the angels proclaimed the glory of the Lord.
They didn’t sing. They
proclaimed the glory of the Lord in that he has decided to come to earth.
4.
God brings Good News and great joy to your life.
Does the world need some joy?
Do you need some joy? Fear
not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. The good news and
the great joy is to all people of all ages or all times.
When you here the good news it can bring joy to your life if you
believe and receive the message. The shepherds could have continued to watch the flock, but
they didn’t. You can continue
to watch your flock of you can have the joy of the Lord.
Maybe you have gotten too busy in life that you have forgotten the good
news. Here it is.
He is here for you. Come
and see the babe who became the Savior of the world.
He defeated death for you. He
arose from the dead. You don’t
have to die. You can Live! That is good news!
5.
God gives a sign. What
is the sign of the living God living on earth with people?
The baby was wrapped in cloths and lying in a feed trough in a barn.
What is the sign of his coming to people today?
The Bible shows us the life of the only Son of God. He was a common man born to a common people.
He had no special life, but he was there for all to behold wrapped in
clothes and lay in a feed trough. The
greatest of the signs of his coming is the fact that He lived, He died, and He
arose from the dead. He is here
for you.
6.
God gives Himself. God
comes to all and is available to all. Christmas is a celebration of gifts.
Gifts are given to those you love.
God gave the greatest gift of all.
He gave Himself. What gift would you give to Him today? God gave himself to the shepherds and he gives Himself to you
today. Would you receive Him in
your life? When we look for a
gift we always try to get something that the person doesn’t already have.
What will we give to God? What
is the one thing that He doesn’t have?
He doesn’t have you unless you give yourself to Him.
7.
God’s Creation who recognizes Him will praise Him.
God’s People will come to see. The
shepherds went to see the child that was spoken of by the angels.
People who want to see Him will go to see Him.
He will be worshiped by those who believe.
People who recognize His
8.
God’s People who have seen will tell others of this Good News.