I really think we could continue to look at these verses in
Luke 2:8-14 every day for several months and never exhaust the eternal golden nuggets
of truth that are in them. I believe it is even possible that we will spend
eternity in heaven meditating on this wonderful message by the angels to the
shepherds that dark night two thousand years ago, as we sit in the very
presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Today we are going to again look
at several powerful truths that should both impact our lives and encourage us.
As we have already noted, this message “of good tidings
of great joy” is not only for “all people”, but also it is for you
and me personally! The heartbeat of the message is that it is all about “a
Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. Isaiah prophesied some six-hundred years
earlier in Isaiah 9:6, that “unto us a Child, unto us a Son is given!” Unto us!!!!! Wow! “For us”, the Son of God,
God Himself robes Himself in flesh and is born as an infant Child in a dirty
stable in the “City of David”, the little town of Bethlehem. And His name is
Jesus Christ!
Peter later would proclaim in one of his first public
messages before the rulers and elders of Israel, after the resurrection of
Jesus in Acts 4:10-12, “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of
Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom
God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ... Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
There is only one Savior for the world and His name is
Jesus Christ! Only one name, that will bring salvation, bring peace, bring forgiveness
of sins, bring great joy into our lives and hearts! He is “the Christ”, He is
the Messiah, He is the Anointed One, He is the Promised One, He is the fulfillment
of all God’s plan and purpose for all eternity as the Old Testament prophesied!
And my friend, He is coming again! He is the King of kings, He is the Lord of
lords, He is the Most High One! Yes, that is our Jesus!
The shepherds were given a sign, which was they would “find
a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger”. Today we have been
given a sign, and that sign is the Holy Spirit. He is our guarantee! Paul wrote
it this way in Ephesians 1:13-14, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed,
you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of
His glory.”
At this point, this one angel was joined by “a multitude
of the heavenly hosts”. What were they doing? They were “praising God
and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill
toward men!" I can’t even begin
to imagine how the shepherds must have been standing there in awe at this sight
and upon hearing these words! Think about this additional message of the
heavenly host! They give us the purpose of the Savior coming to earth! And what
is that purpose?
The purpose of Jesus coming, the purpose of the Holy Spirit
of promise, the purpose of our redemption and salvation, is “to the praise
of His glory”! (Eph. 1:14). And the multitude of angels make this purpose very
clear as they are, “praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest”!
My friend, it really is all about the glory
of God!
Let me conclude with some of my favorite verses in Psalm
96:1-4: “Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing
to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day
to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For
the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”
(Please read the rest of this chapter.)
This is exactly what happened that night on the hillside
with those shepherds two thousand years ago!
God bless!
