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On Apr 17, 2011: Luke 2:8-20 Good Tidings Of Great Joy · Teachings On This Day On FerventWord

• 00:00 You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2011. 00:13 We talked about a guy named Caesar Augustus. He was the emperor of the Roman Empire. And although he proclaimed himself to be a god, we saw that he was just a pawn in God's plan and God was using him to accomplish his purposes. And so Caesar Augustus issued a decree. 00:35 He declared, he commanded that all of the world should be registered so that they could be taxed properly. And as a result of this decree, we got to see Mary and Joseph, not yet married, but betrothed to one another. Mary was pregnant though, as a result of the Holy Spirit, the work that God had done. 00:55 And they took the journey from Nazareth all the way down south to Bethlehem. It was about an 80-mile journey, which would have been, of course, very difficult for Mary and Joseph. But as they get down to Bethlehem to participate in this census and be registered, the time comes and... 01:15 Jesus is there delivered while Mary and Joseph are in Bethlehem. Now, they're not at the hospital of Bethlehem. There's no Kaiser there. There's no, you know, health care of that sort. They're actually in a cave because the inns are crowded, the houses are booked because of all the people that have come back to register for the census. And they're not at the hospital of Bethlehem. 01:37 And so the only enclosure they could find was a stable. We think of a stable kind of as a wood structure, but they were probably in a cave that was carved out of a rock. And in the cave is where they kept all the animals. And the manger, which is what they would use to feed the animals in, is where they were able to lay Jesus after he was born. 02:01 We looked at this last week and we can see quite clearly as we look at these things that this is very humble beginnings, that Jesus came in absolute humility. He came in great lowliness. Although He is God and although He is the Creator, humbled Himself and came to the earth through Mary. Mary and Joseph were very poor. They basically had nothing to offer and yet God chose to use them 02:30 He comes at a time that was very inconvenient, not very sanitary, and he comes at a location which no mom would pick to deliver their child. And so from the very beginning, the circumstances around Jesus' birth are evidence of his humility, how he has humbled himself to come down and minister to us. 02:54 Well, as we continue on this morning in verses 8 through 20, we also continue to see that picture painted of the humility of Christ. That he came and when the birth announcement is given, it's given to shepherds. 03:12 It's given to shepherds. Now, shepherds in those days were not highly esteemed. They weren't, you know, the cream of the crop as far as the society was concerned. They didn't really give much thought or much value to those who were shepherds. And yet, this is who God chose to bring the birth announcement to. The angel appears to them and tells them that Jesus has been born. 03:40 Now to get a little bit of a background on shepherds, you should understand that shepherding was a very difficult occupation. It wasn't a glorious job. Again, it was very lowly esteemed because of many different things. Many times they were not able to participate in the religious activities 03:59 Feasts and festivals because they were out watching the sheep. It was a full-time job. And by full-time, I don't mean 40 hours a week. I mean it was a day and night type of job that they were always with the sheep, which meant that they lived outside, they slept on the ground, they were exposed to the heat and the cold. 04:20 They were with the sheep constantly. There was also many dangers in being a shepherd because there was wild animals that would seek to devour the sheep. There were also robbers and thieves that would seek to steal them away. There was not much food supply because, of course, they're just living out there off the field, off the land, just like the rest of the sheep. 04:42 And again, in society, in the Jewish culture of the day, they were looked upon very, very low. And we'll deal with that more towards the end of the message. 04:53 So we see as the birth announcement is given, that it's given to those who lived in those days would not have expected. You could think, well, what about the religious leaders? What about those who are in Jerusalem? What about Caesar Augustus? But no, the announcement is given to some shepherds who are on a hillside because Jesus humbled himself. 05:18 to be accessible, to be relatable, to give us an opportunity to have a relationship with God by faith in Him. Well, as we look at this announcement that's given to the shepherds and their response here in verses 8 through 20, there's four things I want to highlight, four things I'd like to share with you in regard to the good tidings of great joy that is announced here by the angel. 05:44 And so the first thing we'll see here in verses 8 through 11 are that the good tidings are to all people. The good tidings are for everyone, not just a select few. Let's pick it up in verse 8. It says this. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 06:06 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 06:17 So here are these shepherds. We don't know much about them. We just know they're out there in the fields. And in those days, it was common, it was practiced where the city, probably the city of Bethlehem, would have all around it an area that was reserved for flocks and herds and things like that. And so they were on some type of hill, in some type of field, kind of hanging out with their sheep. And it was in this area 06:43 context that Jesus, just a little bit over across the way, is being born in these humble beginnings there in a cave. And so they're out there in the fields. It says that they're living in the fields with their sheep. Again, it wasn't just a, you know, you clock in at nine, you clock out at five. They were out there in the middle of the night because that's where they lived amongst the sheep. 07:07 And as they're out there, this incredible thing happens. Now, if you could picture it in your mind for just a moment, if you've ever been, you know, off into the woods or maybe in the mountains, away from the lights of the city, and you know how dark it can be at night. This is what it would have been like for the shepherds. They were out there, maybe they had a fire. 07:31 That's probably safe to assume. But, you know, there's no flashlights, there's no street lights, there's no nothing like that. They could probably see, you know, fires of the cities off in the distance. But for the most part, it's very dark. And if you've ever been around a campfire in that kind of situation, you know how it is. You walk just a couple feet away from the fire and it's just complete darkness. You can't see anything. 07:58 And so they're out there in the fields, in the cover of darkness, and then all of a sudden, bam! Here's an angel of the Lord, and it says, the glory of the Lord shone around them. 08:11 So just picture that for a moment. You know what it's like, right? When you're in darkness and then all of a sudden, bam, bright light. I kind of picture it like, you know, if you're walking down the street and then all of a sudden, you know, police helicopter shines their spotlight on you. I never had that happen, but that's what I imagined like it would happen. That just, bam, suddenly there's just light all around you. It's like, it's like daytime. It's just brilliant. 08:34 And so the shepherds are in shock, of course, because, well, there was darkness and then there's light. There's this brilliant light. Their eyes are trying to adjust to the change. And on top of that, there is an angel standing before them. What an incredible scene. It really freaked the shepherds out. It says that they were greatly afraid. 08:58 In verse 10, it goes on to say, 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. And so the angel announces to them, maybe it's Gabriel, maybe it's not, we don't know for sure, but then the angel says, Do not be afraid. It's amazing to me that 09:23 Every time we see angels appearing to people in the Scriptures, this is what they have to tell them. Don't be afraid. You remember Zacharias in chapter 1? He was there in the temple. An angel appeared. 09:35 Zacharias got all freaked out and the angel Gabriel said, don't be afraid. And then a little bit later on in chapter 1, there's Mary and the angel announces to her, hey, you're highly favored in the Lord and she's freaked out and he says, don't be afraid. Well, here again, the shepherds are freaked out. They're recognizing, whoa, something big is happening here. And I kind of think in their minds, they're thinking, oh, this must be the end, you know. 10:03 He's come to wipe us out. He's come to knock us out. He's come to bring some type of punishment or judgment upon us. But the angel says, don't be afraid. And he tells them why. He says, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. And so the angel says, hey, I'm not here because you're in trouble. I'm not here to inflict some type of punishment. I'm here to announce some really good news. 10:32 That word good tidings, it means to announce good news. Throughout the rest of the New Testament, it's usually translated to preach the gospel because that's what the gospel is. It's good news about what God has done for us. And so the angel says, look, I've got the gospel message. I've got good news for you. I'm here to declare to you some good tidings, some glad tidings. 11:00 That will bring great joy. These aren't just, you know, good tidings that, you know, hey, your local sports team won, you know, hey, that's awesome, how exciting. No, not just, you know, a little bit of good news, but good news that will bring great joy. Great joy. And not just great joy to you shepherds, but he says, which will be to all people. 11:29 And so he says, look, I'm coming to bring you some good news. It's some very specific news and it's very important news. It's going to bring you joy, but not just to you. It's going to be for all people. We'll come back to that thought in just a moment. But here's the good news as we go on in verse 11. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. 11:57 So here's the good tidings. Here's the good news. There is born to you this day a Savior. A Savior is born. Now in those days, the Jewish people, those shepherds as well, they were looking for a Savior. 12:14 but not the Savior that we might think of as a Savior when we think of Jesus. They were looking for someone to save them from Roman rule. They wanted to get out from underneath Rome's authority and power. They wanted to be their own sovereign nation. And so they were seeking, they were praying, they were asking God to send them someone to deliver them from Rome. 12:40 But check this out. That's the Savior that they were seeking. That's not the Savior that God provided them. If God had provided that Savior, then this would not have been good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. Because if that were the case, that they were just delivered from Rome, and that's all that God did at that time, well, you and I would read this here in Luke chapter 2, and we would see, oh, there were... 13:11 receiving a Savior that would deliver them from Rome. And we'd spend maybe two minutes on it and think, okay, well that's enough, let's move on to the next verse. There's nothing really to camp on, nothing really substantial for us. That was a different group of people a long time ago. Okay, God gave them a Savior, that's great. But this good tidings, this good news, wasn't just for the Jewish people in that context for that time. 13:38 This good news, these good tidings are for all people, the angel said. And so the Savior that is born is not a Savior just in a limited context, but a Savior for all people. So the Jews were looking for freedom from Rome. If we were to take a survey in our society today, there would be all kinds of different Saviors that people are looking for still to this day. 14:12 Looking for a political savior, a financial savior, a savior for their family. All kinds of different things that we are looking for resolution to problems and issues and difficulties that we face. 14:30 We could go through this room and say, hey, what's going on in your life? What are you struggling with? What are the difficulties? And you might say, man, yeah, I really got some family issues and I just, I need some help with that. And another person might say, man, I, my family's great, but I just, the finances are just out of whack and terrible. Another person says, I guess my finances are okay, but my problem is I don't have anywhere to live, you know? And so each of us are wrestling with and dealing with and going through different things, different issues, right? 15:00 This Savior that was born is a Savior for all people. And so we all have a lot of different things and we go through different seasons in our life, but there's something that's common to all of us. There's one thing that we all need salvation in, where we all need help, where we all need to be rescued. There's one thing that you have in common with everyone else here. 15:29 You have a need that everyone else has. You have a need that all of humanity has had throughout all of history. And this is the need that God met with this Savior, with Jesus. What is that need? Paul tells us in Romans 3, verse 23, Here's the issue. Here's the problem. It's sin. 16:00 Sin has separated us from God. Sin has kept us from those things that God wants to accomplish in our lives. Sin is the problem that is common to all of us. Every one of us need a Savior in regard to our sin. None of us can do enough good deeds to make up for our sin. We can't work off, you know, or pay some penalty on our own. The debt is too great. Our sin is too wicked. It's too great. Sin is the problem. 16:32 We can't resolve it on our own. We need a Savior. And that has been the case for all of history since Adam. We have walked in sin. And so we need a Savior. This good tidings for all people is that a Savior has been born for all people. Not a particular race, not a particular gender, not a particular class of society, but 17:00 But all people need a Savior and that Savior has been born. That Savior is Jesus. Well, we find out a little bit more about Him as the angel goes on that He says, "...is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ." 17:20 He calls him Christ. The Savior that has been born is Christ. Now, Christ is not a name. It's a title. It literally means anointed one. And Christ is the Greek word which is translated from the Hebrew word Messiah. Messiah means anointed one in Hebrew. Christ means anointed one in Greek. And so Messiah, Christ, same thing. 17:51 So when he says that this Savior that has been born is the Christ, what he's saying is, this is that anointed one that God has promised. All throughout history, all throughout the Old Testament, you can see God has been promising that anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ, the one who would save his people from their sins. 18:18 And so he's declaring here, the angel is declaring to them, this is not just, you know, a good man. He's not just going to be a great prophet or instrumental in history. This Savior who has been born is that one that God has promised since the beginning. And there's many characteristics about those promises that we could look at, that he would suffer, that he would die, that he would be God as well. 18:47 He's that Savior, the Christ that God has promised. We also see here there at the end of verse 11 that He is Christ the Lord. Although Jesus was born, He is the Lord. The reality is Jesus Christ is God. He has always existed. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. He's your creator. He's my creator. Colossians tells us that everything is held together by Jesus. 19:22 In Him all things consist. And yet, Jesus being God, He became man. It doesn't mean He stopped being God, but He added humanity to His deity. And so He became man, He dwelt among us, He added humanity to His nature, again, so that He could walk this earth, so that He could conquer sin and death, 19:49 paying the penalty for sin, for your sin, for my sin upon the cross so that He could be the Savior to all people. And so this is the good tidings to all people that we have been given a Savior to save us from our sinful condition. It's the anointed one that God has promised since time began. And He is the Lord. He is our Creator. Imagine that. Your Creator loves you so much 20:22 He said, I'll go. I'll become a man. I'll be born into these humble circumstances. I'll reduce myself completely to love and serve you because I love you so much. That's the creator that we serve. That's the creator that we know. That's Jesus. And so these are good tidings to all people. It's accessible to everyone. 20:58 The gospel message, the good news, is for anyone who will receive it. Well, the second thing we find as we continue on here in chapter 2, verses 12 through 14, is we find that they're good tidings of God's pleasure. Look at verse 12 with me. It says, And this will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." 21:24 Now we'll get back to that in a moment, but he says this is a sign for you. And then verse 13, And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Put yourself in the shepherd's sandals again for just a moment. It's dark, there's a fire, it's quiet. 21:55 You're out there in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, bam! An angel's there. There's glory all around you. Your eyes are adjusting. He's telling you not to be afraid. And just when you're getting used to that, it says there's a multitude of angels. A multitude of the heavenly hosts. A multitude that are declaring glory. Do you jump a little bit? Yes. 22:32 You can imagine what the shepherds did. By the way, the restrooms are straight out the doors if you need them. No, I'm just kidding. They're here listening to this. He's saying, don't be afraid. Listen, a Savior has been born and then suddenly, bam, the heaven is filled with this heavenly host, this multitude. And these angels are declaring glory to God in the highest. And on earth, peace and goodwill towards men. Amazing. I want to take a moment and consider this declaration that they're praising God with because... 23:06 This declaration can only be true through Jesus. They say, Glory to God in the highest and peace and goodwill towards men. Both of those can only be true through Jesus. That's the only way. You can have one or the other apart from Jesus, but you cannot have both. How is that? Well, 23:35 The word goodwill here means good pleasure. And if we'll take it back to the beginning, when God created Adam, we understand, we know, the Bible says, He created Adam to do him good. He created Adam to walk with him, to have relationship with him. And He wanted good things for Adam. It pleased God to do good things for him. 24:02 And you can see that if you look at the days of creation, right? Day one, God is in the process of creating. He looks back at the day's work. He says, oh, it's good. Day two, he's in the process of creating. He looks back at the end of the day. He says, oh, that's good. Day three, oh, it's good. Day four, it's good. Day five, oh, it's good. Day six, he creates man. He looks back at his work. He says, you know, it's not that good. 24:29 It's not good for man to be alone, God says. And so He creates woman. He gives Eve to Adam because He's desiring to bless Adam with good, with things that are good. It pleased God to do good for Adam. He's there in the garden. He's got good food. He's got no real work or labor that's burdensome or great perspiration or effort on His part. 25:05 He's been given dominion over the earth. I mean, God just is blessing him with all these good things. God was pleased. It brought him joy to do good for Adam. So far, so good, right? But then Adam sinned in the garden. And he ate of the one tree that God says, don't eat of that tree. Now, of course, this isn't a surprise to God. God always knew. But it still changed things. Because of this sin, because of this rebellion against God, 25:38 At this point in Adam's life, God was no longer able to do the good for Adam that he wanted to do. When God created Adam, he had all these ideas, he had all these plans. He said, oh man, I want to bless Adam, I want to do good for him. And it brought him great joy to do so. But when Adam rebelled, God was in a position where he could not continue to do the good plans that he had for Adam. Because that would violate his nature. Now we know that God is good. 26:12 And we know that God is love. But He is also holy and righteous. And you can't separate those characteristics of God. And so it's not that, you know, today He's good and then tomorrow He's going to be holy. He's always holy and He's always good. He's always righteous and He's always loving. He's always true to His nature. He does not change. And so He cannot violate His nature. And so now there's the issue. 26:46 If he is glorified, then he cannot give peace and goodwill toward men because of the sin issue. Now Jesus comes in. The Savior is born and he makes both possible. That God can still be glorified. That God has not violated his nature, his character. He has remained faithful and true. He changes not. 27:21 But God doesn't have to deal with us according to our sin any longer because Jesus received the full payment, the full penalty for our sin there upon the cross. And by receiving that full penalty for our sin, now when we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, as God calls us to, now God sees us clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 27:49 That means that God relates to you when you believe in Jesus. God relates to you just as if you had never, ever, ever, ever sinned or made a mistake or had a wrong thought or did an evil deed. He relates to you as if you have always been perfect because you've put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. And see, now both are possible because the price has been paid. 28:17 And so he is glorified, but at the same time, now he is able to fulfill his plans, not of evil, but plans of peace. To give you a future and a hope. He's able to fulfill those plans in your life. And so he's able to say peace and goodwill towards men. This isn't just, you know, like you would say at a beauty pageant, you know, I want peace on earth. It's not just kind of just a meaningless saying, right? 28:48 This is saying God is glorified and because the Savior is now born, oh, God is able to bring forth His good pleasure for you. He's able to perform His will and it brings Him such joy to do you good. You could think about it in your own life. You have those in your life, I hope, that you love dearly and it brings you joy and 29:16 To do good things for them. To do things that you know will bless them. It brings you joy. You get excited about it. In the same way, God gets excited as He thinks about you. He thinks about all the good things He has in store for you. It brings Him pleasure to do those things. And now, because of the Savior, because of Jesus, He is able to accomplish those good things. It pleases God to do good for you. Now, I know sometimes it doesn't feel that way. 29:45 We have to correct our emotions when they're out of whack because sometimes we have the sense or we feel like, man, God's really out to get me. He's trying to pay me back because I did this and I did that and I'm over there. Again, Jesus paid the price. He paid the price. The full payment, the full penalty of sin is already paid for. So if you're walking with God by faith in Jesus, He's not out to get you. 30:18 There's no fear of wrath for those who are in Christ Jesus. No fear of condemnation. Now God is free to do all the good that he wants to do, that he plans to do for you. Now, of course, God's looking at the eternal picture. For us, we don't see the eternal picture most of the time. We see the temporary picture. And so we think, hey, God, if you're good, then you're supposed to handle this this way and do it right now. 30:47 But God looking at the eternal scope, He's able to know the end from the beginning and He's able to do what is best for us. But the scripture gives us the promise, He works all things together for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8.28, He's working for our good. He's accomplishing things for our purposes. It pleased God to do good for you. 31:13 In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 7, Paul tells us there in talking about salvation, he says, in the ages to come, he will show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Do you know how much good God wants to do for you? He wants to do so much good that it's going to take the ages to come, I would suggest to you the rest of eternity, for you and I to fully understand and realize how good God has been towards us. 31:44 That's amazing. God is good. And now, because the Savior has been born, this is good tidings of God's pleasure. That is good tidings. God's able to do all the good things for you that He's wanted to do because of Jesus. Because the Savior has been born. Amazing. 32:03 Let's continue on. The third thing we find here in this portion, verse 15 and 16, is that we have good tidings with solid evidence. Solid evidence. Look at verse 15. It says, So 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. 32:30 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And so the angels are now gone. Their eyes are kind of adjusting back to the darkness. They're looking at each other like, did you just see what I just saw? I mean, did that really happen? And as they're looking at each other, they say, let's go check it out. God told us, He announced this to us. Let's go see this thing that has happened. And so they go to find this child that had been born. 33:02 Now the angels had told them there in verse 12, this will be the sign to you. So the angel announced it, but he also gave him the means to verify it. This is an important aspect to faith that we need to have an understanding. He declares it to us. He announces salvation. He announces his word to us, but he also gives us the means to verify it. God does require that we have faith. 33:37 And our salvation is by faith. But it's not faith in a way that there's no reason, that there's no evidence, that you have to not think about, just blindly believe whatever is told you. That's not the faith that God desires or requires. 33:56 God gives us substance, reasons to believe. And so He delivers this message to the shepherds and He says, okay, here's the sign that this Savior has been born. You'll find Him wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And so it tells us that they go with haste. They go to Bethlehem and they find Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. 34:30 They found Jesus exactly the way the angel said they would. He announced the birth of the Savior, but he also gave them the means to verify it. You know, the same is true today. The good tidings, the good news, the gospel message that we have, that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that by faith in him we can have everlasting life, that gospel message, those good tidings, come with solid evidence. 35:03 Now, of course, we're not in the same time frame as the shepherds, and so we can't go to Bethlehem and look at the little baby lying in the manger. But there's some other things that we can look to, that we can look at and understand that there's some real, good, logical, reasonable reasons to believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. 35:28 I just want to run through a couple of these with you. We're not going to go in great detail here, but you might remember last week we talked about one of the reasons to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. We talked about the probabilities. What is the probability that one individual in all of history could fulfill 48 of the prophecies regarding the Messiah? 35:53 Jesus, of course, fulfilled many more prophecies than that. But just looking at 48 and working out the math, we saw that it was a very slim chance. In fact, the probability, the chance of any person fulfilling 48 prophecies about the Messiah was 1 in 10 to the 157th power. And that's that big long number up there. You can count the zeros later if you want and verify the math. But the bottom line of this is, 36:28 Jesus is the Messiah. According to mathematical laws of probability, it's not possible that this would happen just by chance. This had to have been orchestrated. It had to have been done by God. That's what we saw last week. We went through it. I won't spend all that time to go through it again. 36:52 But we look mathematically, Jesus is the Messiah. He is the Savior. But that's not all. We also have eyewitness testimonies. The Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of John. These are all eyewitness testimonies of Jesus, of His life, His death and His resurrection. The book of Acts is the testimonies of many others as well who saw Jesus and they saw Him after He had resurrected. 37:20 Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that when Jesus resurrected at one time, he appeared to more than 500 people. And so we have eyewitness testimonies going back to the time of the events that also verify that Jesus is the Messiah that he said he was. We also can see and look at Saul's conversion testimony. 37:43 Saul's conversion is unique because he was radically opposed to Jesus and the things of God. He was radically opposed to Christianity. He persecuted Christians. He tortured them until they would blaspheme the name of Jesus. But then he had an encounter with Jesus. And he tells us about that encounter in the book of Acts, in the book of Galatians, how Jesus appeared to him and there was a radical change in his life where he began now to 38:13 to share the truth, to share the gospel, to proclaim Jesus to the world around them. Well, you could also look at the accuracy of the scriptures. Biblical accuracy is substantial. You can compare it to any other book that you want. It will not be accurate like the Bible is. The prophecies that are contained are fulfilled exactly the way that God said, exactly in the timing that He said. 100% of the time, it's always the case. 38:42 The historical references, the historical markers, even where the scholars have thought, oh, there's no real society by that name, or there's no real king by that name, or they've questioned all kinds of things throughout history. But over and over again, archaeology has uncovered and verified what the Bible has said is actually completely accurate. 39:08 It's not a science book, but where it does talk about science and things of that nature, it's completely accurate. And the Bible tells us that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. And then finally, salvation from the beginning. This is a big one, one of my favorite elements of the idea that Jesus is the Savior. 39:31 Because in my opinion, Christianity is the only religion that really explains this, that really has an answer. Because every other religion started later. And so if it started later, then what do you say about religion? 39:50 the people that lived before that religion started, that God just, you know, He didn't care about them, He didn't want to save them. What solution is there? But see, Christianity, because it's the fulfillment of, the completion of the Old Testament, the Jewish scriptures, the Jewish faith, Jesus fulfilling the law, fulfilling the prophecies, fulfilling the scriptures, completes it and gives the total plan of salvation from beginning to end. 40:20 Because at the very beginning, you can go in the scriptures right after the fall with Adam and Eve. God is working with them and explaining to them and sharing with them the plan of salvation and working so that they can have relationship with him. And then through Moses and the law, he's providing a way for his people to come to him to receive forgiveness. You remember Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Righteousness. 40:44 And so from the very beginning, God was working to bring salvation, to offer salvation to His people. And that continued on. The law and everything, the prophets all pointing to Jesus. When Jesus came, He fulfilled all of those things. He is the Savior. And so all those who had faith in the Old Testament... 41:06 are saved because of what Jesus did upon the cross. All those who have lived in faith after Jesus are saved because of what Jesus did upon the cross. He is the explanation for salvation to all of humanity throughout all of history. And so we have solid evidence. We don't have to just blindly just trust me, just believe me. You don't have to think about it. Try not to think about it actually. No. 41:33 Think about it. Think about the probability. Think about the eyewitness testimony. There's much more that we could get into. You get the point. There's reason to believe that Jesus is the Savior. It's for sure. There needs to be no shadow of a doubt in your mind or in your heart. Well, finally, in verse 16, it says, "...they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph." 41:59 This solid evidence is found by those who come with haste. The idea that they came with haste shows that their heart was in it. They weren't dragged there, okay, fine, I'll go, I'll go see the baby. No, no, no. They rushed, they were running, they came with haste. And it wasn't an easy task. Remember, Bethlehem was crowded because of the census. This is the night of Jesus' birth. 42:26 And there wasn't a hospital they just go to and ask the front desk, hey, where's Jesus? You know, we want to visit him. They had to go search. And they weren't in, you know, just, you know, go check out the Hilton. That's where he'll be. He's in a cave somewhere lying in a manger. So they're like, okay, let's go search all the caves in Bethlehem. Let's go find this baby that was born. They had to search. They had to find. They had their hearts in it. See, that's the key. I can give you all the evidence possible 42:57 in the world to show that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. But if your heart's not in it, it's not going to matter to you. It will mean nothing to you. But if you want to know Jesus, if you want right relationship with God, then you will make haste. You'll dig into those things. You'll find out for yourself. And guess what? You'll find a relationship with God. 43:21 In Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 13, God says, You see, if you're searching for God half-heartedly, you're not going to find Him. But when you search for Him with all your heart, when it's really important to you, when you really want to know God, you will find Him. When you search for Him with that eagerness and passion and zeal. 43:49 you will find Him, just like the shepherds did. And so these good tidings have solid evidence along with them that if you really want to know if He is the Savior, you will find, you will see, it is the truth. Well, finally, point number four, we find that the good tidings are spread by nobodies. Verse 17 says, 44:12 Now when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. And so they go see Jesus, they see Mary and Joseph, and then they go on their way, and as they do, they're making widely known, they're telling everybody they come in contact with, telling everybody that they see what happened in regard to those angels and the message and this child that was born. 44:41 This is amazing because it's really the way that God works. Have you ever wondered why? I'm sure you have. Why did angels appear to the shepherds there on the fields? I mean, why not there in Jerusalem, the religious leaders? Why didn't the angels appear to them? Or why not to Caesar Augustus in Rome? Why did these angels appear to shepherds? Well, first, I think nobody else would have believed the message. But secondly... 45:08 Because this is the way God works. God uses the foolish things to confound the wise. And so God is using the shepherds, they're nobodies, to spread the good news, to spread the good tidings. Now, I don't mean disrespect to the shepherds when I say that the good tidings are spread by nobodies. In that society, in that time, 45:33 They were nobodies. They were looked down upon. They were the bottom of society in that day. They shared the same status as tax collectors and dung sweepers. They were thought of as basically nothing. Now, early on in Israel's history, shepherds were esteemed highly. Abraham was a shepherd, Isaac, Jacob. For a long time, they were shepherds. But when they went into Egypt, things began to change. 46:02 in Egypt, the Egyptians despised shepherds. And so Israel had their own little plot of land to take care of their sheep because Egypt wanted nothing to do with them. But it seems that as they came out of Egypt and then when they went into Canaan, they primarily became farmers. And there was very few who were being shepherds, who were taking care of sheep. And so there were some, of course, but it was looked down upon. It wasn't a 46:29 that was highly esteemed or aspired to. You know, sometimes we kind of glorified in our minds, you know, everybody wanted to be shepherd. No, that's not the case. It was a tough job. It was a dirty job and they were thought of very lowly. Remember David? He was... 46:47 Thought, yeah, he's not that important. Samuel calls a feast and wants all the sons there. Yeah, sure, all the sons are here. No, no, no. Do you have another son? Is it possible? Oh, yeah, we forgot about David. You know, he's like nothing anyways. And he's out there with the sheep. That's kind of the mentality that went along with shepherds. In fact, the Talmud, the Jewish teachings that they were to live their lives by and stuff, the teachings of the rabbis, 47:13 They taught that shepherding was not an honest trade. That parents were discouraged from raising their children to be shepherds. Because shepherds, well it says this, they are suspected of pilfering the property of others and they're not able to keep faithfully their agreements with their employers. 47:37 They're thieves, basically, is what they thought, and they're unreliable, they're unfaithful, and so don't encourage your kids to be shepherds. That was the teaching of the day. It even went so far to say, one rabbi declared that you're under no obligation to rescue a shepherd from a pit. If they fall into a pit and you see them, oh, it's a shepherd, you know, just leave him. 47:59 He probably deserved it. That was the idea. That was the mentality of the day. It was forbidden to buy wool or milk or a sheep or a goat from a shepherd because you had to assume that it was stolen property that he was trying to sell you. And in the court of law, there in the judicial system, shepherds were not capable to bear witness. They weren't allowed to take the witness stand because it's presumed from the beginning they're dishonest. So they're not going to tell the truth. And so this is... 48:29 The way that society looked at shepherds, and that's exactly who God chose to bring forth the birth announcement and to bring forth and to spread forth the good tidings. They're spread by nobodies. And see, that's good news because what God uses the foolish things to confound the wise. He uses the nobodies, the nothings, which means he uses us. 48:55 from a nobody to a nobody, God wants you to share the good news, the good tidings. The Savior has been born. God has provided salvation. He's taken care of the sin issue. He's chosen to use us. And we're nothing. We're nobody. But that's how God has chosen to deliver the message of salvation. The good tidings are to all people. Not for a limited number, not for certain classes, not for a specific gender. Every individual person 49:35 is able to receive this good news, this salvation that God has offered. And what does salvation do? Well, it opens the door for God to perform His good pleasure in your life. And you don't have to just blindly believe this. There's solid evidence to stand upon, to understand that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord. And this good news is spread, is shared by nobodies. So receive it, believe it, hold on to it, but get the word out. 50:12 Don't limit it to certain groups or individuals. Get the word out. Spread it widely. Let everybody know the Savior has been born. The worship team is going to come up and close this in one last song. And as they do, I want to read to you verse 19 and 20. It says, But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them. 50:42 And so Mary is there and she sees the shepherds. She hears the story. She's pondering it. She's holding it up. She's, you know, kind of grasping onto it in her heart. And then the shepherds go on their way. They return glorifying and praising God for the things that they had heard and seen. And that's what I'd like for us to do today. As they lead us in this last song and as you leave this place this morning, 51:11 Let's glorify and praise God for the things we have heard and seen. God has provided a Savior. He has offered to us salvation. He's taking care of our sin condition, our sin issue. And it's a great opportunity for us to glorify and praise God. Amen? After they're done singing, there's going to be some of us up here. We'd love to pray with you. If you need to receive these good tidings, if you've never received them, maybe you've heard them, but you've not received 51:40 been born again, you've not received Jesus as Savior and Lord, we're up here. We'd love to help you make that decision and begin that journey in a relationship with God. Also, if you need prayer for anything else, we'll be up here as well. But let's, first of all, glorify and praise God for the salvation that He's offered in Jesus Christ. 52:13 We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.