Sermon Tone Analysis

*Intro* – Gold was discovered in California in 1848 which led to its becoming a state in 1850 with the motto “Eureka – I have found it!”

Today we have a true Eureka moment -- the first announcement of the best news ever heard by any man anywhere.

It’s all about Jesus and it’s all about the gospel.

And the excitement and joy it generates is so fantastic that it blows the boundaries of the physical universe – pulling back the curtain of space and time to give us a backstage glimpse of spiritual realities rarely seen by human eyes.

[[Vv.

10-11: “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.”

>> Luke 2:10-11]] The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is a show-stopper, even in heaven.

Angels were standing in line to celebrate!

It’s just as earthshaking today as it was on that first night.

But familiarity has bred cold hearts.

I pray God will renew our joy at the extreme measures He has taken to reach us.

Good news of great joy.

The Recipients, the Revelation and the Results.

*I.

The Recipients of Good News*

[[Vv.

8-9: “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.”

>> Luke 2:8-9]] The first recipients of the gospel – not the priests, not the Pharisees, not the king or the emperor or the elite.

But shepherds.

Obviously not planned by a PR firm!

What a picture!

The sheep in the fold for the night.

The shepherds around the campfire like their fathers and their fathers before them for the past 1300 years.

They discuss next day’s pasture – talk about family and doze off.

Just like hundreds of nights before.

But suddenly the place lights up like an atomic explosion!

It’s the glory of the Lord, seldom revealed in human history!

There’s another body around the fire, and he’s no shepherd!

Mere words can’t capture the impact.

When heaven breaks in, it’s a big deal!

And these guys are scared to death.

Shepherds were not exactly the upper crust of society.

Because sheep required 7-day care, they could not keep the ceremonial law.

They could be unsavory characters, who, as one author said, tended to confuse “mine” and “thine”.

But they get good press in the Bible.

The greatest figures in Jewish history, Moses and David, were shepherds.

Jesus likens himself to the good shepherd, and David called God his personal shepherd.

These shepherds were undoubtedly men of faith as their actions will prove.

These men were also special for another reason.

According to law, the only animals pastured between Jerusalem and Bethlehem were sacrificial ones.

These sheep were for temple sacrifice – each one an extension of unblemished lambs offered since the time of Moses – each teaching “sin means death” and each pointing to an ultimate sacrifice who would do in reality what they could only do symbolically – take away sins.

To the condemned (the lambs) and the outcast (the shepherds) sthe angel exclaimed, “I have good news of great joy.

He’s here!

– the lamb that your lambs symbolize -- the ultimate lamb -- He‘s here, and you can see him in Bethlehem -- now!” What a bombshell!

No wonder heaven broke open on these hills.

No wonder angels came first to shepherds.

Who better to go from image to reality?

There is a lesson here.

God does not come to the proud or self-sufficient.

He comes to those who know they need a Savior – they need Jesus.

Three times in the Gospels Jesus says, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt 9:13).

He’s not suggesting that there really are “righteous” people.

He’s just aware that there’s a class of people who think that they’re not sinners – or better, not sinful enough to need Jesus.

There is a class of people who think that they don’t need the grace of God – sometimes very religious folks.

And Jesus is saying, “I’ve come for sinners, like those shepherds you despise and look down on.

Those are the kinds of people that I announce the good news to.”

I want you to pause and think about this for a second; it’s hugely important.

Entitlement…entitlement…kills our sense of need.

If we think God owes us, if we think we deserve mercy, we’ve thrown God over.

If we think we’re pretty good and that ‘Of course God will cut us some slack; that’s His job; He’s here to forgive us’…then we will never understand grace; we don’t get the gospel at all.

Bottom line: you can’t be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ if you’re a good person.

Good people eliminate themselves from grace! Grace says from the heart, “I deserve God’s displeasure” – that’s who God saves.

God’s coming to shepherds shows that He is gracious to sinners!

But He cannot help the self-righteous.

Good news is for sinners!

*II.

The Revelation of Good News*

The theme of this passage is [[v.

11, “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.”

“Unto you is born a Savior.”

>> Luke 2:11]] The heart of the gospel -- the good news.

A Savior is here.

But there are implications to that statement.

So, like peeling an onion, I want you to see some of those implications.

*A.

There is Need of a Savior*

The first layer of the onion -- A Savior presupposes a need.

Suppose Eaton is plastered with billboards: “Good news.

A Savior has come!”

Ads run on the radio: “Good news.

A Savior is here.”

That would catch our attention.

But we’d ask, a savior for what?

We’re told it’s a doctor who’s found a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Wonderful news -- for the1/100 of 1% of the population that has ALS.

But, I don’t have it; I don’t know anyone who has it.

So while I’m glad for those who have ALS, it has no relevance to me personally.

It is not good news to me because I do not have a need.

Only those with the disease have the need of a Savior.

So, when we find the angel in Luke announcing “Good news.

A Savior is born”, we must ask “Good news” for whom, “a Savior from what?”

*B.

The Need is Universal (all the people)*

The second layer of the onion is that the need is universal.

[[Verse 10, ““Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

>> Luke 2:10]] All the people.

Everyone.

So, if this Savior is good news for all, then all must need a Savior.