God's Song on Angel's Lips

Thank you for subscribing to the Shepherds Church podcast. This is our Lord's Day Sermon. We pray that as we declare the Word of God that you would be encouraged Strengthened in your faith and that you would catch a greater vision of who Christ is.

May you be blessed in the hearing of God's Word and may the Lord be with you as we said just a moment ago. It's struck me recently. How when there's so much light. The greater light is muted at times although not actually but perceptionally as We come into the season our focus can be off.

Can be on so many different and other things you can be on the busyness of the season or what gifts we have to buy. Or what meals we have to cook or all of the different various events and parties and everything that we have going on.

Which are fun, which are great, but they can take our focus off of Christ now churches. This is not in the notes. This is bonus time even as we begin. Churches have tried to solve this by throwing more elaborate parties by trying to captivate our eyes with spectacles of Christmas.

What we need is the simple gospel story of Christ born For the sake of the world and that's what I hope that we will accomplish tonight. Nothing fancy just Christ. Now what we've been doing recently is we've been looking at a series on the songs of Christmas the biblical songs that people sing in response to the coming of Christ and what we found is that there's been a Pretty tight formula that's in the scriptures that as people come into the knowledge of God their hearts are opened as Their hearts are opened their mouths are opened and they begin to sing to the glory of Christ and as they do that They get whole ative whole body mind soul peace and joy as We get to know who God is.

It affects our hearts. It affects our lips. It affects everything. We've seen that with the psalmist as they declared the glory of the future Christ. We've seen that with Mary the mother of the future mother and when we saw it of the Christ.

We saw that with Zechariah who was mute at first, but then he sang for joy. Tonight we'll see that on the lips of angels heralding One of the greatest songs ever spoken and it's only a single verse in our Bible.

The Birth of Christ in Bethlehem

So if you'll turn with me to Luke. We'll reread even though we've already read it. We'll reread chapter 2 verse 1 through 14. We'll pray and we'll examine these texts together. Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus That a census be taken of all the inhabited earth this was the first census taken while crow Quirinius was governor of seas of Syria and Everyone was on his way to register for the census each to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee from the city of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David Which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and the family of David in Order to register along with Mary who was engaged to him and was with child while they were there.

The days were completed for her to give birth and she gave birth to her firstborn son and She wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger. Because there was no room for them in the end in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flocks by night and an angel the Lord Suddenly stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terribly frightened.

But the Lord said to them do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord and This will be a sign for you you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger and suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and On earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.

When the angels went away from them into heaven the shepherds said to one another let's go over to Bethlehem and see This thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us and they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger and when they saw it they made known the saying that had been told to them concerning this child and All who heard it wondered at what the shepherds had told them but Mary treasured up all these things pondering them in her heart and when the shepherds returned they went glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen as It had been told to them.

Let's pray Lord Jesus Not only is your birth heralded by the angels in heaven But lonely lowly shepherds join with you in your chorus. Everyone who encounters you Not only encounters the revelation of God because when we see your face, we've seen the very face of God.

When we get to know you we're gonna know God because you are one and only God and yet not only Does that knowledge Find storage in our minds. But rightly believed it trickles down into our hearts. It causes the greatest love to To bubble up out of us.

It causes us to sing it causes us to have joy. It causes us to have peace Lord. I pray that this tonight this reminder of a story that we've all heard Lord. I pray that it would not be just tradition.

I Pray that it would not be just a retelling of a Christmas story. Lord, I pray that it would not be rehearsal rehearsing details that we've heard a thousand times before that we that we need to do in order to go do the other things that We have planned Lord.

I pray that the knowledge of Christ that this passage reveals to us would cause us to sing like the shepherds and To praise you with all of our hearts soul mind and strength. It's in Christ's name. We pray.

Amen now I Derek was gracious to call this a devotional message. I will do my best to keep it to a devotional length. But we have to cover some things. We have to understand some things. We have to look at the background a little bit of what these what's going on here by providence of God.

God's Providence, Humility, and the Shepherds

God has moved Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem, which was in fulfillment of prophecy. He's transported Mary so much somewhat in the eleventh hour of her pregnancy to the royal town of David.

So that the Savior could be born in the town of the Kings. He wasn't born there in a palace. Like you would have imagined with all the pomp and circumstance the opulence and pomp of the Herod's. No, he was actually born in stalls of poverty and want.

It was by providence that God drew him here in this lonely birth. Has become the most consequential birth that has ever happened in human history worthy of our worship. This manger-born King was not visited by dignitaries and Emissaries and Kings and Queens and and rulers and the rich and the wise.

No he was visited first by a court of beasts and then by shepherds one of the loneliest people in society at that time because if you think about it shepherds had to raise the Animals that would defile them from going into the temple so that other people could go into the temple and sacrifice the animals.

They raised that was who God determined to welcome his Messiah his Christ His only begotten Son that is who God decided to welcome him with and what good news that is for us. Because you can't be too low.

To know Christ because you can't get any lower than a first century shepherd. It was intentional sovereignty that God sent his swiftest Messengers the fastest of all the angels to bring the world-changing song not to herald it to the powerful.

But to the powerless to the dirty to the common to the blue-collar in the plane. It was God who sang over man so that man would begin singing back to God. Now for a few moments, I want us to consider this song.

The Angelic Chorus and the Glory of God

We call it the angel song, but it actually is in fact God's song that the angels saying God authored it. It has five beautiful chords that produce the most beautiful melody that I want us to see in the first part of it.

Is that they begin with the glory of God? The angels say glory to God and the highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased. I want you to know that the angels are not songwriters. The angels are not creating this as Original thought.

God wrote the song and sent his angels. The word angel means messenger. Messengers take a message that someone else wrote and the song was written by God. Isn't that fascinating? When you and I sing songs to God we look away from ourself to God when God sings.

He looks at himself and Sings with happiness about how beautiful he is. These are exact words that he wanted and he begins with his own glory. Not our salvation. Not our gifts. Not the benefits of his coming for us.

He begins with his glory. He begins with his greatness. Why? Because under every single kindness that God has ever given you is the glory of God. You'll remember in Psalm 23 the great Psalm of the Shepherd.

It says he leads me beside the still waters. Why? For his name's sake. Every good thing he's ever done for you is for his name's sake for his glory. And why is that good news? Because if it was for you.

You would never earn it. You'd never deserve it if God was singing based off of our performance. We would never hear the song of God. God moves because he is good. God sings because he is good. God is singing here because he is thrilled if I could speak Anthropomorphically, which is a big term to say human words to ascribe to God his toes curl over his goodness.

He is impressed with his own beauty. He is singing his own praises. Because why he is taking the worthless and making them have worth. He's taking those who have no value and he's giving them value. God is singing his own praises in the fact that he could save us.

God is not singing his song of happiness because we were that special. Because he looked at us and said I really hope that I get them. God was singing his own song because he was Impressed with how beautiful he is and how gracious he is and how merciful he is.

And that is the song if you want to know what God was doing before eternity was created. Before the earth and the stars and the skies. If you want to know what God was doing in his Trinitarian relationship it was singing his own praises and now This song and what God has done in your life.

You're caught up into heaven's song. You are caught up into what God's been singing for all of eternity. The second aspect of the song is he's not only singing of his glory singing of his transcendence.

The word transcendence means his height. His inestimable uncalculable height. It's his glory to God in the highest. What this means is that every millimeter and square inch of physical reality every dimension of spiritual reality all of it is Permeated by the glory of God higher than our minds can even possibly conceive.

Infinities above infinities above infinities more than you could comprehend is God's glory. So that there is nothing and nowhere that his glory doesn't shine and That's what leads us to the third aspect of this song because it doesn't just end with the transcendence of God.

No, it comes down in his eminence, which is another Theological word that just means it comes near and it comes close. It says glory to God in the highest and on earth. Why do you think it says and on earth?

If his glory permeates all reality, why does it say on earth. Because Our world was the only Created space that dared defied the Living God Created for his glory fallen from his glory now. He's coming to reclaim it for his glory.

Christmas is not just the story of a cute baby in a onesie in a manger. Christmas is the story of the warship has landed on planet earth and he's come to buy it back. He's come to win it back for his own glory not for ours but for his.

This inglorious little blue dot that floats rebelliously in the Milky Way sky. He has come to win it back beginning in Bethlehem's stall beginning in the manger. When the skies erupted that night and the shepherds saw it.

They were the first ones to witness it. The least important people on earth get to see the most important event. That's ever happened. What good news for you and I? Soon eight days later this glory this this war this battle was going to be taken to Jerusalem when Jesus was Circumcised and then you're gonna have Simeon and Anna singing in the streets singing in the temple complex not long after this.

He's gonna be in the temple at 12 years old. Not long after that. He's gonna be winning over his disciples and he's gonna be spreading his glorious message of conquest in Galilee. Not long after that.

He's going to rise from the grave. He's going to give the spirit to empower his disciples and they're gonna take the message of the gospel. To every square inch in the Roman Empire and it's going to continue Throughout every generation until we get to today where it is now reached more people than it ever has.

The Gospel, Caesar, and Christ's Victory

Two things I want to share here. The word gospel is not a Christian word. It was invented by the Romans. The word gospel means good news good news about what? Well and Caesar Augustus the one that we read in this passage who who caused the census to be given when he was born.

Heralds were sent all throughout the Roman Empire saying good news. The Son of God's been born. That's what they called Augustus. So when the Christians came along saying no. The real Son of God's been born not in Rome.

Not in a palace, but in a manger. They were making a statement of war. That he has come to take back what Satan has stolen. One square inch of territory at a time. That's the first thing I would tell you.

The second thing I would tell you is that it's easy in our world to get confused about his victory. I was reading today in a biography of one of our one if you're a Presbyterian one of one of your heroes a man named John Knox and John Knox.

His his pastor before he became a pastor was murdered by a Roman Catholic Cardinal. You never hear about that today. That just struck me when I was reading it this morning. That this man was preaching the gospel and a Roman Catholic Cardinal killed him and nobody said anything.

It wasn't in the news. He wasn't arrested. This kind of thing happened frequently our dear brothers and sisters 400 years ago were set on fire for going to church. In a Christian Church, we're set on fire for translating the Bible.

And it collects dust on our shelves. Tell me Christ's victory has not permeated. Over the last 400 years and over the last 2 ,000 years the light is shining more brightly today. Yes, we have problems in our society, but Christ will defeat them.

That's the second aspect of the song is that it's came to earth and once it's come to earth it will win all of the earth as the waters covers the seas. The fourth aspect of this song that we see is that it goes now it moves outside of the glory of God.

Now it looks at the benefits that that has for us. The angels begin with all of this is about the glory of God. But now this also intersects with us in that we get God's peace. Do you know what peace is?

Do you have peace in your life. Peace is not the cessation of war. Peace is not the the ending of conflict. Peace is everything broken getting fixed. The word peace in the Bible Shalom is used in a lot of different places.

My favorite one. It's used of a fence. A fence has peace when it's whole is mended. A Fence has peace when it has no more cracks. Your life has peace. When the glory of God so bears down on you that your brokenness is healed when all the holes and the stains and the spots and the Places of shame are healed by God.

Peace comes when your soul is no longer at war with God. Peace comes when your cells are no longer at war with cancer. Peace comes when your back is no longer at war with arthritis. Amen. Peace comes when your eyes are no longer blurry or at war with cataracts.

Peace comes when your mind is no longer at war with depression or your emotions with anxiety jealousy bitterness frustration. God has determined to bring a holistic peace to his people that begins with our relationship with God.

He healed the greatest wound that was between you and I and God and he healed it through Christ the one who came Not just born in Bethlehem, but crucified on a Roman cross. He came to heal the brokenness between you and God that's justification.

Now for the rest of our lives, he's healing all the rest of it. He's healing our relationships with other people he's healing our Ways that we even interact with our friends and our family our priorities our emotions.

He's healing those things called sanctification. He's healing the nation's believe it or not by the advancement of the gospel. He's healing all of these things by the preponderance of his glory that we know won't be finished in this life but it sure has started in this life and When the final Christian is one to Christ and the end of time is called finished.

It says in Revelation that the curse will no longer be a thing there'll be no more tears no more sadness. No more brokenness because Christ will have healed it all. It all began in Bethlehem. The final thing that this song tells us about is It tells us that this is for believers.

Peace, Justification, and Sanctification

Says glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased. This song is not a participation trophy. This song was not written by the diversity equity and inclusion Club. This song was written by God About whom he loves and he loves the church.

If we're talking about what we deserve No one deserves the love and the pleasures of God. If we're talking about what we're owed every single person in this room is owed God's wrath for the rebellion that we have had.

When it says That he gives peace to those with whom he is pleased. It is the greatest act of grace that has ever been given. Because while we deserved hell He gave us grace he gave those with whom he is pleased grace and you ask yourself, why is he pleased with us?

I don't know. I Don't know why he's pleased with me and I certainly don't know why he's pleased with us. Look in the mirror and ask yourself. Why did God choose us me if You have an answer. You really don't have an answer if it's not his extraordinary love That won over the most broken hearts the most crippled sinful pride if it wasn't that.

Then you're mistaken about his love. Because no one has earned his pleasures. No one God Decided in Christ to save some and He has been doing that for 2 ,000 years and what I would Encourage us all to remember is That Christmas is not about the pleasures that we can have during this season.

It's not about the gifts. It's not about the eggnog. It's not about whatever else you want to make it about. This season is about the glory of God poured out onto believers so that you can have the pleasures of Christ.

If you're sad today Then I would pray that you would let the love of Christ. So invade your heart that it would cause pleasure. If you don't even know what that word means anymore, you've been in a season where pleasure seems like million miles away.

I pray that the Holy Spirit Would allow you to let go of what is afflicting you and would allow the light of Christ to so shine in your heart. That you would have joy. That you would have peace and that you would have the pleasure of Almighty God.

Let's pray Lord with a tiny baby. You broke the old world With your one and only son. Who came to Bethlehem's stables? You brought the warship that would end the battle. That battle begins with with the fact that we were in slavery to sin.

That we were broken beyond repair. And by some act of unimaginable grace you have poured out your love and affection onto us in Christ. By his shed blood and his resurrection Lord more than anything this season.

I pray that we would dwell in that that we would remember that in God. I pray that would cause us joy. I Pray that when the knowledge of that really hits us at what Christ has done that it would Cause our hearts to have joy.

Because our lips to sing and when it calls our whole life body soul mind and spirit to have peace In Christ's name. Amen. Let us stand and sing.