There’s no doubt that the shepherds feature prominently in Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus, especially so in Luke 2:8-20. The fact that the angels appeared to them and not Mary and Joseph must have had a purpose in God’s plan, and Luke likes to emphasize how utterly afraid they were because of their sudden appearance. But the shepherds soon became changed men as they realized that they had been chosen by the Lord to bear witness to the Messiah’s coming – which is just what they did.

Message

Outline

• The third in this series!
• Some big contrasts to note…
• When and how we get Christmas so wrong
• Consider the responses to the news and see them…

1. Proclaiming it with zeal (v.17)
2. Receiving it with awe (v.18-19)
3. Believing it with joy (v.20)

Luke’s special focus…
How will you respond to the news?

One of the most common misconceptions about the birth of Jesus, especially the words of the angels in Luke 2:14-16, is that ‘peace on earth’ would be automatic. Just looking around at the world in any era of history will tell you that this didn’t happen and never will. What was the message of ‘peace’ that the angels declared, and how is that peace to be found?

Message

Outline

• The second in this series!
• Major confusion on this one…
• Angels, shepherds and …. peace??
• Consider the words of the angels about peace and see…

1. The proper giver of it (v.14)
2. The vital conditions of it (v.14)
3. The direct path to it (v.15-16)

War and peace…
What did the angels know? And what do we?

There are all kinds of things to be confused about at Christmas, but we ought not be confused about is what to believe. The virgin birth of Jesus is at the heart of the Christmas message and the gospel. But how could it have happened? And of what the critics say about it? How can we understand and defend the truth of it in this modern world? Hopefully, this message will give both some assurances and answers.

Message

Outline

• The first in this series!
• All kinds of confusion
• Lots of questions, and that one question!
• Consider the critics who question the Virgin Birth and …

1. The reality of it (v.34)
2. The possibility of it (v.35)
3. The necessity of it (v.35)

The uniqueness of Jesus…
The truth of the Scriptures…