1 WATCH THE BABY Luke 2:1-40 December 13, 2015 Dr. Danny Forshee - When I was on my mission trip to Peru in October I got to spend some time with Jay Strack. Jay is a good friend and he does many things for the Lord and the kingdom of God, but he especially cares for pastors and is a friend to pastors. He is one of those who literally will run toward you when most will be running away from you. He has a remarkable story of how God delivered him from a most difficult life with a horrible home life, drug addiction, and many other challenges. He is a trophy of God s redeeming and sustaining grace. One of Jay s primary ministries is leading Student Leadership University or SLU. While we were on a train to Machu Pichu he told the story of when as a young man he was debating a University of Florida professor and the topic was the Virgin Birth of Jesus. The professor scolded Jay by telling him sane people do not believe such fairy tales. It would be like a young teenager coming down from the mountains of NC claiming that God had impregnated her and there was no human father; you would not believe that would you Jay? Jay responded no he would not believe such a claim but what he would do is watch the baby. If this lady s baby had miraculous events surrounding him and he grew up to perform miracles like healing the sick and raising the dead then he would believe the lady s claim after all. And of course that is precisely what happened to Jesus. His poor, peasant mother, Mary, claimed to be with Child without knowing a man, and her claim was substantiated by the life of that Baby for He proved to be no ordinary Baby! The events surrounding Jesus as a Baby, then as a Child, and especially as a Man, proved that He was indeed the Messiah and Mary was after all telling the truth when she said that she was a virgin when she conceived. As I listened to his story I kept thinking about the phrase watch the baby, and that is what I want to focus on with you today as we prepare our hearts for Christmas and do what the carol states, Let every heart prepare Him room. - I wrote this message starting on Monday of last week with two groups of people in mind the skeptic and the believer. For the skeptic I hope you see tangible evidences in the life of Jesus that substantiate and validate His claim to be the Son of God, and for the believer I hope this message affirms you strengthens your faith. Some here today your doubts are strong but your faith is weak. You have numerous doubts, and even some Christians here today your faith is weak and you are going through some severe trials and you need a word of encouragement that you are on the right track, that God is with you, and He will work all things out for your good as He promises in Romans 8:28.
2 - There are four encounters that angels and people have in our text that I want to highlight for you as each one illustrates that there is indeed something unique, special, and supernatural about this Baby. - To set the stage let us read Luke 2:4-7. There is a little phrase that I want you to notice his betrothed wife, who was with child. This is significant because Mary and Joseph were not yet married only engaged, and either what she was telling him was the truth or she had been most unfaithful in the most egregious way. The fact that Joseph is carrying through with the plan indicates that he too believes and true it certainly helped when the angel appeared to him and told him in Matthew 1:20-21, 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins. - I. ANGELS PROCLAMATION AND WORSHIP (VS. 9-14) - We know something is up because there is this one angel telling these poor shepherds in fields where they lay that he has good news. Verse 10 one of the 365 times it is stated in the Bible, do not be afraid. God and His angels do not fear; it is not in their nature to fear. And God desires for us to not fear but believe. Not sure who needed to hear this but let me repeat that it is not God s intention for you to fear but to believe, be blessed, and to have faith. - Vs. 11 is quite the angelic proclamation is it not? The angel tells them precisely where the Baby was born and just who this Baby is He is a Savior who is Christ the Lord. He is the Savior of the world and He is the long awaited promised Messiah, the Christ, and He is the Lord; He is God come in the flesh. - Then this angel is joined by a multitude of other angels and they are praising God and I mean having a concert in the heavenlies they are giving God glory and telling man he can have peace. All of this over one tiny newborn... Baby. - When all is right and the way it should be then two things happen God is worshipped and mankind is at peace. The angels praise God in the highest heavens above and peace permeates man on the earth below. This angelic pronouncement has a word for you please do not miss it God is to be praised and you are to be at peace, and both things are centered on the Son of God. Praise God the Father for sending us Your Son, and this Son, this little Baby named Jesus, would grow up and tell us John 14:27. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. -
3 - This Baby is causing quite the good commotion Angels are preaching, shepherds are shaking, and God is being praised. I remember when our first-born baby was born 25 years ago. Hannah came into this world at 10 pounds and quite the healthy little baby. The doctor told me to help Ashley by counting when she had a contraction, count to 10 slowly to help her as she pushes. Well then he walked out of the room and Ashley had a contraction and the nurse got this panicky look on her face and I got really nervous! Instead of saying one... two... I said 12345678910! I did not want Hannah coming without the doctor there to catch her when she came out! Commotion yes, but what great commotion! II. SHEPHERDS EXCITEMENT AND ANNOUNCEMENT (VS. 15-18) - Vs. 16 the shepherds were thrilled with what they had heard about this Baby and they hurried up and headed to Bethlehem to see Him whose birth the angels sing. The word translated haste is the Greek word speudo and sounds a lot like our English word, speed. They hurried up because they were moved and motivated by what they had heard and seen. God has put on flesh and peace is offered to mankind, wow, they were beside themselves and had to go and see and also go and proclaim. - Vs. 17 they not only spoke about the Babe they made widely known. The NLT states it they told everyone, oh I like that! They told everyone what they had seen, heard, and encountered. Did not matter if people wanted to hear it or believed their wild story they had existentially experienced it and they had to talk about it. Their example motivates me to keep telling and keep speaking about Jesus even in Austin TX. I have lived here 5 years and can I say I have planted many a seeds, and what a joy it is to see someone come to Christ or come to our church that you have invited. I am seeing more and more of you do this and it is encouraging to me as your pastor. Just last week Kate MacDonald introduced me to her coworker and said we have had some really good faith talks. I tell you I wanted to shout. People expect me to invite them to church and talk of Jesus because well I am a pastor but when you do it, it carries so much more weight. Keep it up for you are doing what the good shepherds did as they evangelized everyone they met along the way to Bethlehem. - Vs. 18 notice with me one little word that we might easily pass and that is the word told. The shepherds did not just show up with a heavenly glow about them or they did not witness just with their lives, they spoke! I get Francis of Assisi to witness always and sometimes use words, but I humbly say witness always and especially use words and couple those words with consistent and faithful living. - What is all this excitement with these shepherds? What did they see, hear? What caused them to run to Bethlehem and proclaim the good news? Well it all centered on a Baby. Watch the Baby and the influence He has on people even as a newborn, yeah a tiny infant.
4 III. SIMEON S SONG OF PRAISE AND PROPHECY (VS. 25-35) - Vs. 25 the Consummation of Israel was a rabbinic way to describe the messianic age. Simeon was a just, devout, Holy Spirit filled man who waited on God. There is a message there for all of us part of being in relationship with God and being controlled by His Spirit and not our human sinful self is we wait on the Lord. - Vs. 27 Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the temple to do for Him according to the law this was described in verses 23-24 and one writer states, The custom of the law required that in the case of the firstborn there was a payment of five shekels for redemption from priestly service, which could be paid after the first month of the child s life. (Holy Bible Baptist Study Edition, p. 1438) - Vs. 29 Simeon s song of praise in Latin Nunc Dimittis now you let depart has the word we saw earlier that word the angels sang about which would be to all people and that is that precious spiritual commodity of peace. The Babe s presence granted to the old prophet that which his heart longed for and that was a cessation of strife, simple sweet shalom, peace. - Vs. 30-32 Simeon says God let him see salvation, a light, and the glory and all three of these phrases are describing you guessed it that one little Baby! - The prophecy comes in verses 34-35 how this Child would be the fall and rising of many, be spoken against, and Mary herself will have her heart pierced through. And if you watch the Baby, the Child grow into adulthood you see just how great a prophet Simeon was for all of these things came to pass and were fulfilled in this one Person, Jesus of Nazareth. And these things continue to happen today many rise and yet many fall over Jesus, and He continues to be worshipped as well as spoken against. After the horrific murders of innocent Americans by more jihadists in California on December 2 nd, the Daily News n NYC said God is not solving this and used it as a way to speak against God, prayer, people of faith, but you know who they were targeting specifically, the God of those men who said in their tweets that they would pray and that would be Jesus. People continue to rise to eternal life and salvation because of faith in Him and they continue to fall to their own damnation as they reject Him. IV. ANNA S THANKSGIVING AND TESTIMONY (VS. 36-38) - The Bible has some wonderful people that it introduces us to, people like Anna. She was a godly woman, a prophetess, and one very advanced in age. She had lived with her husband for seven years and since then had remained a widow 84 years. Assuming she was married at the common age of 14, married for seven years plus a widow of 84 years makes her, based on vs. 36-37 perhaps as old as 105. (I.H. Marshall, Logos.) - Vs. 37 we read of her untiring devotion to God and the things of God. One commentary reads, This expression should probably not be pressed to
5 mean twenty-four hours a day, i.e., she lived in the temple, because women were not normally allowed to stay in the temple during the night. It is best therefore to interpret it in the popular sense of all the time, i.e., she was in church all day long (cf. 24:53). 1 - Vs. 38 her first order was to give God thanksgiving (imperfect tense, kept on giving thanks to God). She readily recognized that this Babe was the Promised Messiah as the Holy Spirit revealed that knowledge to her, and first thing out of her mouth was not what took you so long, but Praise be to God! - Notice also in vs. 38 and she too spoke of Jesus and Luke says to all who were looking for the Messiah and the redemption He brings. What a powerful testimony Anna possessed. She walked with God, recognized God when He showed up, and was unashamed to testify to God even at the age of 105! Just because you get old does not mean God is done with you or that you have to be bitter and complain over everything you dislike. Some may protest and say just wait till you get my age in your 70s and 80s and then you too will hate change and those associated with and you too will become bitter toward life, the church, and others, and my response is I sure hope I do not do that. - And what was all of this thanksgiving, worship, and praise about? It was about a Person, special Baby born in Bethlehem. CONCLUSION AND INVITATION - I thought about the ages of these four individuals and their response to the Babe, the Christ Child born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. - The Babe was the second Person of the Godhead the eternal Son taking on human flesh known as the Incarnation; Mary and Joseph were teenagers, the angels were as old as we can imagine since God created them in time past; then there are the shepherds and I believe they were probably of various ages, middle aged men performing their vocation, and then you have the aged Simeon and Anna. - So no matter your age, occupation, status in life from rich and poor to young and old, God loves you and wants you to be a part of recognizing His Son and praising Him and get this of testifying on His behalf. - Next week as the Lord wills we will finish Luke 2 and the message is entitled Watch the Boy. Of course, the Babe becomes a Boy, the Boy becomes a Man and this God-Man will live a perfect life, perform numerous miracles like healing those with congenital blindness, touching lepers and making them whole, and even raising the dead. He would die on the cross and rise from the dead and offer salvation, redemption to all who will believe. 1 Stein, R. H. (1992). Luke (Vol. 24, p. 118). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
- Mary s claim that she conceived as a virgin is more than cemented, validated, and substantiated not so much by her words but by the Babe Himself and what He grew to be and do. I encourage you to trust Him today for your salvation and reconciliation to God. - Pray. 6