Bible, Doubt, Joy

O Come All Ye Faithful

There are some things that we all become so passionate about that we can’t help but tell everyone else. Like maybe you can’t stop talking about Essential Oils, or your sports team, or maybe your favorite place to eat. Regardless of what it is, the more passionate we become, the more we want to tell others about that. In this week’s message, Pastor Sean talks about how when God wanted to tell everyone about the birth of Jesus He chose to tell it to the lowliest and most looked down upon occupation–shepherds. So why did he pick the people who were the lowest of the low? The people who couldn’t get a job anywhere else?

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MESSAGE NOTES

There are some things that we become so passionate about that we can’t keep it to ourselves (Essential Oils, Red Sox, Trader Joe’s, Crossfit, Apple, Harley’s etc).

 

We are excited about a lot of things. Truthfully, we’re evangelists (Heralds) and disciples of a lot of things. Maybe just not the most important things.

 

Phil 2:7-8 three characteristics of God that made Christmas possible: Jesus gave up his rights, positioned himself to serve and laid down his life for God’s will and our good.

 

Luke 2:8-17

  • Jesus gave up his rights to position, fanfare, wealth, prestige.
  • BUT he did get the most amazing birth announcement EVER!

 

This part of the story opens with shepherd in a field.

  • Shepherding had been devalued in Jewish culture.
  • Patriarchs were shepherds but Egypt made them farmers, who HATED sheep. As culture became more secure, shepherds moved to the fringes of society.
  • By Jesus’ time, shepherds were lumped into the class of “sinners” with tax collectors, thieves, prostitutes.
  • Shepherds made a come back in David’s time. (shocking that David went from shepherd to King)
  • A historian of that time wrote that people did not buy sheep from shepherds because of the likelihood that it was stolen.
  • Priests and Kings weren’t called. Shepherds were. Why?

 

Jesus followed this pattern when he started his ministry:

  • James and John, momma’s boys
  • Peter and big mouth, Andrew was Peter’s kid brother
  • Levi (Matthew) was a tax collector
  • Simon the zealot
  • Thomas the doubter
  • Bartholomew, Thaddeus, James the lesser, Nathaniel. (Nothing was said about them in the Bible!)

1 Corinthians 1:26-28

 

After the song, the shepherds left to see. Went back telling everyone.

  • “A call to come and see is a call to go and tell”.
  • Jesus did the same thing, “Follow me and you’ll fish for men”.
  • Go into all the world

 

Do you give up YOUR rights to self-directed life 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

  • Angels told Shepherds, Shepherds told Village
  • Jesus told the Disciples, Disciples told the World.
  • If Jesus had not let go of His rights, we would die
  • If the disciples had not let go of their rights, we would die
  • If we do not let go of our rights, our friends/neighbors die.

 

APPLICATION:

What right to comfort, wealth, safety are you hanging onto?

What excuses do you use to stay where you are, as you are?

There are some things that we all become so passionate about that we can’t help but tell everyone else. Like maybe you can’t stop talking about Essential Oils, or your sports team, or maybe your favorite place to eat. Regardless of what it is, the more passionate we become, the more we want to tell others about that. In this week’s message, Pastor Sean talks about how when God wanted to tell everyone about the birth of Jesus He chose to tell it to the lowliest and most looked down upon occupation–shepherds. So why did he pick the people who were the lowest of the low? The people who couldn’t get a job anywhere else?

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