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Living Hope SDA Church

Christian Martin

Joy Born at Bethlehem

Sweet little baby boy, we didn't know who you were.

My message today is entitled, Joy, Born at Bethlehem.

Let's pray together as we come before the Lord through his word.

Father in heaven, we've come here today, Lord, to know you.

And it's during this time of the year that our attention is drawn to that manger.

Reveal to us something that we can apply, something that we can hold on to, something that will give us hope to live day by day as we wait for your glorious return.

So thank you Lord for answering our prayer in Jesus name, amen.

The Bible claims that in the presence of God is the fullness of joy.

Yet since the entrance of sin, a story that we know too well there in Genesis chapter 3, an entrance of sin that distorted the image of God and His character.

The revelations of God, divine revelations of God, have made men afraid, very afraid.

The Lord God, for example, came looking for Adam.

God spoke And when he heard his voice, the Bible says that he was afraid.

When Abram sensed God's presence, the Bible says that terror and great darkness came upon him.

When Moses found himself in God's presence, He was afraid to look at God.

The whole camp of Israel trembled when thunder and lightning struck that mountain and a thick cloud rested upon the mountain.

Even nature sensed the presence of God and was afraid.

And in today's New Testament story, As my slides move forward instead of backwards.

And in today's New Testament story, recorded in the Gospel of Luke, It's no different.

We find that same sense of fear, being afraid of God.

And the characters in this chapter are the shepherds, those shepherds that we have often heard of, those shepherds that we have often seen in Nativity scenes, the shepherds who were keeping watch over their flock by night.

The Bible says that they were greatly afraid, greatly afraid, when an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them.

But the words spoken to them were the first of its kind.

Never had humanity heard words like this coming from God.

The angelic host, the Bible says, brought Good tidings.

In fact, it could be said that the words that the angels spoke to the shepherds were the first gospel message.

But good news, it was the first gospel message preached in the New Testament.

The preacher was an angelos, which means messenger in the Greek.

A word translated angel in English, a messenger.

And this divine messenger brought good news, Good news to the shepherd.

Yes, he brings good news or the gospel to a group of frightened men.

And there in Luke chapter 2, notice the first words of the gospel message.

Good tidings, good news that comes from a messenger, Angelos, and appears to these frightened men that are afraid.

Again, no different than the various different characters that we find throughout the scriptures.

And what were those first words there in Luke 2, verse 10?

It says, then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid.

Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

You see, the keynote of this angelic gospel is fearless joy.

It's a good news for the 1 who is redeemed.

The 1 who has found in Christ redemption no longer dreads the presence of God.

Because he has tasted and seen for himself that God is good.

He has tasted, she has tasted for themselves and experienced the very character of God.

And fear not would be a continuing theme throughout the life of this Christ child.

In fact, when the angel Gabriel came to Mary, He brought her news that she would give birth to a son.

Luke records that she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

And this angel said to Mary, do not be afraid.

When Jesus told Simeon and his partners go fish again after a night of no catch.

Luke records that they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.

And the text says that Simon was frightened.

Again, it's a common theme that we see throughout the Gospels.

When the disciples were crossing the sea, there in Mark chapter 10, and the storm came up, and it battered their boat.

Mark records that they were in that boat and they see something walking on water.

And the text says, and they thought it was a ghost and they cried out for they all saw him and were terrified.

But they heard Jesus say to them, do not be afraid.

When Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph went to the tomb, Matthew records that there was a great earthquake and an angel came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

But the angel said to the woman, you guessed it, Do not be afraid.

And so we notice the first gospel messenger of the New Testament, an Angelus, proclaimed, Do not be afraid.

But not only good tidings of joy, he says, but good tidings of great joy, of great joy.

As I'm going to show you now, we're going to examine this angelic proclamation of good news.

We're going to examine it together as we note 3 things.

Second, the persons to whom this joy comes.

And thirdly, the sign of the birth and the source of joy.

So let's begin with the joy, the joy which is mentioned in our text.

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Joy Born at Bethlehem

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