Why the Shepherds
Category: Peace & Assurance
Key Passage: Luke 2
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: December 20, 2022
Turn your Bible, if you would, to Luke chapter number two tonight. Luke chapter number two again tonight. We started here this morning and didn’t finish it up, so we’re just going to go back to it again tonight. We started last Sunday morning, the couple of Christmas. Today the gift of Christmas, next Sunday morning, the reason of Christmas, next Sunday night, the gifts of Christmas. We’re going to go back to the shepherds tonight. Would you go back over there, Luke chapter number two? We’re going to start in verse number eight. Luke two and verse number eight. Have you already enjoyed being at church? I have. It’s just been a good night already. Just great to have everybody here. I love it all.
I’m still trying to think of a comment for Abby’s sweater. I just don’t know what to say about that one there. A lot of things don’t leave me speechless, but that one kind of… I just don’t know what to think. I’m not sure what to say about it. That’s interesting. Luke 2, if you would please. Verse number 8. Let’s stand if you would please. I have to read the familiar Christmas story again. Luke 2 and verse number 8.
They were in the same country, shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them. The glory of the Lord shone round about them. I mentioned, I commented this morning on that, but the glory of the Lord. Not just all the angels. No, the glory of the Lord. I wonder how bright that was.
You see a bright light, and you turn the light off, whatever, you got that little light shining everywhere you look. Man, it must have been so bright. The glory of the Lord shone round about it. It wasn’t a spotlight shining around the light. It would have been awesome just to be there that night. The glory of the Lord shone roundabout. That’s just… the glory of the Lord is awesome. It would be wonderful to see. That really would be.
And they were sore afraid. And the angel said to them, “Fear not. For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” I like that: “all people.” “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ,” that is the Messiah.
The Lord—that Lord there has to do with the Master. We mentioned that a lot this morning. “And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” By the way, I’m not saying this is the gospel truth about the Levitical shepherds and how they wrapped the lambs and all. I’m not saying that, but you know it’s not a big sign.
Wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, but maybe it is when you tie the two together. Just an interesting thought. I’m not trying to push that. Where are we? Verse number 13: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’”
And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven. The shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
When they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Would you pray that the Lord would speak to our hearts again tonight? Would you do that? Lord, we do come. It’s already been wonderful to be in your house. Lord, and I don’t want to take away from that. I pray that you would add to it tonight. Please just fine-tune us for you, Lord, please use us tonight to that end. Bless the coming weeks and days with families together and church doing so many activities and fellowship. Bless it all. Make it sweet, Father, for your people, and give us joy in the midst of all. Thank you, Lord, for what you do. Father, we ask for that in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.
Let’s just kind of rehearse for just a moment. I failed to mention this morning that verse number eight—probably one of the key words—they were in the fields at night. I kind of alluded to it, but I failed to make it clear. That’s really the big thing about it: it’s not just that the shepherds were out there—of course, they’re always out there—but they were at night. That’s why many say it’s summertime. They were traveling new places; they would stay with them at nighttime.
Just lambing season, maybe they were giving birth. They would be there with them at nighttime. The liturgical shepherds, they would be with them at nighttime also while they’re giving birth. Just a couple thoughts leading up to it. Why the shepherds? Probably, no doubt about it, the most important moment in time up to that point. Eternity past pointed to it; eternity future will point back to it. I mean, when heaven comes down into earth, it’s just a focal point right here, and the announcement—the first announcement—was to the shepherds. You could have had a king come see the King of Kings, or the wise men (they were later on), but the first people that came, and the announcement to the first people announced to, was the shepherds. Why the shepherds? We mentioned several different things this morning, but we talked about their response.
Y’all want me tonight? We’re just kind of rehearsing. Don’t lose me in the rehearsing of this thing. The response of the shepherds was awesome. Number one, they overcame fear. That’s very important. Someone asked me later on after this morning, “Well, what’s the deal? Is fear always bad?” I mentioned the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I think one of the key words in that is “beginning.” It’s the beginning of wisdom, beginning of knowledge. It’s vital. We say this, and it’s so true: America has lost its fear of the Lord. We think we can promote filth and junk and trash and garbage around the world, and there are no consequences. We’ve lost our fear of the Lord. It’s a sad day. I wish our politicians and our leaders and our school boards and everyone across this country—our senators, our representatives, and our Supreme Court—would have a fear of the Lord in them. We need that again in our country.
But can I say this: for a born-again Christian, as you grow in the Lord, the Bible says perfect love casteth out fear. Now stick with me for a moment. You always have that baseline: fear the Lord. Sometimes when I’m doing good and I’m really just in the love of the Lord, and I have that first love, I’m not doing what I do out of fear. I’m doing it because I love it. Fear is the last thing on my mind, my heart, at that moment. It’s just love for God. I want to serve Him. If I disappoint Him, it breaks my heart because I love Him. But can I say sometimes, in the out-of-season times when I’m not where I ought to be, I still have that underlining baseline fear Him? I don’t want Him to take me out the back of the woodshed and spank me real good. It ought to always be there. But when I grow, perfect love does cast out fear.
And overcome—and boy, these shepherds, they overcame their fear, which I always ought to have. By the way, that applies in our day and time. You ought not to raise your children out of fear. There ought to be some fear involved. Don’t buy any of that philosophy. No, no, no. Little junior, little Sue, if they mess up, Mom and Dad are going to give them a hiding. They better behave. But you build relationships with them as they grow older. It’s less about that and more about the relationship. Because one day they’re going to move out of the home, and you’re not going to be able to spank them. They’re going to be taller than you one day. All of them are growing taller nowadays, aren’t they? It’s amazing. I talk to a young person like that, and I say, “Man, all of them are big anymore, tall anymore.” And it’s not so much about fear then; it’s about love and that relationship you’ve built over the years. They grow. Same thing with the Lord. You always have this baseline with the Lord. Always. You’re always His child. And they got that baseline fear. But the shepherds, they overcame their fear, especially regarding the gospel. It’s so very, very important.
Why the shepherds? Because they responded, right? They overcame their fear. Number two, because they made Jesus priority. Oh, I hope you get that. It’s so sad; America has lost that. Jesus is getting the leftovers in America so often, and we’re paying the cost. Put Him first, and He can take care of all these things down here. I don’t know what it means in your life. I know some things—tithing, church—I know all that. But the specifics: what does it mean for you to put the Lord first? I don’t know, but really the key is, and I hope that question resonates with you: Who is your Master? That’s really the key. If you can honestly, sincerely ask yourself that throughout the week, who is your Master? And if the Lord is your Master, money will be way down. It really won’t be that big of a deal. You just kind of have to deal with it. What’s the verse? You can’t have two masters. You’ll love the one or hate the other. You’ll love the one or despise the other. It can be a part of life, money, but it’s not my driving thing.
Who is your Master? That’s key. These shepherds, man, they just made Jesus their priority. They left their sheep in the fields and all that, and they said, “We’re going to make haste and get over to the Messiah.” Praise you all for them. Remember George Beverly said—what a great illustration—22 years old, his company was about to take pay cuts, and he had this big offer for fame and fortune probably for him. And yet he went to play that piano for his mom. Oh, she did a good job there. She had that poem up there: “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” A man here from that began to sing in his famous millions—maybe billions—saying that over the years. And, of course, some say he sang live. Everybody sings a lot of times now; yes, they have concerts, but so much is on live recording. But they say probably he sang live to more people than any person has ever sung to in the world. That’s amazing. And he made the Lord his priority, that God took care of the rest.
Let’s get to some new stuff tonight. Would you look in chapter number—well, chapter two, of course—but verse number 17, verse number 17, verse number 17, verse number 17. Y’all still with me tonight? All still with me? Good deal. I’m glad y’all stuck with me because I had to rehearse, get myself on board, amen, you know. Verse number 17 tonight, chapter two, verse number 17 of God’s Word. The shepherds here. What does it say? Verse number 17: “And when they, the shepherds, had seen it”—they had seen Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—“they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.”
Number three: Why the shepherds? Because they made Jesus known. They heard about it, they went and saw it, and they started telling about Jesus—saying what had happened. They started telling; they made it known abroad. Bethlehem, we think, had a couple hundred in population—some two, three, four hundred. I don’t know; we’re guessing at that, but just a couple hundred in population. But “made known abroad”—it almost makes me think that it went beyond Bethlehem. I mean, “made known abroad.” Look that word up a couple times. It’s used in the King James Bible. It’s almost like you scatter things abroad. It goes everywhere. You never know. How many have ever spilled something, you know, and you’re thinking, “Man, where in the world did that go?” I came in the other day, and I had a bag of zip ties. We had zip-tied one of the mics up for the Christian school thing, and I have my hands full of everything. You know, you like me; you don’t want to make two trips from the car to the house. You put everything in your arms, and then you’re trying to open the door. I got all this, and I dropped the little bag of zip ties, and man, those zip ties went all over. And my dog, Dixie—I’m going to kill her! She grabbed that little plastic bag before I could catch her, and she took off. I went inside the house, put everything down, and ran back out there, and she had it tore up just that quick. That dog! If you hear about a pastor killing a dog, he’s in the newspaper—it was me, amen!
But, man, they’re just scattered abroad. They made known abroad. They went everywhere telling everybody they could about Jesus. It’s so important we don’t lose that. You say, “What do people need in the country?” They need to know how to be better men. They need to know how to be better wives, and they need all this. Friend, they need Jesus. The thing that changed my family tree wasn’t all the social programs and all the rest of them. I’m not saying they’re bad. It was one thing: Jesus changed my family tree. They need relationships; I understand they need those things. But, friend, the main thing they need is Jesus. We send missionaries out, they feed the poor, and they do all the rest of that. Well, friend, we might just have some healthy, full people that die and go to hell forever. What a shame! The thing they need is Jesus. They made known abroad this thing of Jesus. They were good at getting people to hear about Jesus.
You know the main job of the church does not necessarily have big crowds. That’s the Lord’s business; He builds the church. The main job of the church is to get the message “Jesus saves” around the world. These shepherds made known abroad about Jesus. That’s our job. That’s what they need to know; that’s what they need to hear. They were busy telling people about Jesus. It’s a shame sometimes the church in America has gotten so wrapped up in getting people to come and making them comfortable and all this. I’m not against all that per se, but as long as it’s all about getting gab and how big and all the rest—what about getting people saved, friend? Jesus! We’ve got to keep that: just Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. That’s the key. You lift high Jesus, and oh, friend, He’ll start gathering people to the cross; He’ll start making different things happen in the church.
Have we forgotten there is a hell? I don’t know if my grandfather on my dad’s side got saved or not. If he did not get saved, I can’t remember exactly how many years, but somewhere around 37 years, my grandpa’s been burning. That makes it real to me. My grandpa, my dad’s side, was a grumpy old Hungarian. He wore old ugly sweaters with patches all over. We would buy new sweaters; he wouldn’t wear them. He was just one of those guys; he wanted to wear those out. They had patches all over. Came over through Ellis Island. He was a coal miner for years in West Virginia and retired and moved to Florida. He was a smart man, going to get warm, you know? But that man, I knew him older, and he always had a pipe, you know, those old guys—that was him. He drove a Nova. He’d go out of the house, hop in that Nova—it’s automatic—and he’d race up a little bit and just drop it into reverse. Always, every time I ever saw him leave, always, every time, he’d just give a little bark with those tires, you know, pull out of the driveway. Always, you know, he’d just drop it in there. Man, that transmission must have been tough because it lasted as long as I remember. It is still going. As Grandpa, I just think about it: if he wasn’t saved, we don’t know. He’s still burning. 37 years, weeping and gnashing of teeth. Friend, this thing is real. There is a hell. There are people burning. 37 years, and it’s just starting. The smoke of their torment is ascending. It’s more than just getting a big crowd; it’s eternity. Hell, it’s heaven. Salvation. Who cares if everybody likes us or doesn’t like us? It’s eternity, friend.
They say the death rate in America is up so greatly. The latest reports are saying it’s up 40% in deaths. Last funeral I preached up in Nashville—I know the funeral home director a little bit; we’ve known each other for 20-something years—and the funeral director told them they wanted to have it several days earlier, but he told them, “We have so many people dying now, we’ve got to schedule it out a little bit because we just can’t fit them all in.” And a lot of people are cremating, you know, so they don’t even really deal a whole lot with funeral homes, but even with the people that are cremating, he said, “Man, we can’t fit them all in.” A 40% rise in the death rate in America. Friend, I’m saying they’re dying. It’s crucial. This is not just a social gathering for fellowship. Fellowships are important, but it’s not just about that. It’s people dying and going to have their hell. These shepherds, man, they made it known abroad everywhere. Maybe that’s why the first people who wanted to come and see Jesus—God in earth, God in flesh—were those shepherds, because they would tell everybody about the Messiah. Friend, we can’t get past that: souls, heaven or hell.
Can I just say something here? There’s no such thing as the social gospel. We’re not going to change people, make them sweet, kind people, and that will send them to heaven or get them out of hell. Hey, they’re either saved or lost. That’s Bible. The changing thing is Jesus. Now, if Jesus moves inside, He’ll change your heart. But, friend, you’re not going to have all these social programs to make them sweet, nice people and get them into heaven. You’re not going to do it. It’s a matter of Jesus. That’s the key.
What’s so important? What Jesus said over there, Matthew 4:19: He said, “Follow me, and I will make you…” Help me out. “Follow me, and I will make you what?” So either I’m not following Him right, or He’s not doing His job right. I think He’s doing the job. Now, I’m not a good fisherman. Many a time when I go fishing, I don’t catch fish. That’s why I don’t go a whole lot, amen. Me and John both are like, “All right, we’ll go. If we’re catching, we’ll stay. If we’re not catching, let’s go play basketball or something.” Ms. Tammy and Sarah, they want to stay all day long, whether you’re catching or not. They’re better fishermen than us. We’re like, “Let’s go.” They’re like, “No, let’s put another worm on the hook.” All right, I’ll put it on there. We’re leaving, though, you know, let’s go. I’m not a good fisherman, but I can go out there and cast.
By the way, it doesn’t even say the shepherds were seeing people saved, per se. It just says they made known abroad. I can’t see anybody saved. I’ve never led one person to the Lord, really, but I’ve made known. And the Spirit of God and the power of the gospel—God holds them. They got saved. The Bible doesn’t tell us we’re going to win the lost, because we know the majority of the lost are going to die and go to hell. But it says we are to let everybody know; we’re going to preach the gospel to every creature. That’s our job. It’s up to them what to do with it, but our job is one point: we’ve got to make known abroad the child, Jesus.
So important. How many have you got a Scofield Bible? Anybody got a Scofield Bible tonight? I’ve got a Scofield Bible. Would you hold it up all at one time? If you have a Scofield Bible? Okay, well, close to half the crowd has a Scofield Bible. It’s a King James text, all besides… But I’m joking. I’m sure all of them are here, but the notes are by C. I. Scofield. Scofield, before he got saved, he was a lawyer that drank a lot. The words he used, they’re not politically correct because he said he was a drunken lawyer—that’s what he said about himself. He was a functioning alcoholic. He worked; he was a lawyer.
He had a man, Tom McPheeters, come to visit him. McPheeters was his client for a while, and Tom McPheeters did his business with Scofield, the lawyer. Scofield was a drunken lawyer, according to his own term. And Tom McPheeters went to put his hand on the doorknob to leave the office—they were done with their business—and he turned. And he said, “I’m the biggest coward.” And Scofield said, “Tom, I’ve never took you to be a coward. What do you mean you’re the biggest coward on earth?” And Tom McPheeters said, “Well, for a whole year, I’ve wanted to ask you something, and out of fear, I haven’t asked you.” So Scofield said, “Well, Tom, come on in here,” and sat back down. “You can ask me anything in the world you want to.” So Tom, when he came back in, sat down in the chair, and he said, “Mr. Scofield, why aren’t you a Christian?” That’s what he asked. And Scofield said, “Well, Tom, doesn’t the Bible say something about no drunkards ever going to heaven?” Boy, Tom McPheeters, he was so wise in his answer. He said, “Scofield, that isn’t the answer to the question I asked you.” Praise the Lord, he didn’t get off on that. “Now tell me why.” Scofield said, “The fact is, Tom, I don’t know how to go about it.”
In time, McPheeters got his Bible out and showed him. Started off with John 3:16. Showed him a couple of verses in the book of John. I don’t know all; I have a list. I think about four verses he used from John—just the old gospel. John 5:24, and in every instance, Scofield said, “From what you’ve read, you’re saying that the Bible says, ‘I must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.’” And that day, C. I. Scofield in his office bowed his head, and he put his belief on Jesus Christ. He later wrote about it. He said, “Once I believed on Jesus, Jesus came in the power to overcome the bottle.” But he just needed someone to be honest and loving and frank with him. Hey, there are people like that; they just need someone out of love to tell them about Jesus. It’s not complicated. The shepherds didn’t go around telling them everything about, “Well, this is His first coming, here’s going to be a second coming,” and then they didn’t go tell it. They just made known abroad this thing about this child and the angels. That’s what people need—just out of love, tell them about Jesus.
Let’s get the last thing in here. Why the shepherds? Well, maybe because of the response. They overcame fear. They made Jesus a priority. They made the telling of Jesus their point. And then let’s look at this last thing. We’re done tonight. Verse number 20, if you would. Luke 2, Luke 2, verse number 20. Luke 2, verse number 20. Y’all still out there? Y’all awake tonight? Good deal, good deal. Appreciate you sticking with me. I know it’s a busy time; you’re probably tired. We’ll go quick. Look in verse number 20 here real quickly: “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising who? God, for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”
Number four: They made Jesus their praise. What if the shepherds would have said, “Well, we were the first ones to see the Messiah. Look at us! The first announcement came from the angel after Jesus was born to us. We saw Jesus! We saw Jesus! Look at us! We told everybody about Jesus. We’ve made it known abroad. We’re the ones who told everybody.” The shepherds never even talked about themselves. It’s like they’re just kind of obsolete. It’s not about the shepherds. As far as the shepherds were concerned, they came back praising God.
You know, it’s a pity sometimes. “Well, I reached them. I knocked on their door. I witnessed to them. I got them.” Praise God! The shepherds came back praising the Lord. It’s a shame in churches—it happens because we all have flesh—but when we get into lifting ourselves up and what I am and what I do and all the rest of that, can I say that’s all going to burn up one day? That really doesn’t matter, but “I am this and I am that and I do this.” Can I say this? Hey, it’s not supposed to be about me and us and all that. It’s supposed to be about Jesus. They were praising God. They came back, and it wasn’t about, “Praise God, He let us know about this thing.” It’s amazing what God did for us. We have it in the hallway there, just a portion of it. It was Colossians 1:18. The whole verse says this: “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Just lifting high Jesus. Praise all over for Jesus.
Would you look over real quickly? We won’t be alone, but just real quickly. I want you to look at one other passage here besides Luke. Look over in John chapter number three. This is John the Baptist here. Let’s look at John for just a moment there. John chapter number three. John chapter number three in God’s Word tonight. You’ve heard it, but we’re just going to get the context of it and the truth of it. We’re going to move on. We’re done. And then let’s see here, somebody’s going to go to the Creamery, and somebody’s going to go to Firehouse Subs, and somebody’s going to go to Jersey Mike’s, and we’re all said and done here. All right, we’ve got a couple more verses. We’re going to slip out of here. John 3, verse number 26, if you would please. “And they came unto John, and said unto him, ‘Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the same baptizeth; and all men come to him.’” John, you’re the one that was going around baptizing. Everybody came to you, the Pharisees, everybody came to you. This guy’s out there baptizing. What about that, John?
John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.” God’s working here. God’s in control. God can handle it. Well, so-and-so is getting so much glory, and people don’t know the truth. God’s in control. God knows what’s going on. God can handle it.
Verse number 28: “Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.” He said, “I’ve told you already, I’m not the big deal. I’m not worthy to untie His shoelaces.” “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom. That’s the Messiah. He has the church; it’s His bride.” The friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth because of the bridegroom’s voice. “This my joy therefore is fulfilled.” He said, “I’m so glad everybody’s starting to go towards Jesus. It just makes my day.” I love it. Then he makes this statement: “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” By the way, John the Baptist did. He went to prison a bit later on and got his head cut off. “I must decrease, but Jesus must increase.” Man, these shepherds, they came back—oh, man, we let everybody know? No, they came back praising God.
Woodrow Wilson, he was our president at the time, 1914. He told this story. It happened years earlier. He said, “I was getting a haircut, and I’m going to—this is not the exact quote, okay? I’m going to change a little bit, but it’s going to be the fault of the best I can tell it in our wording of our day and time. Some of it’s a quote, though.” He says, “A man came quietly in for a haircut and sat in the next chair to me. Every word that he uttered, though it was not in the least preaching, showed a personal and vital interest in the man who was serving him.” The guy was cutting his hair. Before I got through with what was being done to me, I was aware that I had attended an evangelistic service." You get what he’s saying? He said this guy came in beside me. I listened, and it was nothing about him. He was just so concerned about the guy cutting his hair. He said before it was done, that guy gave the gospel out. He tried to lead him to the Lord. He said, “Man, everybody in the barbershop heard him trying to win him to the Lord. It was like we were in service.”
Let me keep reading. He said, “And I figured out it was Mr. Moody in the chair next to me.” By the way, you notice Moody didn’t come in and say, “Well, I’m Moody, Pastor So-and-so.” He didn’t do all that. He came in showing very much interest in the man cutting his hair. “I purposely lingered after he left and noted the singular effect his visit had upon the barbers in that shop.” He goes on to say, “We all felt like we had been to worship service.” He didn’t come in promoting himself; he came in being interested in that guy and his life.
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes tonight? The shepherds are awesome. The shepherds, they overcame their fear. They made Jesus their priority. And they made telling of Jesus their point. They made known abroad. Maybe tonight you said, “Man, I just need to get back. I’m telling people about Jesus. I just need to get back in love, in love, talking about their soul.” Is Jesus your Savior? Maybe tonight you say, “I need to make less of me and more of Jesus.” Oh, we can get so self-centered in our day and time.
All the shepherds were looking about them. They were praising God. They’re praising God. They’re praising God. If you hear tonight and you say, “Somewhere along the line, praise God, the gospel from the heart… Somewhere along the line, God spoke to my heart. God spoke to me.” God bless you. God bless you. Many hands. My hands are up with you. God bless you. God bless you. That’s a wonderful thing. Thank you to let the Lord work in your heart.
Would you please stand? Would you please stand? We’re going to have a word of prayer. Would you be obedient to the Lord as the Lord leads? Would you follow what He guides? Lord, help us—help me, Lord—help our church, Father, to just keep after this thing of making Jesus known. Father, would you help our church not to be about us as individuals, but to be about You? Oh, Lord, forgive us. Forgive me, Lord. Forgive us if we just get about me. Help it to be more about Thee. Lord, in these next few minutes, work in our midst, work in our hearts. Help us to be obedient. Give us boldness to be obedient to You. Thank you, Lord, for what You do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Original File: Why the Shepherds Pastor Paul Chisgar - Sunday PM 12182022