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to Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2, we're going to 
read from verse 1 to verse 20. Luke 2, beginning in verse 1 
and finishing at verse 20. The Word of God. And it came 
to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus 
that all the world should be registered. This census first 
took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went 
to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went 
up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into Judea to the 
city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of 
the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary, his 
betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was that while they 
were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And 
she brought forth her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling 
cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for 
them in the inn. Now there were in the same country 
shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock 
by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord 
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, 
and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, 
Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great 
joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this 
day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and this 
will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped 
in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there 
was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising 
God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 
peace, goodwill toward men. So it was when the angels had 
gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one 
another, Let us now go to Bethlehem. and see this thing that has come 
to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.' And they came with 
haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. 
Now when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying 
which was told them concerning this child. And all those who 
heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 
But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 
Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for 
all the things they had heard and seen as it was told them. Amen. Well, let's pray. Heavenly 
Father, we thank You for the reading of Your Scriptures, the 
preaching of Your Word, this element, this aspect of worship, 
and we do pray that you would be worshipped in this. We pray 
that your people here would be strengthened, that sinners, Lord 
God, would be saved by the power of the Holy Spirit working by 
and with your word. We do ask, Lord God, that you 
would be honoured, that you would be glorified. that Lord God again, 
that our Savior Jesus Christ, the one spoken of here, the one 
written of here, would now be exalted upon the praises of this 
assembly, that we would rejoice in him, that we would sing his 
praises, and that we would reflect with great thankfulness upon 
so great a gospel. Be with us now, Lord God, might 
you be praised. In the name of Jesus Christ, 
our Savior. Amen. Well, 2,000 years ago, a light 
shined. That's not just the language 
of a sappy evangelicalism. That's biblical language, that 
in a region that dwelt in darkness, the advent of Christ, a light 
shined. Dawn broke forth, and the darkness 
was permeated, was penetrated by this glowing light, this glorious 
Christ. This Savior, age upon age, had 
rolled on in expectation and in anticipation, and long lay 
the world in sin and error pining until this Christ came and brought 
forth this light to a dark place. And we have this announcement 
by the angels brought to these shepherds concerning the birth 
of the long-promised Savior. We want to reflect on verses 
10 to 14 this morning, simply under two headings, the angelic 
word and the angelic song. But just notice, by way of introduction, 
a few things here. First off, the historical setting. 
I've said from the pulpit, we've said from the pulpit a number 
of times that with Christianity, kids, and with Christianity, 
adults, and with Christianity, everyone who is here, we do not 
have a religion of fairy tales. The Bible isn't delivered in 
the flavor of old fairy tales. While these things did happen 
once upon a time, it is not the once upon a time of fairy tales 
that our hearts rest upon, but rather the stuff of certain truth. 
And Luke isn't afraid to set the birth of the promised Savior, 
to set the birth of Jesus Christ the Lord into a historical context. Again, it's not just this general 
language of, hey, you know, once upon a time in a land of fairies 
and pixie dust, a cool thing happened, it comes with the certainty 
of divine inspiration, of inerrancy, of infallibility, and Luke places 
it here in the context of history. Notice in verse 1, it came to 
pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus 
that all the world should be registered. So there's a ruler 
that's named, there is a particular census that's identified here 
that the world should be registered in this context, the Roman Empire. Verse 2, this census first took 
place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So again, the naming of 
another ruler. Luke's not afraid to set this 
tale, this truth, this story, this history, this certain fact, 
of course, within the context of rulers and regions and all 
of those sorts of things. And we have regions next. Joseph, 
also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth into 
Judea, et cetera. Luke places this account, this 
true account, within the context of rulers and geography and occasions 
sanctioned or lawfully given by these rulers in order for 
census to take place. Notice as well we have prophetic 
fulfillment. As we read these words here that 
follow, Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth 
into Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem. We 
continue reading, make no mistake, that isn't only Luke writing 
with respect to historical persons and regions, but he's also setting 
forth the fact that this Christ came forth according to prophetic 
promise. according to the old covenant 
promise of a coming one who would come into this world to give 
his life for guilty sinners. This language of, in the city 
of David, which is called Bethlehem, and because he was of the house 
of the lineage of David, etc., we are to see in this The blessed 
threads of 2 Samuel 7. The blessed threads of Isaiah 
7.14. The blessed threads of Isaiah 9.6. A child that is given. A son that is born. The one upon 
whom the government would be upon His shoulders. The one who 
is wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince 
of Peace. We are to see Old Testament promise 
fulfilled in the ink upon these pages written by Luke. written 
by Luke, this particular page. But you know what I mean. As 
Luke writes, he's writing concerning the certainty of what took place, 
and he's writing concerning the certainty of prophetic fulfillment, 
that he's showing that those Old Testament promises, prophecies, 
plans, and purposes of God are being fulfilled in this occasion 
where this babe is wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a 
manger. And this message is delivered to shepherds. Have you ever remarked 
or have you just read through this or not really considered 
the fact that this divine messenger, this angel, sent by God to proclaim 
the birth of the Savior, this is given to shepherds, the mean, 
the meek, the weak, and the illiterate. It's the way God works. He uses 
the base things and the low things to shine forth His glory. He 
sends forth the riches of His gospel, the gems of the proclamation 
of His word in cracked pots, in earthen vessels. He announces 
this to shepherds. Gil makes this remark with regards 
to the recipients of the angelic word. He writes, to the shepherds, 
the first notice of Christ's birth was given, not to the princes 
and chief priests and learned men at Jerusalem, but to weak, 
mean, and illiterate men. whom God is pleased to choose 
and call and reveal His secrets to when He hides them from the 
wise and prudent, to their confusion and the glory of His grace." 
And this was a presage. That just simply means a foretelling 
or a foresignifying. This was a presage of what the 
kingdom of Christ would be and by and to whom the Gospel would 
be preached. The angel gives this message 
of the glorious Savior's birth to shepherds. And it's an interesting 
thing. Maybe you'll find this interesting, 
maybe you won't. But the depth of the genius of 
biblical revelation and the majesty of the style With respect to 
the shepherds being the recipients of the angelic message, the greater 
than David Davidic son, the great shepherd of the sheep, who is 
also the Lamb of God, who in due time, as a sheep before its 
shearers is silent, will open not his mouth, is born in the 
place where David, a shepherd, tended his father's sheep, and 
is announced to shepherds, who would become some of the first 
sheep of the great shepherd's flock. Christianity is unmatched, 
and our God of divine inspiration is unmatched in weaving a story. Not weaving a story, but in revealing 
the story that was weaved by His own divine wisdom and providence 
to bring forth this Jesus, this Christ, this Son of God and Son 
of Man. the only mediator between God 
and men. And it is angels that bring this 
message. Perhaps this is Gabriel who had 
beforehand announced that Mary would conceive a baby. Being a virgin, the Holy Spirit 
would overshadow her and by creative power would conceive in her womb, 
that nature which Christ himself, the Son of God, would take upon 
himself. Perhaps this is Gabriel bringing 
the announcement here to to the angels with respect to the giving 
of this message by angels. And after eight minutes of introduction, 
we will get to the angelic word and the angelic song. But hopefully 
just to build up some of the introductory stuff. Hopefully 
it's hopefully it's stuff that helps to set up this account. 
of a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger. Notice 
with regards to this announcement by angels concerning Christ the 
Savior. Cyril of Alexandria writes, For 
very many holy prophets had been born from time to time, but never 
had any one of them been glorified by the voice of angels, for they 
were men. and according to the same measure 
as ourselves, the true servants of God and bearers of His words. But not so was Christ, for He 
is God and Lord and the sender of the holy prophets. And as 
the psalmist says, who in the clouds shall be compared unto 
the Lord? And who shall be likened unto 
the Lord among the sons of God? You see, that's why we are in 
a moment to marvel the fact that this one, who is the sender of 
the holy prophets, the one whom the angels worship, would condescend 
to be wrapped in swaddling cloths and lie in a feed trough reserved 
for livestock. Well, getting on to the angelic 
word then, in verses 10 through 12, we want to notice first off, 
it is an announcement of the greatest significance It's an 
announcement of the greatest significance. Look at first here 
in verse 10. Now, that might not cause you 
to marvel at the great significance here, but give me a moment because 
it ought to. Just even this one word, behold. 
But notice that this response in verse 10, by the angels, is 
to vanquish and dispel the fear of the shepherds. That's what 
the Gospel does. That's what the good tidings 
of Jesus Christ is designed to do. To vanquish fear. The fear 
of sin and sin's condemnation. The fear of death. The fear of 
the grave. Christ brings cheerfulness to 
the hearts of those who receive His message by grace through 
faith in Him. Fear is to be vanquished. The 
angel said to them, do not be afraid. For behold, previously 
we see the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were 
greatly afraid. You see, here with the angelic 
word, fear is vanquished. Fear is shot away. Confidence 
and hope comes in this babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in 
a manger. The angel said to them, do not 
be afraid. And this is our point though, for behold, it's a message 
of great significance. Very often when you come across 
the word behold in your Bibles, it's going to follow that up 
with a message of great significance. We come across the word that's 
translated, here behold, is very often just the word see. Sometimes 
it is the word low, and low I am with you always, even to the 
end of the age. Here it's translated behold, 
and the angels are using this word in order to grab and to 
grip the shepherd's attention. Hopefully you're here this morning. 
By God's grace, you're going to be grabbed and gripped. Not 
by a bald-headed and weak-bearded preacher. I'm starting to grow 
this. I think I look like a Nicaraguan teenager. But I'm going to grow 
it and I might be a man one day. But you see, this is to grip 
our hearts. This was to grip the shepherd's 
hearts. Behold, lo, see. There's a passage in 1 John, 
Mike will get there soon in his preaching through 1 John. Behold what manner of love the 
Father has bestowed on us that we should be called the sons 
of God, the children of God. John writes that and he writes, 
behold, not just, oh, you know, hey, see what I'm about to write 
here, just sort of like a casual, you know, cast your eyes upon 
this and then move on, but to grip your attention, to grab 
hold of you. The angels here to the shepherds 
say, behold, because what follows is of the utmost significance, 
and it is the stuff that dashes away and vanquishes the fear 
of death and sin and condemnation. and the righteous holiness and 
wholesome severity of God to judge those who violate His law, 
to judge those who oppose His gospel. If you believe in Jesus 
Christ the Savior, fear is vanquished. Behold, good tidings are yours." 
So it is an announcement of the greatest significance. And I 
think this is a point of application if we can make them here while 
we move along. Do you behold? Do you look Do 
you hasten your gaze? That's what the language comes 
with the force of. To hasten your gaze upon this 
truth. The Son of God, in the fullness 
of the times, came forth born of a woman. Born under the law 
to redeem those who are under its curse and its condemnation. 
Do you behold? You're here this morning, and 
do you behold? Do you look? Do you see? This Jesus, this 
Christ, your Savior, have you beheld your sin? Have you beheld 
the God of infinite, eternal, and unchangeable holiness and 
justice? Have you looked upon, have you 
beheld your transgressions, that all of us, that you have fallen 
short of the glory of God, and then has your gaze hastened to 
this babe, to this Christ, who would grow, who would go about 
the earth always doing good, who would die upon Calvary's 
cross, rise again the third day, All who look to Him in faith 
will have everlasting life. Have you beheld? This one word, 
behold, is not just a casual C, but it is an angelic and a 
divine and a strong behold to hasten your gaze upon so great 
a Christ, so blessed a Savior. Secondly, it is an announcement 
of the greatest joy. Notice, do not be afraid, for 
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. It's an announcement of the greatest 
joy. The word translated here, in fact, this portion of the 
phrase, I bring you good tidings, is one word. We could say, I 
evangelize to you great joy. It's the word used there for 
I bring you good tidings is where we get evangelical or evangelism 
from. I evangelize to you, the angels 
are saying, great joy. I bring you good tidings of great 
joy, the angels say. They have already said, do not 
be afraid. They've already said, behold. 
So what they're about to say is the stuff of great joy. It's 
the stuff that is to dash away that wicked fear. And it is the 
stuff that they are to hasten their gaze to, that they might 
rejoice in the Savior and the salvation He affords His people. But it is an announcement of 
the greatest joy. And isn't this a... If you've 
read the Psalms, If you've read the Psalms, the 
word rejoice is repeated, I think, more than any other section of 
Holy Scripture. The psalmist reflects upon the 
glories of God and His Christ There is a constant entreaty 
for the people of God to rejoice. So the angels are not stepping 
away from the pattern of biblical revelation. The angels are not 
deviating from some sort of pattern here. They're in lockstep with 
God's revelation to the sons of men that says rejoice. Rejoice 
in me. Let not the wise man glory in 
his wisdom. Let not the rich man glory in 
his wealth. Let not the strong man glory 
in his strength. But let him who glories glory 
in this, that he understands and knows me. Rejoice in this 
God, rejoice in this Christ, rejoice in this gospel. The angels 
dispel fear, hasten the gaze they say to the shepherds so 
that you might receive this message of good tidings, which is characterized 
by the greatest joy. As Christians, we're to be marked 
by this, brethren, by joy. You know, there is an attendant 
intellectualism that comes with Christianity. We are to use our 
minds. But make no mistake, in the use 
of our minds and knowing truth and growing in the grace and 
in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, this is to spring forth in rejoicing. This is to spring forth in joy. 
You know, we are, again, our faces are to crescent, that means 
to smile, to move from this solemn and, you know, somber sort of 
straight lip-ness, and to crescent up with joy at the Savior who 
came into this world, sinners to save. We have an order, and 
we have an attendant, hopefully a right biblical worship here, 
where it's now the element where we're preaching the Word of God. 
But make no mistake, in the course of this element of worship, rejoicing 
is not banned from the time, and joy is not to be cast away 
until some other time. You know, when you go home and 
you enjoy ham and cheese, Whatever. Right now, rejoice in this Christ. 
Rejoice in this One the angels announced, who was born of Mary 
and Joseph, who would be the Savior of men. Rejoice. It is also, thirdly, an announcement 
for all men. Notice this language. Do not 
be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 
which will be to all people. The message of Christianity is 
not a message confined to a particular demographic. It was not confined 
to the borders of Jerusalem in this day. It was not to stay 
there and not go forth beyond the borders of Jerusalem, or 
Bethlehem in this case, where the Savior was born. It is a 
message which will be to all people. This evangel, this gospel, 
this message of this saving Christ is to all people. You turn with 
me to the book of Psalms, because again, just like the angelic 
word is not a misstep, or it does not deviate from the pattern 
of biblical revelation to rejoice in God and His Christ, well, 
so too this reality that God's message is to all men, this is 
a like pattern or it's a similar pattern throughout woven throughout 
biblical revelation. Notice in Psalm 96, Psalm 96, 
if you can turn there with me beginning in verse one. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song, 
sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name. 
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare 
His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. You see, the wonders of God, 
the glories of His works, the perfection of the person of Christ 
and the virtue of His office as mediator and the glories of 
His salvation are not to be proclaimed within the small confinement 
of a particular body of people, but it is announced to go throughout 
all the world. Declare His glory. among the 
nations, His wonders among all people. We fast forward in Revelation 
to Psalm 117. You're close by if you were with 
me in 96. You can turn there. One of the 
smallest psalms. One of the shortest psalms. But 
one rich with divine condescension, mercy, glory. Notice Psalm 117. Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Laud Him, all you peoples. For His merciful kindness is 
great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, 
all you Gentiles. You see, this message of Christ, 
the glory of our God, the proclamation of Father, Son, and Spirit, and 
the wonders of His salvation given to the sons of men, This 
is not only for Jew, it is for Jew, and it is for Gentile. It 
is, as the writer John in Revelation writes, for all nations, peoples, 
and tongues. This Jesus, this Redeemer, this 
one who would shed his blood for guilty sinners, this is a 
message, this babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a 
manger, the good tidings that attend, that mark, that characterize 
that one, that Jesus, that Christ, it is for all people. It is an 
announcement for all men. A couple things on our last two 
points here that come as applications. Again, doing them along the way 
here. What is your joy? You know, I think we, very often 
when we attach, when we think of joy, we sometimes, you know, 
land upon earthly things. You know, what makes you happy 
and what makes you joyful? Don't get me wrong, a nice steak, 
a nice cool drink, you know, a walk in a meadow, tiptoeing 
through the tulips in a fine wooded glen. Whatever you do, 
those can be things that are happy and those can be things 
that are joyful. don't get me wrong, we enjoy the blessed things 
given by God to us. We enjoy lawful things because 
God has given them to us in loving condescension. But do those things 
shadow your joy in Christ? What is What do you connect, 
what train do you connect the caboose of your joy to? Do you 
hitch the caboose of your happiness and joy to earthly trains? Do you hitch them to a babe wrapped 
in swaddling cloths lying in a manger who would grow, who 
would go about the earth doing good, who would die upon a cross, 
who would rise again, who would ascend as our King, our Glorious 
One, and our Savior? God's salvation, His condescension, 
His grace, His mercy. What is the substance of your 
joy? In this lower world, we can enjoy 
earthly things, but if the Son of God remains in the shadows 
of these earthly things, we have done wrong. Good tidings of great joy. And 
as Christians, we will do well to hitch our joy to the train 
of divine revelation, to the triune God, to the Christ of 
the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, and hitch it to that alone. because we will ebb and we will 
flow in our happiness and in our joy and we'll be a sorrowful 
lot if we hitch the train of our joy to anything else save 
God and His Christ and His glorious gospel. Enjoy steak, enjoy a 
cool drink, enjoy a walk through a wooded glen, but hitch the 
caboose of your joy and happiness to the train of God and His Christ 
and you will never be disappointed. It's an announcement for all 
men. What do we do with this? Understanding that it's an announcement 
for all men, we rejoice in the God of condescending universality. And he doesn't just confine the 
message of his gospel to one people group, but it goes out 
to the uttermost parts of the earth. What can we do with this? We ought to pray. for the proclamation 
of God's Word throughout the ends of the earth. If this is 
good tidings, if this is a gospel to all peoples, then we ought 
to pray that across the earth, ministers of His would proclaim 
richly the things of Christ, that sinners might be saved, 
that our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ might be strengthened 
and edified. we ought to pray for missionary 
work. If you can't go out to the mission field, and not everybody 
can or else there'd be nobody in home churches, but if you 
can't go out on missionary work, pray for missionaries, support 
missionaries, pay for missionaries. There are things that we can 
do as Christians. Prayer, first and foremost. The 
giving of our good things to support the proclamation of the 
Gospel worldwide. It's a blessed thing. Why? Because 
this angelic Word is delivered to these shepherds, and it's 
marked by this reality that the Gospel will be to all people. And notice, fourthly, it is an 
announcement concerning the salvation of men. Verse 11. So it is an announcement of the 
greatest significance. It's an announcement of the greatest 
joy. It's an announcement for all men. And it is an announcement 
concerning the salvation of men. Verse 11, for there is born to 
you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. You see, the words previously 
spoken by the angel are building up to this point. They're quickly 
spoken. Do not be afraid. For behold, 
I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all peoples." 
And it comes to this, the four of verse 11 introduces the glorious 
reality of the announcement concerning the salvation of men. For there 
is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is 
Christ the Lord. Have you ever considered that 
collection of words there? It's one verse. It's a couple 
handfuls of words there, but there's so much in there. There's 
so much mounted upon each other there in this angelic Word. The first thing we want to observe 
here is that this salvation is real. For there is born to you 
this day. Our salvation in Christianity 
is not salvation from ignorance. It's not this gnostic message 
that comes to us with no substantial Savior behind the salvation. This Christ is born. Our salvation 
is born to us. For there is born to you this 
day. Our salvation is real. The apostles, 
John, for example, writes concerning this. The importance of Christians 
recognizing that our salvation in our Savior is real. We saw 
Him. We heard Him. Our hands have 
handled the Word of Life who was manifested to us. He was 
born to us. Our Savior is born. The angels 
announce this one, this salvation, and their first words are, there 
is born to you this day. Our Christ took upon Himself, 
the Son of God took upon Himself man's nature. He took on our 
humanity, save for sin, that He might save us from our sins. Our salvation is real. It's not 
this ethereal stuff that we can't really substantially put our 
finger on. How are we saved? Perhaps if we just grow in our 
knowledge with the light we've been given, then maybe one day 
we'll make it somewhere. No, it's substantial. It's clear. 
It's real. Our Savior, our glorious Savior. was born. It is a real salvation. This salvation is real. This 
salvation, secondly, is personal. There is born to you this day 
in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. We've 
made this observation many times in different contexts. The personal 
reality. Now, I'm not saying that it's 
personal to the exclusion of corporate. Make no mistake, and 
we'll see that tonight from Hebrews 25, that salvation, Christianity, 
there is a context which must be corporate. God has given His 
people, His church, His church. But consider as well, though, 
that salvation is personal. There is born to you this day. 
We've considered many times the reality that the language that 
the Christians speak in the Bible is language of an intimate reality 
with regards to their God and their Savior. The Lord is my 
shepherd. The psalmist could have written 
with propriety. The words could have been rendered 
originally. The Lord is a shepherd. You see, 
there's an intimacy. There's a connection. There's 
a personal reality to our Savior. The Lord is my shepherd. Thomas, on that glorious week 
after the resurrection, when Christ appears to him in loving 
condescension, Thomas, after being able to look upon his Christ, 
to even see the print of the nails, the Savior bids him to 
put your fingers here, put them there, see that it is I. Thomas 
says, my Lord and my God. Would it have been right to say 
the Lord and the God? Absolutely. But he says, my Lord 
and my God, here the angels could have announced, for there is 
born this day a Savior. But they say, there is born to 
you this day in the city of David a Savior. He's our Savior. If 
you believe on Him, if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, He's 
your Savior. There need not be fear of death, 
fear of sin's condemnation, for your victor, your champion, is 
this one who was born in the city of David, a Savior who is 
Christ the Lord. This salvation is personal. This salvation, thirdly, is a 
fulfillment of promise. Notice, He is born this day in 
the city of David. Now that's not the only part 
that respects a fulfillment of promise, but remember the announcements 
in the Old Testament concerning a son of David who would be born 
in the city of David. Brethren, when you come to the 
pages of the New Testament, it's not It's not just, you know, some 
language slapped together or a recording of history, but it 
is an accurate and an inspired and an infallible and an inerrant 
recording of history fulfilling a promise beforehand. Micah 5.2, 
when we read this language in the City of David, when we read 
previously, which is called Bethlehem in the beginning of the chapter, 
we are to have our biblical and hopefully our taught and stable 
minds reflect back upon Micah 5.2. The promise that to you, 
Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are the littlest of the thousands 
of Judah, yet out of you will come forth to me a ruler, born 
in Israel. who are the ruler of Israel, 
whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. You see, 
this language of Luke is calculated to, yes, encapsulate it and envelop 
it in a historical context, but to show forth that God's promises 
do come true. Our God is a God of promise. 
Our God is a God of executing divine purpose and plan such 
that according to His own prophets, His own promises, and His own 
foresignifyings, we have this Christ coming forth in the city 
of David. And in fact, the language for 
there is born to you this day, that born to you should hearken 
the Christian heart and mind back to Isaiah 9.6. Unto us a 
child is born. Unto us a son is given. Again, 
personal language there as well. Unto us, born to us, this Savior, 
this Christ, this Lord, this salvation is a fulfillment of 
promise. Brethren, our God executes perfectly 
His promises. That's our God. He makes a promise. He fulfills it. Respecting the 
gospel? Absolutely. Respecting everything? 
Absolutely. Respecting judgment? Absolutely. If you forsake this Jesus, if 
you forsake this Christ, this Savior, if you forsake this babe 
wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger, who would 
grow, who would go about the earth only doing good, die upon 
Calvary's cross, rise again the third day, God's promise to judge 
you and to exercise His wholesome severity upon you who oppose 
His gospel, He will make good on His promise. Don't leave these 
two doors this morning forsaking this Christ, this Savior, this 
Lord. Because God will make good on 
His promise. He makes good His gospel promises. He makes good 
His judgment promises. Believe on this Christ, and you 
will have everlasting life. Notice then, fourthly, this salvation 
is in Christ. It is salvation by a Savior, 
and this Savior is Christ. For there is born to you this 
day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. You see 
how this language mounts upon each other? A Savior who is Christ 
the Lord. This isn't just, as we'll see 
in a moment, this announcement where the angels in verse 12 
say, and this will be the sign to you, you will find a babe 
wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger. You know, it may 
have been the temptation or the natural human response. The shepherd, 
okay, we're going to find this babe announced by the angels, 
and if the angels perhaps didn't give this language of this will 
be the sign, you know, maybe they'll be looking at the inn. 
They'll be looking perhaps at a prominent place, a rich man's 
place. For the Savior of Israel, for 
the consolation of Israel, we need to find this one. But when 
they find this one, as the angels announced, wrapped in swaddling 
cloths, lying in a manger, that's where people would not look for 
the Savior. Because we think with our human 
hearts that if the Savior were to come into the world, He would 
come with a trumpet's blast. He would come, you know, air-raid 
with light beaming down somewhere, surrounded by riches and jewels 
and with a train of noblemen and all those sorts of things. 
No, this babe wrapped in swaddling cloths is your Savior. But, He 
is your Savior. He is Christ the Lord. This language 
is beautiful, this language is glorious, and it's not just there 
is born to you a man this day, though Christ is true man, He 
is a Savior who is Christ the Lord. That's why, brethren, we 
are to be marked by beholding and by joyful hearts. We're not 
just beholding and we're not just attaching our joy to an 
earthly figure and an earthly figure alone because that is 
fleeting, that is dying, that will vanish away, but an eternal 
one who took to himself our nature to save us, to redeem us. What 
a glorious thing to behold. What a glorious thing to rejoice 
in. This salvation is in Christ. 
There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior 
who is Christ the Lord. He's the only Savior. That's 
why the preaching entreaties come to you to believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ, because there is only in Him salvation. Not 
in anything else, not in anyone else. If you're seeking redemption 
and salvation elsewhere, it's folly, it's madness. Only in 
Christ, only in this baby. born in the city of David, who 
would grow to be a man who would give his life for guilty sinners. 
Only in this Christ, only in this Jesus, only in this one 
is there salvation. He is alone the Savior. And that's 
just not something that the preacher puts together in his mind as 
he's opening up a particular passage from the Gospel of Luke. 
The Bible says that. It's one name given under heaven 
among men by which we might be saved, and that's Christ Jesus 
the Lord. Blessed Savior. And notice lastly, 
this salvation is divine. He is Christ the Lord. Again, we think of the entry of a promised 
redeemer would come with the valiance of trumpet blasts and 
all of these sorts of things, but the entry, the first advent 
of this son of God is one of meekness, it's one of meanness. 
It's one that our human hearts or our human minds would not 
contrive. A champion, a savior, a victor 
is never in our minds contrived to be a babe wrapped in swaddling 
cloths lying in a feed trough. And yet there's our Christ and 
there's our Jesus. This salvation is divine. He 
is Christ the Lord. There is born to you this day 
in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Now, our minds move. And this is what Cyril of Alexandria 
bids us to do as Christians. We maybe move back and forth 
between these two realities with respect to the one Christ. We 
see this babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger. Our 
hearts and our minds are then to mount up and rise up to contemplations 
of this one being. Son of God, second of the blessed 
triune, the brightness of His Father's glory and the express 
image of His person. Assyril writes, but mount up to the contemplation 
of His godlike glory. Elevate thy mind aloft. Ascend 
to heaven. So wilt thou behold Him in the 
highest exaltation, possessed of transcendent glory. Thou wilt 
see Him set upon a throne high and lifted up. Thou wilt hear 
the seraphim extolling Him in hymns. and saying that heaven 
and earth are full of His glory. Yea, even upon earth this has 
come to pass, for the glory of God shone upon the shepherds, 
and there was a multitude of the heavenly armies telling Christ's 
glory. And this it was which was proclaimed 
of old by the voice of Moses, Rejoice, ye heavens, with Him, 
and let all the sons of God worship Him. You know, when we sing that 
hymn, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the Newborn King, 
what's that hymn saying? The hymn is saying that the angel 
that announced here and the multitude that join in a one accord voice 
with that angel are singing praises, glory to God in the highest, 
with a directional beholding and a hastening of gaze upon 
a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. Hark the herald 
angels sing, glory to the newborn King. Glory to God in the highest 
is a word of praise rendered to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
Peculiarly in this occasion, this glory to God in the highest 
is spoken with respect to this babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 
lying in a manger. God in a feed trough. The height 
of condescension, to use an oxymoronic phrase, the height of condescension. 
This salvation is divine. He is Christ the Lord. In the 
Old Covenant, the language our God uses is glorious. I, even I, am the Lord, who blotteth 
out thine own transgressions for my name's sake. This Lord 
does it Himself through the sending of the Son of God who takes upon 
Him our nature for our redemption and for our recovery. Brethren, 
hopefully you never think that the repeating of creedal language, 
Jim and I, Mike, often use that language. He took upon Himself 
our nature with all the essential properties and common infirmities 
thereof. Here we go again. The reiteration and repeating 
of this rote, creedal language, that's glorious language, rich 
with our salvation. That He took upon Himself man's 
nature? Our nature, we don't have a salvation, 
we don't have a Savior who is just a specter and a phantom. 
We have one that took upon Him our nature, save for sin. He 
went about the earth doing good as a man. He went about the earth 
perfecting law. He went about the earth in obedience 
to the law in every jot and tittle, in every step of the way, in 
the place of all who believe in His name as a man. Truly God 
and truly man, yet one Christ. He died upon Calvary's cross 
as a man. Truly God and truly man, one 
Christ, but nevertheless, His death was one as the God-man. He died upon Calvary's cross 
as one who was born to us, as one who was man, giving His life 
for guilty sinners. And this one is Lord. This One 
is glorious. This One is divine. This One 
is the Savior. This One is the King. This One 
in a feed trough is our Creator, our Upholder, our Redeemer. We 
said a couple Sundays ago that the preacher has a hard task 
because he can never exhaust the variegated, many-sided glory 
of a triune God and of a blessed Savior. You see, that's what 
we have in our Bible. That's why, you know, the eternity 
we enter into Emmanuel's land on that great day and we sing 
praises forever, even then we will not be able to exhaust the 
variegated glory, Jesus Christ, the variegated glory of God's 
gospel, the many-sided gem that is our triune God. This salvation 
is divine. Lastly, it is an announcement 
concerning the greatest condescension. Notice in verse 12, and this 
will be the sign to you, you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling 
cloths, lying in a manger. you know, hopefully we haven't 
read that so many times and hopefully we haven't heard this preached 
so many times that it gets old. If I were to preach to you every 
Sunday, Luke 2, you should probably pull me aside and say, you know, 
it's the whole counsel of God thing. You know, there's 66 books, 
Old and New Testaments. But brethren, as often as we 
do come back to Luke 2, hopefully it cheers your heart. It's a 
blessed repetition to have our Christian minds reminded of that 
occasion where the darkness was cast away, where the light came. where this Jesus came into this 
world, sinners to save. What a condescension that we 
have here. Have you ever reflected and moved your hearts and minds 
from the pre-incarnate reality to this incarnate reality? Have you ever contemplated Isaiah 
6? John tells us that that is a 
scene respecting this Jesus. whom He was proclaiming in His 
Gospel. Isaiah 6, in the year that King 
Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up. The train of His 
robe filled the temple. Remember that some people think 
that to mean that He wasn't there in the temple with His robe filling 
in this vision. but that it was just the hem 
of His robe filling the temple, because He's so majestic, because 
He's so glorious, that only in this vision, in this condescension, 
revealing Himself to Isaiah, and by virtue of that to us, 
He's so glorious that only a hem of His robe can fill the temple. 
The angels are flying, covering their eyes for the glory and 
the majesty of this one, this glorious Jesus, this God, this 
Christ, this Savior. If you moved from that scene 
where the angels are crying out, holy, holy, holy, and then your 
heart lands, your mind lands upon this place, babe wrapped 
in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger, See, our hearts are 
to melt in thankfulness. Our hearts are to melt in graciousness 
extended to this God who would come from such a height to such 
a lowliness. A babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 
limbs rigid, wrapped in these cloths used to form baby's growth 
properly. It's probably rubbed in salt 
if we read Ezekiel 16 with regards to the proper, the cultural pattern 
here of rubbing a baby in salt and wrapping him in swaddling 
bands. Our God takes upon himself our 
nature. The Son of God takes upon himself 
our nature. He comes from the praise of angels 
to this, We've got four minutes left and we haven't even opened 
the book on the condescension of this Jesus, beauty of this 
Savior, the glory of this Lord. Every Sunday that we'll come 
back together until Christ comes again, we'll never be able to 
look at the multi-sided gem that is this gospel. It's an announcement 
concerning the greatest condescension coming from such a pinnacle of 
glory to our lower ignominy, to use the language of Calvin. 
What a thing. What a wonder. What a thing that 
we ought to behold. Lo, behold, see, hasten your 
gaze upon this Jesus, this glorious Christ. Well, let's close with 
the angelic song by simply noting, look what the angels do. Look 
what the announcing angel does, and look what the rest of the 
heavenly host do. They sing, verse 14, or they 
say, the text doesn't say sing. I think we all, as Christians, 
you know, familiar with hymns and hymns like Hark the Herald 
Angels Sing, we go, oh, they're singing the, as Spurgeon says, 
the first Christmas hymn, the first hymn of the incarnation. 
It doesn't actually say that the angels sing. We take a little 
bit of poetic license and liberty to say it's the angel's song, 
but you can do it with propriety. Notice what the angel and the 
heavenly host say here, glory to God in the highest and on 
earth peace, goodwill toward men. You know that language that 
we spoke about only briefly from Micah 5, 2, where the promise 
is concerning this coming one whose goings forth are from old, 
from everlasting, who would be born in Bethlehem? A couple verses 
later it says, he himself is your peace, for he will be peace 
to you. He brings peace, not a nationalistic peace, though 
that's good, not a civil peace, though that's good, not family 
peace, though that's good. You could go on and on, but peace 
between God and men. Justification, salvation. bringing us from out of that 
miry pit, the deadness and darkness of sin, to life and light in 
this Christ, in this Lord, and in this Savior. That's the piece 
for which the angels are singing, saying, proclaiming this glorious 
phrase, glory to God in the highest. I love what Spurgeon says here. 
The angels were no Arminians. They sang, glory to God in the 
highest. They suffered no message that 
placed a measure or a speck or a portion of glory in the side 
of man. That glory is to God for sending 
this Christ, this Christ who comes down in sovereign and victorious 
grace to rip us from out of that miry pit of sin and condemnation. Glory to God in the highest. 
If you're here this morning, Brethren, behold this Christ. Preacher fails to, again, to 
spin that gem enough to point out the variegated glories. If you're to hold a big diamond 
with all of its edges, you're to look at the various sides 
of this glorious gem that is our Jesus, the preacher fails 
to adequately spin that and to show it enough for any of you. 
But God has revealed in His Word this Christ. He's revealed Himself 
in His revelation to the sons of men. Grab that Word and behold 
your Christ. Bald and semi-bearded preachers 
might fail to proclaim rightly the glory of this Jesus, but 
grab your Word daily. Open up and read concerning this 
God. Concerning His Jesus. In glory 
and so great a salvation. Let your fears be vanquished 
and dispelled and let the light of this Christ come in. Vanquish 
those fears. Believe on Jesus Christ and you 
will have everlasting life. If you're here this morning and 
you're outside of Jesus, know that there's no better thing 
to behold. And know that there's no better thing to rejoice in 
than this Jesus. Than this Christ. takes our sins 
away. Those who believe in Him have 
everlasting life. Their sin's taken away. You can 
reflect with morbidity or with mortality, with great sadness 
and sorrow upon a life and a career of breaking the law of God. There 
is no recovery for you in your own power and in your own strength, 
but there is One who has recovered the sons of men, His people, 
from their sins. It was this babe wrapped in swaddling 
cloths, lying in a manger, who grew. who went about the earth 
only ever doing good, and all that in obedience to His Father's 
command, dying upon Calvary's cross so that all who believe 
in Him might have everlasting life." We'll repeat that, a preacher 
will repeat that 1,692 times every seven years until God takes 
him home. It's always true. It's always 
glorious. It's always the message of the 
gospel that he lived, that he died, that he rose again so that 
all who look to him in faith will have everlasting life. Behold 
your Christ. Rejoice in him. Sinner, hasten 
your gaze to this one. Give him laud and find in him 
your only Savior. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, 
we thank you for your word. We thank you for this account 
of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord. We pray, Lord God, 
that we would sing in one accord with these angels, glory to God 
in the highest and peace on earth, goodwill toward men. And we rejoice 
in our Savior. We sing the praises of so great 
a Christ. We pray, Lord God, that you would 
receive honor, that you would receive praise, that the lips 
of your people would hallow your name, not only here but around 
the world. Lord God, that you would equip us with that wherewithal 
to be joyful, to rejoice in Jesus Christ, to daily sing his praises, 
to behold our Savior, and to sing the praises of Father, Son, 
and Spirit. Go with us now. Help us to enjoy 
this upcoming week. Bring us all back again on the 
next Lord's Day, that we might sing again your praises and worship 
our blessed God. We pray in the name of Jesus 
Christ, the Lord. Amen.