AFTER THE ANGELS HAVE GONE (5 OF 5)
by Tony Thomas
Scripture: Luke 2:15-20
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After the Angels Have Gone (5 of 5)
Series: Christmas Angels
Tony Thomas
Luke 2:15-20
We've spent the last month talking about angels and the role they played in the first Christmas story. So far we've talked about Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds - and the angels who appeared unto them. A multitude of the heavenly host appeared to them on a Judean hillside and said, ''Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.''
When something extraordinary happens, you rehash every detail for days! Most of you remember where you were on 9-11, or when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, or when John F. Kennedy was assassinated ... or the last time Indiana beat Purdue in basketball!
These Judean shepherds had the experience of their lifetime! For some unknown reason God chose them to be the recipients of an angelic visit. This morning I want to focus - not on their emotional response - but on their actions after the angels left.
The real test of faith is not how you handle the emotional highs, but how you handle the ordinary, insignificant moments of life. Christmas is now over. You've decorated, and cooked, and wrapped, and given - but the emotions that were once high have settled down for the proverbial long winter's nap. The shepherds provide a positive example of how we ought to react when the angels have gone.
I. They Investigated the Evidence
Luke tells us (Luke 2):
15 When the angels left they said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.'
The shepherds weren't content to hear what happened. As soon as the angels left they decided to examine the angel's reports. That meant a sacrifice of sleep (appeared at night), and a risk of property (left their sheep).
But, Luke says they did not delay. ''They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger'' (vs. 16). The KJV says, ''They came with haste.'' That investigation confi ...
Series: Christmas Angels
Tony Thomas
Luke 2:15-20
We've spent the last month talking about angels and the role they played in the first Christmas story. So far we've talked about Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds - and the angels who appeared unto them. A multitude of the heavenly host appeared to them on a Judean hillside and said, ''Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.''
When something extraordinary happens, you rehash every detail for days! Most of you remember where you were on 9-11, or when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, or when John F. Kennedy was assassinated ... or the last time Indiana beat Purdue in basketball!
These Judean shepherds had the experience of their lifetime! For some unknown reason God chose them to be the recipients of an angelic visit. This morning I want to focus - not on their emotional response - but on their actions after the angels left.
The real test of faith is not how you handle the emotional highs, but how you handle the ordinary, insignificant moments of life. Christmas is now over. You've decorated, and cooked, and wrapped, and given - but the emotions that were once high have settled down for the proverbial long winter's nap. The shepherds provide a positive example of how we ought to react when the angels have gone.
I. They Investigated the Evidence
Luke tells us (Luke 2):
15 When the angels left they said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.'
The shepherds weren't content to hear what happened. As soon as the angels left they decided to examine the angel's reports. That meant a sacrifice of sleep (appeared at night), and a risk of property (left their sheep).
But, Luke says they did not delay. ''They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger'' (vs. 16). The KJV says, ''They came with haste.'' That investigation confi ...
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