Most of us enjoy pleasant surprises because they usually bring us joy. In this day and age we are definitely in need of good news and reasons for joy that are not temporary or short lived.
“Real joy”
is more than a moment, more than our circumstances. Real joy is much deeper- it is a state of mind and an orientation of the heart, a settled state of contentment, confidence, and hope.
Joy rises from a confident assurance of God’s goodness both now and in the future and knowing that (no matter what) He is in control of all the details of my life.
“When you have this kind of joy, you have inner peace and strength to carry on even in the face of difficulties.”
The greatest joy we could ever experience is found in knowing the person behind the Christmas celebration. The origin of Christmas is based on an actual event - the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Savior of the world.
As we read about the first Christmas, Luke assures the reader that the description of these specific people, places and never-changing promises give us powerful reasons for hope and lasting joy even in the midst of our ever-changing world.
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock at night.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:8-14 NASB)
In the Gospel of Luke, we find:
Actual people
Authentic places and events (and the fulfilment of)
Absolute promises
Actual People
As we see throughout the Old Testament, God seemed to pick the most insignificant people, like Moses and David, unlikely to succeed people, from the least of the tribes, and obscure towns. And He would ask them to speak on His behalf to do the impossible.
In the same way in the New Testament, Luke records how the angel Gabriel appeared to old Zachariah while he was serving in the temple. The angel surprised Zachariah with the news that his wife Elizabeth, who was barren and old, past child-bearing age, was going to give birth to John the Baptist.
Then, Luke records how the angel Gabriel suddenly appears to Mary, surprising her with news for her and her husband Joseph.
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end (Luke 1:31-33 NASB).
Gabriel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Mary was surprised, confused and disturbed, trying to figure out what the angel was saying, but at the same time she had great joy when she was told that she was going to give birth to the Savior not only because of her station in life but because this promise was humanly impossible.
These promises were made to Mary and Joseph but it was only after Jesus was born to this unlikely couple, in the most unlikely place, that the angel of the Lord appears again to make the greatest announcement of all time to the most unlikely people in the most unlikely place - to some shepherds in a nearby field (Luke 2:8-11).
The good news of the Savior’s birth first came to common shepherds who were just watching over their flocks at night and were referred to as the lowest people at that particular time.
Authentic places and events
In this historical context Luke records the edict given by Caesar Augustus calling for a census of the people. Joseph and Mary who had to go from Nazareth to Bethlehem for this census which fulfilled the prophecy in Micah 5:2.
"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah; From you One shall come forth for Me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel, His goings forth (appearances) are from long ago, From ancient days." (Micah 5:2, AMP)
Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem (4-3 BC) in the stable.
Jesus was born as the actual Son of God, the eternal Creator of the universe, the only Savior of the world who took on flesh and blood like one of us in order to bring genuine peace with God!
The Greek brings out how the angel of the Lord simultaneously appeared alongside the shepherds and that the glory of the Lord is flashing and shining around them which means the angel is allowed to be seen as he really is - as one standing in the very presence of the Lord. When the shepherds saw God’s glory they were shocked and totally afraid.
Whenever there was a divine manifestation like this in the Bible, those who experienced it became acutely aware of their own sinfulness, frailty and mortality and were probably expecting divine judgment.
But the angel replied, “Don’t be afraid” - my coming to you has no grounds for fear - I have not come to bring news of doom or judgment, I have come with a message of “good news of great joy.”
After this the shepherds went straight to Bethlehem to see Jesus and to tell Mary, Joseph and others around them what God had made known to them. All who heard what the shepherds told them were astounded, greatly surprised. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for what they had seen and heard and they had great joy.
No matter who you are, where you come from or from which strata of life - the good news that you have been waiting for has been fulfilled this very day through the birth of Christ.
“This first advent of Christ was the greatest event in history. ”
Absolute Promises
On the day of Jesus' birth, He fulfilled at least 10 prophetic promises God made to Israel concerning the coming Savior dating as far back as 1800 BC. Jesus would:
come from the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David and the tribe of Judah (Genesis 12:3; Genesis 21:12; Numbers 24:17; 2 Samuel 7:12-13; Genesis 49:10)
be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14)
born in Bethlehem, city of David (Micah 5:2)
be preceded by a forerunner, John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:3-5)
be the Savior of the world (Isaiah 9:7)
The birth of the Savior is good news of great joy for all people because a Savior is exactly what we all need.
If you had the means to pay what you owe to God for your sins, you would not need a Savior. If you were able to live a perfect life, in line with God’s standard of holiness and perfection, you might say: “I don’t need a Savior, I can make it in this life and get to heaven based on my own merits.”
But the truth is that none of us is perfect, we all were born in sin and have sinned against God, no one is good enough to save him/herself, we do not have that power to change ourselves.
The good news is because God fulfilled these promises through the person of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, anyone who places his/her trust in Him for his/her salvation can have peace with a perfect and Holy God once and for all. It is because of this promise you can be assured of your place in heaven when your life on earth is over.
One day Jesus will return to His own in the second advent, when we least expect it and set all things right. Those who continue to follow Christ, live for Him and anticipate His second coming, have this confident hope, which is our source of deep abiding joy.
