The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken unto them.
5 sermons cite this verse
… I realize I don't think about that enough. In the Gospel today, it says that Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. And I realize I go from thing to thing to thing, and it's rare, it's really rare, that I take the opportunity to reflect on what God is doing in my life. And the reason is because I was reflecting on that, and I was like, well, because there's not enough time. You've got to keep going to the next thing. There's not enough room. Like there's not enough room in my brain to reflect on stuff. There's not enough room in my heart. There's not enough room in my life to reflect on things. And I realized that if I don't make room, it's kind of like here we are in the Christmas season. If I don't make room, it's like Jesus, Mary and Joseph looking for a room in the inn and there's no room. It's like God himself knocking on the door of my heart and saying, can I come in? …
… the just humbleness of it. And then the angel of the Lord goes out to find somebody. You know, the messenger says, somebody's gotta come see this. The Messiah, the Lord has been born and he goes out and he finds the night shift shepherds. Remember the shepherds were the lowest rung in society among Jewish people in the first century, and the knights of shepherds were the lowest of the low. And the messenger says, behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all people, not just some, but for all people. For unto you this day in the city of David is born a savior who is Christ the Lord. Savior was a term that was used both of God and of kings and warriors. It meant deliverer, rescuer. And the emperor took on that title himself. He was the savior of the world, he thought, when the Romans said. And then there's the title Christ. Christ is the Greek version of the Hebrew Messiah, which means anointed one, one in a sort of shorthand usually for king. …
… It's amazing. Behold, I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. All the people. For unto you this day in the city of David is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign to you, he says. you'll find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. In a manger? Our Savior, the Christ, the Lord? By the way, those three titles are really important. Savior is a term that's used of God and also of other earthly kings and warriors. It means deliverer, rescuer. The Emperor Augustus, who ordered the census, he took on the title of Savior of the world. And Christ is a word, it's not Jesus' last name. It means in Hebrew, Messiah is the, Mashiach is the Hebrew, means anointed one. It typically was shorthand for king. So he is the savior, he is the king. And then he's the Lord. And the Lord is the highest authority in a given realm. …
… And how did they respond? Luke 2.20 says, And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. The shepherds didn't go back to their sheep like nothing happened. Nope. they couldn't stop praising God. Advent is a time to do what they did. Look back at Jesus being born, look forward to him coming again, and right now, worship him for all he's done. What about you? You may not see like angels in the sky, but you've still heard the good news. So how can you respond this Advent season? Thank him, sing to him, tell someone Jesus came, or you could just whisper, thank you, Jesus, because that's worship too. Praise God. Praise God for the chance that we have as a ministry to take the gospel and to bring it out to the real VIPs, the ones who need it, the little ones in his name who have angels with VIP seats in heaven. So we're pretty excited about that. And we're going to keep in our hearts that Jesus said, whatever you do to a little one, you've done to me. …
… But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. During this series of A Few Good Men, I've not used any subtitles for the sermons, but today I want to, as the Spirit will give guidance, as we examine and walk with these shepherds, today I want to talk to you about the dangers of darkness. The dangers of darkness. Let me begin with a moment of transparency and vulnerability and share with you that I am battling a mild form of depression during this holiday season. I know that the holidays are supposed to be filled with joy and love and laughter and thanksgiving. But if I can be honest with you for just a moment, this year has taken such an emotional toll on my life that I come to this holiday season not with great joy, not with excitement, not even with enthusiasm and thanksgiving. …