Introducing the Savior (Luke 2:8-14)

Here is last Sunday’s message, from our advent series, “Introducing Jesus.” You can download the audio here.

I have a cousin who lives just steps from the beach. It’s in sunny, southern California where the weather’s grand - nearly every day of the year. I can imagine living out there, next door to the celebrities, a short walk to the ocean. And some of you fly out to visit. You’ve barely put down your bags, and you’re itching to put your feet in the sand, to step out into the surf. You look at me and say, “This is so awesome! I can’t believe you get to live here.” And I say, “Yeah, it’s pretty great.” But where I live has become so familiar. And it no longer causes excitement. So I secretly can’t wait for your trip to be over. Because, I have this series on Netflix I really want to finish.

Isn’t this how we tend to approach this passage in Luke? The shepherds in the field. The baby in the manger. Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah. Angels are singing. Etc., etc. Heard it before. Been there. Sung that. Peace on earth and all that stuff. I’m afraid these verses have lost their shock and awe. At least for most of us. We’ve taken them for granted. They’ve grown stale in our hearts. When the Lord wants us to be awestruck by them.

We’ve entitled this series “Introducing Jesus,” and each week, we’re taking one of the four gospels. And we’re looking at how Christ is introduced in that book. Here an announcement, of the birth of our King, is made to these shepherds. And the Lord, I believe, wants us to hear it, be surprised by it, and be moved to joy by it.   

Surprising, And Exhilarating

Now again, this passage has grown pretty familiar to most of us. But we see an announcement that’s made - from this angel. And if we look at it carefully, there is something really surprising about it. At least two things, actually. And if we come to grips with them, they’re truly exhilarating.

The Surprising Hearers

The first surprising thing we see are the hearers of the announcement. Now I know the question you’re all asking, every time you sit down and watch the Chiefs. Is Taylor there watching - or not? The most important thing to know, right? Now you can be sure you’ll find out. There’s very little doubt about that. But imagine the first time she walks into Arrowhead. There’s a homeless man there, lying by the gate. She greets him, asks his name, offers to go grab him some food. She then stops the security, the guys at the door. And she says, “Who makes up the janitorial crew here? I’ve just got to meet them first. I have some gifts to give them.” She doesn’t ask to meet Patrick and Brittany. Or Lamar Hunt, the owner. Who does that kind of thing? Pretty much nobody, right? It would be so surprising.

But here in Luke 2, who first hears this big announcement? Who are among the first people introduced to Jesus? The shepherds. Says verses 8 and 9. Now our minds tend to fly right past these words. Or they go to little boys dressed in cute costumes in Christmas plays. But this was actually quite surprising. Because shepherds were some of the last people expected to get in on news like this. They weren’t just manual laborers, the average joes. They would have been looked down upon, despised.

That’s because no doubt were they physically dirty. But they were also considered religiously unclean. Because of the nature of their work, they didn’t get to the temple enough. And they didn’t do all the things good Israelites did. The fact that angels come to them - and sing over them this news - is shocking. It should surprise us.

God doesn’t send them to the rich, to the famous, to the powerful - as most of us would expect. It’s the last, the least - that get this introduction. And this fits right with what we’ve seen through our long walk through Matthew. He comes for the humble, and poor.

And this is a particular theme you see in the gospel of Luke. Jesus comes for those in the margins. And this is the mission of our God. He draws near to the humble. And even here right at the beginning. Those most people ignored, and passed right on by, He came to first. And that’s still very much the case still today.

What does this mean? We don’t have to measure up for His love. We just have to open up to it. Just come as we are. And fall down on our knees. Let’s be surprised again by the hearers of this announcement.

The Surprising Hero

The second surprising thing we see is the hero that’s announced. The curtain gets pulled back, and who crawls out onto the stage? What? Seriously? A little baby. An angel shows up - to those shepherds - and a bunch more heavenly hosts join them - proclaiming big news and singing praise to God. Why? A baby is introduced. As the long awaited King.

In humble circumstances - in a stable, in a manger - verse 12 tells us. To humble parents - who later in chapter 2 bring the cheapest offering to the temple. A humble boy is born. An infant - tiny and vulnerable - this is the “sign for” those shepherds. The one they’re invited to go see. No, it wasn’t what people were expecting.

They looked for a conquering king, riding on a white horse, coming to take out their enemies. But the Lord had other plans. Maybe you’ve heard Philippians chapter 2, where Paul talks about the coming of Christ. He says Jesus,

Philippians 2:6 …though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

The Lord set His glory aside, stepped down from heaven, and poured Himself out. By becoming a servant. By being born as a baby like us. Jesus became a man. He took on flesh. This is what we call the incarnation of God - the preexistent second person of the Trinity putting on skin and bones. He was burped on his mother’s shoulder. And had his dirty diaper changed. That this is our hero - it’s meant to surprise us. And also remind us that it’s the weak and the needy that are actually the strong. We don’t have to some how climb stairs up to heaven. He came down to us. We just need to make room in our hearts. And receive Him with joy.

Speaking of stairs, maybe you saw this on social media over the past week, but last weekend, Kentucky basketball held on for a big win over Gonzaga in Seattle. Near the end of the first half, a Gonzaga player was lining up to shoot free throws, and far in the background, the camera captured something that people noticed and shared. Sitting high on the arena steps, chilling out, looking very content, was this little baby, all by himself. And many speculated and joked. What was that infant doing there? “He’s going to get a beer,” some said. “Babysitting is expensive today,” others quipped. “People were obstructing his view.” “Too nervous to sit with his family, I guess.”

Here in our passage today, with everything going on in that day - the Roman Empire expanding, and the Jewish people struggling. Far from the foreground is a tiny baby. Born in a manger. To humble parents. But in actuality, he’s the most important figure in the frame. Soon everyone would be talking about Him. And that’s because He’s the Savior of the world.

That’s where we’ll turn next. But I want you to think first of what these two surprising details teach us. Of the upside-down nature of the kingdom of God. Right? The world’s power and wisdom get turned on their heads. Pride and wealth have no category for Christmas. The hearers in that field. The hero in that manger. It’s meant to be shocking. And humbling, for sure.

The Exhilarating News

But here, in this passage, is also some exhilarating news. What this baby comes to bring. Listen to verses 10 and 11 again.

Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Verse 11 sounds an awful lot like Isaiah 9, which we often read at Christmas and hear in Handel’s Messiah. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.” And Isaiah goes on to describe the character and reign of the promised King. But here in Luke, the gospel writer calls this baby the “Savior.” And in each of our sermons here in Advent, we’ve been focusing on one title of Jesus. Bobby took “Immanuel.” Aaron looked at “King.” We’ll dig a bit into this Savior title here today.

Let’s think first of the meaning of Savior. There was a rich Jewish background to that word, for sure. Their minds would have gone to the judges who rescued the Lord’s people. Perhaps to Israel’s kings who ruled over them for God. Maybe Joshua, who conquered their enemies and brought them into the land. Or even Moses, who led them out of Egypt and through the parted sea. A savior is one who delivers. One who rescues. Who provides and preserves. Who heals and brings to safety.

Most often, of course, this title points to God himself. And the book of Isaiah uses it in a way that brings so much comfort. Listen to chapter 43.

Isaiah 43:1 But now thus says the LORD,

    he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:3 For I am the LORD your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I give Egypt as your ransom,

Cush and Seba in exchange for you.    

Now this was also a term used in the Roman context of that day. Emperors like Caesar Augustus referred to himself as the “savior of the world.” They even praised the Caesar as the son of God and spoke of him as Lord. This was the type of thing that was announced, proclaimed, in that day, in that empire. “Caesar saves.”

It’s in this context that the angels appear before those shepherds and cry out, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” He is God - the One spoken of in Isaiah - and the one called “Lord” here in this passage. And He is Savior. The One that the judges, the kings, Joshua and Moses, all pointed to. The One who will rescue, who will deliver us. No earthly rulers or celebrities then - and certainly now - could stand before Him, this baby King.

Speaking of Joshua, did you know that’s what Jesus’s name means? It was a common name that day. It means “Yahweh saves.” It’s no coincidence that an angel said this to Joseph, through a dream, as recorded in Matthew 1:21: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” This baby boy would be the Savior of the world.

Now that verse leads into a second important thing: the salvation He brings. He’ll deliver us from Satan. He’ll rescue us from death. But primarily, the focus is on being rescued from sin. I like these three categories I’ve seen before, but most recently in a book by John Mark Comer. Sin done by us. Sin done to us. And sin done around us. Things we do to others. Things others have done to us. As well, as all the nasty stuff that happens all around, through the citizens and by systems of this fallen, sinful world. The Lord came to deliver us from it all. Yes, what happens in our souls. The spiritual aspect. But also in our bodies. And all His creation. The material aspect, as well.

You might have also heard of it this way. That Jesus rescues us from the penalty, the power, and the presence of sin. The penalty. We don’t have to fear hell. The power. We no longer have to be enslaved. The presence. We won’t have to fight this forever. One day, we’ll be made like Him. This is the rescue this baby came to bring. Total salvation from sin. And not just deliverance from external sin, from fruit. But from what’s internal, the root. The nasty stuff we all feel inside our hearts. More on that in a bit.

Some time back, I was listening to an episode of “This American Life.” It spotlighted Mr. Chen, a man from Nanjing, China, who spends his days on this massive, four-mile bridge in this city, puttering back and forth on his moped. What’s he doing? At least one person a week throws himself off that bridge. And he’s scouring the crowds, looking for who might be next.

And he’ll talk them out of it. Or yank them down from the ledge. He’s there ten hours a day, trying to save lives. Karis, Jesus is our Savior. If we’re in Him, He’ll rescue us from danger. He’ll keep us safe. He won’t let us destroy ourselves. Or let the world take us down with it.

Now, I started by saying this is exhilarating. But for so many today, it’s not so much. In fact, it’s highly offensive. Our culture teaches us that we’re basically good. With enough education and opportunity, we can all be fine. Sin is an antiquated concept. It just robs us of freedom. If we talk about it at all, it’s just for really bad people. Or we think of it as annoying lists of dos and don’ts.

But in the Bible sin is something that springs from the heart. And it’s something that first and foremost has to do with God. We turn from worshipping Him. To exalt ourselves instead. And to turn His good gifts into god things themselves. We build our identity on things other than God. We break the 1st commandment - to worship Him only - and then all the other nastiness springs out as a result.

Sin starts as idolatry and then erupts into iniquity. Salvation isn’t some ticket to heaven. And it’s not something that’s meant to make us self-righteous. It’s Jesus restoring us, healing us, at a deep, deep level. In a way that changes how we live day by day. Hear these words from D.A. Carson:

“Some think of the gospel as so slender it does nothing more than get us into the kingdom. After that the real work of transformation begins. But a biblically-faithful understanding of the gospel shows that gospel to be rich, powerful, the wisdom of God and the power of God, all we need in Christ. It is the gospel that saves us, transforms us, conforms us to Christ, prepares us for the new heaven and the new earth, establishes our relations with fellow-believers, teaches us how to work and serve so as to bring glory to God, calls forth and edifies the church, and so forth. This gospel saves — and ’salvation’ means more than just ‘getting in,’ but transformed wholeness.” (D.A. Carson)

Deep down, if we’ll just listen to our hearts, we know something’s wrong. Not just with them, but with us. We do too many things that we don’t want to do. We’ve experienced so much hurt by those we thought we could trust. And we look around this world, and we quickly get depressed. We know sin is real. We know salvation is needed. I’ve been reminded of this over the last week - with my dog keeping me up at night. When I don’t get my sleep, the inner monster sure comes out.

And that salvation - it takes away our fear. It gives us abiding peace. Things we’re trying to get our idols to do. Both things addressed by these angels here. And that’s why this is “good news of great joy,” as that angel in verse 10 puts it. But before we get to the good, we have to own the bad. And then these shocking truths hit us as awesome.

Recently, I finished this really powerful book called the “Central Park Five.” Five young teenage boys back in the late 80s were manipulated into confessing against each other in the rape of a young jogger in the park. And they spent over 10 years in prison for a crime none of them committed. DNA evidence, though, later implicated another man, a serial rapist already in prison. And they were released from their cells. And given a large settlement. A lot could be said about how we treat the vulnerable, but can you imagine the joy and relief the day they came out from behind bars? That’s the kind of joy we should have as we ponder this salvation we’ve received - except we’re actually guilty, friends. And we’ve been forgiven. We’ve been freed. We have a Savior. Hear Carson again:

“If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.” (D.A. Carson)

Two Questions on Sin and Salvation

I want to wrap up by hitting on two critical questions on this topic. First, how does this salvation come about? The expectation in that day was for the coming of a king. Who would defeat all their enemies and set up His reign. This is prophesied all over the first part of Isaiah. But most had no categories for what had to come first.

In chapters 52 and 53, though, there is talk of a Servant, who would suffer and die, in place of His people. Listen to chapter 53 and verses 4 and 5.

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

This, of course, points to the cross of our Lord. How were sin and Satan and death defeated? On His cross. This is the rest of that passage in Philippians chapter two. Hear verse 8: “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Sin brings alienation with God. The cross makes atonement. At-one-ment. We can be one with Him again. And again, how shocking is all of this. Death to bring life. It again displays the upside-down nature of His kingdom.

Speaking of His kingdom, there was also this expectation in Israel of that king restoring their land. And this points way beyond a place over there in the middle east. To a new heavens and a new earth. One day, His kingdom will fully cover the earth. He’ll bring full and total salvation. The cross is the means. The kingdom is the goal of this salvation of Jesus.

Second, how is this salvation received? Earlier I read from Isaiah 43. In chapter 45, the Lord calls Himself Savior again. Look at verses 21 and 22.

Isaiah 45:21 Declare and present your case;

let them take counsel together!

Who told this long ago?

Who declared it of old?

Was it not I, the LORD?

And there is no other god besides me,

a righteous God and a Savior;

there is none besides me.

Isaiah 45:22  “Turn to me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth!

For I am God, and there is no other.

The Lord says, “I’m the only Savior. Turn and come to me.” But in chapter 46, He contrasts Himself with the idols of Babylon. The Lord mocks their idols. They load them on beasts of burden. They carry them on their shoulders. They just sit there. Can’t hear. Can’t answer. But hear the contrast with the God who is Savior. Verses 3 and 4.

Isaiah 46:3    “Listen to me, O house of Jacob,

all the remnant of the house of Israel,

who have been borne by me from before your birth,

carried from the womb;

Isaiah 46:4 even to your old age I am he,

and to gray hairs I will carry you.

I have made, and I will bear;

I will carry and will save.

The Lord says, “I’ve carried you from the beginning. I’ll carry you to the end.” And church, this is such a beautiful picture of the difference between Christianity and the religions of the world. In our faith, the Lord carries US. We don’t even try to carry Him!

We don’t earn our way through our works. We submit ourselves to the work He has done. And that’s the cross and resurrection. We humble ourselves like a baby. We receive what He’s done by faith. It’s by His grace, through faith, that we’re saved. We don’t need a little help. We need rescue. For Him to carry us.

Two Prayers to God Our Savior

I want to close by thinking about how to apply this together. Here are two prayers we can offer to God our Savior. First, let’s ask Him to help us recapture the shock of the Christmas story. That He would come as a baby - that He would come for the shepherds - that needs to surprise us again. And we need to reorient ourselves with His upside-down kingdom. We need to humble ourselves. We should go to the margins. Every day. But especially during this season. Loving those He loves. But we also have to remember that the shepherds are us. That we’re needy children, ourselves. Let’s ask our God to surprise us by it again.

Second, let’s ask Him to help us rekindle our awe over this Christmas story. This truth of His salvation of our sin - it’s good news. It’s meant to be exhilarating. We have to ask the Lord to restore us to that joy once again.

I have a challenge for you. It’s not hard. Go on Youtube today, search “Linus’s Christmas speech.” It’ll pull up the climactic clip from the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Where Linus tells Charlie “what Christmas is all about.” He recites this passage here. And it’s really moving. Go watch it. But Linus, of course, is known for his security blanket - that he carries around with him everywhere. As he gets to verse 10, and recites the words, “Fear not,” he drops his blanket. And I don’t think it’s coincidental.

Karis, because of what Jesus has done, we can find freedom. We can be one with our God again. We can relate to Him as our Father. We can let go of our fears. We can experience true peace. This is what this good news, this gospel of joy, offers to us. Let’s ask the Lord to make it fresh for us again.

Shake Us Again, Lord

I heard a pastor once talk about visiting a family. He sat down in their living room. They were having a conversation. Suddenly, the room began shaking. And a deafening noise scared him half to death. He turned to the homeowners, no doubt with fear in his eyes, and asked, “What, oh what, was that?” And they responded, “It’s a train. They come by several times a day. We don’t even notice it anymore.”

Brothers, sisters, friends, neighbors, the gospel is meant to shake us, move us, surprise us, startle us. And ultimately move us to joy. Karis, let’s ask God to do this in  us - that we’d be surprised and exhilarated again as we see our Savior. Just like these shepherds here. And let’s join the angels in worshipping Jesus. And announcing His coming to others.

Next week, Aaron will show us how we see Jesus introduced in John. And I’ll wrap everything up, on Christmas Eve, by actually going to the beginning of the Bible, and how we even see Jesus there. Let’s pray.