Go Tell it on the Mountan
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Intro
Intro
The story of Jesus is known as the Gospel. But what does that word mean? Where does it come from?
Our english word Gospel is a translation of the Greek word Evangelion - which in greek means “Good News”.
That same greek word Evangelion is where we get our english word Evangelism - Which means “to Tell”.
Evengelism is to Evengalise the Evangelion.
To tell people about the good news.
And This is where our christmas message begins today.
The Shepherds.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
This is sucxh a loved part of the Christmas story. I see myself in these shepherds.
Shepherds were seen as lowerclass citazins, their dealings with various animals and dead calfs and such often made them ceremonially unclean and their extened times in the fields meant that they could not attend regular temple feasts.
In other words, trhey were unworthy of the announcment of the angels, and i am totally unworshy of the good news of Jesus Christ as well. When i think trhat God allowed the good news of His love to ever reach a sinners ears like mine, i often think of the Psalm:
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
But God in His wisdom and grace came to the shepherds with the good news that the Messiah has been born in Bethleham, and so they make haste and go see. And there they find, as the angels had said, the child in the manger.
I believe that this is the experience of everyone who had heard the good news.
We, like the SAhepherds, must ourselves first be toild about it.
The sheopherds did not go looking for the baby on their own. And no one goes looking for Jesus on their own.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
How does the father draw us to Jesus? Well how did the Father draw the shephrds to Jesus? By telling them about Him.
But notice, there is and there must be a response from the shepherds. Once they had heard about Jesus they said:
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
In other words: They believed the Word of the Angels by faith.
Not everyone who hears the good news will respod in faith to it.
Jesus himself told us the parable about the sower and the seed, telling us that the ultyimate fate of the seed, it not up to the seed or the sower, but upon the soil of the heart where it lands.
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
So importatnt!!!!
The sower and the seed are constant - NEVER changing!
The great fult of the modern church is that they have changed the seed and the sower, they watered the message and modernised the pastor - to try and appeal to more sypes of soil.
But it should NEVER be so! - Obnly the soil of a meek heart will ever recieve the good news.
So everyone here today had been told about Jesus. Can you remember who told you?
But anyways, Everyone here had been toild aboout Jesus, and in responce to that message they were told, you excersised faith in the good news and, like the shepherds, went to see and experience it for yourselves.
Amnd you did that by prayer and repentence and faith in Jesus.
You called out to him and lo, he answered.
3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
And Amen!
But, and yes there is a but. The Stoiry of the shepherds is not over yet. And that means that your part in the story is not over yet.
Having heard the angels,m having come to see, having found Jesus - what did the shepherds do next?
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
The Sghepherds began Evengalising the Evangelion. They told EVERYONE they met about what they had seen and experienced.
And that, sadley, is where the church today is in grave and terrible error.
The reality is that chances are you dont tell anyone about the good news of Jesus Christ. - Im not saying all of you, but most of you.
Pew polls suggest that less that 10% of Christians activly share their faith, less than 10%!!!!
Why?
1: Embarrist about Jesus?
Shy or whatever made fool of - jesus was styrtipped naked for you....
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
2: failure - but as we have already seen, the results of the harvet are not on the sower or even the seed.
3: Not sure of what to say.
Lookn at the shepherds. - they told what they had seen. thats all you need rto do.
just tell people about what Jesus has done for you, what you have seen him do for you.
25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.