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Hey, church family, I am so excited for you this weekend. You are about to hear from one of our very own, Pastor Oneh Magakle. Born in Botswana, trained in South Africa. If you think I'm southern, he comes from all the way South. That's right, South Africa. Pastor Oneh and his wife Confidence and their two daughters moved here all the way from where they grew up, South Africa to join us on the mission of God before he came to Jackson. Pastor on a planted and pastored Rooted Fellowship, a thriving gospel centered church in Pretoria where I had the honor of preaching a couple of years ago. And he has faithfully shepherded and led those people to Jesus. Now here at 1122, he serves as our global equipping pastor, raising up and equipping the next generation of pastors and leaders and disciple makers to take the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ from our neighbors all the way to the nations. Our he is a dear brother, he is a dear friend of mine, and he is a very, very gifted Bible teacher. So lean in, be ready to take notes, open up your heart, smile big for what God wants to say to you today. So church of 1122, would you please stand to your feet and give a warm welcome to my dear friend and one of our new pastors, Pastor Oneh.
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Thank you, thank you, thank. Thank you. Thank you. Please, please be seated. Please, please, please be seated. Well, hello, 1122. How are you? Fantastic. Fantastic. Well, before we jump into the text, I want to give flowers where flowers are due. And so firstly, I just want to say thank you so much, Pastor Joby, the whole Martin family, thank you so, so much. There's so much that could be said. But let me say this. I want to thank you for your. Yes. That many, many years ago you said yes. Yes to Christ and then as a family, yes to the planting of this church. And you continue to say yes. And we have been blessed by that. And so I'm thankful for what God is doing in your life. And I don't take this man. This is no small thing to stand here and to preach God's word. So thank you for this opportunity. I just want to say thank you to the elders here at 11:22. The elders and the elders wives, thank you for your prayers. It is. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure it is. It is no small thing to move family over the Atlantic. And. And so I'm so thankful for the prayers that have been lifted up to God over these last few months. Really, they have carried us in some really challenging times. As we made our way here, but really, really thankful for you all. And then lastly, I want to say thank you to all the staff, to all of you. You guys have made it so easy to transition over here. We have been received well, and things are going really, really well. We're four months in, and we're figuring out our new normals. We're finding a rhythm. I was telling someone the other day that there are places that we go now that I don't have to put them in the gps. And so that's a good thing. I'm starting to feel like a resident of Jacksonville. Go Jags. Now, if you are new here today or haven't been in a while. We kicked off a sermon series last week. Pastor Britt did a phenomenal job launching us into it, and we're calling it Real Men of Christmas. And here's what we're doing. We're taking a look at a few men in the scriptures who had an encounter or were involved in some shape or form with the first coming of Jesus. And then we're asking and answering the question, what does that mean for us? Now, look, we're speaking to men, right? Real men of Christmas. But we know that this has massive and broad implications to the body of Christ. And so we're just going to continue in that this morning. Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to read a few verses. This is just to set the scene, to give some context. While I know that what we're going to be talking about, many of you are probably familiar with, but there may be some people in here who are like, I'm not 100% sure what's going on here. And so we'll read a few verses just to set the scene. And then I'm going to pray. I'm going to pray for you. I ask that you pray for me, that God would do a work that only he can do in this place. Amen. And so if you have a Bible, you can meet me in Luke chapter two. Luke chapter two is where we will be. And I'm going to read from verse one until verse seven. Hear these words of our Father. In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria, and all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth to Judea, the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of David. To be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. Let's pray. Father, we are so thankful for these words that though they may be old and ancient, they are not dead. They are very much alive. And so God, would you cause them to point us to you so that we might see you for who you are? Would you meet us where we are in this very moment? Jesus, I pray against the evil one whose desires are to steal, kill and destroy. But you come to give life, and so would you give it to the full. It's to that end that I ask that you stand in my body, think through my mind, speak through my vocal cords. Those things you'd have us know, say and do. May the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight. God, you are our king, you are our redeemer. Would you have your way in this place? In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Have you ever had a moment that changed everything? Maybe for some of you it was your wedding day. Maybe for others the first, your firstborn child, or your second, or your third or your fourth. I know you don't have favorites, but as a firstborn, I know. I don't want to get into it. I'm just saying, I know maybe for some of you it was your graduation day. Maybe it was the day you signed your first business deal. Maybe it was that long anticipated phone call that changed everything. While in our text today we're going to find a group of shepherds who have a moment. This moment leads them to encounter the glory of God. And it changes everything about everything. Look with me in verse 8, and it says this, and in the same region, they were shepherds out in the field. Now let me pause here for a moment and say a few things. You see, these shepherds were considered the lowest of low. They were not the creme de la creme of society. This was a rough bunch. They had callouses and scars and stories to tell. They would find themselves in dangerous situations, yes, because they were taking care of their livestock. But oftentimes it was because of their own immaturity and them just being mischievous. Shepherds weren't even allowed to give testimony in court because their word was not to be trusted. That's who we're talking about here. There were shepherds out in the field keeping Watch over their flock by night. If you're taking notes, this brings us to our first point of three, and that is they were keeping watch. Real men are alert. Real men are alert. They were keeping watch. This is like a God watching over a prisoner. These men were not sleeping on their job. They were alert. They were awake. See, keeping watch is one of the many marks of a real man. And if you've been tracking with us throughout this year, you would know that we've been calling men to stand firm and act like men. We've been doing that from the Scriptures. In fact, our anchor passage is First Corinthians 16, 13, 14. And while we've been using the middle part of that verse as our mantra, here's the whole thing. It says, be watchful. Stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Be watchful. The new living translation says, be on God. The Christian standard Bible says, be alert. And I know that many of you have. We've heard testimony after testimony of God's goodness. As many of you have leaned into this year, whether it was from the men's conference or the men's prayer gatherings, God has not only showed up, but he showed off. Amen. But I believe that we need to hear this in this season now more than ever. Why would you say that? Well, as we look to Christmas, many of us cannot wait to put our feet up and just relax for a moment. But that does not mean that we should take our eyes off the watch. The shepherds were alert in the fields at night because that is when danger comes. Wolves do not attack at noon. They attack in the darkness. Satan attacks when your guard is down. So stay alert. Be on guard. Be watchful. Be vigilant. Stay engaged. Keep leading. Well, because, friends, we have an enemy. We have an enemy. And he prowls like a lion, waiting for that opportunity to devour you. Oftentimes, he waits for the moment when you've been faithful, when you've been strong, when you've climbed the mountain. And then he leans in and whispers in your ear, take a break. You deserve it. No, we need to be on guard. Be alert. But on. Are you saying that I shouldn't take it easy in this season? The schools are going to be closed. I'm not going to have to go into the office. What are you saying? Should I just not relax? No, no, no, no. I'm saying that there's a difference between Satan offering you a break and rest that is found in the Lord. Oh, there's a massive difference. You see, he whispers to you, take a break. But it's not the break that you think. Yes, he wants you to take a break. He's trying to figure out what he's going to break first. Your spirit or your body. Oh, he wants to break you. Those tantalizing temptations that he whispers are only designed for your inevitable terror. Now, you might go on. You're being a little bit extreme, a little bit dramatic. No, not at all. Not at all. You might even go as far as to say, but my situation isn't that bad. I mean, it's just a little sin. While in element 22, there's no such thing as a little sin. Sin is sin. There is no such thing as just a little sin. In fact, saying that is like putting a piece of broccoli on your child's plate at dinner. It's like all of a sudden they become Sherlock Holmes. Oh, dear parent, I deduce that you have placed upon this plate a green vegetable that mimics the characteristics of. Of a tree. I mean, it could be the smallest piece of broccoli. Parents, you know what I'm talking about, right? And that's the only thing that they see. There's no such thing as just a little sin. In fact, there's no such thing as just sin. That flirtatious relationship at the office with the person, that is not your spouse. It's not just sin. No, sin's desire is to completely destroy your marriage and your family. It's not just taking a little bit off the top financially because no one will notice. No, sin's desire is to make you the kingpin of the biggest money laundering scheme in the country. Here's the thing about sin. Sin will take you further than you want to go. It'll make you stay longer than you want to stay, and it'll make you pay more than you can afford every single time. Unless we confess and repent. To confess, to say, woe is me. This is what I have done. And then to repent is to turn away from that sin. And then to turn to Christ. To confess and repent. It is so much easier. Hear me, 1122. It is so much easier to pluck out some weeds in confession and repentance than to come back the next day to a wilderness of snares and thorns. And it happens like this. Now, you might be there right now. You might be looking at your backyard and going, oh, my goodness, how did I get here? It doesn't mean that it's over for you, there is still confession and repentance that is made an offer to you. And we have some incredible leaders here who are able to walk with you and to journey with you. It's not over yet. But all I'm saying is that it's a lot simpler to pluck out some weeds. Sin is a real thing, and so we must be alert, especially in this season. This is not the time to lower your guard. Christmas is not a ceasefire. Satan doesn't walk into your living room, see all the decorations and go, oh, I'm sorry. You didn't realize it was Christmas. I'll be back next year. Work on your New Year's resolutions. That's not what's happening. No, he waits for the moment where you're not on guard. In fact, it's prime time for spiritual attack. So stay on God. Protect your integrity, stay in the word, stay in prayer. But the other thing I want us to notice before I move over to my second point is that these men are shepherds, which means that they are taking care of that which does not belong to them. They are hired men. The biblical word here is they are stewards. I bring this to the surface because all of us are stewards. Every single one of us are stewards. We own nothing. Now. You might go on air. I've got this piece of paper in my safe that tells me that I am the owner of this house. Okay? Bless your heart. And I've been here long enough to know what that means, and I'm using it with intent. Just wait for a recession. If 2020 taught us anything, it yelled at us that we don't own anything. I thought I owned my calendar and my schedule. Come 2020, God owns it all. He owns it all. He looks at all of it and he says, mine. And so what are we? We are just stewards of what belongs to Him. If you're a husband, then you're stewarding a wife, loving her as Christ loves the church. If you're a parent and you're stewarding souls, training children to know Jesus and to walk in their calling. If you're a pastor, then you're a steward of a flock, watching over the spiritual health of God's people. If you're a business leader, you're stewarding resources and people, leading with integrity for God's glory. If you're an employee, you're a steward in your work, representing Christ in your workplace. Your time belongs to God. Your body, your mind, your heart, all of it belongs to Him. Your life belongs to God. You are Just a steward. And here's the thing. You cannot lead what you are not watching. You cannot lead what you are not watching. You cannot steward what you ignore. Let me say one more thing here. How you steward says a lot about who you are, but it also says a lot about what you think about the person you are stewarding for. I want you to think about that for a moment. Because if I was to borrow your truck, you look like you own a truck. If you don't own one, you should get one. Finish the look, Someone might bless you here with a truck. You never know. But if I was to borrow your truck for a couple of days, and I love coffee, and so I buy coffee as often as I can, and so I just kind of leave the cups lying around and I enjoy a good pizza, and so I leave all the crumbs everywhere. I love a really good croissant. And a really good croissant, like when you bite into it, like, it flakes all over the place, right? Like if you buy a croissant and it doesn't do the flaky things, that's not a real croissant. I don't know what you're eating, but it's not a croissant. And imagine there's like all of those everywhere. And then maybe you have happened to run into me at the gas station and you look over into the truck and you're like, what on earth is going on here? It would be fair to say, well, one, I'm a horrible steward. But then two, I think very little of you. See many of us in here. We're going, no, I'm a good steward. I know that. It doesn't belong to me, it belongs to God. And then we just kind of look at your life and we go, really? Real men are alert and ready. They steward themselves first because even their own lives belong to God. Then they steward well, what God has entrusted to them. And you can say what you want about these shepherds, but they were on watch. Our second point today is that real men recognize who God is, their need for him. Real men recognize who God is and their need for him. Where did you get this from? Look with me. In verse nine, it says, and an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were filled with great fear. These tough shepherds were absolutely terrified. This wasn't just being merely startled. No, no, no. This was bone deep, paralyzing fear. The same kind of fear that Zechariah felt in the temple when the angel appeared to him in Luke, chapter one. Now, I must clarify here what kind of fear this is, because not all fear is the same. There is a natural human fear, the fear of circumstances, the fear of what might happen to you, the anxiety and the worry that the world produces. This is the fear the Bible says that we should not have. Matthew 6:25. Then there is the fear of the Lord, a holy fear, a reverent awe, the appropriate response when a sinful human being encounters a Holy God. Proverbs 9:10 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is the fear that comes from finally seeing God for who he is and realizing who you are in comparison. That's the kind of fear. The country that I was born in, Botswana, it's a beautiful country, absolutely beautiful. And it has no zoos. No zoos. In fact, many of you have encouraged me to take my family to the zoo. I probably won't, because I struggle to go there. Because for most of my life, I lived in a country where there were no zoos. Now, there were game parks and. And reserves. You know, there were. There were fences, yes, but they would just come to a random stop, as if someone just decided, no, why are we doing this? I mean, in. In Botswana, the. The only thing that separates us from the wild is not a fence, but common sense. And so when there's a sign that says, do not feed the animals, that is. That is not an infringement on your rights. That is to ensure that you are not the flavor of the weak. 11:22. If we're going to be friends, then you need to know this. As an African, I don't attend funerals where the cause of death was stupidity. Okay, but you do you. Okay, you do you. But this one time, I was on a safari. I was away with some men. It was a men's retreat. And. And so we're driving back to our accommodation. We'd gone on an afternoon drive. The sun is coming down. It's absolutely beautiful. And as we take a corner, the safari guide turns off the vehicle and then turns to us and says, look, over there in the corner, there is a pride of lion. And so we fix our gaze upon it, and there it is. It's a pride of lion. There's a few lionesses and. And maybe if I remember correctly, a few young males. But the one thing I for sure remember is that there was one male adult lion, and he was just lying there in all his glory, as they do. I mean, absolutely stunning. Brown, golden fur. His mane was just Burnt orange and dark brown. It was beautiful. And we're taking pictures, we're taking selfies. We know that this is going to blow up on Instagram. Then all of a sudden, the male adult lion. Let's call him Simba, seems appropriate. Simba gets up on all four. And then the environment in the truck completely changed. We went from this is fun to oh. And so I look at the safari guide looking for leadership and direction, and he's still going, feast your eyes on the king of the bush. I'm going, sir, I've feasted and I'm full. I'd like to go home. And then out of nowhere, he starts to, like, move his head around. Like, he's. You can see he's getting loose a little bit. And then he starts doing this gulping thing. I believe he was preparing to roar. Now, the safari guard is nervous. He now sits down and tells us, listen, everyone, just keep quiet. Don't move. I'm like, have you not noticed what we've been doing? And have you ever felt like someone is staring at you? You know that feeling when, like, you're just sitting there and you feel like someone is staring into your soul? Like, what is happening? Well, this wasn't a feeling. I looked at Simba, and he was staring directly at us. And it was in that moment that I got the gift of lion language. I began to interpret that he was saying, what are you doing here? Visiting hours ended four hours ago. And then I did what any normal human being would do. I counted how many there were of them. I counted how many of us were in the truck. We outnumbered them. I knew that I could not outrun a lion, but I can definitely outrun some people in this truck. And that was the day that I became the sole survivor of a safari gone bad. No, I joke. We waited until he took his attention off us, and then we left. But why are they so afraid? What's the point I'm trying to make here with Simba? It was very clear in that moment that we were not in charge, that we were not in control. Why are they so afraid? It's because they're encountering the glory of God. They are not in charge. They are not in control. You see, when we sinful human beings come face to face with the glory of God, the natural response is reverence. We become acutely aware of how small we are, how inadequate we are, how sinful we are. When the Creator enters the creation, we realize that he is holy. You and I are not. That he is eternal. That you and I are dust. That he is self sufficient and that you and I are empty handed. That he is perfectly righteous and you and I are morally compromised. That he is the king of glory and you and I are in desperate need of saving. That's what happens. The shepherds were afraid because they were standing before the perfect holiness. They knew that they did not measure up. And that holy fear is exactly what leads you to recognize your need for a savior. You cannot wad and rescue until you know that you're in danger. That's why many of you, week after week, you'll show up and you'll listen and you'll go, you know, this is a great message for my neighbour. This is such a good message for the person that sits next to me at the office. Because you don't realize that you are in danger. This is why Isaiah says in Isaiah 6, 5, when he encounters the Lord, he goes, woe is me, for I am lost. Other translations say, for I am ruined, for I am a man of unclean lips and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. You cannot seek a savior until you see that you need saving. Oh, how I hope that you would recognize that as you encounter the glory of God. And here's the crazy thing. The angel doesn't dismiss their fear. He doesn't say, you know what, just relax. Everything is going to be okay. There's no need to worry. No, instead of, he said something far more profound. Look with me in verse 10, he says, and the angel said to them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Good news of great joy that will be for all people. Good news of great joy for all people. Why is it good news of great joy? Well, because it addresses humanity's deepest problems with God's most generous solution. Look with me. Ephesians, chapter 2. Ephesians is one of my favorite books in the New Testament. Paul unpacks the gospel. He unpacks the gospel in such a beautiful way by starting with, hey, here's the problem, and then offers us the solution. He says in verse 1 of Ephesians 2, he says, and you were dead in your trespasses and sins. You were dead. Not on life support. Not that I was okay. I just needed a leg up. No, you were dead. Dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit. Now Working in the disobedient. We too, all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and were by nature children under wrath. And as the others were also. That's us. And then Paul writes, but God. Oh, but God. Friends, these are shouting words. But God. This isn't just a grammatical transition. This isn't just connecting clauses. Oh, how my English teacher would be so proud of me. It's more than that. This is a theological interruption. This is what I like to call a divine reversal. But God. But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ, even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace. Oh, but God. And I know many of you in here. You know exactly what that means. This divine reversal. You know exactly what that means. I was in depression. But God. I was lonely and isolated. But God. I was in bondage. But God. I had an addiction. But God. And let me mess with you a little bit here. Success. But God. Relationships. But God. Accolades and achievements. But God. You see, we're really, really, really good at taking good things and making them bad things because we place them in a position that only belongs to God. And again, many of us, we might go, no addiction, no bondage. I think I'm good. Oh, but you've wrapped your identity around all these good things that God has given you. You run to them for life and meaning and fulfillment. You need a but God moment. In fact, this. This is the shepherds but God moment. A savior has been born. Help has arrived. God's sovereignty interrupts our human trajectory. But God. And what I love about this is that this but God moment we're told here is not just for the shepherds. In fact, the scriptures unpack this over and over and over again. This but God moment is not just for them, but it's for all people. This is why we say here at 11:22 that we're a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. All people but God. But this good news keeps on going. Verse 11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ the Lord. Oh, I love that verse. You see, in many cultures and traditions, names and titles mean way more than just letters that have been put together. Let me give you an example. My name is One. Now, you might look at the screen and go, no, it says one. You're partially correct. In English it says one. But in my native Tongue. It's one which means God's will. I got my name from my father. His name was Tataya. 1, which means the strength or the might of God. My second name is Kah, which means to build. Stay with me. When I was born, they were going, we hoped that the strength of God, by the will of God, would build. Build what? Well, my last name is Mokatle. Yeah. The room generally gets really quiet at that point. You're trying to figure out how many clicks did I hear? Like, what is happening here? Don't worry, we've got time. I'm here for very long. We got time. We've got time. Mokatle. And so they were going, with the strength of God, by the will of God, build the Mokutle family as he is our firstborn child. Oh, I love it. We take it one more step. There are eight tribes in Botswana, the country of my origins, and one of those tribes is called the Bakatla tribe. Now, if you look at my last name and you look at the tribe name, there's some similarities there. Well, that's because people should know that I am of this tribe. And so would the strength of God, by the will of God, build not just this family here, but would it go on to bless the tribe? That's really cool, right? Well, it pales in comparison to the names and titles of Jesus. In fact, this is the only time in the Gospels where all three titles come together in one announcement. And each one matters. Savior. See, this is about our need. You and I need to be saved, that you and I are in trouble, that we cannot rescue ourselves. A savior doesn't just come and give good advice. A savior does for you what you cannot do for yourself. He rescues you from sin, from death, from judgment. He rescues you from yourself. Matthew 1:21 says he came to save his people from their sins. Not improve them, not inspire them, save them. Christ. This is about God's faithfulness. You see, Christ means messiah, the Anointed One. For thousands of years, Israel had been waiting for the promised deliverer. God made covenant after covenant after covenant. There was prophecy after prophecy after prophecy. And now the angel says he's here. Every promise is fulfilled in this baby. This isn't just a good man or a wise teacher. This is the Messiah. The perfect king, the perfect prophet, the perfect priest. And he is dripping in the anointing of God, the Father. Lord. This is about his identity. In the Greek Old Testament, this word Lord here is the same word used to translate Yahweh, which is the Personal name of God. See, when the angel calls Jesus Lord, he's not just saying sir or master. He's not just being polite. No, no, friends. He's saying this baby is God Himself. John 1:1 says in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, Saviour, Christ, lord. Acts chapter 4:12 says this, that salvation is found in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given to mankind which we must be saved. Not Muhammad, not Buddha, not the hallways of the prestigious academic institutions. There is no other name that saves. It's Jesus. And Jesus alone he rescues, he fulfills God's promises. He is God. This is the gospel. And the angels preached it to shepherds on a hillside 2000 years ago. Why? Why to them? Well, I believe God is telling us that rich theology belongs to ordinary people, that you and I can open up God's Word and by the power of the Spirit, begin to see what it is that God wants for us, what he says about himself. Rich theology belongs to ordinary people. He doesn't dumb it down. No, he presents the deepest doctrine in the clearest language. The angels were not complicated, but they were not shallow either. Verse 12. And this will be a sign for you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. This comes up a few times. We read it in verse seven, we read it here in verse 12. And then it comes up again in verse 16. Whenever you see something being repeated, alarm bells should be going, because that's important. Swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Well, I believe it's given to us a few times because it is both. It is both a marker and a message. It is both a marker and a message. What do you mean? Well, a marker, they were to go to Bethlehem. I'm assuming their plan was to knock on every single door and go, hey, was a baby born here? That is the quickest way to get security on you. Random guys just showing up at people's houses and going, was a baby born here? So you know what? I think one of them goes, I got a good idea. Let's go over to Bethlehem Hospital. Let's steal the birth register. I mean, come on, these are shepherds, right? Let's steal the birth register for today. We have the addresses. And then just go to every home and then knock on the door and go, we believe that unto this home a baby was born. Does he by any chance go by the name Lord, you know, also a little weird. And so in God's divine wisdom, he gives them kingdom GPS coordinates. He says, you will find this baby in swaddling cloth. But in a manger, you see, Swaddling cloth, very normal. Every mother would do that. We still do that today. But in a manger, that's a little strange. See, I believe we've sanitized the story with all our nativity plays and Hallmark movies. You see, a manger is a. Is a feeding trough for livestock. And so Mary has Jesus and goes, I don't know where to put him. And so looks to Joseph, and Joseph goes, I got a great idea. I'm going to look at this feeding trough. I'm going to clean it out. Or should I rather say attempt to clean it out? Right, ladies? You know, we can't clean for nothing. We just move things around and hope it Jedi mind tricks you enough to go, oh, it's clean. But y' all walk in two seconds, and you're like, what just happened here? But he attempts to clean it out. And then they place Jesus in the manger. That's the marker, but it's also a message. You see, if we were to put on our kingdom lenses, we will see the prophetic message that's been given to us. I mean, if you were going to send a savior into the world, how would you announce him? What sign would you give? Maybe a mighty warrior on a horse, A king sitting on a throne, an angel descending with a flaming sword by his side. No, no, no, no. God says, here's your son. A baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in an animal's feeding trough. This is not power by worldly standards, friends. This is not strength as culture perceives it. This is sacrificial humility. Sacrificial humility. You see, Luke bookends Jesus life with the same profound detail. Wrapped in cloth, laid down. You see, at birth, Mary wraps him and lays him in a manger. In Luke 23:53, we are told that when Jesus was brought down from the cross, his body is wrapped in fine linen and laid in a tomb. This is no accident. The manger was his first altar. Those swaddling cloths, burial wrappings. From day one, the shadow of the cross fell across the cradle. Jesus didn't just stumble into death. He was born aimed at it. He came to die. And the manger was just the beginning of the journey to the cross. Oh, he was. He was wrapped as a baby, as a gift to us. Merry Christmas. He was wrapped at his death and laid in a tomb as a sacrifice for us. This is what makes Friday good. But three days later, oh, three days later, he was unwrapped as a victor at the resurrection, defeating sin, death and Satan. They are given the end at the beginning. It is both a marker and a message. Sacrificial humility. See, for Jesus, it's not just him bowing low. It's him bleeding out. Jesus didn't just visit earth. He emptied himself to enter it. The manger was the first act of laying down his life. He would do it again 33 years later on the cross. This is the gospel. And when the angel had finished preaching the gospel to the shepherds, here's what happens. The angelic choir come with a closing hymn, verse 13. And suddenly there was an angel. A multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased. This isn't just information for us to file away, friends. No, this is an instruction on how to live. The angels were modeling the right response to hearing the gospel. What is the correct response? When we hear the gospel, we worship. We worship. When you truly understand that a savior has been born to rescue you, the only proper response is to glorify God. I mean, notice what they sing. They go, glory to God in the highest. That is all glory goes upward. All glory goes upward. All credit goes to him. And then they go on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased. This is not a world peace. It is peace with God. See, when you are right with God, everything changes. Many of us in here, we are not at peace. And you never will until you are at peace with God. Until you are right with God, you will always feel like life just hits the ceiling. And you're like, what? Why? Why? Why? Well, it's because you have no peace with God. And Jesus came to do that. So this is the right response. We worship. When you hear the gospel, is your response worship, or is it apathy? Though I've done this before, I know these songs. Real men worship. I'm talking about loud voice, raised hands, surrendered hearts. The angels could not contain themselves. A multitude of the heavenly host broke into song. And if heaven responds this way from hearing the gospel, how much more should we, the ones who actually need a savior? Oh, but the worship does not just stop with a song. True worship leads us somewhere. True worship leads us somewhere here. This group of shepherds, they're all looking at each other and they're going, man, we know what we've Just encountered. I mean, 10 fingers, 10 toes, all tingling because they know what needs to happen next. But yet no one says anything until the one who has the Apostle Peter like tendency. You know what I'm talking about? Speak first and deal with consequences later. He stands up and just like this, says, let us go over to Bethlehem. Cue music. No, that's. That's definitely not how it went. I read the scriptures in voices, and that's how I would read it. No, it says, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherd said to one another, let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger. You see, the angels worshiped in heaven. The shepherds worshiped with their feet. This brings us to our third and final point, and that is real men obey. Real men obey. There is no committee meetings, no debates. They heard from God and they moved immediately. Faith has feet, friends. It moves when God speaks. When you hear from God, you obey. And so the question is, when the Holy Spirit prompts you to say or do something, do you do it or do you just simply put it off? Delayed obedience is just dressed up disobedience. And I get it. I get it. Some of you are like, well, it's easier to say than do, because I know there are many commandments where you hear it. And you go, yep, I can do that. No problem. Right? Do not neglect the gathering of the saints. Okay, I can do that. I can wake up, get in my car, and show up to the gatherings. Love your neighbors. You love yourself. And you're like, well, I can kind of do this one, because for the most part, you pick your neighbors, love your enemies. Well, that one you go, excuse me. All of a sudden, now you're a theologian. What does it say in the Greek, Love your enemies. And so we go back. How do I navigate through this one? Well, I think of John chapter 2, where Jesus turns water to wine. Phenomenal miracle. He's first one. What happens is Jesus and his mom and disciples are at a party and they run out of wine. And so Jesus goes. Or Mary goes over to Jesus and says, hey, you need to fix this. He reluctantly says, yes. She takes him over to the servants and says, do whatever he says. And so Jesus then says to the servants, okay, I need you to fill those jars to the brim. So much could be said about those jars, but we don't have time. And so they do that. And Then he says, now go serve the master of the banquet. And so imagine you being the servant. You go, and I'm kind of hoping that you have, like, a secret cellar somewhere full of wine. No. He's like, go serve. So he does that. He draws water, walks over to the master of the banquet, who has his cup up and is like, well, let's keep the party going. And he's like. So he looks over to Mary, and Mary's got that look that all moms have when they tell you to do something. I told you to do what Jesus. I told you to do. You know what I mean? And so he looks over to Jesus, and Jesus has got that look that says, I got this. Because before the creation of everything, he already had all of this planned out. So he's looking. He's going, man, trust me, I got this. And so he looks over to the master of the banquet, and he's like, I'm tempted to probably say, listen here, man, let me tell you what happened. So, like, here's the situation. You know what? Blame Jesus. Drew Parker, available on all your favorite streaming. Putting it out there. Water to wine. And that's the thing. That's what Jesus wants. He wants you to say, hey, listen, Everything that I do, every step of obedience, every miracle that happens is because of him. Obedience. The distance between hearing and. And doing reveals the depth of your faith. Let me say that again. The distance between what you hear from God's word and what you do because of God's word will reveal the depth of your faith. Verse 17. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. I love this. I love that. These rough, outcast, uneducated shepherds became the first evangelists of the Christian message. They could not keep quiet about what they had seen. That these men who could not testify in court became the very first witnesses of the greatest event in human history and all that would unfold. God is not done with you yet. He is not done with you yet. An encounter demands announcement. An encounter demands an announcement. And who you encounter matters. I know many of you. You'll go, you know, what if I meet so and so, and I meet so and so. Put it up on social media for phone, everyone. I can't believe it. I just met this person. That's great. Whoever that is for you. Fantastic. Mine is Idris Elba. Yeah, Amen. But all of them pan in comparison to Jesus. You've had an Encounter with Jesus. So you renounce it to everyone. Let's wrap up here. Verse 19. We're told that Mary treasured these things, pondering them in her heart. I love that that's in there. It tells us that we don't have to have all the answers. We don't. We don't always have to have all the answers to hold on to what God has in store for us, what he's revealed to us. You might be in a calling and a transition in a particular season, and you're going. I have no idea what's happening here. You don't have to demand clarity from God. You just have to trust him. Maybe for some of you, your prayer today is this. God, help me to trust your heart where I don't see your hand. Why? Because he is good. He is faithful. He is just, he is merciful. He loves you more than you could ever imagine. And when you doubt that, you look to the empty tomb and the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. As it has been told to them. Real encounters with Jesus, they don't just change your Sunday, they change your Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. See, they went back to the same night shift, to the same sheep, to the same job. Many of us, we think, you know what my next big step is. That mission trip that's 16 hours away. And praise Jesus for the mission trips that we have. You should sign up for them. But also your mission field is where you live, work and play. Real men are alert. Real men recognize their need for God and real men obey. That is true not just for men, but for all of us, especially in this season. But what is the heart of all of this? What is the point of all of this? Well, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior who is Christ. The Lord Jesus did not come for people who had it all together. He came for the shepherds. He came for the broken people. He came for you and me. He came for the people who know and confess that they need help. The shepherds heard the good news, went to see Jesus, and they were never the same. They did not become perfect men overnight, but they became forgiven men. They became new men. They became men with hope. And today, in this moment, maybe God is breaking through your darkness just like he did with those shepherds. Maybe he's shining his light into your life, showing you that you need a savior. The same Jesus who was announced to the shepherds then is here today. He's not a baby in A manger anymore. No, he is the risen Lord and he's offering you the same thing. He offered them forgiveness, hope, a new beginning. He's offering them salvation. And so maybe you're here today and you've never truly given your life to Jesus. You've been trying to be good enough on your own accord, trying to earn God's approval, trying to be the man or woman you think you should be by some human made standard. But God. Oh, but God. He's not asking you to get your act together first. He's asking you to come to him just as you are, broken, scared, imperfect. And then let him rescue you from the depths of depravity that only lead to death. He's offering you life. The shepherds left where they were and they went to see Jesus today. Are you willing to leave your old way of living and surrender your life to Him? There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. And so if you're ready to receive Christ today, I'm going to pray for you. Let's do that right now. Eyes closed, heads bowed. If you know that you've never truly received Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You've heard the stories, you've sang the songs, but you know you've never truly surrendered, then I'm going to ask you to lift up your hand really, really high. Like really high. And then do the most courageous thing you could ever do. And that is to confess. To say, I need you, Jesus, save me. And he will because he loves to. And so, Father God, I pray for every single person who has their hand raised. Would this be their but God moment? Save them because you love to do so. You are rich in mercy. It's your kindness that leads us to repentance. And so we celebrate with all of them as they move from darkness to light, as they move from being an orphan to now being a child of the kingdom. And we give you all the glory and then send them out to love you and to follow you all the days of their lives. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. The gospel demands a response and that's what we're going to do. We're going to respond. And here at 1122, we respond in three ways. We bring, we sing, we pray, we bring our first and best. Why? Because God gave us his first and best in Jesus. And so all we are doing is just responding to that. And then we sing. We sing because we've had an encounter with the glory of God through His Word. And so we sing and we sing, and we make much of him. And then lastly, we pray. Maybe for some of you, that's what you need to do. You need to show up here at the altar and then confess and say, I need you, oh, Lord, I need you. And let him meet you where you are. And so let's respond.