HOW TO RESPOND TO JESUS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

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.

Luke 2:16-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Following the Christmas story always takes one on a journey through the holiday season.

It begins with the angel Gabriel telling the priest Zechariah that his wife would have a son despite her advanced age. You may remember that his disbelief landed him in trouble as Gabriel brought muteness on him until the time would come for the son to be named, the day when Zechariah names the boy John just as the angel had instructed.

Gabriel then transitions to a young, Nazarene virgin teen named Mary who was betrothed to a man named Joseph. He tells Mary that she would conceive, not by a man but by way of the Holy Spirit and the very power of God Himself. He finishes sharing that her son would be named Jesus and that He would be the Son of the Lord Most High. In response, Mary simply submitted herself to be the Lord’s servant, fully permitting Him to do as He wished.

Next, the very busy Gabriel visited Joseph after Mary had become pregnant. You’ll recall that Joseph was deeply distressed and upset about what had happened and knowing he wasn’t the father of the child Mary was carrying, he decided to quietly divorce her and end their engagement. But Gabriel intervened and convinced Joseph to do otherwise, explaining the divine way that Mary had become pregnant and exhorting him to not abandon taking her as his wife. The scriptures tell us that Joseph honored that request.

Moving forward to the place where Mary was reaching full term, the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, ordered a census to be taken, commanding everyone to go to their own towns to register. And since Joseph and Mary were both of the line of David, they were to register in Bethlehem, the city of David. And so a very pregnant Mary accompanied Joseph on the difficult journey to the city, a four to seven day trip depending on the route taken. Once there, Mary gave birth to their son Jesus in a lowly stable because there was no room for them in the inn.

Right after Jesus emerged from Mary’s womb, some shepherds were tending to their flocks just outside of Bethlehem when an angel suddenly appeared to them, announcing Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, calling Him Savior and Messiah. And as if this wasn’t spectacular enough, a company of the heavenly host appeared singing glory to God and proclaiming peace to all on earth.

It was an amazing experience for the humble shepherds and they decided to go quickly to Bethlehem to see for themselves what the angels had announced and in yesterday’s message, we noted how we need to go forth from Christmas to seek and find Jesus with the same sense of expedience and excitement. It’s the only proper way to react to the One who was and is the Savior of the world, the only One who can bring anyone to God the Father to spend now and eternity (John 14:8).

This brings us to today’s message as we carry on with the shepherds and see the impact they had on Jesus’ parents, especially Mary. Look again at today’s scripture passage:

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 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.  Luke 2:16-20

Looking at this passage, we see other things we need to do as we react to encountering Jesus in life:

First, we should make sure we tell others about Him, an action that is at the heart of evangelism and obedient to the following command from Christ:

“…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

The shepherds had not only received the message about Jesus’ coming from the angel. They had been eyewitnesses to the very truth of that message, that the Messiah had indeed been born in Bethlehem. They saw Him with their own eyes and after leaving the stable, they went the town spreading the word about what they had been told about Jesus. The scriptures tell us that their testimony left all who heard it amazed and indeed our sharing of the Gospel will have a similar effect on others as we share wonderful, incredible words about a perfectly, amazing Lord and Savior.

Second, as we look at Mary’s response to what the shepherds had said, we see that she treasured everything that had happened to her as she pondered over it within her heart. For her son Jesus came to be everything for everyone. He came to save every single person on earth and there is no greater or more significant person in the history of mankind than Him. Therefore, He should be at the center of our heart’s pondering as we see Him as our greatest treasure.

This child named Jesus would grow up into adult ministry and during His first extended sermon, He had this to say:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

Mary’s treasure was her child Jesus and her heart was centered on Him. As Christian believers and brothers and sisters of Jesus, we need to be likewise.

Finally, the shepherds eventually returned to their fields but they had been changed. We read where they were in a spirit of rejoicing, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Before they ran off to find Jesus, they encountered the company of the heavenly host glorifying and praising God for Jesus’ coming. Once finished, the angels returned to the heavens but they were replaced by the shepherds who were now the ones who were doing the glorifying and praising. They had not just heard of Jesus but they saw Him in the flesh themselves. Indeed, the long awaited Messiah had come.

Friends, we need to examine ourselves and the way we have responded to Jesus since Christmas.

Have we glorified and praised God daily for the gift of His Son, going out of our way to tell others about Him?

Have we pondered the treasure of Jesus in our hearts, allowing ourselves to be overcome by joy after being reminded once again that we have the promise of everlasting life because God sent Jesus to us to bear the cost of our sins?

A new year is nearly upon us with fresh opportunities to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission and share the good news about Him with others. As we do, let’s mimic the actions of the shepherds and Mary.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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