Instantly, there was beside this single messenger from heaven, this angel, the entire heavenly host. There was with the angel a multitude of that army of angels. That inhabit heaven and surround the presence of our eternal God. And now it's not. Zacharias who's singing.
It's not Mary who's singing. It's the angels. Who bring a chorus from heaven. And it's that chorus, that song of the angels that R.C. Sproll will consider on this Sunday edition of Renewing Your Mind.
Hi, I'm Nathan W. Bingham, and in preparation for Christmas Day, today you'll hear Luke's account of the birth of Jesus and that incredible moment as this heavenly host sings praise to God. Don't forget that this sermon is part of a much larger series through Luke's Gospel, and those sermons eventually became Dr. Sproll's commentary on Luke.
So if you'd like a copy of that commentary, we'll send it to you as our way of saying thank you for your year-end donation in support of Renewing Your Mind at renewingyourmind.org. But be quick as this offer ends tonight.
Well, here's our sea sprawl in Luke chapter 2. And it came to pass in those days. That a decree went out from Caesar Augustus. that all the worlds should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius.
was governing Syria.
So all went to be registered, everyone. to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee. out of the city of Nazareth. Into Judea.
to 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 wife, who was with child.
So it was that while they were there The days were completed. for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son. and wrapped him in swaddling cloths. and laid him in a manger.
Because there was no room for them. In the end.
Now, there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields. keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they were greatly afraid.
And the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day In the city of David, a savior. Who is Christ?
The Lord And this will be the sign to you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths. lying in a manger. Suddenly there was with the angel A multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest. And on earth Peace.
Good will toward men.
So it was when the angels had gone away from them into heaven. That the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem. And see this thing that has come to pass. which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste.
And found Mary And Joseph. And the babe. lying in a manger. Now when they had seen him They made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things that were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things. And pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned. Glorify. And praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.
As it was Told them. The first thing we see about Luke's narrative. is found in the opening words. He begins his account by saying And it came. To pass.
And then he goes on to speak of the activity of the Emperor of the Roman Empire. and of Quirinius the governor of Syria, Real people. in real places. in real history. This story does not begin.
with the words once Upon At time. Because this is no Fairy tale This is sober history. Announcing The entrance Into this world. of our Saviour. And so Luke sets his narrative squarely in the context of real history.
And it came to pass, he says. In those days. That a decree Went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This story. In this narrative, friends.
is about three kings. One of those kings. Sits on the throne as the ruler and emperor. of the greatest power on the face of the earth. In Rome.
The second king. Sits not on a throne. But is wrapped in swaddling cloths. And lying. In the manger.
This little Okay. is the king of kings. He rules over. The King in Rome. And it's about The Eternal King.
The Lord God omnipotent. who reigns from the moment of his work of creation. till the moment of his work Uh fulfillment of his cosmos. He is the Great King. who reigns over all things.
And so the story proximately speaks of an earthly decree that is issued and executed by the emperor in Rome. But that emperor in Rome issues this decree that all return to their home cities to be registered for the census in order to be taxed by imperial Rome. This decree. Is done in obedience to a decree that took place much earlier. Even in eternity.
When God decreed. That his son would come into this world. to do his work of redemption for his people. and that he be born at a specific time in the fullness of time. at a specific place in the village of Bethlehem.
For a specific mission. To save his people. From their sins. Caesar Augustus. probably the most celebrated of all of the Roman emperors.
Augustus, meaning the supreme, sublime. Majestic one. A title that the Jews shrank from in horror because they believed that only God was worthy of the title. August. And the true August One.
Was in the manger. Because there was no room for it. For Jesus, Augustus. In The end. Caesar Augustus celebrated.
The memory of his great uncle Julius. took it upon himself to build a temple. In his honor. Acknowledging the deity. of Julius Caesar.
What a foolish Mistake. That was. The only deity. within the confines of the Roman Empire again. Where's to be found?
In the manger Bethlehem. But in obedience. Through the decree of Caesar Augustus, Joseph left his home of Nazareth in Galilee. And he went up into Judea. To the city of David.
That is called Bethlehem. He did this because he was a descendant. Of the line of David. And he brought his wife with him. Roman law did not require Did the man bring his wife to register for the tax?
And we can speculate as to why Joseph subjected his wife to such an arduous journey, and again, proximately, the reason is clear. He knew that the time had come for her to deliver, and he did not want her to have to do that without his presence. And so he brought her with him. But the ultimate reason that trumps the proximate one is that this also had been decreed from all eternity. Let the babe be born.
In Bethlehem As Micah had announced centuries before, that thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be small among the princes of Judah. Yet out of view. Will come the one. Whom God has anointed.
So it was Days were fulfilled. her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son. Wrapped him in swaddling cloths. laid him in a manger.
Because there was no room for them in the inn. The entrance of Jesus into this world. is against the backdrop of humiliation. No place for him to lay his head.
However. At that very moment. When the babe is wrapped in the cloth of humiliation. The Father God is not satisfied that the circumstances of the birth of his Son be only in terms of humiliation. but must also be accompanied.
With exultation. That that's shame. Must be Balanced. with glory. Not in the manger.
Not in the cave or the stable. where they were, but on the outskirts of the village. Out in the fields were the lowest evaluated people of the land. The shepherds. were keeping their flocks at night.
Living outside, being sheltered by crudely built huts. While they're overlooking and superintending the flocks that belong probably not simply to them but to others as well. And they would watch these flocks through the night. And they would take turns sleeping. and keeping vigil over their sheep, lest the sheep be attacked by wild animals.
or by rustlers of sorts. And so out there in the plains. Where the sheep were. being watched that night. It was Quiet.
It really was. A silent Might. And as most of the shepherds were sleeping, in that silence there would only be an occasional punctuation of the silence By the bleating Of a sheep. But that would be it for the noise. And then Suddenly.
No prior announcement. No warning. No human messenger coming out to them, shaking them awake, and saying, Watch out. This night is an incredible night. You won't believe what's going to take place in just a few moments.
No, there was none of that. But suddenly, out of nowhere, an angel from heaven appeared. to whatever shepherds We're awake. At the moment. The angel of the Lord stood before them.
And the angel was accompanied. With the glory. Of God. The glory of the Lord. shone around them.
Luke gives us this notation. That when the Shekinah glory appeared. That the shepherds were greatly afraid. I like the old King James. They were sore.
Afraid. Because it's one thing. to be afraid. But it's quite another. to be sore afraid.
When you are sore afraid, beloved. you are afraid you are afraid like you've never been afraid. in your whole life. Who wouldn't be trembling in fear at the manifestation of the glory of God at that moment? The angel said.
Don't be afraid. Why not? Because I bring you good tidings. A great joy. which shall be to all people.
Don't be afraid. Because there is born To you. To us, to the user. Shepherds? The angel says there's born to you.
Unto you. A child is born. Unto you despise shepherds. My son is given. Unto you this day.
is born in the city of David. A Sauter. A Saviour. Don't be afraid. Because this is the birthday.
of the one who will save you. This is the day your Savior is born. And not only is he Saviour. But he's Christ the Lord, and the shepherds understood the meaning of the word Christ. was the New Testament translation of the Old Testament word for Messiah.
Today your Saviour's born. Today the Messiah is born. Today Your Lord. is born. In Bethlehem.
And this will be the sign. You must go and look. See the sign because the sign is significant. You're gonna find a baby. Rapton cheap cloth.
On another thrown. But in a manger. And no sooner had the angel said that. Then instantly, there was beside this single messenger from heaven, this angel, perhaps even Gabriel again. He is surrounded by the entire heavenly host.
There was with the angel a multitude of that army of angels. That inhabit heaven and surround the presence of our eternal God. And now it's not. Zacharias who's singing. It's not Mary who's singing.
It's the angels. Who bring a chorus from heaven Sang Glory. Does that Glory. Augustness. To God.
in the highest. And on Earth Peace. Good will toward men.
This was the first. Singing. Of the Gloria. In excelsis. Damn.
And so it was, Luke tells us. when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, That the shepherds began to speak one another. Did you see that? Did you hear that? To hear the heavens open and that Quarter!
of angels singing the gloria What are we doing standing here? Let's go right now. Let us now Go even unto Bethlehem. Let's see this sign. that the angel has just announced.
And so they came with haste, They found Mary. And they found Joseph. But beloved, they weren't coming. This is you, Mary. They weren't coming.
to pay homage. To Joseph. They were coming to see the babe. That was lying in the manger. And once they had seen him.
They made widely known the saying that was told them concerning this child. Widely known, they told every single person they knew. They didn't just try to live a good life after that and have people come up to them and say, What's changed you? from a sin-blistered soul into a Valorous Saint They didn't just do evangelism. By example, they opened their mouths.
They told everyone what they heard. and what they saw. And everyone who heard it. Marvelled. At the things that were told them by the shepherd.
You know you wonder how long they marvelled? You wondered how long the excitement lasted. The duration of their zeal. and happiness from there. experience which had to be a converting experience.
Maybe every Christmas. They made mention of it. Not Mary. Mary Kept. These things.
Everything that she saw, Everything that she heard. She kept it. And pondered it. In her heart. Eight days later, when she took the child.
The temple for circumcision. She pondered that. When the boy was twelve and confounded the doctors in the temple, she pondered that. Every night that she tucked her son into bed, she pondered these things. And pondered them.
and pondered them. Till that day she stood at the foot of a cross. And watched him die. She pondered that. Until Sunday morning came.
And he arose. Not in humility. Not in shame, not in disgrace. But in glory. In triumph.
In exultation. And the shepherds left. Doing two things. Praising God. And glorifying him.
For everything they heard. And everything they had seen. That's the lot. Of the Christian. To give glory.
An honor. The Manion Power. And praise. We join the angels saying, worthy is the Lamb. Who was slain?
to receive the fullness. of the glory of God. That's Christmas. That is Christmas, and isn't this a wonderful time of the year? I do trust you'll have a very Merry Christmas as you gather with family and friends this week.
You're listening to Renewing Your Mind, I'm Nathan W. Bingham. Each Sunday we feature the preaching ministry of R. C. Sproll.
And we're currently in a short series considering several of the songs in Luke's Gospel surrounding the incarnation of our Lord and Saviour. But you can study all of Luke when you request a hardcover copy of Dr. Sproul's commentary on Luke. It's a commentary based on his extensive sermon series, so it's filled with pastoral warmth and wisdom. You can request your copy when you make a year-end donation at renewingyourmind.org.
Or by using the link in the podcast show notes. We'll send it to you to thank you for stepping forward to help this global ministry reach even more people in 2026. Visit renewingyourmind.org before midnight tonight and add this popular commentary to your library. And if you live outside of the US and Canada, the e-book edition is waiting for you at renewingyourmind.org/slash global. Thank you.
Next time, we'll conclude this series as RC Sproul preaches on the infancy hymn of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.
So be sure to listen next Sunday here on Renewing Your Mind.
