Unlikely Messenger Boys

Exactly who and what is Jesus Christ?

Here's Stephen Davey with a short list of who Jesus is. He's the incense of sweet aroma to the Father. He is the blood of the lamb on the mercy seat. He is the veil that will be ripped apart.

He is the high priest who will be seated, having completed the work of redemption once and for all. He is everything they are looking for and no one sees Him. When you stop and consider all that the incarnation of Jesus Christ means and how critical He is in our redemption, it's clear that Jesus really is the answer to all that we need. But you likely know some men and women who avoid the truth of Jesus Christ. People missing out on what Jesus offers is not new. Way back at the time when Jesus came to earth, people missed it. But even more surprising than the priests and the kings who missed out on the birth of Jesus were the peasants and the shepherds who didn't miss out.

Lowly shepherds were some of the first people to learn about and encounter the Savior. Stephen Davey called this message, Unlikely Messenger Boys. This past year I have driven into my neighborhood and passed a home that is making the announcement of a baby's birth. The blue balloons or the pink balloons attached to the mailboxes.

Have you seen those? I went by one home in our neighborhood and there are all these storks stuck out in the yard, each one bearing the announcement, it's a girl, it's a girl, it's a girl. One more way of a couple making the announcement and also going into debt as their baby is born, announcing to the world this child has come. Whenever I drive and have driven by these homes, I tend to be the kind of person that I wonder how it's going inside there. You know, I'm mixed in my feelings with joy for them and concern.

I wonder how they're doing now that their lives, especially as a first born, their lives are turned upside down for the first time. They're going to have sleepless nights and upside down schedules and the sink is probably filling up with formula bottles and cups and damp pajama tops and crib sheets are overflowing the laundry baskets and that smell. You remember that smell? Sort of a syrupy sweet, you know, baby lotion, baby powder, antiseptic, dirty diaper all rolled up into one, clings to your clothes and it's kind of a blur. You've been through that.

Maybe some of you are already in it. It's the blur of those first days and first weeks when life changes and will never quite be the same. And here you are, you know, you're bleary eyed, you're tired, you come to church and undoubtedly you're going to run into another new mom who's bright eyed and full of energy. And she comes up to you and says, oh, isn't having a baby wonderful? You know, from the first night we brought our baby home from the hospital, he slept through the night, takes a four hour nap every day and you want to shoot her. Christian love, of course.

Life will never be the same. Multiply all of that by, I don't know, a billion, a trillion or whatever and you have the birth of Christ. You have the birth of our Lord. Talk about a change in the lifestyles of Mary and Joseph.

Their lives are turned upside down from the very moment it occurs and even before. There are announcements, you know, of the birth. There aren't any storks in the yard, but there are shepherds in the barnyard. They've come, they're kneeling, they're worshipping, right?

There aren't any balloons on the mailbox, but there are parades of angels. The hosts of the heavens are chanting. He has come. How's that for an announcement?

Our fathers arranged it all. We learned in our last session, the celestial glory of God appeared to university professors and scientists more than a thousand miles away, who I believe even now are hurriedly packing for their journey. The angel Gabriel has made a few personal appearances himself. What makes these announcements and all of this flurry from God so amazing, even above the simple fact that they occur, you know, when we talk about the angel appearing, we have to understand it's after 400 years of silence.

No angel, no star, no prophet, no revelation, no message from God, silence. And all of a sudden it erupts. You have all of these announcements that the birth is about to take place.

It is soon coming. All these messengers arrive on the scene from shepherds to angels. Well, as I thought about and meditated on all of these different messengers we could address, I want to take you to two different scenes very rapidly where God made announcements of Christ's birth and of who Christ was. And I want you to turn in your Bibles to the gospel by Luke and chapter one.

Let me sort of set the stage for you just to save time. The angel Gabriel has made his first appearance and he has shattered the silence of God. This is the first announcement. He's come to a woman and he's told her you're going to have a baby boy. The only thing is it didn't marry. It's Elizabeth, her relative. And it isn't a baby boy named Jesus.

It's a baby boy named John. We know this prophet and we'll know him by his prophetic distinctive. He's an Old Testament prophet.

We're still actually in the Old Testament, even though you're in the New Testament portion of your Bibles. We'll know him by his distinctive. We'll call him John the what?

John the Baptist or John the baptizer. And with the announcement of Gabriel to Zacharias, his priest father, you have this 400 years of silence now shattered. And this is the prophetic fulfillment of what Malachi said when Malachi put down his quill.

That was it for 400 years. And now we're told the forerunner of the Messiah will come and he's coming like Elijah. He will be bold and courageous.

He will tell the truth to the nation and to the Gentiles. Now, Elizabeth, where we pick up our story here, is six months pregnant. And when she is six months, the angel Gabriel appears again. Only this time to another woman named Mary and informs her that she is also about to become pregnant, too.

That's where the similarity between Elizabeth and Mary and, of course, Mary is a virgin and will conceive by the overshadowing miraculous hand of God through the Holy Spirit. No doubt she's filled with questions. Most scholars that I have read put her at about 13 or 14 years of age as the youngest and as the oldest, maybe 16 or 17. She's in her betrothal period. That's why most would put her within this Jewish economy at about age 13, maybe as young as 12.

We don't know. But no doubt this young girl is filled with questions. Her mind would be racing. She's given the news before Gabriel leaves Mary. He leaves this tremendous word of encouragement to her.

Would you look at Chapter one, verse 37? He just kind of adds this on as he ends his message to Mary. He says, for nothing is angel turned preacher. Nothing will be impossible with God.

He ought to know. He's seen the creation of the universe. He's seen so much that we would love to see it, but still introduces this wonderful truth that Mary will remember.

Nothing with God is impossible. You can't imagine, can we? How encouraging this will be. Why add that? Because I think Mary will hear it one time.

She'll hear it a thousand times over. That's impossible. Mary, no man is involved in your pregnancy. That's impossible. God is involved in this. That's impossible.

You're carrying the Messiah. That's impossible. Mary would recount the words that would be so encouraging. She would probably say something like this. Well, the angel of God knew you'd say that.

And he told me. And I'll tell you, with God, nothing is impossible. Where does Mary turn? This young girl, where does she go? Who's going to understand? Who's going to listen to her? Why does she cry before?

And where does she get advice and counsel? Well, Gabriel actually hinted at and I think he was, you know, telling her something and she certainly picked up on it in the prior verse. Look at verse thirty six. Gabriel says, Behold, now, you know, take note of this, Mary. Even your relative, Elizabeth, has also conceived a son in her old age. In other words, Mary, you're not the only one that's walking around in a daze.

You're not the only one that's being shocked by the work of God. You remember Elizabeth, your relative? Well, she's six months pregnant. She's an aged woman well beyond childbearing years.

In fact, Gabriel says, you know, she who has been called Baron is now in her sixth month. Another miracle baby is on the way. Another impossibility is about to come to pass like Abraham and Sarah of old.

Here are Zacharias and Elizabeth expecting their firstborn son. We don't know if Mary told her parents what Mary told Joseph. The text simply says in verse thirty nine, she just with haste got up and ran. She ran this two or three day journey to meet with Elizabeth and their lives together would form this statement of God's impossible work.

And I want you to notice this announcement and this incredible encounter. Look at verse thirty nine. Now, at this time, Mary arose and went with haste to the hill country, to the city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it came about that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit that she came under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, blessed among women are you. And blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how has it happened to me that the mother of my lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

Can you imagine? This is no prenatal kick. A lap in the pool, you know, turning over.

This is the same Greek word used for the skipping and the leaping of sheep in the field. This probably took Elizabeth's breath away. Now, why would Elizabeth's baby boy jump and hit his head on her ribs because of this? Well, for starters, we know the Holy Spirit had induced him to do so, already having prepared him to be the announcer of the Messiah. You need to understand this baby is an Old Testament prophet and the Holy Spirit would influence, would fill.

The word could be translated dominate. Gabriel's message to Zacharias. Listen, this leap was John's first prophetic demonstration. This is his first prophetic utterance. As amazing as it sounds from Elizabeth's uterus comes John's first utterance.

He's only about nine inches long and he weighs less than two pounds and he is overcome with joy. Just apart from the fact the Holy Spirit's involved. What does this tell you about human life in the womb? I'll tell you what it says. It says it's life.

It's human life. At six months, John is able to experience emotion. He responds with spirit induced worship. He's able to hear the sound of Mary's voice. He reacts physically to his Messiah's presence because the Holy Spirit is allowing him to know that. He surges upward with his sentiment of adoration. You know what's going on?

John is doing a dance in the dark. What an incredible encounter between these two women. Imagine in this uncommon scene all they had in common. They were both miraculously expecting. Elizabeth by a man, Mary by God. They were both experiencing a pregnancy that only God could have arranged. Both sons had been announced by the prophet Gabriel as the silence of God was shattered.

Both would have sons that would fulfill Old Testament prophecy. Luke informs us in verse 56 here that Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months, either just before the birth of John or soon after, and then came home. Came home to her parents, came home to Joseph. Fortunately, during her absence, the angel came to Joseph. Probably we're not told, but it's probably good old Gabriel again making another appearance, telling Joseph, relax, it's true.

She's telling you the truth. This is the hand of God. And you're going to rear Messiah. Now, if I could fast forward to tape for you, take you to another announcement that is equally overlooked and yet very significant. I would take you to Chapter two, verse twenty one. The birth of Christ has occurred and there's about to be some fulfillment of the law. And then an announcement. Let's just take a few minutes here and set the scene. Verse twenty one, when eight days were completed, that is, Jesus is now eight days old before his circumcision, his name was then called Jesus.

They did that in accordance to the law. The name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb, Yeshua. This is the Old Testament counterpart to this name is Joshua, the redeemer. Verse twenty two, and when the days for their purification, according to the law of Moses, were completed, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

This is at the fortieth day. They've gone home and they've come back in between verses twenty one and twenty two. Some think they've combined the events.

I think there was some gap in time. They're coming back to the law. Look at verse twenty three, as it is written in the law of the Lord. Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. And so they had as part of their ritual, the redemption of the firstborn son with five shekels. We're not told that occurred here. Some believe it didn't happen. I believe it did.

They followed the law perfectly. It's not mentioned by Luke or the gospel writers. Now, Joseph and Mary in the fulfillment of the law, bringing, as Moses commanded in the Book of Leviticus, sacrifices for the cleansing or the purification of Mary. She is considered at this point unclean.

After the birth of a son, the mother would not be in attendance at the sanctuary for these 40 days. And at the 40th day, she would bring offerings and they would be made on her behalf and she would be returned to full communion with the assembly. She's considered at this point unclean. You have to understand, Mary is not a sinless saint. She was not above the law of Moses. And she, like every human being, was responsible to approach God in this era through the sacrificial system that pointed to the Messiah and his sacrifice. And so according to the law, she's unclean.

And after these sacrifices, she'll be clean as they're made on her behalf. Now, since Mary and Joseph are close enough to Jerusalem, they make this six mile journey and they personally bring these sacrifices. And if you noticed in verse 24, the latter part, they are bringing two turtle doves or as according to the law, two pigeons. They could take their choice and they brought either turtle doves or pigeons. Now, if we had time to look at the guilt offerings laid out for us in the Old Testament for the mother, you would discover that Moses actually called for a lamb to be brought for the offering of mothers. Leviticus chapter 12 outlined the laws of motherhood and it defined this offering. But then Moses made an allowance or got through him that poor women who could not afford to buy a lamb could bring turtle doves or pigeons.

It cost just a few pennies. This was actually referred to as the offering of the poor. Now, we know the wise men haven't appeared yet, as you understand the chronology of these events properly. So they haven't brought their gold. Had they brought the gold, they'd be able to buy the finest lamb on the planet.

And I'm sure Mary would have loved to have purchased one of them. But because they're poverty stricken, they have to bring birds instead of a lamb. They don't have money for a lamb, but you're ahead of me.

I'm sure you see it, don't you? They are bringing a lamb. They have a lamb. Only he will be sacrificed later. They are bringing the lamb. Can you imagine it? Here they are presenting their sacrificial animals in the temple while at the same time holding their baby, who would be the final sacrifice.

Imagine that. And there was someone who knew. Look at verse 25. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. And the man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Again, the Holy Spirit is working these details all out.

And it had been revealed to him earlier by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Verse 27. Here come Mary and Joseph.

They got the little cage with their birds. They're holding Jesus and this Simeon. He's not a priest.

He's a layman. He comes up to them and I don't know, maybe he says, can I hold the baby for a while? And most mothers would say, please, you know, for a week or so, take him.

Can I just hold him? And so he takes him and he holds him aloft. And he says, Now, Lord, thou dost let thy bondservant depart in peace, according to thy word. Verse 30. For my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel. Can you imagine the scene?

Verse 33. His father and mother are amazed. They're just standing there. Their jaws are open. They're pondering all of this.

They've only had 40 days to process all of these announcements and all of these appearances and all of these guests. Now they're interrupted by an old man who says, Now I can die. I've seen the Messiah.

What an announcement. Let me give you some observations as we tie this study up here and make a few comments along the way. Things that I believe are timeless, taken from these texts that can encourage us today. Number one, just because God has been silent for 400 years doesn't mean that God has stopped working.

He hasn't stopped working. Silence and sovereignty are a combination we do not like. We don't like it. It's difficult. From this text, take heart, maybe for you today, take heart, take hope during your dark days. Maybe you're going through them. God is at work.

Another thing strikes me from these two announcements and it is this. The message from God tends to be heard by those who want to listen. You think about this one here with Simeon.

We have no record in the text of priests gathering around Simeon. Nobody's asking questions. They know, I'm sure, his reputation. He's devout. He's righteous. He's followed God.

He's an old man. He come off and I'm sure he's looking for the Messiah. And now the Spirit of God somehow communicates to him. Now's the time the couple is coming. The baby will be on the temple grounds.

So he goes and I imagine he looks around. Other couples are coming to redeem their sons. They're first born. There are lambs being led by some who are wealthy.

There are turtle loves and pigeons cooing. There are all kinds of people. And he appears and he watches and then he sees them. And he goes over and he makes this messianic statement. Where are the priests hustling over to him? Where are the people rushing over? Let me hold them.

This is the Messiah. Let me hold them. Let me see. None of that. Nobody. Just Mary and Joseph and their birds and their baby. This old man.

They're all busy. They take little notice of the introduction of the one to whom the temple that surrounds them looks toward. He's the showbread. He's the candelabra. He is the light of the world. He's the incense of sweet aroma to the Father. He is the blood of the lamb on the mercy seat. He is the sacrifice on the altar. He is the veil that will be ripped apart. He is the high priest who will be seated, having completed the work of redemption once and for all.

He is everything they are looking for. And no one sees him. No one hears. Why didn't they hear Simeon? Maybe for the same reason one of you does not hear me now.

You don't want to hold him either. You haven't embraced this Redeemer for yourself. Maybe today. The message of Simeon will be a message for you. The Messiah has come. Let me give you one more thought. When God chooses to act, he most often uses ordinary people to accomplish his will.

I'm glad for that, aren't you? That means he can use me and he can use you. He decides that he chooses to use ordinary people, a poor carpenter and a poor bride, an aged priest and his elderly wife, an old man who isn't even a priest, holding Christ aloft. He is the one. By the way, God avoided, as it were, the priests.

You notice that? You would think it would be the high priest who would make this announcement. No, the high priest didn't want to hear it. He used an ordinary man who wasn't even one of the professional clergy to make the announcement that he's here. Thanks for joining us today on Wisdom for the Heart.

Stephen called this lesson Unlikely Messenger Boys. It came from his Christmas series called The Myths, Messengers and Mysteries of Christmas. Our office will be closed on Monday. That's Christmas Day, and our staff will be celebrating with their family and friends. If we can help you today, please call. Our number is 866-48-BIBLE or 866-482-4253.

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