God's Promises Always Bring Good News (Luke 2:1-21)

1. God arranges his promises (v.1-7)

- v.1 – every 14 years there was a census taken. It just so happened that one of these censuses were being taken about the same time that Jesus was to be born.

- v.2-3 – They took a census for two reasons: to see who existed and to see who was capable of military service. Jews weren’t subjugated to military service so Joseph was primarily going to Bethlehem to have his name marked ‘present.’

- v.4 – Joseph had to go to Bethlehem because that was his ancestors’ base town.

- v.5 – Mary was his betrothed and she was pregnant – this would not look good.

- v.6 – It was an 80-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a small town but many people had families from there so the town was most likely packed. Being that Mary was pregnant and probably riding on the back of a donkey, I imagine it took quite a long time to make it to Bethlehem.

- v.7 – There was no room at the inn for two reasons – 1) Because Scripture predicted it, and 2) Because Mary and Joseph were probably late getting there.

ILL: Who went to the Christmas cantata? Think about the lights, the props, the backdrops, the singing parts, the practices, the dress rehearsals. All of that had to put together and be arranged before people could watch and enjoy it.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 predicted that Jesus would be from the line of David. Micah 5:2 predicted that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Isaiah 7:14 predicted that Jesus would be born of a virgin.

God arranges his promises of good news. He arranged how Jesus was going to be born. On the surface it looked like everything just fits together, and it does. But God has a reason for everything that he has arranged and put together. He had a reason for where Jesus was born and how he was born and he also has a plan for our lives. Even though we don’t get to see the behind-the-scenes work that God does in our lives, if we trust his guidance we’ll get to see the finished product which always is perfectly put together.

2. God announces his promises (v.8-14)

- v.8 – Shepherds were generally considered dirty people because they lived out “in the fields” and were most likely considered unclean by most orthodox Jews. They were the downtrodden, the outcasts because their job was to take care of dumb animals.

- v.9 – An angel of the Lord appeared to them while they were out in their workplace. Again, shepherd were probably the last group of people most would expect would be visited by angels.

- v.10 – The angel said ‘fear not’ so he must have been pretty astounding to look at. The news he was going to bring would be good news of great joy for all people…even shepherds.

- v.11 – Just like the prophecies predicted, Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

- v.12 – The sign for the shepherds would be that Jesus would be a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger…not an ordinary sight.

- v.13 – At that moment a multitude of angels appeared praising God.

- v.14 – They were giving all the glory to God.

ILL: Why do people give announcements? There is important information that we don’t want you to miss. Why do we not want you to miss the important information? Because we believe that this information will benefit your life.

God announced his promise of Jesus being in a manger to the shepherds because he 1) he loved them 2) there was someone who could save them, 3) all glory goes to God for salvation. Likewise, God loves you and sent someone to save you and all the glory goes to God for salvation.

3. God fulfills his promises (v.15-20)

- v.15 – When the angels left, the angels decided to go and see this sign which the Lord had made known to them.

- v.16 – They went with haste, meaning they went quickly, and saw the baby with Mary and Joseph just as the Lord had promised.

- v.17 – When they saw Jesus the told the people there what they had been told by the angel. They wanted to let them know that God fulfilled his promise to them.

- v.18 – All who heard wondered about what they were told, perhaps choosing on whether or not to believe that God would talk to mere shepherds.

- v.19 – But Mary treasured all these things in her heart. She was probably proud, amazed, humbled.

- v.20 – When the shepherds returned the fields they praised God and glorified him for all they had seen, as it had been told him

The main reason that God fulfills his promises to us is so that we will praise him and give him the glory and increase our faith in him.

4. God reinforces his promises (v.21) – When he was circumcised, he was finally given the name that the angel had told Mary his name would be, before he was conceived in the womb, Jesus.

And the bible tells us that by this name, Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. God will reinforce his promise when we see him at the end