Luke 2:1-20; “Away in a Feeding Trough …”

Class Outline:

Sunday December 22, 2024

Main idea: Peace enters the world with Jesus and is offered to all who will know Him by faith. 

 

Intro: God establishes peace. Only He can. The barrier between God and man was caused by man’s sin - the fall. There is nothing we can do to break down that barrier. The barrier is sin and God removes it through Christ - reconciliation. 

 

God has to change you, and because He does, you can see the marvelous truths of salvation.  

 

Peace of God is with: God, others, nature, self. JOH 14:27

 

The Lord Jesus brought peace with Him and would give it away. 

EPH 2:14

For He Himself is our peace,

 

Two people cannot have peace where sin exists.

ISA 57:20-21

 But the wicked are like the tossing sea,

For it cannot be quiet,

And its waters toss up refuse and mud. 

21 "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

 

Love is the bond of unity. 

 

Caesar’s peace vs. God’s. 

 

Read LUK 2:1-5

 

Pax Romana and Augustus - peace by force, but not really peaceful. 

Inscription: a decree to celebrate his birthday, “the beginning of the world of the glad tidings that have come to men through him[Augustus].” 

 

Christ an infant in Bethlehem feeding trough shows God will not establish peace by force (LUK 2:6-7). 

 

Angel’s announcement: 

 

God establishes peace through Jesus: David, Savior, Messiah, Lord. 

 

Knowledge of God - how much do you know about these? 

 

Davidic covenant, high-priesthood of Jesus Christ (not of Levi), priesthood of the saints, soteriology, Priest and King in the order of Melchizedek, hypostatic union, deity of Christ, etc.? 

 

A lot of learning. The more you know and believe, the more peace you will have in all four areas. 

 

Angels say: Peace among men of goodwill.

 

Who are they? Contrast in Mic 1-3 vs. 4-5. 

Mic 4 - they all love the Lord who came to be their King (MIC 5:2).

 

The angels are announcing about salvation but also the life that comes with it, and in fact, no writer in the Bible speaks of one without the other. 

 

What makes them men and women of goodwill? The born-again believer who knows the good stuff. 

 

Christ born means this is going to happen with or without response from people. 

 

The born-again must believe the good stuff. ISA 1:3

 

What do we do with what we’re told? 

 

The knowledge is shown to all by God: Mary, Joseph, shepherds are told by angels. 

 

Let’s look at the shepherds a little more closely. LUK 2:7

 

First, it will help to know where the new family is. “Inn” is (Greek) a room. They likely go house to house like detectives.

         

LUK 2:12-15 Divine initiative is on them. The shepherds are not commanded nor led, but they go and seek. They seek what had been told them. Why? The marvelous appearance of angels is now going to followed by something even more amazing.

         

Let’s look a little more closely at Mary. LUK 2:17-19. 

 

Many marveled but Mary treasures and ponders. Mary treasures and ponders, it seems, for the rest of her life (LUK 2:51). Unraveling the truth often requires experience and sometimes that will be painful (LUK 2:35). Mary was at the cross. Jesus had compassion on her. 

 

The shepherds believed and sought. 

Mary believed and treasured and kept pondering. 

 

Why? The things the saw were marvelous. It was not forced on them (Caesar Augustus and Pax Romana). It came to them from God through the Son of David, Savior, Messiah, Lord - the unique and almighty Son of God. They were of good will because of faith and faith in the wonderful made them follow it. 

 

Believe and see the wonderful. 

 

Application:

 

If you find yourself treasuring and pondering like Mary and seeking like the shepherds, you will gain a deep understanding of God and His peace eventually. 

 

The reason this path of peace, becoming one who is of goodwill, is not of merit or works is because of how marvelous the Lord is. His peace and ways are marvelous. 

 

What do Mary, Joseph, Zacharias, Elizabeth, and shepherds all have in common? Ponder it and email me with your ideas.