Introduction: Most churches have special services during the Christmas Season. Church with large choirs often sing Cantatas or Musicals. Some churches do Christmas dramas. This month at Wayside we will have a preschool program, an elementary school program, and a Christmas Eve candlelight communion service. In every Christmas program there is an audience, a speaker and a sermon. There is praise to God, and there is (we hope) a response from those who hear the message. Let's take a look at the very first Christmas program there ever was:

I. The Audience was the Shepherds (Luke 2:8).

A. God chose the audience. God is sovereign over all things, especially over His plan of salvation. God chose to bring the message to common working people, not kings, wealthy businessmen, priests, prophets, and so on.

B. YOU are now the audience. God has chosen YOU. You have a lot to be grateful for. Not everyone gets to hear the message.

II. The Speaker was an Angel of the Lord (Luke 2:9).

A. Who is the most famous and distinguished speaker you have ever heard? I have sat in the audience listening to Chuck Colson, Joseph Stowell, Tony Evans, George Beverly Shea, Al Mohler, George Sweeting, D. James Kennedy, Chuck Swindoll, John MacArthur and so on. But I have never heard an angel speak.

B. We have something better than angels, now. We have the written Word of God. Paul said to the Galatians: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" (Gal 1:8)

III. The Substance of the Message....(Luke 2:10-12)

A. Don't be afraid. (A normal reaction to seeing an angel)

B. I bring Good News. (The Gospel, means "good news." Eu angelion. The "good message," in Greek. The bad news is that we are all sinners, and under God's wrath. The good news is that God sent His Son to take care of that situation.

C. There Should Be Great Joy for All People. The degree of joy we feel will be comparable to the degree of sorrow we felt over our sin, and the degree of fear we felt over God's wrath. If there was no sorrow, and no fear, there will not be much joy either.

D. The Savior was Born Today! God sovereignly chose the place, the time, and all the circumstances. Nothing happened by accident. Nothing surprised God.

E. He is Christ the Lord. "Christ" means "annointed" by God. All the Old Testament prophets, priests and kings were annointed with oil. Jesus is the One chosen and set apart by God to be our Savior. No one else will do. And He is the "Lord." He is God. We must obey Him.

F. He is a Baby in a Manger. He is man as well as God. Fully man, so He could represent the human race, fully man so He could truly die and pay for our sins. Both His deity and His full humanity are essential to salvation's plan.

IV. The Praise came from a Great Host of Angels (Luke 2:13-14).

I play cello sometimes with the Chattanooga Symphony. Listening to a recording, and being in the middle of the orchestra...what a difference! What would it be like to personally hear a great host of angels praising God?!

V. The Response to the Message (Luke 2:15-20)

A. Let's go and see the baby! They left their sheep. This was no doubt hard to do, but they had their priorities straight.

B. They spread the word. That's our privilege, too.

C. All who heard it were amazed. Everyone we speak with is NOT amazed. Pray for God to lead us to people seeking Him.

D. Mary treasured up, and pondered what she heard from the shepherds. This is the nature of Christian meditation. Meditation is not an emptying of your mind. It is the opposite. Filling your mind with God's Word, and thinking about it.

E. The shepherds returned to work changed men, full of praise. They went back to work. God meant for men to work. But we should do our work as to the Lord, and with praise in our hearts.

Conclusion: May God strengthen our faith, and help us to respond to the Christmas message, just as the shepherds and Mary.