GLORIA: THE MOMENT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Luke 2:8-20 (NKJV) Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then 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. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him,they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

This heavenly appearance occurred to the most unlikely of characters. Shepherds were not considered leaders or respected members of the community. They were looked down upon. Yet, it was to this group God first revealed His greatest gift.

Luke 1:52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.

1. The power of fear

Verse 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

• In this moment, the shepherds were mostly likely more fearful than they had ever been
• As a result, their fear kept them from running and made them stop in the moment
• The “glory of the Lord” is a representation of the presence of God in this place

2. The power of listening

Verses 10-12 Then 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. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

• Now stopped, they listened to the words of the angel…and what a message they heard
• What started as fear quickly turned into the greatest moment of their lives
• “Good tidings” – euangelizō = good news, Gospel
• This was a declaration of the beginning of the Messianic age foretold in the O.T.
• “In a manger” was a directional sign to the Shepherds
• Vernon McGee – “He did not lay aside His deity; He laid aside His glory.”[1]

3. The power in a promise

Verses 13-14 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

• Just as quickly as their fear subsided, they got a little glimpse of heaven as the angels appeared in the greatest night of worship the world had ever seen

Verse 14 (NASB95) “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

• This peace referred to is the gift of salvation. The only peace to be had in this broken world is through salvation.

• John Walvoord – “peace” speaks both of their standing with God and their experience of divine peace.”[2]

4. The power of obedience

Verses 15-17 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.

• Through that moment of worship, the only thing they could decide to do was run to see this Child
• They didn’t ask for a sign or proof, they simply believed and obeyed
• “This thing” – rhẽma = a word, a statement
• They “came with haste” and found Him just as the angels had promised
• They couldn’t help but tell others what they had experienced

5. The power of our story

Verses 18-20 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

• The message shared by the “lowly” shepherds was one which changed the lives of everyone who heard it
• Mary “pondered” these things because she was still trying to understand all that had happened to her
• This story started the life of worship in every one of these shepherds. Their story was now the guiding light for the rest of their lives

Takeaway for us all:

[1] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: The Gospels (Luke), electronic ed., vol. 37 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 41.

[2] John F. Walvoord, “Revelation,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 928.