Lesson One • The Shepherds
Pastor Jayson Combs
1. Do you enjoy hosting company at your home during the Christmas season? If not, who in your family generally hosts the family get-together? What are the highlights or stressors about having company over?
The Christmas season usually means company. If company is with family, friends, or co-workers, many people have a Christmas tradition of getting together with others. Many times families pack up their car, juggle some sort of Christmas food, have a car full of kids and gifts, and head to someone’s house to celebrate “Christmas.”
2. What does your Christmas look like? How has it changed over the years? Be honest, are you a person that enjoys company?
Along with people, we usually bring things to these gatherings. In my family, I have found we usually bring the same dishes to pass every year. My sister brings the veggie pizza or taco salad, my other sister brings the breadsticks, and my nieces bring the most delicious desserts. All of those things I love to fill my plate, but it is not the Christmas food I look forward to every year. The best food that anyone brings to my family’s Christmas get-togethers is my mom’s homemade fudge. I do not mean this as an exaggeration, but I could probably eat an entire plate myself.
In today’s Growth Community lesson, we will focus our attention on the shepherds who were Jesus’ company at Christmas. I believe what the shepherds brought to the first Christmas gathering was something truly amazing. Yes, I think it is even better than my mom’s fudge.
Luke 2:8-14 records, “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’”
Luke 2:15-18 continues, “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.”
3. What were the shepherds doing on the night of the first Christmas Eve?
4. What did the angel proclaim to the shepherds? What did this proclamation cause with the “multitude of the heavenly host?”
There is such an amazing truth wrapped up in the shepherds. Angels show up to shepherds in a field. Angels, heavenly beings who are servants of God by praising Him and adoring God for who He is, show up to the “night crew” shepherds. No disrespect to those who work the third shift, but while the rest of Israel rested, shepherds had to go care for their flocks. Angels did not show up to a king, a rich ruler, or the high priests. Angels, sent by God Himself, came to proclaim the birth of our Savior and King. Shepherds were very scorned people. They were very low in the social aspect of Israel in Jesus’ time. Kent Hughes says, “Shepherds were despised by the ‘good and respectable’ people of the day. They were regarded as thieves. The only people lower than shepherds at that partial time in Jewish history were lepers.”
5. Do you find any significance in the angels showing up to the shepherds?
Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The shepherds were lowly people, but they still brought an amazing gift to Mary and Joseph, and ultimately Jesus.
To hone in on what the company of the shepherds brought in the first Christmas, below is a fill-in-the-blank. Each of these words, that are needed to fill in this statement, brings an important aspect of understanding an amazing truth about the shepherds being company at Christmas. Use Luke chapter 2 for a bit of a cheat sheet.
6. They brought the message of ___________ __________ and great _________. The message of who was just born in the city of David. A __________ who is ___________ the _____________.
7. What did the shepherds bring with them when they showed up at the manger of baby Jesus? (Maybe a little bit of a trick question.)
8. What do you think it meant to Mary and Joseph?
The first few words of “Good News” and “joy” are an amazing gift to bring to the first Christmas. The sense of excitement and fulfillment that any parent has upon the birth of their child is over the top. For Mary and Joseph, their child was truly one of a kind. To know all the foretelling of Christ’s birth culminated in a manger that brought about lowly shepherds coming to see what the Lord had done, is a beautiful picture of the truth that the joyous Gospel of our Lord and Savior had now come into the world.
The next three words are an amazing picture of what the company of Christ brings into our lives. These three words that describe Jesus are so important to understand and should bring comfort and joy to every believer.
The Gift of Jesus as Savior
Matthew 1:21 proclaims, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Luke 19:10 adds, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
John MacArthur observed, “Too often Jesus is presented as the one who will rescue people from the lack of fulfillment in their marriages, families, or jobs; from a debilitating habit they cannot overcome on their own or from a sense of purposelessness in life. But while relief in those areas may be a byproduct of salvation it is not its primary intent - The true Gospel message is that Jesus Christ came into the world to rescue people from sin and guilt.”
9. How is Jesus your Savior? What does that mean to you?
The Gift of Jesus as Christ
I often say this and it may sound simple, but Christ is not Jesus’ last name. It is telling us who He is. He is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.
10. How do these verses explain who Jesus is?
• Revelation 17:14
• Revelation 19:16
• Hebrews 3:1
• 1 Timothy 2:5
• Hebrews 7:25
• Hebrews 1:1-2
The Gift of Jesus as Lord
In 1 Corinthians 2:8, Paul states, “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
The Luke chapter 2 narrative is the only time in the Gospels this phrase is used. It is the only time we see all the titles of Jesus brought together. He will save His people from their sins because He is Savior. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah promised to Israel. From the moment sin entered the world, God’s plan for reconciliation centered around Christ. Finally, most humbly of all, Jesus is Lord. Jesus is God. Jesus is the maker and sustainer of all things. Jesus is the ruler of all. The angels not only gave the Gospel to the shepherds; they give the true identity of Christ.
11. Of these three words (Savior, Christ, Lord), which one means the most to you? Which one do you struggle with the most?
12. What will you bring this year to Christmas? What is one way you can challenge yourself to be a light to your family? How can we be like the shepherds this Christmas?
The Christmas season usually means company. If company is with family, friends, or co-workers, many people have a Christmas tradition of getting together with others. Many times families pack up their car, juggle some sort of Christmas food, have a car full of kids and gifts, and head to someone’s house to celebrate “Christmas.”
2. What does your Christmas look like? How has it changed over the years? Be honest, are you a person that enjoys company?
Along with people, we usually bring things to these gatherings. In my family, I have found we usually bring the same dishes to pass every year. My sister brings the veggie pizza or taco salad, my other sister brings the breadsticks, and my nieces bring the most delicious desserts. All of those things I love to fill my plate, but it is not the Christmas food I look forward to every year. The best food that anyone brings to my family’s Christmas get-togethers is my mom’s homemade fudge. I do not mean this as an exaggeration, but I could probably eat an entire plate myself.
In today’s Growth Community lesson, we will focus our attention on the shepherds who were Jesus’ company at Christmas. I believe what the shepherds brought to the first Christmas gathering was something truly amazing. Yes, I think it is even better than my mom’s fudge.
Luke 2:8-14 records, “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’”
Luke 2:15-18 continues, “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.”
3. What were the shepherds doing on the night of the first Christmas Eve?
4. What did the angel proclaim to the shepherds? What did this proclamation cause with the “multitude of the heavenly host?”
There is such an amazing truth wrapped up in the shepherds. Angels show up to shepherds in a field. Angels, heavenly beings who are servants of God by praising Him and adoring God for who He is, show up to the “night crew” shepherds. No disrespect to those who work the third shift, but while the rest of Israel rested, shepherds had to go care for their flocks. Angels did not show up to a king, a rich ruler, or the high priests. Angels, sent by God Himself, came to proclaim the birth of our Savior and King. Shepherds were very scorned people. They were very low in the social aspect of Israel in Jesus’ time. Kent Hughes says, “Shepherds were despised by the ‘good and respectable’ people of the day. They were regarded as thieves. The only people lower than shepherds at that partial time in Jewish history were lepers.”
5. Do you find any significance in the angels showing up to the shepherds?
Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The shepherds were lowly people, but they still brought an amazing gift to Mary and Joseph, and ultimately Jesus.
To hone in on what the company of the shepherds brought in the first Christmas, below is a fill-in-the-blank. Each of these words, that are needed to fill in this statement, brings an important aspect of understanding an amazing truth about the shepherds being company at Christmas. Use Luke chapter 2 for a bit of a cheat sheet.
6. They brought the message of ___________ __________ and great _________. The message of who was just born in the city of David. A __________ who is ___________ the _____________.
7. What did the shepherds bring with them when they showed up at the manger of baby Jesus? (Maybe a little bit of a trick question.)
8. What do you think it meant to Mary and Joseph?
The first few words of “Good News” and “joy” are an amazing gift to bring to the first Christmas. The sense of excitement and fulfillment that any parent has upon the birth of their child is over the top. For Mary and Joseph, their child was truly one of a kind. To know all the foretelling of Christ’s birth culminated in a manger that brought about lowly shepherds coming to see what the Lord had done, is a beautiful picture of the truth that the joyous Gospel of our Lord and Savior had now come into the world.
The next three words are an amazing picture of what the company of Christ brings into our lives. These three words that describe Jesus are so important to understand and should bring comfort and joy to every believer.
The Gift of Jesus as Savior
Matthew 1:21 proclaims, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Luke 19:10 adds, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
John MacArthur observed, “Too often Jesus is presented as the one who will rescue people from the lack of fulfillment in their marriages, families, or jobs; from a debilitating habit they cannot overcome on their own or from a sense of purposelessness in life. But while relief in those areas may be a byproduct of salvation it is not its primary intent - The true Gospel message is that Jesus Christ came into the world to rescue people from sin and guilt.”
9. How is Jesus your Savior? What does that mean to you?
The Gift of Jesus as Christ
I often say this and it may sound simple, but Christ is not Jesus’ last name. It is telling us who He is. He is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.
10. How do these verses explain who Jesus is?
• Revelation 17:14
• Revelation 19:16
• Hebrews 3:1
• 1 Timothy 2:5
• Hebrews 7:25
• Hebrews 1:1-2
The Gift of Jesus as Lord
In 1 Corinthians 2:8, Paul states, “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
The Luke chapter 2 narrative is the only time in the Gospels this phrase is used. It is the only time we see all the titles of Jesus brought together. He will save His people from their sins because He is Savior. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah promised to Israel. From the moment sin entered the world, God’s plan for reconciliation centered around Christ. Finally, most humbly of all, Jesus is Lord. Jesus is God. Jesus is the maker and sustainer of all things. Jesus is the ruler of all. The angels not only gave the Gospel to the shepherds; they give the true identity of Christ.
11. Of these three words (Savior, Christ, Lord), which one means the most to you? Which one do you struggle with the most?
12. What will you bring this year to Christmas? What is one way you can challenge yourself to be a light to your family? How can we be like the shepherds this Christmas?