GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY

Luke 2:1-14

Key Verse 2:10-11

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'"

Praise God for being with us in 2001.We are here to think about the true meaning of Christmas. About two thousand years ago the first Christmas message was delivered to the shepherds living out in the fields nearby. The angel said, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." The angel declared that the birth of Jesus was good news of great joy for all people. Where can we find good news plus great joy? We hear many bad news these days. CNN brings the story of war in Afghanistan every hour. Can the holidays truly be happy? Our shopping list gets larger. Are you happy or stressed out? I have good news to share with you today. Let’s go back to the Bethlehem and find out the content of the good news of great joy once again. May God bless us to hear the angel’s message in this busy holiday season and welcome the baby Jesus as our personal Savior so that he may bring peace of God to us. I pray that God may give us humble heart so that we may maintain the spirit of manger in our life of mission.

PART 1. THE BIRTH OF JESUS (1-7)

Look at verse 1. "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world." This verse shows us the historical background of the birth of Jesus. The world was the Roman world. Rome emerged as the world super power after many bloody conquering wars. At that time the Roman Emperor was Caesar Augustus. He issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. The Roman Empire extended westward to England and to Asia Minor and North Africa across the Mediterranean Sea, eastward. At that time the Roman Empire was the greatest world power. She ruled the world with the slogan, “peace of Rome.” The purpose of Caesar’s decree was to increase the tax revenue to cover war expenses and to draft soldiers for his vast army. Roman Empire was not the people's government but the emperor's. Roman rule made colonial people extremely helpless. Ordinary people suffered a lot under his military rule with sword and fist. The more the Empire prospered, the more the sufferings of the people of the colonies increased.

Look at verse 3. "And everyone went to his own town to register." His decree was an absolute order; every one had to obey. No one was exempt. It was inflexible. Look at verses 4 and 5. "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child." In this passage the story of Joseph and Mary is fascinating. What kind of people did God use to bring us good news of great joy? At that time, Mary was engaged to marry Joseph. So Joseph and Mary had to wait one year. She was dreaming of her beautiful wedding with Joseph. And the engagement period was almost over. Whenever Mary thought about Joseph, her cheeks turned red and her heart pumped faster than the subway train. One day, Mary missed Joseph so much. So she went out of the house, and before the sheep pen she called, "O Joseph, O Joseph. I love you. My love for you will never end." She frequently opened the door and looked out again and again. But Joseph was not coming to her.

On the other hand, Joseph was well-built and very handsome. In the carpentry shop he worked diligently to support the family. But since he was engaged, his heart also went out to Mary. He was thinking about Mary all the time. He was quiet but gentle in his character. He was a gentleman of the town. But things didn't go as they had wished. One day, God sent the

angel Gabriel to Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled because she did not need anyone’s favor except Joseph’s. The angel’s message was that she would have a child called Jesus. God interrupted her human dream and wanted to use her as his instrument to send his One and Only Son into this world. Mary had to give up her marriage plan to be used in God’s history. "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" It was absolutely impossible for Mary to obey the angel's tiding. However, the word of God through the angel was firm and absolute. So Mary decided to submit herself to God's will. She said, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said." She put God’s will above her own human plan. Mary’s obedience made her beautiful. God chose a humble country girl to be the mother of Jesus.

Joseph also heard the angel's voice. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Joseph was troubled by what God was going to do. But he had to decide before the firm and absolute word of God. He decided to obey God's will and help Mary. However, his emotional feeling made him cry endlessly saying, “Oh, Lord! Why Mary?”. So he went into a synagogue and knelt down and prayed a long time until God comforted his soul. Joseph was a man of faith. He had a tremendous respect towards the will of God. God chose humble Joseph to protect the baby Jesus and his mother Mary. Both Mary and Joseph were two common people who were obedient to God. In this way God could use these two individuals to bring us the good news of great joy.

Though the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was long and difficult like 80 miles, Joseph and Mary enjoyed their romantic fellowship and shared many joyful memories together along the journey. What happened to Mary in Bethlehem? Look at verses 6 and 7. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Obviously, Mary was in sharp delivery pain, but there was no one who was willing to give a room for delivering mother. They pretended not to hear the cry of a woman who was in labor pain. M. Matthew Kim was shocked when he happened to enter his wife’s delivery room. M. Monica was extreme pain to deliver her first daughter. So he joined doctors and nurses by telling his wife, “Push harder, push one more time.” He said later, “It was a life-changing experience. I felt I delivered the child.” But there were no doctors or nurses or even a used crib when Jesus was born. People became so selfish as to turn their eyes away from Mary who needed a room for the baby. So the Baby Jesus was delivered in a stable and was wrapped in rags and placed in a manger. He was laid in the manger, instead of a cradle. Strange to say, only animals welcomed the baby Jesus. The world was not ready to welcome the coming of the Messiah. The birth of Jesus was predicted throughout the Scriptures beginning from Genesis 3:15 when men lost the paradise due to their disobedience against God. The sign of the birth of Jesus was prophesied and given to king Ahaz and the prophet Isaiah. “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isa. 7:14) Then why did people fail to recognize the birth of the Messiah, Jesus? Matthew described the spiritual condition of the people in this way when Jesus was born, “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” The people lived in the shadow of death. The dawn of the day is the darkest time of the day. The sin of mankind reached to the highest point. Due to the darkness of sin, people failed to recognize the birth of Jesus. The shadow of death makes people nervous, fearful, unstable, and selfish. The whole creation was waiting for the Savior to deliver men from the shadow of death. Though the world did not recognize the birth of Jesus, the dawning of the new history began when Jesus was born in the manger. God was fulfilling his long-waited promise to send his One and Only Son to save all fallen human beings from the power of sin and death. A new chapter of human history began to unfold slowly when Jesus was born in the manger. The Son of God appeared to us to disperse the gloomy clouds of sin and death and bring us the good news of God’s salvation.

Why was Jesus born such a humble place like a manger? Because of his sorrowful surroundings even from his birth, he knew man's suffering and sorrow. Isaiah 53:3 says, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Jesus was born in this way so that he might bear all our sorrows and fatalistic elements in his own body. He was born in this way so that he might be a friend and shepherd of all his people. He was born in this way so that he might understand all helpless people and help them. It is not easy to understand other people. One second Generation said, “My father does not understand me.” Nobody understands other’s sorrows or hidden agonies of life. There is a saying like this, “Only widows understand a widow’s sorrow.” But Jesus can understand because he experienced all our sorrows as soon he was born into this world. Jesus understands the deep agonies of life for each of us. Jesus was born in a manger to carry our sorrows and heal our wounds.

The baby in the manger looked poor and helpless. But Luke the historian pictures the Roman Empire as the background of Jesus' birth, like extras in a play, and God as the Sovereign Ruler of human history. God used Caesar's decree to fulfill his promise that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem, the town of David. (Micah 5:2) Though the Caesar’s political machine looked awesome and powerful, it was nothing but an instrument of God. In the middle of political turmoil and sufferings of people, God was fulfilling his plan to send Joseph and Mary to their hometown so that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, not in Galilee. Though God is invisible, he is the Sovereign Ruler of the world who carries out his plan through many human events sometimes seemed to be very tragic and unacceptable. In all things we can find God’s sovereign rule if we have spiritual eyes to see the way of God’s working.

PART II. GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY (8-14)

Look at verses 8 and 9. “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” What kind of people did God use to hear the first Christmas message? The angel was not sent to the chief priests wearing expensive robes or the Pharisees, or the rich, but to a company of poor shepherds, ordinary people out in the fields. It seems that God chooses humble people like shepherds to reveal his glory. God did not call Moses when he was a proud able young Prince of the Egyptian Empire. God called him when he was humble and lived in the bottom of the world. God revealed the baby Jesus to Simeon and Anna because they were humbly waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Joseph and Mary were humble and poor in spirit. We can say that the first Christmas was poor people’s Christmas. Here again God blessed poor shepherds in the fields to hear the good news of Jesus' birth. Why did God give this blessing to shepherds?

They were not sleeping in their comfortable beds when this news was brought them, but abiding in the fields, and watching. They were broad awake. They were not lazy, or drowsy, or sleepy. They were diligent, humble, pure, and simple. They were also faithful to their mission protecting their flocks from thieves and wild animals. They were ready to punch bears if one tried to steal their sheep. They were watchmen of the times. They were lonely in the fields but God rewarded them with good news. Their labor was not in vain. God blessed their shepherd life by giving them privilege to hear the first Christmas message. Shepherd life in UBF is lonely. There is no worldly recognition or prestige. But it is very precious to God because it is the work of God that saves many lives. At the same time, it demands spiritual alertness daily. In 2001 we confronted many spiritual crisis internally and externally. How did we overcome them? It was the early morning prayers offered by several woman coworkers. They broke the wee hours of the early morning and came to the Center and prayed to God with their earnest hearts, “O Lord, save us from division. And save your flocks from temptations and help them to love your word. Protect them from evil ones. Help my sheep pass her computer class.” They had awakened the dawn with their prayers. (Psalm 57:8) They are the watchmen of our times. God heard their prayers and blessed our ministry abundantly. The work of God belongs to those who are keeping watch over their flocks at night. S. Richard Anderson struggled to keep watch over his flocks from hungry wolves at JHU while working hard to finish his PhD work. God did not disappoint him. S. Paul suffered a lot to keep watch over God’s flocks at TU while preparing his CPA exam. M. Paul Oh was faithful to his mission at GU while working as diplomat in Korean Embassy. God granted him three faithful shepherds. S. Bruce Hollinger maintained the work of God for GMU students in spite of many hardships and trials of many kinds. God uses praying people to bring good news of great joy.

What was the angel's message? Look at verses 10,11. "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'" The angel said that the birth of Jesus was good news of great joy that will be for all people. Good news for some people might be bad news for other people. When FSU Football team lost a crucial game to NC State at home for the first time in ACC game, it was good news to all Maryland fans but bad news to FSU fans. Now Maryland is bound for the Orange Ball in Miami. But the coming of the baby Jesus is good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Why? We find several reasons why the birth of Jesus is good news of great joy for all the people.

First, Jesus is our Savior. The content of good news of great joy was that a Savior has been born to us. This reveals the work of the baby Jesus. According to the angel's message, he is a Savior. What kind of a savior was he? Was he a financial savior or a final exam savior or a marriage savior? None of them. He saves us from our sins. John the Baptist said in John 1:29, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." Jesus was born in the manger to take away the sin of the world--the sin of yours and mine. Grasshoppers do not need a savior but man needs a Savior. Isn't it good news plus great joy that Jesus solved our sin problem. This is truly good news in the world filled with many bad news. Why is sin a big problem to us? Sin breaks the relationship with God. Sin makes us a slave of physical desires. "O, come on pleasure. You are my sunshine. How can I live without you even a day?" Sin makes us become the object of God’s judgment. These days, people treat sin very lightly. They think it's okay to sin because everyone does it. But it is a big mistake. Sin produces undesirable fruit. It separates us from a relationship with God. Sin is no fun at all. Those who live in sin may look gorgeous outwardly like an artificial Christmas tree, but they invite the wrath of God upon themselves and suffer endlessly because of heavy guilty feelings like Cain. They cry secretly, "My punishment is too heavy to bear." They lose sense of direction and image of God. Romans 6:23a says, “For the wages of sin is death.” We see the wages of sin vividly from Osama bin Laden. He masterminded the 9-11 bombing of the World Trade Center and brought disaster to many Afghanistan people and Americans. He terrorized the whole world with extreme hatred and forced many young Muslims to death even not telling them what their mission was until just before they boarded the airplane. Now he is running for his life. He is bad news for all people. He did not save anyone’s life but ruined many lives. Soon he will pay the wages of his sin with his own death. All escape routs are blocked and he will be punished for his sin with his life. Sin must be paid for. But the birth of Jesus is good news. Jesus saved us from our sins. How? In order to save us from our sins, he died on the cross. Jesus bore all our shame and guilt and was crucified on the cross like a most wretched criminal. He was cursed and condemned in our places. Jesus laid down his life on the cross and shed his blood as the ransom sacrifice for our sins. By his blood Jesus bought us back from the hand of Satan and made us his holy children. Praise Jesus who saved us from our terrible past life of sin! This is good news of great joy.

Jesus is the Savior for all kinds of people. Last week we were very happy to hear seven living water team sisters sing a special song for our Sunday worship service. The living water team members are Kemi, Omy, Nicole, Charlene, Crytal, Ashley, and Patricia. They sang joyfully, “We wish you merry Christmas and happy New Year.” They all met Jesus through their 1:1 Bible studies and drank the living water welling up to eternal life that Jesus offered. They are happy and satisfied because Jesus quenched their deep spiritual thirst. Jesus is good news of great joy to them all. Lawson Glenn served U.S. Navy and will graduate next week with his engineering degree. He accepted God’s love through Jesus and wanted to have absolute faith. He said, “I am seeking God’s will for my marriage plan because life is short.” Jesus is good news of great joy to him. Dennis Yoder had to take many pills to overcome his depression in the past. He reduced number of pills slowly and began to rely on Jesus, his Savior. Jesus is good news of great joy to him. Eric Nazar heard Jesus’ voice, “Do you want to get well?” and answered, “yes, I want to get well.” Jesus healed him from his habit of complaining and gave him hope and vision. Jesus is good news of great joy to him. Jesus is good news of great joy to me also. In the past I had a super hunger for power, wealth, honor, and love. Nobody quenched my hunger and thirst. I was looking for a dream marriage partner to make me rich and powerful. But in reality I was a symbol of selfish man. I was a terrible sinner like Levi the tax collector. I was reluctant to give but only interested in grabbing something from others. When I was selfish, I became lonely and unhappy. In the meantime I was tormented by the fear of death. Nobody was able to save me from the fear of death. What I needed most was not material possession but a Savior who frees me from the power of sin and death. By the grace of Jesus I was born again into the kingdom of God. God blessed me to marry a woman of faith not a rich foxy woman. Then I chose John 12:24 as my life key verse and decided to live as a kernel of wheat that falls to the land of Maryland and produces many seeds of eternal life. Serving and sacrificing and giving were not in my dictionary in the past but they are my life. Jesus helped me overcome my selfishness. Jesus chose me to serve his will for young college students. He helped me overcome fatalistic elements of life. He is truly wonderful Savior. He is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Price of Peace as Isaiah prophesied in Isa. 9:6. Who is Jesus?

Second, Jesus is Christ the Lord. Look at verse 11. "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Verse 11 introduces the baby in the manger as Christ the Lord. Christ means “the anointed King.” Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Of course, it was not easy for Jesus to obey God and die on the cross like a criminal to save men from their sins. But Jesus obeyed and died. God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. God established Jesus as the eternal king in the house of Jacob, and made him to reign as the king of eternal kingdom. Human kingdoms rise and fall like the ebb and tide of the ocean. But God's kingdom stands forever. Jesus our King is humble and meek. He rules the world with peace and love. In Jesus' kingdom there will be no more divorce, no more war, no more sorrows, no more bills, and no more terrorists, and no more sin problem.

Third, Jesus is good news of great joy because he is full of grace. Though Jesus is the King of kings, he is full of grace. One day, a hideous man with leprosy approached Jesus. The leper had lost eight fingers, one by one. He covered his face with two fingers, and with a husky voice he asked Jesus, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." At the scene, his disciples grabbed their noses and tried to keep a distance from him. But as soon as Jesus saw him, his heart went out to him. Jesus approached him and touched him, "Be clean, my son." Then his leprosy was gone and he became as handsome as David Park. He saw his new skin and said, "Now I can marry. I’ve gotta go to see my mom." Jesus was really happy that he was cured and to see that he was full of hope. Jesus expressed his compassion and mercy when he saw the hungry crowds because they were like sheep without shepherds. Before conversion, Apostle Paul persecuted Christians at his own expense. When he met Jesus on the way to Damascus, Jesus did not kill him but called him to be his instrument to carry his name among all the Gentiles. We don’t deserve God’s love and his calling. But Jesus called us by his grace. He is full of mercy. Jesus saved us not by our works or merits but his grace alone. Jesus is full of grace. He is good news to all of us.

Lastly, let's think about the baby in the manger. Look at verse 13. "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." How can the tiny baby in the manger be the sign of the good news plus great joy? Well, that’s what the angel said. We have to believe the sign God gave us. The shepherds went to Bethlehem and found the baby Jesus who was lying in the manger. We need spiritual insight to accept the baby Jesus in the manger. UBF uses the phrase “manger ministry” or “manger spirit” a lot. Let’s find the definition of the manger ministry or manger spirit. The manger spirit is described as “invisible, small, insignificant, humble, sacrificial, and life-giving”. Jesus began his ministry in the humble town of Galilee and ended with his death on the cross. Even though he is a baby in a manger, he has the life of God in him. So he can give abundant life to those who come to him. John 10:10 says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” God’s work and history have always looked weak, small, invisible, and humble in the beginning. But it grew and grew later because it has life in it. Jesus chose 12 disciples to evangelize the whole world. Those 12 looked very weak. Each one was a character. They liked to eat. Each one wanted to be the number one man. They gave the strong impression that they were afraid to be changed. But Jesus loved them one by one and had hope in them. Jesus babysat them one by one. Jesus endured their weaknesses until they grew in the image of God. Later, they became history-makers with the gospel of Jesus. UBF one-to-one Bible study ministry is a manger ministry, and it is the way of God’s work and history. It is slow and time-consuming. It does not give us a quick success. The movie “vanilla sky” catches the headline news these days. Tom Cruise cruises with Penelope Cruz as the star in “Sky.” Washington Post does not report Anthony Ahmed’s 1:1 Bible study with Yinka, a handsome and tall student. But we see many fruits of 1:1 Bible ministry. Jagun sister’s 1:1 ministry is very fruitful. These days there is a strong sign of hope that God is working among us. God sent 106 people to our SWS during our 9^th anniversary celebration. Our YDJ began small but they have grown to three teams and many are coming to share testimonies even before the finals. Even Sarah Oh began to enjoy testimony sharing. Our CBF was small in the beginning but now they grew 40 members strong. Our ministry began with three missionary families but now we are praying for 206 East Coast campuses. We don’t know when we can pioneer 206 East Coast campuses. If we cannot do it, our second generation will do it. No matter how much we become successful, it is important to maintain the spirit of manager humbly serving students with shepherd heart of Jesus.

In conclusion, look at verse 14. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Finally, the angelic chorus sang the first Christmas carol. They praised God for sending his Son to this world to reveal the glory of God and to bring peace to those who welcome Jesus as their personal Savior. The birth of Jesus was good news because Jesus made God and sinners reconcile. Jesus revealed God’s glory through his obedience to death on the cross. He restored man’s relationship with God. He brought peace to all men who had faith in him. Real peace comes from the baby Jesus who was born in the manger and died for our sins. Paul Kennedy, the author of “Preparing for the 21^st century” said in his book, “What is clear is that as the Cold War fades away, we face not a “new world order” but a troubled and fractured planet.” He was proved right as we confront today a new war called a “global terrorism.” How can we maintain peace in this troubled world? The answer is given to us by the angel’s message. “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.” Let's pray that God may reveal his glory among us and bring peace of heaven to us through the baby Jesus. Let's accept the baby Jesus as our King and Savior, so that he may rule each of us with love and peace. Let's pray that the baby Jesus rule the whole world. Merry Christmas and happy New Year! Read key verse 10-11.