When they had seen it. Luke 2:15-20 V15. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. The Bible is unclear as to how long the celebration lasted, rather it was just a few minutes, the rest of the night, or for days. But after the angels returned to Heaven, the shepherds regrouped and said to each other, wow, was that something or what? Have you ever seen anything like that before? I haven’t even heard of anything like that before! See, when God wants to use you in a mighty way, His announcement to you removes every shred of doubt that it was Him. Then the shepherds did something that so many fail to do when they hear a word from God; they said to each other, let us NOW go. They did not delay, they went immediately. If you delay, even briefly, to act on what God has told you, the devil will steal your faith. he will talk you out of it. This is one of the rare times in Scripture when God will show and tell more than one person of what He is doing. This most important event on earth, to this point, could in no ways be trusted to just one man. Even to Bethlehem. This makes me wonder a bit. It doesn’t say let us go to Bethlehem, it says EVEN to Bethlehem. It is almost as though they are not welcome there for some reason. Modern translations have taken the even out so maybe it is just language change in english from the year 1611 to now. I don’t know, I wasn’t there in 1611. Brits still have several words messed up today! The shepherds wanted to go see what they already knew had happened. They didn’t say to see IF this thing has come to pass, they said this thing WHICH IS. They had no doubt that the Baby was there and He is the Savior of all who will believe because they knew it was the Lord who revealed it to them. They wanted to go and see Him for themselves. They wanted to see Him so bad that they left the sheep and sought Him. V16. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. The shepherds were anxious to see this newborn King after they heard of Him. They hurried to the site that the angels said He would be found. They didn’t bother with anyone on the way to the barnyard. This is so important. When Jesus sent His disciples out on their mission, He firmly warned them not to talk to anyone on the way (Luke 10:4). In Verse three of that chapter He said I am sending you out as sheep among wolves; (even to Bethlehem?). God will send you to places where people don’t want Him nor you! When we get an assignment from God, it is often as these shepherds did. They were not told to go, they just took it upon themselves to just go. And like them we need to hurry to get there because any delays in route, the enemy will try to kill, steal, or destroy your faith. If you look at the can’ts, the what will it cost mes, or wait for further details, you could lose your opportunity. When God shows you something, go to it with haste. And there they found Joseph and Mary with the Christ-child lying inside the manger. V17. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. After they saw the Truth, they could no longer contain it. On the way there, they could not take the time to visit with others about where they were going and what they expected to find. But after they saw the Truth with their own eyes, they could not help but to tell it to everyone that crossed their path. Oh, when you know the Truth, the Truth will set you free. They was no longer concerned that they were in Bethlehem, they didn’t care where they were! They saw the Good News and they could in no ways not tell everyone about Him. And it was exactly as the angel told them it would be. V18. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. Everyone that heard the shepherds’ testimony wondered about it but it doesn’t say they believed it. There was no meteorologist on channel twelve talking about a great light that appeared in the sky the night before. No 911 calls complaining of the loud party in the hills just outside of town. No, there was just a bunch of lowly shepherds telling about the coming of the Lord. V19. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. But Mary heard the shepherds’ testimonies and she dwelt on them in her heart and remembered her visitation by an angel when Gabriel appeared to her some nine months earlier. God was using the shepherds to confirm to Mary that what Gabriel told her was indeed the truth. V20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. The shepherds were not disturbed in the least rather anyone believed them or not. they continued the celebration to God for the thing they had first heard about and then got to see. And everything was just as it was told to them hot out of Heaven. Acts 4:13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. God’s ways are not like we would think they are. When God is about to move, He isn’t looking for a person who is well trained and qualified in a certain field. In fact, He is always on the lookout for the ones that people who man has labeled unqualified in a certain field. All He is wanting is someone who has been mistreated, rejected, broken,or despised enough to just call out to Him. Unlearned and ignorant. Yes, these are the qualifications for God’s assignments. Man will not allow you a position because you either don’t have the piece of paper that says you have been schooled by man so you fit in to what we expect. They also won’t allow you a position because you have a past that goes against their acceptable grade. Oh, these men have never read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 or they have removed it from their book along with Romans 3:22. Too many positions are given by the works a person can give to the Church and not based on their belief in God. Come on somebody! Yes unlearned and ignorant are the ones God will use in His movements. But there is another word found in Acts 4:13 that is a must also. Boldness. Mary had to have boldness to say to God, use me as you will. Joseph had to have boldness to drop his rock when the law said to stone Mary to death. The shepherds had to have boldness to abandon their master’s sheep and go even into Bethlehem. John the Baptist had to have boldness to take a stand in the wilderness and call the religious folks a brood of vipers. The infirm woman had to have boldness to come when Jesus called her out of the women’s section of the Church and into the men’s section. Stephen had to have boldness to leave the closed doors of the new Church and take it to the streets. But the main ingredient to doing anything for God in His New Testament Church is also found in Acts 4:13. Everyone who sees you will know that you have been with Jesus. So many say they know Jesus. That is not enough. God will only use you for His purpose only after you have been with His Son Jesus. Boldness comes to all who have heard the will of God on their life in the darkness and believed it to be so true that they pursue what God has said no matter what. There is an uneasiness when you first set out to do it. But like all the above mentioned, all doubt was removed..... when they had seen it! The last word: Saul was on his way to Damascus. And he thought he would do wonderful things with a bunch of papers from the high priest. But he dropped them on the road and never picked them back up again.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 17:33:08 +0000
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