Navy mechanic Larry Cummins was walking on the boardwalk near the Waikiki Yacht Club when a friend waved him over. A lady from one of the high-rises saw a car go into the water. The water was calm. Then Cummins saw bubbles.
Taking a deep breath, he jumped in. It was impossible to see anything but his arm brushed against cold metal — a car door. He yanked, but it wouldn’t open. Four times, Cummins came up to get air, then swam back down. Finally, he managed to pull a door open. Seconds later, he surfaced with a 15-year-old girl.
(www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=31970)
Each year, Reader’s Digest holds a contest to vote on the “Hero of the Year”. Larry Cummins was nominated along with several others. These are common people doing uncommon deeds.
Common people are the people like you and me.
The passage that we are looking at today shows us some other common men, but they were given an uncommon task.
Open your Bibles to Luke 2:8-20, which is found on page _______ in the red bibles in the chair in front of you.
Here, we find, some shepherds keeping watch over their sheep by night. Suddenly, the sky was filled with Angels proclaiming the news that the Messiah had been born!
The angels told Shepherds. Every year, at Christmastime, we remember the shepherds. Flying over Iraq, made me think of the shepherds as they drove their flocks from place to place.
Theses shepherds worked with the sheep all of the time. We know from some of the stories of Jesus that the shepherds often laid down at the gate of the farmer and physically became the gate. They were with the sheep all of the time.
Because they were with the sheep, they were not going to be able to go to the festivals, nor were they able to go and sacrifice at the temple.
Most of them worked hard for their money, and used it wisely.
They were common people, Just like us, just like you and me.
And I believe that their story has much to tell us. God wants to use common people for his work.
And God wants to use you.
The first thing we see is that all of us can find Jesus.
Look with me at verse 8-9:
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. (Lk 2:8-9, NIV)
The angels chose the shepherds to go find Jesus. They pointed them in the right direction and sent them to find Jesus.
The shepherds could’ve refused; just like some of you may still be rejecting Christ.
But the shepherds saw the glory of God and could not help to go find the new born king.
The shepherds were not kings, they were not celebrities, and they were not powerful people in the nation.
They were just common people, whom God loved. And they found Jesus.
And so can you.
We have this idea that we must be totally clean before we come to Christ.
WE think that we should be religious to come to Christ.
We think that we have to obey all sorts of rules to come to Christ.
–if we had to do that, if we had to keep laws to be saved, we would not need Jesus.
–We need Jesus because we can’t obey the laws of God.
The Billy Graham website has a list of testimonies of people that have come to Christ.
Laura writes;
“My fiancé bought me a ring that seemed perfect to me. That was until an outsider pointed out all the flaws in it. For some reason, this caused me to be depressed about the flaws in my life. That is until I heard…Billy Graham…It was like Dr. Graham had written that sermon for me! Now I realize that because of Jesus’ cleansing blood, I am free of sin. Those imperfections can’t distract me from the gift he has given me – eternal life!”
(Laura 12/06/2002)
Chuck wrote;
My story in short is this. At age 17 I had already been hooked on drugs for 9 years. At my lowest point I was saved by the Lord of light. A burst of light filled with pure joy filled my entire being. Jesus loves me, this I Know.” I am now 32 and still growing.
(Chuck 11/25/2002)
Mary added;
My husband attended the meeting held at the Giant stadium in 1991 and committed to Lord Jesus Christ. Two weeks later he was called home. What a joy to know that he is with the Lord today.
(mary 12/04/2002)
This morning, you may not be on drugs, on your death bed, or even depressed. But, Jesus died for you wherever you are in your spiritual walk.
The message of the Shepherds is that you can find Jesus no matter who you are.
v. 4
4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with salvation. (Ps 149:4, NIV)
The shepherds were humble and they rushed to find Jesus.
And you can find Jesus as well.
You must understand that all of us are sinners. Sin is anything that you think, say or do that makes God unhappy. And we all do that.
And we must have that sin paid for.
Jesus did that for us.
Jesus paid the price of death in your place.
And if you accept him, you will be saved from the eternity in Hell.
And you can do this this morning.
The second thing we see in this passage is that all of us can share Jesus.
v. 17-18
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Lk 2:17-18, NIV)
We see here that you don’t have to be angel to share Jesus.
Up to this point the angels were telling others about the new born king.
But now the shepherds have seen Jesus they return telling others about him.
And they set the example for us.
You can share Jesus.
We all know people that are lost. We need to share with them the hope of salvation.
Some may think that it is the preacher’s job to share the gospel.
But it is everybody’s job to share our faith. It is your responsibility. It is my responsibility to witness.
God can use you!
God was using the common people like the shepherds and he can use you.
I Corinthians 1:27-29 says this:
27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. (1 Co 1:27-29, NIV)
It doesn’t matter what education level, it doesn’t matter if you are a great speaker.
What matters is that you share Jesus!
Now, how is that done?
1. First of all just learn to tell your story.
Everyone loves to hear stories. Learn to tell yours.
Many times we spend much of our time telling about someone else.
WE need to spend more of our time sharing Christ.
Include in your conversations how God is working in your life, and how his presence is making life more meaningful.
2. We need to begin thinking of our conversations as opportunities. Share our stories in the midst of conversations.
We talk to people daily who are hurting. Use these opportunities to share how they can find hope.
We talk to people everyday, who are enjoying victories. Take the time to share the victories in your life through Christ.
We talk all day about our lives in general, make Chapel apart of that conversation. Make your personal Bible study and what you discovered apart of that conversation.
Our talks with others can be a great doorway to sharing our faith with others.
3. To do this you must know your story. This is called a testimony.
Writing your testimony includes writing about your life before you found Christ. How you found Christ, and concludes with your life after finding Christ.
It doesn’t need to be elaborate, but it does need to include what Jesus has done for you. Every story represents a miracle—the miracle of what Christ did in our lives.
Through living your life and making the most of every opportunity, you can share Jesus.
The third thing that the story of the shepherds tells us is that all of us can serve Jesus.
Look at verse 20
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Lk. 2:20, NIV)
This verse teaches us that we don’t have to become someone else to serve Jesus.
Many times we think that we have to put on a new mask in order to work in the church, in order to serve Jesus, in order to share Jesus.
But the shepherds went back to their flocks.
God created us in a certain place to live for him. By his grace he has placed friends, family, and co-workers in our lives to draw them to Christ.
1. We first serve precisely where we are
We know people, already in our lives, who are lost
–Some of them are friends
–Some of them are people we work with
–Some of them are family.
WE must make the most of these opportunities. The consequences of us not doing so are very high.
Without Christ the people that we know will spend eternity in Hell.
2. Second of all, we take who we are and look for lost people.
Recently, I’ve been read up on how to build a blog, or an online journal. I’ve kept one since July and today will be my 100th entry.
One of the tips to making a successful blog is to talk about what you enjoy. Talking about what you enjoy will give you material to write about and will give you some degree of creditability.
For instance—My blog is about my comic books. I focus on Superman and Batman and some other characters. I read a comic and then I write about it. Sometimes, I read an article in a magazine and I write about it.
I’ve had over 3000 hits since I’ve started, and I believe that it is successful because I’m simply writing about what I’m interested in.
Evangelism works the same way.
Go do things that you are interested in.
If you have a hobby—join a club and be active. Get to know some of the people in the club and look for opportunities to share Jesus with them. As you build friendships, take the time to share Christ with them. Invite them to chapel or to a Bible Study. Bring them a book that has meant something to you.
Take what you know, who you are, and use it as an opportunity to share Christ.
Conclusion
Driving on Route 44, Dr. Scott Kurtzman saw a dump truck barreling down a steep hill. Clearly the driver had lost control. An instant later, the truck was on its side, plowing into vehicle after vehicle. Thanks to years of ER experience, the doctor immediately shifted into trauma mode, pulling victims from burning cars and treating their wounds.
Reader’s Digest adds; “After 90 minutes, when all 16 victims had been triaged and taken to area hospitals, the doctor climbed quietly into his car.” (www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=31974)
The story of the Shepherds tells us that we are all common people with an uncommon task
We can;
–serve Jesus where we are
–share Jesus
–and we can find Jesus
Jesus came to give us life. Life here on earth and life in eternity.
We can’t have this life because of our sin.
Sin separates us from God.
And the only way to close the separation is for the debt of death to be paid.
Jesus paid that debt.
But we must accept it.
And you can accept it today.
After the service, take the time to talk to a chaplain about accepting this payment.
Let us pray.
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This sermon was preached at Camp Striker, Iraq in DEC 2006
All scripture marked NIV: The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Lk 2:8). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.