1. Luke 2 : 8 - 14 (NKJV) 8 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.

2. Luke 2 : 8 - 14 (NKJV) 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!”

3. LUKE 2:8-14 The Good News

4. We hear people speak about the “gospel” all the time They use the word in many different phrases We speak of preaching the “gospel”, the “gospel” call, and obeying the “gospel”

5. The Good News The question is, do we know what the gospel is? Gospel means the good news, good tidings, or a good message Paul defined what the gospel was in I Corinthians 15:1-4

6. The Good News The gospel is the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ Obviously His coming to the earth is wrapped up in that message In Luke 2:8-14, we see the declaration of His coming

7. The Good News That message was a message that brought gladness and great joy to those who heard it What exactly is so good about the good news? Luke 2 gives us some answers as to why it was so…

8. The Good News 1. It drives away fear (v. 10)  There was an obvious fear here because of the scene of the angel and the glory of the Lord  There is also a fear of condemnation  There is a fear of eternal punishment  The gospel takes that fear away

9. The Good News 1. It drives away fear (v. 10)  The gospel is a saving message (Rom. 1:16)  Jesus came into the world to seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10)  It’s not about trying to instill fear in humanity, but rather driving away that fear through hope (Jn. 3:17)

10. The Good News 2. It brings good tidings of great joy (v. 10)  We often don’t talk about Jesus because we are afraid people will not like it  However we need to be reminded that it is a message designed to bring joy  Jesus brought these same glad tidings (Lk. 8:1)

11. The Good News 2. It brings good tidings of great joy (v. 10)  The good news is exactly that…good news  “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15)  Let’s remember we bring a message of joy!

12. The Good News 3. It is universally available (v. 10)  The gospel message was not a message intended for a certain group only  It may have gone to the Jews first, but it was not limited to them (Rom. 1:16)  We are to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mk. 16:15)

13. The Good News 3. It is universally available (v. 10)  We know that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35)  That’s the point of verses such as Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13  God wants to see all men saved (I Tim. 2:3-4; II Pet. 3:9)

14. The Good News 4. It is personal (v. 11)  Isn’t it wonderful to serve a God that knows us personal?  Does your boss at work know you personally, does he/she take a personal interest in you?  Our God knows the number of hairs on our head (Lk. 12:7)

15. The Good News 4. It is personal (v. 11)  What Christ did, He did for you (Jn. 3:16)  Paul told the Philippians to work out their own salvation (Phil. 2:12)  We will all give account of ourselves, because our salvation is personal (Rom. 14:12; II Cor. 5:10)

16. The Good News 5. It is soul-centered (v. 11)  Christ came as a Savior, to save our souls from sin  Yes, He did many miracles, healed the sick and lame, and brought the dead to life  However, His main goal was seeking and saving the souls that were lost (Lk. 19:10; Matt. 10:28)

17. The Good News 6. It glorifies God (v. 14)  Every time the gospel is preached, God is glorified  The focus of the message we hear on Sundays and Wednesdays shouldn’t be the one delivering the message  The focus should always be placed upon God and His greatness!

18. The Good News 7. It brings peace and good will (v. 14)  Jesus came to this earth to create peace between God and man (Rom. 5:1)  Man brought division between himself and God through sin (Is. 59:2)  It is Christ who is able to reconcile us back to God

19. The Good News 7. It brings peace and good will (v. 14)  Paul referred to the gospel as the “gospel of peace” in both Romans 10:15 and Ephesians 6:15  It is a message which creates peace between ourselves and God as well as with fellow Christians