GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY

There was reason for the shepherds to fear. An angel of God appeared to them. We read that the glory of the Lord shone round about them. Every revelation of God and His heavenly power and glory will always cause fear in the hearts of men. God is the Most High and who can stand before Him and live? No man of whatever quality. We will especially feel and believe that, if there was a time in our life, wherein the Glory of God’s righteousness and holiness was laid upon our hearts. In the light of these attributes we are nothing but lost sinners. We very easily can confess this, but it is quite different to experience this. We really shall fear and tremble then. But the angel spoke to the shepherds and said to them there is no reason to fear. Why? Because these shepherds were such nice and humble persons, walking and living in singleness of heart? Because they were conscious of the fact that they were sinners and justly condemned? Because they were, as we may think, longing for the coming Messiah, and for the revelation of His Kingdom? No, there were no reasons to be found in these shepherds, why the angel spoke to them that there was no reason to fear. And it is necessary to say that always and again. Also in these times, many persons, also very sincere ones are seeking the foundations of their hope and expectation in their own life or behavior. There is never any reason of hope, when we look at ourselves. We are lost, condemned, hell-worthy sinners. We need to find that out in the school of the Holy Spirit. When His work is in our hearts we surely will lose all rights, value and worth. Also in our experiences. Many seek hope in their tears, in the change of their life, in their seeking and in their feelings. That is a very weak foundation to build upon.

We know of many examples of persons, who were weeping for a time and then fell back into the world: or, who had a remarkable change in their behavior, but who showed afterwards that they were not changed in their hearts through a new birth: or, who had all kinds of words, which came to their mind, but which were never given by the Holy Ghost: or, who had wonderful dreams and visions, but who had not a clear, Scriptural revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. 0, let us give attention to the Word of the Angel to the Shepherds: He said: Fear not, but not for any reason in you, but because of the fact, that I bring you good tidings of great joy. The reason not to fear is the tidings the angels had to bring. Had He not brought such good tidings then there had been many reasons to fear. The comfort that the ministers of the gospel may preach is in the message they bring, not in the persons they speak to, although they may be otherwise than public offenders of God’s Name. The angel brought good tidings of great joy. We will see what that message is.

A Saviour is born, which is Christ the Lord. That is a wonderful message. That is unspeakably great. No one deserves that. We are all under wrath and judgment righteously. We have sinned against the Most High and deserve the greatest punishments in body and soul. There is no way out of our misery in respect to human power or ability. The guilt is unremovable. The debt is unpardonable. They cannot help themselves and they cannot be delivered by any creature. But now the Lord comes with good tidings that a Saviour is born. It is the promised Saviour, because the angel said, that He is born in the City of David. So it was foretold by all the prophets. It is the Saviour promised in the seed of the woman. All the saints and pilgrims of the old days were looking for Him. They found by faith in the promises given concerning Him, their hope and life in Him. It is the very same one who is said here to be born in Bethlehem, Who was promised to the fathers and wherein the fathers found their refuge. His birth is a preaching of the faithfulness of the Lord. God kept His word. Although many ages were circling around before His Word became fulfilled the Lord did not forget. It is also an almighty Saviour, because He is said to be: The Lord. Such a Saviour the lost sinner stands in need of, because if He was not Almighty God He could not be a Deliverer. It is an anointed Saviour. He has the unction of the Holy Spirit. His name is Christ. That means: the anointed. His Father has ordained Him from eternity. His Father has given Him the authority to save sinners. He gave Him in his manhood all the powers He needed to perform His work. It is a willing Saviour, because He accepted such a humiliation, when He came in the flesh and the blood of man. So we see, that when the Angel brought the message of the birth of Christ to the Shepherds, He really brought a good tiding. It was a tiding concerning the work of the Father, Who wants sinners to be saved by His Son; of the Son, Who gave Himself as a perfect, almighty, willing, all-sufficient and precious Eedeemer; of the Holy Ghost, Who prepared the body of Christ in the womb of Mary and strengthened Him to the work to be done.

There never could be brought a more wonderful message to the sinners of Adams race than the message given in this tiding. That is the message we need. We cannot be delivered in another way, only in this one. But is this message really of great joy for every one? No, not for every one is it a message of joy. It is preached all over the world by God’s faithful servants that there is a Saviour. Behold the Lamb of God! They may not preach another way, another name or another possibility. All who do deceive souls for eternity.

It has to be preached to all people. The offering of grace is a well-meant offering coming to all who hear the Gospel. Therein is a very great responsibility. When we by unbelief reject this message, it shall be terrible to fall in the hands of the living God. But although this is true, nevertheless it has to be said also, that this message has to become a personal message, brought to our heart by the Holy Spirit. Then it will be a message of great joy.

When will this message become really of joy for our heart? When we give up all pretentions to save ourselves by our own power. When by the Holy Spirit, convictions come in our life we will not become converted and happy, but we will start to see that we are unconverted and unhappy. We live in times, wherein we can meet persons every day who live as the Laodiceans, who were rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, but who did not know that they were wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Then we think to be converted, without knowing a time that we ever were unconverted; then we think to be rich without ever being poor. We all stand in need of the workings of the Holy Spirit to uncover us, that we may lose all and in that way may be prepared for the revelation of Christ in His glory. O, how necessary it is to receive the holy convictions, so that there may be place and room for Christ in our hearts. There is through the grace of God a people that became unworthy, that accepted the righteousness of their punishment and so were prepared for Christ. When we lose all worth and value in all things and are nothing but a lost sinner, then it will please the Lord to glorify the Name of that perfect Redeemer to the heart. 0, then the message will become personal. Unto you is born Christ the Saviour. And for them it is a tiding of great joy that there is a way, wherein the lost sinner can be reconciled with God in a righteous way. How will they rejoice then, when they may see and hear that it is possible for their souls. With nothing less they can be helped and delivered. They will become needy for that Meditator. 0, they will count all things nothing to be found in Him. I hope, that it may please the Lord to grant people in these days of commemoration that holy joy in finding Him. That we in spirit may be brought to the manger of Bethlehem to see the glorious revelation of eternal love in the Babe, that was laid down there and that God Almighty will grant His people to rejoice in Him as the God of Salvation. When we have heard His voice and understood the message we cannot be satisfied until we have found Him, as the Shepherds, who left everything and came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in the manger. Then they found the greatest treasure they ever could find. They found God in Christ and adored Him. Although He was still in the garment of His humiliation, they saw with the eyes of faith: the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace” and truth. They saw the beauty of His love and mediatorship and their mouths have expressed the feelings of the soul with the words of the Psalmist:

Thy lips with grace o’erflow

Supremely fair thou art,

His richest blessings evermore

Doth God on Thee bestow.

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