Sunday, December 15, 2019, Evident Grace Fellowship looked at Luke 2.8-20:

Luke 2. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

From those verses, we looked at this Big Idea and these three point:

Big Idea: Prayers That Seek to Glorify God Make a Huge Impact in this World

Prayers that Seek to Glorify God Remove Fear
Prayers that Seek to Glorify God are Bold and Clear
Prayers that Seek to Glorify God Move People into Action

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Prayers that Seek to Glorify God Remove Fear

Luke 2. 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

Shepherds were a lowly group, often outcasts, debt-dodgers, and religiously unclean. This is who the angel of the Lord appears to. Of course, the shepherds are scared – they should be in the presence of holiness. But the angels assure them that the have no reason to fear because Jesus is born today. They don’t have to fear being unholy because Jesus will make the holy. If we seek to glorify God through our prayer life, we too will enjoy that removal of fear.

Prayers that Seek to Glorify God are Bold and Clear

14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Who receives the peace of God? Only those with whom God is pleased. The angels give God glory in this song by being clear and specific. We too move closer to enjoying the glory of God when we are bold and specific in our prayers.

Prayers that Seek to Glorify God Move People into Action

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

As the shepherds go to see Jesus and worship Him, they immediately leave and go and tell everyone what they’ve seen. When we seek to give glory to Jesus, it will immediately spring us into action. We can’t give glory to God passively.

Big Idea: Prayers That Seek to Glorify God Make a Huge Impact in this World

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Prayers that Seek to Glorify God Remove Fear
Prayers that Seek to Glorify God are Bold and Clear
Prayers that Seek to Glorify God Move People into Action

Truth: Prayers that seek to glorify God make a huge impact in this world.

Application: Live knowing that your praise is an integral part of God’s work in this world.

Action: Pray that God would enable you to share God’s peace with one person .