12-04-16 The Light That Encouraged the Shepherds Luke 2:8-16

“The Light That Encourages”  Luke 2:8-16
Everyone is susceptible to discouragement, to that feeling that whatever is currently troubling us is hopeless. People even feel discouraged at Christmas time. But that makes no sense. Christmas, or Advent is the good news which ought to drive out discouragement. It certainly did that for the Shepherds. The Shepherds had good reason to be discouraged, but they found even better reason to be encouraged. Today we are looking at how the light of Advent encouraged the Shepherds.

I The Shepherds had good reason to be discouraged:
A. First there was the discouragement of their p___________ (2:8a).

B. Second, there was the discouragement of their r__________ l_____ (2:8b).

II But, the Shepherds found encouragement in three ways:

A. First, they were encouraged to know that God had not r____________ them (2:9).

B. Second, they were encouraged to know that God was s__________ them a S________________ (2:10-11).

C. Third, there were encouraged to know that they had been invited to a p_______________ e___________________ with the Savior (2:12-16).