How Do You Find Jesus?

Date: 19/4/2026

Preacher: Benedict

Place: Trinity Baptist Church, Charlesworth, near Glossop

Passage: Luke 2:8-20

Listen Below:

How Can You Find Jesus_

39:27

How Do You Find Jesus? Sermon on Luke 2:8–20

You find Jesus by hearing the message of the gospel, responding with urgent faith, and seeking him wholeheartedly. In Luke 2:8–20, the shepherds show this pattern as they hear God’s announcement, verify it and respond in worship and proclamation.

Introduction

Luke brings us into the fields outside Bethlehem, where shepherds are watching over their flocks by night. It is an ordinary scene – quiet, routine, unremarkable. And yet, into this ordinary moment, God breaks in with extraordinary glory.

What follows is one of the most remarkable announcements in history: the birth of the Saviour.

This passage unfolds in three movements: the report given, the report verified, and the shared response.

(For the wider redemptive context of Christ’s birth, see our sermon on God’s Sovereign Plan in the Birth of Christ in Luke 2:1–7.)

1. The Report Given

As the shepherds go about their work, an angel of the Lord suddenly appears, and with him comes the glory of the Lord shining around them.

This glory is manifested as light. God is not a physical being, so this is not God himself in a visible form, but a created manifestation of his glory – something that reflects his holiness, majesty, and purity. Yet it is not merely visual. God brings a spiritual weight upon the hearts of the shepherds.

Scripture teaches that the glory of God transforms those who see it (2 Corinthians 3:18). And we experience something of this even now. When we encounter God’s word – when we are confronted with his holiness, justice, power, or love – we are not left unchanged. His glory affects us.

The Fear of God’s Glory

This is why the shepherds are filled with fear.

When the glory of God shines, it exposes sin. God is perfectly holy, unchanging, and just. He demands complete righteousness and sees everything.

Under such light, what is revealed is not merely outward failure, but the true condition of the heart: selfishness, pride, bitterness, lust, dishonesty, and a lack of love for God.

It is like a guilty man standing in a courtroom, exposed before a perfectly just judge.

“Fear Not”

And yet, into that fear, the angel speaks: “fear not.”

Why?

Because of the message:

“unto you is born this day… a Saviour” (Luke 2:11)

This is the turning point.

There is a Saviour who deals with sin. He has come for sinners. He is offered even to these shepherds – and therefore to us.

For the believer, this changes everything. We still feel the weight of God’s glory, but we are no longer condemned by it, because Christ has made propitiation for our sins.

Without a Saviour, fear would be right. But because of Jesus Christ, there is hope.

2. The Report Verified

The shepherds do not simply hear the message and move on. They go to verify it.

To verify something is to test it – to see whether it is true. They had received an extraordinary message, and now they go to see if it is so.

They were given a sign:

“you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12)

How Do You Find Jesus?

This passage answers the question: how do you find Jesus Christ?

We are offered the same salvation – freedom from sin, reconciliation with God and eternal life. But the Lord does not send us to search for a manger in Bethlehem.

Instead, he gives spiritual confirmation to those who truly seek him.

Those who come to Christ find:

A new heart, new desires for God, the presence of the Holy Spirit, settled conviction of truth, rest for the soul and restored communion with God.

(For a fuller picture of God’s saving work promised and fulfilled, see What is the Point of the Resurrection? – understanding Jesus’ victory over death.)

These are not merely ideas to agree with – they are realities to be experienced.

To find Jesus, you must be: Proactive

The shepherds go “with haste.” There is urgency in their response. They do not delay. They do not endlessly analyse. They go.

And when they go, they find it exactly as they were told. This is the pattern of those who truly seek Christ: they come through Scripture, prayer, and repentance and find that God’s word proves true.

But you must also be: Determined

The shepherds leave something behind when they go to find Christ: their sheep.

This was their livelihood, their responsibility, their daily concern. And yet they leave it, because something greater has come.

Jesus himself teaches that those who come to him must be willing to leave behind anything that competes with him.

Many think they have come to Christ, but in reality they have not left the field. They are still holding on to the things of the world.

True seeking means coming empty-handed, willing to surrender anything for Christ.

3. The Common Denominators

In this passage, we see two very different groups: the shepherds and the angels.

The shepherds are ordinary, rough men, working in the fields. The angels are heavenly beings, servants before God, glorious and powerful.

And yet they share the same response in two ways.

i.               Declaring the Message

Both proclaim what God has done.

The angels announce it from heaven; the shepherds spread it on earth.

(For another example of joyful response to God’s saving work, see A Blessed Relation – Luke 1:39–45.)

ii.              Praising God

Both glorify God.

Heaven and earth are united in praise for the coming of the Saviour.

Conclusion

Luke 2:8–20 shows us how you find Jesus:

You hear the message.

You respond in faith.

You seek him earnestly.

And you find that God is faithful.

The message has been given.

The question is: what will you do with it?

Will you remain where you are?Or will you go to Christ?

We meet in Charlesworth, near Glossop, each Sunday. Visitors are warmly welcome to join us for worship or a Bible study.