Discovering the Light of Christmas Joy
Discovering the Light of Christmas Joy
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11 NIV
Discover the light of Christmas joy by…
J oining the praise team
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2:13-14 NIV
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:20 NIV
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying…
Luke 2:28 NIV
O ffering your worship to Jesus
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
Matt 2:9-11 NIV
Y ielding to God’s direction
And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Matt 2:12 NIV
Point to ponder: Joy is the flag flown over the castle of our heart announcing the King is in residence.
Verse to remember: But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11 NIV
Question to consider: Have you discovered the JOY of Christmas?
Intro:
What did you get for Christmas this year?
(Allow kids to answer)
I got…
Reader’s Digest printed the story about a middle-aged woman who posted her Christmas wish list on the refrigerator for her husband to read.
Rather than list certain items of desire, she simply requested "something that will make me look attractive and beautiful."
When Christmas rolled around she expected to open a package with some fancy lingerie inside.
To her surprise, her husband gave her…an exercise bike instead.
I don’t know what you got this year…maybe not what you wanted.
This morning I want to talk about a Christmas gift that all of us want and need, whether we know it or not...the gift of Joy!
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines it as: the happy state that results from knowing and serving God.
It is the fruit of a right relation with God.
It is a gladness from God.
Billy Sunday said, “if you have no joy, there’s a leak in your Christianity.”
What about you?
Would you say you are experiencing joy in your life?
Here is a simple test:
Which picture looks most like you?
(Scrooge, Grinch, Lucy/Show a picture of someone smiling and full of joy) Greedy or Grouchy or Glad
You see, your face is going to tell on you.
“Many of you may be happy down deep…but your face hasn’t found out yet.”
God wants us to discover and experience joy.
That is what Christmas is all about.
In the LWW when the Pevensie children arrived in Narnia it was…Always winter and never Christmas.
One of the most obvious problems in Narnia was a lack of joy…because of the evil White Witch and all the frozen land and creatures.
But when Aslan came everything changed.
One of my favorite parts of the story is when Lucy and Susan discover that Aslan has come back to life and they….I like the way Thomas Williams capture this moment (read pp. 37-38)
What a great picture of extravagant joy…Aslan doesn’t hold back…He romps with extravagant joy!
In Luke 2 we find another great picture of joy…
Luke 2:10-11
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11 NIV
It was a dark cold world leading up to the days of Christ’s birth…Herod ruled with an iron fist.
But into that darkness came a great light…into the despair came great joy.
When Jesus came everything changed.
A Savior has been born.
The greatest news…
The word great in the original language of the Bible is the word megas…from which we get our English word mega.
The word mega means big, huge.
The good news that the angel proclaimed was not just the good news of joy…no it was the good news of mega joy!
Mega joy not just for a few…but for all people.
C.S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of Heaven.”
What did he mean?
Joy is what God is all about.
Aslan’s joyful romp with Susan and Lucy shows God’s intention for all of us.
Jesus came that first Christmas and ultimately died so that we could escape the misery Satan has inflicted and experience the joy God intended.
Wild, extravagant, Mega joy!!!
Are you experiencing the joy of the Lord? Are you Greedy, Grouchy or Glad?
How do you get in on the mega joy that God wants you to have?
How?
Discover the light of Christmas joy by…
J oining the praise team
Some of you are saying…I’ll do anything except join the praise team.
“I can’t carry a tune in a bucket…When I sing it hurts others ears.…”
You think William Hung on American Idol was bad…with his gotta-see-it-to-believe-it rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs."
You should see the Youth version of American Idol??
(Other funny things about singing.)
Some people would rather die than get up in front of people and speak… or sing.
To join God’s praise team you don’t have to come up here and sing or speak.
God wants you to join his praise team…comprised of believers who have learned to praise Him.
PRAISE:
Is an act of worship or acknowledgment by which the virtues or deeds of another are recognized and extolled.
Remember in the LWW what happened when Peter, Susan and Lucy saw Aslan for the first time?
As Aslan came out of the huge tent….they knelt down in worship… because of who he was…the King of Narnia…and what he was about to do…rescue Narnia from the spell of the evil White Witch.
Likewise, we praise God when we worship Him for who He is and thank Him for what He has done.
That is what we see happening during the first Christmas when Christ was born.
In Luke ch 2, I want you to notice who was on God’s praise team.
When Jesus was born the angels praised God.
Luke 2: 13-14 says,
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
Luke 2:13-14 NIV
Once the terrified shepherds heard this message they went to Bethlehem to see Jesus.
Notice what they did after they saw Jesus.
Luke 2:20 says,
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:20 NIV
The shepherds were on God’s praise team!
And then a few weeks after the birth of Jesus…Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to dedicate Him.
There was a godly man named Simeon who had been waiting for Christ to be born.
I want you to notice what Simeon did.
Luke 2:28 says,
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
Here is what he said
29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."
Luke 2:28-32 NIV
Simeon was on God’s praise team!
God wants you on His praise team.
How do I know that?
Are all of you breathing?
If so God wants you on His praise team.
God says in His word,
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
Ps 150:6
So let me ask you a personal question: have you joined God’s praise team?
Or are you in the stands booing and complaining?
We can choose to rejoice or complain.
What do you think God’s wants you to do?
Join His praise team.
Instead of getting up in the morning and complaining about everything and everybody…let me encourage you to do something else.
Start every morning by taking out a piece of paper and at the top of it write:
Lord I praise you for…
· Who you are
· And what you have done in my life
Discover the light of Christmas joy by…
O ffering your worship to Jesus
How many of you are going to watch the Fiesta Bowl next week?
How many of you will be rooting for the Buckeyes to beat Notre Dame?
How many of you are going to be enthusiastic as you cheer on the Buckeyes?
Looks like even the Pope is going to be rooting for the Buckeyes…
(show ppt)
What would happen in our lives if we offered that kind of enthusiasm and dedication to the Lord?
(ppt of Dexter saying hallelujah)
God is not necessarily looking for flips, but He is looking for signs of life…some movement.
He is looking for true worshipers.
Worship is ascribing worth to someone or something.
We were made to worship…and we will worship someone or something
After Christ was born, some Wise Men from the east were searching for Jesus.
Matt 2:9-11 says this about them,
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
Matt 2:9-11 NIV
I want you to notice 2 things about the Wise Men.
First of all
They were overjoyed…
They were filled with joy to see the star because it would lead them to the Savior.
And secondly,
When they found the Savior they worshiped Him…
They gave Him gifts.
By doing so they were acknowledging Him as King.
When we worship God…we are acknowledging Him as our King.
There is joy in worshiping the true King.
Some people look for joy in all the wrong places.
Some look for joy in circumstances.
If they can just get the right set of circumstances…then they will experience joy.
If the right job came along or the stock market would go their way or…
Some look for joy in people.
If they could just avoid certain people and find the right people then they could find joy.
People will let you down.
Sometimes we allow people to steal our joy.
Some look for joy in things.
In case you haven’t noticed things rust and break and become obsolete.
If you are looking for joy in things you won’t find it there.
Things will never satisfy.
You need to start looking for joy in the right place…
It is only when we find Jesus, will we find joy.
Jesus is the one who gives us joy.
He is the real joy giver.
Wise Men still seek Him.
Are you looking for joy?
You can stop looking…stop looking and start worshiping the King of Kings and Lord of lords…Jesus
In the LWW Peter, Susan And Lucy immediately made their choice…they would worship and follow Aslan.
It took Edmund a little while to make the right choice…but he finally did.
Discover the light of Christmas joy by…
Y ielding to God’s direction
Many people see God as the great kill-joy…and it His #1 job to make us miserable.
Nothing could be a bigger lie.
God is not a cosmic kill joy…He loves us so much that He will never take us in a wrong direction.
You can trust Him to take you in the right direction.
We see that as we look at the way he dealt with the Wise Men.
Notice what God did…in Matt 2:12
And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Matt 2:12 NIV
King Herod tried to get one over on the Wise Men…in v. 8 he said…(Read v. 8)
Once they found Jesus…God made sure that they didn’t go back to Herod who wanted to kill Jesus.
God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod, but to go a different way.
God does the same thing for us.
He warns us in His Word to avoid certain roads…don’t go there.
He leads us down the right roads.
If you are looking for joy…it is found in following God’s will for your life
Some of you need to do a u-turn today.
Just as Edmund made a u-turn away from the Witch to Aslan…we need to make a u-turn back to Jesus.
Instead of listening to the Herods of the world…we need to listen to God.
You see my friend, Joy is found in Jesus.
Do you know what C.S. Lewis entitled his autobiography?
“Surprised by Joy”
Why?
Because he discovered after many years of cynicism and skepticism the incredible hope and immeasurable joy found in Jesus.
Have you?
Have you discovered that?
The message hasn’t changed from that very first Christmas when the angel said… Luke 2:10-11
Verses to remember: But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:10-11 NIV
Don’t be afraid to trust and follow Jesus…
Point to ponder: Joy is the flag flown over the castle of our heart announcing the King is in residence.
Question to consider: Have you discovered the JOY of Christmas?
Let’s pray,
Jesus loves you so much that He died for you, and He longs for relationship with you.
He wants you to experience the joy of living for Him and with Him.
He knocks at the door of our heart.
If you are ready to open yourself to Him, you can pray the following prayer:
Pray this:
“Lord Jesus, I want your joy in my life today. So I invite You into my life today. Jesus, I have done some things that need Your forgiveness,
So I ask You now to forgive my sins and become the Lord and King of my life. From this moment forward, I will be Your follower. I believe in You and I receive You now, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
PRAISE
Praise of God may be in song or prayer, individually or collectively, spontaneous or prearranged, originating from the emotions or from the will.
The godly person will echo David's words, "My praise shall be continually of You...And [I] will praise You yet more and more" (Ps 71:6,14).