Rediscover Joy

Good morning everyone and Merry Christmas! There was a large group up here on Wednesday night getting the building ready for Christmas this year and I think they all did a wonderful job…I am so grateful for the heart that everyone has in serving around here at LRBC. Anyway, now our kids get to take the time to go back to their teacher for the month. I know that they are all learning back there becuase I had some kiddos come up to me on Wednesday night and share with me the Bible verse they have been working on. It is so great to see them excited about Scripture and learning in a way that makes sense to them. That is the benefit of our teachers. You see, our kids could sit in here with us, and that would be fine. However, they are not going to understand much of what we are talking about. However, back in their class they understand everything that is talked about becuase they have skilled teachers explaining Scripture…Im telling you, we are so fortunate as a church to have the group of volunteers that we have working with our kids. Parents, don’t forget to thank your kids teachers for working with you to help teach your kiddos.

I also want to welcome those of you that are joining us online this morning. I know that there are many options that you have to participate in worship on a weekly basis, and we are grateful and humbled that you have chosen to be a part of our extended spiritual family this morning. Listen, I do want to encourage you to be a part of a local fellowship of beleivers, wherever you are, and if you are in the Northern Illinois region we would love to have you join us on any Sunday at 9:30.

Hey, we should also talk about Christmas eve as a church…This is such an amazing opportunity for you to invite your friends, your coworkers, your family that are potentially searching for a church home. On Christmas Eve we will have our service at 5pm, and we will have the most amazing hot chocolate bar that you have ever experienced immediately after the service. Then on Christmas day we will have a short family service at 10am. Our hope and desire is that through our Christmas services you are able to truly rediscover what Christmas is all about. Those of you that are here this morning, grab an invite card from the back table and invite someone to come with you. Those of you that are joining us online be sure to share the facebook event all over and invite your family and friends to join us as we focus on Jesus.

Actually, that speaks to our series this year. This week we are starting our Christmas series called “Rediscover Christmas”. Why is it called rediscover Christmas…well, the reality is that we get so wrapped up in the tree and the lights and the gifts and the snow and all the stuff, that I believe we forget what Christmas is really about sometimes. I believe…no, I know that there are at least moments in your life, in your Christmas season that you forget that this is not about you…You forget that Christmas is actually about being focused on the Lord and celebrating his birth. Now, I do want to be clear for a moment…There are all kinds of myths around Christmas and so every week I want to share something with you that people believe, but isn’t actually true. First of all…and this may come as a surprise. Jesus was most likely not born on Dec. 25th. If we want to claim to be rediscovering Christmas, we should be clear about some of these types of common questions, or common myths about Christmas. I won’t spend alot of time on these, but the reality is that Jesus most likely was not actually born on Dec. 25. We know that based on the shepherd being out in the fields in the winter, that makes it a little less likely. Some have said that maybe Dec. 25th was when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, or when the wisemen showed up to visit Jesus. We don’t exactly know…What we do know however, is that Dec. 25 and the Christmas tradition is not related to any pagan festivals or deities. We also know that the date of Dec. 25th was started by the Roman Emperor Constantine in AD 336. Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity and chose this date to celebrate Jesus birth and this date has stuck for a couple of thousands of years and so now this is simply when we celebrate. That is the truth about Christmas and why we celebrate on this particular date. You see, if we are going to rediscover Christmas, then we should understand Christmas.

Do you know what is interesting? Prior to Constantine legalizing Christianity, Christians were hunted and persecuted. That really started during the reign Emperor Nero. Nero was particularly heinous towards Christians and then this persecution happened on and off over the next 300ish years, sometimes being horrible and brutal, and sometimes technically illegal, but not really enforced…My point of telling you this though is that for a long time there were Christians that literally put their lives on the line when they would tell someone else about Christ. They never new who would sell them out and how they would be treated that time. For a long time there was a lot of fear around the governmental authorities that were over the Christians. Well…fast forward to today and we don’t really have alot of fear of governmental authorities over us. However, there is another kind of fear that I think we all experience. You see, I think we all experience cultural fear from day to day. I don’t mean you are scared of the culture, but I do mean that you are afraid of what people in the culture will say…I mean you are afraid of what might happen…I mean you are afraid of your current situation…I mean you…well we are all scared of something, right?

Actually this morning as we rediscover Christmas we are going to read a passage and reflect on what we can rediscover about Christmas. Turn over to

Luke 2:10–12 (ESV)

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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

So, in that passage we saw that the shepherd were afraid. Now, they had a pretty good excuse to be afraid if we are honest…but they were afraid. This morning as we rediscover Christmas I want to ask us all experience the joy that arrived with the birth of Jesus…But, in order to do that, we need to look at the reality of the fear all around us.

Fear

You see, as we admit that we are afraid, then we can begin to work past that fear. Listen, I know that we are all afraid of something. I said earlier that we are not afraid of governmental authority. However, many are afraid of the financial situation that we are experiencing as a nation. Many are afraid of the potential of going to war at some point. Many are afraid of the potential railroad strikes, or the various food supplies that have been damaged, or the greater than normal death rate over the last few years. The reality is that most of us are scared of something that may be related to various political convictions.

That’s not all though is it? I mean maybe you are here or joining us online and you would say you are afraid of your family falling apart right now. You lost your job, your family is fractured and you are unsure how that is possible to get fixed. Maybe you are here or joining us online and you would say that you are afraid of the next step that you know you need to make in your career, or maybe in your family.

There is something really cool though about almost any Scripture that says, “fear not”, or “do not fear”. You see, when this phrase is used in Scripture, it is not simply saying, don’t be scared… The phrase “fear not” is an encouragement or a call for courage. With that in mind then we see the angels telling the shepherds to have courage becuase something amazing is happening…something that has never happened before... Now…they will finally hear

Good News

After we admit where we stand and we can begin to recognize the reality of our condition, then we can begin to listen to what God’s word will tell us. Now, in the case of these shepherds the angels told them to take courage becuase there is good news. For these shepherds living under the Roman and pharisee rule, they would have been encouraged to hear some good news for a change. For these shepherd there was some good news that went further than just their lives though. You see, these shepherd were being told some Good news that brings great joy... and the good news they were being told about would change the world.

When is the last time you got good news? I mean, when is the last time someone sat down and told you some good news? Now, imagine whatever that good news was, as amazing as it was…it pales in comparison to the good news that these shepherds are hearing…the good news of the messiah becoming flesh. The good news that brings great joy. However, that wasn’t the end of the message was it? No, the angels continued by telling the shepherd where to find this good news. The angels directed the shepherd about where to go and what to look for in order to find this good news. So, all they had to do now was...

Search

They had to leave where they were and go into town, and go to find the mange that had a baby in it. They had to leave where they were and look for the place where Jesus was laying. The angel here is telling the shepherds where they will need to go. The angel has given the shepherds a sign of what they would find, and now it is up to the shepherds to follow directions. What is really interesting is that the angels did not say, “this is a sign”, no the angel said, “This will be a sign”. In other words the angel is taking into consideration of what they will see at the time that they get there. Think about it for a moment. We don’t 100% know what the house looked like, or if there are other baby’s there. We don’t know if there were doors where they are, although we would imagine there would be to hold in the animals at night. That means that when the shepherd finally get to town, maybe 5 minutes, maybe 30 minutes, there is going to be a time when the door is open, or a window, or they will hear the cry of a newborn baby so that they will now where this place is. The angel says, “this will be a sign for you”. In other words, God has planned this thing out to the point of knowing where you will be in the moment you need to be there so that you will recognize the Messiah that you are waiting for. If you go…you will find the baby...

There is another verse that I want to point out real quick here,

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

We have talked an awful lot about heart motives over the years, and especially over the last few months…What is your heart motive? In this story we see the heart motives of the shepherds wanting to see the baby king that is coming to usher in the Messianic age as they go to find this baby. What about you? Maybe you are here or joining us online and you would say, Pastor Billy, I am searching, Im searching with everything I have and I just can’t find that peace, that joy, I can’t find the courage or answers that I have ben searching for…Well, what does this verse in Jeremiah say? You will find when you seek with all your heart…There is no halfway searching…There is no heart of ease, or half hearted searching that is going to find anything…You will find when you seek with all your heart. We also see in

Matthew 7:7 (ESV)

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

You see, if you are here this morning or joining us online and you are waiting for some special sign to tell you which way to go…Then here’s your sign…Today is the day you need to make a commitment to open the Scriptures regularly…If you are currently reading Scripture once a week, make it twice. If you are reading three times a week, make it four. Listen, you have to spend time in the Word, so that you know the voice of the Lord in your heart. Today is the day that you need to make a commitment to spend time with the Lord in prayer. If you only talk to the Lord on Sunday morning at church, that’s is not a relationship…that is an acquaintance. Listen, I know its hard…I really do, but hear me when I tell you it’s so much harder to do things your way instead of finding the joy in Christs way.

This morning let me encourage you the way the angles encouraged the shepherds. Do not be afraid of what is happening around you...Do not be afraid of your circumstances...Do not be afraid of your losses or needs...Do not be afraid. Why? becuase there is good news! Why? Because this good news brings great joy! How does this news bring joy? Because... Jesus is born!

You see, when we see this, when we rediscover what Christmas is…that Christmas is the day that we remember the birth of the Messiah. Christmas is the day that we celebrate Jesus as fully man and fully God coming to give himself up as a sacrifice for you and me on a cross…Why? In order to make sure that Joy is available to me!

This morning we are moving into a special time of family communion where we will decorate the real Christmas tree…the coming Christmas tree. This morning there will be some music playing and then everyone will gather with your family to come to the tree and hang the ornament that represents your family. Feel free to take one of the spare ornaments if you did not remember to bring one, or if this is your first time with us, that is fine. This morning we are going to listen to the good news that brings great joy and we are going to rediscover Christmas as a family. We will take the elements of communion and remember the bread that symbolizes Christ body that was broken and the juice that symbolizes Christ blood that was spilt. This morning join with your family and worship through this special time of communion at the cross. After everyone has the opportunity to pass through and worship the Lord through communion, Nathanael will come up and close us out and encourage us to go without fear into the culture all around us and share the joy that you have been given...

Let’s pray