Joy in the Waiting

Intro

I think most would agree that weddings are a time of celebration. And I don’t just mean the ceremony and reception that follows.

Of course those are celebrations. But those are but a fleeting moment in the grander picture.

I can remember at my own wedding over 16 years ago standing and talking with my uncle. He said to me something that so true.

He told me that it was important that throughout the celebration of the ceremony and reception that I should take a moment here and there to step back if you will and take it all in.

Because the day that Katelyn and I had waited so long for was here, but it would be over so quickly that if I didn’t take the time to really take it all in I would miss how special it was.

And he was absolutely right. It was but a blink of an eye. This moment that we were celebrating came and went so quickly.

But in reality, the thing we are truly celebrating at a wedding, isn’t just that day. Rather we also celebrate the past.

The journey that a couple has been on that led them to this moment of saying I do.

The ceremony is but the culminating moment of a couple who while dating, fell in love, and then decided to make a promise to be together for the rest of their lives.

But it isn’t just the present moment of the wedding itself or the past that led up to it that is celebrated. At a wedding we also celebrate the future that the couple will build together.

Its the potential future life that will be built that is celebrated and with all of the unknown possibilities.

So when you think about it, weddings are events where the past, present, future all collide in this joyous celebration of what has already been, what is, and what will be.

Review

As we have been gathering together the last couple of weeks we have been talking about Christmas, or rather preparing ourselves for it as we look to the book of Isaiah.

It is here that we learn of a prophecy the speaks of a person who is both human and divine who will come and establish an eternal kingdom.

Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

In the first week of our series, Katelyn spoke to you about anticipation.

The anticipation that those Jews who for generations waited faithfully for God to send this promised King must have felt.

And that anticipation was satisfied in part when 600 years later this promised King was born in a stable among animals and laid in a manger by his young mother and father as local shepherds worshipped him.

That same baby would be called Jesus, who would grow up and spend 3 years preaching and teaching about his kingdom.

That same Jesus who would be arrested, crucified, and resurrected only to ascend back to the heavens from which he came.

And now that same anticipation that you and I experience as we patiently wait for that King to return and fulfill the rest of the prophecy.

Then last week we talked about preparation, or anticipation turned to action.

That as we wait for Jesus to come back, our anticipation must be activated into something. Our actions but reflect our belief.

We must be prepared so that when Jesus comes back, there will be nothing that gets in the way of him getting to us.

Our Reaction

But just as we live in preparation, or action that reflects our belief, so our reaction should also reflect that belief; Naturally, our reaction should be celebration and joy.

The name of this series is Christmas Light, why? Because of what the prophet Isaiah says in this prophecy we have been reading.

We need to remember the context in which this prophecy was written.

Isaiah just one chapter earlier is speaking of the coming Assyrian invasion that would destroy Israel.

Isaiah is speaking of judgment because of Israel’s rebellion against God. Because they had turned from him and his word and because of it, were now in darkness.

Isaiah 8:20-22 NLT 20 Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. 21 They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven 22 and down at the earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness.

Isaiah’s words were sharp. Those who go against the word of God are like those walking around in utter darkness. And for a time, God is going to leave his people in the the darkness of their own choosing.

But the very first verse Isaiah 9 tells us that 1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever.

Rather look at verse 2...

Isaiah 9:2 NLT 2The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

Jesus is this light, or as verse 6 says, this child who was given that would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

God did what he said he would do, and if that isn’t enough reason to celebrate, I don’t know what is.

When Jesus came 2,000 years ago, he wasn’t met with great celebration and joy beyond that of his parents and a few shepherds.

It wasn’t until his resurrection that people truly began to understand what it was they had to celebrate.

That the darkness that Isaiah spoke of wasn’t about the oppressive force fo the Assyrians, or the Romans of Jesus’s day.

Jesus came to be the light that would push back the darkness cast by the oppressive force of our sin.

No longer blinded by sin, people would be able to truly see for the first time since the fall.

No longer separated from God because of the wickedness in our own hearts, because of the blood of Jesus shed on the cross we have been reconciled to our Heavenly Father.

There are a lot of things worth celebrating, none as amazing as that.

Yet so often, some of the most miserable people I have ever met are Christians.

We have talked about joy more recently. Remember, true joy is not dependent on our circumstances. Instead, joy has the power to transform our response to our circumstances.

One the of the first things that changes about us when we come to Christ is often our disposition. Suddenly we experience a joy and a peace that we didn’t have before.

And people should be able to notice it. In fact, our joy is the one thing that often draws people to the Gospel because they see something in us that they want in themselves.

But somewhere along the way we start to lose sight of what we have to celebrate.

Life happens and people disappoint us and hurt us. Loved ones still get sick. Struggles still find their way to us, and circumstances just seem to rob us of our joy.

The thing that once drew people to the Gospel in our lives has faded and now, there is little difference between us and the unsaved around us.

Sometimes we just need reminded. We need reminded of what we have to celebrate. Christmas comes and goes each year.

What a shame it would be to let it do the same this year because we failed to stop and be reminded of the joyous celebration that it truly is.

We truly have a lot to celebrate don’t we? Let this Christmas season be a reminder of that fact.

What is yet to come

But it isn’t just what Jesus has already done that we celebrate, we also celebrate what he has yet to do.

The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse of a future we can only dream about at this point as it describes a New Jerusalem that God will build as a part of a new heaven and new earth that will come after this old one is destroyed forever.

And in this new Jerusalem, the writer says...

Revelation 21:3-4 NLT 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Like a wedding, Christmas is a celebration of past, present, and future.

We celebrate the past as we look to that first Christmas when Jesus left his throne in heaven and took on flesh.

We celebrate the work the Jesus did the first time he was here in securing our redemption and salvation on the cross.

We celebrate the present work the Jesus is doing in our lives right now.

The peace he brings us in the midst of our own chaos.

The comfort and healing in the midst of our own pain and sorrow.

The joy that comes from knowing we are loved and wanted by our heavenly father.

We celebrate the not yet.

We celebrate the future that awaits those of us who have put our faith in Christ.

The future where there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more suffering. The great evils of this world will become the great fallen adversaries.

Poverty, hunger, corruption, and all deprivations of humankind will be done away with.

The future where God himself will live among us because sin will not longer get in the way.

Application/Closing

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

It’s so easy to breeze over this very familiar text. However, allow yourself to read it like it is for the first time.

Better yet, read it like you are an Israelite under the Law and you’re hearing it for the first time. You are oppressed by Rome, despondent, and under the weight of an un-keepable commandment. Hear the good news and rejoice.

In this third week of Advent, we light the rose-colored candle, a color that represents the joy and festivity of the season.

This week reminds us of the hope we have for the future and the joy we have because of the past.

Our task this week is simple: we shall rejoice. Rejoice because of what we celebrate. We may take in the beauty of the season and relish the enjoyment of giving gifts, but above all, we celebrate the true occasion.

Jesus is the reason for the season. Advent refuses to let us forget that. And Christmas would be empty without it.

Just like the effects of a vacation that wear off upon our return home, so the celebration means nothing if we allow it to be just another holiday.

Christmas is not meant to be only a day. It is the celebration of eternity and our place in it, no longer separated from our Creator.