Proclamation and Joy
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December 17th 2023
During advent series we have light some candles
The first week we lite the Expectation of Hope Candle
LIGHT EXPECTATION OF HOPE CANDLE
This Candle represents the expectation hope
This is true hope it is more than the excitement of the coming Christ
Yes we are excited but the Hope we are talking about is the hope for a lost world
A hope for a broken lost person to have life and freedom that only comes through a personal relationship with Christ
And then last week we got to enjoy our Children’s Christmas Program
Then we lite the Preparation of Peace Candle
LIGHT PREPARATION OF PEACE CANDLE
This candle we talked about 2 different things
the first was the preparation of Jesus coming the 1st time and then the 2nd time
We talked how we can be prepared for His Coming
That is done by repenting of the sin in your life
And trusting in Jesus to be Lord of your life
And if you do that prep work you will have peace that only comes from Christ
This morning we light the Proclamation and Joy Candle
LIGHT PROCLAMATION AND JOY CANDLE
6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
As we light this Candle we celebrate the announcement of Jesus
We celebrate the Joy of knowing Jesus
This is more of a birth announcement
When we read that we have talked about that before
How this particular scripture could be used as a birth announcement for the Coming Christ
The Coming Savior
You can understand how much joy that brings you
Joy
When we think of Joy most of us immediately went to Ms. Joy here at church
And no matter how much we like Joy she is not the Joy we are speaking about this morning
Joy is much more than feeling
It is not being happy or excited about knowing Jesus
Yes you can be happy and excited about knowing Jesus
But Joy deeper than a surface level of happiness
Joy is a gladness and happiness that is not dependent on a circumstance or any person but it is in knowing Jesus
Just like last week when we do the prep work we can know peace that only comes from Christ that this world doesn’t understand
When we do the prep work of repenting of our sin and trusting in the Lord we can have a joy that is not dependent on the circumstances of this world but we can have Joy because of Christ
It is only through Christ that you can experience true Joy and that is what we are talking about this morning
Its because of Jesus that we can have Joy
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.
Yes things may not go our way
Thing we want to happen might not happen
You may experience difficulties and pain in this world
And notice the Habakkuk
When things are going good at all
Notice He says that He will still worship the Lord
He will still rejoice in God
Why because God is his salvation
God is his strength
God is still in charge
That is the Joy that came so long ago
That is the Joy that Isaiah is talking about
It is through Jesus
And Isaiah gives us some insight into who He is
Jesus as our Wonderful Counselor
7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. 8 I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely.
When Jesus guides and directs us we can have peace we can have hope and we can most certainly have Joy
Our hearts should be glad because Jesus guides and directs us
It is not just on Jesus through we have a responsibility to be obedient to His direction
Although I think what we do is we are excited about Jesus and then we tell Jesus to sit in the backseat and be quite
And then believe we can navigate through this thing call life
I can tell you that as a Pastor I have prayed and prayed for wisdom
I can tell you our church leadership has prayed and prayed and prayed for wisdom
When God pours out wisdom on us it is our responsibility then to choose to either do it or not
Church our hearts our glad and filled with Joy when we are obedient to His direction in our lives
Mighty God
26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
It would seem we have come to an impossible place in our lives, in church, and in our nation and the world
What we have to remember is that God is in charge and with God nothing is impossible
It is not about who is in public office
It is not about who is at war with who
It is about the fact that the God of the universe is still seated on the throne and still very much in charge
And it is about the fact that He is still very much interested in the details of our lives
See when they were beating Jesus, He was supposed to die, then when they nailed Him to the cross He was supposed to die
Then when they took Him off the cross and buried Him, He was supposed to stay dead
But church because Jesus was the son of God and because it was not part of God’s plan, Jesus got up and walked out of the grave
See church with God nothing is impossible
Praise the Lord that we serve such the Powerful God
Everlasting Father
2 Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Before there was anything
Before there was Genesis 1:1
God was
Church we haven’t just created a god and made up a story and passed it down from generation to generation to fit what we want
We have taken the Words of God and wrote them down so that you and I can read and reread them and then through the Power of the Holy Spirit our lives can be molded after them
God was there before there was a there
Prince of Peace
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
It is because Peace came and died on the cross for your sins and my sins that we can have Peace
It is through faith
Through a personal relationship with Christ that we can and do have peace today right now
And church the verse says that is only through Jesus Christ that we have peace
Just like we talked last week
Do you see all the way back at the birth announcement in Isaiah how Jesus went on to fulfill those things and still today continues to fulfill those names He was given
Church there is JOY in knowing Jesus
That is what we are celebrating this season is the fact that Jesus came
You can I have have Hope we can have Peace and we can have Joy all because of a personal relationship with Jesus
CLOSING
Maybe you are here and you are lost
We want to invite you to the front and you can speak with someone about starting a personal relationship with Jesus
They can show you through scripture how you are to repent and believe
To turn from your sin and to believe in Jesus
Or maybe you are here and you have a personal relationship with Jesus but you have traded the Hope of Jesus, Peace of Jesus and the Joy of Jesus for the things of this world
I want to encourage you to come to the front and spend sometime at the altar and run back to Jesus
Or maybe you simple need to pray at the altar
The altar is open