The season of Celebration has Come

Text:

Deuteronomy 16:15 NKJV

15 Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.

Introduction:

There are seasons of fasting and seasons of feasting in the natural flow of the year. We have now entered the time of feasting in the West — the Holidays.

John Maxwell says that we should celebrate. I agree with him. We often want to celebrate achievement, and that’s a good instinct. However, we must remember that the Lord is at the center of it all.

In our society, we often give lip service to gratitude but rarely take the time to stop and truly thank God. As Christians, thanksgiving should be part of our identity. We must know the difference between our ability and His favor, for much more favor has been given to us than we realize.

1.There are seasons of fasting and feasting in the natural flow of the year. We have now entered into the time of feasting in the west. This time is known as the Holidays.

John Maxwell says that we should celebrate. I agree with him. we often want to celebrate achievement. I think that is a good instinct. however we do need to remember that the Lord is in the center of it all.

in our society we often give “lip service” to these ideas and don't actually take time to say thank you. as Christians it should be at the core of who we are. knowing the difference between our ability and His favor— many of us will forget that there is much more favor given is then we would think.

I once heard about a farmer who worked hard all spring—plowing, planting, and tending his fields. When harvest time came, his crop was abundant. A neighbor stopped by and said, “You sure worked hard this year.” The farmer smiled and said, “Yes, I did—but without the rain the Lord sent, all my work would’ve been in vain.”

let us take time today to thank God for what he gave us. The things that he gave us where received and developed so long ago that we have come to believe that they belong to us.

1. The Human Experience

Breath — every inhale is borrowed grace.

Sleep — God’s gift to restore body and mind.

Health and Healing — often unnoticed until we lose them.

Sight, Sound, Taste, Touch, Smell — the senses that let us enjoy His world.

Work and Strength — the ability to labor and create.

2. The Relational Blessings

Family and Friendship — people God places in our lives for love and accountability.

Church Community — the spiritual family we didn’t choose but are chosen into.

Children’s Laughter and the Elder’s Wisdom — reminders of life’s beginning and its legacy.

Forgiveness and Fellowship — gifts that restore broken relationships.

3. The Sustaining Miracles

The Rotation of the Earth — precise and unbroken since creation.

The Beating of the Heart — 100,000 times a day without us commanding it.

The Rising of the Sun — faithfulness displayed daily.

Food from the Ground — seed, soil, and sunlight working in divine partnership.

The Presence of the Holy Spirit — unseen, but sustaining us every moment.

4. The Spiritual Gifts Hidden in the Ordinary

Peace that passes understanding.

Mercy renewed every morning.

Grace for the undeserving.

Love that never fails.

Hope that keeps returning.

2. We must forgive if we are to move forward.

Ephesians 4:31–32 NKJV

31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians (Living as a New Person / 4:17–5:5)

Bitterness—a spirit that refuses reconciliation.

Rage—outbursts of anger or quick temper for selfish reasons. This could mean continual and uncontrolled behavior.

Anger—a continuous attitude of hatred that remains bottled up within. This could refer to what is under the surface, while “rage” refers to what bursts out. Anger would destroy harmony and unity among believers.

Brawling—loud self-assertions of angry people determined to make their grievances known.

Slander—destroying another person’s good reputation by lying, gossiping, spreading rumors, etc.

Malice often manifests itself through slander. This defamation of character destroys human relationships.

Malice—doing evil despite the good that has been received. This word is a general term referring to an evil force that destroys relationships, and it can mean anything from trouble to wickedness. It is a deliberate attempt to harm another person. Thus, every form of malice must be destroyed.

The fact that we must forgive does not mean that we do not have boundaries. All healthy people have boundaries.

3. Life is going by we decide whether or not it is a good life or a bad one.

Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Moses tells us to Choose life.

How He Loves

Verse 1

He is jealous for me loves like a hurricane

I am a tree bending beneath

The weight of His wind and mercy

When all of a sudden I am unaware of

These afflictions eclipsed by glory

I realize just how beautiful You are

And how great Your affections are for me

Pre-Chorus

Oh how He loves us so

Oh how He loves us

How He loves us so

(REPEAT)

Chorus

(Yeah) He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves

(REPEAT)

Verse 2

We are His portion and He is our prize

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes

If grace is an ocean we're all sinking

So Heaven meets earth

Like a sloppy wet (unforeseen) kiss

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest

I don't have time to maintain these regrets

When I think about the way that

John Mark McMillan

CCLI Song #5032549

© 2005 Integrity's Hosanna! Music

For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com

Conclusion:

Maybe I have gotten a little soft since the passing of my father; in 13 days it will have been a year. in a few seconds we will listen to a song we have sung here so many times, the name of the song is “He loves us.” the last line of the second verse is “I don’t have time to ma maintain these regrets when I think about the way that he loves us. “ We all have wounds a disappointments. there is no greater season when people nurse those deep wounds and disappointments than this time of year. however I urge us to embrace what the season brings. you may not be where you want to be, but you have a place to be and He is still at work in your life.

que the song he loves us.