Spreading the Joy

OPENING

The role of the Prophets is Preparation

Preparation begins with repentance

Repentance begins with confession

Repentance + Confession = Fruit of the Holy Spirit

And the role of the Angels is Proclamation

The angels proclaimed the peace of Christ to the shepherds

We must possess the Peace of Christ to proclaim peace to others using heavenly wisdom

Now let’s take a look on what role the shepherds had

TEXT: THE BIRTH OF JESUS LUKE 2:15-20

Luke 2:15–20 NIV

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Then the role of the Shepherds is to “spread the word”

The word about the Joy that the Lord brings to this world when He first came in a very humble manner

Whenever we come to His season, you see the word “Joy” (Greek chara-hara) all over the place

But a lot of people don’t really understand what it meant… it is easily mistaken by many with the the word happiness… but they are not the same…

Happiness is based on “happenings”.. when you you go to happy place, you experience happiness… Disney Land!

Happiness is Temporary

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defined the “happiness” as “pleasurable or satisfying experience”.

A state of well being and contentment

On the other hand, Joy is eternal

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defined it as “a source or cause of delight”

Luke 1:47 NIV

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

Luke 1:47 GW

47 My spirit finds its joy in God, my Savior,

Joy is a character, commitment, choice

To find true joy we should know the “ABC that Kills Joy”

Barriers of Joy

Destroyers of your joy

KILL JOY #1: ANXIETY

You cannot be joyful and fearful at the same time

Distress is the opposite of delight

When looking at a nativity while listening to a Christmas melody

Looking at a nativity while listening to a Christmas melody is delightful

What many people don’t know about is how stressful it was for Mary

First of all, when she was told that she was to become the mother of Jesus, she was only about 13 or 14, or 15 years old the most

Luke 1:29 NIV

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

She asked the angel, “how will this be since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “the Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will over shadow you.”

How would she explain that to her parents, to her fiancee?

She is in a little town, imagine the gossip that went around about her pregnancy… that’s a lot of stress that could lead to anxiety

And then a few days before she has given birth, she had to hop on to a donkey to go to Bethlehem for the census… it was about 2 to 3 days trip

And there was no hotel, no motel, end up staying in a stable. What could be more stressful than that?

And when she delivered her baby Jesus, she was alone, without her mom, without her sisters, no midwife

The very first Christmas produced enormous anxiety not just to Mary but to a lot of people in that generation.. but Mary decided to:

TRUST GOD AND ACCEPT HIS PLAN

Luke 1:38 NIV

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Luke 1

Question: What are you anxious about this Christmas?

What are you anxious about this Christmas?

KILL JOY #2: BITTERNESS

Bitterness over hurt will keep the joy out of your life

You cannot be joyful and resentful at the same time

We all have our share of hurts. They are only different in size and form but each of us had our share of it

Maybe some of us were abused sexually or verbally, or abandoned by your parents

Maybe some of us were betr

Or maybe you’ve been cheated on!

You’ve been your hurt, and you also hurt somebody

Maybe you’ve been betrayed

Joseph was hurt.. he felt betrayed when he found out that her fiancee was pregnant

But instead of being bitter about it, he did not expose her to public disgrace and he had in mind just to divorce her quietly

Betrothed was greater than engagement.

This usually took place a year before marriage. From the time of betrothal the woman was regarded as the lawful wife of the man to whom she was betrothed but they are not to sleep together until they are finally married

But instead of being bitter about it, he did not expose her to public disgrace and he had in mind just to divorce her quietly

Easton, M.G., 1893. Easton’s Bible dictionary.

Jospeh chose to:

OFFER GRACE AND LET THE PAIN GO

Matthew 1:24–25 NIV

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

MAT

Bitterness is the most worthless emotion on planet earth

you cannot be joyful and bitter at the same time

Joseph passed the character test and he was blessed to become the earthly father of Jesus Christ

Question: Do you want to be bitter or do you want to be blessed this Christmas?

KILL JOY #3: CONFUSION

If you’re confused, you can’t have joy

In most of my counselings, a lot of people are actually confused! They do not know where their lives are headed

How do i know the direction of my life?

Everyone was confused during the first Christmas. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the magi are confused

In their confusion, the wise men chose to:

FOLLOW GOD’S LIGHT ONE STEP AT A TIME

Follow God’s light one step at a time

Matthew 2:1–2 TEV

1 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterwards, some men who studied the stars came from the east to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star when it came up in the east, and we have come to worship him.”

Seek, Follow, Found and Worship - 4 stages of spiritual growth

The wise men invested, time, money energy

God didn’t give them a map.. just a guiding light

Why wouldn’t God give us a map?

God gave you a compass.. the Bible

the guiding light is God’s Spirit

Question: What area of your life do you encounter confusion? How do you plan to navigate out of that confusion?

CLOSING

What area of your life do you encounter confusion? How do you plan to navigate out of that confusion?

Recap the story of Veronica

CLOSING

Veronica is a PK… both of her parents are Pastors

After their church split she begun to question God

When exposed to the worldly environment, she kept her belief with her

Met an outspoken atheist musician, they started dating

Her father has to let her go…

Their church prayed for God to bring her back

Broke up with her boyfriend… yoga and smoking pot

Older sister living in Houston, they started talking. Asking questions about God

March 2015 was into a very bad accident, but came out of it unscathed

She realized that people are praying for her

That was when she gave her life to Jesus

Her sister gave her a book about christianity and atheism

Married in 2018.. uses her passion for music as a worship leader and children’s minister

She knows that her true identity & JOY come through Christ

She realized that she was created for a “purpose”

Let’s pray…