The Spirit Of Carefree Celebration

“The Spirit Of Carefree Celebration”

Prayer:Loving God, 

We give thanks and rejoice in the hard work, fun, and fellowship that our staff, volunteers, and all those unknown to us played in making our event a wonderful experience for all.

May we find gladness and satisfaction in all of our successes,  and even in our challenges and lessons.

May this experience of teamwork and sacrifice strengthen our bond as a staff and deepen our commitment to our mission to serve others.

Grant all us rest and renewal in the coming days so that we may continue to serve you faithfully and without ceasing.

We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Introduction

Celebration is at the heart of the way of Christ.

Freedom from anxiety and care forms the basis for celebration.

Modern man has been pressed “so hard toward useful work and rational calculation he has all but forgotten the joy of ecstatic celebration.”

Celebration brings joy into our life, and joy makes us strong. Nehemiah 8:10

Celebration is central to all disciplines. Every discipline should be characterized by carefree cheerful and a sense of thanksgiving.

1. Believers should avoid the negative side of rejoicing. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

It seems strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice. But Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson: Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him. Paul urged the Philippians to be joyful, probably because they needed to hear this. It’s easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. If you haven’t been joyful lately, you may not be looking at life from the right perspective.

We must cultivate the right kind of mind.

The Spirit of Celebration will not be in us until we have learned to be“careful for nothing.”

1. Believers should avoid the negative side of rejoicing.

2. We will never have a carefree indifference to things until we trust God.

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”John16:33

WIth these words he told his disciples to take courage. In spite of the inevitable struggles they would face, they would not be alone. Jesus does not abandon us to our struggles either.

TRIALS will come. If you are spiritual, trials will come. If you are carnal, trials will come. If you are a Christian at all, trials will come. That’s just how it works. Whether or not you are spiritual or carnal determines whether the trials will get you. Your spiritual maturity determines whether you experience victory or defeat when the trials come.

If we remember that the ultimate victory has already been won, we can claim the peace of Christ in the most troublesome times.

1. Believers should avoid the negative side of rejoicing.

2. We will never have a carefree indifference to things until we trust God.

3. When we trust God, we are free to rely entirely upon Him to provide our needs.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.Proverbs 3:5-8

Leaning has the sense of putting your whole weight on something, resting on and trusting in that person or thing. When we have an important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can’t trust anyone-not even God. But God knows what is best for us. He is better judge of what we want than even we are! We must trust him completely in every choice we make. We should omit careful thinking or belittle our God-given ability to reason; but we should not trust our own ideas to the exclusion of all others.

We must not be wise in our own eyes. We should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by God’s Word and wise counselors. Look at your values and priorities. What is important to you? In what areas have you not acknowledged him? What is his advice?

A LITTLE boy was on a plane one day that was experiencing violent turbulence. The plane was going up and down and all over the place. The lady sitting next to the little boy was terrified. She couldn’t understand why the little boy was happily playing and having fun. After a while of observing him, she just couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Little boy, please stop it! Stop having so much fun! How can you have fun when the plane is going through this?”

The little boy put his hand on the lady’s hand and said, “Lady, my daddy is the pilot.”

When your daddy is the pilot, you can handle the turbulence because you know he’s got it all under control.

19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:19

We can trust that God will always meet our needs. Whatever we need on earth he will always supply, even if it is the courage to face death as Paul did. Whatever we need in heaven he will supply. We must remember, however, the difference between our wants and our needs. Most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort or pain. We may not get all that we want.

Bring your decisions to God in prayer; use the Bible as your guide; and then follow God’s leading. He will make your paths straight by both guiding and protecting you. Make him a vital part of everything you do; then he will guide you because you will be working to accomplish his purposes.

By trusting in Christ, our attitudes and appetites can change from wanting everything to accepting his provision and power to live for him.

1. Believers should avoid the negative side of rejoicing.

2. We will never have a carefree indifference to things until we trust God.

3. When we trust God, we are free to rely entirely upon Him to provide our needs.

4. The decision to set the mind on the higher things of life is an act of the will. 1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:1-2

Setting our hearts on things above means striving to put heaven’s priorities into daily practice. Setting our minds on things above means concentrating on the eternal rather than the temporal.

To “set your minds on things above” means to look at life from God’s perspective and to seek what he desires.

WHEN you place a spoon in a glass of water that’s only two-thirds full, it appears that the spoon is bent or broken. This is called refraction. We know that the spoon is neither bent nor broken, it simply looks that way because of the light. As the light passes through the water, a distortion is created.

The world in which we are now living has created a refraction. It has created a distorted view of life, so that people are looking at life and living life in a way that the secular culture has defined it, actually creating a refracted view of reality. In fact, if you look at the world order closely, it will make you think your faith is broken. But it is not that your faith is broken, it is the distorted view of this world order being applied to your faith.

In conclusion, 1. Believers should avoid the negative side of rejoicing.

2. We will never have a carefree indifference to things until we trust God.

3. When we trust God, we are free to rely entirely upon Him to provide our needs.

4. The decision to set the mind on the higher things of life is an act of the will.

Due to the power outage, candles were now lighting the hotel. we registered by hand because the computers weren’t working. There was no TV, no air-conditioning, and no hot food because nothing was working. We pulled back the shades and opened the window to get some air in our room.

That’s when we saw it. Immediately across the street from us was a Marriott Hotel. It was all lit up. I mean this place was popping. We heard music playing through our open window. The other hotel was so close we could see people moving around and eating outside. It was clear to me that we were in the wrong place. I had one simple question: How could there be that much light in this much darkness? It was about 9:00 at night, but I had to get my inquisitive question answered, so I walked back down the steps and crosses over to the Marriott.

I walked into an air-conditioned Marriott Hotel. All the TVs were on and were tuned in to the newscast reporting on how dark New York City was. Folks were lined up at the restaurant to get hot food. There was all this light and joy and music and laughter and excitement in a dark situation. I went over to the assistant manager and I said, “Mister, I don’t understand. It’s dark everywhere. The airport is right over there and it’s dark. My hotel is right over yonder and it’s dark too. Everything is dark, and yet you are lit up like a Christmas tree. How can this be?”

He said, “It’s really fairly simple. When we built this hotel, we built it with a gas generator. We’ve got power on the inside that is not determined by circumstances on the outside. Even though there’s nothing happening out there, there’s plenty happening in here.”

When you accepted Jesus Christ, He came into the inside. So what’s happening on the outside shouldn’t determine whether or not you’ve got a lighthouse on the inside. What’s happening out there shouldn’t determine your joy. God has given us a generator of life and liberty in our souls through our relationship with Jesus Christ. We don’t have to live our lives determined by life’s circumstances.