Good News From the King brings Joy!

Psalm of Isaiah

Isaiah 12:2–6 NIV

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

Opening Hymn

Advent Candle Lighting

Reader One:

Zephaniah 3:11–20 NIV

On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord. They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.” Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” “I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.

Reader Two:

Luke 3:7–18 NIV

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

THE JOY OF HOME

Reader One: It’s a reunion, every time we go home, every time we embrace those we love, no matter how long it has been. It feels like sunrise, like the clouds are parting and the rain has ended. It is joy, nothing less than pure joy to grab hold of those who are home for us, who make home for us. Whether we wake up to them every day, or travel many miles to see them again, it is joy to go home.

Reader Two: The prophet Zephaniah tells us to rejoice at the thought of going home. The prophet tells us to imagine being set free, being unburdened, being released to live, to fully live in the grace and wonder of life itself, surrounded by those who love us like no one else. And then to live like that was our truth even now, even here. It is joy to go home.

Reader One: John the Baptist reminds us, however, that it takes choices to live in this joy. It doesn’t just happen; we choose to make life a joy by how we love others, by how we serve and give and care for others, by how we do the job we do and how we impact the world around us. We build joy as we build a home in this world and the next.

Reader Two: We light these candles, the candle of hope, and of peace, and of joy, as a sign that we are on our way home, and we walk with a skip in our step because we can see the destination, and it is pure joy. It is time to go home.

Light three candles in the Advent wreath. If using a rose or pink colored candle in the wreath, this is the time to light that one.

Video

Worship Set

Philippians 4:4–7 NIV

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Good News From the King!

Viruses have been a plague on human kind since the fall of man. Not only do they harm us but even our computers are now infected with viruses. However, there is a current virus warning that I am happy to report. Allow me to sound the alarm.

(The Advent Virus-Anonymous via email)

WARNING……WARNING: ADVENT VIRUS

Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:

A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.

An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.

A loss of interest in judging other people.

A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.

A loss of interest in conflict.

A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)

Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.

Frequent attacks of smiling.

An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.

An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it.

Well, I do not know about you, but I am sure I have been infected by this bug and I am not afraid to say so and I hope to spread it! :-)

This week, our Advent theme is “Joy.” Joy is not the same as happiness. Joy is much deeper than that and it cannot be stolen by circumstances, but instead gives strength and power to us in the midst of the deepest and darkest circumstances. It is rooted in our knowledge of who God is. When we know God and understand that He has all things in His control, we experience peace due to our confidence in God’s love and His ability to see to all our needs.

The traditional scriptures for third advent speak of joy and judgement. It is difficult to understand how the two can be compatible and today we will look at that. However, there is another key component that keeps surfacing that I want us to notice today. It is the component of relationship. Not just a relationship with God, but our relationship to others as well.

Please stand with me for the reading of the Word. Today, I am reading from Romans 15:1-13. I am reading this out of the full context. The fuller context includes 14:1-23, but I feel we can get enough of the meaning for today’s sermon.

Romans 15:1–13 NIV

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.” Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.” And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God!

Pray

Good News From the King!

As I was thinking and processing my thoughts on joy this week, I came across a devotional that I felt explained well our source of joy. This devotion is not talking about joy, it does not even mention joy. However, I believe it relates to joy. The devotion is from the collection found in the devotional book Streams in the Desert which has been a favorite of mine for many years.

Listen closely and see if you do not catch the connection with joy. The devotion beings with 2 Kings 3:17-18.

You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; he will also hand Moab over to you. (2 Kings 3:17–18)

To human reason, what God was promising seemed simply impossible, but nothing is too difficult for Him. Without any sound or sign and from sources invisible and seemingly impossible, the water flowed the entire night, and “the next morning . . . there it was . . . ! And the land was filled with water. . . . The sun was shining on the water. . . . [And it] looked red—like blood” (vv. 20, 22).

Our unbelief is always desiring some outward sign, and the faith of many people is largely based on sensationalism. They are not convinced of the genuineness of God’s promises without some visible manifestation. But the greatest triumph of a person’s faith is to “be still, and know that [He is] God” (Ps. 46:10).

The greatest victory of faith is to stand at the shore of the impassable Red Sea and to hear the Master say, “Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today” (Ex. 14:13), and “Move on” (Ex. 14:15). As we step out in faith, without any sign or sound, taking our first steps into the water, we will see the water divide. Continuing to march ahead, we will see a pathway open through the very midst of the sea.

Whenever I have seen God’s wondrous work in the case of some miraculous healing or some extraordinary deliverance by His providence, the thing that has always impressed me most was the absolute quietness in which it was done. I have also been impressed by the absence of anything sensational and dramatic, and the utter sense of my own uselessness as I stood in the presence of this mighty God, realizing how easy all this was for Him to do without even the faintest effort on His part, or the slightest help from me.

It is the role of faith not to question but to simply obey. In the above story from Scripture, the people were asked to “make this valley full of ditches” (2 Kings 3:16). The people obeyed, and then water came pouring in from some supernatural source to fill them. What a lesson for our faith!

Are you desiring some spiritual blessing? Then dig the ditches and God will fill them. But He will do this in the most unexpected places and in the most unexpected ways. May the Lord grant us the kind of faith that acts “by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7), and may we expect Him to work although we see no wind or rain. A. B. Simpson

(Cowman, Mrs. Charles E. ; Reimann, Jim. Streams in the Desert (p. 455). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. )

Did you catch it? That source of our joy? It is rooted in who God is and knowing Him. “Be still and know that He is God.”

A. The Root of Joy is God

It has nothing to do with us, or our ability to do anything other than to put our faith and trust in Him and obey in full confidence that, “He’s got this.” Joy springs up from the peace and assurance that God has everything under His control.

Look again at what Paul said in Romans.

Romans 15:13 NIV

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Paul understood joy. Earlier today we read from Philippians 4. This is Paul’s jail mail to the Philippians. Allow me to read it again for you.

Philippians 4:4–7 NIV

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Paul is giving testimony to the truth of this. He is literally writing this while sitting in jail. Paul knew under such circumstances that he at any moment may be put to death, yet he encourages people to rejoice and trust in God despite any circumstance.

Now there is another aspect of joy that you would never guess. It is this.

B. Our Joy is Discovered Through Judgement

Are you shocked? How can this be? Well if it were not for judgement, chances are you would never come to put your trust in God. You would still be following your own self-deluded path believing you know what is best. Of course, anyone who is honest should be able to look around at the people they have hurt and see consequences they suffer from their own poor choices to know this is not true. However, we have stubborn natures that refuse to accept the truth without some greater force that helps us. This greater force is the Holy Spirit revealing our corruption and the judgement to which it leads.

During our Advent candle lighting, the account of John the Baptist was read. I do not know if you caught it, but this man was direct. Look again at what he says.

Luke 3:7–9 NIV

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Now here is the interesting part. Did the crowds turn and leave? They did not! The truth is, the crowd grew. Look at their response in verse 10.

Luke 3:10 NIV

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

When we live in sin, it is like living in our own excrement. It is not fun. It is not pleasing. It just leads to further disease and problems. However, when we acknowledge the contemptible state we are living in, we can find the answer to it and find peace and joy. Hearing the judgment pronounced gives us the catalyst we need to confess our sin and our need for God. To which He steps in and brings salvation and joy into our lives.

This event involving John the Baptist is not new to us. However, it is difficult for us to understand the greater context which John spoke into. Well-known Methodist theologian William Willimon wrote up some history on this passage of Luke. It is both informational and humorous, so indulge me as I read to you some of what he wrote on this subject so that you may better understand the context of John’s day.

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus was the successor of the greatest of the emperors, Augustus Caesar, truly one of the greatest of all the Caesars. He was named emperor on September 14, 14 BCE, and fourteen years later Luke’s Gospel opens (3:1). Tiberius demurred from accepting the title of “God,” though he heartily encouraged continued worship of his stepfather Augustus. Whenever the Gospels refer to “Caesar,” they’re talking about Tiberius. Now, Tiberius appointed Pontius Pilate as his lackey (I mean “governor”) of all of Judea, and it was then that Herod (a Jew) was assigned to be in charge of Galilee. Pilate watched Herod who watched his own people on behalf of the Roman occupation forces. Pilate is of course vilified in the New Testament— what could you expect from Jews who were suffering under the heel of the Roman occupation forces—but later historians say that Pilate was probably a typical representative of the Roman government occupying Judea. Pilate was probably not a particular villain, just a typical lackey for the emperor in this outpost of the empire. Pilate did what he had to do to keep these Jews quiet. And for one hundred years it worked. Sure, there was an insurgency—in fact, about sixty different outbreaks of violence from these Jews—still Tiberius, Pilate, and Herod had proved to be an effective occupation administration. And it wasn’t only the government that kept these Jews underfoot. I must admit that they had support from the head clergy—high priests Annas and Caiaphas—who worked with Herod and under Pilate to keep everything as smooth as possible up at the temple. There had been a day a long time ago when high priests served for life. But now the Romans installed and removed high priests whenever they wanted to make sure that none of the Jewish clergy dared to challenge Roman power. The Romans graciously allowed the Jews to practice their religion, as long it was under the watchful eyes of Annas and Caiaphas, and as long as nobody mixed religion with politics or got restless during the temple rituals or dared to question the notion that the God of Israel was all well and good, and as long as Israel’s God knew that Augustus Caesar and his stepson, so ably represented by Pontius Pilate, assisted by Herod, backed up by Annas and Caiaphas, were the real power in Judea.

Tiberius, Pilate, Herod, Annas, Caiaphas—all powerful, important men. This is the stuff of history—powerful, important men on top. That’s what you read about if you will open up today’s newspaper—stories about powerful men who control things from the top.

Now it was in these days that John came along and began his ministry. Luke with me at Luke 3:2

Luke 3:2 NIV

during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

Literally in the Greek, “The word of God happened to John.” The word of God—the long-awaited, eagerly listened-for word of God happened to “John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” John’s Gospel says that the “Word was God” (John 1:1). The Word, God, came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.

Now, historians can tell you about Tiberius, who Pilate was, as well as who Herod, Annas, and Caiaphas were, but who in the world is this Zechariah or who is his son John to whom God, the Word, happens? Maybe one reason why neither you nor any historian has ever heard of John is that John, son of Zechariah, is working out in the “wilderness.” Unlike Annas and Caiaphas, John does not preach in the urban center of Jerusalem, up at the temple in all of the temple’s grandeur. A few verses later, when you hear one of John’s sermons in which he calls the congregation “snakes” and dumb and dead as “rocks,” you can see why he couldn’t get a church anywhere, except way out in the backcountry. Wilderness!

What self-respecting pulpit committee would call a wild man like John to preach in their self-respecting church? John was out in the wilderness. Ironic, don’t you think? Here were trained religious professionals, seminary-educated scholars, spiritual experts—Annas and Caiaphas—working up at the temple, ensconced at Israel’s “national cathedral,” looking for the “word of God.” And the Word, God in the flesh, came to the unknown, un-credentialed, untrained, and unauthorized John, son of Zechariah, who was living off locusts and wild honey in the wilderness. What a way to begin a Gospel...

And to whom and to where will Messiah arrive? He will come out in the wilderness, among ordinary, not-at-all-powerful people. And that’s good news for most of us because, let’s face it, most of us are not all that prominent. Few of us live in prestigious cities. Our church may be beloved and beautiful, but it is no one’s idea of a grand and glorious national temple. And it was people like many of us to whom John preached, telling them that the long-awaited Messiah was coming to them.

(Willimon, William H.. Will Willimons Lectionary Sermon Resource, Year C Part 1 (p. 22). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition. )

Well, I don’t know about you, but I liked the way that Pastor Willimon addressed that, but let me get back to my point. John’s message was not that of a flower-child proclaiming God’s love and giving everyone the warm woollies. He calls them snakes and vipers! His is a message of warning. The God that dispenses justice is coming. Make ready.

When an ordinary person is about to meet a king, they are groomed in what is proper protocol for doing so. It is expected that they will bathe for the occasion. Their is probably a certain protocol on how they dress, how they greet or speak to the one they stand before. John is preparing these people to meet their King. But this isn’t some ordinary King. This is the King of Kings. This is God Almighty who is holy. To meet Him, we need not only clean and present ourselves outwardly, but also inwardly.

However, this harsh sounding message of judgement is called “good news.”

Luke 3:18 NIV

And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

Why is this judgement and the coming King good news? Because this King also provides the means by which we can be saved from this judgement. And the answer has nothing to do with who we are on the status meter. It has nothing to do with how talented we are or how rich we are. The answer to judgement is accessible to all who really desire it and the dividends are immeasurable. This is the good news of judgement.

Zephaniah 3 celebrates this removal of judgement.

Zephaniah 3:11–12 NIV

On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill. But I will leave within you the meek and humble. The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the Lord.

But there is another key component of this joy. It is one often overlooked, but in every discussion on the matter we see it surface. It is...

C. Relationships Are Part of Joy

The first part of this is obvious. We know that our judgment separates us from God our Creator. Therefore, when judgement is removed, so is the separation between us and God. But a holy relationship with God is always connected with our relationship with others.

When the crowd asked John the Baptist what they must do. What was his response? It is found in Luke 3:11-14

Luke 3:11–14 NIV

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

To each, John responded by addressing their attitudes and actions toward others.

In the letter to the Philippians, Paul addresses their actions toward each other throughout the letter and says for them to have the same mindset as Christ when it comes to their relationships with each other. In Romans 15 read at the beginning of this sermon, Paul admonishes the Roman church to support and encourage each other, putting others first before themselves just as Christ had done.

Jesus taught a lot on this subject saying that the second most important thing we can do is love others. He said to judge not lest we be judged. He said to forgive and even went as far as to say that our forgiveness is dependent on our ability to forgive others.

When we do all these things, God’s joy is multiplied in our life. In fact, we can love others even when they hate us and no matter what they do, they cannot rob us of our joy when our attitude is right toward God and them.

Closing

So, here is the Advent message on joy in a nutshell. We are a people fallen from grace and marked for death, but the Good News is salvation is ours because of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All we must do is accept it and grow in a relationship with our Savior.

Last week, I spoke of the coming judgment and the work we need to do to get ready. However, there is joy even in the preparation. You see, we are not like the donkey pulled and tugged into compliance. We are a willing participant as we desire to know God more. We desire to draw closer to God. We long to be obedient because we love Him. We have moved from acting from a point of “must do,” to “desire to do”. This is what separates Christianity from religion.

It should be noted that we are never at one time suddenly prepared. The preparation is not some task that once served is completed. Why? Because the preparation is not task-oriented but relationship-oriented.

In a marriage, you never reach a point where you do not have to try anymore. There is always something new you can learn about your spouse. There is always something you can do to better relate with your spouse. There are always ways you can improve to better serve your spouse. As you do so, you feel peace, joy and assured of the good standing of the relationship.

This is the preparation of Advent. We are constantly working to know God better. Looking for ways we can change to please Him. When He is pleased, we are pleased. It feels good to draw closer, to learn more, to love more deeply.

When we work at our marriage in this way, we find peace and joy in the relationship, and it is the same with God.

If you do not have this assurance or peace, I would say to you what James said, “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” All it takes is a desire to do so (just like any relationship) and giving time to get to know God better through prayer, God’s Word, and God’s people. If you truly desire God and His plan for your life, and you seek and work at it out of that same desire, you will grow in peace and joy.

Pray

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus