December 28, 2012

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

 

Once famous evangelist, Billy Sunday said, “if you have no joy, there’s a leak in your Christianity.”

 

Joy was a new experience for the shepherds because joy arrived with the coming of Jesus! But it should not be a novel experience for you. Jesus intended for His believers to live in joy:

 

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:11

"Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete." John 16:24

 

So, what can you learn about joy from this encounter between the angel and the shepherds?

 

First, joy comes from receiving the good news.

 

These shepherds heard the good news in a very dramatic way. The angels came to them with this amazing announcement. How great was that?!

 

You will not get the news from an angel but the good news is no less powerful. One of your main responsibilities is to put yourself into places where you can receive the good news. Whether that be church service or small group or listening on radio or on the Internet or watching TV or in your daily devotions, it is up to you to get your daily dose of good news! No one else can do that for you.

 

How can you have joy if you are not regularly hearing the good news? What are you doing to make sure you regularly hear the good news?

 

Second, joy comes from responding to the good news.

 

The shepherds immediately responded to the good news. When they heard about what was happening they went to see it for themselves.

What do you do with the good news you receive? Do you obey it? Do you test it? Do you live it out in your daily living so that you know it it true? Do you let it guide your decisions and steer your emotions? Joy is not an emotion, but it is an action that leads to positive feelings. Feelings always follow faith and faith is the preferred response to the good news.

 

Living in joy means receiving the good news and responding to the good news and thirdly, joy results from relationship with the good news!

 

Joy is the natural response to living in relationship with Jesus. If you receive the good news just for information you will not live in joy. If you receive purely for inspiration it will not remain. But if you will commit to living in an intimate personal relationship with Jesus, your joy will not leak. The good news is about truth and Jesus IS the Truth! The good news is about finding your way and Jesus IS the Way! The good news is a way of life and Jesus IS the Life!

How is your relationship with Jesus? How well do you know Him? Is He your Source of Joy?

Don't let the joy leak out of your life. Plug that leak by plugging into Jesus! Receive His good news daily and respond to it and live in relationship with it!

 

Have a joyous New Year!

December 27, 2012

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." John 2:10

 

Over the past several days I have been focusing on the announcement made by the angels to the shepherds that holy night. What was this "good news of great joy"? Why don't we see more joy in the church among believers?

 

We have recognized there should be joy in the presence of God and joy in the pardon from God and because of the peace of God though Christ. Also, you can find joy in the power of God. Christmas was impossible but impossible things happened so Jesus could be born!

 

How about another reason for joy?

 

You can take joy in the promises of God! In the events leading up to and culminating in the birth of Jesus there were 360 prophecies fulfilled. That means that 360 things that God predicted in advance were going to happen happened! And they happened exactly as they were foretold!

 

That incredible fact proves that God had His fingerprints all over the events that led up to the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! And the accuracy of these predictions should give us joy in knowing that the promises of God are true and reliable!

 

Whatever His Word promises He will do!

 

There is no one else you know and love who could keep his promises 100% of the time! Every person over promises and under delivers. BUT NOT GOD!

 

If you are facing a difficult circumstance right now and you desparately need Him to be Who His Word says He is - rejoice! Jesus is everthing He promises He is and He can do and possibly has already done what ever He says. What He can do is posted in His Word. Read it, memorize it and claim it!

 

Find joy in praising Him that He will do what He promises to do! Christmas proves it!

December 26, 2012

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

I hope you had a joyous Christmas!

Here is another reason why the good news of Christmas brings reason for joy.

Christmas brings the joy of His presence, and the joy of His pardon, and the joy of His peace. Anyone of those is reason enough alone - but ALL of them are available to you through Christ!

Want more?

Find joy in His power!

It was the power of God that caused an elderly couple to conceive and give birth to John the Baptist, the greatest prophet ever! From their weakness came the strength of God! From their impotence sprang a miracle! His power brought Zachariah and Elizabeth great joy!

Why?

Because "nothing is impossible with God"! That is His power!

Through the power of God a virgin gave birth to the Son of God without ever knowing a man! It is impossible, but it happened! Because "nothing is impossible with God"! He has the power to accomplish everything He wishes to accomplish. And he can do it through weak human beings! Mary found exceeding joy through the power of God at work in her!

Christmas demonstrates the amazing power of God! Nothing is impossible because of His great power! And that power resides in you when you walk in Christ and His Spirit!

Perhaps you were facing some difficult challenges as you celebrated Christmas 2012. Find joy in the power of God! Take joy in the knowledge that "nothing is impossible for God"!

December 25, 2012

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

 

Christmas brings great joy. There is the joy of His Presence. Jesus came to be "Immanuel", "God with us". Because of Christmas you can live in the presence of God! Take joy in His presence!

 

Also, there is joy in His pardon. Jesus redeemed us by dying to pay the penalty for your sins. "The wages of sin is death", says the Scriptures. So, the sinless Lamb of God came to take away your sins and deliver you from the guilty and shame of sin! What joy there is in being pardoned!

 

This morning I want to remind you of another source of joy from the Christmas story. In addition to the joy of His presence and the joy from His pardon, there is the joy of His peace!

 

Peace has several aspects but essentially, peace comes from being reconciled with God. That reconciliation is possible once you have been pardoned from sin. When the barrier of sin is removed and you connect with the Father through the grace of Jesus, the net result is peace!
 

Jesus would be the Prince of Peace because He would come to reconcile His people to God.

 

He would be known as the Prince of Peace because he can give a rest from the burden of your sin and the nagging bondage of living in sin. God is given the central place in your life and when He filled the God-shaped void in yor life, you slowly grew in your knowledge and understanding of His peace. There is great joy in having that peace!

 

And, find joy in the fact Jesus not only provided for your peace - HE IS YOUR PEACE! That is a source of great joy!

December 24, 2012

"But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people." Luke 2:10

 

Christmas is supposed to be a season of joy. In this series of posts I am taking a closer look at this topic of joy. What is it and where does it come from?

 

Joy comes from God's presence. Christmas is when God came to us in the person of Christ.

 

Also, joy comes from God's pardon.

 

Jesus came to be our Savior. Savior from what? He saved us from the penalty of sin. As sinners we were spiritually dead and destined for eternal death. But Jesus, because He was without sin, took our sins upon Himself. He died for you and me.

 

Because He took our penalty, we can be pardoned.

 

It would be the equivalent of you receiving a death sentence because of a heinous crime you committed. You are arrested and tried and found guilty by a jury - because you ARE guilty. When you appear before the judge he sentences you to death and you are taken to death row. You remain there for several years until the time comes for your sentence to be carried out and you hear footsteps coming down the long hallway toward your isolated cell. Your heart quickens, a big lump develops in your throat and there is a sinking feeling in your stomach. "This is it!", you think to yourself. But, the guard opens the door and announces, "You are free to go!"

 

"What?", you reply.

 

"You are free to go. Report to the Warden and he will make sure you get your belongings."

 

"But........why........how?"

 

"The Warden's son volunteered to take your death sentence. He will die tonight in you place! Since he has taken your sentence you are free!"

 

As the news begins to sink into your consciousness, you feel a great sense of relief and then slowly a joy arises in you as you realize you are free! You will get to grow old! You will get to see your children grow up! You will live out your days in freedom because someone's son died in your place!

 

That is the pardon you receive in Jesus when you put your faith in Him. And that is why Jesus came at Christmas. He came to pay the penalty for your sins so you can be pardoned!
 

Joy results from God's presence and joy arises from His pardon. Christmas is where it all began!

December 23, 2012

"for behold, I bring you good news of great joy......" Luke 2:10

Like you, I have had good news and I have had bad news and good news is definitely better! But, not all good news brings great joy. The news about Christmas did! Why?

 

I want to examine this "joy thing" over the next few posts and perhaps you can gain a better understanding of what theangel was talking about and why you don't experience more of it.

 

How does that sound?

 

As I meditated on this question, "What was it about Christmas that brought joy?" I came up with a number of answers that worked for me. We will see if they matter to you.

 

The first source of joy in the Christmas story is God's Presence!

 

God's greatest present was His presence! Jesus was "the Word that became flesh" to dwell among us! Jesus was "Immanuel", " God with us!

 

For centuries only the High Priest could enter presence of God and only on special occasions. But now, because of Jesus, God would realize His greatest desire and your deepest need could be met! He could dwell in you and you can live in His presence! Since that is exactly what you were created for, that brings joy!

 

Will you know the joy of His presence today? Will you enter in? Will you welcome Him into your spirit? Will you fellowship with Him by faith? Will you walk with Him in obedience? Will you commune with Him through prayer? Will you encounter Him in the Word? Will you partner with Him in service?
 

You will never know joy apart from the presence of God. And the good news of great joy is that Jesus has come to dwell in you!

December 22, 2012

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."  II Peter 3:8

 

I have always had a hard time trying to wrap my mind around the concept of eternity. When I was a kid I would lie in bed thinking about forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and........I would drift off to sleep. A finite mind like mine can't grasp infinity.

 

But I believe in it! I am counting on it! I have invested my life in the faith that there is a forever!

 

Just as I struggle to comprehend eternity, I wonder if Jesus must have struggled a bit when He stepped FROM eternity into the constraints and limitations of time! Imagine the One Who had measured time in millenia now had to meter it in minutes. Imagine the One Who is timeless having to learn how to tell time!

 

Of all the adjustments Jesus had to make when He emptied Himself of all the advantages of divinity to be born as a flesh and blood baby in a stable on planet Earth, learning to live in time must have been one of the toughest.

 

But one of the many amazing aspects of the Christmas story is that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" stepping out of eternity into time!

 

Understanding that He did that is important. Understanding why He did it is even more important. He submitted to the constraints of time so He could make it possible for you and me to enjoy the freedoms of eternity!

 

So, with that in mind, will you make time for Him in the midst of this busy Christmas season? Will you find time to seek Him in His Word? Will you make time to talk to Him in pray? Will you set aside time to meditate and hear His voice? It takes time to become eternal!

And the next time you feel under time pressure around the Christmas rush let it remind you that the Son of God put Himself under time pressure in order to help you last forever!