(This sermon was preached on Sunday, December 18 at Arapahoe Road Baptist Church in Centennial, Colorado. You may go to our sermons page to listen to the audio version—approximately 36 minutes.)
Joy. Think about that word for a moment. Even in all its word forms: rejoice, enjoy. What does it mean? It’s a state of delight.
C.S. Lewis gives a great warning to God’s people:
Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
We believe our joy can be found in our marriage and family and we put all our eggs in that basket—but what happens when issues come up in our family? Do we fall to pieces?
We believe joy can be found in a great job. But what happens when layoffs hit and downsizing begins?
We believe joy can be found in a solid retirement portfolio. But what happens if that money runs dry, or worse you find out that everything you were looking forward to didn’t fill that cavern in your soul?
We even believe joy can be found in church, where we are around people we like, hear music we like—but what happens when inevitable problems hit?
Mark Driscoll one time said, “If you take a good thing and make it a God thing, that’s a bad thing.” Human beings were never meant to be put upon a pedestal to be worshiped. Your family, your job, your school, your church are meant to be great gifts from God—but they are lousy gods!
St. Augustine in his Confessions, wrote:
Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless
till they find their rest in you;
so lead us by your Spirit
that in this life we may live to your glory
and in the life to come enjoy you for ever.
1. Rejoice that Christ’s birth is historical (Luke 2:1-7).
I recognize that this may not seem like a very spiritual point—that Christ’s birth is grounded in history. Many believe that this story and the entire Christian faith is that simply of personal belief. Many believe that we should embrace that which makes us feel better, and be kept simply in the personal realm. Others say, “Isn’t this simply a story or a myth that some people put forward?”
Dr. Luke didn’t approach it this way, and for good reason. Luke was a physician and historian of the first order. He was not into fantasy or speculation, he was into concrete information—a characteristic you want your physicians to have, yes? Historians as well are into facts and concrete information.
Look with me at Luke 1:1-4:
1Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Luke was writing this to defend the faith to Theophilus, a Roman soldier who was either interested in Christianity or a new convert. Luke sought to show him that the birth of Jesus was a historical fact.
Go back and look at Luke 2:1-7. Read through this and notice the great lengths Luke went to to establish his case.
Do you think if you lived during that time you would remember that? No matter where you lived, you had to come back to your hometown on horseback or by donkey.
Let’s look at the unspoken issue here. Notice how Luke bends over backwards to give as many historical markers as possible. He is wanting everyone to go back and look at the evidence. This was no pie-in-the sky fairy tale—Luke was couching it in terms of history, not fantasy. And he had plenty to talk to.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is outlining the importance and necessity of the resurrection.
3For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
There were enough people around to refute what Luke said if it wasn’t true.
2. We rejoice because the birth of Christ is personal (Luke 2:8-14).
While we know that the account of Jesus’ birth was not simply something someone made up, the effects of His birth affect us personally! And as we saw last week from Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” When God sent forth His Son through the vessel of Mary, he did not give any kind of distinction as to what type of people can come. In Romans 3:22-23, Paul writes, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
We also see no distinction in who will populate heaven. In Revelation 5, the angels were singing a new song:
"Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:9-10).
From every tribe and every strata of society, God calls a people to himself that is based upon his glory and his glory alone. Enter the shepherds.
These shepherds were not invited to the parties of the elite. No, shepherds weren’t invited anywhere—they couldn’t even go into the Temple to worship the Lord. They were considered unclean by the customs of the time, and so they could not approach God by the system in place.
Yet here is another picture of how God operates. We cannot come to him on our own—but God comes to us, even the lowliest of us. Something this marvelous needs telling, and God would send angels to speak to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and now the shepherds. Notice that with Zechariah the priest who knew the Scriptures well, he was the only one out of them all who questioned and doubted. Mary, Joseph and the shepherds had little status and even littler material possessions by which to cling.
God came to shepherds! Outside of Mary’s family, it was to these unclean, smelly men that God first announced to those who were considered unclean (a foretaste of how this message would go to the Gentiles). Notice what the angels say:
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be for all the people.
Look at 1 Corinthians 1:23-25:
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Cor 1:26-29).
God does not come looking for the elite—He comes looking for the foolish, the weak, the low and despised, so that who would receive the glory.
By the angels coming to the shepherds with this news, no one could boast in their goodness, their righteousness, or their status in society.
What about the angels? The multitude means 10000 times 10000. -- countless numbers of angels filling the sky, giving glory to God. But on earth peace on whom his favor rests (KJV, goodwill toward men). What does this mean? We must be careful to understand that both of these are saying in essence the same thing. The 'goodwill toward men' makes it sound like men need to be at peaceful with each other and nice with each other.
Joy? There’s that word! As I mentioned earlier, ‘joy’ should epitomize the people of God. There should be a culture of joy and gladness that permeates everything we do—especially our times of worship here.
Author Leo Buscaglia tells this story about his mother and their "misery dinner." It was the night after his father came home and said it looked as if he would have to go into bankruptcy because his partner had absconded with their firm's funds. His mother went out and sold some jewelry to buy food for a sumptuous feast. Other members of the family scolded her for it. But she told them that "the time for joy is now, when we need it most, not next week." Her courageous act rallied the family.
3. We rejoice at the birth of Christ because its worshipful (Luke 2:15-20).
The shepherds, without their religious or rabbinical training, recognized this was from the Lord. So what did they do? They said, “Let’s go!” They went to investigate. They didn’t want to miss out on what God was doing. They had to see it for themselves.
I heard a sermon one time from Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the old Welsh preacher from last century, who would encourage everyone to come to church. Why? He encouraged them based on the fact that he didn’t want them to miss anything.
Friends, in the three weeks I’ve been on Colorado, I have found no shortage of interesting places to go. And I have a long, long list of places I want to go and places I want to take my family when they get here. The opportunities for recreation and sightseeing are so enticing—just calling out to so many. But as enticing as this is, nothing compares to having an encounter with the living God through Jesus Christ. Nothing compares to this—nothing bring such joy.
Consider the Bereans in Acts 17. When they heard Paul’s message, it says they “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Paul called them ‘noble.’
The Shepherds upon this further examination were joyful because:
Roy Lessin sums it up well:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
The North American Missions Board is calling Southern Baptists to pray in January 2012. Below is that which is found at their website—are you in?
Impact your community, your nation and the world this January by leading your church to join with thousands of others across the Southern Baptist Convention in united prayer for spiritual awakening. Learn more here, and use the resources on this page to plan your church's participation.
Select a friend or family member and pray that they would come to faith in Christ.
- Pray for a receptive heart to the gospel.
- Ask God to provide divine opportunities to tell that friend or family member about your own personal experience of coming to faith in Christ and how God is working in your life today.
- Pray for that friend or family member to respond to the gospel.
Select a church staff member, volunteer or ministry, and pray for them in their efforts to penetrate lostness.
- Ask God to give a spirit of willingness to diligently plan and carry out His vision.
- Pray for leaders in your church to be filled with the compassion of Jesus so they can teach about the Savior who offers grace, peace and direction in a chaotic world.
- Pray for God to give your church a passion for making Christ’s name known in your community and among the nations.
Select a Send North America city and pray for the church planting efforts in that area.
- Pray for spiritual awakening in that city.
- Ask God to give the partnership coalition a spirit of unity and for discernment on where to plant new churches in the city.
- Pray for God to raise up individual church planters in that city.
Select an unreached people group and pray that the gospel would be advanced among these people.
- Ask God to send workers who will be accepted among these people groups.
- Pray that God would gather new believers into churches and that they would multiply rapidly.
- Pray for the discipleship of new believers and that they would carry the gospel to their people.
Select a national, state or local leader and pray for guidance in leading the Southern Baptist Convention.
- Pray for wisdom and discernment of God’s will for their lives and ministries.
- Pray for God’s provision and protection.
- Pray for God’s anointing of the Holy Spirit, empowering them to minister to those held captive by sin.
It’s my understanding that on October 2nd of this year, you were given a specific document with very important information. You were asked to look over this document, then to take time to present questions about the contents of that document.
That document was my resume.
On that piece of paper contained my name, address, family information, education, past experience, references, and a number of other items. You even had a chance, I understand, to listen to some of the sermons I preached at my previous church and read up on some of my online writings. I understand that one of you knew that I had a golden retriever (which sold you right away).
But then something happened for both of us. You see, while I had a chance to talk to a few of you (the search team), I was simply going by information on a paper, brief conversations and questions, and sermons/websites. But on the weekend of the 15th and 16th of October, something changed. The transition from Matthew Perry and ARBC went from paper to person. We had a chance to meet one another. And the rest is history—and I pray a very long history.
We can read about Christmas and know the particulars of the event and even the reason behind it. But has this story transition from the pages to the Person these pages describe? We can know a bit about the facts—but may we press on to the Figure of Jesus Christ.
The Father brought His Son in order that the Son might bring us to the Father as sons and daughters!
In this letter, Paul was dealing with a horrible influence in the early church known as the Judaizers. Paul was so angry with them that in his epistle to the Philippians he called them “dogs, evildoers, and mutilators of the flesh” (see Philippians 3:2). They were telling the Christians that in order for them to have a right relationship with God, they needed to follow Christ and keep all the particulars of the Mosaic law. A Christ-plus religion! Paul was saying that establishing a relationship with Jesus is not based on what we do, but on what Christ has already done through the bloody cross and the empty tomb!
1. A relationship with Jesus brings freedom from sin (Galatians 3:23-26).
“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.”
A number of weeks ago, ESPN broke the news of two assistant coaches who have been brought up on abuse charges, crimes that have been going on for years and years: Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach at Penn State, and Bernie Fine, former assistant basketball coach at Syracuse University. Sandusky was arrested this past Wednesday, while the investigation is still pending on Fine. The fact is that we all want them to be in prison for the harm they have caused to young boys and young men—but spiritually they are already imprisoned by their sin and their flesh.
The Scriptures tell us that we who are followers of Christ were all prisoners—prisoners under the Law. The Scriptures also tell us that all of us who have never surrendered to Christ are still in prison under the law.
What is this “law”? It’s the commandments of God! One may ask, “How are we held prisoner to this law? Does this mean that the law of God is a bad thing?” Romans 3:19-20 says, “
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin (Romans 3:19-20).
We must understand that the law of God is not a bad thing—anything that comes from God is good! And God is good enough and loves us enough to show us Himself and his bounds! The problem comes with us!
In verse 24, we see that “the law was our guardian until Christ came.” This has also been translated ‘schoolmaster.’ The law teaches us God’s boundaries, his will, his way, and his purpose. All of us had teachers in school that we considered hard and we didn’t like. (You’re all thinking of one right now, aren’t you?) But did you notice that, even though they were hard and pushed you past your limits, you appreciated them?
Too many folks don’t like the notion that God puts commands and demands and boundaries on them. But the law not only shows us God’s will, but shows us our self and sin and how we are in need of rescue. Paul would say, “The command would rise, and then sin would rise along with it.” So faith had to come!
This is not the type of faith that we muster up in ourselves. “Faith came” “faith has come.” God grants it to us as a gift. “For by grace have you been saved through faith, this is not of your own merit it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). The grace through faith “came” as a gift from God.
2. A relationship with Jesus brings unity to God and to each other (Galatians 3:27-29).
27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
What does it mean to be baptized into Christ? Take time to think about your baptism or the baptisms you’ve seen of others. What has happened? The Greek word for baptism is baptizo which means to ‘immerse’ or ‘dip.’ The outward act of baptizing is a sign of the inward reality—we are immersed in Christ, submerged.
If you have ever seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the early 1970’s version with Gene Wilder), you remember when they first went into the factory. Everything in that place was candy, and they began to partake. Down the middle of that room was a chocolate river. Augustus Gloop began to take his hand and drink from that. Mr. Wonka frantically informed him that he was contaminating this important stream, but instead of moving away, Augustus fell in! For the longest time as he was submerged, you couldn’t see him for all the chocolate!
When we are baptized into Christ, we are submerged into Christ to such a degree that all that we are belongs to him and is connected to him. In 1 Corinthians 6:16-20:
16Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh." 17But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
A.W. Tozer in his exemplary book, The Pursuit of God, writes:
Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same [tuning] fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become "unity" conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.
Not only are you submerged and in fellowship with Christ, but you are in tune with each other. The world distinguishes by race, but the Bible says there is “neither Jew nor Greek.” The world distinguishes by social status, but the Scripture says there is neither “slave nor free.” The world distinguishes by gender, but the Scriptures say, “there is neither male nor female.” The point: “All are one in Christ Jesus.”
Is Christ saying there are no races? Of course there are—God provided an incredible variety in our world. Are there no social strata? Are there no differences in gender? Remember this: while there is a difference in your roles, there is no difference in your souls. But there is no room for racism among the people of God, no room for feeling superior in regards to race, gender, or how you are viewed by God. All are made in God’s image, all have value, and all can approach Christ for salvation.
3. A relationship with Jesus brings you into the family of God (Galatians 4:4-7).
4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
God is not only an on-mission God, but God is an on-time God. How often do we become impatient with things in our lives, but what impatience is saying is that God has bad timing—ours is better. We want God to work on our timetable. But God sent His Son in just the right time, in the right way, and for the right purpose.
Consider the timing of our God. Go back 300+ years from the time of Christ and you will find a man prophesied in the book of Daniel no less by the name of Alexander the Great. Have you heard of him? Alexander was a fierce conqueror whose aim was to conquer the world. He managed to conquer all of the land that bordered the Mediterranean: southern Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa and almost made it to India when he died at the age of 33. In his wake, he left a Greek culture over the entirety of his dominion.
How does that apply to Christ’s time? He came into a world that, yes, was conquered by Roman and where the aristocracy spoke Latin, but the rest of the world spoke Koine Greek (common Greek). God provided this so that, after Christ’s death when the disciples were commissioned to go into the world and make disciples, they only needed to know one fairly simple language over all of the territory they would go to.
This is one example of many of how God sent his son in the right time and in the right manner: “born of a woman.” Here, we see both the divine (“God sent His Son”) and the humanity of Jesus (“Born of a woman, born under the law”). Why? “… To redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Remember what the Judaizers said, “Only by keeping the Law of Moses can you have a right relationship with God.” Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit, says, “No, only I can redeem you. Only I can save you. Only I can grant you what you need to come to me.”
I have a friend back in Lexington who is the associate pastor of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church—a wonderful church through whom God is doing amazing things. Jeremy had four biological children and went through the process of adopting two children from Ethiopia.
After they came home, Jeremy told of a time when his mother innocently mentioned that she hoped the ones they just brought home got along with their kids! Jeremy stopped and said, “Mom, those adopted children are my kids. When they go out onto that baseball field in the spring, they will have the name ‘Haskins’ on their back. They will be treated as if they are my children because they are my children.”
Consider Galatians 4:6-7:
6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Why the Spirit? In any profession or any status with which one identifies themselves, that status can change. Albert Pujols went from being a Cardinal for the last 11 years to a Los Angeles Angel of Anaheim! People get transferred and moved frequently. Can this happen with the things of God? Can one go from being a child of God to an un-child?
No, and this is why the Spirit was mentioned! God gives Him because of His mercy. And the benefits of the Spirit are endless. Consider Ephesians 1:13-14:
13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
When God sends you His Spirit, you belong to Him. You are His child and an heir through God!
Conclusion
Dear Christian, examine your life. How are you living it? Are you bearing fruit for the Kingdom? Do you live as if you have to please God in order for Him to love you, or are you living under the light of the fact that He’s shown you His love already—and you’re living out of love for Him?
Kevin DeYoung, a pastor in Michigan, was writing about how much he loved snow days and how much anticipation children have for snow days. Yes, the snow falls, the wind is cold, but also the anticipation of not having to get up early to pack lunches, building snow forts and throwing snow balls. “A day of rest. A day of play. A day together. A day where everything dying gets covered in white and everything beautiful sparkles.” Then he closed with this:
If you aren’t from around here, you might not understand the title of this post. But trust me, heaven has to be like the best snow day ever. In midst of darkness, in the midst of cold and gloom, in the midst of danger and foreboding skies, you hope and hope. You wonder if tomorrow might be the day. You wonder if it might all be worth it. You wonder if you’ll wake up to hear happy news. You wonder if tomorrow is your snow day. And when it comes, you will play and sing and spend your hours among angels.
To all who are crestfallen, brokenhearted, afraid, or alone, take heart: winter may last for the night, but a snow day comes in the morning.
Thanks be to God for this incredible gift.
