Joy To The World Series

Rediscovering Christmas

#3 Joy to the world

Good Morning everyone

As the church right now is being restricted by what it can do because of the pandemic, I want you to know that the church is also seeing some miraculous things being done in the life of its people.

God has not turned His back on the very church that He has built.

“I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” That is the words of Jesus.

Amen! Take that deep into your spirit this morning.

At anytime but mostly at Christmas one of my favorite songs to sing is Joy to the world-

Joy to the world the Lord has come, let earth receive the King. Let every heart prepare Him room. And heaven and nature sing!

There may have been no room at the inn when Mary was to birth Jesus, but there has to be room for Jesus in your heart and my heart.

Prayer- Lord make this Christmas the best Christmas ever! When everything that was normal becomes abnormal, let this Christmas not just be like the rest, but this one may we rediscover or maybe discover for the first time Jesus as Lord and savior of our lives. Grant it Jesus.

As we move toward Christmas, we have looked at hope and last week we looked at peace.

This morning I swing back around to tell you that until you have hope in God that you will never have the joy of God. Amen!

I remind you that we all must rediscover Christmas each year with the hope that God would show us something fresh and new about it that we didn’t know or had forgot that was important.

What is the purpose behind the celebration of Christmas?

For those who are in Christ, Christmas’s lies solely in the birth of Jesus.

Based on his own careful investigation, Luke’s account of Christ’s birth is more than a heartwarming story or a call to blind faith—it is true, historical, and life-changing.

It is good news, and it brings great joy to a world darkened by sin.

Luke 2 tells us that Mary and Joseph went from Nazareth to Bethlehem so that they could register as the law required. While they journeyed Mary, who was pregnant and pledged to be married to Joseph had labor pains and was giving birth to a baby. There was no room at the inn so she gave birth to her baby in a barn, a man made manger because there was no other place for Joseph to take his wife to be.

The birth of Jesus-“The Christmas story”-Luke Chapter 2, read every year in services all over the world.

The announcement of a savior and an opportunity for each of us to know Him and receive Him.

Seems to me that there should be more to the story. To me, there should be more pizzazz!

Seems to me like the old dragnet series where Jack Webb plays Joe Friday and says “just the facts’!

The joy we are all searching for comes after you know who Jesus is. (repeat)

Why he came-

Why the Son of God would come to this world to live and then die and then miraculously be resurrected to become our savior.

After you take deep into your soul that Christmas is about Jesus.

You take Christ out of Christmas and you just have gift giving.

After you understand that it is not just another birth, but the birth of our savior.

The joy of the Lord comes from choosing the Christ child like the shepherds did. Experiencing Christmas!

Luke 2:8-20 Read from bible

The shepherds were doing their own thing- living life with all its ups and downs.

(you relate to that)?

The shepherds who were not the most liked people in the area.

The ones who were considered unclean by the priests and not allowed to go to Temple were the ones given an opportunity to experience Christ fresh and new on that monumental night.

Angels light up the sky in the fields- “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.”

Can you picture that amazing moment.

I am glad this morning that I am included in the “all” people.

The good news which is really great news is that all of us who have heard the good news has an opportunity to do like the shepherds in the field did- (15) “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Each one of us this morning, right now has a choice wither we will receive that good news and do something with it or ignore it and make today just another day.