Party Time

Philippians 4:4 (NIV)

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

INTRODUCTION: "It’s Party Time"

Place under each chair party favors, i.e. squawkers, poppers, bubbles etc... Get some young people to come up and lead a couple of cheers and get everybody to scream and holler, creating a party atmosphere.

APPLICATION: It’s party time in the kingdom of God. Why, because we have a reason to party, a right to party and a responsibility to party. By partying I mean to rejoice in God and His goodness. Partying because of Who Jesus is and for what He has done, because we have been freed from sin’s grip on us and because we want others to see the joy of God in us.

Quote:

Happiness is caused by things that happen around me, and circumstances will mar it; but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition. It is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring the world can’t see and doesn’t know anything about. The Lord gives his people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to him. DWIGHT LYMAN MOODY (1837-1899)

I. WE HAVE A REASON TO PARTY

A. Because of Who He is

1. As lovers of Jesus Christ and who is and who is in our lives it gives us the ultimate reason to party. The world is always looking for reasons to party, football games, concerts, birthdays, etc…, but there celebration is short lived with the end of a sporting event etc… Where our reason lives forever.

2. Our reason to party or celebrate has to be about Jesus or our partying will be up and down along with our relationship with Jesus. One day we’ll feel good and be in a good mood so we’ll celebrate but if we feel bad then we don’t party we just sit there and sulk.

3. Jesus is not the historical figure that the world makes Him out to be, he is much more than that. When we begin to see Jesus for who He really is our partying takes on a whole new excitement and cause. We now celebrate because we are in love.

4. Who is Jesus to you? He is just a religious figure, the big guy in the sky, someone who is only there when you need him to suit your needs, or is He the most important person in your life, the reason you live, the reason you party.

B. BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE

1. Not only do we party or rejoice for who Jesus is but what he has done. The world doesn’t hold a candle to why we party. We have been freed from the power of sin, we no longer have to be the slave of sin, we don’t have to sin. We celebrate what He has done for us as well as all people.

2. You and I were a lost people. We where unable undo the predicament that we were in, we were hopeless, and spellbound by enchanting powers of Satan. He held us hostage and the ransom he set was far to high for anybody to pay with the exception of our creator.

3. When we begin to fully understand what Jesus has done for us our reason for partying or rejoicing becomes more intense & passionate. We celebrate with more enthusiasm, fervor, excitement, and craze.

4. What Jesus did He didn’t have to, He did it because He wanted to and so He desires for us to party in Him because we want to not because we have to. He has provide for us the freedom party and has provide for us the reason to party.

II. WE HAVE A RIGHT TO PARTY

A. FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO PARTY

1. The devil is not going to sit by and just let us party in Jesus because he knows that our rejoicing in Jesus will lead to a more intense relationship with God and thus making you and me more of a threat to him and his kingdom.

2. You will have to fight to party in Jesus. Everything in this world is against you being in love with Jesus, but you must determine in your heart to love God no matter what the world says or does. Realize that you have been given the RIGHT to party.

3. Your emotions, circumstances, friendship, way of thinking will be against you rejoicing in God, but you must press on regardless of what you feel, think, or see, because you know that sorrow only last for the night but Joy comes in the morning.

4. It is your right by the virtue of what Jesus did on the Cross and through the resurrection that you have the RIGHT to party, and you must not let anyone or anything take that away from you.