In 2001, the Richards family of Canberra, Australia, set the Guinness World Record for the most holiday lights ever on a private residence – 331,038 bulbs, to be exact. It was a record that stood for more than a decade.
Then, in 2012, Tim Gay and his family from LaGrangeville, New York, beat the world record. They decorated their house with 346,283 lights, and synchronized them to music.
But the Richards would not be beat, so the next year, in 2013, they decorated their house with more than half a million lights, 502,165 to be exact, utilizing more than 29 miles of wire.
However, Tim Gay couldn’t let that record stand. So last year (2014), he and his family from New York covered their own house and its grounds with a display that involved 601,736 lights, synchronized to more than 200 songs. The whole thing took roughly two months to build, and it covered two acres.
Tim Gay told Guinness on the occasion of his win: “My family and I are thrilled to bring the World Record back to the United States.” He added, “And we're even more excited that we did it with nearly 100,000 more lights than the previous record.” (Megan Garber, “The Intense Competition to Be the World's Most-Decorated House,” The Atlantic, 12-19-14; www.PreachingToday.com)
Somewhere along the way, these two families lost the original meaning of Christmas. And if we’re not careful, we can lose it too with our own mad frenzy of bigger and better. This time of year, some people buy into the “Christmas Stuffers” – Stuff your stockings, Stuff your face, Stuff your calendars, Race, race, race!
When you look around, you wonder Where is the peace? Where is the joy? Where is the contentment this season is supposed to bring?
Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Isaiah 9, Isaiah 9, where we can re-discover the peace and joy of Christmas.
Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. (ESV)
That light, of course, is Jesus Christ. He came to this earth during the Roman occupation of Israel. It was a dark time for them. They were in great distress and spiritually blind, but Jesus came as a light to show them the way back to God and the way back to blessing.
And Jesus wants to do the same thing for you. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” When we walk with Christ, we enjoy the comforting light of His presence. However, when we refuse to follow Christ, all that’s left for us to do is stumble around in the frightening darkness of desperation.
Pastor Todd Hunter, in his book Giving Church Another Chance, talks about the days when he was ministering at a church in Anaheim, California. During one of their services, there was a blackout when an automobile accident knocked out the power line to their building. For some reason, the emergency lights failed, as well, with nearly 3,000 people in the room and close to a 1,000 children in the area behind the sanctuary.
Pastor Todd was sitting in the front row of the church. He was only a dozen steps from the hallway leading to the children; but the darkness was so overwhelming and disorienting, he found it very difficult as he groped his way there.
When Pastor Todd finally reached the door that led to a long hallway, he saw one of the mothers, who had beat him to the door. She had a small flashlight on her key chain and was making her way to her children. Her small light didn't illumine the whole hallway, but it reoriented the whole scary moment. Soon others found emergency flashlights in the classrooms, and still others shined their car headlights through the classroom windows, and they were able to get all the kids out to safety.
After about five or ten minutes, Pastor Todd made his way back to the sanctuary. He said it looked like a 1960s rock concert. All the baby boomers had gotten out their Bic lighters and were waving them around as if "Hey Jude" was being performed by the Beatles. Pastor Todd says, “As funny as that was, what I still remember twenty years later is the enormous power of that mom's flashlight to bring hope and orientation to a seriously unnerving moment.” (Todd D. Hunter, Giving Church Another Chance, IVP, 2010, p. 78; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s what Jesus wants to do for you. He wants to bring hope and orientation to your seriously unnerving moments. So please, stop walking AWAY from Him in your sin. Instead, walk WITH Him through life, trusting Him every step of the way with your life and your eternal destiny. Walk in His light, and…
FIND THE GUIDANCE you so desperately need.
Locate the way out of the unnerving disorientation of your life, and discover the comfort of His illuminating presence. More than that, walk with Jesus and…
FIND GLADNESS IN YOUR HEART, as well.
Locate the source of real happiness and joy. Discover an enjoyment and delight in life you never thought possible.
Isaiah 9:3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. (ESV)
There is coming a day when Christ’s reign form Jerusalem will make Israel a happy nation again. They’ll be as happy as a farmer bringing in 80-bushel wheat. They’ll be as happy as a soldier coming home from active conflict duty with a big fat bonus check. Israel will rejoice when Jesus comes again to rule and reign from Jerusalem.
His literal, physical presence will make them glad someday, but you and I don’t need to wait until then. We can be glad today. We can experience the joy that Jesus offers right now!
In John 10:10, Jesus said of His followers, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” An abundant, meaningful, fulfilling life is yours if you choose to follow Him. However, if you choose to walk away from Him, you open yourself up to the one who will only steal, kill and destroy your life.
Please, don’t do it. Trust Christ with your life and experience the joy that only He can bring.
I like the way Tullian Tchividjian describes that joy in his book, One Way Love. He says God’s grace “is a bit like a roller coaster. It makes us scream in terror and laugh uncontrollably at the same time. But there aren't any harnesses on this ride. We are not in the driver's seat, and we did not design the twists and turns. We just get on board. We laugh as the binding law of gravity is suspended, and we scream, because it looks like we're going to hurtle off into space. (Tullian Tchividjian, One Way Love, David C. Cook, 2013, page 31; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the life God in His grace offers those who trust in His Son. It is “terrifyingly fun,” Tchividjian says, “and like any ride worth standing in line for, it is worth coming back to again and again… [It’s] the only ride we thankfully never outgrow, a source of inexhaustible hope and joy for an exhausted world.” (Ibid.)
So what are we waiting for? Scoot over, and let's take the plunge, once again, for the first time. Find guidance, and find gladness when you continue to live your life in dependence upon Christ. More than that…
FIND RELIEF FROM THE BURDENS OF LIFE.
Be set free from the things that weigh you down.
Isaiah 9:4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. (ESV)
That’s when Gideon scattered the entire Midianite army with just 300 men, a few trumpets, and some torches. God delivered Israel then, and God will deliver Israel again from those nations that oppress her.
You see, throughout the years, many nations have tried to wipe Israel off the face of the map. In the past, they included Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome, and Hitler’s Germany. Now, Israel’s enemies are Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Qaida, and ISIS. Every day, Israel fights for her existence, but there is coming a day when her Messiah will come. Jesus is coming again; and when He does, He will relieve Israel from her oppressors. He will take the yoke of bondage from off her neck and set her free.
However, we don’t need to wait until then, because Jesus wants to set us free today. He wants to lift the burdens from off our shoulders and provide relief from the things the weigh us down.
In Matthew 11, Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthews 11:28-30).
Oh, how this must have stunned those who heard these words for the first time. They were used to their religious leaders weighing them down with hundreds, if not thousands, of rules for success in life and favor with God. Jesus was offering them just the opposite – not more rules for success, but relief and rest from the burden of trying to earn God’s favor.
Have you ever noticed how a lot of athletes believe that God is on their side, especially when they win? But how do these highly trained, well-paid professionals handle it when they lose. Does it mean that God doesn’t like them, that he wasn’t for them, that they weren’t as special as they thought? Many of them thank God for their wins, but very few, if any, thank God for their loss. It seems that their god only shows up when they win, and that puts them under a lot of pressure.
On the other hand, our God, Jesus, delights in showing up when we lose. His coming in a time of darkness proves it, as does His resurrection. Jesus turns losing into gain, death into life, sorrow into joy, weakness into strength, futility into glory. He takes the pressure to succeed away!
It’s like Jesus throwing His arm around the athlete who’s just lost the Super Bowl and saying, “Son of Adam, life is a game and we're all destined to lose. Let's go celebrate the good news.” (Adapted from Rodney Reeves, Spirituality According to Paul, Intervarsity Academic, 2011, pp. 188-189; www.PreachingToday.com)
Jesus came for losers, not winners! Jesus did not come to give you more rules for success. He came to set you free from those rules, so you could enjoy the life He prepared for you.
Dane Ortlund put it this way in his book, Defiant Grace. He said, “Christianity is the unreligion. It turns all our religious instincts on their heads…
The ancient Greeks told us to be moderate by knowing our inclinations. The Romans told us to be strong by ordering our lives. Buddhism tells us to be disillusioned by annihilating our consciousness. Hinduism tells us to be absorbed by merging our souls. Islam tells us to be submissive by subjecting our wills. Agnosticism tells us to be at peace by ignoring our doubts. Moralism tells us to be good by discharging our obligations.
Only the gospel tells us to be free by acknowledging our failure. Christianity is the unreligion because it is the one faith whose founder tells us to bring not our doing, but our need.” (Dane Ortlund, Defiant Grace, EP Books, 2011, p. 38; www. PreachingToday.com)
Oh my dear friends, bring your need to Jesus this Christmas and find freedom from the need to succeed. Find guidance. Find gladness. Find relief from the burdens of life when you follow Christ. Finally…
FIND REST FROM THE BATTLES OF LIFE, as well.
Find the peace in your heart that you’ve been looking for all along.
Isaiah 9:5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. (ESV)
The soldier’s uniform will not be needed. The implements of war will be burned, because the whole world will be at rest. Wars will cease when Jesus comes again; but until then, you can find rest in your own heart. You can have peace of mind even when the world is at war.
On Christmas day in 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was sitting in his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The bells of a nearby church were ringing, but he found no joy in them. That’s because he had fearlessly opposed slavery, and now his country was deeply divided by a Civil War over the issue. On top of that, his son, a young army lieutenant, had been wounded in battle. So as those church bells rang, Longfellow began to put his thoughts on paper:
There is no peace on earth, he wrote,
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Yet as he continued to listen to those bells, a new and profound thought entered his head:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
God is not dead; nor doth He sleep!
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men! (Guideposts Magazine, December 1988, pp.28-29)
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow found peace in the midst of turmoil, and so can you!
Less than 24 hours before they nailed Him to a cross, Jesus said to His followers, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27). The world’s peace is based on the surrounding circumstances. His peace is based on the sure realities of heaven. It is a peace that passes understanding, and it can be yours today!
Find guidance and gladness. Find relief and rest, but only if you…
LET CHRIST REIGN IN YOUR LIFE.
Only if you let the government of your life rest on His shoulders.
Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. (ESV)
Jesus will reign over the whole world! And when he does, there will be peace and justice unlike anything anybody has ever seen.
But why wait until then? Why not let Christ reign in your heart today. Let the government of your life rest on His shoulders. Unconditionally surrender to His will. Then you can experience the blessing of His rule in your everyday experience.
In a 2-part series, entitled Conversations about Christmas, Tim Keller, speaking at the Harvard Club in New York City, talks about people who want to come to Christ with a list of conditions. They say, “I'm checking out Christianity, but I also understand Christians can't do this and the Bible says you're supposed to do that. You're supposed to love the poor or you're supposed to give up sex outside of marriage. I can't accept that.”
Keller says that’s like having a friend who is dying of some terrible disease. So you take him to the doctor and the doctor says, “I have a remedy for you. If you just follow my advice you will be healed and you will live a long and fruitful life, but there's only one problem: while you're taking my remedy you can't eat chocolate.” Now what if your friend turned to you and said, “Forget it. No chocolate? What's the use of living? I'll follow the doctor's remedy, but I will also keep eating chocolate.” That person doesn’t really believe in the doctor. If he did, he would follow the doctor’s advice with no conditions.
In the same way, Keller says, to know Jesus Christ is to say, “Lord, anywhere your will touches my life, anywhere your Word speaks, I will say, ‘Lord, I will obey. There are no conditions anymore.’” If Jesus is really God, He cannot just be a supplement. We have to come to him and say, “Okay, Lord, I'm willing to let you start a complete reordering of my life.” (Tim Keller, Conversations about Christmas with Tim Keller, www.Preaching Today.com)
Oh dear friend, please, let Christ start a complete reordering of your life this Christmas. Come to Him without conditions. Let the government of your life rest on His shoulders, and experience His peace. Find guidance and gladness. Find relief and rest, but only if you let Jesus reign in your heart today.
Five people arrived at an airport late for a connecting flight, because their previous flight had been delayed. A young ticket agent worked at helping them each find seats on the next flight to their destination.
Four of the anxious passengers tried to be patient, but one man was overbearingly rude to the young ticket agent. He berated her for not working faster, held her responsible for their delay, and insisted, “I had arranged for an aisle seat. I had better have an aisle seat on this other flight!”
Finally, the ticket agent was able to resolve the problem and told the five travelers that they all had seats on the next flight, which would be leaving very soon. “And sir,” she said to the ill-tempered man, “I’m happy to report that you have a seat on the aisle.” The man picked up his bags and headed for the gate, grumbling all the way.
After he was gone, the ticket agent returned to the other four and said, “And I’m so happy to report that the rest of you have seats in first class.”
When we demand our own way, we may get it; but we’ll never be happy. How much better to let God have His way in your life. He is a generous God, who delights in giving us abundantly beyond all that we could ask or even think. Please, let the government of your life rest on His shoulders and experience that abundance today!
