DEC 23 2018 | Joy to the World S1E3 | Joy is Based on Certainty

Sea Change Church · Joy to the World · "Joy is Based on Certainty" Pastor Dr. James Smith III · December 23, 2018
Automated transcript. Not reviewed for accuracy.

Good morning, church. I'm going to be doing the scripture reading this morning. It's a familiar passage, especially apropos for today. Luke 2, verses 1 through 21. In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in clothes and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you. He is Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which they were just as they had been told. And on the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. The word of the Lord. So wonderful to be here this morning and to celebrate the birth of our Lord in very, very wonderful ways.

I'm so touched this morning. Mary, did you know, is one of the great songs for me of the season. One of those newer songs that just so blesses us. One of the gifts in this church is Chris and our worship team. Can we give it up for them once again? Seriously. Seriously. Seriously. Thank you. Thank you. This morning, a privilege to be able to share. Pastor Adam approached me some weeks ago, and he said, let's do a tag team.

He is going to be preaching at the Christmas Eve service, and he asked if I would do the honors this morning, and it is a privilege to be able to share in this way. I'm Pastor Jim, part-time associate pastor at this church. Most of what I do is teach at Bethel Seminary here in San Diego. I teach at Richmond University in Atlanta in the Springs and a few other places. They keep saying go somewhere else, so I do. But it's an honor to be able to serve here in this place.

Let me say very simply that I only say this once in a while. If any of you say, what about this Jesus? Is that a story? Is that a myth? Is that something else? I would love to talk to you about the historical fact of Jesus and the foundations. I have a doctorate from Harvard in church history. I brought a coin this morning, actually, from Caesar Augustus, 2,000 years old. If any of you want to look at that, but I would love to talk with you.

I don't do this very often, but it's on the level. Jesus Christ was and is and is to come, and so we are grateful that we have a firm foundation in this. So with that this morning, I want to begin in a very different place, and that is some of you are still doing Christmas shopping. Is that correct? Okay. So I want to do a favor for you. It is this. I have brought, actually, a gift I'll be glad to hand out to one of you who'd like to use it.

This is a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. Who would like this box? Okay. Devin? All right. So good hands, right? So Kraft macaroni and cheese. Now, that's the good news. There is a back story to the box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. You know, either Devin, Eden, if you'd like to, if you'd like to read the side of the box where the arrow is. You see that? Yeah. Yeah, there's an expiration date. December 2014. 2014. That's right.

The macaroni is old enough to vote. That's right. So there's good news and there's questionable news. Only you folks will know if you'd like to, you know, repackage and, you know, pray over it and take the risk. But in any case, let me make a simple point this morning, all right? And it's fun. Nice to throw it to somebody with good hands. Otherwise, we'd read about it. Otherwise, we'd read about it in the Union Tribune, right?

Parishon are killed in macaroni fiasco. But in any case, that has an expiration date. Let me say this very simply. The words of Jesus, the life of Jesus, the truth of Jesus has no expiration date. Amen? Now and forever. Now and forever. There is no expiration. There is only, can I say it, inspiration in that, in the words of our Lord. Sometimes people say to me, what do you believe? And I say the simplest way I can say it is what?

Jesus was right. Jesus was right. He was right about who he was and is. He is right about the good news. He is right about his Father's love. He is right about the Holy Spirit's power. Jesus was and is right. And part of us as a church is to keep it simple and to welcome questions and to explore together. And how wonderful to see what the Lord is doing here. So I'm going to put on my grandpa glasses. Some of you know that we have three kids and six grandkids.

And my wife Linda is busy packing because right after the service, we're heading north to go to the Bay Area to be with family. But let's look at the word of the Lord this morning. And we're going to go to several passages. Please pull out your sermon notes, if you would. We try, Pastor Adam and others of us who share, myself try and keep these in some detail so they can be not only good for a Sunday morning, but also during the week, during the Christmas Eve reflection into the new year.

The introduction goes something like this. At Jesus' birth, the word Aventus, the coming, the angel declared, Don't be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be to all people. And simply stated, the awe circumstances did not assure happiness, but the deeper certainties revealed brought joy. Here's a little word of definition, if I can. This is a working definition. We have been in a series on the joy of the season, the joy of the Lord.

Happiness, may I say, is based on circumstances. But joy is deeper and is based on certainties. Okay? Happiness is something like the logs at a bonfire down at the beach. You throw another on and it burns up and then it's gone and you need another one. And so often, happiness is fueled by things happening with us that we perceive as good things. It works. It's pleasant. It's mellow. It tastes good. The box hasn't expired.

You know, those kinds of things. Happiness is qualified by circumstances. But joy comes from something deeper. May I say that joy comes from a deeper certainty, deeper values, deeper realities, and most of all, joy comes to us from the Lord. And so at one and the same time, those initial pictures of the people at Christmas, including Mary and Joseph and those magi, those from the east who came and the shepherds, there is both proclamation of great joy, but then the angel has to say something else.

What is it? Don't be afraid. This doesn't look like a happy moment. You are scared, spitless. Yes. And there you are, terrified by the miracle as much as you were terrified that life would be routine. Here we are. And I know it makes you unhappy, uneasy. But there's something happening here that's deeper. There is a joy that's coming. Let me put it differently, if I may. If happiness, often we might say, is based on circumstances, that's fine.

But joy is based on certainties. Let's do a little Greek. Some of you say, keep using the Greek. So here we go. If you're taking notes, the word charis, C-H-A-R-I-S, if you're keeping score, charis, which means grace, is the beginning and the foundation for charas, which means joy. C-H-A-R-I-S. If you want to play with words, then we pray that God's charis, where we get the word charisma, that God's charis will lead to a charas in our life, to a joy.

That's the foundation that no one can take from us when we are part of God's family. And so with this, the circumstances did not assure happiness. It wasn't peace of mind. But there were deeper certainties. And throughout, as Pastor Adam said recently, throughout Jesus' life, Hebrews chapter 12, there was a joy set before him. It was the joy of our salvation. It was the joy of creation being redeemed. It was the joy of the radiance of his heavenly Father's love.

And that joy, it says, set before him. Therefore, he endured the cross, never liking, despising the shame. He wasn't playing let's pretend. He wasn't cruising. But he endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the heavenly Father in this moment. And whatever else he's doing today, he is making intercession for us. He is knowing us by name. He is knowing our life, our situation. Whatever else Jesus, the eternal Son of God, is doing, he's making intercession for us.

Isn't that wonderful? And so with that, there is this deep joy that Jesus had that sustained him and inspires us. In Hebrews 12, it says, consider him who endured such, here comes some Greek, antilogion. What does the word logos mean? Word. Antilogion means backtalk, static, stuff. Consider him who endured such stuff against himself. And then you won't become weary and faint in your minds. Hebrews 12. Pastor Adam declaring the joy set before Jesus.

And so in that, that joy we suggest here was rooted in remembering why he came. Asking what would Jesus do, as we may do that in our lives, really invites first us embracing how Jesus saw his earthly mission. How did he see what he was doing? And so with that this morning, inspired by God's word and spirit, we can find a fresh clarity in what's going on in our lives. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. That becomes a love song to our Lord, to our neighbor, to those close to us.

So he gives us this opportunity to be his. So with that this morning, we are coupling together both the coin of Caesar Augustus, which I have. Where's Bruce? Bruce is here somewhere. Bruce is a coin collector. Bruce has the other end of the story this morning. He has coins of Pontius Pilate. And you'll sense in that there is this connection between the joy set before him, which required Jesus would care enough, love enough to give his very best.

So if you're interested in taking a look at one of those, that is the rest of the story. And then comes a resurrection. But that's for a new season. Why did Jesus come? Let's listen to Jesus. Can we walk through this list together? Because for many of us, we don't think about it that often in terms of some of the detail he himself expressed. Let's walk through it this morning. May we do that? Jesus came, the scriptures say, number one, because the Father sent me.

I came because I was sent. I'm not a victim. I agree. I am in obedience and I'm in loving humility. And here I come. Little Philippians 2. Downward mobility is the story of Christmas in our Lord's life. So why did Jesus come? Because he was sent. Because the Father said, I want this word to be made flesh and live among the people so that my love, my good news is unmistakable. And so he went. And in that, there is a sense of mission, misio, sentness, that Jesus expresses to us now and forever.

I went because I was sent. Next up. Someone call it out. What's the next one? Jesus came why? To be a light to the world. We all know what it's like. The difference between trying to do things to walk in darkness and walk in light. Some of you have been praying for my wife, Linda, who out draining the dog a couple months ago in the dark missed a curb and fell down and broke her left hand. We don't want to walk in darkness.

We want to walk in light. How strange it is oftentimes, then and now, to think of the degree of shroud, of cloud that the world pumps out in terms of its cultural product. But we have Jesus as the light of the world and he says, I want to reveal. I want to reveal the scenes of life. So you can walk well and choose wisely and be enlightened. And in that, then, there is revelation of God's character. That God's character is not to shroud.

God's character is not to hide, but to be revelatory. And so in that, to light of the world. The next one. Why did Jesus come? Anyone or all of us. Why? Why? Jesus said to give life in its fullness. I am come that you might have life and life in all its fullness. Does that mean that Jesus came simply to reveal a spirituality department? No. It means that Jesus, when he talked about wholeness of life, means, for example, in the great commandment, to love the Lord your God with your heart's affections and your soul's exertions and your mind's reflections and all the physical strength you have.

Does that sound familiar? Love the Lord your God with heart and soul and mind and strength. That's wholeness of life. And then turn, we're all by grace, to love our neighbor as ourselves. So in that, fullness of life is there. Be as smart as you can. It's a glory to God. Be as fit as you can. The measure of health that you have. It's a glory to God. Put as much soul and exertion into what you have as you can. Live it with vigor.

And it's a glory to God. Think clearly. Feel deeply. Love well. It's a glory to God. To give life in its fullness. John 3, 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only son. John 10, 10. I am come that you might have life. And in all its fullness, the next one reveals the character of our heavenly father. Why did he come, Jesus said? To fulfill the Old Testament law. There's the scripture passage. If you want to look it up.

Jesus said, I didn't come to destroy the Old Testament. I came to fulfill it. That's why the old and new belong together. Jesus himself, Matthew 13, 52, said that anyone who would be a keen student of the kingdom is like a householder who brings forth out of their treasure gifts new and old. That's why at this church, for example, we don't camp out on new and trendy. And we don't, you know, become root bound with tradition.

Neither novelty nor nostalgia are good masters. Right? Yeah. But Jesus said it, Matthew 13, 52. Gifts new and old. And so we find, Jesus said, I didn't come to destroy the law. I came to fulfill it. To keep a promise. And isn't it wonderful that God keeps his promises. Book of Isaiah. Behold, this virgin shall conceive and bear a son. You will call his name Emmanuel. Well, unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given.

The government's going to be on his shoulders. His name will be called what? Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. And the Prince of Peace. The peace that our Lord gives, we're reminded, helps us redefine peace. Peace isn't necessarily the absence of hassles. We're going to wait in vain for that one. But it's the presence of our Lord right at the middle of every frame in life. The Lord is my screensaver.

I have everything I need. So, that's in the Hebrew, of course. So, with that, Jesus said, I came to call sinners and to seek the lost. That was his vocation. His calling is to call out to others. I had a chance. I'm keeping some kind of track. Sharing the faith with, I think, five people this week. In very different situations. And I won't go into the detail here. If you want to pray for them, come see me. I can talk about that.

But Jesus came to call out to sinners. And to make people, to help people by grace not be lost in it. Not lost in the inertia of life. Right? But to come back and become what I am, I'm a recovering sinner. It's like AA, right? I'm a recovering sinner. Pray for me. Cheer for me. And as we make friends with each other, we're not jealous of each other's strengths. Or embarrassed by each other's weaknesses. We just stay there steady with each other.

Because we're part of the family of God. I came to call these people. Jesus said, Mark 10, 45. I came to serve. And what? To be a ransom for many. I'm going to the cross. That Pontius Pilate coin that Bruce has this morning. That's for real. This character really lived. The grand total of people that loved him is probably two. But in terms of the people that had to deal with him, there was a whole multitude in that region.

Jesus said, I came to be a ransom for many. It's a life of sacrifice. Right? So, with that, with that, Jesus reveals to us his character. But also a path for us. Jesus said, I came to bring a sword. Now, that may be a little funky to some of us here. But what's he talking about? Well, number one. He is talking about the fact that he brings the word. Hebrews 4, 12. The word of God is active and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.

I came to bring something that is sharp enough. That is steely enough. That is dependable enough to deal with. Both to win in spiritual warfare. Both to gain the victory. That's coming. But also to surgically. Take the cancer out of your life. Surgically. Pull the cataracts out of your spiritual eyes. Surgically. Give you a way of healing. And of strength. That's the sword. And so, with that, there is both spiritual warfare.

I've got to tell you on a morning like this. That it's been a privilege. I don't do this every 20 minutes. But it has been a privilege to be with people who were beset by strange spirits. And to pray over them and see them delivered. Amen? I don't do this every 20 minutes. But the Lord goes. And I go, yep. And he goes over there. And here we go. I've been a part of that. God wins. Greater is the one that is in us as God's children.

Than whatever thing there is floating around in the world. Right? So we believe that. We live by it. We are no longer slaves to fear. We're children of God. We're not beggars. We're daughters and sons of the Lord. And no strange spirit gets to victimize us. Hmm? Hmm? Jesus came. To bring a sword that is surgical for us to bring healing. And also strong enough to destroy the devil's works. Let me say this very simply this morning.

I started as pastoral ministry. Somebody go, yeah, 100 years ago. No, it's only 40. Plus. As a youth pastor in Minneapolis. In a church that said, we think you've got a gift. Hmm? And I said, thanks. I got a good job at a factory. And they said, terrific. Will you pray about it? Uh-huh. One of the kids in that youth group right this minute is having a heart replacement surgery. His name is Phil. I am so glad that those doctors aren't in there with a pair of pliers and a ball peen hammer giving him a heart transplant.

I'm glad that their tools are sharp. So our Lord is able to heal. So our Lord is able to heal and surgically work with anything in our lives. And bring us back together again. Jesus says, I came to bring a sharp object. And he is able, 1 John 3, 8. Greater is he that is in us. To destroy the devil's works. And so it is in Luke chapter 4. The declaration that when Jesus comes. Both there and that first day of his earthly appearance.

But also every day he appears. And is powerful in our lives. He declares, this is the year of the Lord. I'm not sure how your 2018 went. But the Lord's been at work in this year. I'm not sure what the heck 2019 is going to be about. Maybe the Red Sox can win again. I'm sorry. That was for Pastor Adam. Any case. But we don't know. We walk by faith, not by sight. But we dedicate that as a year of the Lord to him. What is just ahead.

Why he came, may we suggest very simply this morning. As we're at the far turn. Why he came describes for us why we're here. Okay? You want a job description for the new year? Look at the above list. Why? Because, as it says here. A student is not above his teacher. Nor a servant above their master. It's enough for the student to be like the teacher. And the servant like the master. Jesus said that. Matthew 10. Why? Because Jesus said in John 13.

I've set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Now that you know these things, you'll be blessed if you do them. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God. And God in them. And in this way, love is made complete in us. It's filled out. It blossoms among us. Because in this world, we are like him. That's the phrase that comes before. There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear. May I say to you, friends here this morning.

Whether you're long timers or newcomers or whoever you might be. You want a job description for Christmas Eve? For finishing out this year well. For 2019, look at the above job description that our Lord Jesus had. We are walking in imitation of Christ. Amen? Now you may not think of it that way. You may say, well, it looks pretty strong. Pretty powerful. Well, but our Lord is able. And it gives clarity. Let me ask you a question.

Let me ask for a call out, if I may. What is your favorite line up here as to why Jesus came? What's close to your heart? What's been real to your life? What's compelling to you? Why do you want to say in this day approaching Christmas, thank you, Jesus, for coming? Okay? Can you pick one? Out of that list above, what's your favorite? Kai, what's your favorite? To be a light to the world. There's an amen to that one.

Someone else. Why? What was it? What's your favorite? There's voices calling out all over. This may not work well. All right? On the other hand, it's glory to God. Let's give a count of one, two, three, and just shout out your favorite. All right? This is a shout out to Jesus. One, two, three. Amen? Amen. Amen. Yeah. And in that, there's the seeds of our job description as we follow him. And so with that, we could say, what's your favorite for you?

May I encourage you to pray over it? What's the favorite for you? What do you sense the calling, the word, the spirit, the whisper of God saying, you can grow in this area. You can bless in this area. You can come alive in this area. You can kick it up from four to five in this area. Or you've been yelling a lot. Pull it back for crying out loud from a 17 to a six so people can understand what the heck you're saying with your life.

Hmm? Because more isn't always better. Right? So with that, that's part of why we are here. And we follow the Lord. That's Jesus calling. Not only a book title, but our Lord himself. A simple story. Christmas Eve of 1958. I've told this about four years ago in preaching here. Christmas Eve of 1958. I was a little kid. We had a cabin in the Laguna Mountains. 6,000 feet. We built it ourselves. People broke into the cabin on Christmas Eve.

Vandals. And neighbors saw a flame break out in the upstairs bedroom. Whether they sat at or had been smoking in bed or whatever, who knows. That place burned to the ground with everything in it. Never caught the people. We got a phone call on Christmas Eve. He said, your cabin has been burned to the ground. The cement cinder blocks that we built it out of, which we thought would protect against ground fires. They did.

Didn't protect against a fire from the inside. It was a giant fireplace. When my parents got the call, they put the phone down, said what had happened. And my mom and dad walked over to the piano bench in our living room, knelt down, and said, thank you, God, for every good thing you put into our lives. And that includes the cabin we just had. Give us wisdom to know how to live. We praise your name. Thank you, Jesus.

I have never, ever forgotten that. As a little kid, I watched my parents deal with disaster. The very works of their hands being annihilated by a bunch of knuckle draggers, right? Whoever they were. And here we are. I brought a picture of them this morning, too, along with the coin. They're a much better deal than Caesar Augustus. Picture of them with Linda and I back in the 70s when we found true love. Right? So, that was a living example.

They followed Jesus. The question then, as we draw to a close, what are your best next steps? I love that phrase. Maybe you do, too. What are the best next steps God has for you? To grow. To follow him. To walk in his steps. To live in imitation of Christ. To be a bearer of good news in a world that so deeply needs it. We're much like the first Christians. You know, we're here in San Diego and we think we have a stadium problem.

The stadium problem for the first century Christians was people got chopped up and eaten in the stadiums. Let's get real. Let's keep some perspectives. You know, we pull the Eeyore thing. Well, I don't know. It's pretty tough out there. Well, that's terrific. But think of the first Christians. They had a stadium problem. With that perspective, what are our best next steps as we grow of a people of faith and hope and love?

Paul could say, I thank God every time I remember you. I always pray with joy when I remember you. Because of your partnership in the gospel. Confident of this. That the one who began a good work in you will carry it on until completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who has begun a good work is following through on that by his grace and truth. Even as we speak. So with that, it's not only as Pastor Adam has said earlier in the series, our hearts indeed that are a locus of joy.

Our hearts passions. But also when our minds choose to remember realities that make us joyful. Remember Jesus. Remember God's word. Remember times when people got it right like my folks did. On a Christmas Eve when devastation came over the phone lines. We choose to remember the certainties. The firm foundation that we have of joy. We choose to remember the same thing. We choose to remember the same thing. We choose to remember the same thing.

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