Reasons to Rejoice, Part 7

It is fitting that on this first day of Our first Sunday in January of 2025 that we conclude our series on reasons to rejoice Simply because we want you to spend all this year Knowing what it means to rejoice in the Lord always then again, I say Rejoice.

Well, let's see if we can make 2025 a year of rejoicing not just in our lives personally but in our families and we began in the first week of December looking at the reasons to rejoice and I'm gonna review them for you rather quickly and when it's all said and done We're gonna give you this this bookmark so that you don't forget the reasons to rejoice because I know that you will tomorrow so we're gonna give you a bookmark that you can keep in your Bible because I know that you love the Lord and you're in Your Bible every day and so that you'll open your Bible and there will be Because you want to rejoice always in the Lord You know, you can't rejoice without the scriptures You just can't The psalmist said these words in Psalm 119 verse number 14.

I Have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies as much as in all riches That's just a magnificent statement I Have rejoiced in your testimonies your law your statutes as Much as in all riches in other words if I had all the riches of the world They would not cause me to rejoice near as much as the treasure of your word Then he says this in verse 111 of Psalm 119. I Inherited your testimonies forever for they are the rejoicing of my heart and then in verse 162 of Psalm 119, he says I rejoice at your word as one who finds great spoil There is great joy the psalmist had great rejoicing Over the fact that he had and hid God's Word in his heart And I wonder if if that's the way it is for you and me Do we rejoice at the word of the Lord So when we look at the Christmas narrative It gives us at least seven reasons Why we are to rejoice not just at the birth of the Savior But out all throughout our lives we began with number one, which was We rejoice for the first reason and that is because of the reality of his person.

That's Luke 2 11 Who he is and when you rejoice at the reality of his person, there's a result and That result is that you will revere his identity and ministry He is Savior He is Messiah He is Lord you can't rejoice in the Lord unless you know the Lord and Therefore the Scriptures revealed to us his identity his ministry His personality everything about our Lord is revealed in Scripture and So we take you to the Word of God to show you that when the angel said That unto you this day in the city of David has been born a Savior who is Christ the Lord That that's the thesis of the Christmas story that that's the gospel in one verse and therefore we rejoice because Because of who Jesus Christ is the reality of his person and that results in the revering of his identity number two Was because of the eternality of his plan The verse for that is Galatians 4 4 and 5 That in the fullness of time God sent forth his son Born of a woman born under the law that he might redeem those who are under the law The eternality of his plan Results in resting in a sovereignty God established this plan in eternity past It was always the plan and it ran with precision and perfection To such a degree that everything happened specifically on time as God designed it And that allows us to rest in the sovereignty of God because nothing happens Without the perfect timing of God in your life in mind We might say well man This is not the right time for this or I don't have time for this to happen in my life right now Or this is just a bad time Well in the in the plan of God, it's the appointed time It's the beautiful time.

It's the right time And so when you rejoice in the eternality of his plan It results in resting in his sovereignty and then number three Rejoice because the joy in his pardon There's no greater joy than to have the forgiveness of sins To be released from the bondage of Satan Set free to worship the king to honor the king and When you rejoice in the joy of his pardon It results in refraining from iniquity It helps you understand how not to sin Why would you want to sin against the one that has forgiven you all your sins?

And therefore you live a pure and holy life Then number four you rejoice because of the obtainability of his peace That's in Luke chapter 2 verse number 14 where the Lord said Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men With whom he is pleased the obtainability of his peace To be at peace with God is to experience the peace of God and Peace comes to those who fear him Psalm 147 verse number 11 and so therefore When you obtain the peace of God the result is that you radiate his tranquility your life shines forth The tranquility of God as he was asleep on the boat in the midst of a storm all around him when everyone else was out Of control when everyone else was unable to know what the heck was gonna happen next Jesus was asleep on the boat because he was at peace with his father and therefore he had peace in his soul And when you obtain the peace that God offers you radiate tranquility peace and joy and then the inviolability of his of his promises the unchangeable promises of God Helped me To understand how to respond with certainty.

I Know I don't think I know that all things work together for good to those who love God because God said so I Know that I have eternal life based on what God has said I Can respond with certainty because God's promises are unchangeable we serve a God who does not lie He's a truthful God therefore I can trust him explicitly for all that he says and then number six the centrality of its prophecy That's Matthew chapter 2 verse number 10 and when they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy Why because prophecy was fulfilled it was specific it was pointed it happened just as the Prophet had said just as Moses had written back in numbers 24 verse number 17 and therefore when you rejoice over the centrality of its prophecy it results in Relishing his veracity that God is a truthful God That everything he has said about the past came true Therefore everything he says about the future will come true is exactly as he stated it and I can trust him explicitly and number seven the last reason you rejoice based on the Christmas narrative is simply this because of the essentiality of his proclamation the essentiality of his proclamation The result is reaching out with urgency There's nothing greater that brings joy in the heart of a person Than being in the service of the king Nothing if you have a hard time with joy It's probably because you're not serving anyone but yourself We want to serve ourselves But Christianity is about serving the Lord and when you want to experience real true joy Be able to rejoice is to understand your call From God upon your life to proclaim the gospel of God To be a representative of the gospel of God Paul said these words in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 He said Now all these things are from God verse 18 who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation Namely that God was in Christ Reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and he is committed to us the word of Reconciliation He's committed to us the word of reconciliation And then Peter says that this way 1st Peter 2 verse number 9 He says but you are chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for God's own possession why so that You may proclaim the excellencies of him Who has called you out of darkness?

into his marvelous light That's what God did The essentiality of his proclamation it is absolutely essential that you proclaim the gospel of God That's the only reason You're still here today After you were saved Peter just told you you're a chosen generation. You're a holy priesthood You're a people of God's own possession. Well, if that's the case just take me home to be with the Lord No, no Because you're here to proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

How shall they hear? without a preacher and Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by word concerning the Christ Romans 10 17 So the only reason you are still alive today After you gave your life to Christ is for that one reason and that one reason only It's not to get married It's not to have kids Not to get a job It's not to get an education Although all those things are great That's not why God left you here Why because when you get to heaven, you're not gonna be married when you get to heaven, you're not gonna have any kids When you get to heaven your education doesn't matter Because it doesn't get you there, right?

You see in heaven those things don't matter the only thing that matters is Christ in The people you led to the Lord on your journey to heaven That's what matters And so when we begin to understand that the Lord left us here after we were saved So that we could tell our children about the Lord Tell our neighbors about the Lord tell the people we work with about the Lord That's why God has you specifically in your work environment specifically in your school Specifically in your neighborhood because it's those people that need to hear the gospel So God has given you the ministry of reconciliation He's made you his ambassador his representative He's made you his spokesperson right and So when you read in Luke chapter 10 that the Lord gathered the 70 together and Sent them out two by two to present the gospel When they came back Luke 17 verse number 11 Or verse should be Luke 10 verse number 17.

They came back Rejoicing why? because they were mightily used by God to proclaim the gospel of God and And that's what God wants for you That's why you still live today It's so important to understand this so the Christmas narrative talks to us about the essentiality of his proclamation and reaching out with urgency because that's the result and The narrative is found in Luke chapter 2 with a story of the shepherds When it says these words in Luke 2 verse number 15 and when the angels had gone away from them into heaven the shepherds began to say to one another let us go straight to Bethlehem then and See this thing this word this reality That's happened which the Lord has made known to us So they came in a hurry Found their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby as he lay in the manger When they had seen this They made known the statement Which had been told them about this child They knew how essential it was to make known the statement that was told them about this child and All who heard it wondered at the things which are told them by the shepherds But Mary treasured all these things pondering them in her heart shepherds they went back Glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen just as had been told them See that What is it that that instigates this Urgency this reaching out with urgency if God has entrusted me with his gospel Right because it is his his truth What is it that instigates that in urgency in my life, let me give you seven principles, okay?

number one Adoration for God and those who adore God Can't speak enough about God Those who do not adore God We don't talk much about God But when you truly adore God You can't wait to say something about Notice that the shepherds they went in haste They went in a hurry.

How do you as a shepherd move sheep in a hurry? That that's just incomprehensible sheep don't move fast They're very very slow. Did they leave them behind? Does someone else watch them? How do they get to Bethlehem in a hurry now? I have been to Bethlehem I have seen the shepherds fields. I know what they're like. I know the journey to Bethlehem I knew that they had to find it was there one grotto with her with her two grottos with her three grottos Was there only one child born in Bethlehem that night with their many children born in Bethlehem that night?

I don't know Baba didn't tell us But they had to find the one that was relying in the manger rat and swallowing clothes When they did they couldn't help but make known the statements That was given to them by the angels They had to reiterate the truth They had to proclaim that truth, but there was an urgency why? Because of their adoration for God remember what the Bible says That there is a a foremost Commendment right to love the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul and your mind and the loving neighbor as yourself But the problem with us is that the reason we don't fulfill The final Commission Go into all the world and preach the gospel It's because we don't follow the foremost commandment Because if you follow the foremost commandment fulfilling the final Commission is Simple is easy Why because it flows from a heart that adores God?

That just can't wait to tell others about the God who saved you the God who loves you the God who by his grace has taken you from the depths of Despair into his glorious heaven That's what you want to do There's there's an adoration for God. There's an excitation to be with him You want to be with him? You want to tell others about him? And they went in haste to see this reality this word which is spoken to them They didn't say well, that's that's just a great story I'm glad the Savior's here. Oh, no, they had to make their way to Bethlehem To find the one that was spoken of Because they adored the true and living God How about you?

Is there an adoration for God in your life? Do you adore him more than anything or anyone else? See that that's what instigates this urgency to reach out and tell others about Christ what to call these the the ABCs of reaching out with urgency number one an adoration for God number two a burden for the lost a Burden for the lost You know so many times we look at the loss with disdain you realize that with disgust Instead of having a burden for the lost Listen unsaved people are gonna do what unsaved people do That's just how they operate They as Romans 1 says they have unthinking minds.

They have reprobate minds They can't think straight so they act the way they do because sin has encompassed them. They're slaves of Satan What do you expect them to do? Yes, they're gonna shoot other people. Yes, they're gonna rape plunder and kill Yes, they're gonna set off bombs. Yes, that's what they're gonna do And while we might hate all those things we must have a burden for their lost soul Because God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked none It's unfortunate that we do We're glad they're dead.

We're glad they got what was coming to him. That's not God's attitude We didn't have a burden for the lost These people are without Christ they're going to spend an eternity without Christ and therefore as an ambassador as One who proclaims the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You want to tell them the truth? Show them the way That they might understand the Christ the words of Our Lord in Matthew chapter 9 Verse number 36 says seeing the people he felt compassion for them because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd Then he said to his disciples the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest In other words send out workers send out people To be able to tell them about the impending judgment that's coming Because judgments coming God God's gonna deal out retribution on those second That's only in chapter 1 verses 7 to 8 that do not know God and that do not obey the gospel of God if God's going to Do that There should be a compelling urgency in your life in mind to tell people How they can escape?

the judgment of God And so we tell them Luke 19 10 Christ came to seek and to say that which is lost right Christ's hardest and harshest condemnation came to religious phonies not to adulterers and tax gatherers and sinners But to religious phonies people who played at Christianity played at following Christ He condemned them Because they thought they were going to heaven, but they weren't But those who are sinners he had a burden for them those who were lost he came to seek and save those who were lost That's why first says the ways to first Timothy 2 4 says that God desires All men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth Because he takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked Do you have a burden for the lost?

An adoration for God a burden for the lost Number three point see a cleansed and consecrated heart It cleansed Consecrated heart The biggest hindrance to you sharing Christ is your own sin Living in your sin relishing your sin sin poisons joy and Satan wants to plunder that joy anyway But when you live in sin It really is a hindrance to you telling others about Christ Remember what David said in Psalm 51 so rich so pure so true Psalm 51 he says this created me a clean heart O God and we knew her steadfast spirit within me Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit then I Will teach transgressors your ways and Sinners will be converted To you.

I'm not going to be able to teach transgressors their ways your ways sinners won't be converted to you unless you created me a clean heart and Cleanse my sinful soul David knew for those nine months of unconfessed sin with Bathsheba In Psalm 32 talks about how God's hand was heavy upon his life He drained his couch with tears Once he confessed his sin and asked the Lord to renew a right spirit within him he could then teach transgressors the ways of God a clean and Consecrated heart is essential to the urgency of preaching the gospel The Bible says in Psalm 30 Verse number 12 There is a generation of those Who are pure in their own eyes?

Yet have not been washed from their own filthiness There's a lot of people who believe they've been cleansed a Whole generation of them Solomon says that Solomon said that way back in the book of Proverbs There's a whole generation of people who think they have been cleansed from their filthiness But yet have not experienced the true washing of the Lord In other words, there's a lot of pretenders In the pew and even in the pulpit, unfortunately a lot of pretenders And it could be that you don't reach out with urgency because You've never been cleansed from your sin if you've been set free from your sin and set apart unto the Savior You want to tell other people about Christ That's what you want to do Because you want them to be set free from their iniquity You want them to be set apart unto God for his purposes That's where the whole consecration comes in First Peter 3 15 sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts that you might be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks of the hope that lies within Sanctify Christ as Lord in your life consecrate your life to him If you're not cleansed, you won't do that And so it's essential that there be a cleansed and consecrated heart That stems from an adoration of God a burden for the lost Number four A desire And a delight to obey the commands of God if you've been cleansed And your life is consecrated to God.

There'll be a desire and a delight to obey the commands of God Remember 1 John 2 verse number 14 which says the one who says I have come to know him And does not keep his commandments Is a liar And the truth is not in him How much clearer can it be stated The one who says That i've come to know the lord. I know the lord I love the lord The one who says that Okay For many will say on that day lord, did we not prophesy in your name lord? Did we not cast out demons in your name lord? Did we not do this or that in your name?

They will say those things So john says for those who say they know the lord They love the lord And yet do not keep his commandments They are a liar and the truth is not in them God has given us the commands to obey his word To go into all the world and preach the gospel Mark 16 luke 24 acts 1 verse number 8 Matthew 28 19 and 20 John 20 verse number 21 is the father sent me so send now you god has commanded us to go and preach the gospel He wants us to be his representatives. He wants us to be his ambassador So he commands us to go and do these kinds of things to make disciples And if we're not in the process of doing that we have disobeyed the word of the lord There is a desire and a delight to obey the commands of god for those who have been cleansed Those who have a burden for the lost Those who truly adore the true And living god Christ says in john 14 and 15 if you love me You will keep my commandments Christianity is not rocket science It's pretty straightforward and simple As the lord states it in scriptures And therefore we need to adhere to what his word says So In adoration of god a burden for the lost a cleansed and consecrated heart Desire and to in a delight to obey god's commands number five an eternal Perspective an eternal perspective Paul would say over in the book of colossians the third chapter Colossians chapter three verse number one Therefore if you've been raised up with christ keep seeking things above where christ is seated at the right hand of god Set your mind on the things above Not on the things that are on earth For you have died your life is sitting with christ in god When christ who is our life is revealed Then you also will be revealed with him in glory Set your affections on things above not on things below An eternal perspective you ever notice that we have more of a temporal perspective than an eternal perspective Think about the goals you have for the new year You're going to get a gym membership You're going to lose weight You're going to get in shape That is a temporal goal not an eternal goal Nothing wrong with getting a gym membership Nothing wrong with exercising.

No nothing wrong with losing weight. That's a great thing right But that's not an eternal perspective right Paul does tell us that bodily exercise Profit little it does profit just a little in light of eternity But discipline and the godliness profits for all things Not just in this life but in things to come in the next life What is your goal for for 2025 Maybe you want to get engaged. Maybe you want to get married nice goal. I don't know that But it has no eternal value Eternal value is laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven setting your affections on things above See one of the things that hinders us our our urgency and sharing christ is that we are so earthly focused We're so earthly minded we are no heavenly good We should be so heavenly minded.

We are no earthly good But we are so earthly minded. We have goals about vacations. We have goals about saving money We have goals about having children. We have goals about getting married. We have goals about getting new jobs We have goals about education. We have all these earthly temporal goals But what are your Eternal goals What's your eternal perspective? See what you're anticipating in the new year tells you a lot about your perspective on life Is it filled with things of eternity Are you laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven where thieves cannot break in and steal where moth and And dust does not corrupt That's what god wants us to do Setting our affection on things above our minds in the heavenlies focused on the lord An eternal perspective is essential In learning to reach out with urgency.

Why because you know That eternity weighs the balance for those you're talking to Eternity weighs the balance for your children right Eternity weighs the balance for your husband or for your wife Who doesn't know the lord? And so therefore you want to have an eternal perspective on where will they spend eternity? What's going to happen after they die I had a chance to to Do and participate in the funeral of joe hernandez yesterday And I love funerals I do They're just the greatest place Why that's what solomon says right better to be in the house of mourning than the house of feasting Why because that is the end of every man and the living take it to heart In other words, there's no better place to to be in all the world than in the house of mourning in a funeral That's the best place to be better than vegas better than tahoe better than hawaii Fiji you name it But see we don't think that way because we have an earthly perspective not a heavenly perspective If you have a heavenly perspective, you know that funerals are the best place to be so every time there's a funeral you go You're there.

That's reality We we kids nowadays take these these be reals right be real. There's nothing more unreal than be real right You think it'd be real in a funeral that's real That's reality That's reality living Because that's the end of every man And the living take it to heart So be able to preach at a funeral is the the highest of all honors To share with people their eternity weighs in the balance and they need to understand That they need to know christ as lord Do you have an eternal perspective I would trust that you do Number six, we must hurry faithfulness to god faithfulness to god First corinthians 4 says it's required of a steward to be found faithful, right?

Solomon says who can find a faithful man many a man proclaims his faithfulness proverbs 20 verse number number seven All right Many a man proclaims his faithfulness. He's trustworthy But who can really find a faithful man? That's what solomon says And then over in psalm 12 psalm says help lord for the godly man ceases to be for the faithful Disappear from among the sons of men Wow, what a sad verse Where's the godly man? Where's the faithful man? right You see this is so important our faithfulness to god is crucial Paul said I was faithful to the fight.

I fought the good fight I was faithful to the faith. I've been faithful all the way to the end to the finish And now there's laid up for me in heaven A crown a crown of righteousness not just for me only but for all those who love his appearing Paul was a faithful man And god expects his children to be faithful to their calling But more important faithful to him And lastly the goal of glorifying The name of christ The goal to glorify the name of christ a b c d e f g Is that your goal To put christ on display What does it mean to glorify christ it means that the righteous radiance of your redeemer is being reflected in and through his redeemed That's all it means That the glorious splendor and majesty of our redeemer Is radiating through our lives We have one goal To put christ on display Put christ on display, that's it If if you woke up every day saying today's the day I'm putting christ on display No matter in my conversation in my relationships In my associations In my driving in my shopping I am putting christ on display For we are to give glory to god Right.

Let there be glory in the church ephesians 3 21 From generation To generation let there be glory in the church Let god be put on display in the church And the best way to do that is to adopt john the baptist's lifestyle when he said He must increase I must decrease John 3 verse number 30 It would be so good if that's what we did I must decrease he must increase Ask yourself this question. Listen, you can answer that question by monitoring your social media, right? Right Just monitor your social media is christ increasing in your social media and are you decreasing?

in your social media or Are you increasing in your social media because you want everybody to see you and what you're doing and who you are or Do you want them to see christ and who he is? And what he's done right I know i'm meddling there a little bit but Social media can get us really out of hand, right? But if you want to monitor your selfishness just monitor your social media And go back and see how many pictures there are of you And how much christ is put on display? He must increase I must decrease I want to radiate the righteous The righteousness of christ Every day I want people to see christ in me I want to see people see christ in all that I say and all that I do.

That's what's important A goal to glorify the name of christ to put them on display We can so easily forget about all those things but listen The only reason the lord even answers your prayer is so that the father will be glorified Right john 14 13 Ask anything in my name that I will do that the father may be glorified Wow God never answers prayer to meet your needs He only answers prayer to to glorify the father. That's it So your whole life's ambition is to say how can I put god on display? How can I glorify the name of the lord?

How can he be seen in my life more than I am seen? How can others see christ in my life in my family in my relationships in my workplace I must Decrease he must Increase He needs to be seen more than anything or anyone else and then and then You'll reach out With urgency, let's pray Father we thank you lord for this day and the opportunity you give us to spend a brief moment in your word I pray lord that you just go before us And use us in a mighty way for your glory for all of us lord All of us struggle with sin in our own lives And dealing with the real true nature within And yet lord your word reminds us over and over again myself included That you need to be our goal in life You are everything And we need to live as though you're our only thing And I pray you help us to do that lord So you embark on this new year May we spend each day rejoicing in the lord Knowing that our god is sovereign ruling over all Has a perfect plan for our lives And we can share the gospel with others They might come to know christ as well And experience the cleansing of their soul in light of eternity In jesus name.

Amen