Advent 4: Joy

December 24, 2017
Experience Joy!
Matthew 1, Luke 2      NOTES NOT EDITED

SIS – Joy is not only something we experience but it is something we practice—what we do enhances or distracts from our sense of joy.

My Christmas preaching story is to always save the topic of “joy” for the last Sunday of Advent, after speaking about love, hope, and peace.  For me, joy is the sum of all those other great gifts of Advent.

Joy is a remarkable thing.  Scientists have actually studied the experience of joy and find it to be highly beneficial—as if any joyous person needs a scientist to tell them that.

An article in Executive Digest says, in part:  “Scientists have been studying the effect of laughter on human beings and have found, among other things, that laughter has a profound and instantaneous effect on virtually every important organ in the human body. Laughter reduces health-sapping tensions and relaxes the tissues as well as exercising the most vital organs. It is said that laughter, even when forced, results in beneficial effect on us, both mentally and physically.”  Find something to rejoice in every day—it will do your body good!

Heaven is a place of rejoicing—eternal rejoicing.  When we fix our gaze upon heaven, it not only changes our outlook, but how we look outwardly.  The great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once told the students in his preaching college that they should be careful to match their facial expressions with the topic they were speaking about. He said, “When you speak of Heaven,” he said, “let your face light up, let it be irradiated with a heavenly gleam, let your eyes shine with reflected glory. But when you speak of Hell—well, then your ordinary face will do.”

What the great pulpiteer meant was that the very topic of heaven alone should be sufficient to change both our outlook on life and our outward appearance in life.  Joy allows us to transcend the “ordinariness” of life and its many troubles.  Joy is that powerful.

We can more clearly understand joy when we look at those who experienced that first Christmas.  Joy is a hard notion to pin down with a sufficient definition.  The dictionary describes joy as, “a feeling of great pleasure or happiness.”  That is OK as far as it goes but it does not express adequately the biblical understanding of joy.  The best way of getting a grip on what joy means is by seeing it in action.  I’ve showed this clip as it relates to gratitude, but it equally demonstrates what it means to experience joy.

Even a casual reading of the Christmas Story reveals that a captivating, invigorating, and motivating joy was stirred up in the heart of all those who recognized that Jesus was special—a gift from heaven.  Let’s read the angel’s announcement regarding joy, and then look at how joy affected several people in the Christmas Story.

LK 2:1-11

What is joy?  Joy often leads to jumping would be one conclusion.  The Greek word for joy has an extensive usage both in the Bible and in the secular world.  The range of its meaning is both broad and deep.  Getting hold of the meaning of true joy is a bit like trying to catch a greased pig at the county fair.  You see it.  You pursue it.  You get a hold on it.  But, it gets away.  Joy is hard to define.

My conclusion from a study of the original word shows two streams coming together to form the river of joy.  One stream is “delight or glad-heartedness.”  This is a delight that goes much deeper than happiness which is related to pleasurable circumstances.   Joy is sustained not by one’s circumstances but by the focus of one’s faith—that is, delight arising from a focus on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.  The word joy is in the same family as the word, “grace,” or the undeserved “favor” of God.  Only those “upon whom God’s favor rests,” can truly experience joy.  Joy is the delight we receive as a gift when we receive Jesus as Our Lord and Savior, and focus on Him in our daily life.  A second stream contributing to the river of joy from a biblical perspective is “expectation.”  Expectation is related to the sustaining belief that what God has promised, He will provide.  Those meeting the baby Jesus immediately recognized that He was the Messiah, whom the Jews had been expecting for millennia.  Joy sprang to life when people saw Jesus—the literal fulfillment of God’s promise. So, I have come up with my own definition of “joy”—expectant delight.  As long as one stays focused on God in Christ one has a sense of expecting good things to come, and that brings continuing delight.

Now, let’s look at a sampling of those who experienced joy as they experienced the Christ child that first Christmas.  I have already mentioned John the Baptist, another baby not yet born who “leaped for joy” when meeting Jesus—Who also was still in the womb.  So, I’ll begin our survey of people who met Jesus and experienced joy with:

1.  Simon—SEEK for it (Lk. 2:25-26)

Before we examine Simeon’s joy at finally seeing the Messiah, let me point out some interesting facts regarding this event.  First, we are talking about two time periods after Jesus’ birth.  Verse 21 speaks of the “eighth day” which would be the prescribed time for circumcision.  This demonstrates that Jesus was “born under the Law to redeem those under the curse of the Law” (Gal. 4:4).  In fact the Law is mentioned five times in this passage to establish this fact (uke 2:22, 23, 24, 27, 29) This clearly identifies Jesus as the “sacrificial lamb that would take away the sins of the world” (John 1:29).  Between verse 21 and 22 pass 33 days—“days of purification for Mary” after giving birth (Lev. 12:3-4).  A third part of this story comes when Simeon meets Jesus as He is brought to the Temple for consecration (setting Him aside for service to God).  Finally, we see Mary bring an offering of “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” These “doves” (or pigeons) were prescribed as “burnt offering and sin offerings” (Lev. 12:6-8).  This offering demonstrates two important truths about Mary.  One, she was sinner as much in need of a savior as anyone else, contrary to the teachings of the Catholic church (since 1850).  Two, they were poor and could not afford a lamb which was the typical sin offering.

Into this event of Jesus in the Temple enters the character called, Simeon.  ²⁵ There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation,  ⁿ and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.

We are told Simeon had been “waiting to see the Messiah.”  We are not told how long he had waited, though it implies he had been seeking the Messiah for some time.  Verse 29-30 tells us that Simeon’s patient seeking resulted in an experience of great joy:

²⁹ Now, Master, You can dismiss Your slave in peace,

as You promised.  ³⁰ For my eyes have seen Your salvation

Joy results when we live “devout and righteous lives in anticipation of one day seeing Jesus face to face.  Joy comes from SEEKING it.

2.  Mary—to have joy we must SING for it (1:46-55)

⁴⁶ And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

⁴⁷ and my spirit has rejoiced  in God my Savior.

Mary goes on to overflow in praise about the immense joy and satisfaction she feels because of her relationship with Almighty God.  I may be spiritualizing the text a bit, but it seems obvious that Mary’s heart had much to say that mere prose could not express.  This is one of many songs (commonly referred to as such in commentaries though it doesn’t specifically state they are musical tunes) related to the Christmas story in the Bible.  Zechariah also had a song.  It demonstrates how joy simply cannot—should not—be suppressed but must be expressed in some way—such as singing.  I cannot stress strongly enough how important a place singing has throughout Scripture.  I’ve said before, the largest book in the Bible is the Book of Psalms—the Hebrew songbook.  

In one (of many) situations as the nation Israel entered into battle they did not lead with heavy artillery, but with choirs.  2Chron. 20 details one such battle between Israel and an arch-enemy, Moab: 

²¹ Then he consulted with the people and appointed some to sing for the Lord and some to praise the splendor of His holiness.  When they went out in front of the armed forces, they kept singing.

We have the same examples from the American military as our cavalry would charge into battle at the bugle’s call.  During the Civil War a drummer and fife player would lead the march.  Music has also been shown to be quite effective in medicine as well.  Multiple studies have shown that calming music can lower blood pressure rates and can even lower the stress hormone cortisol just as much as anti-anxiety medications (www.thefix.com).  Singing and music are powerful ways to call up feelings of joy from deep within our souls.

When God touches your soul you must not suppress it.  The Theological Dictionary of the N.T. states this about joy:  “joy is not just inward. It has a cause and finds expression.” You will enjoy great delight and experience deep joy if you “sing for joy.”  By singing we normally think of harmony, melody and music.  We would all do well to find some form of “musical expression” in order to draw up from deep within us sounds of joy arising from God dancing upon the strings of our heart.

There are many ways to sing about what God is doing in your life.  One is to simply sing.  Some are not as “delightful in song” as others.  Perhaps you could play an instrument.  OK, some are not as talented musically as others—then play a radio (or mpg player these days) and sing along, or hum along.  But, one way to experience joy is to sing about it.  Let music draw up from deep within your soul feelings of rapturous delight that mere prose or common speech cannot elicit.

I think too many Churches underestimate the power of music to produce, not only joy, but greater devotion in general.  In too many churches the music is sort of an “hor d’oeuvre” before the main meal of the sermon.  This really turns church music into little more than a musical performance rather than true worship which will increase our joy.

The key is this:  what God does deep within us, we must get out of us!  Joy bubbles up from deep within when we sing.

3.  Elizabeth—SHARE it.

Joy is never a solo performance.  Look at Lk. 1:57:

⁵⁷ Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. ⁵⁸ Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her His great mercy,  ^z and they rejoiced with her.

The NIV says, “and they shared her joy.”

Let me summarize the story leading up to this joyous occasion.  Elizabeth was Mary’s cousin.  Six months before the angel announced to Mary that she would have a son an angel appeared to Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah the priest, and said,

¹³ But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid,  Zechariah,

because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. ¹⁴ There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth.

This baby would be John the Baptist who would prepare the way for the ministry of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Jesus said of John, “Among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared” (Mt. 11:11).  So, when John was born it was truly a remarkable and wonderful occasion, not only because of who John was but because Elizabeth and Zechariah were old and beyond child-bearing years (Lk. 1:18).  So, the joy from Elizabeth giving birth to the fore-runner of the Messiah was powerful and contagious.

When it comes to truly experiencing joy the principle seems to be, “the more the merrier!”  We all have experienced this phenomenon.  When our children are born we are filled with joy.  As family and friends come to see the new baby, we experience the joy of birth all over again.  A room full of people and a new baby generates an explosion of joy.  This is true for every major event or accomplishment in our lives.  The more we share a joyous event, the more joy we experience ourselves.  Joy is like a snowball rolling down a hill—it gets bigger and bigger as it goes.

I have a little plague hanging on my wall that my Mom sent me many years ago.  It is a poem that talks about “love” but I believe it also applies equally to “joy.”  I’ll change the words to make my point:

The joy in your heart is not just there to stay
Joy is not joy ‘til you give it away.

Sharing multiplies our joy.  Isn’t that what Christmas is really all about—sharing the joy we have in knowing Christ with others?  Gifts, decorations, and such are nice, but Christmas is really about friends and family sharing the joy of Christ.  That’s where we find real joy.

4.  The Three Wise Men—SACRIFICE for it (Mt. 2:1-2, 11)

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,  ² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we saw His star in the east  ^l and have come to worship Him.”

Then verse 11 . . . Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The true spirit of Christmas is giving.  God gave His Son.  The Wise Men gave the Son gifts, and we can give the world the joy that comes from hearing the gospel message of Jesus Christ.  The first “Noel” or the first Christmas carol talked about “joy and giving.”

¹¹ Today a Savior,  who is Messiah  the Lord,

 was born for you in the city of David.

Two key words appear in that verse:  “for you.”  As I said last week “the greatest Christmas gift is not UNDER a tree, but ON a tree.”  Christmas is about God “giving His Son, Jesus” who would die on an old rugged cross to be the Savior of the world—to be the Savior “for you.”  Jesus, and the joy He brings, is a gift from God just “for you.”

The Wise Men’s action of “giving gifts that first Christmas demonstrate that the joy of meeting Jesus just cannot be suppressed—true joy must be Expressed.

Over and over in the story of Christmas we see that joy is a feeling that just cannot be contained—it must be expressed in some tangible way.  The gifts from the Wise Men represent a great sacrifice, not so much because they were gold, a precious metal, or frankincense and myrrh, expensive fragrances, but because they travelled over 500 miles to deliver their gifts.  They literally risked life and limb travelling over harsh and dangerous regions to get to the Messiah.  It represented a journey of perhaps months, perhaps a year.  We know this because by the time the Wise Men arrive Matthew says that they “entered a house” (v11).  Jesus and His family were no longer in the stable. 

Also, the word describing Jesus changes from Luke birth narrative to Matthew’s visit by the Wise Men.  In Luke’s account Jesus is referred to as a “brephos,” or infant.  In Matthew’s account by the time of the visit of the Wise Men, Jesus is referred to as a “paidion,” or toddler.  Also, we know that the Wicked King Herod in an attempt to destroy the Newborn King Jesus, ordered all baby boys in Bethlehem under the age of two years (Mt. 2:16).

The journey of the Wise Men was long, arduous, risky and expensive.  The gifts they brought were expensive.  The Wise Men’s actions represent a great sacrifice.  True joy always involves great sacrifice.  It costs something to follow Jesus and to share his love with others, but it is through sacrifice that we experience the deepest and most meaningful joy in our relationship with Jesus.  In fact, James says,

^1:2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers,

whenever you experience various trials.

Jesus also experienced how joy increased through great sacrifice.  Hebrews 12:2 gives us this remarkable description of true joy:  Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses  surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance  the race that lies before us, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus,  the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him  endured a cross and despised the shame  and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

Remember I said earlier that my definition of joy was “delightful expectation.”  Hebrews describes this virtue as “the joy that lay before Him” – delight and expectation, or “expectant delight.”  How could it be that Jesus is described as both a “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3) and at the same time as a man “anointed with the oil of gladness (joy) above all His fellows?” (Psa. 45:7).

Here’s what we must grasp:  sacrifice does not diminish our joy but multiplies it.  This principle is repeated many times throughout the Scriptures.  If we want true joy, we must SACRIFICE for it.

It costs something to give away the “joy of knowing Jesus.”  Many, many people who claim to be Christians exhibit “zero” joy in their lives.  The reason is simple:  they sacrifice little or nothing in service to the Kingdom.  The may give a little of their time.  They may give a little of their talents and treasures.  But, most Christians, especially in America know “little” of real sacrifice.  Consequently, they experience little joy in their lives.

Yet, in the Underground Church in China (as well as in other areas of the world where Christians are persecuted heavily) the joy of worship and service make the sacrifices they face almost melt away.  The persecuted church in China is so full of the joy of salvation that they will often meet from 8 in the morning to 8 in the evening to worship and listen to a sermon—a 12 hour sermon!  They must meet in caves or in remote forests just to keep from being killed or imprisoned.  Far from diminishing their joy, their sacrifice fans the flame of their joy into a raging inferno of praise and an unquenchable thirst for God’s Word!

The Christmas story is filled with people experiencing a supernatural joy:  Simeon, Anna, Mary, Elizabeth, the Wise Men and more.  They all have one thing in common.  The source of their joy was meeting Jesus Christ.  Focusing on Jesus Christ is the only source of deep and abiding joy.  Experience Jesus this Christmas and experience joy.

<<end>>

Advent 2017: A Journey Toward Peace

December 17, 2017              NOTES NOT EDITED

Journey To Peace
Luke 2:14; Psalm 85

SIS – Having peace means we must know what it is and where it comes from.

What is “peace.”  The word conjures up a picture in most minds of some tranquil, relaxing, idyllic  scene—much like lying on a remote beach listening to the rhythm  of the waves crashing upon the shore.  Certainly that describes a peaceful scene, but most of life is not like a lazy day on a beach, but more like a crazy drive on HWY 101 at rush hour—honking, yelling, stop and go—mostly stop.

The Biblical concept of peace is much broader. [SLIDE] Biblical peace is more defined by a inner relationship with God than in terms of our relationship to external circumstances.  The Hebrew word for “peace” has a familiar ring for most of us—shalom.  This Hebrew word has a very broad application in the Bible.  Certainly, peace may involve tranquil, relaxing circumstances but not necessarily so.

The word translated “peace” in this Psalm is familiar sounding to most people.  It is, “shalom.” Certainly, political freedom is a part of the “Peace Package” as we see in verse 1:

Lord, You showed favor to Your land;

You restored Jacob’s prosperity.

This Psalm was written after a time of bondage for Israel, probably the 70 year captivity in Babylonia.  The words, “restored prosperity” literally means “turned around the captivity.”  In other words, God turned around the situation (restored) of Israel and freed them from political tyranny.  That’s certainly part of what “shalom” means but by no measure is it the most important part of “peace.”

Shalom, in the OT, like erene, in the NT refers to a “condition of the heart.”  We would say it is an “inner peace,” rather than “peaceful conditions.”  Biblical peace is not calm FROM the storm, but calm in the MIDST of the storm.  A famous painting titled, “Peace In the Midst of the Storm,” by Jack Dawson, illustrates the Biblical idea of peace.  In the painting, the sky is dark, the darkness shattered by occasional lightning.  Flood waters flow in torrents over a rugged clift.  There are several hidden pictures in this, the first painting in a series titled, “Seek and Find.”  If you look closely, you will see a little bird, resting safely on her nest in the midst of the chaos around her.

READ:  Lk. 2:14; Psalm 85

Our text of Psa. 85 gives us four REQUIREMENTS to having peace.

1.  Receiving God’s PARDON (2-7)

² You (1)took away Your people’s guilt;  You (2)covered all their sin. Selah ³ You (3)withdrew all Your fury; You (4)turned from Your burning anger. ⁴ Return to us, God of our salvation, and (5)abandon Your displeasure with us. ⁵ Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger for all generations? ⁶ Will You not revive us again so that Your people may rejoice in You? ⁷ (6)Show us Your faithful love, Lord, and give us Your salvation.

The Psalmist describes pardon from sin with six different action words bringing about six different results:  (1)took away. . .sin; (2)covered. . .sin; (3)withdrew fury; (4)turned from. . .burning anger; (5)abandoned. . .displeasure; and (6)showed. . .love.

The Dictionary defines pardon as:  a release from the penalty of an offense.  Biblically it involves so much more.

A pardon excuses someone from the “penalty of an offense.”  That’s why when we find out we have offended someone we say, “I beg your pardon.”  In other words, “I’m sorry please forgive me.”

Well, in 1982 the famed country western singer, Merle Haggard, was invited to a Presidential shindig at the Reagan ranch near Santa Barbara.  Merle sang his typical country ballads, in addition to a new song that talked about all the trouble an woes of the nation.  When Merle Haggard finished the set with that “offensive” song, he looked over at President Reagan and said, “I beg your pardon one more time.”  Reagan chuckled at the singer’s statement because Reagan got the joke that most in the crowd missed.  Merle said, “I beg your pardon one more time,” because ten years earlier when Reagan was governor of California, he gave an executive pardon to Merle Haggard who had spent three years in San Quentin Prison for burglary and escape charges.  When Haggard began to be successful, he asked Reagan for a pardon because as a convicted felon, Haggard could not tour outside the U.S.  Reagan’s first pardon “removed the penalty for the offenses” Haggard had committed in 1960.

Christmas is not about parties, but about pardon.  The angel of God gave Joseph very specific instructions on “what” to name the child Mary was to give birth to, but also the “why.”  Matthew 1:20-21:

An angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.  ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus,  ^b because He will save His people from their sins.”

God’s pardon “removes the penalty” for sin which is eternal separation from God in hell for all eternity.  Pardon from God brings us “peace WITH God,” and therefore the “peace OF God.”  Pardon is the first gift in the “peace package” from God.

If one misses this part of the Christmas story, they missed the most important part. The gift of pardon for sins can easily be lost when we are “partying in our sins.”

2.  Relying on God’s PROVISION (1, 12)

1 Lord, You showed favor to Your land;

You restored Jacob’s prosperity

^{………………………………..}

¹² Also, the Lord will provide what is good,

and our land will yield its crops

The word, “prosperity,” is a greatly misunderstood word in the Bible and a word greatly abused by so-called, “health and wealth preachers.”

Verse one is a complicated verse to decipher in the Hebrew.  The Hebrew phrase means, “Because you favored Jacob [meaning the nation of Israel] you turned her situation around.”  The “situation” was that of being captive slaves in Babylon for over 70 years with no political might, no real means to economic gain, and no sense of security – or, to say it simply, “no peace.”

Do you find yourself in a bad place?  God can turn things around.  VERSE 12 clearly promises:  “God will provide.”  This applies to each of us individually, as well as to our nation.  God can “turn things” around and bring a new era of prosperity to our lives – but we must trust Him and (as I’ll show in a moment) align ourselves with His purpose.

Prosperity has less to do with our wealth and more to do with being in the center of God’s will.  Prosperity is not about constantly seeking more and more but in learning to be satisfied with less and less.  Consider Joseph’s experience at the Inn in Bethlehem.

During the Christmas season in Christmas pageants all around the world there is one character that gets a really bad rap (besides the evil king, Herod).  That is the Inn-keeper.  Mary and Joseph needed a room, and the word says:  Luke 2:7

Then she gave birth to her firstborn Son, and she wrapped Him snugly in cloth and laid Him in a feeding trough—because there was no room for them at the lodging place.

Immediately, we focus on the inn-keeper’s poor customer service insensitivity to a young, pregnant girl.  Perhaps the inn-keeper deserves the infamy he receives, perhaps not.  The Bible does not comment on the matter but only in passing.

What stands out abundantly clear to me is this:  God provided a place for the family, even when the inn-keeper could not or would not. 

Now, notice what we don’t see in this story.  We don’t see Joseph jumping up and down screaming at the inn-keeper or Mary threatening to file a lawsuit with the housing commission of Bethlehem because of the “unsuitable” stable they were offered as an alternative.

No, Joseph and Mary peacefully settled into the stable and made what preparations they could for the coming child.  The whole scene is one of peace. Peace comes when we recognize that even though God may not give us all we want in life, God will give us all we need.

Remember, Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread, not daily steak.

We can be at peace because, God is called, “Jehovah Jireh,” God Who Provides.

3.  Discovering God’s PURPOSE (6-8, 10)

Biblical peace refers to having a vibrant, growing relationship with God.  That’s true peace.  Look at verses 6-8, and then verse 10:

⁶ Will You not revive us again so that Your people may rejoice in You? ⁷ Show us Your faithful love, Lord, and give us Your salvation. ⁸ I will listen to what God will say; surely the Lord will declare peace to His people, His godly ones, and not let them go back to foolish ways.

………………………………….

¹⁰ Faithful love and truth will join together;

righteousness and peace will embrace.

Peace is found at the intersection of “truth” and “righteous—right knowing and right living.  Peace comes when one discovers God’s purposes and acts accordingly.

Biblical peace is associated with the favor of God, not favorable circumstances.  God’s favor comes as a consequence of obedience to God’s decrees in the Bible.  Biblical peace, shalom, does not require political peace, or peaceful circumstances

This is precisely what the angels sing about on that hillside the first Christmas:

LUKE 2   ¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace
on earth to people He favors.

It is God’s favor that puts the “merry” in Merry Christmas!  No favor means no peace.  Peace is a package deal and comes as a result of a God’s favor on our lives.  God favor comes when we align ourselves with His purpose.  Jesus defined what that purpose was in a succinct, short comment in Luke 19:10

“I came to seek and to save that which was lost.”

This is why we have Christmas in the first place—it fulfills God’s redemptive plan to save mankind.  Misunderstand God’s purpose for your life and you will never find peace.  Peace comes as a consequence of God’s favor which comes as a result of discovering God’s purpose for your life.  How do you fit into God’s plan to save mankind?  Discover that, and you will discover real peace.

In the movie Hugo, about a long-forgotten automaton, or robot, the main character declares, “a machine has no extra parts.”   A machine, like Hugo, is created to function according to the purpose established by its inventor, or creator.  A creation finds meaning when it is performing according to its purpose.  The sadness of a broken machine is that it is not performing according to the purpose for which it is designed.  The greatest turmoil a human soul can experience is “meaninglessness” that come from lacking a sense of purpose.

God saved us not only to make us fit for heaven, but God saved us to make us “fit” here on earth.  Salvation restores our sense of purpose.  Listen to Eph 2:10

¹⁰ For we are His creation, created  in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time  so that we should walk in them.

There is no mention in this verse about being “created for heaven” (though that is a part of our Peace Package) but we are “created for fulfill the purposes of God here on earth.” 

Too many believers sit on the sidelines when God wants them to play in the game.  Too many Christians treat Christianity like a “train station” instead of a launching pad.  We sit idly on the station benches waiting for the Heavenly Train to arrive to take us to heaven.  Oh, what a horrible way to view Christianity.

4.  Trusting God’s PROMISE (13)

Notice verse 13: ¹³ Righteousness will go before Him

to prepare the way for His steps.

God has a plan and a major part of that plan is a “promise to bless those whom He has chosen.”  No matter what may come in the future, God has a plan and our welfare as His children is absolutely secure.

Thirty-four years ago my first daughter, Amanda, died shortly after birth of what now is mostly a minor complication.  Thirty years ago Shari and I were in a small hospital in a remote mountain town.  Tragedy struck on a day that should have been the most exciting day of our lives, shattering our sense of peace.

While preparing to conduct Amanda’s funeral, I sat down with my guitar and wrote a song.  The first verse says:

This road that I travel on // seems so rough and steep
The rivers I must cross // seem so chilly and deep

But there’s one thing I am sure of // I’m always in my Savior’s love
And I can’t go anywhere, Jesus hasn’t already been.

I didn’t have Psalm 85 in mind at the time, but verse 13 could well have been the inspiration for my song.  God has promised:

Righteousness will go before Him to prepare the way for His steps.

Righteousness here poetically refers to God.  No matter where we may find ourselves going in life, if we trust in God, He will already be there before we get there with what is needed to assure our success and promote our wellness.  That’s God’s promise.

PROMISES ARE IMPORTANT, at least for one kidnapper!  A Kansas couple hostage in their home while fleeing from authorities is suing them, claiming they broke an oral contract made when he promised them money in exchange for hiding him from police.  Jesse Dimmick of suburban Denver is serving an 11-year sentence after bursting into Jared and Lindsay Rowley’s Topeka-area home in September 2009. He was wanted for questioning in the beating death of a Colorado man and a chase had begun in Geary County. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that Dimmick filed a breach of contract suit in Shawnee County District Court, in response to a suit the Rowleys filed in September seeking $75,000 from him for intruding in their home and causing emotional stress.

Dimmick contends he told the couple he was being chased by someone, most likely the police, who wanted to kill him. “I, the defendant, asked the Rowleys to hide me because I feared for my life. I offered the Rowleys an unspecified amount of money which they agreed upon, therefore forging a legally binding oral contract,” Dimmick said in his hand-written court documents. He wants $235,000, in part to pay for the hospital bills that resulted from him being shot by police when they arrested him.

Evidently this kidnapper believes what the Bible says:  “You have not because you ask not!”

                                                                         

One of the gifts in our “Peace Package” we receive from God is a whole book of promises.  I find great peace reading all the thousands of promises God has given us in His Word.

How many promises are there in the Bible?  I’ve never counted them, but according to Herbert Lockyear (All The Promises in the Bible) there are 8000!  Whatever the exact number, there’s a lot.  And all we need is one promise that God has a plan for our lives and that’s enough to provide us with peace—no matter what storms are raging in our individual lives or in our world.  Grab a promise and hold on!

Peace is a promise wrapped up in the package of God’s pleasure,  which we receive through Jesus Christ.  Many different blessings from God converge to create a river of peace in our lives. 

Christmas is God’s “Peace Package.”  God wrapped up the gift of peace and placed it in a manger over 2000 years ago.  At that event an angel declared:

LUKE 2   ¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace
on earth to people He favors.

Even centuries before God delivered Jesus Christ as the “Peace Package” to the world the Psalmist (Psalm 85) declared:

VERSE 8:  surely the Lord will declare peace

to His people, His godly ones

This Christmas may you find peace for your journey.