Christmas Advent…Joy of Every Longing Heart

ut you were a king at the same time many of us have come to know you as our King as my king the Lord is my shepherd changes everything from the Lord is a Shepherd or even the Lord is the shepherd you’ve become my shepherd and I pray I know your longing Lord is for the day where you will once again be our God and we will be your people some by faith in you have already decided to surrender to bow to confess that Jesus the

baby born in Bethlehem is my lord is my king and I pray that as as God has come to be with us Emmanuel we would not wait for someday when we’re only in your presence in that glorious new heaven but on this day we will live fully for you and we will share fully in your joy we ask in Jesus name amen amen and before you sit a room full people that’s that’s like a lot of adjustments all all in one would you turn to a

couple of people and say good morning I want to bring you Joy Jesus well forget it just say hi good morning all right do it oh my that is too funny well let me just tell you in answer to a question I get a lot what’s it like when you’re standing up there looking out and I have different answers along the way but sometimes like today is a new answer it’s when you give people a much longer instructions on what to say in greeting somebody else

there was a collective look of panic on your it was like wait a minute honey get that down get down what was so just relax hey kids I know there are some of you waiting for the ghost signal feel free to hit some some grown-up kids Bill black anyway but head back you’ve got a great time waiting for you in Children’s Land and feel free to go there if you’d like you don’t have to there’s some good things ahead here too but sometimes I’m glad can’t

hear what they say on the way out yep yep oh my well this is great This truly is great and ah the Fox Family you just you rocked us all thank you for being real and yeah we love Johnny it’s we love your kids I had a conversation this week I want to tell you about the in the moment it stirred a Christmas spirit in me it was like this unexpected place you know you can talk to certain people and know you’ll come away with a

smile but this was somebody I’ve not really met I’ve seen his face and he lives in another state but I was in touch with my actual insurance agent and I called him because I wanted to talk about coverages for auto and home and maybe make some adjustments because prices keep going up so and anyway we had this little chat and it was kind of a a fun one he’s a he’s a nice guy he calls me sir way too much I tell him you know I’m

just a cheap Scapes customer so give me a break but anyway it was really nice about it and we discovered we discovered there was this really kind of clicking between the two of us separated by maybe 1,00 miles and then he mentioned a favorite Christmas tradition of his he he actually told me in sort of presenting that he says you know I’m really excited he doesn’t know I’m a pastor he doesn’t know I’m a Jesus Lover he doesn’t know that Christmas is a big deal in

my heart he just thought he would maybe in in a business World his company might go you brought up Christmas I mean that’s like a word that can’t be used everywhere today right but he he said ‘you know I’m really excited about Christmas and then I saidwell why what makes you excited about Christmas and he quickly told me about a favorite tradition of his to watch It’s a Wonderful Life how many I’m curious how many of you have that same tradition you want my agent’s number

you could I’ll drum up some business for him but I I have to confess to you it is Debbie’s and this year before all of this she said let’s watch it and we did watch it so I actually sounded like I knew what he was talking about right a little bit but I actually just truth be known I need a little more action in my movies to keep my attention or I’m a dozer if you know what I mean so anyway so he described by quoting

I knew he wasn’t reading anything I have to read it because I I don’t pay that close attention but he described by quoting a dialogue from memory you probably will remember the dialogue in that movie a senior Angel says to Clarence who is a guardian angel a man down on earth needs our help came the Declaration of the senior Angel Clarence asked is he sick and the senior Angel replies no it’s worse he’s discouraged and I we went on to have a good talk about that

and I thought how how strange given what we know about Christmas and how we even sang about this morning beautifully taken in joy of every longing I mean all cool things Joy to the World unspeakable joy it’s not that we can’t speak about it it’s that we can’t come up with enough words why else would Paul say in 2 Corinthians chapter 9:1 15 thanks be to God for his Indescribable gift Paul is a man of words he’s a verb vulture they used to call me he’s

that guy he is a guy of words and he says simply when talking about the generosity that God looks for in the heart of a giver he says I point you to Jesus and let’s just thanks be to God for he’s too much to talk about he’s that good Indescribable gift so it seems that Christmas despite Andy Williams declaration isn’t necessarily for some The Most Wonderful Time of the Year to the contrary and I know this from time I spend during this season not begrudgingly but

quite available to people who are in fact depressed and lonely and in no small way a George Bailey type person can I just give it to you straight some have told me they can’t sing songs like we just sng saying their great goal at Christmas time is just to get through it I I know I don’t I don’t mean to make us go down I mean to lift them up if you’re one of them so if you or let’s go further than that if someone you

live with or no a friend somebody you work with wherever they might be they are battling and you know it and you’ve known it for a while and you care about them but they are battling discouragement or worse this Christmas I hope you will take this message because it’s a holy spirit message as they all are or I I’ve got nothing to offer anybody but I think God has some words for all of us that are meant to lift our hearts and I’m going to call

it what I the way I see it I think it will be true medicine for troubled hearts okay so some of you have all kinds of reasons why Joy doesn’t come easily and I get that I don’t scoff at you a bit but I think I think there’s something here moments ago the song we we sang it was in 18th century Christmas song that I think States a secret we sing songs beautifully and habitually at Christmas time we some of our most requested songs are made

during the Christmas season hey can you be sure we sing and we try to fold those songs in but sometimes in singing them we maybe don’t quite get the or pause enough to process the meaning of them so Joy of Come Thou Long it’s expected Jesus is really kind of a I’m going to call it a secret it’s it’s to me the only sustainable way for one to have joy during this season or any season in life we’ll have moments but I want I want it

every day don’t you I mean that’s kind of otherwise life’s really really hard so I’m going to read those words again and I think they they are the source of sustainable Joy not just at Christmas but anytime the same I’m saying right now has been said to me multitude of times around Valentine’s Day around Thanksgiving it’s it’s there Come Thou long expected Jesus born to set thy people free gives you a little hint of what might be holding back to Joy from our fears and sins

release us let us find our rest two words in thee in thee Israel’s strength and consolation you can’t you can’t make this stuff up is that timely or what there’s strength and consolation hope of all the Earth Thou Art dear desire of every nation Joy of every longing heart if your heart is longing and you’re here today and if you have a hungering longing Heart for Jesus but you find Joy in short short supply and I I’m going to I’m just going to say why the

biggest threat to my joy is the is the worsening world we live in just is and so I want to dig deep for a minute and circle around a single word Joy the foxes already did a phenomenal job but they read from Luke 2 I want you to now look with your own eyes it was beautifully done by Johnny and I want us to see it for ourselves a little bit further Luke Chapter 2 is where my Bible is open it’s one of two narratives about

the birth in the New Testament here in Luke and also in Matthew Chapter 2 so you’ll find them both there but Luke Chapter 2 we already covered thanks to the foxes the birth of Jesus verse eight I want us to pick up right there the that very night he’s been born and there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at 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 there’s the word joy for all the people today in the town of David a savior has been born to you he is this a he is he is a savior that’s a big deal he is Messiah even bigger deal to Jewish hearts he is the Lord all that in one verse and this will be assigned to you verse 12 you will find a baby wrapped in cloths

lying in a Manger suddenly I mean in suddenly means you’re taking something in and then something big happens suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel that one angel praising God and saying glory to God in the highest heaven and on Earth peace to those on whom his favor rests verse 10 is so loaded with meaning the angel said to themo not be afraid I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all of the people that’s those words are like

the angel saying hungry for joy anybody x marks the spot your search is over your hunger is satisfied this is good this is really very timely for I think many of us does does this mean that to have joy requires something that not everybody has let’s take a couple of possibilities an up personality you know there’s some people that are super up they get up happy how many don’t get up happy you know okay so so aren’t you glad that’s not a condition for Joy right

so it’s it’s is it here’s another possibility if if you don’t have an up temperament or if it’s not about temperament at all what about the possibility it is to use a word we use today it’s about denial if you can just find a way to deny what’s hard lot of different ways taken by people today and you know them some of you use them and and it’s distractions it’s and and sure enough along the way you find yourself saying I I guess I am feeling

joy and in reality you’re only in denial as psychologists would say right you know what I mean it’s not real Joy because what I just dabbled in or took or whatever is going to wear off it’s going to go away and here I am again you see to me so turns out the song would say no the song had it right Jesus is the joy of every longing heart I just there’s there’s a translation that I stumbled across recently that has brought I’m going to call

it high def color to a lot of the Bible I’m not giving up on new international some have asked or New American the translation that I grew up on and memorize most of what I’ve memorized from but this translation is really good listen to that simple statement in verse 10 I’ve already read it it’s been read a couple of times this morning but here’s a new one don’t be afraid for I have come to bring you good news the most joyous news the world has ever

heard and it is get this for everyone every everywhere you feeling it huh that’s that applies to the guy in the corner in this room that applies to somebody far removed from this location watching and taking this in it’s good news it is the most joyous news the world has ever known and it’s for you some of you aren’t here because you don’t think the likes of people like you belong here I’ve heard it now and I’ve I’ve tried to negotiate with you to have you

rethink it I actually use say like people say what what’s it take to belong or feel at home at Grace Point my answer is an easy one just don’t deny you’re broken we don’t like phonies not not because we don’t like phonies that’s not it but because we know that that’s not a good place to be it’s it’s actually fake and it won’t make you better it’s just come here you’re broken and and every head will turn your way say great Another Broken one right we

are not a hotel for Saints we are a hospital for Sinners can I get an amen that’s what the deal is and we all need Joy we’re not and then guess what you’re going to meet Jesus and he’s going to say now let’s clean up the mess that has come into your life some of it from your own doing we’re gonna we’re going to take care of that you don’t have to do it I’ll do it you got to let me so so that that statement

this incredible news best news the world has ever heard is actually for everyone everywhere including you okay if you need more on that please Steve atgrace pointf family.com and I’ll get you to somebody or myself we will talk okay all right so if you had been on this night looking back at Luke 2 if you had been an eyewitness reporting the details reporting things that happen happened that night you would have almost certainly recorded several standout features and so the first we’ve already noted the show

in the sky if you were just happened to be in town you and and I don’t know you’re leaving town you left your dinner party or whatever it was and you go outside and oh it would have been a show in the sky that fresh translation that I told you about I I know I’ll get maale so it’s the passion TPT the passion translation it’s kind of cool stay with h a more literal translation and you’ll do fine this is just going to bring new color

okay so listen to that that we’ve read already again suddenly an angel of the Lord this is verse nine appeared in Radiance splendor before them lighting up the field with the Blazing glory of God that’s pretty cool this Angel didn’t just come there and go hey you know I’m trying to cover my face I know it could make you a little nervous it’s pretty bright no he came blazing with the glory of God then at once this is verse 13 at once in the night sky

a vast number of of Glorious Angels appeared and they all praised God Singing Glory to God in the highest Realms of heaven and peace on Earth to those with whom God is pleased that’s big get this it only took verse n tells us how many angels are in verse nine somebody want to guess verse n a one one right an means an angel so there is one Angel and that’s all it took to evoke fear in the hearts of those in the field that night that’s

what verse n is telling us only a single angel I say it that like it’s just like me no it’s way bigger way more it’s way more than any of us but all it took was one to rock them in fact it’s very descriptive in verse n and it shouldn’t be missed if you missed it the first time we were there the impact was they were terrified word about terrified it’s bigger than afraid you with me I mean we’d all agree on that right terrified I

got to thinking what happens when I’m terrified I hide behind Debbie you go to the door you know what I do it’s bad enough I I grab debie and I say Let’s Run for Our Lives that’s what I do that’s just what you do right we see wildlife we’ve seen Wildlife we saw a bear up in Washington when we camped last summer a bear I went snorkeling with students on a missions trip from Grace Point down in Honduras and me and a a young lady a

teenage gal named Megan we were snorkeling she said what do you a whole bunch of us were out there in the water and we’re just like looking around so what do you hope to see and I said I want to see a shark I’m done with little fish I don’t care you can buy those at Costco or whatever I don’t care but but she goes e that’s gross you would eat like like colorful fish from Costco that’s gross but anyway she says back to my story

she says really like like how close I said up close up I want to see a shark everybody talks about sharks how terrible they were guess what happened about a half hour later I saw I coming back to me I saw a Shark my face is down in the water guess what I did guess what I didn’t do hey come here buddy I want to talk to you for a minute here I’m coming down it’s getting deeper it’s deeper this thing was maybe 50 ft down

and I went for the shore at about 32 miles an hour swimming why cuz I was absolutely certain I was going to die and you know what the guy on the shore we tell them everybody’s reporting what they saw what’ you see we’re like we saw a shark and and I swam my heart out I never want to see a shark again you know kind of thing and he’s howling he goes you know what kind of shark that is I said no of course of course

I don’t know it’s just going to eat me that’s what I know right so there’s no Clarity he goes oh no no that he was more afraid of you than you were so here’s the deal I don’t know if all or some of what I just described in a kind of a fanciful way about sharks was true but it’s sure true of the word terrified and the Bible could have used other words but it didn’t and they were terrified which explains the breaking news headline in

verse 10 don’t said the angel be afraid I bring you good news that will cause this irruption of great joy not just for you but for all people wow what news could be that good we’ve said it several times good for everyone everywhere what news for today a rescuer was born for you it’s that other translation again you will recognize him by this miraculous sign you’re going to find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough at that moment at that

moment that’s why verse 13 I read it the way I did earlier Suddenly at that moment almost as though I try to picture where were these vast numbers of angels prior to the guy the first one and I I get this image to me that they had waited long enough and couldn’t be contained any longer it’s like I a lot of analogies but they’re about to burst out of the locker room and take the field in a sports thing the Super Bowl this is so big

and they’re they’re they’re behaving well if you will they’re holding it back but they couldn’t be restrained any longer and they they join the solo Angel lucky guy really think about him he’s the big deal and they now join him in vast numbers as a a group of Glorious Angels praising God and singing at the top of their lungs wow and saying glory to God in the highest Heavens you know what I thought of when I when I read this again and with fresh eyes I

was thinking about the Hallelujah Chorus Vicki can we bust that out right now and just get everybody no probably not okay but I don’t know if you’ve ever been to what’s called a messiah singal so I went innocent I didn’t know what it was it sounded cool and basically I we show up at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles when we lived there and a bunch of people are waiting in line to get into the place and I noticed they’re all carrying music it’s in

a book I mean it’s it’s not just a page it’s like a thick thing and it turns out that’s the whole handles Messiah the whole Musical and of course there’s there’s you get inside and I mean they’re just kind of showing us where you if you’re an alto you sit in the 2000 Alto seats over here and I it’s this massive Music Center in in Los Angeles and we just picked a place we thought you know I’m not sure what I am so I’m just gonna

sit and it’ll be cool and and every time a different Alto and tenor and bass and all this that person or their piece of the music appeared they would stand up literally hundreds of maybe thousands of that the the bases would get up in those moments but guess what happened when we got to the Hallelujah Chorus everybody stood I got chills everywhere right now telling you that it was like there were and it was engaging and Powerful there were people in tears there were people just

not a note in sight you didn’t need it you your soul knew it this is huge that’s kind of the picture although it pales I’m sure in comparison to what we’re reading here this spectacle was I think mind blowing and heart melting it did it both for the Gathering of onlookers that night in the field they were within earshot and ey shot of this spectacle which brings you to another point you would write a note about to be sure and tell turns out there weren’t many

of them out in the fields that night oh a lot of angels we’ve established that vast numbers great company but there were actually very few that night that witnessed this extraordinary event can I give you a a comparison that’s really I don’t know but it’d be like Jesus today right now coming back we all wait for him we know he’s going to come back so I’m are going to tell you exactly when and where I can’t the Bible does doesn’t tell us but let’s just say

for reasons we just didn’t see he’s coming back to Grace Point and suddenly he’s not a baby he’s here at some level some of us are going to say why wouldn’t you come back to a much more massive Gathering it’s a good question I mean you know like the kind where everybody’s watching all eight billion in the world his first coming was to a few they were actually very few for this event and and if and it mustn’t be overlooked looked the very few were shepherds

why Shepherds let me tell you what I’ve researched again about Shepherds they were simple they were known to be common ordinary people often sadly described in pejorative words like inconsequential insignificant even invisible you ever felt invisible what am I invisible that’s kind of a joke today don’t I matter not unlike the George Bailey’s in a It’s a Wonderful Life movie if we’re serious about the answer to the question that I’m asking right now why should Shepherds we might discover something about those to whom God prefers

to come you ready you don’t have to turn there let me read it to you these words come from First Corinthians chapter 1 the people he still seeks these words tell us clearly remember dear brothers and sisters that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you well that’s big you might have a degree and I don’t I don’t you know scoff at that you don’t need one still quoting 1 Corinthians 1 instead God chose things the world

considers foolish in order to shame the wise those who think they are wise he chose things that are powerless to shame you guessed it the powerful God chose things despised by the world things counted as nothing at all and use them to bring to nothing what the world considers important and why did he do that well as a result of that no one can ever boast in the presence of God who says it’s not about you my love’s about you it’s in my heart for you

but you’re not your savior you’re not your God you’re not even the captain of your own ship I I was taken back for a little bit in this idea that God would come to Shepherds and I I got to thinking about a scene that most of you know and I could just tell it quickly it was a scene in in Samuel where Israel’s first king had been rejected his name was Saul and he’d been been rejected because of we we’re not left guessing he was he

it was rebellion and Disobedience and God said you didn’t work out and we’re going to go another Direction so he says God taps Samuel the prophet the first great prophet of Israel and sends him to a man named Jesse who had a bunch of boys probably daughters as well but the kings are always guys men and so God sends Samuel to Jesse and says I’m here on a mission I need to have a look at your sons and he begins to vet them out he’s interviewing

the sons checking them out I guess visually and then I don’t know getting the resume am and that kind of thing but you know what I mean in a conversation and he gets to the end of them there’s there’s seven of them that he talks to and he’s he doesn’t get this prompting in his heart that he’s found the right one and he he actually asks Jesse the dad is this all you got imagine that moment that’s all you got seven boy and Jesse not not

for forgetful but was like well yeah no no I got one more but he’s out in the field guess what he’s a Shepherd are you seeing the connection I just threw me over Jesus Christ came to Shepherds and way back in the Old Testament God in seeding a successor King who by the way came to be known as a man after God’s Own Heart a Shepherd boy I hope you’re hearing your name in that you it’s it’s huge stuff if you want a b single Bible

verse that’ll transform you look at First Kings chapter chap 16 it’s in the middle of all this and it’s verse 7 and God says to Samuel who’s scratching his head going I haven’t found the one what’s the deal these guys look pretty handsome pretty tall pretty big pretty strong and he says these words the Lord does not look at the things people look at people look at the outward appearance but the Lord looks where it’s there it’s really good and it’s a real good reminder you

you may not be as smart as you want to be as tall as you want to be as fast as you want to be as funny as you want to be as handsome as you want to be or pretty as you want to be or on and on and on and God says hold up we haven’t talked about what matters most to me your heart and David was Israel’s greatest King Jesus is indeed called son of David so couple of parting questions this morning the surprise

event that night they came as an Angelic announcement most joyous news for the whole world the world’s ever heard I’m gonna ask the next natural question what difference did it make in the angels in the Shepherds I he came to the Shepherds was that a good choice what difference does it make did it make well let’s look at verse 15 and answer the question when the Angels had left the Shepherds the few I don’t know how that happened in the moment but I just picture a

I don’t know maybe the curtain closed on this scene 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 sure enough Mary and Joseph they actually found them and Jesus the baby was lying in the manger when they had seen him verse 17 they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child and all

who heard it were Amazed by what the Shepherds said to them but Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart verse 20 the Shepherds what did they do next well they returned to their sheep it’s their job they returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told I’m going going to say it in a sentence they couldn’t and they wouldn’t stop talking about the baby they saw no change

in that they just kept talking about the Savior that they beheld and the god that they fell on their knees and worshiped that’s what happens of course you would guess this the people scoffed at their report about such things things right that’s not how I read Verse 18 all who heard it were amazed they were amazed at what the Shepherds said to them I like to use modern words they were blown away whoa ah it seems to me that if shepherds are going to serve as

a guide for us to find joy for our longing Hearts a couple of takeaways they found Jesus when they went looking for him you see the takeaway there I’m gonna ask it as questions I don’t need to point it out have you found Jesus now it’s deeper have you looked not religion have you found Jesus that’s a necessary search according to these words in Acts 17 we’ve just come from this God set the time in place for each person so that we would seek Him and

perhaps reach out and find him though he is not far from any one of us read Deuteronomy 30 today and read it with that how close is God how near is he how accessible is he if I go searching like you’re saying pastor J have I sought him and my answer is no not really but where is he I don’t I haven’t found him either the Bible look at Deuteronomy chapter 30 just check it out you’ll you’ll be glad you did same thing as acts 17

he’s not far from any one of us the shepherd search for a sign a second takeaway the sign wasn’t what a lot of people search for today verse 12 does not mention a secret religion they’re to search for the Son of God it’s not it’s not to be found found in a temple did you just hear a pastor say that yeah yeah I’ll go a step further it’s not to be found in some sacred writing whoa these are Jesus words because he looked at the most

religious people of his day and he rebuked them because they looked in this book the Torah they looked in the Bible thinking that in the Bible they would find this eternal life his words listen to this the these are from Jesus and John 5 verse 39- 40 you study the scriptures diligently and boy did they some would say today in many language you study the scriptures diligently because you think that in them Jesus words you have eternal life that’s Jesus saying that he’s not done these

are the very scriptures that testify about me yet you refuse to come to me to have life people do you hear the difference between religion in those words John 539 to4 you search for and it’s a good search I I’m in this Bible every day but I’m not looking for some secret I’m being refreshed daily in the Savior I have found Jesus Christ so am I just helping some of you take the next step I hope I am because if you think it’s got to be

in a it’s got to be in like practicing my religion makes me sick when I hear that that because a lot of times people are saying that that’s salvation no it is not salvation it will come as a result of meeting the Savior who gives you salvation that’s the difference and I hope you’re enticed John 5: 39 and 40 straight from Jesus lips it’s not some hidden religion it’s it’s a person a baby king who went to a cross to pay for my sins if you’ve

searched for Jesus and found him my last question does it show does it show do you tell I’m done but do you tell because my goal in every sermon every message is to say you’re about to leave and the people that haven’t heard it or need to hear it again we’ll hear it better because you take the next step to talk to them an insurance agent who could have thk but it worked I have a dear friend that’s been in Ministry for a long time who

said to me a long time ago religion can’t change or can change your schedule but finding Jesus as the Shepherds did that night will change everything about your life would you tuck away your notes and bow your head we’re going to sing as we do each week but if you’re kind of you’re I just I knew the Holy Spirit had a had things lined up and maybe one of the biggest is that you’re here today and reset you press you feel a reset happening you’ve done

really good religious things and that’s you do good deeds even you your bank account probably could show look how much I give to and all that’s great but if you don’t have the Savior you’re you’re building your life on Sand those things won’t benefit you for eternity that’s why Jesus said keep looking in the book but look up when the book points to me because I am the one it’s talking about the only one and let’s be like Shepherds in fact here’s a mission why don’t

you just say Jesus I want you to send me to people that would never hear this live stream that would never darken the doorway we say of a church send me to them that’s my mission and I want to te

Transcript machine-generated from the sermon audio, so it may contain errors. 6,342 words.