“God gave Simeon faith for Christmas” – Luke 2

Okay, are y’all ready?  Is everybody comfortable?  Anybody need anything before we get started?  If you’re cold, we have blankets in the back.  If you are hot, we have fans.  If you want something to eat or drink, you can find it in the Fellowship Hall.  Troy, do you need a pillow, maybe some slippers?  I want to make sure everybody is comfy. 

In fact, believe it or not, that is the point of this message today.  If you need to be comforted today, this message is for you.  But we all know that there is way more to being comforted than being physically comfortable. Some of the most physically comfortable people are the most in need of real comfort.  The question is, where do you find your comfort? 

At the end of a long, hard, stressful day, what do you do to find comfort?  Maybe it’s the end of a long, hard, stressful month or even year.  What do you do to find the comfort you need?  Some people overeat.  Some turn to booze, drugs or cigarettes or some kind of prescription drug and I’m not here to hammer on you about any of that this morning.  Come back tonight and I’ll hammer on you then. 

No, I’m kidding.  This message is not meant to step on toes, it is to bring you good news because every form of self-medication has side effects but the side effects of this good news I give you today are forgiveness, peace, joy and the promise of eternal life in Heaven.  It’s not just my opinion that it is good news either.  In Luke 2, the angel sent to the shepherds says, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the LORD. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." 

Have you ever been comforted by a baby?  It’s usually the other way around isn’t it?  But this baby, the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord of all is a great comfort even today just as he was prophesied to be by a man named Simeon, also in Luke 2.  Go ahead and turn there to Luke chapter 2.  We are going to read verses 25-35 and we are going to see what Simeon said about the baby Jesus and what he meant and what it means to us today. 

Not much is known about Simeon except what is said in this passage.  Most people picture him as an old man because he speaks like somebody with some age on him but we don’t know that for sure.  We find Simeon in the temple when Mary and Joseph take Jesus there to be circumcised and dedicated when He was eight days old as was the custom.  Simeon probably spent a lot of time in the temple but just like so many other instances we see of God’s sovereignty, he is there at just the right time to see Jesus and have a promise fulfilled.

Let’s read it in Luke 2:25-35. Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 

Simeon says a whole lot in just a few sentences.  He glorifies God.  He thanks Him. He prays.  He speaks comforting and yet mysterious words to Mary and Joseph and prophesies about what Jesus will be and do.  In this passage, I want us to look at something Jesus is called here.  In verse 25 He is called the consolation of Israel.  In verse 30, He is “your salvation” and in verse 32, Simeon says Jesus will be a light for revelation. 

Let’s focus on verse 25 today and see what is meant when it says Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Have you ever tried to console someone who needed it? Have you ever tried to come up with just the right words when somebody really needs it? If you find those words, would you please let me know?  Let me know what to say that will make everything better when somebody loses a loved one because the best I have found is, “I’m sorry and I love you.” 

You know, Job’s friends were a bunch of self-righteous, pompous, ignorant blow-hards but I’ll give them this, they started off pretty well with their consoling of Job.  In Job 2:13, it says, “Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.” That’s a good friend right there; someone who will just sit and share your grief with you without saying anything. The problem came when they tried to fix the problem. 

But at some point, we all want our problems fixed and nobody knows how, including us.  That’s where Simeon was.  His beloved nation of Israel was promised by God to be a great and powerful nation; a nation from which the Messiah would come and would be a world power and a special people to God and specially blessed by God. But in Simeon’s day, it sure didn’t seem like that was true. 

Their land had been taken.  Their freedom had been taken.  Their rights had been taken and all they had was the hope that the Messiah would one day come and save them.  We know today that the Jewish people never did recognize Jesus as the Messiah and therefore they are still waiting for the consolation of Israel but Simeon knew.  Simeon understood.  Simeon had faith. It says he was righteous and devout but what that means is that Simeon was right with God and close to God and therefore Simeon heard God speaking to him and God told him that this baby that just showed up in the temple…was the One. 

Can you imagine the comfort and the relief Simeon had?  He knew it wouldn’t be in his lifetime and he was okay with that.  In fact, Simeon told God in his prayer that he was ready to die now because what God had promised had come true and was now cradled in his arms.  It was one of those “it don’t get no better than this” kind of moments for Simeon.  

Do you remember the first time you met Jesus?  Maybe you had heard of Him before.  You had heard others talk about Him and about what He had done and was going to do but do you remember when you really met Him; when you asked Him to come into your life and be the Lord of your life?  

I remember.  I was seven years old and while I was a pretty good kid, I guess, I knew I was a sinner in need of a Savior.  I remember my Dad explaining to me that sin was anything that displeased God and how the Bible says we are all sinners and what we deserve for that sin is eternal death in Hell. He explained that Jesus died on the cross as payment for my sins and that if I would just ask, He would forgive me of that sin and I could live in Heaven when I died. 

I prayed with my Dad that day back in 1975 and asked God to forgive me and do you know what? Even as a child, I think I could relate to Simeon. Simeon said in verse 29 that he could now die in peace. Simeon and I both had forgiveness.  We could live and die in peace.  We have joy even in the difficult times and while all of that is wonderful, the best news in this Good News is that I can now share with Simeon AND with Jesus all the wonderful things Heaven has in store! 

Do you ever struggle with forgiveness?  I have found that people who love and forgive other people easiest are the ones who realize how much they have been loved and forgiven.  Later on in Luke 7 when Jesus had started His ministry, He is invited to dinner at a man’s house - a Pharisee’s house - and He goes and when He is reclining at the table, a woman is behind Him just bawling.  She is crying so hard she wets His feet with her tears and she wipes them with her hair and then pours perfume on His feet.

 In that day it was quite a scandal, especially because it says she had lived a sinful life, but she didn’t care.  She had been forgiven by Jesus and she just loved Jesus so much, she wanted to show it. The homeowner made mention of it and Jesus told the man, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." 

When you realize just how much Jesus loves you and what all He has forgiven you for, it’s life-changing.  Karl Menninger, the famed psychiatrist, once said that if he could convince the patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven, 75 percent of them could walk out the next day! (Today in the Word, March 1989) 

But how do we really know that we are forgiven?  Some of us have lived a sinful life just like that woman so it’s important to know for sure.  How can we know for sure that our many sins have been forgiven?  Well, if you offend somebody and you ask them for forgiveness for whatever you did, how do you know they have really forgiven you?  

You know because of not just what they say but what they do.  They might say they have forgiven you but what if they don’t act like it?  We know Jesus has forgiven us because it says so in the Bible. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). But He proved it by what He did. 

 All through the Old Testament, before Jesus came in the flesh, when there was sin, something had to die.  It’s why Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death.  But Jesus came and died on the cross for our sin so we wouldn’t have to sacrifice any animals or pay the price ourselves.  That’s a price we could never pay.  So, we know that we are forgiven.  What is that worth to you? For those of us that have been forgiven much, it’s priceless. 

Do you know what else we get with a relationship with Jesus? Not just forgiveness, but forgiveness leads to peace.  In that passage in Luke 7 where Jesus is talking to the sinful woman, He tells her in verse 50, “Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace.” 

Jesus forgave her and then told her to go in the peace that only God can give.  Go in peace with God and of God.  Peace that passes all understanding.  Peace, not just in the good times but especially in the bad times. Do you have that kind of peace?

 In preparing this, I did some research about how the world finds peace (and by “research”, you know I just googled it).  This is what I found.  #1) Breathe.  Breathe deep from your belly and do this for 10 minutes a day.  I don’t know about you but I think I breath all day, but I hope that helps you.  

#2) Exercise.  This produces endorphins and serotonin and other happy chemicals in your brain.  I’m sure that’s good. #3) Get enough sunlight which produces Vitamin D.  Nothing wrong with that.  #4) Pursue the “flow state” (???).  I hope you know what that is but I don’t. I think the flow state maybe somewhere around Colorado or Wyoming or some state like that but I don’t know.  

Other ideas were to be generous and be grateful and to express yourself and all of those are fine and good, I guess. But is there any kind of peace that comes close to knowing that the little baby in Simeon’s arms that day grew up to live a sinless life, die on a cross for forgiveness of our sins, rose again on the third day and lives today and that He sits at the right hand of God the Father who loves us and is in control? 

There is peace in that knowledge but ultimately, peace is a gift.  Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Did you see that?  He said it’s a gift but not like the world gives, where you have to breathe, exercise or find your flow.  You just accept God’s gift of peace and if you don’t have peace right now it’s because you have not accepted it by accepting the truth that God is in control and that He loves you. 

How much is peace worth to you?  Forgiveness and peace are both priceless gifts from God and that ought to bring you comfort today.  But there is one other thing that Jesus gives us as a gift – another priceless gift – and that is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Turn there.  I want you to see this.  It will comfort you no matter what translation you have.  

The Thessalonian church Paul was writing to here was confused about how and when Jesus was going to come back.  They were afraid some of them had missed it already and they didn’t know how it was going to happen and so Paul wrote them this to comfort them and it comforts us today. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 says, “Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the LORD's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the LORD, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the LORD himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air. And so we will be with the LORD forever. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 

Therefore comfort each other with these words from Paul.  This life is not all there is and this life is but a wisp of smoke compared to eternity that we will share with Jesus and Simeon and all your brothers and sisters in Christ.  

It ought to give you great comfort today in the midst of your difficulties to know that the same Jesus who once was a baby held by Simeon grew up, lived, died and rose again and waits anxiously to bring you to Him where He will say, “Well done my good and faithful servant!  I know it was hard and I know that life you led wasn’t fair and the people were against you and nature was against you and it seemed like everything was against you. But I was for you and I prayed for you and I can’t wait to show you around the place I have prepared just for you.  Come on in!” 

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing
My Savior Jesus is mine 

Living, He loved me Dying, He saved me

Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming
Oh glorious day, oh glorious day (Glorious Day) 

Do you know for sure that He is coming for you?  Accept His forgiveness.  Accept His peace. Turn away from your sin and ask Him to be Lord of your life today and you, too, can be comforted.

 

“God gave the Shepherds faith for Christmas” - Luke 2

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 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.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

*dressed as a shepherd*

*lights dimmed*

Hello, my name is Hank. I’m a shepherd. I appreciate you having me back. It has been several years since I have talked to you but this year I have a little different message for you. This year I want to talk to you about faith; well, faith and sheep of course.

I want you to use your imagination for a few minutes. Imagine that you are in a grassy field on rolling hills in the middle of the night and you are surrounded by sheep. Your job as a shepherd is to protect the sheep from anything that would hurt them or scatter them. If anything were to threaten them, it would probably come by cover of darkness but real threats are typically pretty rare.

You have read and heard the story many times of the angels showing up to a group of us shepherds but let me tell it from my perspective and I hope to convey what it means to me as well.

So, there we were, minding our own sheep business. It was dark, not just because the sun had gone down but it was a dark time to be alive. I have to admit that I was not a very religious man but even I could tell that something was very wrong. It felt dark and wrong and hopeless. On the rare times I made it into town, the people there all seemed to have a feeling of dread and fear. Nothing was as it should have been. Maybe you can relate.

Our country had been taken over by godless men who came only to tax and control. Inflation was high, unemployment was high and the jobs that could be found didn’t pay much. I came from a poor family and found a job being a shepherd at a young age. I had to take it to help my family but it was a dead-end job. It’s what people did who couldn’t do anything else.

Shepherds had a bad reputation in those days. As one commentator explained it, “Shepherds often confused other people’s property for our own.” It was pretty much understood that you didn’t buy anything from a shepherd because the odds were good that it was stolen. We weren’t allowed to testify in court because of our reputations. We couldn’t go to the synagogue because our work was 24/7 and because of our work we were considered unclean.

Which makes that night all the more incredible. Like I said, it was night and we were minding our own sheep business just trying to stay awake. It was slow with nothing going on. None of us were religious people. In fact, we were all a pretty rough bunch with bad language, bad habits and hard hearts. So, when the angel all the sudden appeared in front of me, I assumed he was there to kill me. I wasn’t even going to fight back. First of all, he was 10 feet tall and looked like he killed people for a hobby. Secondly, I knew I deserved it and I thought it might even be a relief. That’s how dark it was.

But when he showed up, the whole sky erupted into light! *lights on* He assured me he wasn’t going to hurt me and then told me the great Good News. A Savior had been born in the city of Bethlehem. Again, I wasn’t a religious man but I knew I needed a Savior. I knew our country and this world needed a Savior. So, I was very excited.

Then, as if that weren’t enough, a thousand – million – billion – I don’t know how many other angels joined him. They stretched from one horizon to the other, all praising God and shouting and singing like no choir before or since. I thought I was dreaming but I looked around and saw my friends standing around with their mouths open too so I knew it was real.

Now, you may think it didn’t take much faith to believe an angel. You think anybody could believe if an angel appeared to them and maybe most people would. But I’ll tell you what took faith. It took faith to go find the baby. It took faith to be obedient to what we were told. That’s the way faith is proven and that was difficult because all we knew was the baby was in a manger in Bethlehem.

We decided we would go look for Him and you would think at least one of those angels would lead us or send a light or a star or something. Bethlehem was not that big but almost everybody had some kind of stable or barn with a manger in it. We looked around for a while and finally found the One the angel was talking about. I have to be honest. He didn’t look like anything special. He was just a baby. There was no angel choir. There was no strobe light or marching band or ticker tape parade. It was just a dark, dirty stable with a man, a woman and a baby.

The word “faith” in Greek is “pistis.” It means to be absolutely convicted that something is the truth. How does anybody prove they have faith? Is it by what they think? Are you proving you have faith when you talk about having faith? Is it real faith to post something on Facebook about having faith? No. Faith is proved by what you do and the lifestyle you lead.

Hebrews chapter 11 is called the “faith chapter” of the Bible. There you will find that Abel offered a sacrifice. Noah built an ark. Abraham left his home in obedience to God plus offered his own son as a sacrifice. Those people did things to prove their faith. It wasn’t just talk. It was proven by their actions.

For me and my shepherd buddies, we were absolutely convicted and convinced that this was the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. We knew that His coming was going to change everything and so we proved it by telling everybody we saw. If you are convicted that something is the truth and it is life-changing, world-changing truth, how lazy and selfish do you have to be to not tell anybody?

I hear some people say they don’t really know what to say to people about Jesus. They don’t know how to witness. You think you don’t know what to say? I didn’t know anything! All I saw was a baby; a baby that hadn’t even done anything yet but I was so convicted of the truth that He was going to do something in the years ahead that I couldn’t keep from telling people.

I thought about what this baby was going to mean for my children and my grandchildren. And if I didn’t tell them about Jesus, who was going to? The rest of my life was devoted to just telling people what I had seen and heard and how everything the angel said had come true. Sure, I still had to work. I still had bills to pay and a family to raise and stuff to do but I never wanted to miss an opportunity to just speak the name of Jesus, even if that was all I could do.

Just think, the angel didn’t go to a priest. He didn’t show up at the fancy house of a Pharisee. He didn’t announce the birth of the Christ to a synagogue full of religious people. He came on orders from God to a dark field in the wilderness to the lowliest sinner there was. That fact wasn’t lost on me.

That last sentence says, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen.” My life was forever changed that day. How could I not glorify and praise God? How could I not tell others what I had seen? That’s what people do whose lives have been changed by the amazing grace of God.

Do you know Him? Have you met Him? Do you have a life-changing relationship with Him today? If you say you do, does your life reflect it? Do your words tell it? Is it your lifestyle or is it just what you do sometimes on Sunday? Faith is proven by how you live, not just by coming to church. Faith is a lifestyle that stems from knowing God sent His Son Jesus to be the sacrifice the Father said was due for your sins. It was a price you could never pay and He paid it for you knowing you were in a dark place with no hope of light.

Let’s pray.

 

 

“God gave Mary faith for Christmas” - Luke 1

If I walked up to you and told you, “Congratulations! You are the sole winner of the state lottery!”, what would you think? If I told you that you had won a bazillion dollars because all your numbers matched, what would be your response? Would you immediately go out and start using your credit card to buy up all kinds of stuff or would you be reluctant to trust me about such a thing?

You might be hesitant to trust me for several reasons. Number one, the odds are way against it. I did some research. (I googled it.) And the odds of winning the Texas lottery are more than 1 in 25 million. So, there’s that. Also, I don’t work for the lottery commission, so how would I know, right? Lastly, and I hope this applies to you, you didn’t play the lottery so how could you win? Those are good questions. You probably would not believe me about that, would you?

Now, imagine young Mary of Nazareth. She is engaged to a nice young man. She is living a normal life. She’s just a teenager so she doesn’t have a lot of life experience but one day as she is just minding her own business, an angel appears. Now, I’m not talking about one of those sweet little winged babies flying around and playing a harp. Imagine more of a 10 feet tall Ernest Borgnine-looking warrior with battle scars and a bloody sword in his hand – that kind of angel.

Gabriel, the warrior angel, tells Mary, “Hey, Mary! Good news! You just won the Messiah lottery and you are going to be His mother!” Now, what do you think is going through Mary’s mind at this point? Number one, the odds are against it. They have been waiting hundreds of years, thousands really, for the Messiah. They know He is going to come but of all the women in the world, the odds are against Mary.

Also, Mary had not yet played the lottery, if you know what I mean. Scripture is clear that she was a virgin. She was engaged to Joseph but that’s as far as things had gotten with them. She had yet to buy a lottery ticket so how in the world is she going to win the lottery and give birth to anybody any time soon? This would definitely be hard to believe.

It makes you better appreciate the story of Zechariah who, in the same chapter, is given similar news that his wife was going to have a baby even though she was an old woman. When Gabriel told that to Zechariah, ol’ Zech had a hard time believing it and actually questioned Gabriel about it. Bad move, Zech! Y’all know the story. Gabriel caused Zechariah to not be able to speak until after the baby was born.

So, why do you think Mary believed and Zechariah didn’t? Why did Mary have faith and Zechariah didn’t even though both were given the news in the same way by the same angel? Let’s read this beautiful passage and we will start to answer some of those questions after we do. Turn to Luke chapter one and let’s read verses 26-38. This is read lots of times around Christmas. In fact, I have notated in my Bible that I preached from this passage last year and the year before that. What a coincidence! But this year, our focus is on the faith of Mary.

Luke is the third Gospel and the third book of the New Testament right after Matthew and Mark. Matthew also gives some details about the birth of Jesus and, in fact, tells that Joseph was also visited by an angel and told this same basic thing. But let’s read about the faith of Mary in Luke 1:26-38.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

 

So, I’ve had this conversation with several people this past week about the song, “Mary, Did You Know.” I like the song. It’s very pretty and when we sang it last week, it was very worshipful and moving but my brain can’t help but think the answer to the question of “Mary, Did You Know?” is yes! Yes, she knew. She knew He was the Messiah because she was told before and right after He was born by the angel Gabriel, the shepherds, the Wise Men, Simeon, Anna, Joseph and Elizabeth. Did she know specifically that He would walk on water or heal a blind man? No. But she knew He was the promised Christ child, the Messiah, the anointed One so anything was possible. Literally.

So, having been told so many times, surely it didn’t take much faith to believe it after a while, right? Oh, I think it still had to be hard to believe. I mean, how could a young virgin girl give birth to God in flesh? Even after He was born and for who knows how long afterward, she had to be thinking, “Looks like a regular ol’ baby to me. I still have to change His diaper, feed Him, burp Him, teach Him to walk and talk and everything else a mother has to do.”

It took great faith to be the mother of a baby prophesied about so many years before. She had surely read or at least been told what was written in the book of Isaiah that we read last week that the Messiah would be the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. Yet, here He lay in a manger wrapped in some pieces of cloth helpless as any baby ever.

But Mary’s faith really shines when the angel tells her his good news in our passage this morning. This is the first she has heard anything about it and yet, look at what she says. “I am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled.” How do you get faith like that and why should we want it? Well, we read in Romans 12:3 that God gives everybody “a measure of faith.” That word “measure” simply means a certain amount. God gives us all some amount of faith.

Everybody, even Atheists are given a certain amount of faith. But faith is like a muscle. We all have some muscle but we have to build it and God allows us to go through certain situations that, when handled correctly, build our faith muscles. Like this year for example. 2020 has been crazy. That’s not news to anybody anywhere. But one positive thing you can say about 2020 is that it has given us opportunities to strengthen our faith.

I remember growing up we just had one TV if we had one at all and almost every night my dad would watch the news. When I was a kid, the news was so boring. “Pop, do we have to watch the news tonight?” “Let me just catch the top of the news then you can change it.” Well, I figured out the top of the news was everything until the end of the weather. Drove me crazy.

But as an adult, guess what. I enjoy watching the news or listening to it on the radio as I drive. I like political talk shows. I have become my dad. That hasn’t really been a problem until 2020. Now, when I listen to the news, I find myself getting stressed. I lose my peace and I start to worry and I know that’s wrong and so when I realized it was happening to me, I turned it all off. Now, I listen to Christian music. I listen to good preachers on the radio. I watch other churches worship on TV and I feel my peace coming back. I feel joy. I’m not stressed like I was.

Did you know that scripture actually tells us why that happens?  Going back to Romans, chapter 10 and verse 17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith comes by hearing God’s word, listening to it, meditating on it, putting it to the test and growing in it.

Mary heard the word of God through the angel and she believed it. She had faith because she knew it was true even if she couldn’t prove it mathematically or scientifically. She had faith that it was true and when you have faith, you also get peace and joy. Have you ever opened up a Christmas gift and found another gift inside the gift? You know what I mean.

You unwrap a box and it’s a jewelry box inside. You open it up and inside there is a pair of nice gloves. You go to try on the gloves and you find a diamond ring inside the gloves. That’s a pretty good gift, right? I’m sure all you husbands are planning something like that this year, aren’t you?

Well, that’s what faith is like. When God allows you to go through something that builds your faith, you find you have peace and joy to go with it that also help you get through. Don’t take my word for it, my Berean friends (Like Sa’Sha). Check out Luke chapter 7 where Jesus is talking to the sinful woman. She believes in Him and has faith in Him and Jesus tells her in verse 50, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Faith and peace go hand in hand.

Also, in 1 Peter 1 it says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible.” Faith and joy go hand in hand as well. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! Hebrews 11 (the faith chapter) says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” When you please Him with your faith, He rewards you with peace and joy. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

According to a Gallup Poll released Monday, those who attend church frequently were the only group of Americans that did not see the state of their mental health decline in 2020. The results of Gallup’s November Health and Healthcare survey, conducted annually since 2001, reveal that the share of Americans who classify their mental health as “excellent” has reached an all-time low of 34%. The share of Americans who describe their mental health as “excellent/good” has also reached a record low of 76%. Nearly every demographic subgroup saw the state of their mental health decrease from 2019 to 2020.

However, among Americans who attend religious services weekly, 46% classified their mental health as excellent. That figure is an increase from the 42% who saw their mental health as excellent in 2019. (The Christian Post) Mental health is just another way of saying peace and joy so even the secular world can see that faith brings peace and joy.

But what does it look like to have faith? How do you know when you really have it? I hear politicians sometimes say something like “my faith guides me in my decision-making” but then they go right on to vote for abortion so obviously it takes more than just saying it. What does it really look like to have faith? Well, Hebrews 11 is full of good illustrations of biblical characters that showed faith and Mary is a great example here as well. But what does it look like in your life? Would you say you have faith? Of course you would, especially sitting here in church on a Sunday morning. But what does it look like?

I think about Belinda who broke both of her legs a couple of years ago and one leg healed up real nicely but the other is taking its sweet time but she always has a good attitude and every time something good happens, her response is always, “Glory to God!” It takes faith to be able to mean that.

I think about the little group of 8-9 people we had that came over here from our Runaway Bay church eight years ago believing God when He said to move even though some of our friends didn’t come with us. That takes real faith and God has blessed it.

I think about our friends at Balsora Baptist Church that heard about some members of our church that were struggling and they provided them with cash and food and a Christmas tree for the holidays. That did it because, for one reason, they have faith that there are treasures in Heaven waiting for them for doing that.

I think about my friend Robert Miller who many of you prayed for with me several years ago. Robert came down with cancer and even though God never healed him physically on this earth, Robert never quit asking, “How can I pray for YOU?” That is what faith looks like.

Faith is not just believing that God is going to make everything turn out rainbows and lollipops. Faith says, “I know God can and I know God will but even if He doesn’t, still I will praise Him.” Faith is believing that God is working all things to our good even when the circumstances are not good. Faith is believing that God’s grace is sufficient for us, that His presence is enough for us and that His peace and joy are available to us in the worst of times.

Think about Mary again. I compared it to winning the lottery but can you imagine what she had to go through? She was a virgin when Jesus was born but try to convince the neighbors of that! Then she had to endure the pressure of knowing she was raising the Messiah. Can you imagine the pressure from society but especially from Satan? That’s too much for a teenage girl to bear. But she never lost faith.

Then she had to watch the unspeakable, unthinkable happen. She had to watch Him being whipped and tortured and die on the cross. That had to be at least part of what Simeon told her in the temple when they brought baby Jesus there. Do you remember? Simeon took Jesus in his arms and in Luke 2:33-35 he said, “The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

Don’t you know Mary would gladly have taken a literal sword to the heart to keep her son from having to be crucified? It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. Jesus didn’t deserve it. Mary didn’t deserve it. You may not deserve to go through what you are going through but faith says that God is in control and He loves me so I can endure all things through Him who strengthens me. And while Jesus didn’t deserve to die, it was always God the Father’s plan and because He did, He paid the price the Father said was due to pay for your sins and my sins. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death. That is what we deserve. That’s the price we ought to have to pay but Jesus paid it for us by His grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.” We are saved by grace and through faith and so we continue to live by faith because of what Jesus has done in our lives.

God gave Mary faith for Christmas and He is giving it to you as well. Will you accept it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“God gave Isaiah faith for Christmas” - Isaiah 9

I would like to ask you to use your imagination with me this morning. I’d like to start by asking you to close your eyes. In fact, for just a second, put your hands over your eyes just long enough to really “see” the darkness. Remember that darkness. You can open your eyes now but I want you to continue thinking about just how dark that was as we go for a little walk in our imaginations.

Imagine you are walking along and it is just that dark outside. You aren’t blind. There is just absolutely no light to be able to see anything. You fumble along in the darkness, groping around for anything or anybody to help you find your way when suddenly a hand grabs yours. It is startling at first but the person assures you he is here to help you. “Trust me. I know the way,” he says.

As you walk along, the person tells you to be careful of that hole in the ground. He doesn’t want you to fall in. He then warns of the big rock in the way and guides you around it and you can feel it with your hand. He warns you that at this point you are on a cliff and to walk closely behind him. You feel the loose rocks slip as you walk and hear them tumble down the cliff so you know this person can be trusted even though you still can’t see anything and you are wondering how he could possibly know.

Then he tells you, “Soon everything will be well-lit. Soon you will be able to see your own way. Until then, just keep on this path and don’t waiver. When you feel the weeds around you, get back on the path. There is nothing to hurt you if you just go straight and stay on the path.” And then you feel his hand slip away and he is gone.

You have no choice but to continue on without him but soon, just as he said, you walk into a well-lit area of the path and you realize the person could be trusted and knew what he was talking about. How do you feel now? It’s a great relief, isn’t it? You were scared and all alone before but the man brought you and guided you into the light and now you know everything is going to be okay.

Now…I want to introduce you to the man whose hand guided you out of the darkness. I want you to know that even today he can be trusted. Don’t get ahead of me. It is not God that I am talking about yet. It is Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet who lived some 700 years before Jesus and we know he can be trusted because his prophecies about Jesus came true. I will explain more as I go but if my illustration of being in darkness has confused you, that’s okay. In fact, that is perfect in my opinion because the book of Isaiah can be confusing to read even today.

We are going to read a very familiar passage out of Isaiah today but also some verses that you may not be familiar with. I want you to see the familiar passage in context and I want it all to be understood in the even bigger context of continuing in our quest for revival.

We have talked about revival for several months now. We started by learning to pray like Jesus prayed because we know that there will never be revival without prayer. We have cultivated our love for Jesus by studying some of those in scripture that showed their love for Jesus and we see the revival that brought to them. Now, we have just come out of a series on making disciples as Jesus told us to because it is only when we are obedient that we will see revival in our lives plus we want to share that revival with others.

Now, for the next few weeks of the Christmas holiday, I want to focus on faith. You won’t pray correctly without faith. You won’t truly love God or even other people fully without faith. You can’t make disciples or see revival without faith and Christmas is the perfect time to focus on faith. So, we are starting with an Old Testament character who never saw Jesus on this earth but prophesied it happening as if it had already happened. That is a beautiful picture of faith.

What is faith? How would you define it? Hebrews 11:1 defines it as, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." I would say that faith is following that unknown man in my illustration this morning. Faith is not being able to see the object but trusting and believing that it is there in a way that is proven by our actions.

Let’s turn to the Old Testament book of Isaiah and see his faith, the faith that God gives him. Isaiah is between Song of Solomon and Jeremiah in the middle part of your Bible. Isaiah was a prophet and was not afraid to speak doom and gloom when needed but he also has some beautiful and wonderful prophecy as well.

The book of Isaiah is perfect for a revival theme because the first part of the book is warning Israel and the surrounding nations to repent of their sinfulness but the latter chapters contain great hope for what God is going to do in their lives. Our text this morning is in chapter 9 but in chapter 8 we see Isaiah addressing the dark and gloomy times in which they lived. It may have been written 2700 years ago, but it is exactly the kind of times we are living in today. It’s hard to see clearly how things could possibly work out. It seems sometimes like God is far away and not concerned about us but we see that all of this is in His hands and in His will and if we will just be obedient and show our faith, it will all work out to our good and God’s glory.

Turn to the ninth chapter of Isaiah if you haven’t already but let me read something from the eighth chapter to set it up. In the 21^st verse, Isaiah talks about how the unbelievers – those without faith - were living. He says, “Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.” Doesn’t that sound like the world today? Everywhere you look there is pain and darkness and sorrow.

But look at the beginning of the ninth chapter. Isaiah prophesies with such faith that he writes as if it has already happened. “Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.” Then in verse 2 he continues, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy.”

Isaiah is prophesying here to a sinful nation living in darkness that hope is coming for those that believe. He is saying that it won’t always be this way. Better days are practically here already. But this is not just pie in the sky dreaming. It is not blind faith. It is not just the ramblings and hopes of a crazy person. This is God’s word coming through Isaiah for the nation of Israel 2000-plus years ago and also for the Unites States and our world today.

Look at verse 5. “Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.” In other words, you are going through a bloody battle right now but soon all that will be a memory and you can burn that old stuff in the fire.

But I hear you. “Todd, that sounds good but when? And who? How is all this going to happen and what does it mean for me?” And those are good questions.

I heard that Cindy and Anna were teaching the children next door a couple of weeks ago and were illustrating some Bible verse with pictures of animals. They held up a picture of a squirrel and asked them what kind of animal it was and little Kylie answered, “Well, I see it has a brown bushy tail. It’s sitting in a tree eating nuts and it looks for all the world like a squirrel to me but since this is Sunday School, I guess the answer has to be Jesus!” (I know that’s an old joke.)

And that is our answer today to the question of who Isaiah was talking about. Look at verse 6. Isaiah says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” I know, some of you are thinking, “Finally! He got to the Christmas verse.” But it’s more than just a pretty verse we usually only break out for Christmas. This is our hope. This is our promise. This is what and in Whom our faith rests.

The little baby born in a manger grew up and lived to die for our sins. He showed us grace and so we show Him faith even today. We can’t prove it mathematically or scientifically but we can all prove it by the lives we lead because of what Jesus has done for us. Let’s look at what these names mean for us today. Let’s look at the One in whom our faith rests.

Since there was no punctuation in Isaiah’s written language it is sometimes difficult to translate every nuance and particular meaning but we might do well to put a comma right after “Wonderful”.  That may be a correct translation but we don’t know and for today I want to combine it like it is in most Bibles.  “Wonderful Counselor” – what do you think of when you hear the word “counselor”?

The original Hebrew word simply means one who gives good advice.  This would have been of utmost importance in the days of Isaiah.  They were going through a rough time where the leaders of the country had turned away from the one true God and had started worshipping false gods or no god at all.  And there was pressure from the community and from society to follow the lead of the kings who were going in the wrong direction.  Sound familiar?

It would have been important then just as it is important now to be able to rely on someone who gave good advice.  Have you ever gotten good advice?  Somebody tell me in a sentence or two.  My dad has always said, “Just act like you know what you’re doing.” That has been good advice for me. Have you ever gotten some bad advice?  I’ve heard it said that a wise man seeks much counsel…and a fool listens to all of it.  Why is that?  Is it because people are stupid?  Is it because they are mean and want to see you fail?  Maybe sometimes but that’s probably rare.  More often it’s because they are human and see through human eyes.

Today the Holy Spirit is our Counselor and He whispers to us through our peace and joy about making the right decisions but the word “counselor” can also rightfully be used of an attorney or lawyer.  Have you thought about that?  Yes, Jesus is our attorney who not only gives us wise counsel but also stands for us before the Father.  Revelation 12:10 says that Satan stands before God accusing us all day long and the sad thing about is, while Satan is the father of lies, some of what he says is probably true.

And so I need a good attorney.  I need a really good lawyer.  I need a Wonderful Counselor who will stand before God and say, “Your Honor, what has been said may be true but that crime has been atoned for.  That price has been paid and while I may be the Counselor I am also the one who paid the price.  This man is no longer guilty!”  THAT’S a Wonderful Counselor!  I don’t need a lawyer with a nickname like “The Hammer.”  I need one who is known as the Wonderful Counselor.  I can have faith in my Wonderful Counselor.

He is not only the Wonderful Counselor; He is also the Mighty God.  The name means strong warrior or even hero.  Do you think about God as being a warrior or a hero?  At this time of year it is appropriate to think of Jesus lying in a manger, helpless and sweet.  But at the same time, He was and is the warrior in chief.  He is the head general in this battle and as such He has everything under control.

Psalm 45:3 says, “Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.”  And Revelation 19:13-16 says, “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”

And while He is a mighty warrior, I have one more passage to help us understand the nature of this Warrior.  Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.”  The Mighty God, Hero God, Ancient Warrior who is all-powerful loves us so much that He rejoices over us with singing.  Just knowing that enhances my faith in Him.

He is a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Everlasting Father.  Family-life specialists Delmer W. Holbrook and his wife have conducted surveys across America.  In a survey of hundreds of children, the Holbrooks came up with 3 things fathers say most in responding to their kids.  “I’m too tired.”  “We don’t have enough money.”  And “Keep quiet.” (Illustrations for Biblical Teaching)

I don’t know what your earthly father was or is like.  For me, I have to say those exact things to my dad even today.  “I’m too tired.  I don’t have enough money. Keep quiet!”  No, that’s not true but whatever your fatherly role model, it’s time to quit falling back on that because we have as our Heavenly Father an ancestor, teacher, advisor, priest and protector.  That’s what the words “Everlasting Father” stand for.

Now any of you that are parents know that there comes a time in almost every kid’s life that they start to pull away from Mom and Dad.  First, you can’t kiss them goodbye when you drop them off for school and then they don’t want you to even drop them off.  They would rather walk than be seen with you.  Then, as older teens, most kids finally leave the nest.  They think dear old dad is just stupid and they can do it better on their own.  Until what?  Until they need something, right?  Until they can’t figure out what to do or they have no other option and then they come back asking for help.

The school shootings and mall shootings and movie theater shootings that we see on the news are beyond comprehension.  Nobody can understand how somebody could do such a thing and nobody can comprehend how to keep it from happening again.  You have heard the argument that we need fewer guns or more guns or better mental health programs or less video games or blah, blah, blah.  But I remember a couple of years ago when the news broke that a shooter had gone to a school and killed several children. Do you remember what happened?

We prayed.  We as a nation prayed.  The president prayed.  The school teachers prayed.  The TV news anchor prayed!  Because we don’t know what to do and we have no other option, just like kids who have left the house and now we are in trouble, we come back to the Everlasting Father and we cry for help.  The same people who just the day before said there is no God or God is stupid or how could God do this or that are now saying, “God, help us.”

And do you know what God says?  Do you know how the Creator of the universe responds to us when we do that?  Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  And He has given me such mercy and grace in my life and so I know He will continue to and so I have faith in Him.

And so we show faith in our lives because He is the Prince of Peace.  He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.  Oh, how those words must have comforted the Israelites back in the day.  A prince is a representative of the king, a ruler or an honored person and to know that the Messiah would soon come to save them from their enemies had to be comforting. 

I went to Israel probably 35 or 40 years ago and do you know what?  It had not changed much in any way from those days when Isaiah made this prophesy.  Everywhere you go there are soldiers in uniform carrying high-powered weapons and while the weapons of war may have changed not much else has.  There is still no peace.  They are still being attacked every day on all sides from people who want to take their land.  Psalm 122 tells us even today that we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem but there will be no real peace there until the Messiah comes back.

The good news is though, that peace is not necessarily the absence of war.  Those favored people, the Israelites, can have personal peace right now through a relationship with the Messiah and so can we.  The last part of that passage says that the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.  That word “zeal” means his eager desire is to make all this happen.  God has an eager desire to have a relationship with you; a relationship that means no more guilt and no more shame.  Those things get replaced with peace and joy.

Admit that you need a Savior today. Come before the Everlasting Father and say, “God, I need help.”  Accept His mighty power, his good advice and the peace that passes all understanding even in the midst of war; even in the midst of everything going on in your life.  That is God’s Christmas gift to you this year if you will only accept it.

Ask God for forgiveness of your sins, repent of those sins – turn away from that lifestyle – and allow Him to change you. Do it right now as the music plays.

Invitation

D.L. Moody once wrote, “Faith is the gift of God. So is the air, but you have to breathe it; so is bread but you have to eat it; so is water but you have to drink it.” God gave Isaiah the faith to see what couldn’t be seen and to prophecy something that wouldn’t happen for 700 years after he died. You might say God gave Isaiah faith for Christmas. And He wants to give you the same gift. Will you take it?