Click below for the manuscript of the sermon, Good News of Great Joy" delivered at Christ Church's Candle Lighting Service Sunday December 20, 2020.
For an audio recording of the sermon click the YouTube link at the end of this manuscript.
To see a video of the entire service click this link https://youtu.be/ilGL4Pd712Q
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8-14 (NLT2)8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Text: Luke 2:10 (NLT2)10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
Introduction
On this Sunday morning just a few days before Christmas, many of us are experiencing the joy, peace, and happiness that come during this festive season. On the other hand, many others are experiencing the agony of what is known as the “Christmas blues” and that is especially true this year with the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.
Why is it that some people feel blue at Christmas? There are a number of contributing factors.
Some experience depression at Christmas time because they have exaggerated expectations of themselves and others. They hope that Christmas will solve their problems, and when it doesn’t, they go into despondency.
Christmas brings out our need for dependence on others. and at times others fail us, and this can be very depressing.
In the United States, Christmas is a family-oriented experience that sometimes causes memories that hurt rather than bless, hurt rather than help, and added to that this year we are actually discouraged from coming together.
It is highly possible that each of us will come into contact with someone during these next couple of weeks who is experiencing a lack of joy. Does the message of Christmas, which is supposed to produce great joy, have anything relevant to say to people who are experiencing a lack of joy?
Christianity, which begins with the promise of good news that will bring great joy, should be more than just a strategy that enables us to cope with the pressures of life. Through the Christ who came at the first Christmas, God provides us with the ability to cope with life in a manner that will bring joy to us and will reflect his glory. The gospel, which is not just good advice but good news, can produce great joy in living every day.
The angels who announced the birth of the Christ to the shepherds were bringing good news that continues to be good news for all who will listen and respond.
There is good news about God in the gospel.
The message of Christmas is that the God behind and above it all is a living God.
The Bible does not seek to tell us when and how our universe came into being. It just says that God spoke and it came into being. The Bible’s major concern is with the who and the why. The writer of the book of Hebrews declared,
Hebrews 11:3 (NLT2)3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
The message of Christmas speaks to us of a living God who is above and behind the world. He is the God who comes into this world. He wants to remove our fears and encourage us to live a life of faith.
The message of Christmas proclaims the good news about the living God who loves.
In Jesus Christ, the living God declares to us that he cares and that he wants to help us. In Jesus Christ, God came into this world bringing great and precious gifts to mankind.
John 1:1-5 (NLT2)1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
John 3:16-17 (NLT2)16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
John 10:10 (NLT2)10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
The good news of Christmas is for all people, for everybody.
The good news of Christmas is universal in its application, because it meets the deepest needs of people of all colors, cultures, and countries. What does our text say?
Luke 2:10 (NLT2)10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
God in Jesus Christ comes with good news about the forgiveness of sin.
Forgiveness does not appear in the glossary of a psychiatric dictionary. The psychiatrist does not have a basis for offering the gift of forgiveness to those who are experiencing depression because they have broken God’s law or violated their own conscience. Jesus is the only one who can do that. Jesus Christ came that he might bear the penalty of our sin and offer to us the priceless gift of forgiveness.
Romans 6:20-23 (NLT2)20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT2)21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
Jesus Christ brings good news regarding life.
Around the world in every age people have been terrorized by the idea of death. Christ came to bring life to those who were in spiritual death because of sin.
Romans 6:23 (NLT2)23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let’s look again at;
John 10:10 (NLT2)10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
The assurance of a life that endures beyond the curtain that people call death can do much to dispel the gloom that threatens the souls of humans.
John 5:24 NLT I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NLT So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
Jesus Christ brings good news about belonging to God and to the family of God.
The church is spoken of as the family of God and the household of faith.
Galatians 6:9-10 (NLT2)9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
A warm, wonderful Bible Study or Sunday worship service or a candlelight service like we're having today, can provide tremendous support for someone who is experiencing stress. A genuine Christian friend can be of tremendous value in a time of crisis.
Galatians 6:2-3 (NLT2)2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
This Christmas season, let us extend hands of Christian love and fellowship to those who are experiencing loneliness and discouragement.
Jesus Christ brings good news regarding help.
Every one of us will stand in need of the help of God and others as time goes by. The psalmists wrote about this several times;
Psalm 121:1-2 (NLT2)1 I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there?2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!
Psalm 46:1-3 (NLT2)1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude
Christ brings to us the good news concerning a precious home at the end of the road in the future
Many homeowners consider their home to be their best investment. But there are others who never have the joy of owning a house they can call their own. Through the grace of God and the provisions of his Son, Jesus Christ, all believers can look forward to having a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, when this life is over.
John 14:1-3 (NLT2)1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
Conclusion
In a world in which much bad news is delivered to us each day by the internet, newspapers, radio, and television, let us listen to the good news that comes from God in and through Jesus Christ. Let us individually respond to the full implications of the good news the angels sang about. Let us trust in Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah who came to meet the deepest needs of our lives. Let us trust in his death for the forgiveness of our sin and in his resurrected and living presence for the gift of eternal life. Let us face life with the resources he promises.
Christmas means that a king has been born, conceived in the womb of a virgin. And this king will reign over an everlasting kingdom that will be made up of millions and millions of saved sinners. The reason that this everlasting, virgin-born king can reign over a kingdom of sinners is because he was born precisely to die. And he did die. He died in our place and bore our sin and provided our righteousness and took away the wrath of God and defeated the evil one so that anyone, anywhere, of any kind can turn from sin to the true king, and put their faith in him, and have everlasting joy.
God’s invitation to be saved is found in the Bible and requires a response.
What must you do?
Romans 10:9-10 NLT If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
Why must you do it?
The answer is, “to be saved.” In trusting Jesus Christ with our lives we are saved FROM hell, we are saved FOR the purpose declaring Jesus to this world, and we are saved TO an eternal and everlasting life in Heaven with God himself.
If you haven't accepted God’s invitation please do it today.
Father, in the middle of a strange Christmas season at the end of a long, difficult year, we thank you for the greatest gift of all, your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for sending him to pay for our sins. Thank you for your promise of eternal life to those who accept this gift. Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with faith to trust in your promises. Help us to choose to trust your plan instead of being bitter. Help us to believe your Word instead of our fears. Help us to focus on your presence, not our disappointments, and talk to everyone about Jesus. Amen.
Sermon Audio
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