Making and Maturing

Dan. 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

-Matthew 2:10

Merry Christmas!  Good tidings to all!  May God bless us, everyone!  Joy to the world!  50% off!

Everyone is so happy at Christmas.  So happy.  It seems to good to be true.  It is.  Often Christmas is the least joyful time of the year.  There are probably a million reasons for this.  Let’s explore 6, and consider how we can really be joyful:

Materialism.  Christmas in our culture is all about stuff.  When we don’t have what we want, or what we think we need, we lose joy.

Jealousy.  Christmas is the time of year when you get the Christmas card that you wish you had made (sometimes even with the family you wish you had).  Jealousy steals joy.

Selfishness.  Whether it’s our unstated Christmas list or mandatory visit to that relative, the Christmas season seems to feed self-centeredness.  Focus on yourself, and you’ll lose joy.

Family.  The people to whom we are the closest and whom we love the most can cause us the greatest hurt and pain.  Hurt caused by others saps our joy.

Missing World Peace (or sin).  The vast majority of the world rejects the call of the lyrics in Joy to the World:  “Let earth receive her King,” or “Let every heart prepare him room.”  Our sin has left this world in bad shape.  By God’s grace it’s not as bad as it could be, but it sure isn’t right.  Sin all around us dampens our joy.

Sorrow.  Christmas can often be a time of great sorrow as we remember lost family, friends, or circumstances.  This is especially true for those who have lost spouses due to death or divorce.  Sorrow isn’t joy.

Things weren’t better in the 1st century AD.  Add to the list above the issues of shorter life spans, pre-modern era medical practices, ruthless dictators, and seemingly endless wars for imperial control, and you get the picture.

Yet, in the midst of all this, when Jesus the Christ was born, we find rejoicing on all fronts.  Angels rejoiced: “Glory to God in the highest!” (Luke 2:14).  Jewish shepherds (read: the poorest) rejoiced:  “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them“ (Luke 2:20).  Gentile wise men (read: the rich) rejoiced: “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:10).

We all know our lives aren’t perfect.  We all know sin is a daily reality, both in our hearts and in the world around us.  But given the status quo, we really can rejoice because of the coming of Jesus.  He came to be the solution.  He died for our sins (including materialism, jealousy, and selfishness).  His reign gives us hope when our family hurts us, or the world abuses us.  His gracious care and mercy give us joy in the midst of sorrow.

Let’s stop pretending to be happy at Christmas.  Instead, let’s consider why heavenly angels, poor shepherds, and rich wise men all had reason to rejoice, and why we do too.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2:11).

As many of you know, Tom Brown entered into the presence of Jesus on Monday morning this week.  Tom and Ruth have been a part of Green Pond Bible Chapel virtually since its inception. I have only been at GPBC since August of 2011, so I did not know Tom very well.  I did have a few precious memories walking with him.  He was gracious enough to take my children swimming several times during our first summer here (brave man!).

I know Tom primarily through his legacy… and what a legacy!  Almost everyone whose been a part of GPBC for more than a few years can tell a story of Tom leading them in youth group, leading worship in song, serving as an elder, teaching the Bible at a retirement home, ministering to them, or coaching them.  

The evidence from their testimonies is clear: Tom was a faithful servant of Jesus Christ.  He not only verbalized the gospel, he lived it every day.  He was known as a man of integrity, passion for the Lord, and fidelity to Jesus and to his family.  He invested countless hours into ministry- especially youth ministry.  Many of the adults who now are an integral part of our church family were discipled by Tom.  He was respected in the community, and known to be a trustworthy man.

As I think about Tom’s life, I am convinced that we need more Tom Browns.  We need more men and women who, regardless of their vocation, view their primary calling as ministry for the sake of Jesus.  We need more men and women who don’t merely talk and sing about Jesus, but who live for him.  We need more men and women who don’t retreat from our communities, but rather seek to impact our communities for Jesus.  We need more men and women who live by faith.

When I think of Tom’s legacy I think of 1 Peter 2:16, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”  What does a person look like who has been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ?  They look like the servant of God Tom Brown.  This is his legacy.  What will your legacy be?

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

-Galatians 4:7

Do you ever feel like you don’t belong?  Like you don’t measure up?  Like you’re not worthy?  One of the devastating side effects of misunderstanding the gospel of Jesus Christ is the focus we place on performance as it relates to belonging to the family of God.

The thought process is simple: I have to earn the right to be accepted by God, and be a part of his church.  If we believe ourselves to be acting righteously and the church does not accept us, then we are hurt, angered, and disillusioned.  If we fail to act righteously and the church finds out, then we feel guilty and ashamed, and hesitate to participate with our fellow believers.

As we have been walking through Galatians we have been consistently reminded that our place in the family of God is not dependent on our efforts, but on God’s efforts.  In Galatians 4:4-5 Paul tells us that God sent Jesus to redeem us (from slavery to sin via the law) and claim us as sons and daughters.  God did this.  In Galatians 4:6 God sent the Spirit of Jesus to dwell in us, and the Spirit cries to God as “Father.”  We are sons, not slaves.  This argument culminates in Galatians 4:7- “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”  

Let’s be explicit: our place in the family of God is secured by the work of Jesus on our behalf and the Spirit’s work in us.  We are heirs.  The stubborn love of God resulted in the perfect action of God to rescue us and adopt us.  If you have put your faith in Jesus you are in.  You belong.  You measure up because he does.  You’re worthy because he’s worthy.  No matter what you feel, or what you think others think about you.

This has an amazing side effect: it frees us from the burden of man-pleasing performance.  If we fail to act righteously we can confess it knowing that our place in the family is secure no matter how people respond to us.  When those false teachers showed up in Galatia and told the Galatians that they weren’t yet good enough to be part of God’s family they should have reminded them of the work of Jesus on their behalf.

When your false fears, guilt, and shame accost your soul don’t make the Galatian mistake.  Stand up to yourself by standing on the work of Jesus for you.  Cry out to your heavenly Father… after all, you are in the family.