It’s the first day of Advent– while you prepare for Worship this morning at church take a minute to ask God to direct you through this season that you might be prepared to “receive your King”.
In the first week of Advent we celebrate the PROMISE of His Coming. His promise is based on our need. We were made in his image, but there is emptiness in our soul that is the result of the Fallen nature of sin. But why did Jesus come? What in his coming announces God's heart? His desire for us to know and experience?
10 BUT THE ANGEL SAID TO THEM, "DO NOT BE AFRAID; FOR BEHOLD, I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY WHICH WILL BE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE;
11 FOR TODAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID THERE HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD.
GREAT JOY!
Did you know that God is Joyful?
1 CHRONICLES 16:23-27 (NASB)
23 SING TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH; PROCLAIM GOOD TIDINGS OF HIS SALVATION FROM DAY TO DAY.
24 TELL OF HIS GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS, HIS WONDERFUL DEEDS AMONG ALL THE PEOPLES.
25 FOR GREAT IS THE LORD, AND GREATLY TO BE PRAISED; HE ALSO IS TO BE FEARED ABOVE ALL GODS.
26 FOR ALL THE GODS OF THE PEOPLES ARE IDOLS, BUT THE LORD MADE THE HEAVENS.
27 SPLENDOR AND MAJESTY ARE BEFORE HIM, STRENGTH AND JOY ARE IN HIS PLACE.
PSALM 16:11 (NASB)
11 YOU WILL MAKE KNOWN TO ME THE PATH OF LIFE; IN YOUR PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY; IN YOUR RIGHT HAND THERE ARE PLEASURES FOREVER.
Why do we often fall into the trap of thinking God is an angry, stern, just waiting for you to goof up God? Whoever or Whatever (I suspect the enemy of our souls) has tried to convey that image of God is lying to us.
When God sent his angels to Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, Zechariah and Elizabeth, they spoke the words, "don't be afraid".
We fear the unknown oftentimes. We fear that which we cannot control.
We need to hear the words all over again. In a world filled with economic crisis, terrorism, wars, divorce, disease, and on and on we could go, we need to hear God's word -- "don't be afraid, help is on the way!" God was coming near. Nehemiah the Governor heard that - "DO NOT BE GRIEVED, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH."
It doesn't say, "Joy FOR the Lord is our strength", nor, "Get the Joy of the Lord and you'll be strong". No, it says, "THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH". He is our source of assurance, our confidence, and our hope. It is in Him that we have the ability to rest in hope and begin our Advent journey with that assurance - "help is on the way".
JOHN 17:13 (NASB)
13 "BUT NOW I COME TO YOU; AND THESE THINGS I SPEAK IN THE WORLD SO THAT THEY MAY HAVE MY JOY MADE FULL IN THEMSELVES.
Joy is not in "paying back" those who you feel obligated to buy for; but Joy is found in buying gifts you want to give because giving is so much like God.
Joy is not found in trying to ignore the troubles around us -- i.e., in "being happy". Happiness depends upon happenings, and if my happenings don't happen to be happy, I won't experience happiness! Rather, joy is a deep source of assurance and confidence regardless of the circumstances -- because My Father cares deeply for me!
Joy is not the absence of pain and difficulties -- as if we can measure God's love by the lack of things that go wrong. Rather, Joy is the assurance that God loves us so much that he sent His own Son into the world to deal with our sin and pain. HEBREWS 12:2 (NIV)
2 LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH, WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, SCORNING ITS SHAME, AND SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD.
God is full of Joy for his us. As you meditate on this first day of Advent, remember this, our God came into this world to remove it's curse so that we might, as redeemed ones first, know the fullness of His Joy.
11 YOU WILL MAKE KNOWN TO ME THE PATH OF LIFE; IN YOUR PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY; IN YOUR RIGHT HAND THERE ARE PLEASURES FOREVER.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
May this first day of Advent be a Day of Great Joy!
In the first week of Advent we celebrate the PROMISE of His Coming. His promise is based on our need. We were made in his image, but there is emptiness in our soul that is the result of the Fallen nature of sin. But why did Jesus come? What in his coming announces God's heart? His desire for us to know and experience?
10 BUT THE ANGEL SAID TO THEM, "DO NOT BE AFRAID; FOR BEHOLD, I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY WHICH WILL BE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE;
11 FOR TODAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID THERE HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU A SAVIOR, WHO IS CHRIST THE LORD.
GREAT JOY!
Did you know that God is Joyful?
1 CHRONICLES 16:23-27 (NASB)
23 SING TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH; PROCLAIM GOOD TIDINGS OF HIS SALVATION FROM DAY TO DAY.
24 TELL OF HIS GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS, HIS WONDERFUL DEEDS AMONG ALL THE PEOPLES.
25 FOR GREAT IS THE LORD, AND GREATLY TO BE PRAISED; HE ALSO IS TO BE FEARED ABOVE ALL GODS.
26 FOR ALL THE GODS OF THE PEOPLES ARE IDOLS, BUT THE LORD MADE THE HEAVENS.
27 SPLENDOR AND MAJESTY ARE BEFORE HIM, STRENGTH AND JOY ARE IN HIS PLACE.
PSALM 16:11 (NASB)
11 YOU WILL MAKE KNOWN TO ME THE PATH OF LIFE; IN YOUR PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY; IN YOUR RIGHT HAND THERE ARE PLEASURES FOREVER.
Why do we often fall into the trap of thinking God is an angry, stern, just waiting for you to goof up God? Whoever or Whatever (I suspect the enemy of our souls) has tried to convey that image of God is lying to us.
When God sent his angels to Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, Zechariah and Elizabeth, they spoke the words, "don't be afraid".
We fear the unknown oftentimes. We fear that which we cannot control.
We need to hear the words all over again. In a world filled with economic crisis, terrorism, wars, divorce, disease, and on and on we could go, we need to hear God's word -- "don't be afraid, help is on the way!" God was coming near. Nehemiah the Governor heard that - "DO NOT BE GRIEVED, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH."
It doesn't say, "Joy FOR the Lord is our strength", nor, "Get the Joy of the Lord and you'll be strong". No, it says, "THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH". He is our source of assurance, our confidence, and our hope. It is in Him that we have the ability to rest in hope and begin our Advent journey with that assurance - "help is on the way".
JOHN 17:13 (NASB)
13 "BUT NOW I COME TO YOU; AND THESE THINGS I SPEAK IN THE WORLD SO THAT THEY MAY HAVE MY JOY MADE FULL IN THEMSELVES.
Joy is not in "paying back" those who you feel obligated to buy for; but Joy is found in buying gifts you want to give because giving is so much like God.
Joy is not found in trying to ignore the troubles around us -- i.e., in "being happy". Happiness depends upon happenings, and if my happenings don't happen to be happy, I won't experience happiness! Rather, joy is a deep source of assurance and confidence regardless of the circumstances -- because My Father cares deeply for me!
Joy is not the absence of pain and difficulties -- as if we can measure God's love by the lack of things that go wrong. Rather, Joy is the assurance that God loves us so much that he sent His own Son into the world to deal with our sin and pain. HEBREWS 12:2 (NIV)
2 LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH, WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, SCORNING ITS SHAME, AND SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD.
God is full of Joy for his us. As you meditate on this first day of Advent, remember this, our God came into this world to remove it's curse so that we might, as redeemed ones first, know the fullness of His Joy.
11 YOU WILL MAKE KNOWN TO ME THE PATH OF LIFE; IN YOUR PRESENCE IS FULLNESS OF JOY; IN YOUR RIGHT HAND THERE ARE PLEASURES FOREVER.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
May this first day of Advent be a Day of Great Joy!
Comments
Thanks and LOVE YOU,
Nathan