Sunday Morning Service 8:30AM- The Gifts of Christmas - Pastor Ryan

And if you would, open up in your Bibles to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1. We're going to be multiple places in Scripture this morning, so warm yourselves up a little bit because I am going to have you do a little looking. And if you are unable to make it to some of the Scriptures, that's okay. You can just write those. It goes down and look them up when you have a chance to.

Take note of those things. So, of course, today is December 1st, and we've moved into the Christmas season. I moved into the Christmas season the day after Thanksgiving when God says you're supposed to, as opposed to the rest of the world, which moved into the Christmas season on Halloween. I gave thanks like I was supposed to, and now it's time to move into the Christmas season.

But I always try, when we move into December, to do some sort of series. That focuses us back on what the meaning of Christmas actually is. And it was a tough way to figure out how to break up 2 Thessalonians because we're moving into chapter 2. And it's going to take multiple weeks. So I was like, Lord, what do you want me to do? And I always start praying sometime in October about what the Lord would have me to do for the Christmas season,

some sort of a Christmas series. And honestly, early last week, I was just drawing a blank. All these different ideas floating through my head, but none of it. None of it really seemed to come together for me. And so I was visiting with my wife, and I said, I don't know what to do for a Christmas series. I've got these different ideas. What do you think I should do?

Do you have any ideas for me? And in the way that only a wife can, she just so profoundly said, well, what do we want Jesus to do? What are we looking for Jesus to do in our lives all the time? We're looking for him to bring joy. We're looking for him to bring peace. We're looking for him to bring hope. That's what we want to see. Jesus. Jesus to in our lives.

And that's what he did when he came the first time. And I just sat there stunned. I was like, oh, that's really good. I really like that a lot. And then I threw a couple of others out there. She goes, yeah, there, you're welcome. Aren't you glad we took this drive? So she kind of laid this out. So if you love this series, you should thank my wife. If you hate this series, it's because I didn't do a very good job of putting together what she gave me as an idea.

And so as we come to the Christmas season, it's always amazing how everybody in the world thinks that it's about. Everything else, right? It's about, you know, it's a corporate money grab. It's about family. It's about love. It's about all these things. But really, while all those are wonderful things, it's really about Jesus. That's ultimately what the Christmas season is about.

There is one historical event that has absolutely changed the course of history for all of humanity. And that's the first coming of Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, for a long time. For a long time, we gauged time based upon the first coming of Jesus Christ. After all, we called it B.C. and A.D., before Christ and Anno Domini and the year of our Lord. I mean, that was the dividing mark of time because it was the most significant event in all of history.

And so as we take this time, I think it's important that if that was the most significant event in all of history, that we should focus in on it. And so I've entitled this sermon series, The Gifts of Christmas. And that's the cheesy. That's the craziest title I think I've ever come up with. But it was all that I could come up with that had to do with this. And we're looking at a bunch of different things.

And so the theme this morning is the theme of joy. The theme of joy. Now, as I often do, I just went into my Bible study program on my computer and I typed in the word joy. And it just spit out all kinds of verses throughout all of Scripture. Old and New Testament. And so I started looking at like, okay, well, what does it mean in both the Old and New Testament?

So I looked up some definitions. And in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for joy is defined as gladness and exaltation. In the New Testament, the word joy, which is the Greek word kara, C-H-A-R-A, is defined as gladness, cheerfulness, calm, and delight. But as we come to this time of year, it's a major theme, right? You hear joy a lot. As a matter of fact, there's two or three signs throughout this church that my wife so wonderfully displayed for us

that have the word joy. I actually looked up to see how many times the word joy is used in Christmas carols. And of course, there's all kinds of different ones. But of the classic Christmas carols that we know of, 24 of them either reference or have as their main theme joy. It comes up a lot this time of year. But as I got to thinking about this, I thought, so what is the opposite of joy?

Because I think if we want to understand what joy is, we have to first of all understand what the opposite of joy is. And so the opposite of joy, of course, if you look up antonyms to joy, there's several different words, but there was one that I felt like encapsulated it best, and that's the word sorrow. Sorrow is defined by the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as this. Sorrow is a deep distress, a sadness, or regret.

A deep distress, sadness, or regret. Now, as I think about this word sorrow, I am reminded of when sorrow entered the world. See, God had created the world perfectly. Everything was amazing. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be Adam and Eve roaming around the Garden of Eden, living in this amazing joy of everything that God had created, clothed in the righteousness of God.

No problems, no discord, no irritations, no frustrations, no death, no sin, no nothing. Adam never once dressed in a way that his wife thought, looked ridiculous. It was an amazing time in all of history, right? Petting lions, doing all the amazing things that could take place at that point in time. And then one day, they did the one thing that God told them not to do.

Sorrow entered the world. Because the thing that brought sorrow into the world was sin. Sin brought sorrow along with it because sin brought distress, sadness, and regret. As a matter of fact, if you look at what took place right after Adam and Eve sinned, that regret, that distress, and that sadness sunk in immediately. They were sad because they realized that they were naked.

They realized that there was nothing clothing them anymore. They were exposed, and they felt shame because of it. So there was great sadness that came about. There was distress because they felt like they needed to hide from God because they knew they'd done the thing that God didn't want them to do. And there was great distress that came into their lives. And there was regret because you know that from the moment that their eyes were opened

to know good from evil and to realize the shame that they had in their life, can you imagine how often they found themselves saying, if only we had just not eaten the fruit. All of those things came into the world. But do you know what else was ushered in with sin? Ushered in with sin came, first of all, death. Death was ushered in the moment that sin came into the world.

That death that came upon Adam and Eve. And it was a... spiritual death first because of their separation from God. And of course, it ushered in a physical death and that they knew now that their lives would have an end. And of course, that death came very quickly into their lives with their first two sons, Cain and Abel, when Cain murdered Abel. Which brings about the next thing that sin brought into the world.

And sin brought into the world, destruction. Their lives were destroyed. Their relationships were destroyed. The earth saw destruction. Because now no longer did it operate in the way that it was supposed to because from the sweat of the brow would they have to work. And there was destruction that filled the earth to the point where God eventually had to destroy the world and start over again.

And while he started fresh, that destruction that came about because of sin was still in the world. That death and destruction that came about because of sin brought about loss into the world. Lives were lost. Friends were lost. Relationships were lost. And ultimately, loved ones were lost because of the destruction of sin that came into the world. And with all of those things came about a deep sadness.

Sadness began to fill every part of the world. And it all came about because of that sorrow that sin brought. Well, that's what happened when sin came into the world. It brought this sorrow. But as I thought about the overarching theme of sorrow in the world, I thought about sorrow in not only the world that Jesus came into, but sorrow that comes into our own lives in the world that we live in today.

Because in the world that we live in today, we understand sorrow, do we not? We understand the sorrow that we see around us, and it's in those same things. We see sin in the world today. And that sin brings about great sorrow. I'm sure you went to a family event where you have a family member, perhaps that has fallen into some form of sin, and it's brought great sorrow into their lives.

Maybe you're the family member that has fallen into sin, and it's brought great sorrow into your life. And it brings sorrow into the lives of the people that are around you, because as they see what sin has done to you, or you see what sin has done to them, or we see what sin is doing to our culture, there is great sorrow that is produced in the world. And of course, we see the sorrow of the world today, and that we face the reality of death. We face the reality of death around us all the time.

And it brings great sorrow into our hearts, because every day, people are looking at us, and they're losing their loved ones, and their friends. And of course, that sin and that death bring about destruction. I don't know about you, but usually when holiday seasons come around, we're reminded of the destruction that sin brings, aren't we not? Because we see families that have been destroyed through sin.

We see lives being destroyed through sin. We see our culture being destroyed through sin. And we see this destruction in the world. We see these things take place, and we see loss. We see the loss of lives, and the loss of friends, sometimes because of our faith, sometimes because of sin. And ultimately, those things bring about sadness. Again, I've been asking people the same question,

if you could describe this generation, how would you describe it? And one individual used the word, there's just a lot of sadness in the world today. We oftentimes cloak that word sadness with the word depression, because there's just a lot of sadness in the world today, right? I thought this was supposed to be a happy Christmas message. It's okay. It's going to be.

But you can't understand joy unless you first realize that there is sorrow. You see, God never intended our lives to have this sorrow in them. He never intended our lives to have this distress, this regret, this sadness in them. But sin ushered all of that into our lives. But here's the beautiful thing about God. He didn't leave us that way. Because while we see sorrow, what we really see is Jesus.

And so what I want to do is spend a little bit of time talking to you about Jesus and the joy that his first coming brought into the world and the effects of that first coming that have been long-lasting in our lives. And so the first thing I want to talk about is I want to talk about promise joy. You don't necessarily have to turn to these scriptures, although I'm going to read a passage of scripture, out of Isaiah chapter 9. So what we see first, when you look at joy in the Old Testament, is you see promises of joy.

You see promises that God will one day send a Messiah. As a matter of fact, it's one of the very first things that God promised when he laid out the consequences for Adam and Eve, is he promised that though the serpent had brought sin into the world and though the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, that ultimately the seed of the woman, would crush the head of the serpent. Which, if you destroy sorrow, then you usher in joy. And so all throughout the Old Testament, you see this promise.

The promise is not given as distinctly until you get to Isaiah chapter 9, but the promise was always there, the hope of a Messiah. But I would like for you to look and see what it says in Isaiah chapter 9. I said verse 3, what the heck, let's start in verse 1. It's a messianic promise. It says, No more gloom for her who is in anguish. In earlier times he treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt.

But later on he shall make it glorious by the way of the sea. On the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. Sound familiar? The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. You shall multiply the nation. You shall increase their gladness. Same Hebrew word for joy. They will be glad in your presence as with the gladness of harvest.

And as men rejoice, that's the verb form of joy, when they divide the spoil. For you shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulder, the rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle of Tumult, a cloak rolled in blood will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a child will be born to us.

A son will be given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. And so this wonderful promise is made that gladness is coming, joy is coming. There will be a rejoicing, but this rejoicing will be brought about by a Messiah who will ultimately relieve us from our anguish and distress.

Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 51, starting in verse 3, says this. Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion. He will comfort all of her waste places and her wilderness. He will make like Eden. In her wilderness, he will make like Eden. In her desert, like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her. Thanksgiving and a sound of melody. Jump down to verse 11 if you're following with me.

For the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing will flee away. One more place, Zephaniah. That's right, break open the pages that you haven't crunched the gilded edges of yet. Zephaniah. I want you to look at chapter 3. Down at verse 17.

It says, The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy. He will be quiet in his love and he will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Isn't that great? So we have this promise in the Old Testament. Sorrow was ushered into our world because of sin. Sadness, regret, distress, all ushered into our world because of sin.

But God said, don't worry. I'm going to send someone who will restore joy. Don't worry, I will send someone who will restore gladness. Rejoicing will return once again. Comfort will be felt once again. And it will be through a Messiah who will ultimately bring joy. And that brings us to the gift of joy that comes through Jesus. It's interesting when you hit the New Testament.

Because first of all, it's a little different word that's used for joy. Because we're in the Greek now and not the Hebrew any longer. But it's a little different word that's used for joy. And so when you look at the New Testament, it's the first time that the word joy is used chronologically. Now, that means in time, not in writing. The first time it's used is in the book of Matthew.

But it comes chronologically after the first time that it's used. The first time that it's used is in Luke chapter 1. So if you held your finger in Luke chapter 1, go there and look at Luke chapter 1, verse 39.

Luke chapter 1, verse 39. Now, the announcement had been made to Zechariah and Elizabeth that they were going to have a son. And they were going to name him, And he was going to be the forerunner of the Messiah. Six months later, an announcement comes to Mary, the virgin, that she will bear a son and he will be the Messiah. She kind of freaks out about that.

But he says, Don't worry. With God, all things are possible. You should go hang out with Elizabeth. She's going to have a baby too. Because she who was called childless is now going to have a kid. So Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. And in verse 39, it says this. Now, at this time, Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country to a city called Bethlehem.

And she entered the house of Zechariah and she greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. How has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for, what's that next word? Joy. Isn't that great? The first time, chronologically, that the word joy is mentioned in the New Testament is when the Messiah was noticed by an unborn baby. I could do an entire sermon about the fact that the first time that the Messiah was noticed

was by an unborn baby who leaped with joy. Who leaped with gladness, cheerfulness, calm, and delight. Because he would be the one who would tell the world, you've been living under the sway of sorrow. You've been living. Under the sadness of sin. You've been living with the distress and the regrets of the destruction of the sin in the world. But love has come.

And there is a Messiah. There is a spotless lamb that will take away the sin of the world. And he leaped with joy. Why? Because joy had come. And so we see that this Messiah that was promised is now there. And he's going to bring joy. The second time that we see the word joy used in the New Testament is in Luke chapter 2, verses 8 through 14. You've probably read this before.

So look over at Luke chapter 2, verse 8. It says, In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Currently, if you've ever memorized this, you're reading it in the old King James. It's okay. Just keep that in your brain. And in the region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And the angel of the Lord, suddenly stood before them. The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, Don't be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy. Isn't that great? He says, I've brought you news of joy. It's been taken from you. But remember, there was a promise that there was a Messiah coming who would bring joy.

And so today, I bring you good tidings of great joy. I tell you that though you've been living under the sway, of sin, someone's come to take that sin away, and to restore your joy. The next time that it's used, you don't have to turn there, but you might write Matthew chapter 2 verse 10. Matthew chapter 2 verse 10 is when the wise men show up in Jerusalem.

Remember, they show up in Jerusalem, and they're looking for the king. And as they're looking for the king, they say, We have come to see the king of the Jews. We've seen his star in the east, and we've been following it to here, feels like this is the place where we should find a king in the capital city of Jerusalem. And so, Herod looks into it. Hey, where's the king of the Jews supposed to be born?

He's supposed to be born in Bethlehem. And he says, You should go to Bethlehem. And on the inside, he's going, But you should follow them and then kill the baby. He says, You should go to Bethlehem, because that's where the Messiah is to be born. That's where the king of the Jews is to be born. And so, the wise men leave, and they have joy, because they rejoice with great joy

when they see the son of God. They see the star over Bethlehem, where Jesus is. You see, these wise men have great joy, because they see the star that signifies the birth of the king of the Jews that we refer to as the Messiah. And so, we see this theme, joy, continue to work its way through. And so, this birth of Jesus brings about great joy into the world,

because the birth of Jesus brought about the birth of the Savior, and the birth of the Savior brought about the sacrifice for sin. And the sacrifice for sin brought about redemption from sin, and the resurrection of Jesus guaranteed that the sacrifice was accepted. Therefore, you and I can be set free from the sorrow of sin because of the work of the Messiah, because of the birth of Jesus. And it all came about because a baby was born in Bethlehem.

Now, this is not the last time that we see joy in the New Testament. As a matter of fact, we're going to keep tracking this through Luke a little bit. Okay, hang with me, hang with me. Go over to Luke chapter 15. Oh, I hope I didn't screw this reference up. Luke chapter 15 verse, sometimes I'm sleepy when I write things down. Luke chapter 15 verse 7. Hey, I didn't, okay.

For context sake, let's, well, I'll just tell you what happened. So, Jesus is telling what we call kingdom parables. He tells the parable of the lost sheep, right? Jesus says, hey, if a shepherd has 100 sheep, and he has 99 of them, but he's lost one, doesn't he leave the 99 behind in the fold and go and find the one lost sheep? And when he goes and he finds the one lost sheep,

he goes and returns him and he rejoices. Notice what it says in verse 7 of chapter 15. He says, I tell you that in the same way, there will be more, go ahead and say it out loud, more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over the 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. You see, heaven is filled with joy when one sinner repents. Why? Because that person was just set free from the sorrow of sin,

and they've entered the joy of the Messiah. How many of you remember the day that you really came to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? And you remember that for the first time, you felt some form of joy in your life. You felt some sort of cheerfulness and gladness in your life because you realized the weight of sin is gone. The weight of the world is gone.

And now I have joy. You see, the difference between what the world offers with happiness and what the Lord offers with joy is that joy is a settled contentment of heart because of a right position with Christ. Happiness is something that you experience with circumstances that come into your life. And so this great joy that comes about because of salvation, and I can't imagine, I don't know if you ever picture what this looks like, but I can't imagine what it's really like in heaven when one sinner comes to Jesus because he says, he says there is, there will be joy in heaven.

There is a rejoicing that takes place in heaven. I just imagine like a New Year's Eve party, right? When it strikes midnight and everybody sets off the poppers and everybody's just excited. People are out setting off fireworks and stuff like that. Or maybe your team wins the Super Bowl or the World Series or something like that. People are setting off fireworks and stuff because they're just so excited.

That's how I picture heaven being every time someone gets saved. Can you imagine what the Billy Graham Crusades were just like? They're just burning heaven down, right? Just setting the whole thing on fire because they're just absolutely overjoyed over one sinner that comes to Jesus. But it's not just when a large group of people come to Jesus. It's when one person comes to Jesus.

Because Jesus is always interested in that one individual because he cares about each individual having joy in their life. Well, the next time that we see joy mentioned is at the end of Luke. So go to Luke chapter 24. Luke chapter 24. Jesus had risen from the dead. The only ones that had really seen Jesus was Mary Magdalene and then also the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Jesus was joining some disciples on the road to Emmaus. And he talked to them for a little while. And he was like, hey, what's going on? And they're like, what have you been living under a rock? This Jesus guy who we thought was the Messiah was crucified. And now we don't know what we're going to do because they killed him. They killed the one guy we thought could bring a little bit of hope and joy into the world, right?

And so they're walking and they're talking. And it says that he started from the Old Testament Scriptures in the beginning. And he showed them the Messiah all throughout the Scriptures. A Bible study I would love to be a part of someday. He showed them the Messiah throughout all the Scriptures. And when they got back to their home after they were on this road,

they said, why don't you come in and have dinner with us? And so they came in and had dinner. It says that Jesus broke the bread and he prayed for it. And when they opened up their eyes, they saw the scars on his hands. And their eyes were opened and they realized that it was Jesus. And just like that, he was gone. And the next time we see Jesus after that is in the upper room.

One of the people that had seen and realized that the risen Jesus was there was Mary Magdalene and these folks on the road to Emmaus. Well, Jesus comes into the upper room. Let's start in verse 36. It says, When they were telling these things, he himself, meaning Jesus, stood in their midst and said, Peace be to you. And they were startled and frightened. They thought they were seeing a spirit.

He said, Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see. that I have. And when he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still could not believe it, because of their joy and amazement, he said, Don't you have something to eat?

And they gave him something to eat. You see, their joy was restored when they realized that Jesus was alive. Because his first coming brought joy, not only because he was born and he lived among us, but because he also died for us. And then he rose again, defeating death. Remember, what was one of the things that brought sorrow into the world? Death. And now Jesus has overcome death.

And as they're looking at this Jesus in his resurrected body, who has overcome death, they were filled with great joy. Because they realized that for the believer, death is not the end. Because there is great joy knowing the hope that we have in Christ. And so, we see this joy flowing all the way through the life of Jesus. There's one other place I want you to go.

Go over to John. So keep going to your right. John chapter 15. Because while the actions of Jesus brought joy into the world, the joy doesn't end because he's risen and gone to heaven. Notice what it says in verse 11 of John chapter 15. I'll give you one second to get there. I know sometimes I move too fast. Verse 11 of John 15 says this. These things I have spoken to you,

that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. Now you should ask yourself a question right now. What things did he speak to them? Well, John 15 is what we call the abiding chapter. Jesus told them, I am the vine and you are the branches. Every branch that abides in me will bear much fruit. Every branch that does not abide in me will be pruned and thrown into the fire.

And so he says, You have to abide in me. Everyone who abides in me will bear much fruit. And then he goes on to say, These things I have spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. So what are these things? Joy comes from an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. You see, Jesus brought joy into the world because he was the promised Messiah.

Jesus brought joy into the world in his arrival because everyone was filled with so much joy. John the Baptist knew even before Jesus was born, that he was the Messiah. And he leaped with joy. They were filled with joy when the message was given to the shepherds. The wise men were filled with joy when they saw the star of the Messiah. Joy is there when any sinner repents.

And if we are to continue to live in joy, then we have to have an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. That's why he came into the world. So that you and I could have access to a living and abiding relationship with him. And therefore we have joy in life because of this abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. This continual relationship with him. Because I bet you're asking yourself a question right now,

or me, Ryan, if this joy is real, why do I sometimes not feel it? You know why sometimes we don't feel that joy? Because we get away from that abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. Usually if you don't have a continual abiding relationship with him, you are then subject to the ups and downs and the whims of the world. Because your life will be based upon the identities of the world.

The things that the world says brings happiness. The things that the world says brings joy into your life. And when those things are going great, you're up and you're full of what you think is joy. But when those things aren't working, you're down. And you feel like those things aren't full of joy. But you see, joy doesn't come from our circumstances. Joy comes from a settled contentment and an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ.

That's how you go from high highs and low lows to being steady in every part of your life. Whether things are going really good or whether things are going really bad. What do I mean by that? Go over to James. I want you to look at James chapter 1. If you hit first Peter, you went too far. Which is what I did. James chapter 1. And I want you to look at verse 2.

Oh, everybody's favorite verse in the Bible. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. You see, an abiding relationship with the Jesus Christ who came in to restore joy through his death on the cross. Through his first coming. Through his resurrection. Through our abiding relationship with him.

Brings about joy in every part of our life. To where even when trials come into our life. Even when difficulties come into our lives. We can still have joy. Because we can consider it pure joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. Why? Because the testing of your faith produces endurance. So I've really been following a lot of Ohio State football players pretty closely.

I don't know if you all paid attention to this. I don't really watch a lot of college football anymore. Partly because I don't have cable. Or any streaming service that shows me. Partly because I don't care as much anymore. But I've been following some of these Ohio State football players ever since. Ever since everything happened with the big revival that took place at the very beginning of this semester.

Now if you don't know what happened yesterday. Ohio State played Michigan. One of the most storied rivalries in all of college football. Right? I mean easily it goes back to the beginning of college football. And Ohio State I think was ranked number two. Maybe number three. They were number two. Probably not anymore. They were number two in the nation. And again I've kind of followed some of these guys.

Because I know a lot of them are really solid believers. I'm following them on different social media platforms. I'm loving the stuff that they're putting out there. And Ohio State lost the game. They lost the game. They lost the game in very close fashion. It was like I think three points that they lost the game by. And I think it was at the very end that Michigan kicked a field goal.

And they ended up taking the lead in the game. And at the end of the game like often times happens in rivalry games. Michigan comes out to plant their flag. Which I think is one of the dumb. I don't care if it's my team or not. It's just dumb to do that. Like you're just asking for a fight at that point in time. To go out and plant your flag in the middle of the opposing team's field.

It's just a bad. I don't like storming courts. I don't like storming football fields. I don't like tearing down goal posts. I think those are all really bad ideas. Right? It's like hey what's the easiest way for us to get into a fight? Let's do that. And so that's what happened. Ohio State and Michigan got in this huge fight. I mean it was such a brawl that the police used pepper spray.

This is terrible. I know. Do with it what you will. My favorite scene was Michigan football players going. Because they're getting pepper. They had pepper spray in their eyes like. Right? It's a huge thing now. I'm probably going to get canceled on the internet because I said that. But that was funny. But it was tragic at the same time because I thought man how sad.

God has done so much with that Ohio State football team and so many of those guys for it to kind of end like that. For the last game of the regular season to end like that. So I went on my Instagram yesterday and one of the guys that I follow posted a story. And you know what story he posted? Whether we win or whether we lose, I'm going to praise God. Whether we win or whether we lose, Jesus hasn't changed.

And I thought isn't that kind of neat. And then somebody else posted a picture. You won't see this on any ESPN or anything like that. But in the midst of all of that after that game somebody posted. I follow this thing called Christ Athlete. They posted a picture of some Ohio State and Michigan players praying together over on the side. And I thought you see God is still good.

Consider it pure joy my brethren when you encounter various trials. Because those trials are for the producing of endurance and the testing of your faith. How can that young man who is easily on his way to the pros. How can he after losing something like that and watching his team break out into a brawl. A team that he's been pouring his heart and life into.

How can he then go on to post and say I will praise you in the good and praise you in the bad. Because he has an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. He has an abiding relationship with the Jesus. That the Old Testament promised would come. That was born 2000 years ago in a manger. That John the Baptist leaped with joy when he knew that he was arriving. That the shepherds rejoiced with joy after they were giving good tidings of great joy.

Of the fact that a savior had been born. The wise men celebrated with joy. The fact that Jesus was born. And then every sinner that has turned to him since. Heaven has celebrated with joy. And now he has an abiding relationship with Jesus. An abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. That is bringing about joy in his life. Even in the midst of trials. Brothers and sisters.

Jesus brings joy. I want you to go one more place with me in scripture. Not very far. Next book over. First Peter. First Peter chapter one. Starting in verse one it says this. Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ. To those who reside as aliens. Scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia. Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia who are chosen. According to the foreknowledge of the father.

By the sanctifying work of the spirit. To obey Jesus Christ. And be sprinkled with his blood. May grace and peace be yours. In its fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again. To a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To obtain an inheritance.

Which is imperishable and undefiled. And will not fade away. Reserved in heaven for you. Who are protected by the power of God through faith. For a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice. Even though now for a little while if necessary. You have been distressed by various trials. So that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold.

Which is perishable. Even though tested by fire. May be found to result in praise. And glory and honor. At the revelation of Jesus Christ. And though you have not seen him. You love him. And though you do not see him now. But believe in him. You greatly rejoice. With joy and expressible. And full of glory. You see. Joy comes from knowing. And believing in Jesus.

Because even though you're being tested by various trials. Even though you're being tested by the various things of this world. You can continue to have joy. Because you know Jesus. And because you believe in Jesus. Because he is the author of joy. He is the giver of joy. And it is the very presence of joy. And he brings about that joy into our lives. Now. I assume that you're asking yourself a question right now.

If not, you should. If Jesus brought all of us together. In the name of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ. If Jesus brought all of this joy into the world. Why is the world still full of sorrow? Why do we see it around us so much? Why do we see all of the sorrow around us like we do? Because remember. The joy that Jesus brought into the world. Is a picture of the joy that is coming one day.

Because the fullness of joy that we will have in our lives. Is the day that we see him. Face to face. He has given us this promise of joy. Through his coming now. He has given us this joy in our lives. Now. But the sorrow will be gone one day. When we see him face to face. And that's the day that we're looking forward to. But as we come into this Christmas season.

And every time you sing one of those songs about joy. Every time you sing one of those songs. Where you say. Joy to the world. Remember that's exactly what happened. When Jesus came the first time. As a matter of fact. I was listening to. Some Christmas songs last night. And one of my favorites came on. It's oh holy night. I just want to read the first verse of it to you.

It says oh holy night. The stars are brightly shining. It is the night. Of our dear savior's birth. Long lay the world. In sin and error pining. Till he appeared. And the soul felt its worth. The thrill of hope. The weary world. Rejoices. And yonder breaks. A new and glorious morn. The world is weary right now. And the world was weary in the time that Jesus came into.

But we can rejoice. Because we have a savior. We can rejoice. Because a promise was kept. We can have joy. Because of Jesus. Amen. Well this morning is communion Sunday. So. Before we take communion. We have a few minutes to talk about. What we do here this morning. So I'd like to invite the worship team to come on up. Inside of each of these trays. Are a couple of cups.

Stacked together. The top cup has the juice. And the bottom cup has the cracker. And in and of themselves. There's nothing magical about what those are. But what they are symbolic of. Is powerful. Because what they are symbolic of. Is the very joy that Jesus brings into our heart. That he gave to us. On the cross. Because they represent for us. The body that was broken.

And the blood that was shed. On that last great night of the feast. As we've talked about before. Jesus of course took that bread. And he broke it. He said this is my body. Which is broken for you. And we are reminded that that bread that he held up. Was not the loaf of bread. That we see in a lot of our western culture pictures. Of the communion ceremony. Like a large flat cracker.

And that matzo bread was three things. It was first of all unleavened. Meaning that it was sinless. It was perfect. It was without any sort of blemish in it. Just like Jesus was. It was striped. Because of the way that it was baked. And it was pierced. So when Jesus held that bread up. They saw a sinless. If you will. Striped and pierced piece of bread. And he took it.

Because his own sinless body. Would be pierced. And it would be striped. And it would be broken. For us. All so that you and I. Could have joy restored in our lives. And then he took that cup. And he held it up. And he said this is the cup of the new covenant. In my blood. Because we are reminded that in that old covenant. In the looking forward to of the Messiah.

They had all kinds of sacrifices. Sacrifices of bulls. And goats. And those were good to cover sin for another year. They atoned for sin. They appeased God for another year. But the sacrifice. Of Jesus on the cross. Didn't just appease God for another year. It satisfied. The righteous requirement. Of sin. The righteous requirement of God against sin. And that he said.

This sacrifice is enough. Which is why when Jesus. Gave up the ghost. The last thing he cried from the cross was. It is finished. Paid in full. So brothers and sisters. As we partake in this meal together. We are declaring to the world. We understand exactly. What this time of year means. That it means that a savior was born. Who would live a perfect life. And die a perfect death.

For us. And so we are told to partake of it. In a worthy manner. And for us to partake of it. It means a handful of things. First of all understanding what we are doing. That there is a serious aspect to this. But it also means. That we have to make sure. That we are truly believers in Jesus Christ. So if you are here this morning. And you are not a believer in Jesus Christ.

Then today should be your day of salvation. Today should be the day that you give your heart to him. That you confess your sins. And accept him as your savior. But for those of us that belong to Jesus. It means that our hearts need to be cleaned out. Before the Lord. We have got to do a little detox right. A little detox where we see the sins. That have crept up in our lives.

And say Lord. Restore me. And bring me back to you. So as we take this time to sing this last song. I would invite you to ask God to search your heart. And see what needs dealt with between you and him. And as you do so. Just confess those sins to the Lord. Because the Bible tells us. That if we confess our sin. He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins.

So as you receive your elements. We stand. And then we will partake together.

First of all I want to thank you for your body. That was broken for the sin of the world. Father that you were willing to endure. Take the stripes. Father that you were willing to be pierced for us. And Father more than anything. That you were willing to bear your sin. Or our sin. Father I thank you for the blood of Jesus. That is enough to cover that sin. And Lord I just want to thank you.

That you saw fit. Lord to make a way for us to be made right with you. So Father we thank you for the blood. So Father as we partake here today. Would you keep our hearts and minds. Always focused on the truth of who you are. The sacrifice of Jesus. Father we thank you in Jesus name. Amen. Let's partake. Let's bow with me one last time. Father we thank you.

For the time we have had in your word here this morning. So Lord I pray that you would continue to use. The truth of who you are in our lives. To draw us near to you. To keep us focused on you. And Lord may we truly experience the joy. That there is in Jesus. We thank you Father in Jesus name. Amen. Be blessed.