REJOICING IN GOD
Where can we find hope and joy in tragedies, fears,
and uncertainties? It is said that George Frederick Handel composed his amazing
musical The Messiah in approximately three weeks. It was
apparently done at a time when his eyesight was failing and when he was facing
the possibility of being imprisoned because of outstanding bills.
However, Handel kept writing amid
these challenges until the masterpiece, which included the majestic "Hallelujah
Chorus," was completed. Handel later credited the completion of his work
to one ingredient: Joy. He was quoted as saying that he felt as if his
heart would burst with joy at what he was hearing in his mind. Sure enough,
listening to the entire work of The Messiah or the "Hallelujah
Chorus" brings great joy to one's heart.[1]
During this Advent season, we have
been working through ancient prophecies and their relevance to us in the 21st
Century. We saw how to find Hope in God during difficult times. We also learned
that one day, God will establish His righteous Kingdom on earth, and the
Shepherd King Jesus will reign with us in His Kingdom forever. Today, we will
learn how two couples' difficult situations turned into moments of joyful
celebration. And how a Silent night brought God's Joy to the whole world. Luke
2:8-20 I title this sermon: Rejoicing In God.
I. An
Elderly Couple Finding Joy in A Difficult Situation
Imagine you were a young married
couple who dreamed of building a big family. After repeatedly trying, you
discovered it wouldn't work. You spent a lot of money trying to have a child
and prayed to God earnestly. Now, you are in your eighties. All hope seems to
have gone, but the desire for children remained. Suddenly, your hope seems to
be restored, and God begins to answer your prayers for a child, and your wife
becomes pregnant.
How would you respond to this
unexpected turn of events? Would you terminate the pregnancy due to unforeseen
complications? Or would you welcome and embrace the child, realizing it was
God's will? Perhaps this was the high priest Zachariah's dilemma when he heard
the angel's words in the Temple saying, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer.
Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You
will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth." Luke 1:13-15 (NLT)
Zechariah was awe-struck by this
angelic visitation and barely spoke. God made him unable to speak for nine
months because of his unbelief. After completing his priestly duties, he went
home and delivered this news to his wife. Soon enough, Elizabeth became
pregnant. How did she respond to this challenging situation? She went into
seclusion for five months.
More importantly,
she recognized God's will in that pregnancy and said, "He has taken away
my disgrace of having no children." Is it a disgrace not to have children?
It was indeed, in ancient Israel, that barren women were considered cursed and ridiculed
in society. Lev 20:21-22. However,
there are several examples of barren women whose prayers were answered:
Sarah,
Rebekah, and Rachel: These three matriarchs were initially barren, but God
granted their prayers. Hannah, the mother of Samuel, was barren initially, but
God granted her prayers. The Shunamite woman was barren at first, but God
granted her prayers. These incidents illustrate that God has the power to grant
children and also to withhold children from being born.
In the case of this elderly priestly
couple, God heard their prayers and granted them a child, and they named him
John, which means "the grace or mercy of God," who became the
forerunner of Jesus, the Savior of the world. What seemed like a highly
impossible and disgraceful situation, God turned into a Joyful moment because
this couple trusted and embraced God's will in their lives. What difficult
situation are you facing in your life? You, too, have hope!
II. A Young Woman's Dream Turned into a Nightmare
Imagine you are a
teenage girl full of hopes, marrying a handsome young man and building a
family. You met a hero of your heart, got engaged, and dreamed of marriage and
a beautiful future. Something supernatural happened. An angel showed up by your
kitchen sink and said, you will be pregnant and give birth to a son, and he
will become great in the world. How
would you respond to this sudden spoiler news? Would you terminate the
pregnancy due to inconveniencing your plans and the terrible consequences that
followed? Perhaps that must have been going through the young virgin Mary, who
was betrothed to be married to a young carpenter named Joseph. On the one hand,
the angel Gabriel greeted Mary, saying highly favored of God and delivered
shocking news of the birth of Jesus.
How did
Mary respond to this sudden status of favor and intrusion into her dream world?
Mary knew, as per the custom, that being pregnant with a child before marriage
meant a death sentence by stoning. She might have thought the news of her
pregnancy would bring disgrace to the family, and Joseph may terminate the
wedding; infact he contemplated it secretly.
Despite
all those possible disastrous scenarios, Mary responded beautifully to the
angel who had brought that news. "I am the Lord's
servant. May your word to me be fulfilled." Mary yielded to God's will.
Soon after, Mary visited her old aunt, Elizabeth, who miraculously conceived a
baby. Upon hearing Mary's voice, little John, who was in Elizabeth's womb, leaped
for Joy, and Mary burst into a song: "My soul glorifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God, my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state
of his servant." Luke 1:46-56
The
underlying principle of these two rather unusual yet historically accurate
stories is that God can turn any impossible situation the other way around and
make it a Joyful moment, provided we yield ourselves to God's will even when
things don't go as expected.
III. Rejoicing In God. (Luke 2:8-12)
It's been
400 years since the last prophet, Malachi, prophesied that God will send the
prophet Elijah the prophet before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
Mal 4:5-6. These were the silent years where God did not speak, and there were
no revelations from Heaven.
Suddenly,
Heaven became busy again, breaking the silence that night in the mountains of
Palestine. A group of peasants watched their flocks that night. An angel of the
Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them
and said. "I bring you good news that
will bring great Joy to all people. What was that " Good
News" that the angel talked about? It was about the birth of Mary's child,
Jesus, which means "The LORD Saves."
Believing
the angel's words, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem and saw the baby Jesus
lying in a manger as the angel had told them. When they saw him (Jesus), they
spread the good news concerning what the angel told them about the child to
everyone on their way back home.
Elizabeth,
Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds' challenging situations turned into
moments of joy as they chose to rejoice in the Lord. Similarly, your difficult
situation can become a moment of Joy as you choose to rejoice in our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Rejoicing
in God doesn't happen automatically. It is a choice. When we rejoice in God,
our hearts will be filled with Joy. Hear what the Apostle Paul, who faced many
challenges, including chains, imprisonment, and slander,
said, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again rejoice! Let
everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is
coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then, you will
experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will
guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:4-7.
(NLT). Let us rejoice in the Lord and experience joy in our difficult times.
