Finding Peace & Joy | Judah Smith

I'm excited to read the Christmas story with you and um share the scripture with you. Each and every Christmas Eve celebration, my gift to Church Home, our community is a 20inut sermon. That's my You're clapping. Thank you, Jason. You're on staff for goodness sake. You're clapping. Unbelievable. So, 20 minutes or less, ladies and gentlemen, my gift to you, the Christmas story.

Would you turn in your Bibles if you have one with you? If not, the sky Bible behind me will follow along. Luke and chapter 2. It is without fail that uh I can hear my dad's voice every Christmas even every Christmas season. Uh December 19th is seven years since my dad passed and graduated to heaven, but I can still hear his voice reading Luke chapter 2 from our big family Bible.

Anybody have a massive Bible that was always open to the Ten Commandments in your house? Anybody? Yeah. Well, welcome to my life. Um, so dad would grab that big Bible and read from Luke and chapter 2. Starting with verse one, it says, "In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered."

This was the first registration when Quirinius, [clears throat] what a great name. Every year I'm like, "Okay, say this right. Say this right." and I nailed it again. Was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and lineage of David to be registered with Mary his betrothed who was with child.

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling claws or rags, and laid him in a manger or feeding trough because there was no place for them in the end. And in that same region, there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord or the goodness of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with terror or great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not." Listen to these words now. "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy."

Good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. You'll you'll find a baby wrapped in rags and lying in a feeding trough.

And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying in other words now they got a backup choir and their song was glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. I want to title my shortest sermon of the year.

I want to title it the king has come. The king has come and he has and he has brought gifts with him for you and for me. Will you join me in prayer? Jesus, we thank you for the few moments we share as a community. We ask Lord that u you would really meet us in these moments.

What we what we don't need this Christmas Eve day is just a routine a a a just to go through religious motions. We we actually need to connect with you. We need to find our purpose, our hope, our strength in you. So meet us in the moments we share, whether here in this room or all over the city today.

We thank you for that. And Lord, for anyone who is standing in the service, strengthen their legs and and let them remember that I too am standing. Amen. Just remember that we're in this together. I will be pacing. And if you'd like to join me pacing, those of you that are standing, you're welcome to do that.

My favorite part of Christmas growing up uh other than Jesus was um Jesus was right up there was the one big gift that my mom and dad laid out while we were sleeping on Christmas Eve night while we slept. Mom and dad always had for my older sister Wendy and myself a big gift.

A gift that we knew even when mom and dad were sleeping. By the way, it's actually a phenomenal suggestion for parents who would prefer to get a little extra sleep tomorrow morning. If you'll lay out an already opened big gift, they will play with it for quite some time so you can sleep.

Yeah, there's something to that. And now I know there was a reason for my mom and dad's uh generosity. But Wendy and I would get up probably 6:00 a.m. We couldn't sleep. and we'd run out to wherever the tree might be and there would be a mini hoop or a skateboard or a scooter or a baseball bat or a new car.

No, that never happened. But and it would be the most exciting thing because I knew every Christmas Eve night without without fail, like clockwork, I could go to bed imagining what the big gift laid out this year would be for me. It's amazing how time passes and and now I'm the person assisting Santa in making sure that the gifts are where they need to be.

It's amazing how you can lose the wonder. You can lose the expectation of just the excitement of Christmas. But can I remind you the reason we are excited on Christmas is not just for scooters and skateboards and baseball bats and and and makeup and dolls and the other things my sister liked.

That's not the only reason we ought to be excited on Christmas. We're excited on Christmas because the King has come. >> And when the King arrives, he always arrives with gifts. And you may be 78 sitting by your seven-year-old granddaughter or grandson, but I'd like to announce today that I think you should have JUST THE SAME WIDEEYED wonder as your granddaughter or your grandson.

In fact, I could argue we ought to have more wonder, more expectation of good than even our own children or grandchildren because we understand that the king has come and he has LAID OUT SOME BIG gifts for you and for me. More specifically, he's actually come with three gifts.

Three gifts that I want to remind you again or maybe for the first time introduce you to this king who has a name. His name is Jesus. Though he did not enter earth like a king, he entered in the most unlikely manner. That's why the angel said, "A sign that will be to you is you will find something very rare, something very odd, very something very out of the ordinary.

YOU'RE GOING TO FIND A NEWBORN baby in rags in a feeding trough for animals, and then you'll know that's the king." The story gets crazier because the shepherds meet baby Jesus in a barn, so to speak. But you know, THE WISE MEN DON'T MEET BABY Jesus in the barn.

The wise men meet baby Jesus some two to two and a half years later. And you mean to tell ME THAT THESE WISE MEN WHO ARE WISE, THAT'S WHY THEY'RE CALLED WISE men in all of their wisdom saw a toddler, if you have a toddler, don't you dare shout amen.

But you know what I'm talking about. To think that a 2-year-old could be God. Now that is a sign in the wonder. These wise MEN SHOWED UP TWO TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER WERE LIKE, "YEP, that's God. That's a miracle." The Bible, the Christmas story is full of miracles.

And it is sometimes missed in the the scenes and the gifts and the wrapping and the shopping and the parking spots and the peppermint sticks and and pictures with Santa. We forget that what the essence of what we're celebrating is supernatural and miraculous and it can actually affect your life in a supernatural and miraculous way.

The king always comes with gifts. Boy, if I can count on my mom and dad, if I can count on those gifts being laid out Christmas morning, how much more can you count on the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, to deliver on the gifts he always brings?

Can I draw your attention to verse 10 of the Christmas story? Notice there's an emotion that's referenced. We are told the king, the king that will come in baby form, he will come with a gift and it will be an emotion. It will be great joy. He will come and he will grant to all who believe.

Not just joy, but great joy. I'm reminded today of John 10:10 that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but our king comes that we might have life and life MORE ABUNDANTLY. NOT JUST JOY, I'm talking about transcendent joy, great joy. So clearly, one of the gifts he brings is joy.

A formidable, considerable, powerful, centric emotion that is necessary for a true fulfilling life. And then later the choir comes to back up the other angels and the choir sings of another emotion. It says in verse 17 that there will be I believe it's verse 17 that there'll be peace for all with whom God is pleased.

He comes to give us peace. Do you see the three gifts? He gives us great joy. He gives us peace. It's in the Bible. Trust me. He gives us, you know what I mean? He gives us peace. Verse 14, among those with whom he is pleased. Do you see the three gifts?

Joy, peace, and we become pleasing to God. Jesus came for three primary reasons. To make you pleasing to God. And because of that position where you are now pleasing to God perpetually, you will experience two primary fundamental emotions, peace and joy. >> Does that remind you of a scripture?

Romans chapter 14 verse 17. Paul writes to the Romans and he reminds them that the king has a domain. The king has a kingdom. Oh, do not be fooled by the little baby Jesus in a feeding trough. Remember, he is a king and he comes to establish a domain, otherwise known as a kingdom.

And that kingdom is defined by the three gifts he brings. For the kingdom of God, Romans 14:17 says, is not eating or drinking. It's not external as much as it is internal. It is righteousness, peace, and joy. That little baby Jesus in that manger in our beautiful nativity scenes.

Let us not forget he is a strong, perfect, CHAMPION, VICTORIOUS KING WHO COMES TO EXTEND HIS DOMAIN. AND HIS DOMAIN is defined by three gifts. Righteousness, peace, and joy. >> Righteousness. That's the first gift Jesus gives to all who simply receive the claims he makes about himself. If you'll receive Jesus as savior and messiah, you are gifted righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "He who knew no sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus."

Righteousness is a big word. Do you know what it means? It means you are right with God. Period. End of story. It's finished. Some of us wonder sometimes based on our performance whether or not we're still in good standing with God. Is God far from me? God seems distant?

God seems like he's mad at me. God seems like he's frowning on me. And we superimpose our instability and our emotional roller coaster of an existence and we place it upon God and we believe to ourselves that my performance can make God mad AT ME. BUT IF YOUR PERFORMANCE CAN'T SAVE YOU, your performance can't unsave you. >> For God is not pleased WITH YOU BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE.

GOD IS PLEASED WITH YOU BECAUSE of what Jesus has done. AND WHEN YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS, YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN IN CHRIST. AND WHEN THE FATHER SEES YOU, HE SEES HIS SON WHO IS PERFECT. THEREFORE, YOU ARE ALWAYS PLEASING TO GOD NO MATTER WHAT YOU DID this last week.

And some of you cuss some people out at the mall. I can see it all over your face, right? I mean, THIS IS THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS. PEACE FOR ALL THOSE WITH WHOM HE IS PLEASED. WHO IS HE PLEASED WITH? FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF GOD'S GLORIOUS STANDARD.

SO, WHO IS GOD PLEASED WITH? He's pleased with his son. For the Bible says why Jesus HUNG ON THE CROSS, THE FATHER TURNED AWAY FROM THE SON. AND THAT'S WHY JESUS UTTERED ONE OF THE SIX STATEMENTS OR SEVEN STATEMENTS, the six hours HE HUNG ON THE CROSS WAS MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?

FOR THE FATHER LOOKED AWAY FROM THE SON so he could look to you. SO HE WHO KNEW NO SIN BECAME SIN. HE TOOK YOUR SIN, MY SIN, FOREVER WITHOUT END. YOUR SIN YOU DID YESTERDAY, THE SIN YOU DO TODAY, AND THE SIN YOU MAY DO TOMORROW, IT'S ALL BEEN FORGIVEN.

IT'S ALL BEEN FORGOTTEN AND NOW YOU ARE LEFT SIMPLY WITH RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THAT knows no end. >> THAT'S GOOD NEWS. You are right with God if you simply receive the gift. Righteousness is a gift that cannot be earned. And righteousness is a position that grants you two transcendent emotions.

The second gift he brings is peace. Righteousness, peace. In fact, scholars agree that righteousness and peace are almost synonyms. They're almost the same. Peace with God is to be right with God. To have a lack of peace with God is animosity with God. There's separation. But because of what Jesus has done, when we accept him, there becomes peace with God, right standing with God.

So the moment you understand righteousness, you understand that righteousness and peace are always in tandem. They're always together. >> Always together. Wherever there is righteousness, there is peace. Now brothers and sisters, if we have not learned anything from the year that was 2017, I think there has been one lesson we can all agree that we have learned that something is not right on the inside of man. 2017.

I have never been happier to say so long. I mean, the pain, the agony, the injustice, THE QUESTIONS, THE FRUSTRATION, THE THE THE LOSS, THE PAIN, THE DEATH. I'M LIKE, 2017, I'M NOT EVEN GOING I don't even I don't I'm not even going to WRITE YOU A CARD OR a letter.

WE ARE NOT GOING TO text ever again. I have never been happier for a new year. And I told God, I said, "I don't know if your SPIRITUAL CALENDAR ALWAYS LINES UP WITH OUR NATURAL CALENDAR, BUT THIS YEAR COULD IT. I'd really like a new season right about January 1."

Now, I'm believing for that. I really am. For my family, for our community, for you personally, it's going to be a new year. But clearly, 2017, WE'VE GOT TO EXTRAPOLATE from this painful year that something's not right. >> And it's not just external. It's something deep on the inside that's not right.

That's why the Bible says the kingdom of God is not eating or drinking. It's righteousness, peace, and joy in the spirit of Jesus. >> It's a spiritual problem that's on our hands. Your problem and my problem is spiritual. It's first spiritual. And the king comes with three gifts.

Deep on the inside of us, he gives us a profound knowing in our knower and a sense in our spirit that I am right with God. And where there is righteousness, there is a peace. Come on, Philippians chapter 4. A peace that surpasses all understanding. Oh, I love the kind of peace that God brings.

The Bible says he is the prince of peace. Which leads me to understand that where knowledge stops, his peace does not. And sometimes with all the knowledge in the world, your peace, you can't find peace. IN FACT, YOUR ANXIETY GROWS. KNOWLEDGE IS VERY RARELY THE ANSWER TO OUR ANXIETY.

AND YET WE PURSUE it relentlessly. But Philippians 4 says there is a peace that passes all understanding that will GUARD THAT WILL GUARD YOUR HEART AND YOUR MIND IN CHRIST JESUS. THAT'S WHAT THE KING CAME TO GIVE TO you in this season and into the new year. A peace that is transcendent.

A peace that will guard you. You know what I love? This peace seems active. This peace seems aggressive. And it occurs to me that this peace is a person. His name is Jesus and he is your peace. It's more than an emotion. It's more than JUST A STATE OF MIND.

IT IS A person who stands at the door of your heart and your mind AND HE FIGHTS OFF fear and worry and anxiety on your behalf. >> I believe that. And when I seek to find peace elsewhere, the prince of peace reminds me only he can provide the peace I so desperately crave. righteousness, peace, and and joy.

The three gifts the king has laid out for you this year. If you simply believe in him, you're right forever. That rightness provides a peace. And that peace leads you to a joy that is not circumstantial, >> a deep joy. >> What's happened to you this year? How bad has it been?

How difficult has it been? Have you lost your joy? Have you lost your joy? There's a joy that you can get from Jesus that transcends your current state of bank account, your relational status, family loss, pain, diagnosis, sickness, joy like uh joy not in circumstance. How about joy in Jesus?

Is it can we just talk about can we just have joy in Jesus? I mean, some of us grew up in church. We know what we're talking about. Old school church. I just L Lord Jesus I'm just grateful I'm alive. I'm just grateful I've been saved. I lost my marriage.

I lost my kids. I lost but I'M JUST HAPPY THAT JESUS I'm not promoting that we lose LOVED ONES OR ANYBODY. BUT WHILE WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF THE VALLEY, IS IT OKAY FOR US TO STOP AND SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO MYSELF? AT LEAST I'VE BEEN SAVED. AT LEAST I'VE BEEN FORGIVEN.

AT LEAST JESUS HUNG ON THE MIDDLE CROSS AND HE REMEMBERED ME BY NAME AND I'M HIS SON AND I'M HIS DAUGHTER AND I'M GOING TO SPEND ETERNITY WITH HIM AND THE LOVED ONES I'VE LOST, I'LL SEE THEM ON THE OTHER SIDE. EXCUSE ME WHILE I HAVE A JOY MOMENT THAT IS NOT CONNECTED TO MY CIRCUMSTANCES.

YOU EVER RUN INTO SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN FOLLOWING JESUS FOR SO LONG, THEY FORGOT TO INFORM THEMSELVES OF THEIR DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES? They got a perma smile ON THEIR FACE AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? YOU SHOULD BE MAD. YOU SHOULD BE SAD. YOU SHOULD BE BAD.

BUT IT'S ALL OF THOSE RHYMED IN THE NAME OF JESUS. BUT INSTEAD, they're happy and you're LIKE, YOU'RE WEIRD. MAYBE WE'RE WEIRD AND THEY'RE NOT. Maybe we're the weird ones. CIRCUMSTANTIAL JOY. ANYBODY CAN LIVE LIKE THAT. I've attached my faith to the king. And the king has come with a joy that is BEYOND CIRCUMSTANCE.

WHAT ABOUT JOY in little things? Can can we can we go a little old school in conclusion today in my shortest sermon of the year? LIKE CAN WE GO BACK TO LIKE LORD, I'M JUST THANK YOU THE sun came up today. I can't see it behind the clouds, BUT I KNOW IT'S THERE.

IN FACT, I HAVEN'T SEEN IT FOR THREE MONTHS, BUT RAIN IN AFRICA is a sign of blessing. [laughter] So, I just want to I mean, we can't have joy in little things. Lord, I thank you that I do have a couple pairs of pants. LORD, I THANK YOU THAT I DO HAVE BREATH IN MY BODY.

LORD, I THANK YOU I GOT TWO EYEBROWS. Why can't WE THANK WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THANKING GOD FOR THE LITTLE THINGS? WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY little Christmas? It wouldn't be so bad if we had ourselves a merry little Christmas. A Christmas where we care about the little things. a Christmas where we got joy about the little things.

AND LASTLY, WHY CAN'T WE HAVE A JOY THAT IS BEYOND OURSELVES? I'M talking about a joy IN OTHERS, A JOY IN THE NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE STREET, A JOY IN THE SUCCESS AND BLESSING AND HEALING AND FAVOR of your neighbors and your friends. SO, YOU LOST YOUR JOB AND YOUR NEIGHBOR GOT PROMOTED AT THEIR JOB.

WHY CAN'T WE THIS CHRISTMAS SAY, "GOD, I TAKE SO MUCH THRILL and joy that you BLESS THE JONESES AGAIN." [screaming] Why can't we have that kind of joy? See, Romans 14:17 says, "It's not eating or drinking." Which is to say, eating and drinking will never be enough to produce righteousness, peace, and joy.

Oh, I hope you have all the food you want. I hope that you enjoy some great drinks with friends and family. But let us not forget that this internal problem cannot be solved by external means. We need a king who can bring us gifts and place them in the deepest center of our soul and our being.

A king who can make us right with God and give us two transcendent emotions, peace and joy. You know what? 2017. So long. We're facing 2018 now. And we're declaring for the few remaining days you have left 2017. We are going to focus on righteousness, peace, and joy in my spirit by the spirit of Jesus. 2018, THE best is yet to come.

Would you pray with me? Jesus, we thank you for the moments that we share. We thank you that you are our king and you bring the best gifts. Oh God, I pray tomorrow morning somehow in our mind and our heart and our soul, we'd see these gifts laid out in front of us and we'd remember your generosity, your grace, your love, your goodness.

Lord, I pray for my friends right now under the sound of my voice. And I ask Lord if what surrounds them is bleak and challenging and dark and difficult, I pray that they would remember that what remains sure and untouched is our righteousness, peace, and joy that comes from you.

Jesus comes from you. If you're here today on Christmas Eve and you'd say, "Judah, I would like to believe and receive in Jesus Christ." The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever, whenever, wherever, and whoever would simply believe in Jesus would not perish, but have everlasting life.

If you want the life that only Jesus offers, if you want the forgiveness that only Jesus offers, if you want the righteousness, the peace, and the joy that only Jesus offers, all that is asked of you is that you would receive. is that you would open the gift by exercising your free will choice.

((music playing)) I choose to believe and to receive in Jesus. ((music playing)) If that's you, on the count of three, I'm going to ask you to lift up your hand here on Christmas Eve and put it right back down. I ask you to lift your hand because I actually believe when you respond on the outside to what's happening on the inside, it becomes all the more real to you.

So, you know who you are. Eyes are closed just for a moment of privacy. This decision begins ultimately between you and God. One, God loves you. Two, may this be your ultimate Christmas gift. Three, if that's you, would you lift up your hand all over the auditorium and say, "Man, I receive.

I receive. I receive." Thank you. So many hands. It's extraordinary. God, thank you so much for the gift of salvation and righteousness. this position that grants us these ((music playing)) two transcendent emotions. We receive it. We believe it. It is our portion. It is you over and over again who wow us and surprise us.

So thank you Lord for forgiving us our heir, our wrong, our sin, past, present and future. We will never be the same. We thank you for that in Jesus name. In Jesus name. Can we congratulate so many people who've made this decision to accept Jesus?