Love.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Welcome to Village Church. If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church [0:05] And as always I’m thankful and grateful [0:07] To see each and every one of you. If you have a Bible with you open first to Isaiah 54 [0:13] We’re gonna park there for a moment and then a little bit later [0:16] We’re gonna move over to Isaiah 9 and camp out there for a bit as well [0:20] But the Christmas season is officially upon us. Today is when it starts

[0:27] So what I mean by that is if you have previously been celebrating Christmas, all right [0:32] In other words, you didn’t make Thanksgiving and the tree was up [0:35] All right. You were listening to Christmas carols. You were doing it wrong [0:39] And you need to change your life because we really need to get through one holiday [0:46] Before we begin other holidays and so [0:50] Thanksgiving is a good holiday that we celebrate without Christmas

[0:57] Totally apart then you can begin to settle into the Christmas season [1:01] So if you were wondering what the official day is, all right this today [1:06] Sunday so now you’re free to put your decorations up [1:09] You are free to listen to Christmas music and I know you’ve been waiting for my permission and some of you are like no [1:15] You’re wrong. Are you we literally having an argument? You didn’t know I was kidding. All right. All right. Just chill [1:21] All right, y’all came in hot you’re gonna miss the runway. All right now

[1:27] Since it’s Christmas. I want to get a couple of things across before I get into the Jesus stuff. All right [1:33] Christmas is wonderful. All right. I love [1:37] Christmas I love [1:39] Everything about the Christmas season. I love every aspect of Christmas [1:44] I will watch both Home Alone 1 and Home Alone 2 [1:49] Many times over the next couple of weeks

[1:52] I will not give into the heresy to move on to three or four [1:55] Those are blasphemous films that should have never been made if [1:59] McCauley’s not involved. It’s not Home Alone [2:02] Okay, let’s be clear on that [2:04] I’m also gonna watch Margo try to figure out why the carpet is wet a few times as well. I mean I love [2:12] Christmas true lovers of Christmas understood where I was going with that one. All right, so if you’re like, I don’t know what he means

[2:19] You are a Grinch. All right [2:22] Need to learn to watch the good stuff. You need to learn to enjoy [2:26] Christmas so why though do we celebrate Christmas? All right as a Christian understand that we are [2:34] Celebrating what I believe to be the greatest miracle of all time and that is the miracle of God [2:42] Actually becoming a human being in the person of Jesus Christ that is what we’re celebrating [2:48] So if you’re one of those, you know pocket theologians and you’re like, well actually he wasn’t born on December 25th

[2:55] Whatever [2:56] Do you know when he was born? No [2:59] So what’s the argument? All right, just celebrate it. We’ve set aside a day. That’s the one we use [3:06] Let’s enjoy it [3:08] I believe that because of Jesus if you cannot enjoy Christmas [3:15] I totally believe you have a spiritual problem

[3:17] I think there’s something going on in your life and my hope is that today [3:23] What we can do is that we can begin to enjoy the season [3:29] We can kick into the Christmas season regardless of what’s going on in your life [3:34] Regardless of how good or bad you think things are for you [3:39] My ultimate hope is today that we can establish both a reason and an attitude [3:46] To enjoy the next few weeks to celebrate greatly to worship much and to enter into this season

[3:54] With an attitude that we as followers of Jesus Christ have a greater reason than anyone else [4:00] To celebrate not just this season but specifically this season and it’s because of this miracle and the mission of [4:10] The grace of Jesus Christ and how abundant I believe his grace is that I am also free to celebrate the fun stuff of Christmas [4:18] So you need to feel free to celebrate friends to celebrate family to celebrate with parties to celebrate with [4:26] Decorating trees some of you are even gonna go bigger than that [4:29] You’re gonna try to make the tours and you’re gonna put all these Christmas lights on the outside of your house

[4:33] I’m not gonna do that [4:35] But I’m glad that you do that or you spend all the time so that I can spend like five minutes driving by [4:40] And be like look at the cool life [4:42] All right [4:42] I love that stuff and you need to feel because of celebrating Jesus that you need to have the freedom to enjoy [4:50] That fun stuff you need to have the freedom

[4:52] To read the night before Christmas with your kids on Christmas Eve [4:57] You need to feel the freedom to set out cookies the night before and have a good time with your kids [5:03] And then maybe go back and eat them you need to eat good food [5:08] During this season and then eat a little more good food during this season if you’re the type of person [5:16] That diets during Christmas [5:20] Stop it

[5:22] Why would you do that? Why would you pretend? I mean, let’s be honest [5:26] Why would you pretend to do that? No eat a little bit? I believe this isn’t in the Bible. All right [5:33] This is Steve ology. I believe that a little extra grace is available for abundant eating during this season [5:41] All right [5:41] And so you need as a follower of Jesus to celebrate every aspect of this season [5:50] I mean Jesus has freed us to enjoy life

[5:53] Rather than walking through it with drudgery [5:57] filled with stress [5:58] Anxiety fear that I’m doing something wrong fear that I’m not doing enough, right? [6:05] All right [6:05] some of you are going to be tempted to [6:09] shame other people because they do this Christmas thing that you don’t feel the freedom to do or they don’t do enough of

[6:16] Christmas thing that you think they should have the freedom to do so you’re gonna become the shame police trying to Jesus juke [6:23] Everyone because they don’t Christmas the right way they Christmas the wrong way. Here’s the deal. You’re the one that’s in sin [6:30] So you’re the one that needs to repent and lighten up and just enjoy the Christmas [6:37] Season and so with that in mind [6:41] What I want to do over the next four weeks is I want to go through what I believe are the four key themes [6:49] that Christians need to walk into

[6:52] celebrate and really live in light of [6:55] So that you cannot walk through this season [6:59] With shame so that you cannot walk through this season [7:03] filled with the same type of anxiety that other people are going to be overcome with so that you can [7:09] Actually have fun so that you can experience love so that you can experience peace so that you can experience [7:16] Hope and so that you can truly experience

[7:20] joy in the season of [7:23] Christmas today specifically we’re going to unpack [7:26] the theme of love that this is a season that [7:32] gives us an amazing opportunity to reflect on the love of God delivered in the person of Jesus and as we were [7:39] Reflect on that I think it’s good that we define [7:42] What type of love it is that Jesus came to show us so that as we’re enjoying the season

[7:50] We can point people to what the love of God actually is in Jesus versus what people commonly [7:58] Equate love with which is self-absorbed which is self-centered and which is not really love at all [8:04] But actually a taste of the curse of sin in our lives [8:08] But you’re not going to do that if you walk through this season as if it’s a drudgery [8:15] Or as if you are just filled with anxiety because you’re afraid of getting things wrong because you’re afraid of not doing enough [8:22] Or you’re afraid of doing too much

[8:24] And so let’s alleviate that today and simply take a look at what it is [8:30] In love that God has done for us during the Christmas season so look in Isaiah chapter [8:37] 54 we’re gonna be starting in verse 10 and the Word of God says for the mountains may depart [8:44] The hills may be removed [8:47] But my steadfast love shall not depart from you my covenant of peace [8:54] Shall not be removed says the Lord who has compassion on you pray with me

[9:02] father [9:04] You have been so good to us [9:07] Lord we have so many reasons to celebrate this morning [9:11] we have so much joy that should be prevalent in our lives because [9:17] You became a man in the person of Jesus Christ because you sacrificed so that we could be redeemed [9:26] And Lord my prayer this morning is that we would learn to be the most joyous people of all

[9:33] That we would learn to celebrate that we would learn to really enjoy all of the seasons of life [9:40] But specifically those that we have set aside [9:43] To worship you for specific purposes and reasons [9:47] It’s in the name of Jesus that I pray [9:50] Amen [9:51] What jump right into it and just number one this morning understand that the birth of Jesus

[9:56] Reveals there is a love we do not know the birth of Jesus [10:01] Reveals there is a love we do not know [10:06] If you look in the passage in Isaiah 54 the prophet is speaking about 400 years before the birth of Jesus [10:13] And so from here backwards, it’s about [10:15] 2500 maybe a little more years ago from now [10:19] But what he’s saying fits today just as it did the time and we even more so should understand it because of the love

[10:27] That’s been delivered to us in the person of Jesus [10:30] But the love that’s talked about in Isaiah 54 is different than the type of love that most people will experience in their lives [10:37] It’s different than the type of love that most of us are accustomed to and [10:42] Certainly, it’s different than the type of love then we are culturally acquainted with and that we are surrounded [10:48] With messages of all around us in our day because most of the loves that we hear [10:53] During this season and beyond this season our

[10:57] Self-centered types of love versus God centered types of love and what I mean by that is is that we tend to view [11:05] Love based on good done for us or good done about us and we’re the definers of that good [11:13] and so if someone makes much of me if [11:17] Someone makes much of what I want if someone makes much of how I feel or don’t feel if [11:23] Someone does everything that they can to deliver to me [11:28] Exactly the way that I want things to be that’s love and basically that’s how we go through life

[11:37] Looking for love is that love is [11:41] mostly about me and what I [11:44] Want but here what we see in Isaiah 54 and here what is promised to us in Isaiah 54 is a completely different type [11:52] Because he begins the message about love by basically saying even if everything falls apart [12:00] That’s a different type of love because that’s not the type of love that we expect [12:05] See when I expect love well

[12:07] It’s mostly the romantic type of love and it’s someone coming into my life or they’re making all of my dreams come true [12:12] God starts talking about his type of love and Isaiah 54 10 and he starts with saying all of your dreams were dashed

[12:20] Yet my covenant love goes forever [12:22] That’s literally what he means when he says if the mountains depart and the hills are removed he’s saying disaster

[12:30] Disaster is happening all around you and [12:35] That’s the prophets point the prophet is telling us that God’s love is not determined by the situation [12:42] That you are currently in

[12:45] God’s love is not based on whether I feel good about today or if I feel horrible about today [12:52] About the way things are going in my life [12:54] Whether I think that they’re good or whether I think they’re an absolute disaster this promise in Isaiah 54 10 [13:00] literally means that God’s love is a covenant love [13:05] Regardless of what is happening around me and so when failure happens when disaster strikes [13:13] When those difficult people are all around me

[13:18] That is when the prophet is saying God’s love needs to be more [13:24] abundantly aware to you than it ever has been before but our definition of receiving though love though [13:33] Tends to be completely self centered [13:36] It’s about what I want. It’s about how I think [13:40] Things should go and so when I don’t feel made much of [13:45] When I don’t feel that my will is the center of someone’s desire

[13:51] When I don’t think the way that I want things or I think things should go [13:57] Isn’t what someone has in mind for me. That’s when I begin to question love. Is it not?

[14:04] And so there in lies many of the problems that we have with God [14:09] We question his love because he is not making much of me [14:14] We question his love because he hasn’t delivered gift wrapped under a tree [14:20] what I [14:22] Define good as and what I think good for me should be [14:27] But this is the problem that we have all around us

[14:32] That God has never promised that type of love [14:36] God has promised the type of love that we see in Isaiah 54 10 and that is the type of love that is defined by what? [14:43] God wants that is the type of love that defines God as the center of all things that defines God as the purpose behind everything and [14:50] Defines his glory as the greatest thing that could enter into our lives [14:54] So for us to understand what love is God has to become the center of what we want rather than ourselves [15:02] Being the center of everything but this is the arc of where scripture takes us completely

[15:07] This is the story that scripture tells us from Genesis through revelation of what our problem is and then what the solution is [15:14] And we see that solution we see that complete perfect picture of what love is actually supposed to be at the coming of Jesus [15:22] Because you’re saying the Bible basically has four themes it begins with creation [15:27] Then it moves very quickly to the fall of man [15:29] Then it moves throughout history to the way that God is going to redeem everyone and then throughout the New Testament [15:35] What we see is this theme of God restoring everything to his original design and it begins with creations

[15:42] You know that you were created to find your worship and to find your satisfaction in God above [15:48] absolutely everything else I [15:51] Mean you personally were created to love and worship God you were created to obey him and find your ultimate satisfaction in him [15:58] But we have all rebelled against that [16:01] I mean just think about the things that you’ve worshipped in your life think about the way that you are right now [16:07] There’s not a single person in this room who has I mean down to the core of who you are

[16:14] every one of your faculties is [16:17] pointed towards God in worship [16:19] pointed towards God in obedience and pointed towards God in saying I am finding my [16:25] absolute total satisfaction in who you are [16:30] None of you are doing that I’m not doing that [16:33] Somewhere in us and it’s probably the greatest portion of us

[16:37] We’re struggling even to get just a fraction of our affections to God and we’re continuously [16:43] tempted to do things simply because it’s what I want [16:46] Simply because it makes me feel good. I mean when you do things because it makes me feel so good [16:53] I mean the man of sin is close at hand because that means that you are the center of your purposes [16:59] So there in lies the fall of man and this has been happening from the very first two people that ever existed [17:06] when Adam and Eve fell into sin when Adam and Eve literally

[17:10] disobeyed the mandate of God deep inside [17:14] It was not just a simple they did a wrong thing. It was they were did not want to find their satisfaction in God [17:21] They believed the lie that their worship could be pointed somewhere else that their desires could be pointed somewhere else [17:28] That their affections could be pointed somewhere else and they would find more [17:32] Satisfaction elsewhere than they found it in God and you can see that in the fact that they were tempted with believing [17:38] They could be equal with God. So who was the center of their worship?

[17:43] They themselves were [17:45] Everything was pointed to selfishness. Everything was pointed to self-absorption [17:49] So all of the fundamental issues that you’re going to deal with in life from seeking to find love to seeking to find [17:57] Satisfaction what are you going to gear it towards you and that is exactly why you are unhappy

[18:05] That is exactly why you can never get enough I mean think about it right now where you are [18:11] Where has the fundamental effort and all of the energy being spent in your life over the last month? Where is it gone? [18:20] What have you poured yourself into? [18:22] Where have you sought satisfaction where have you sought fulfillment where have you sought ultimate love and how’s that working out for you?

[18:31] Do you come in today saying well, I just feel totally satisfied. I feel like there’s nothing more out there. I [18:39] Feel totally fulfilled

[18:42] The reality is is that even if for a moment we think that we have found it and that moment of [18:51] Satisfaction sets in it’s like, ah, you know that it doesn’t take long for you to begin to question everything once again [18:58] For you to feel that there’s something else out there for you to feel a longing for more than you currently have and then [19:05] What do you begin to question? Will you begin to question whether you have love in your life? [19:10] Love for self love from someone else or love for something else or someone else and [19:17] That is why ultimately I hope that you can see that Christmas is so

[19:22] important because in the fall of man in that moment of disobedience in that moment of [19:30] idolatry of [19:31] Self-worship God does not look to Adam and Eve and say well, I’m done with that [19:37] No, God responds in love and then Jesus becomes the fulfillment of that promise [19:44] I mean in Genesis 3 15 God tells us he says I’m going to put some problems between all of you [19:52] So if you wonder this enmity that you feel for either your spouse or for someone that you work with or for friends or for

[20:00] Parents, where has this enmity come from? It’s come from sin. It’s called the curse [20:04] And ultimately it is from God and you say how could God do that to us? [20:09] He did that to us so that we would know something’s wrong [20:14] He did that to us so that we would feel the sting of our sin and I believe he’s done that to us [20:20] So that we would continue to search

[20:23] Within the curse [20:24] That Genesis gives us in Genesis 3 15 [20:28] What we really see is God putting enmity God putting a lack of satisfaction [20:34] God putting this curse on us so that it could become the grace of seeing why Jesus is so wonderful. I [20:44] Says there’s going to come an offspring of the woman [20:49] Sin will bruise his heel but he will crush its head

[20:54] Note that a bruised heel is a lot better than a crushed head. You can ask a doctor. He will agree with me. I think [21:02] But the truth is he’s saying that this child would feel the weight of sin [21:08] He will feel the pain acquainted with sin, but it will not overcome him the way that it overcomes me [21:16] The penalty will not be victorious over him the way that it would be victorious over me because he in [21:24] Feeling the pain will turn that curse around and he will once and for all [21:31] Defeat sin and it’s literally what it means when it says he will crush his head

[21:38] What the Hebrew says? [21:40] So understand that when we begin from the beginning we see this great mission of God [21:46] Redeeming those whom he loves not based on you [21:52] Not based on what you can earn not based on what you will be able to triumph over [21:58] Not based on what you will have victory over not based on you trusting you [22:04] But rather he will do it for you and you must simply trust in him for it

[22:13] This is the history of redemption [22:16] This is the story of the cross of Jesus because number two the Christmas story is God’s gift of himself [22:23] When God says this he’s not saying well somewhere along the way a kid’s gonna be born and surely [22:30] Somebody’s got to be good enough to defeat sin [22:32] Surely at some point the hero will show up not knowing who it was God said it knowing full well [22:40] Who the one to deliver us from sin would be knowing full well that no human being of

[22:47] Original origin like you and I would be the one to defeat sin [22:51] But instead he knew in saying that that there would come a day where he would come to defeat sin once and for all [23:01] And he knew that we would struggle to believe it [23:04] He knew that because of sin we would be separated from that which is real love that we would [23:10] continuously struggle with defining love by lesser standards and that standard would always be one in which we measure love by [23:19] Ourselves but in that you have to see you have to see in the dissatisfaction that you feel apart from God that you are

[23:27] In need of God himself and that is exactly what he promised and is exactly what we see in Isaiah chapter 9 [23:34] Note what it says just a few chapters previous of the promise in 54 [23:39] He says for to us a child is born to us a son is given the government shall be upon his shoulder [23:46] His name shall be called wonderful counselor mighty God [23:50] everlasting father prince of [23:53] peace

[23:55] Until you have God in your life [23:58] I’m speaking of the true God none of the false gods surrounding us every day [24:03] You will never know what love really is or be able to offer it to anyone else [24:10] You will be stuck in a continuous cycle of [24:15] looking for that which you long for of [24:19] fulfillment of

[24:20] Looking for desire and you may even define them in that thing by very religious attributes [24:27] it may be a form of [24:30] appearance of obeying God yet really in your heart you’re doing it because you [24:36] Believe that you can find love on your own you believe that you can find satisfaction apart from God you [24:42] Believe that you’ve got to earn [24:45] favor

[24:45] But Isaiah 9 stands completely opposed to that mentality [24:50] What does it say in the first few words? This is the definition of love?

[24:55] for to us a [24:59] child is born [25:00] to us a [25:03] son is [25:06] given [25:08] See it’s not something that you do

[25:10] It’s not something that you earn [25:11] That which you long for in your soul for love in your soul to have something worth [25:20] celebrating in your soul to overcome the [25:24] Anxiety that you have the stress that is overwhelming [25:28] Inside of you the terror of failing the fear of doing something wrong [25:34] It is not something that you can do that you can eradicate

[25:39] That you can earn rather God says it is something that he is going to give and it is a gift that you [25:48] Are to receive and so on Christmas morning when I get up and those gifts are under the tree [25:54] Guess what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna go down there. I’m gonna look for all the ones that are for me [25:58] I’m gonna see in my life right now [25:59] And I’m gonna open those gifts [26:03] And I’m not gonna do that whole thing about I just don’t deserve I deserve every bit of it

[26:08] I’m just being straight and then there’s gonna be a moment [26:11] But you know I should have got a few more [26:13] She got a few more I guess and I’m gonna let my kids open their gifts and they’re gonna be [26:17] Overwhelmed and there’s gonna be something I forgot and they’re gonna be like, yeah [26:21] I don’t be like but I spent so much and I’m just gonna enjoy every bit of everything that comes along with I’m gonna [26:27] Give gifts to my wife. I’m gonna enjoy everything

[26:30] Why because Christmas is about giving and it is more so about receiving? [26:36] But what is it ultimately about receiving? Why can I receive gifts in joy? [26:42] Because of the greatest gift that God has given for us to receive with joy [26:48] Part of the problem that you have with celebrating is that you have not overcome the guilt that you carry in life

[26:57] That you are going to struggle in this season with shame [27:03] Part of the reason that some of you feel just an overwhelming amount of anxiety [27:08] To say well, am I celebrating Christmas, right? [27:11] Well, is God going to be satisfied with how I celebrate is God going to be mad at me [27:15] If I celebrate this little part of Christmas or that little part of Christmas [27:17] Am I doing something wrong part of the reason that you are doing that is because you are not

[27:25] enjoying grace [27:27] Your life cannot be [27:30] Determined by earning God’s favor earning anyone else’s favor getting every jot and [27:38] Tittle correct getting every moment of life perfect and you have a celebratory attitude. You can’t do it [27:46] You can’t do it. It is not until you look at a passage like this and you say [27:52] God’s giving something to me

[27:56] Grace is a gift that I receive [28:01] I’m beginning to think I’m not the center of this story [28:05] Well, I’m beginning to think it’s not about what I’m doing [28:08] Well, I’m beginning to think it’s not about what I’ve done [28:11] Well, I’m beginning to think that it’s not about getting it right at all [28:15] But rather I’m beginning to think it is about enjoying the wonderful grace of our God and King

[28:23] I’m beginning to think that the promises of God are more about looking towards him than they ever were about me [28:30] looking towards myself at all [28:33] and some of you [28:35] You’re struggling to enjoy this season and it’s becoming a drudgery or it’s been a drudgery for a number of seasons [28:43] Because you’re overwhelmed with anxiety [28:46] You do not have enough

[28:49] You cannot give enough [28:52] You don’t feel as though you are making anyone happy much less yourself [28:58] Happy so you are overwhelmed with anxiety [29:02] Well, here’s what I want you to understand look at the second phrase in the verse [29:06] He says the government will be upon his shoulder. What does that mean?

[29:13] If you look at the original language, it literally means that [29:17] responsibility and burden [29:20] Were to be shifted off of someone and on to the Sun that’s given

[29:28] And so all of the anxiety that you were carrying all of the shame all of the guilt all of the stress [29:35] All of the feeling like everything that you do is a drudgery and a waking up in the middle of the night [29:40] Thinking I have not done enough. He’s saying there’s only one ultimate solution for that

[29:48] He’s saying that Jesus [29:51] Is to take that burden [29:54] Jesus the Sun that’s given is take that off of you. Look what Jesus himself said in Matthew chapter 11 [30:01] He says come to me [30:03] Come on [30:05] who?

[30:06] All you who labor in our heavy light [30:08] You tired I? [30:11] Went out to you with my family last night [30:13] I was looking out the restaurant that we happened to be at and you know, there’s a lot of fathers there [30:18] And I’m a father’s son doesn’t notice in the dads and I like to you know, I’m a people watcher [30:23] I admit it and and and so I was looking at all their faces and I was looking at how everybody was doing and and

[30:29] One commonality seemed to go along with all these guys. I saw it in their eyes [30:35] They were ready for bed [30:37] All right, we’re tired [30:40] You know, they probably had a long week of work and family and whatever it was [30:45] Maybe they’ve had a long life of struggle [30:47] But they just looked tired and what I’m telling you is is that you’re going to come to a part this season where it’s

[30:55] In your eyes, you’re just exhausted [30:57] You’re just heavy-laden just the labor has overcome you and it’s not just physical labor. It’s emotional labor [31:04] It’s spiritual labor. It’s anxious [31:07] labor of you just sitting there stewing and you’re going to feel the burden of it and Jesus says [31:15] Come to me [31:18] He goes on this is I will give you rest

[31:24] Just take my yoke upon you learn from me. I am gentle [31:28] I’m lowly in the heart what that means is Jesus is saying that what you are dealing with I’m acquainted with it. I [31:37] Understand there’s nothing so great. There’s nothing so worrisome [31:41] There’s nothing so tiring that you’re going to experience where Jesus will look at it and say [31:47] That’s a big one, I don’t know [31:51] I’m just saying I’m acquainted with it. I know how you feel

[31:56] And I know what he says he says you will find rest for your soul

[32:03] Jesus saying I’ve got a rest that’s even greater than what you think you need because you think you just need a night’s sleep [32:09] He says that’s physical rest Jesus saying I’ve got one that goes beyond the physical [32:14] I’ve got a rest that goes so deep that it is down in your soul [32:20] You see we have believed a lie and we carry it into the holiday season [32:25] And that is that Jesus is not enough to deal with our anxieties that Jesus is not enough to deal with how tired [32:33] We are how heavy laden we are that you need Jesus plus something else

[32:37] But if you note this passage Jesus gives us two great [32:42] Promises but in verses 28 and 29 first he says I will give you rest he doesn’t say I might [32:49] He doesn’t say I’m going to try to [32:52] Jesus thinks if you’re tired if you are heavy burdened right now [32:56] Believe Isaiah 9 because that is the only place that real rest exists [33:01] And he says I will give you rest and then he says you will find rest for your soul

[33:09] Oh [33:11] He doesn’t say you need me and all this other stuff he doesn’t say you need me and then a 12-point plan [33:17] It’s nothing wrong with strategy, but there is something wrong with you trusting the system over trusting Jesus

[33:25] Jesus is saying you can work the steps [33:28] You can work the strategy you can work the course and not find soul rest

[33:36] Jesus says if you want soul rest only faith in him will ever bring it into your life [33:44] And that’s just what he said, but then know what he says next in verse 30 [33:48] He says my yoke is easy my burden is light [33:54] Jesus is literally saying I am the fulfillment of the government shall be on his shoulders

[34:03] Jesus is saying if you ever if you don’t know what a yoke is a yoke is the way before we invented [34:07] Tractors the way that they would plow fields and you would get the oxen and you put them in a yoke [34:12] And then you would ride the plow behind it and those oxen would push forward against the yoke and it would pull everything [34:17] I mean it was heavy and so that’s why they use that analogy in the Word of God [34:21] But what Jesus is saying here is he’s saying I defy that type of yoke and the yoke that you put upon that I give is easy [34:29] The burden so light why because Jesus is saying you’ve shifted it onto his shoulders

[34:36] Then in John chapter 10 [34:39] Jesus stated that our hope is in the wrong place so many times [34:44] He says the thief comes to only steal and kill and destroy I came they may have life and have it abundantly [34:50] I’m the good shepherd the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep [34:56] You see friends our self-worship would kill us

[35:00] Jesus though is the good shepherd he was born into this world to take our place [35:05] He came to be the counselor to lead us to love the mighty God who couldn’t be defeated the [35:12] Everlasting Father that would never forsake us and the Prince of Peace who would take our anxiety and give us

[35:23] love [35:24] From the child was born for us [35:29] He was the son that was given to us [35:32] Jesus came to example a love that is always pointed towards God and always leads to God [35:40] Thirdly this morning Jesus is the only way to have and give a real love [35:45] He’s the only way

[35:48] You know he’s the example and the victory so many times we point to the example of Jesus [35:54] You know good things like you know I need to love like Jesus or you need to love like Jesus [36:00] And that’s an absolutely true statement, but Jesus is more than the example [36:03] He’s not less than the example, but he’s certainly more than the example Jesus is both the example and he is the victory [36:10] So if all that you have is the example of Jesus you will never have what he intended for you to have [36:16] If all that you have is a way to follow a path a way to do good things

[36:23] You will never have the relief that Jesus and his love have to offer you you must also experience the victory of his love [36:32] The birth of Jesus is the moment that God put himself on display for all of history to see [36:39] Lived a perfect life and then literally died a sinner’s death in order to feel the full pain of sin [36:46] He did not though succumb to that defeat [36:50] He rose from the dead from the dead [36:54] Revealing victory over sin and its penalty death

[36:58] So in Christmas friend we need to realize that if we see it as a passe season and just lament the drudgery [37:06] Or refuse to enjoy the celebration you must realize that you are not experiencing the love of Jesus [37:14] and if you know the love of Jesus, then you have more reason to celebrate than anyone because [37:21] Regardless of what else is going on in your life or even what’s going on in the world you have the eternally enduring [37:29] love of God [37:32] Therefore frankly to not celebrate or to refuse to enjoy

[37:38] You are communicating a message to everyone around you that you have nothing to celebrate [37:44] That you have nothing to enjoy [37:47] And I’ll be honest that is either a lie or you don’t have the love of Jesus in you [37:54] So for you to not celebrate or for you [37:59] to attempt to to shame other people and the lessening their celebration or to lessen their [38:05] Enjoyment or you know just to be the eternal killjoy of the season

[38:12] That makes you a fool

[38:16] It’s foolish because you’re claiming the love of a savior that you’re not experiencing or a fool because you refuse to believe [38:23] the love that God has shown us in Jesus [38:28] So understand when Jesus makes statements of exclusivity like you know for example John 14 6 [38:35] This is that he is the way he’s the truth. He’s the life no one comes to the father except through him [38:40] It isn’t about keeping love away, it’s about defining it so that it can be known [38:48] and

[38:49] Friend when you know the way you point to the way in [38:53] joy [38:54] It’s not [38:56] Yeah, Merry Christmas [38:59] Yeah [39:00] That’s that’s your thing having fun

[39:03] What’s her to have fun about what’s her doing? Joy? What’s there to celebrate?

[39:10] Friends I’m sorry, but that’s sin

[39:15] That’s sin and that is a sin to be repented of that we are to be a people marked by our [39:23] Joy not a people continuously feeling the drudgery and the weight of this world, but if you do feel the weight [39:32] The hope is that Jesus came to take the weight [39:36] To know him is to celebrate a love that you will always have [39:41] Note the way the Apostle John writes about this love [39:44] He says beloved let us love one another for love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God

[39:51] Anyone who does not love doesn’t know God why because God is love [39:56] That’s what’s in the manger. That’s what’s on display for us to see this amazing eternal love [40:02] How do I know that because in this the love of God was made manifest among us that God sent his only son into the [40:09] World right there Christmas morning, baby in a manger. That’s why we know what love is [40:17] therefore [40:19] For you to receive it and for you to give it

[40:24] Understand that you must love the Savior you must receive [40:30] The Savior you must glory in the Savior you must treasure [40:36] That child and if you are doing that you will not walk into this season

[40:45] Joyless [40:48] He finishes this is why did he come so that we might live through him

[40:56] Without Jesus his action and his example [41:00] We cannot know love but if you know Jesus friend understand and I hope you do or I hope that you will [41:09] Then for these weeks fight the urge to stifle celebration [41:15] Fight it [41:18] Worship more meditate on the child born to us [41:25] Eat the cookies

[41:28] Drink the eggnog watch the movies laugh with family [41:34] sing carols [41:36] decorate the tree and do every ounce of it to the glory of [41:43] God with joy in your heart and a smile in your face [41:49] Merry Christmas [41:50] As the band comes up

[41:53] You know it’s odd in Christianity that we turn from joy and we then meditate on the joy of death [42:02] And that’s what we do week in and week out because I cannot let the moment pass where I do not explain to you [42:08] That Jesus was born with a mission to die [42:12] And he died so that we could be free from our sins that we could be free to love life [42:17] So that we could be free to one day when I pass into the next life [42:20] I will meet him face to face and enjoy him eternally

[42:24] The bread on the tables represents the broken body of Christ the cup represents his shed blood [42:31] His body was broken and his blood was shed so that we could be forgiven of our sins [42:37] And when we eat and when we drink what we’re testifying to everyone around us is yes [42:42] I celebrate the coming of God in flesh. I celebrate Jesus because his life is in my life [42:50] I’m living through him. I believe in him my burdens have been shifted onto his shoulders [42:55] And I’m living in order that I may know him more

[43:00] And this morning if you’re here and you believe that and you trust that

[43:06] These tables are open come eat and drink celebrate the death of our King