"God Is With Us"
Matthew 1:18-25
Sunday, December 23, 2012

Introduction: This fourth Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of “Peace.” But whenever I think of this word “peace,” it is hard not to think of our world situation. Here are some headlines in the paper:      “5 Iraqi Police Officers, Marine Slain in Attacks.”

   “Ukrainian Presidential Candidate Poisoned.”/  “Grenade Explodes at concert in Sri Lanka, killing 2.” “Conservative government in Portugal quits adding to political chaos.”

I don’t hear a lot of peace going on there, do you?

            And then I look around our community, our neighborhood, the people that are around me, and see conflict in marriages, conflict in families, conflict in friendships. How can we talk about peace when it seems that there is so little peace to be found? This morning, I want to say that we must talk about peace because of what is going on in our world! It is important for us to understand that there is really only one place for peace to be found, and that is in God!

I.                   Let God Know- (Philippians 4:6-7)

Too often in life we are not at peace because we try to do everything on our

own; this is the sin of independence. God desires for us to be dependent on Him. We were not created to be separate from God. We were not created to handle our trials or problems alone. God designed it for us to be in constant communion with Him. So when we try to do it alone, we have great worry and struggle, because we don’t have the power to do it on our own.

            We are told in the book of Philippians, chapter 4, verses 6-7: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,  let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all

understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ.”

a.      Let your requests be known- The first important piece of information

that the apostle Paul tells us, is that we must make our requests be made known. Unless we make our requests known, what ends up happening is that we keep them to ourselves and seek to solve our problems by ourselves. In this case, God is not going to barge in and take over. God knows what we are going through, but will wait for us to ask for His help, His guidance, His power. And what also happens is that we worry. We worry because our situation doesn’t change; we worry because we get tired and frustrated; we worry because we can’t solve the problem.

            When you make your requests known to God, you have taken the first step of acknowledging that you can’t do it on your own; you acknowledge that it is going to take more power than you have; you acknowledge that the God of creation, who created all things, can affect the situation better, and with greater wisdom than you. This is a good step; a needed step; a life-changing step.

            So when you come to God in prayer, God not only receives the information you give, not only is given permission to work, but even more God begins to affect your spirit. And this needs to happen in everything. Paul reminds us that we need to take everything to God in prayer. Why? Because it is not only the big things, but the small things as well that disturbs our peace. As someone once said: “There is nothing too great for God’s power; and nothing too small for His fatherly care.”

            It is interesting to see how so many people are comfortable about praying for others, but they are uncomfortable about praying for themselves. When we get the prayer requests up front on Sunday mornings, 95% of the time they are asking for prayers for other people. That is okay, but the apostle Paul reminds us that it is okay to ask for prayers for ourselves too. And not just that, but it is okay to PRAY for ourselves! Only you know your real needs. Share them with God. Ask for help.

            On top of all of this, we pray with thanksgiving; thanksgiving for the past blessings of answered prayer, and thanksgiving for knowing that God will bring to us future blessings. We receive peace when we acknowledge God’s availability and the blessings that come from being able to even come to God and ask. We receive peace when we put our trust in God!

b.      Peace of God will guard your hearts- So through prayer, God affects our

spirit. But how does God affect your spirit?

God brings peace to you. And what kind of peace? The peace that surpasses

all understanding. It is not so much that this peace is a mystery that we cannot understand, but it is a peace that we cannot produce. It is not by our contriving, but by God’s giving that this peace comes. And it is a peace that is not normally seen in our world, because as sinful people we struggle to be at peace with ourselves and God.

            STORY: “The Mother and the ADD Child”- The other day I read about a mother whose son was hyperactive. She tried everything to calm him down. Drugs. Therapy. Discipline. It all failed. Finally, in desperation she grabbed her son during one of his episodes and held him in a tight, loving embrace. She quietly sang to him and spoke words of affection. At first his thrashed and squirmed, but then after some time he quieted down. He rested in his mother’s arms. She set him down, and the peace lasted! Now every time he has an outburst, this is what she does: she holds him until she quiets him.

This is what God wants to do for us, hold us until we feel His peace. God’s peace is a peace that calms our soul; a peace that takes away worry, because we can be confident that “all things are possible” in God; a peace that causes us to feel safe and secure and in good hands!

c.       Guard our hearts- Think about life. In life we are constantly bombarded

with situations and occurrences that bring hurt and confusion. When we lack peace in our lives, we actually are hearting our heart. The pain of life is damaging.

Someone once said: “Peace is the brief glorious moment in history

when everybody stands around reloading.” (…The Tardy Oxcart, p. 431)

Life can feel this way, when the only time there is peace and calm in our lives is that moment when the world is reloading to shoot at us again. So where is our help? Where is our protection? The apostle Paul gives us the answer…it is in peace. The peace of God that guards our hearts!!!

            This is really a military metaphor here. Not only do we feel like we are in a war sometimes, but this lack of peace we feel comes from the spiritual war we are in. So the idea here is that the peace that God can give to us ‘will keep guard over’ our hearts.

But lastly, we see in Philippians that this peace is the ‘peace of Christ.’ It is only because of Christ that we can have peace. Without Christ coming into this world and saving us, we would not have the hope of peace, because we would be lost in our sin; lost in our worry; lost in our anxiety. So peace comes from having Christ in our lives. Not in a superficial way, but by being deeply committed to Christ, and giving all of ourselves to Christ!

II.                Let God Go- (Matthew 1:18-25; John 14:27)

Let’s talk a little more about the peace that comes when God is at work. It is

not enough to just tell God about our situation, our worry, our problem. We must step back and let God work. That means that we have to back off, and only get involved in times and ways we feel God leading us.

            Here’s an Ex. Let’s say you have gone to Home Depot, and you have

purchased an entertainment unit; one of those units that have to be put together. You know you aren’t too handy at putting things together, but  you want to save some money, so you take it home and try to put it together yourself. In time  you realize you can’t do it. So you hire someone to do it for you. Now imagine that they are in your home putting it together, and you are constantly stepping in and trying to help. That is not going to be helpful. You will just be getting in the way (unless he asks you to hold something or hand him something). So it is with us and God. We have to let God work!

a.      God with us- In Matthew 1:18-25, we read the story of Mary being told

that she would give birth to the Messiah, the Son of God. And all this would take place to fulfill the scriptures. Which really means that it took place to fulfill the will of God. It was God’s will for God the Son to come to this earth to be with us. And how does this relate to the idea of peace? We receive peace when God walks with us! And we are able to be in this relationship with God because of what who Christ is: the Prince of Peace, come to bring peace into all our relationships.

            This is something that has to be learned. So don’t be discouraged when you fail to receive the peace of God; when you fail to comprehend how God’s presence should bring peace to your life. The disciples struggled with this as well.

            FOR EXAMPLE- Story 1: In Mathew, chapter 8, the disciples are in a boat on the water. You know the story. A storm arises. Jesus is with them, so they are all at peace. Right? Wrong. They are fearful, and rebuke Jesus for being asleep while they are in danger. Of course we know that Jesus does calm the storm. But we also see that He let them encounter the storm. The storm came, Jesus was with them, they should have had peace in this, but they didn’t. They ask Jesus for help, Jesus calms the storm, and they feel some peace. But not the same kind of peace had they trusted that all would be well with Jesus in their midst!

            Story 2: In Matthew, chapter 14, Jesus is teaching the crowd. It is becoming late, and the disciples know that the people will need food soon. So of course they know that because Jesus is there, all will be well. Right? Wrong. They get worried and strongly ask Jesus to send the crowd home, for the hour is late and they need to go into the village to buy food for themselves. Jesus feeds this large crowd of 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. They were not at peace because they were worried about how to feed the people.

            Story 3: In Matthew, chapter 26, Jesus is betrayed by Judas, who tells the chief priests where Jesus is. The chief priests and elders go to arrest Jesus. As they approach all is calm and peaceful. Right? Wrong. One of those with Jesus draws his sword and cuts off the ear of the slave of the high priest. Jesus quiets everything with His words, heals the ear of the slave, and then goes quietly with the chief priests to be put on trial for blasphemy. Jesus brings peace in a situation of great conflict.

            The point is, that Jesus came to show us how to live in peace, but time and time again, His followers get it wrong. We fail to see that when God is with us, we have the peace of God in our lives. We fail to hold on to this peace from God, and because of this we let the situations around us rattle us and cause chaos in our lives.        

b.      Not the peace of the world- Illus.- “St. Jerome and the Lion,” Stories For

the Journey, p. 74.- In the fifth century Jerome and a small group of monks lived in a monastery in Bethlehem. One day as the monks left the chapel a lion limped into the monastery courtyard. All the monks fled in fear except for Jerome, who stood still before the lion. Jerome watched as the wounded lion moved slowly toward him. When the lion was in front of Jerome, he lifted his paw to him… Jerome examined the lions paw and discovered a large splinter buried deep in the flesh. He took it out with a pair of pliers and wrapped the wound… Instead of lion the monastery, as the monks had hoped, the lioncurled up near Jerome’s room and fell asleep. As the days passed the lion acted like a permanent guest…Jerome asked all the monks to gather in the courtyard around the lion. He then said in a loud voice: “No one can remain in the monastery and remain idle. Everyone must have a job, including you (pointing to the lion).” He continued speaking to the lion: “Your job will be to accompany the donkey who goes into the forest for firewood each day. You will provide protection from the robbers and wolves.” The lion waved his tail showing he understood…In the days that proceeded, the plan worked perfectly. Each day the donkey, an old man, and the lion would travel into the forest to get firewood…One hot afternoon, as the lion was keeping watch, the lion fell asleep. When he awoke the old man and the donkey were gone, taken by merchants. The lions new job was to fetch the firewood. One afternoon the lion saw a caravan of merchants passing in the distance with his friend the donkey. The lion moved toward the merchants. The merchants, seeing the lion, scattered in fear, all running to the monastery. There they confessed their sin and asked for forgiveness. Jerome forgave the merchants. The other monks from this point on believed in the lion, and confessed their sin for doubting….If you ever see a picture of St. Jerome, you will see a lion at his feet!

            In Isaiah 11:6 we are told that a lion will lie down with a calf; a symbol of peace. And in John 14:27 we hear these words of Jesus: “Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”            This world is full of judgment and lack of forgiveness. We cannot be at peace when we judge others. We cannot be at peace when we do not forgive. We cannot be at peace unless we understand that these are gifts of God to us: ridding ourselves of our own sin, and setting aside the desire to dwell on those sins of others that have hurt us. God is with us. Let His presence give you peace.

Conclusion: We are told in Matthew 1:21 that Mary will bear a son (the Messiah), and name Him Jesus, and His purpose is to save His people from their sins. It is our sin, and the sin of the world that keeps peace from happening in the world. It is our lack of acknowledging that we need God in our lives that keeps peace from happening. Not just receiving a little bit of God, but all of God that we can. It is our inability to trust God that keeps us from experiencing peace.

            As I said before, we have to talk about peace, even in the midst of conflict, war, and unrest in our world. In the midst of our lives, the only thing that keeps us going and keeps us sane, is the peace of God. May we receive God’s peace today, and let God guard and guide our hearts, as His presence is ever with us. Amen.

"Walk In the Way of Love"
Isaiah 35:1-10
Third Sunday of Advent, 12/16/12

Introduction: Example- If you have ever gone to Hometown Buffet, you know that one of the things that makes it fun is that there are so many choices of food and drink! My children particularly like it, because they can get a little bit on the many foods that they like to eat. Whenever we go they have a great time! They were especially excited about the opportunity to get more than one dessert. They showed great zeal in both they choosing of the foods and the eating of them.

            There are many things in life that can get us excited. That is one of the blessings of life, is that there are so many wonderful choices of what to do. But we need to be careful in how we live, so that we don’t make choices that lead us away from God. This is important, because what gets God excited is when we receive His love and share His love. God is excited when we live the way He created us to live, according to the two great commandments: love God with all your being, and love your neighbor as yourself.

I.                   The Love of God Saves You- (2 Kings 10:15-16; Matthew 9:12; John 4:34-35; Isaiah 35:3-6)

a.      Jehu’s Zeal for the Lord- Let me introduce you to someone in the

Bible that you might not have heard of; his name is Jehu. Now Jehu was King of Israel. But he was a king who was reckless and wild. This recklessness was seen in his driving. On one occasion he sealed a friendship over a chariot ride. This is how it happened: “….he (Jehu) met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him;

            and he greeted him and said to him, ‘Is your heart right, as my heart is

            with your heart?’ And Jehonadab answered, ‘It is.’ Jehu said, ‘If it is,

            give me your hand.’ And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to

            him into the chariot. And he said, ‘Come with me and see my zeal for

            the Lord.’ So he made him ride in his chariot.”(2 Kings 10:15-16)

Now if you think about it, this story should make you laugh. Here Jehonadab meets the king, and he gets a taste of the wild driving habits of the king. In fact, King Jehu’s driving was so well known, that when others drove wildly, they were said to have been driving ‘like the driving of Jehu, son of Nimshi.’ Or others versions say that he drove like a madman.

            Now those who have gone to one of our Alpha retreats tend to think that I drive a little wild. I disagree, but it has been said by others that I do. I know we all have times when we get a little wild behind the wheel. The other day I  came across some hymns for those who speed: When you are driving 45 mph, a good hymn would be: “God Will Take Care of You”;  for 55 mph- “Guide Me, O Thou

            Great Jehovah”;            for 65 mph- “Nearer, My God, To Thee”;            

For 75 mph- “Nearer, Still Nearer!”;             for 85 mph- “This World Is Not My Home”; for 95 mph- “Lord, I’m Coming Home”; and over for 100 mph- “Precious Memories.”

Now we laugh at this, but what is important is that Jehu had a zeal for life. And this zeal, this wildness, came out in His love for the Lord. It is important to not only feel God’s love, but to express God’s love in a visible, passionate way. A way that shows others that you have zeal for the Lord.

            Think about this idea of zeal. Didn’t Jesus show us great zeal? Didn’t Jesus express excitement in His love for us? Jesus lived His life on the edge. He didn’t shy away from situations, but put Himself into situations that gave Him the opportunity to share what He was passionate about; PEOPLE! EX. 1- Jesus went to eat at

Matthew’s house, a tax collector, a sinner. When He was confronted about this, His answer, which is seen in Matthew 9:12 was this: “…. ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor,

but the sick.” Jesus wasn’t concerned with what others might think of His actions. He ate with sinners because it was what He was there to do!

                        EX. 2- When Jesus had a discussion with a Samaritan woman, the

                                    disciples were quite surprised. They didn’t want to know why  

                                    Jesus was doing this. Instead of asking Jesus why He chose to  

                                    do this, they pretty much ignored this, and told Him He needed

                                    to get something to eat. His response, seen in John 4:34-35,

                                    “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish

his work. Do you not say. ‘Four months more and then the harvest?’ I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!

They are ripe for harvest.” Again, zeal for people led Him to take time to care for the woman at the well!

b.      God will come and save you- STORY 1: Happinessce Jones (“God’s  

                                      Attention Getters,” Illus. Unlimited, p. 273, #6).

There is a renowned  concert organist named Happinessce Jones who taught at Baylor University. A number of years ago she played the first organ concert at the Crystal Cathedral (an organ that cost over $1 million dollars at the time. She didn’t start out being an organist, however. At the age of 16, while a piano major at the University of Texas, she sprained her wrist. The sprain was so severe that she couldn’t play the piano for six weeks. Not wanting to waste the time, she decided to learn to play the organ pedals with her feet, and a new career was born!

                                    STORY 2- “Building Character,” Illus. Unlimited, p. 9, #14.

Let me tell you a second story. In the northeastern United States codfish are a big commercial business. The demand for codfish all around the country is great. Because of this, there was a problem trying to ship the codfish without it going bad. At first they froze the cod to ship it, but then the freeze took away much of the flavor. Then they tried to ship them alive, in tanks of seawater, but that was far too expensive, and the cod still lost its flavor. Finally, some creative person came up with the most innovative idea. The codfish were placed in the tank of water along with their natural enemy—the catfish. From the time the cod left the East Coast until it arrived at is westernmost destination, the catfish chased the cod. When the cod arrived at the market they were as fresh as when they were first caught!

You may feel frustrated because you have had some hurt happen in your life; you may feel confused over a situation you cannot solve, and this might cause you to doubt is God loves you. Don’t ever doubt that God loves you, because God uses these situations in our lives to get our attention, to wake us up, to challenge us, and to help us grow. God is always coming to save us. It started with the baby, Jesus, coming to this earth to give us light, to give us hope, to bring to us God’s love. It continues when we accept Jesus as our savior, and say that we love Him. And it continues more when we see God’s active love in our lives.

            As the prophet Isaiah says in 35:5-6, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be

                        opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall

                        leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.”

When we give ourselves over to God, God is ever with us, ever coming to us to save us.

II.                The Love of God Guides Your Path- (Isaiah 35:7-10)

a.      The road for God’s people- My in-laws have some Christian friend

who are living in Jerusalem. Now think about this, Jerusalem is not an easy place to be right now. Well, these missionaries, Mack and Cathy McCoy have an e-mail newsletter that goes out and tells about what is going on and how God is working in and through them. I would like to read to you an excerpt from their newsletter: “This morning Cathy and I looked death in the face and only God know if we will ever be the same. At moments like these, ones mind rushes through many thoughts and the ordinary things we are usually concerned with just disappear. You ask why you are doing what you are doing; why are we living in Jerusalem. You begin to think about how you could have done more with your life.

            This morning Cathy and I were going to meet a friend downtown, so we were taking the same bus, and would separate near downtown. Shortly after we got on the bus a police car sped by, then the traffic stopped. As the bus inched around the corner, things still seemed normal, but down the street several cars were parked strange. The bus continued to creep forward. We could see 2 people lay in the middle of the street, about thirty feet apart with a couple of pedestrians bending over them. Just then the bus rounded the corner and in full view, maybe 20 feet away, was a blown apart bus.

            The emotions of the moment were many: sadness, anger, hopelessness, and if I, one who can jump on the next plane out of here, feel these, what about the ones who can’t leave. This madness is so rooted in history. And this is why I ask myself, can I do more? Should I yell and scream from the roof tops: Christians, wake up? There are almost 2 billion Christians worldwide, and with some effort we could make a great difference in the world!”

            How can you make a difference with your life? The love of God leads us down this path. The love of God causes us to ask this question. It is different for everyone, not necessarily being a missionary, not necessarily called to go to Jerusalem, but we are all called to make a difference. We are all called to travel that road of love that God puts us on; to share God’s love with others. As the prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 35:8- “A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.”

b.      Sorrow and sighing shall flee away- No one will go astray. Not even

fools. What great words these are! The path of God leads us by His love. His love, which desires the best for us; His love, which desires for us to be safe in His arms; His love, which desires for us to not be confused.

             Sometimes, however, we are confused. How is it that we are confused? We are confused when we don’t think that God is with us, whatever we may be going through. We are confused when we think that we have to be successful. We are confused when we think that we have to have a lot of possessions to be happy. We are confused when we let our sorrow and grief paralyze us. As Isaiah 35:10 says, “….everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

            There isn’t anything that you have gone through, are going through, or will go through that God can’t handle. There isn’t anything that is greater than God’s power. There isn’t anything that stumps God. God knows how to deal with anything and everything that comes into your life. God’s love can break all barriers, and bring you to that place where all sorrow flees.

            And on top of that, if you would take the time to share the love of God that you have received with others, that too will be the most profound experience of your life. Every time I have seen someone struggling with their self-esteem, or overwhelming problems, when they share God’s love with another, and help another, their sorrow flees, and they catch a glimpse of heaven.

Conclusion: Do you know how much God loves you? Do you really understand God’s love? I think the honest answer for us would have to be no. There is no real way to understand the depth of God’s love. This was the apostle Paul’s hope, as he said in Ephesians 3:17-18, “…. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

            The closest thing for me that helps me to grasp this concept, is the love I have for my children. I often asked them, “Do you know how much I love you.” And their answer is: “Yes. You love me to heaven and back.” But they really can’t know what I feel for them.

            We really can’t know what God feels for us. But knowing that it is greater than my love for my children, then I know that it is incredible. And that is why God chose to come into this world, wrapped in human skin, and live among us. That is why God chose to leave heaven, and dwell on earth. That is why God so desires for us to love others. Because He loves us!

            What is Christmas all about? It is about understanding the love of God, and finding ways to reach beyond ourselves to love those around us. Not just those we like; not just those we feel comfortable with; but sharing love whenever we have the chance.           

May the love of God touch you today, and change your world,

so that you can change the world around you! Amen.

"Rest on Him"
Isaiah 11:1-10
Sunday, December 9, 2012

Introduction: This morning is the Advent Sunday of “joy.” Whenever I think of this word, I can’t help but think about how so many people think that ‘joy’ and ‘happiness’ are synonyms. But they don’t mean the same thing. As I’ve said before: happiness comes from the good experiences in our life; while joy can be experienced in the good and the bad because it is based on the fact that God walks with us in all things. As Romans 8:28 says: “We know that all things work together for God for those who love God…”

            So the challenge in life is how can we experience joy “in all things”? If someone doesn’t have a job, where is the joy in that? If a family member is sick, where is the joy in that? Maybe someone is dealing with a lack of motivation in life, where is the joy in that?

            This morning I want to talk about how we can experience joy by simply resting on God!!!

I.                   The Spirit Shall Rest on Him- (Isaiah 11:2)

We all have days, even weeks, when things seem chaotic. I had a week like

that not too long ago. What made this week chaotic was the fact that I had a very busy schedule. I had lunch appointments, Presbytery meeting, Bruce Kunkel’s memorial and gravesite, along with doing errands with Tami on my day off, and decorating for Christmas with my family. My schedule was terribly busy.

            You have probably had weeks like this where your schedule is so busy, you just want the days to pass by so that you can get the week over! It is all that you can do to just make it through each day, exhausted at the end of the day, and then a few hours of sleep until the next day hits you again.

            But, I want to tell you, that if you let yourself be fully present in the moment of each day, then you will experience “joy” from the Lord, because His Spirit is resting upon you and helping you to do all that you have to do. As Isaiah 11:2 tells us: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

a.      Spirit of wisdom and understanding- Often when our schedules get busy,

we forget to let the experiences touch us, and as I said before, we try to just get through the day. But as I let the Lord rest on me, I began to have understanding of each event. I was able to enjoy the people with whom I met. I was able to be present for the Kunkel family in their time of loss. I was blessed in and through my job because I knew that God used me to bless others. The time I was with my family was wonderful. Even the errands were enjoyable because I was doing them with Tami. You see, when you let God’s Spirit rest on you, His Spirit helps you to understand what you are doing, understand what you are going through, and you receive joy in each experience instead of missing out on what God has for you!!!

b.      Spirit of counsel and might- Along with that, when the Spirit of God rests

on us, we receive counsel and might. Don’t ever think that you have to know it all, or that you have to survive on your own strength. If you try to go that route, you will simply get frustrated and burnt out. The counsel of the Lord is there for you at all times.  EX. I know there have been times when I am sitting at home with Tami at home, and I lean my head back and close my eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asks. “I’m just frustrated,” I respond, “and I need to let God speak to me.”/ And you know what? God gives me insight in these times and fills me with the power of His Spirit. God takes away my frustration and gives me joy!

c.       Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord- But Isaiah 11:2 tells us one

more thing, and that is when we let God’s Spirit rest on us we will have knowledge and fear of the Lord. Knowledge is important because it allows us to have perspective on what we are going through. God gives us the insight to understand that whatever trial we are going through won’t last forever, or that this struggle is helping us to grow, or this hurt is helping to draw us closer to God.

            This insight that God gives to us also helps us to understand that we need to respect God and His ways, and that the road we should travel is the one God sets before us.

But there is also the issue of fear. The fear that Isaiah is talking about is not

the fear of not wanting to be in someone’s presence. It is more like “respect.” We are called to have the utmost respect for God, so much so that we don’t want to let God down. We want to live our lives in the best way possible so that we might bring glory and honor to God. When we live in this way, we experience joy, because we know we are living the best life we can live. We can also know that God will bless us in all that we do for Him.

II.                He Delights In What Is Right- (Isaiah 11:3)

a.      Delight in the right- Ex. “The Rich Variety of People,” Illus. Unl., p.

55, #6. People are different in the motivation they need:

            Some are like wheels—they don’t work unless they are pushed.

            Some are like trailers—they have to be pulled.

            Some are like kites—they are always up in the air, and if you don’t keep a string on them they will fly away.

            Some are like balloons—always puffed up and you never know when they are going to blow up.

            Some are like good watches—pure gold, open faced, always on time, dependable, and just full of good works.

So often in life we have to be pushed, prodded, lifted up, encouraged, to

do what is right. We are constantly faced with the temptation to do wrong. Whether it is cheating on our taxes, not putting forth our full effort, not following through on commitments, gossiping about others, and so on, we live in a world where we are challenged, sometimes even encouraged to do the wrong!

            But doing the wrong will never bring you joy, because what it does is separates you from God. And in this separation, you have lost the one thing that brings you joy; God’s presence. So to counter-act against the temptations of the world, you need to put 2 things in your life: First, God’s Spirit and second, good Christian friends who help to push, prod, lift up and encourage you to do what is right. The Spirit of God will give you the delight to do what is right, and your friends will remind you of that right path on which you are to keep.

b.      Don’t judge by what you see- Another aspect of life that will keep you

from experiencing joy is having a judgmental attitude. Illus. “The Pope Has Arthritis,” Amusing Grace, #777. A parishioner once asked a priest about the cause of arthritis. The priest responded: “What causes arthritis? Immoral living, that’s what causes it. Smoking! Drinking! Running around! And why do you ask?” To which the parishioner said: “I just read in the paper that the pope has arthritis.”

It’s easy for us to judge others. And often times when we judge, we

don’t even have all the facts, or we are judging wrongly. Contrary to popular thinking, judging others doesn’t make you feel better ; judging others doesn’t help in your inter-personal relationships; judging others won’t draw you closer to God; and judging others won’t bring you joy.

            In speaking of the coming Messiah, Isaiah 11:3 says- “….He shall not judge   

                                                by what His eyes see, or decide by what His ears hear.”

            I’m glad that God overlooks what He sees and hears in His judging of me, but looks to the intentions of my heart! I’m thankful that Jesus judges me through the veil of His blood, shed on the cross. I’m happy that God’s forgiveness comes to me, by His grace, even though I don’t deserve it. And I know that the joy God wants to give me comes more freely when I choose not to judge others.

III.             Righteousness and Faithfulness Support Him- (Psalm 37:4; Isaiah 11:5)

The prophet Isaiah also reminds us of how the Messiah is righteousness and faithful.

a.      Righteousness- Now the easy definition of righteousness is “doing

what is right.” But it goes beyond this, because we know that we can’t always do what is right. Righteousness is really “desiring to do what is right.” As the psalmist tells us in Psalm 37:4- “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” If you really want to know joy, then start to delight in what delights God; delight in doing what is right.

             I challenge you to try this in your life, and see if it isn’t true. Start to delight in the things God delights in. Now to do this of course, you have to study up some, which means you’ll have to open your Bible and read. But when you do, you will discover that God delights in things like: caring for those who are struggling; making sure that the ministry of God is supported by people’s time and money; loving others unconditionally; accepting people for who they are and where they are, but loving them too much to let them stay in their sin; being truthful and helpful, and giving, and compassionate. Thinking about the needs of others and not just your own needs.

            In time you will find that what God desires, starts to become what you desire. And then God will give you the desires of your heart. And in having your desires fulfilled, you will receive great joy.

b.      Faithfulness- Illus. “The Old Man and the Tree,” Stories for the

Journey, p. 37. There is a story of an emperor who was riding toward Tiberias when he saw an old man digging in the earth to plant trees. The shouted out: “Old man, surely you don’t expect to eat the fruit of the trees you are planting.” The old man answered: “I have not given up that hope. While I have strength I will do my duty.” “How old are you?” the emperor asked. “I am 100 years old,” he answered. “God who granted me longevity, may even allow me to eat of the fruit of these trees. But even if He doesn’t, the planting of these trees is imitating God’s act of creation when he ordered us to bring forth fruit-bearing trees.”             Several years later when the trees produced fruit, the old man loaded a basked full of figs and made his way to the king’s palace. After some persistence he was granted an audience with the king. He said to the king: “I am the old man you saw planting fruit trees several years ago. I have brought a basket full of figs for you from those trees.” The king accepted this gift with pleasure and ordered the basket to be filled with coins. Then he said to the old man: “Go home, good friend, and continue to participate with almighty God in the act of creation.”

The importance of faithfulness is that we believe even when we can’t see the

answers. We are faithful when we keep following God, even when we don’t feel like we have the strength. Our faithfulness leads us to keep doing what God would have us to do, even when we don’t feel like it is doing any good. And if we are fortunate, God will allow us to see the fruit of our labors, and God will show us the bounty of His crops. But regardless of whether He does or not, we stay faithful to the call God gives to us!

            Righteousness and faithfulness are like the belt around our waist, giving us the support that keeps us going and standing strong.

Conclusion: If you have come here today not experiencing the joy of the Lord in your life, I encourage you to listen well to these words: joy comes from allowing God to be fully present in your life. If you desire to continually experience the joy of the Lord, follow this example: let the Spirit of God rest on you and give you wisdom, strength, guidance and understanding; delight in those things which bring delight to God; and let righteousness and faithfulness be strong attributes in your life. Then you will experience what the prophet Isaiah says at the end of the tenth verse of chapter 11- “….His dwelling shall be glorious.” When the joy of the Lord is with us, wherever we may dwell and whatever we are doing will be glorious, because the Lord will be alive and active.

Let us give thanks to God for the joy He imparts to us. Amen.