WEBVTT 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:14.240 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:16.519 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.699 --> 00:00:19.739 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:22.920 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:27.140 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:31.000 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:35.759 by this week's sermon. We're in our Advent series, 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:40.219 our third Sunday of Advent. In our first Sunday 00:00:40.219 --> 00:00:43.140 of Advent, Pastor Pablo led us through a study 00:00:43.140 --> 00:00:46.799 of hope, looking back at the prophecies that 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:50.340 God fulfilled in Jesus. And by seeing God's faithfulness, 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:53.159 our faith is built. We take that faith and we 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:56.859 turn it forward to the promises yet to come. 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:02.539 And Advent is about waiting for that. Last week, 00:01:02.579 --> 00:01:05.900 Nelson talked to us about peace. a peace that 00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:10.299 was a big contrast to the shallow peace enforced 00:01:10.299 --> 00:01:13.500 by swords and spears for the benefit of those 00:01:13.500 --> 00:01:17.579 who were rich enough or influential enough and 00:01:17.579 --> 00:01:20.260 contrasted that with the peace of God that was 00:01:20.260 --> 00:01:24.299 brought for all that would turn to him. And this 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:31.000 week we look at joy. So as we look again at the 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:34.709 Christmas story, Yes, the same story we looked 00:01:34.709 --> 00:01:38.010 at last week, but a new angle on the shepherds 00:01:38.010 --> 00:01:41.370 and the angels. I want to paraphrase the angels' 00:01:41.489 --> 00:01:44.909 message and immediately make it applicational. 00:01:44.989 --> 00:01:49.890 So read this out loud with me. Good news to them 00:01:49.890 --> 00:01:55.810 is great joy for all. Wait for it. Now this scripture 00:01:55.810 --> 00:01:57.810 doesn't say wait for it, but it does say wait 00:01:57.810 --> 00:02:00.209 in other places. So I'm importing a little bit. 00:02:00.329 --> 00:02:02.489 But to help us remember this, get your hands 00:02:02.489 --> 00:02:05.709 ready, please. All right. Good news. Put it up 00:02:05.709 --> 00:02:08.509 here. Because back then they had no Twitter. 00:02:08.629 --> 00:02:13.969 You had to yell it. Good news to them. That's 00:02:13.969 --> 00:02:19.629 the shepherds. Is great joy for all. Now hold 00:02:19.629 --> 00:02:22.409 out your left hand. Scoop all the cookie dough 00:02:22.409 --> 00:02:24.849 out of that bowl. Don't leave one crumb. Lay 00:02:24.849 --> 00:02:29.009 it there in front for all. Try that from the 00:02:29.009 --> 00:02:35.349 beginning. Good news to them is great joy for 00:02:35.349 --> 00:02:41.229 all. Wait for it. All right. Now you're going 00:02:41.229 --> 00:02:43.349 to help me with the outline of the sermon. It 00:02:43.349 --> 00:02:45.990 sticks pretty close to this. Every time you hear 00:02:45.990 --> 00:02:50.509 me say, we've got great joy, I want you to ask, 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:53.659 How great is it? Let's practice. You ready? We've 00:02:53.659 --> 00:02:58.060 got great joy. Oh, the joy is coming. All right. 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:03.580 We've got good news. I didn't even have to tell 00:03:03.580 --> 00:03:06.900 you. You've caught on already. Wait for it. Don't 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:10.580 say anything. All right. But there is a question 00:03:10.580 --> 00:03:13.520 I want you to ask. What do we do while waiting? 00:03:18.939 --> 00:03:24.979 Friends, we have. Great joy. No, no, no. Come 00:03:24.979 --> 00:03:28.520 on. We're going to do this often. We've got great 00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:33.060 joy. We can tell how great it is by the word 00:03:33.060 --> 00:03:36.759 Luke gave us to describe the joy. The great in 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:40.560 Greek is the same name as a mall out in Bangna. 00:03:41.099 --> 00:03:43.280 No, I'm not going to say that. Seven or eight 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:49.960 kilometers down the road from my school. There's 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:53.900 a mall with over 400 ,000 square meters of construction 00:03:53.900 --> 00:03:58.199 space, over 12 ,000 parking spots, over 800 shops, 00:03:58.300 --> 00:04:04.060 including Ikea, Central, Big C Extra, a cineplex 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:08.620 with 15 theaters, a bowling alley, and don't 00:04:08.620 --> 00:04:13.719 forget the ice skating rink. And we call it... 00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:17.740 That's the root of the word... that Luke used 00:04:17.740 --> 00:04:21.980 to describe the joy. This is mega joy. Friends, 00:04:21.980 --> 00:04:30.399 we've got great joy. It's mega joy. And that's 00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:35.180 not all. When you read narratives, look for people 00:04:35.180 --> 00:04:38.240 in a place with a problem. Let's look at the 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:40.519 narrative and identify the people in place in 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:43.860 the problem. In the same region, there were some 00:04:43.860 --> 00:04:49.220 shepherds. staying out in the fields and keeping 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:54.019 watch over their flock by night. Now here's the 00:04:54.019 --> 00:04:57.180 people, shepherds. Now I don't think shepherds 00:04:57.180 --> 00:05:01.879 scare easily, right? Shepherds take care of naughty, 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:04.379 tame beasts that can be kind of stubborn and 00:05:04.379 --> 00:05:07.019 they can bite and kick. Shepherds also guard 00:05:07.019 --> 00:05:10.500 against nasty wild beasts. At that time, the 00:05:10.500 --> 00:05:14.339 lions and bears and hyenas and wolves were still 00:05:14.339 --> 00:05:17.600 there, and they like eating sheep. And wild boars 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:19.819 and venomous snakes, they don't like eating sheep, 00:05:19.860 --> 00:05:22.040 but they're still dangerous if you step on one 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:25.120 or surprise one. The shepherd's job was to guard 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:29.620 against all of these. Those are the characters. 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:32.779 Shepherds were not known for being scared. They 00:05:32.779 --> 00:05:37.139 were probably more known for being scarred. So 00:05:37.139 --> 00:05:39.060 when a shepherd comes and tells you they were 00:05:39.060 --> 00:05:41.779 scared witless by something that happened, I 00:05:41.779 --> 00:05:45.439 think they have our attention. And the setting, 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:49.439 they were out in the fields. Pastor Nelson last 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:52.160 week reminded us that the setting in ancient 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:55.680 stories is as much a part of the story that gives 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:59.040 us a way to understand it. So when we see that 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:02.279 they're in the field, and the field is the border 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:07.930 between the wild Empty darkness and the safe 00:06:07.930 --> 00:06:11.449 home life supporting place. And the field is 00:06:11.449 --> 00:06:14.550 right on the border. So imagine the shepherds, 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:21.269 safe, walled city of Bethlehem behind them. Danger 00:06:21.269 --> 00:06:23.370 and who knows what predator out there in the 00:06:23.370 --> 00:06:25.470 dark in front of them and the sheep with them. 00:06:26.509 --> 00:06:31.589 So what we have are tough guys. doing night shift 00:06:31.589 --> 00:06:39.449 guard duty on the edge of disaster. Right? And 00:06:39.449 --> 00:06:42.069 that's just the people in the place. How about 00:06:42.069 --> 00:06:46.110 the problem? And an angel of the Lord suddenly 00:06:46.110 --> 00:06:49.769 stood before them, and the glory of the Lord 00:06:49.769 --> 00:06:56.310 shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. 00:06:57.339 --> 00:07:00.120 Now notice the parallelism here. You've got the 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:03.199 angel of the Lord parallel to the glory of the 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:06.199 Lord. You have the verbs stood and shown parallel 00:07:06.199 --> 00:07:08.480 to each other and then prepositional phrases 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:11.560 about the shepherds. The angel was before them. 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:16.600 The glory was around them. So we have people 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:19.720 in a place with a problem. Tough guys working 00:07:19.720 --> 00:07:24.040 night shift guard duty on the edge of danger 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:28.629 and disorder. And suddenly, have you had this 00:07:28.629 --> 00:07:33.069 situation where you think you're alone and you 00:07:33.069 --> 00:07:35.610 turn around and someone's there? My wife and 00:07:35.610 --> 00:07:37.949 I do this to each other too often, especially 00:07:37.949 --> 00:07:40.790 for this 55 -year -old heart. When we're down 00:07:40.790 --> 00:07:43.529 in the kitchen and our stairs are so solid, you 00:07:43.529 --> 00:07:46.410 usually cannot hear someone coming down the stairs. 00:07:46.569 --> 00:07:48.470 So I'll be doing something in the kitchen, I'll 00:07:48.470 --> 00:07:51.250 turn around and she's there, right? Well, it's 00:07:51.250 --> 00:07:53.550 worse for the shepherds because the angel that 00:07:53.550 --> 00:07:56.610 was suddenly there wasn't even human. Right? 00:07:57.129 --> 00:07:59.970 So we've got tough guys doing night shift guard 00:07:59.970 --> 00:08:02.389 duty on the edge of disaster and there's an alien 00:08:02.389 --> 00:08:05.670 in front of them. What have we got going on? 00:08:05.810 --> 00:08:09.529 We have multiple causes for one mega effect. 00:08:12.550 --> 00:08:15.870 See, there's a contrast here. This mega is also 00:08:15.870 --> 00:08:18.730 right there in the word terribly. They were not 00:08:18.730 --> 00:08:21.930 just... mega joy that we'll get to later they 00:08:21.930 --> 00:08:29.790 were mega scared so if luke used the same word 00:08:29.790 --> 00:08:34.570 then the fear was equal to the joy right that's 00:08:34.570 --> 00:08:36.830 a suggestive interpretation but let's check the 00:08:36.830 --> 00:08:39.590 text see if our interpretation fits the story 00:08:39.590 --> 00:08:44.409 if we continue to read we see the angel said 00:08:44.409 --> 00:08:48.799 to them read it with me You almost get bored 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:50.980 with that line, right? Because angels are always 00:08:50.980 --> 00:08:54.240 saying that, so we overlook it. Do not be afraid. 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:58.019 But that tells us the fear, though natural and 00:08:58.019 --> 00:09:01.399 appropriate, was temporary and not God's intention. 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:05.820 And though this appearance and news came to a 00:09:05.820 --> 00:09:10.879 few shepherds, the news was for all people. So 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:13.820 checking our suggested interpretation of... The 00:09:13.820 --> 00:09:16.000 fear equal to the joy? Putting it back in the 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:19.019 text? No, we've got to modify. This is a joy 00:09:19.019 --> 00:09:26.259 much bigger than the fear. We have great joy. 00:09:28.139 --> 00:09:32.279 There we go. It is bigger than fear, mega joy. 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:39.330 And that's not all. We can also tell how... Great 00:09:39.330 --> 00:09:43.090 the joy is by looking at whom the joy is for. 00:09:44.649 --> 00:09:48.370 The angel said to them, do not be afraid. For 00:09:48.370 --> 00:09:51.549 behold, that means pay attention, people. Sorry, 00:09:51.669 --> 00:09:55.529 that's my teacher voice. I bring you good news 00:09:55.529 --> 00:10:00.250 of great joy, which will be for all people. You 00:10:00.250 --> 00:10:05.740 got it. Show me the all. The all. Now, Pastor 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:08.299 Nelson reminded us last week that peace on earth, 00:10:08.419 --> 00:10:11.220 it's big enough for all, and they're all invited, 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:13.519 but we have to respond if we're going to experience 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:16.539 it. And the same is true of the joy. There's 00:10:16.539 --> 00:10:21.360 enough joy for everybody, and everybody is invited, 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:26.259 but we have to respond to the good news. Certainly, 00:10:26.340 --> 00:10:32.450 we have to respond. talks about this in hints 00:10:32.450 --> 00:10:35.269 throughout his book. Mary sang a song earlier 00:10:35.269 --> 00:10:38.549 in Luke chapter 1 when she said, all generations 00:10:38.549 --> 00:10:41.649 will call me blessed. There's a hint that this 00:10:41.649 --> 00:10:45.269 is a big awe. In Simeon, about 40 days after 00:10:45.269 --> 00:10:48.509 Jesus' birth, Simeon gave a prophecy and said, 00:10:48.549 --> 00:10:52.129 this child will be a light of revelation for 00:10:52.129 --> 00:10:58.210 the Gentiles. That's more than a few Jewish shepherds. 00:10:58.210 --> 00:11:01.330 That's more than just the Jewish nation. In fact, 00:11:01.370 --> 00:11:03.889 Luke's version of the Great Commission, at the 00:11:03.889 --> 00:11:07.330 end of the book, he says, Repentance and forgiveness 00:11:07.330 --> 00:11:12.929 will be proclaimed to all the nations. Friends, 00:11:13.049 --> 00:11:18.950 we've got great joy. Not acceptable. We've got 00:11:18.950 --> 00:11:22.490 great joy. Amazing. Thank you. Give me some energy. 00:11:22.629 --> 00:11:26.610 We've got in all nations, bigger than fear, mega 00:11:26.610 --> 00:11:31.409 joy. And that's not all. We can also tell how 00:11:31.409 --> 00:11:34.950 great the joy is by the wordplay. See, ancient 00:11:34.950 --> 00:11:37.889 readers didn't doom scroll on their glowing rectangles 00:11:37.889 --> 00:11:41.470 to pass the time. They played with words. They 00:11:41.470 --> 00:11:44.470 sang songs. They told riddles. They told stories. 00:11:44.649 --> 00:11:47.330 And in the songs and the riddles and the stories, 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:50.580 they were listening for words that might be used 00:11:50.580 --> 00:11:53.059 two different ways. Or they were listening for 00:11:53.059 --> 00:11:56.279 words that might skip from story to story to 00:11:56.279 --> 00:11:59.019 story on purpose, and they would look for connections. 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:03.879 So the Hebrew original, most of the Christians 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:07.440 at the early part of the first century were Hebrew 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:11.840 and Jewish, listening perhaps to Luke's Greek 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:14.720 gospel would put this together because this is 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:16.620 how they thought and this is how they played. 00:12:17.269 --> 00:12:19.830 Ancient readers would hear that Greek word joy, 00:12:20.230 --> 00:12:24.509 kara, and realize the story is happening to shepherds 00:12:24.509 --> 00:12:28.769 who had lambs, Hebrew kar. And they would put 00:12:28.769 --> 00:12:32.429 it together. And they would say, oh, lambs. Yeah, 00:12:32.629 --> 00:12:34.870 joy. There's a connection. Have you ever seen 00:12:34.870 --> 00:12:38.629 lambs? Have you ever? Do the YouTube search, 00:12:38.830 --> 00:12:42.330 skipping goats or happy lambs, and it's so much 00:12:42.330 --> 00:12:44.649 better than this. But they would put it together. 00:12:44.809 --> 00:12:48.549 And is that just circumstance? Or was Luke connecting 00:12:48.549 --> 00:12:53.129 something? Because the last writing prophet, 00:12:53.549 --> 00:12:58.509 400 years before Jesus, in his last chapter, 00:12:58.610 --> 00:13:03.590 also seemed to be hitting this theme. Malachi. 00:13:04.330 --> 00:13:07.190 Last writing prophet. Chapter 4, his last chapter. 00:13:07.269 --> 00:13:13.230 He writes, Behold... Yes, thank you. Thank you. 00:13:13.309 --> 00:13:15.129 I was about to say, pay attention, but you're 00:13:15.129 --> 00:13:17.830 ahead of me. Good job. Behold, the day is coming. 00:13:18.029 --> 00:13:20.450 Go ahead, read it with me. The day is coming, 00:13:20.629 --> 00:13:24.590 burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant 00:13:24.590 --> 00:13:29.399 and every evil doer will be chaff. And the day 00:13:29.399 --> 00:13:32.799 that is coming will set them ablaze. This is 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:35.879 not joyful so far. Chaff is after you clean the 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:38.179 grain and you got the stuff you can't eat left 00:13:38.179 --> 00:13:41.299 over. You just burn it. It's not useful, right? 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:45.259 Malachi goes on after talking about judgment 00:13:45.259 --> 00:13:48.860 on the evildoers. By contrast, I'll read for 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:54.100 you. But for you who fear my name, the sun of 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:56.840 righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:01.279 And you will go forth, here it is, and skip about 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:06.740 like calves from the stall. Friends, this joy 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:12.659 is a dance party. Okay? It's a dance party on 00:14:12.659 --> 00:14:16.940 the ashes of all the bullies who tried to make 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:19.580 the world after their own image and took advantage 00:14:19.580 --> 00:14:22.200 of everybody else to fill their own pockets. 00:14:24.009 --> 00:14:29.009 It's a dance party because the end of the world 00:14:29.009 --> 00:14:35.049 when Jesus says, that's enough. There's only 00:14:35.049 --> 00:14:37.450 two ends for the bullies. Either they repent 00:14:37.450 --> 00:14:41.669 and join the party. Or their ashes are the confetti 00:14:41.669 --> 00:14:51.629 at the dance. Friends, we've got great joy. Dance 00:14:51.629 --> 00:14:55.850 party, all nations, bigger than fear, mega joy. 00:14:56.710 --> 00:15:00.169 Do you want it? Then you need to know the source. 00:15:01.090 --> 00:15:13.970 Because we have... That is... Yeah, we've got 00:15:13.970 --> 00:15:17.070 good news. How good is it? Try it again. We've 00:15:17.070 --> 00:15:21.620 got good news. Thank you for asking. You can 00:15:21.620 --> 00:15:24.559 tell how good it is by the word itself. Now, 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:26.679 not many of us can read Greek, and I use Greek 00:15:26.679 --> 00:15:30.440 tools to find out these things. But there's the 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:33.840 word in Greek, euangelizomai. But let me change 00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:36.340 each Greek letter to the English equivalent. 00:15:36.419 --> 00:15:40.059 Does it look familiar yet? Let me modernize it 00:15:40.059 --> 00:15:42.299 a little bit according to our pronunciation. 00:15:44.460 --> 00:15:50.879 This is the E in ECB. We are a good news people. 00:15:51.299 --> 00:15:55.779 Let's break it down. So it's two roots put together. 00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:00.159 You means good. The angelizomai is news. And 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:03.139 I love this about the gospel because the good 00:16:03.139 --> 00:16:08.059 news communicates both God's intention and information. 00:16:08.259 --> 00:16:14.200 And as human beings, we need both. God's intention 00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:18.539 toward us is to benefit us. It's good for us. 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:21.940 But there's information we need to know. And 00:16:21.940 --> 00:16:24.600 this strikes against our human tendency to divide 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:28.320 things and then take sides. Some of us in the 00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:31.940 Christian world, we really like the good part. 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:35.710 We love the warm fuzzies. We love inclusiveness. 00:16:36.049 --> 00:16:40.649 We love great worship services. We love the worship 00:16:40.649 --> 00:16:44.889 services that have us moving and jiving. The 00:16:44.889 --> 00:16:49.330 news, yeah, it's okay. And some of us go so far 00:16:49.330 --> 00:16:52.269 as we embrace the good and we question the news. 00:16:52.570 --> 00:16:56.710 I grew up in a denomination, a group of churches 00:16:56.710 --> 00:17:01.250 that was born out of a larger group that was 00:17:01.250 --> 00:17:04.750 really running for the good side. and shoving 00:17:04.750 --> 00:17:08.990 the news part away. And my group of churches 00:17:08.990 --> 00:17:11.250 said, no, we can't do that. This was way before 00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:13.910 I was born. I wasn't part of it as old as I am. 00:17:14.150 --> 00:17:17.170 They said, we can't do that. So they separated 00:17:17.170 --> 00:17:19.609 out and formed their new group. The problem with 00:17:19.609 --> 00:17:23.369 the new group was, for some churches, is now 00:17:23.369 --> 00:17:25.670 that the fight was over, we couldn't stop fighting. 00:17:26.390 --> 00:17:30.150 We love the news so much, we weaponize it and 00:17:30.150 --> 00:17:34.920 forget that it's for good. And we cling so strongly 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:39.579 to every little detail of theology that is no 00:17:39.579 --> 00:17:43.359 longer good. But the good news doesn't allow 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:46.880 either extreme. And it never says drop one. It 00:17:46.880 --> 00:17:49.759 says get them both up there. We need the good 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:52.640 and we need good theology. We need God's intentions 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:57.740 and we need to understand him. So God's announcement 00:17:57.740 --> 00:18:01.210 of victory, that's what this word is. Challenges 00:18:01.210 --> 00:18:05.650 both the feel -gooders and the do -gooders. It 00:18:05.650 --> 00:18:08.490 challenges those that take the fun out of fundamentalism. 00:18:09.009 --> 00:18:11.630 It challenges the I -just -love -a -good -time 00:18:11.630 --> 00:18:15.769 people. And it reaches for the feelings and the 00:18:15.769 --> 00:18:21.309 thoughts. The evangel appeals to heart and head. 00:18:22.049 --> 00:18:24.529 Jesus said, love the Lord your God with all your 00:18:24.529 --> 00:18:26.890 mind, all your soul, all your strength, because 00:18:26.890 --> 00:18:29.690 he was intent on redeeming all your mind, all 00:18:29.690 --> 00:18:33.420 your soul. All your strength. We've got good 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:40.579 news. It's holistic. It reaches for the whole 00:18:40.579 --> 00:18:43.460 person. And whichever part appeals to you, run 00:18:43.460 --> 00:18:45.180 with it, but know you're going to have to grow 00:18:45.180 --> 00:18:49.619 on the other side too. That's not all. We can 00:18:49.619 --> 00:18:53.119 also tell how good the news is by contrasting 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:56.339 the setting of the story. Pastor Nelson told 00:18:56.339 --> 00:18:58.259 us last week about part of the setting. I'm going 00:18:58.259 --> 00:19:01.359 to take us into another part. I talked again 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:04.579 already about the fields, the border of danger 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:09.000 and disorder. And it was nighttime darkness. 00:19:09.680 --> 00:19:13.279 The angel announced the good news to tough men 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:16.359 working night shift guard duty on the border 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:19.819 of disorder and danger. And that good news arrives 00:19:19.819 --> 00:19:29.009 during hardship. And danger. And Luke acknowledges 00:19:29.009 --> 00:19:31.329 the hardship. And here's the point I want to 00:19:31.329 --> 00:19:33.829 make. If you didn't hear last week's sermon, 00:19:33.890 --> 00:19:37.750 go back and listen to it. It's brilliant. Good 00:19:37.750 --> 00:19:43.789 news brings joy, not escapism. Hardship is real. 00:19:45.589 --> 00:19:48.670 Good news does not pretend everything is okay. 00:19:50.029 --> 00:19:53.440 There are some Sundays I come in. And I cannot 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:56.160 rouse myself to raise my voice with the worship 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:02.779 team. And I don't even want to look up. Good 00:20:02.779 --> 00:20:05.640 news acknowledges suffering but insists it's 00:20:05.640 --> 00:20:09.839 temporary. So God's good news empowers us to 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:15.819 endure hardship. And God accepts worship with 00:20:15.819 --> 00:20:19.960 tears just as much as he accepts the happy clapping. 00:20:21.589 --> 00:20:24.829 Worship with tears is called lament. And there's 00:20:24.829 --> 00:20:28.809 a lot more lament psalms in the Bible than there 00:20:28.809 --> 00:20:33.289 are tearful songs in our songbooks. We could 00:20:33.289 --> 00:20:36.849 learn from that. We can endure just like Jesus. 00:20:37.130 --> 00:20:42.509 Hebrews says Jesus, for the joy before him, this 00:20:42.509 --> 00:20:44.009 is actually part of one of the songs we just 00:20:44.009 --> 00:20:47.690 sang, for the joy before him endured the cross. 00:20:47.809 --> 00:20:50.470 You know what that means? The cross did not feel 00:20:50.470 --> 00:20:55.170 good. The Father did not ask Jesus to enjoy the 00:20:55.170 --> 00:20:58.210 cross, and Jesus did not enjoy the cross. But 00:20:58.210 --> 00:21:01.329 he saw the joy on the other side, and that got 00:21:01.329 --> 00:21:06.250 him through. That's our model. Good news, people. 00:21:08.829 --> 00:21:14.410 Oh, thank you. We are good news people when God 00:21:14.410 --> 00:21:17.269 heals, and we are good news people when he lets 00:21:17.269 --> 00:21:20.730 disease take a life. We are good news people 00:21:20.730 --> 00:21:23.970 when God lifts someone out of poverty, and we 00:21:23.970 --> 00:21:31.509 are good news people when God lets us lose. The 00:21:31.509 --> 00:21:34.069 good news is also honest, not just about outside 00:21:34.069 --> 00:21:36.890 circumstances, but our internal darkness, that 00:21:36.890 --> 00:21:41.569 we need a Savior. Friends, we've got good news. 00:21:43.789 --> 00:21:49.339 It's holistic, honest, and hopeful. Good news. 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:54.000 And that's not all. We can also tell how good 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:57.779 it is by analyzing the news. I took like a middle 00:21:57.779 --> 00:22:01.059 school elective in journalism. And we were taught, 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:03.539 if you're going to report the news, you ask the 00:22:03.539 --> 00:22:05.900 question words. Who, what, when, where, why, 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:09.640 how. So let's go back to the angel's summary 00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:14.039 of the news and look for those questions. Let's 00:22:14.039 --> 00:22:17.359 mark it. Let's see. Wavy line for when. Any words 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:22.779 about when? For today. All right. I don't see 00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:25.339 any more when. Any where. Let's do a jagged line 00:22:25.339 --> 00:22:30.359 for where. Okay, we got the where. Any what. 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:34.640 That includes action. Born is the action. There's 00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:49.779 our what. Who. Don't skip the obvious. What's 00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:53.039 the emphasis of the news here? Which question 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:58.279 word gets the most text? Who? And this is good 00:22:58.279 --> 00:23:02.500 news that the good news is who before it's a 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:05.500 what. There are events we need to know. There's 00:23:05.500 --> 00:23:08.160 information, but it starts with the person, and 00:23:08.160 --> 00:23:10.680 this person needs to come front and center because 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:15.140 the good news is not first. Not first and foremost 00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:18.140 an outline to memorize. It's not first and foremost 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:21.599 a quest to fulfill. And it's not first and foremost 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:25.519 a checklist to achieve. The good news is first 00:23:25.519 --> 00:23:28.960 and foremost about a Savior to rescue, a Christ 00:23:28.960 --> 00:23:32.359 to fulfill promises, and a Lord to command. Let's 00:23:32.359 --> 00:23:34.940 rewind a little bit. The good news is not an 00:23:34.940 --> 00:23:38.220 outline to memorize. And that disappoints us 00:23:38.220 --> 00:23:42.400 smart people. Because we get our joy by comparing 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:44.599 ourselves to others that we think are not so 00:23:44.599 --> 00:23:49.279 smart. But that's not good news. The good news 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:51.700 is not a quest to fulfill. And that disappoints 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:58.700 the brave people. Because they like to get their 00:23:58.700 --> 00:24:01.460 joy from comparing themselves to people who are 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:04.240 less brave or less strong. But that's not good 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:08.519 news. The good news is not a checklist to achieve. 00:24:09.099 --> 00:24:11.480 And that disappoints us administrative, orderly, 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:13.700 self -disciplined people who look down on the 00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:15.640 rest of you that are not as orderly. What's the 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:18.960 matter with you? That's not good news. Because 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:21.339 the good news is not about what you do. It's 00:24:21.339 --> 00:24:25.380 what about God has done for us and about who 00:24:25.380 --> 00:24:29.799 he sent to do it. Can I hear an amen? All right. 00:24:30.279 --> 00:24:34.640 It's about who he sent to act on our behalf. 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:38.059 That is the good news. So we can stop running 00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:41.380 mental Olympic words in our heads and giving 00:24:41.380 --> 00:24:44.160 ourselves medals for being smarter or healthier 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:47.259 or richer or more influential. Those medals are 00:24:47.259 --> 00:24:49.619 going to become chains and balls that drag us 00:24:49.619 --> 00:24:52.799 towards hell. It's time we turn to the good news 00:24:52.799 --> 00:25:00.079 of what he has done, and that's Jesus. We got 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:04.559 good news. Thanks for asking. It's holistic, 00:25:04.660 --> 00:25:10.200 honest and hopeful. Who before what? News. And 00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:13.960 that's not all. We can tell how good news, how 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:17.980 good the good news is by how the ancient Romans 00:25:17.980 --> 00:25:26.039 and Greeks used the word. Maybe this is Caesar 00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:31.119 Augustus in marble. Euangelizomai, good news. 00:25:31.220 --> 00:25:33.700 They used this word before Christians showed 00:25:33.700 --> 00:25:37.440 up. Good news is what faithful Romans called 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:42.039 the emperor's birthday. Looking back, this man 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:46.460 is so great. Look what he's done. His birthday 00:25:46.460 --> 00:25:49.500 must be euangelizomai, good news. Good news is 00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:51.940 what the Romans called the emperor's victories. 00:25:52.180 --> 00:25:56.160 So when he won a battle, euangelizomai, good 00:25:56.160 --> 00:26:00.720 news. The Roman government promoted emperor worship. 00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:04.779 Maybe it looks something like this. They had 00:26:04.779 --> 00:26:09.940 choirs that sang the good news of the peace on 00:26:09.940 --> 00:26:12.240 earth that the emperor brought. Is this sounding 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:16.720 familiar? By the way, I have not used this word 00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:19.440 yet, but an older English word for good news 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:23.720 is gospel. which means gospel choirs were sung, 00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:26.640 were done by the Roman Empire before Christians 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:29.640 came along and redeemed it and started seeing 00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:34.519 the good news the way it should be sung. The 00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:39.839 emperor was even greeted and referred to as Savior 00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:46.980 and Lord. They would greet each other, Caesar 00:26:46.980 --> 00:26:52.599 is Lord. So when suddenly there appeared with 00:26:52.599 --> 00:26:55.299 the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising 00:26:55.299 --> 00:26:57.980 God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, 00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:01.259 and on earth peace among men with whom he is 00:27:01.259 --> 00:27:04.200 pleased. With these words the angel army mocked 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:08.059 and challenged the Roman Empire. Instead of glory 00:27:08.059 --> 00:27:12.339 to Caesar, glory to God. Instead of on the earth, 00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:14.579 in the highest. Caesar, you can't touch this. 00:27:15.579 --> 00:27:18.519 And Luke was a bold man for putting this in writing. 00:27:21.870 --> 00:27:25.789 Loyalists to the emperor would probably growl 00:27:25.789 --> 00:27:29.869 like mad dogs reading this kind of thing and 00:27:29.869 --> 00:27:33.109 perhaps respond in violence. But boldness is 00:27:33.109 --> 00:27:37.170 what the good news does to us because Jesus said, 00:27:37.289 --> 00:27:41.119 do not fear those who can kill the body. And 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:43.299 later Christians would have to paraphrase that 00:27:43.299 --> 00:27:45.920 for the persecution right in front of them. They 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:48.059 may have to paraphrase Jesus' words and say, 00:27:48.160 --> 00:27:50.940 do not fear those that can set your body on fire 00:27:50.940 --> 00:27:53.720 and hang it on a pole in a garden for entertainment. 00:27:54.579 --> 00:27:59.240 Because that's what Emperor Nero did. And Christians 00:27:59.240 --> 00:28:01.240 would have to paraphrase it to themselves, do 00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:05.019 not fear having your body fed to beasts to entertain 00:28:05.019 --> 00:28:08.619 a mob in an arena. Because that's what emperors 00:28:08.619 --> 00:28:12.890 did. There's one thing, though, that bullies, 00:28:12.890 --> 00:28:16.369 like Caesar Augustus and the other Caesars, there's 00:28:16.369 --> 00:28:18.869 one thing that bullies like that are afraid of, 00:28:18.990 --> 00:28:21.650 and that's people that are not afraid of them. 00:28:22.529 --> 00:28:25.410 And that's what the good news does. It fills 00:28:25.410 --> 00:28:28.789 the heart so when God's enemy says, shut up, 00:28:28.789 --> 00:28:34.029 we don't back down. Friends, we've got good news. 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:38.960 It is holistic, honest, and hopeful, who before 00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:43.880 what, empire -shaking news. And that's why some 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:47.079 governments hate Christians because they perceive 00:28:47.079 --> 00:28:50.059 the threat. Not that we're going to militarily 00:28:50.059 --> 00:28:54.220 take over, but that our good news makes us not 00:28:54.220 --> 00:29:02.339 afraid. With me, it's news that changes everything, 00:29:02.700 --> 00:29:18.980 starting with your hearts. Say it. Yeah, wait 00:29:18.980 --> 00:29:23.009 for it. What do we do while waiting? The full 00:29:23.009 --> 00:29:26.769 joy is not here yet. We get an appetizer of the 00:29:26.769 --> 00:29:29.470 mega joy to come in the birth story of Jesus. 00:29:29.670 --> 00:29:33.009 We get instructions for mega joy in Jesus' teaching. 00:29:33.250 --> 00:29:36.410 We get a path opened into mega joy by Jesus' 00:29:36.589 --> 00:29:39.990 crucifixion. We get mega joy guaranteed by Jesus' 00:29:40.210 --> 00:29:44.190 resurrection. And we get the experience of complete 00:29:44.190 --> 00:29:48.210 joy when Jesus comes back. But what do we do 00:29:48.210 --> 00:29:51.539 while waiting? Like the shepherds who lived in 00:29:51.539 --> 00:29:54.359 darkness on the border of danger, guarding against 00:29:54.359 --> 00:29:56.519 threats, I recommend following their example. 00:29:57.940 --> 00:30:00.400 When the angels had gone away from them into 00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:02.799 heaven, what did the shepherds do? They began 00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:06.420 talking to each other. And it doesn't say here 00:30:06.420 --> 00:30:09.079 because no Bible writer probably puts everything 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:11.460 that's said into the text. That would make the 00:30:11.460 --> 00:30:14.900 book too big. But I'm guessing when the angel 00:30:14.900 --> 00:30:19.400 choir faded away, And they stopped shaking enough. 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:23.740 They looked at each other and said, did you see 00:30:23.740 --> 00:30:28.140 what I did? Okay, it's not just me. Did you hear? 00:30:28.220 --> 00:30:30.160 What did they say to you? Say, it's the same 00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:33.339 thing. Okay, I'm not crazy, right? We need to 00:30:33.339 --> 00:30:35.839 talk about the good news with those who have 00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:38.440 heard it so that we can learn from each other's 00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:42.730 experiences. Rejoicing in the good news is my 00:30:42.730 --> 00:30:45.130 recommendation. The word rejoice is not in the 00:30:45.130 --> 00:30:47.730 text, but other places in the Bible were commanded 00:30:47.730 --> 00:30:50.869 to rejoice. That used to always irritate me because 00:30:50.869 --> 00:30:53.309 I thought the Bible was commanding me to be happy 00:30:53.309 --> 00:30:56.190 and I cannot control my emotions that much to 00:30:56.190 --> 00:30:58.930 be happy on command. But after looking it over 00:30:58.930 --> 00:31:00.970 a bit, I realized that's not what the Bible is 00:31:00.970 --> 00:31:03.529 commanding. It's commanding you to rehearse. 00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:07.839 Your joy. Rejoice is rehearsing your joy. What 00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:10.519 are the reasons we have to be joyful? That may 00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:12.660 influence your emotions. You may get a taste 00:31:12.660 --> 00:31:15.180 of it. The toe may start tapping. But even if 00:31:15.180 --> 00:31:17.740 it doesn't, you're obeying command to rejoice. 00:31:18.440 --> 00:31:22.519 So we can rejoice in the good news simply when 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:25.720 we talk about it. And that's not all the shepherds 00:31:25.720 --> 00:31:28.880 modeled for us. So they came in a hurry and found 00:31:28.880 --> 00:31:31.619 their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby as 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:35.069 he lay in the manger. Friends, fact check it. 00:31:35.670 --> 00:31:38.369 Don't believe it just because I said it. Don't 00:31:38.369 --> 00:31:40.410 believe it just because Pastor Pablo, Pastor 00:31:40.410 --> 00:31:43.750 Phil, Nelson, or anybody else said it. Check 00:31:43.750 --> 00:31:48.869 it out. The angel said, here's a sign. Signs 00:31:48.869 --> 00:31:52.430 are announcers of this is it right here. Signs 00:31:52.430 --> 00:31:54.710 are the verifiers that this is not fake news. 00:31:54.809 --> 00:31:58.430 This is not a rumor. It really is true. It's 00:31:58.430 --> 00:32:01.609 evidence. pointing to the trustworthiness of 00:32:01.609 --> 00:32:05.190 the news. So, like the shepherds, let your feet 00:32:05.190 --> 00:32:08.670 feed your faith and ask, is this really true? 00:32:09.470 --> 00:32:11.890 Luke wrote his book for that very purpose. Read 00:32:11.890 --> 00:32:14.670 the first four verses of Luke sometimes and see 00:32:14.670 --> 00:32:19.269 that he says, I investigated and wrote it out 00:32:19.269 --> 00:32:22.190 so you would know the certainty. He researched. 00:32:22.710 --> 00:32:27.859 He interviewed. And he doesn't then expect us 00:32:27.859 --> 00:32:31.420 just to say, oh, okay, you said so. No. If we're 00:32:31.420 --> 00:32:33.559 going to rejoice in the good news, it is good 00:32:33.559 --> 00:32:36.420 and appropriate to talk about it and to fact 00:32:36.420 --> 00:32:42.619 check it. It's news. That's not all the shepherds 00:32:42.619 --> 00:32:45.900 modeled for us. When they had seen it, they made 00:32:45.900 --> 00:32:48.059 known the statement which had been told them 00:32:48.059 --> 00:32:52.160 about this child. And all who heard it wondered. 00:32:53.339 --> 00:32:57.119 At the things which were told them by the shepherds. 00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:03.359 But Mary treasured all these things. Pondering 00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:08.119 them in her heart. Tell others. Tell others who 00:33:08.119 --> 00:33:11.740 have not heard the news. Your experience of it. 00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:14.480 Don't try to memorize my sermon and regurgitate 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:16.940 it for somebody else. What's your experience 00:33:16.940 --> 00:33:19.279 of the good news? Do you remember the moment? 00:33:20.109 --> 00:33:23.890 You first understood it or who told you? Or maybe 00:33:23.890 --> 00:33:26.609 even a moment after you understood it when it 00:33:26.609 --> 00:33:30.009 got bigger in your heart? Share that with other 00:33:30.009 --> 00:33:34.430 people. How other people respond is their responsibility. 00:33:34.650 --> 00:33:38.250 Your responsibility is to share your experience 00:33:38.250 --> 00:33:42.230 of the good news. How do we rejoice in the good 00:33:42.230 --> 00:33:45.109 news? We talk about it. We fact check it. We 00:33:45.109 --> 00:33:48.609 tell others about it. And that's not all. One 00:33:48.609 --> 00:33:55.900 more. The shepherds went back, glorifying and 00:33:55.900 --> 00:33:59.859 praising God for all that they had seen and heard, 00:33:59.940 --> 00:34:03.660 just as had been told them. Glorify and praise 00:34:03.660 --> 00:34:07.799 God that you heard the truth, that you got the 00:34:07.799 --> 00:34:10.760 news, that what you heard passed the test of 00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:13.440 investigation, that what you shared with others 00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:16.179 might change them too. And just like the angel 00:34:16.179 --> 00:34:20.539 army, Praise God by saying glory, the shepherds 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:24.460 return glorifying and praising God. Nice symmetry 00:34:24.460 --> 00:34:29.820 bookends there on the story. So how do we, what 00:34:29.820 --> 00:34:33.300 do we do while waiting? We rejoice in the good 00:34:33.300 --> 00:34:36.780 news. We talk about it. We fact check it. We 00:34:36.780 --> 00:34:39.900 tell others about it. We praise and glorify God 00:34:39.900 --> 00:34:50.039 for it. One more time. Good news. To them, joy. 00:34:51.260 --> 00:34:56.179 For all, wait for it. And that's what we're doing 00:34:56.179 --> 00:34:59.860 in this season of Advent. Reflecting on Jesus' 00:35:00.019 --> 00:35:02.820 first coming to build up our hearts and wait 00:35:02.820 --> 00:35:07.260 well for his second coming. I'm going to pray 00:35:07.260 --> 00:35:10.719 and then we will light our third candle for the 00:35:10.719 --> 00:35:17.000 Advent season. Father, thank you. We're waiting 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:20.780 for a Savior from heaven to bring us all the 00:35:20.780 --> 00:35:26.539 benefits of our heavenly citizenship. Oh, give 00:35:26.539 --> 00:35:30.980 us the strength to endure and enough joy now 00:35:30.980 --> 00:35:34.420 to get us through to the dance party to come. 00:35:34.539 --> 00:36:01.369 In Jesus' name, amen. If God is calling you to 00:36:01.369 --> 00:36:03.889 support our ministries, you will find giving 00:36:03.889 --> 00:36:07.710 options on our website. And remember to join 00:36:07.710 --> 00:36:09.769 us next week. God bless you.