Title: People who enjoy joy 2
Contents
♡♥♡ People who enjoy joy 2 / Luke 2:8-20
*** Introduction
There are many sad things and many happy things in the world. Not everyone is given only sorrow for the rest of their lives, nor is it just joy. There are times when everything goes well and prosper, and there are times when things do not go as planned and there are times when it is difficult and difficult. Ecclesiastes 7:14 tells the reason why things go well and things go wrong alternately. “Rejoice in prosperous days, and think in troubled days. God put these two things side by side, so that man could not fathom the future, so that he did not know it.” In other words, it was to keep people from becoming arrogant and to make them depend on God. That is why he said that the grace that God gives to those who depend on Him is joy and peace.
Today is the day to commemorate the coming of our Lord to this earth. The Lord's coming is to bring joy and peace to those who believe and depend on Him. John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. What I give to you is not as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” In 16:33, “I am giving this name to you, that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” In addition, John 16:22 says, “You are sad now, but when I see you again, your hearts will rejoice, and no one can take your joy away.” Verse 24 says, “Until now you have asked for nothing in my name; ask. Then you will receive, and your joy may be full.” That is why the Lord is the 'Prince of Peace'.
Therefore, the Lord is with those who have received Jesus Christ as their Savior and fully believe and rely on God's promises, and He will fill them with joy and peace and allow them to be enjoyed. I saw this last week through the Magi. In this time, let's find the way to enjoy the joy and peace of the Lord by examining the 'shepherds' in the text, 'Simeon' and the prophetess 'Anna', which are introduced next.
1. The way to enjoy the joy and peace of the Lord is in sincerity.
Among the numerous people in the Bible, the common denominator of those who have been used as precious vessels by God is ‘sincerity’. Let's take David as an example. ‘Saul’, who became the first king of Israel, was very humble. However, after becoming king, he did not obey God's word and followed his own self-interest. In the end, they were abandoned by God. God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse living in Bethlehem. Because he appointed a man from among the sons of Jesse who would become the second king of Israel.
Jesse had eight sons. The elders of Bethlehem, a small city visited by the prophet Samuel, welcomed them with trembling. Samuel invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice. When they arrived, he had Jesse pass his sons one by one in front of him. The eldest son, Eliab, passed by. Samuel thought that Eliab, who was tall and handsome, was the chosen one. Then God said, “Do not look at his appearance and height. I have already abandoned him. I do not look like men; man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” And the second, Abinadab, passed, and the third, Shammah, passed, and all seven of them passed by. But there was no one to whom God directed.
“Are the sons all?” asked Samuel. Jesse said, ‘I have the youngest, and he is tending sheep in the field.’ Samuel told him to bring him right away. Why did Jesse not bring David, the youngest, to the invitation? Perhaps he thought that David was not worthy of this position because he was young and pretty. As soon as David arrived, God said to Samuel, “This is this, get up and anoint him.” Young David was appointed and anointed as the second king of Israel. David was appointed as king by God and was anointed by the prophet Samuel when he was a young shepherd.
Why would God have chosen David, who was still young and had not reached his brothers in every way? Two of David's greatest characteristics are 'a bold faith that completely depends on God' and 'sincere in his work'. God said of David, 'I have never deviated from this faithful and God-fearing life except for Uriah the Hittite all my life.' 1 Kings 15:5. “For David did what was right in the sight of the Lord all his life, except that of Uriah the Hittite, and he did not disobey all the things that he commanded him.”
Then, what about the shepherds in the text? Why did you have to let the shepherds know about the birth of the Messiah? God also invited shepherds of low rank to the lowly birth of the Messiah. The Messiah, the Prince of Peace, who lay in the manger in the cage of the beasts, was worshiped by the shepherds who cared for them. As the savior of the beasts. This represents the future work of the Messiah. Moreover, these Bethlehem shepherds are descendants of David. Just as David feared and was faithful to God, these shepherds also had a sincere life that feared God enough to hear the gospel of God first.
But where do today's Christians find the Lord? Like the people of Israel at the first Christmas, we seek the Lord in a place of luxury. We seek the Lord in the place of power. If Jesus had been born at the first Christmas in a royal palace or in the house of a dignitary, he would have been greatly welcomed by all Israel. The reason they turned away from the Lord who had come as the Messiah was because Bethlehem, a humble little city, was born from a virgin body to a carpenter's son in a stable. In order to meet the Lord, we must descend to a lower level. And regardless of the hustle and bustle of the world, you have to be sincere in your work.
Simeon and Anna were like that. The Bible says of Simeon, “This man is a righteous and devout man who awaits the consolation of Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him.” And of Anna, who was a prophetess, he said, “This man did not leave the temple, but served by fasting and praying day and night.” Shepherds were outside guarding the sheep at night. In this way, the Lord gives joy and peace to those who work quietly and faithfully in their assigned positions while fearing God. Simeon embraces the baby Jesus and praises God, saying, “Lord, you are now releasing your servant in peace, just as you said.”
Today, in order to meet the Lord, to enjoy the joy and peace of the Lord, we must faithfully carry out our assigned tasks.
2. The way to joy and peace is obedience.
The shepherds were terrified by the angels who appeared in the middle of the night. The angels said, "I bring good tidings of great joy to all the people." The news is, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord.” The angels added that the sign of the Messiah's birth was "a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." God taught the shepherds not only the news of joy and peace, but also small ways to enjoy them.
After the angels left, the shepherds said, “Now go to Bethlehem and see what has been done, which the Lord has made known to us,” and immediately ran to Bethlehem. The shepherds ‘discovered, saw, and reported the news they heard’. This is sincere obedience.
How was Simeon? Verse 26 says, “He was instructed by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he saw the Christ of the Lord.” That is, Simeon was able to hold the baby Jesus because he believed and obeyed God's promise. And he delivered the word that was given to Mary by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It was “Jesus’ work and the suffering that was given to Mary because of Jesus.” Meanwhile, Prophet Anna W preached the gospel to all who were looking for the Messiah. Verse 38. “I spoke of this child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem,” he said.
Such sincere obedience is possible for those who hope for God and live in God. To live in God is to keep God's law. In John 15:10, Jesus says, “Just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love, so if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” In this way, those who live in God will overflow with joy and peace through Jesus.
What more can you say about obedience? Jesus' coming to this earth as a man was in itself obedience to God's will. Philippians 2:5-8. “Have this heart in you. the mind of Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God to be robbery, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human form, and being found in human form, humbled himself and humbled himself until death. He became obedient, that is, death on a cross.” If the Son Jesus obeyed the will of God the Father even to death, what should we do as followers of the Lord?
The Lord says This is John 12:26. “If anyone wants to serve me, follow me. Where I am, there will be those who serve me; and if anyone serves me, my Father will honor him.” The only way to serve the Lord is to follow Him. To follow is to follow the path the Lord has taken. The Lord came to a lowly place and went looking for the sick, the marginalized, and the abandoned. Can the disciples wear fancy clothes and sit in the seats of wealth and glory and follow the Lord?
A person cannot do several things at once. If you are caught up in distractions while doing something, you will not be able to handle it completely. A well-known and authoritative doctor on heart disease pointed out that “a number of thoughts can cause heart disease.” Furthermore, as one computer expert said, "No matter how highly developed a computer is, it cannot solve two problems at the same time." We humans cannot solve two or more problems at the same time.
In this sense, the Lord said in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” We cannot solve the world's wealth and glory and the life and glory of the eternal kingdom at the same time.
Today, the Christmas of the Lord, which we rejoice and celebrate, is by no means flashy. He came to a humble place that even his own people turned away from. This Lord has chosen and called us who are humble. First, let's thank God for calling us to the position of shepherds and wise men. And let us live a sincere life that completely obeys God's will in the seat of our calling, that is, in the seat of spiritual office and the seat of our physical life. So, I pray that the peace, joy and emotion of this Christmas will fill your life.