St. John’s Church on Morgan Hill

Blake Heffner December 17th, 2006

“Your Greatest Joy Is Still Ahead!” December 17, 2006

Texts: Isaiah 35 & 40 (sel.) Luke 1:46-55

INTRO: This morning we have great joys to celebrate!

* Yesterday, the Wilson Warriors football team won the state championship! This is likely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Let’s recognize the players in our midst this morning with a rousing cheer. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

* The brand-new pew cushions which surprised us this morning. They are a Christmas gift to St. John’s from an anonymous benefactor. Let’s take a moment to thank God and ask Him to consecrate them…

* And, this morning it has been our joy to welcome a new sister into God’s family through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Madison Grace Pagats is a precious child of God!

* Think of your fondest Christmas memory… Where were you, who was with you, what made it such a joyous experience?

This certainly is an exhilarating moment! And, you have likely enjoyed euphoric moments in times past! Without taking anything away from these memories, my claim this morning is that, without a doubt, “our greatest joys are still ahead of us!” This is not merely my claim; it is the Bible’s proclamation – from beginning to end: Because Jesus Christ has come into this world and he is coming again, there are unspeakable joys ahead for everyone who receives him and believes in him.

I. The Joy of Perfect Justice

The prophet Isaiah declared (in his ninth chapter): “for unto us a child is given, to us a son is born; and the government will be upon his shoulder… and he will establish justice and righteousness for evermore” (9:6-7). Mary was captivated by this very thought in her song. She interpreted the meaning of this child conceived by the Holy Spirit to be God’s instrument to establish justice: “[God] has stretched out his strong arm and scattered the proud… He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed.” In other words, the Messiah will turn everything around. “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be brought low. [What has been] crooked will be made straight; and the rough places in life will become smooth!”

Freely translated, everything that has been wrong will be made right one day. You and I both know that this side of heaven there are no guarantees that the good guys always win. It’s dog eat dog out there, and the poor are getting poorer while the rich are getting richer. In the last century alone, millions of innocent people have been victimized on the basis of their ethnicity or religion, and it is still happening.

Mary and the prophets declare that the King of kings will put an end to this. He will establish perfect justice, wherein everyone gets what they deserve.
Have you suffered injustice, have you been treated unfairly or rejected? This has not gone unnoticed by Almighty God. Your valley will be lifted up! The crooked places in your life will be made straight, because Jesus is coming again to finish what started in Bethlehem! “We shall overcome one day” (as the spiritual says), and on that day we will rejoice in perfect justice!

II. The Joy of Complete Illumination

Again, it was Isaiah who declared, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (9:2). He was not speaking about the star of Bethlehem. That was merely a sigh pointing to the child who is the true “Light of the World.”

We still live in that condition called “deep darkness.” Think about it. There is so much confusion; morally everything is gray these days. Secularism is rising around the world. People seem to have less and less conviction and more and more indifference to the things of God. Even among us who believe, there is so much we do not understand, so many questions without a clear solution. Are you with me? Can you personally sense this darkness and our need for illumination?

But, there will be a day, the Bible says, when everything that has been hidden will be revealed. When Jesus returns we shall realize the meaning of those prophetic words: “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Darkness shall cover the earth, [yes] thick darkness the peoples, but the Lord will arise upon you and his glory will be seen upon you… You shall see and be radiant. Your heart shall thrill and rejoice!” On that day you and I will have no more questions, no more doubts; we shall rejoice in complete illumination!

III. The Joy of Perfect Healing

This morning we read from Isaiah 35 that “the desert will rejoice and blossom… streams of water will flow in the dry wastelands.” Isaiah interprets this vision to mean that “the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will unstopped, the lame shall get up and leap like a deer, and the tongues of the dumb will sing for joy.” This was fulfilled, as you know, in the life and ministry of Jesus (see Matthew 11:2-6).

If you perhaps cannot identify with those who are victims of injustice, or those who live in deep darkness, you can certainly identify with the need for healing. We need healing on all levels – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Everyone of us has some area of life which is like a desert, where flowers do not blossom and things just don’t work as they should. Physically, the older we get, the more ailments we seem to have. They tend to discourage us. Spiritually, we can identify even more with the picture of blindness and deafness, lameness and the inability to speak. But, friends, it is precisely in these dry and barren areas where the Lord wants to bring rivers of living water and new life. The Holy Spirit’s present mission is to open our eyes and ears to the kingdom of God, to strengthen our weak legs and enable us to leap and dance for joy. This joy is possible today. And, the day is coming when we shall rejoice in perfect healing – for “when he appears, we shall be like Him!” (I John 3:2).

IV. The Joy of Salvation

There is another form of joy, which Jesus describes in Luke 15. In fact he does it three ways. It is the joy of a lost sheep being found by its shepherd, a lost coin being found by its owner, and a lost son returning home to his father. Each of these stories ends the same way, there is a great celebration for, as Jesus says, “There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents that over 99 who need no repentance.” This is called the joy of our salvation. Some of us are still living in that far away country. We even know where home is, we long for the comforts of home, but there is something that keeps us from making the trip. How about you? You know that Jesus came to seek and save the lost – but maybe you think: “Someday, some other time, I’ll get things straight with Jesus. I know he’ll wait for me.”

Yes, the Lord is very patient with us. But, the longer the prodigal son stayed away from home, the more love and joy he missed. When he finally came home he was treated royally. If you aren’t sure where you stand with Jesus, why not straighten things out right now? Just tell him that you are that lost sheep, that lost coin, that lost son, and you want to be rescued from your old ways. You are a sinner in need of a Savior, and you are craving the acceptance and forgiveness of your heavenly Father. This Christmas, why not ask Jesus to be born in your heart – or reborn. This is our ticket to the most ultimate joy, a joy that even the angels share. We will experience even “the desert singing and shouting for joy!”

Friends, are you one who has been wounded by injustice? Do you feel like you have been living in darkness? Are you searching for genuine and complete healing? Do you feel a sense of being lost and far away from home? Come, then to Jesus Christ – the Babe of Bethlehem, whom the angel declared will bring great joy to all the people!

Prayer: “O holy child of Bethlehem! Descend to us we pray; cast out our sin, and enter in; be born in us to day. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tiding tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.” Amen.

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