Overflowing Joy

Sunday, December 22, 2024

by Dr. Paul Chappell

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 Peter 1:6-8

In the late 1800s on a trip to the Holy Land, Pastor T. DeWitt Talmage visited Bethlehem on Christmas Eve where he preached a sermon he called “The Sky Anthem.” Talmage said, “The music that broke through the midnight heavens was not a dirge, but an anthem. It shook joy over the hills. It not only dropped upon the shepherds, but it sprang upward among the thrones. The robe of a Savior’s righteousness is not black. Through the revelation of that Christmas night I find that religion is not a groan, but a song. In a world of sin, and sick beds, and sepulchers, we must have trouble; but in the darkest night the heavens part with angelic song. You may, like Paul, be shipwrecked, but I exhort you to be of good cheer, for you who are trusting on Christ shall all escape safe to the land.”

The world is filled with troubles and trials because of sin. There are temptations and tribulations that all of us experience. Yet in the midst of darkness, there is always light. In the midst of doubt, there is always hope. In the midst of sorrow, there is still joy. Those of us who have received the gift of love provided by the One who was born in Bethlehem always have access to the hope and joy only Jesus can provide. As we keep our focus on Him rather than being distracted by events happening around us, we will be able to rejoice in Him. Peter wrote to suffering Christians, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13).

Today's Growth Principle
The true meaning of Christmas reminds us that we always have a reason to rejoice.

Old Testament Reading

Micah 6-7

CHAPTER 6

¹ Hear ye now what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the hills hear thy voice. ² Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD'S controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel. ³ O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. ⁴ For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. ⁵ O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.

⁶ Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? ⁷ Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? ⁸ He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

⁹ The LORD'S voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. ¹⁰ Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? ¹¹ Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? ¹² For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. ¹³ Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins. ¹⁴ Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. ¹⁵ Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine. ¹⁶ For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.

CHAPTER 7

¹ Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. ² The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. ³ That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up. ⁴ The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. ⁵ Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. ⁶ For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.

⁷ Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. ⁸ Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. ⁹ I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. ¹⁰ Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. ¹¹ In the day that thy walls are to be built, in that day shall the decree be far removed. ¹² In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain. ¹³ Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

¹⁴ Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. ¹⁵ According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things. ¹⁶ The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf. ¹⁷ They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee. ¹⁸ Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. ¹⁹ He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. ²⁰ Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

New Testament Reading

Revelation 13

CHAPTER 13

¹ And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. ² And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. ³ And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. ⁴ And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? ⁵ And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. ⁶ And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. ⁷ And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. ⁸ And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. ⁹ If any man have an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

¹¹ And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. ¹² And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. ¹³ And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, ¹⁴ And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. ¹⁵ And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. ¹⁶ And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: ¹⁷ And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. ¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Proverbs Reading

Proverbs 22

¹ A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. ² The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all. ³ A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. ⁴ By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. ⁵ Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them. ⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ⁷ The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. ⁸ He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail. ⁹ He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor. ¹⁰ Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease. ¹¹ He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend. ¹² The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor. ¹³ The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. ¹⁴ The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein. ¹⁵ Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. ¹⁶ He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want. ¹⁷ Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. ¹⁸ For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. ¹⁹ That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. ²⁰ Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, ²¹ That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? ²² Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: ²³ For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them. ²⁴ Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: ²⁵ Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul. ²⁶ Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts. ²⁷ If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? ²⁸ Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. ²⁹ Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.