Sermon for December 9, 2018 BMZ Church Series: CHRISTMAS CAROLS For Message: Lamentations 3:20-26; Hebrews 10:23; Romans 13:11-12 Message Title: O Holy Night Introduction: Good Morning BMZ! MERRY CHRISTMAS! I m so glad you are with us today as we CONTINUE our WORSHIP SERIES called CHRISTMAS CAROLS! Over the next few weeks, between now and Christmas, EACH SUNDAY, we are looking at ONE of the more POPULAR CHRISTMAS CAROLS we sing EACH YEAR. And, we are looking at the SPIRITUAL / THEOLOGICAL (God Thought) MEANING behind each one. This will be a FUN Series, but I also think you will find it VERY MEANINGFUL Again, there is a DIFFERENCE between Christmas CAROLS and POPULAR Christmas MUSIC. We sing some songs about SANTA and DECORATIONS and REINDEER and PRESENTS under a TREE. And, those might bring back some WARM MEMORIES and some NOSTALGIC THOUGHTS and there is nothing wrong with those. BUT, the ORIGINAL Christmas CAROLS were MORE than THAT Christmas CAROLS were WRITTEN to REMIND us of THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT in HUMAN HISTORY! These SONGS REFLECT on the FIRST Christmas when GOD STEPPED OUT of HEAVEN and CAME to EARTH as JESUS SO HE could BRING HOPE and SALVATION to a DARK and LOST WORLD! Today, ONE of MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CAROLS If you have your Bible with you, turn to LAMENTATIONS 3. If you don't have your Bible with you, no worries. We will put up all the Scriptures on the screen and it's also printed in your program.... If you haven t already, I invite you to take out your 3-HOLE PUNCHED MESSAGE NOTES and CONNECTION card. You will see that there are blanks to fill in Please take the time to do so. Grab a pen and write down whatever else you think is important to you and your faith journey. After worship, drop off your CONNECTION CARD and take your MESSAGE NOTES home. Please Re-read the Scripture and the notes to keep growing and learning. For those of you joining on-line, you can go to our website, www.bmzchurch.org / MESSAGES find the NOTES and the CONNECTION CARD and follow along LET S PRAY (turn off marked lights during prayer)! Today we are going to take some time with the Christmas Carol, O HOLY NIGHT. Most of us are FAMILIAR with the SONG, but FEW are FAMILIAR with the HISTORY of the SONG. O HOLY NIGHT was written in the mid-1800s in FRANCE. There was a LOCAL PRIEST who wanted a NEW POEM to enhance his WORSHIP one CHRISTMAS, so he asked a local MERCHANT to write it. The PRIEST knew that PLACIDE CAPPEAU had also written many POEMS. Here s what s INTERESTING PLACIDE was NOT only NOT a CHRISTIAN, he was known as a LOCAL HELL-RAISER. BUT, Placide NEEDED the MONEY, so he proceeded to WRITE a POEM based on LUKE 2; the Christmas Story. After he WROTE the POEM, he LIKED it so much, he asked one of his NON-CHRISTIAN MUSICIAN friends to put it to MUSIC. When they took their NEW SONG to the CHURCH, the people LOVED IT! The song s POPULARITY GREW over the NEXT FEW YEARS. Once some of the CHURCH people found out it was WRITTEN by a NON-CHRISTIAN, they attempted to STOP it s PLAYING, but it was TOO LATE. Over the next couple of DECADES, it SPREAD across the WORLD! WAIT! There s MORE O HOLY NIGHT was the FIRST SONG EVER played on a RADIO Christmas Eve 1906, a Canadian inventor played O Holy Night on his VIOLIN
2 from a BROADCAST in Massachusetts. After over 150 years, this is still one of the most MOVING Christmas CAROLS still popular TODAY! Let s LISTEN to it and I hope again today, God speaks to our hearts (VIDEO of O Holy Night with Lyrics) O HOLY NIGHT O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, It is the night of the dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born. Written by Placide Cappeau (France, mid-1800 s) I can t imagine what that NIGHT must have been like for MARY and JOSEPH 2000 years ago. Our PICTURE of those moments are so PEACEFUL. Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, a stable and LOWING COWS (whatever that is). BUT, I m not sure that s the TRUE PICTURE. REALITY is: Mary was a TEENAGE GIRL, had to TRAVEL almost 100 MILES at 9 months pregnant to a VILLAGE where they did NOT KNOW people. There s NO comfortable accommodations for them. They spend the NIGHT in a STABLE, which was likely a CAVE or a ROCK LEDGE to hide under. She s GIVING birth in a DIRTY, UNSTERILE, less than COMFORTABLE environment WITHOUT an EPIDURAL! Listen, I ve been in GREAT environments while SARAH gave BIRTH to our DAUGHTERS. Those were BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS that were NOT very PRETTY! My WIFE is my HERO and we have wonderful kids Now, in the SONG O Holy Night, there is a PHRASE I want to FOCUS on TODAY. And, I HOPE that whenever you SING this SONG in the FUTURE, that this PHRASE gives this CAROL DEEPER MEANING for you. Here it is: a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices Think about those TWO WORDS: WEARY WORLD. I m not sure there are TWO WORDS that more ACCURATELY describe our WORLD TODAY. So many people today, OVERWHELMED with LIFE; struggling to keep their HEADS above WATER. People are dealing with ANXIETY, LONELINESS, SICKNESS, RELATIONSHIP problems, STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY, PROBLEMS with KIDS, and TOTALLY STRESSED! So, WEARY WORLD APPLIES BUT, it also says, A THRILL OF HOPE. That maybe, for those who place their FAITH in God, who for CENTURIES had HOPED the MESSIAH would be BORN and now EVERYTHING was going to be DIFFERENT / BETTER! Through JESUS there is a THRILL of HOPE and suddenly, at the RECOGNITION of the MESSIAH, a WEARY WORLD REJOICES! That s what I m PRAYING today, that if ANY of you has a WEARY WORLD in your SOUL today, that you would EXPERIENCE a THRILL OF HOPE through FAITH. That in the MIDST of your personal, CHAOTIC, DARK NIGHT, that you would EXPERIENCE a NEW and GLORIOUS MORNING! A NEW AND GLORIOUS MORNING
3 During today s MESSAGE, I don t want you to just think about the HOLY NIGHT, but I want you to think about the NEXT MORNING when JESUS is BORN and it s a NEW DAY. Think about how DIFFERENT everything is because JESUS changes everything! To get us there, I want us to GO BACK a few CENTURIES to 586 BC and the Book of LAMENTATIONS. In 586 BC, Jerusalem has FALLEN to the BABYLONIANS. The Israelites have been DEFEATED, taken into CAPTIVITY RIPPED away from their HOMES and their HOMELAND many of them SLAUGHTERED. It is A DARK NIGHT for ISRAEL. And, the PROPHET JEREMIAH is LAMENTING / COMPLAINING / HURTING with other Israelites. Then in Lamentations 3, Jeremiah MOVES from the DARKEST of NIGHTS toward a MOMENT of HOPE. Listen Lamentations 3:20-26 = 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Jeremiah has experienced this AWFUL TIME of being DEFEATED many of his FAMILY and FRIENDS have been KILLED or taken CAPTIVE. It is a DARK NIGHT and many of you might be there RIGHT NOW 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Would you underline His Mercies Begin Afresh Each Morning? That ties back to our CAROL A NEW and GLORIOUS MORNING 24 I say to myself, The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him! 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. 1 Some of you here today are LIVING in a DARK NIGHT and your WORLD is very WEARY. I want to SHOW today HOW JESUS can bring you HOPE even when the WORLD feels like it is CRASHING all around you. In your NOTES 4 STEPS TO EXPERIENCE A NEW DAY OF HOPE WITH JESUS Find that in your notes and then, #1 is: Remember God s FAITHFUL LOVE Listen, even when you CAN T SEE your HAND in front of your FACE because it has become SO DARK when YOUR WORLD has become VERY WEARY, it can feel kind of HOPELESS; like, there is NO WAY OUT. Ever FEEL that WAY? Life has those TIMES / SEASONS and it can be OVERWHELMING. That s WHY it s so POWERFUL to REMEMBER God s LOVE. It brings HOPE and reminds us there is a WAY OUT. A NEW MORNING is coming! Listen to Jeremiah again. He s EXPEREIENCING a DARK and WEARY WORLD when he writes Lamentations 3:21-23 = 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Underline REMEMBER. He only DARES to HOPE when he REMEMBERS. Like, he has to WORK at it. He s WORKING to DRAW it to the FRONT of his MIND. It would be EASY to WALLOW in the DARKNESS, BUT, Jeremiah CHOOSES to REMEMBER. Remember WHAT? That GOD is FAITHFUL! He will ALWAYS be there with UNLIMITED MERCY! He REMEMBERS God has NEVER FAILED YET! He CHOOSES to have HOPE when NO ONE else does. Even though he CAN T SEE HOW to get out of the DARKNESS, he TRUSTS God to COME THROUGH! For FOLLOWERS of JESUS, MORNING ALWAYS COMES! The DARKNESS is a TRAP set by SATAN. He wants you to BELIEVE that the DARKNESS will NEVER END, and MORNING will NEVER COME! 1 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (La 3:20 26). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
4 But, what we KNOW is: with GOD, MORNING NEVER FAILS to COME! Listen, I don t know what all you are going through right now, but YOU may FEEL like your WORLD is FALLING APART and you DON T KNOW what to DO. The FIRST THING you DO is to STOP and REMEMBER! God has COME THROUGH BEFORE and He CAN and WILL do it AGAIN! I ve experienced it in MY LIFE and in the LIVES of OTHERS. No matter WHAT we are going through, we must FIRST do the WORK of REMEMBERING. It will NOT just HAPPEN! We need to FOCUS like the PROPHET JEREMIAH and REMEMBER what GOD has DONE. When your WORLD is DARK and WEARY, FIRST REMEMBER God s LOVE and FAITHFULNESS #2 = Trust God to PROVIDE EXACTLY WHAT I NEED Write that down. Exactly what I NEED NOTE: I did NOT say, EXACTLY what I WANT! WE know SOMETIMES what we WANT and what we NEED are TWO VERY Different things! We need to TRUST, when we are GOING through a DARK TIME that GOD is PROVIDING you with EXACTLY what you NEED and EXACTLY WHEN you NEED IT! Back to Lamentations. JEREMIAH REMINDS us, sometimes we just need to PREACH to OURSELVES give OURSELVES a good PEP TALK Lamentations 3:24 = 24 I say to myself, The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him! Yep. Grab a MIRROR and say, The LORD is my INHERITANCE! I m already TAKEN CARE OF! Some translations, instead of INHERITANCE, use PORTION. The LORD is my PORTION. Our PORTION is ALL we NEED. It s ENOUGH for US. My THOUGHT is Jeremiah was REFERRING BACK to when the ISRAELITES were WANDERING in the DESERT BEFORE they were allowed INTO the PROMISED LAND. Remember, JEREMIAH is talking to ISRAELITES who are ONCE AGAIN WANDERING OUTSIDE of the PROMISED LAND of ISRAEL, DEFEATED by their ENEMIES. Remember, when they LEFT EGYPT and were WANDERING in the WILDERNESS because of their LACK of FAITH, and they were HUNGRY?! God PROVIDED He sent MANNA for FOOD. Like, BREAD from HEAVEN! MANNA came down every MORNING for 40 YEARS. The Children of GOD / HEBREWS were PROVIDED their PORTION EVERY DAY. BUT, the PEOPLE STILL did NOT TRUST God! Many tried to STORE UP more MANNA / FOOD for the NEXT DAY. What happened? MAGGOTS! When the people did NOT TRUST GOD, the FOOD FAILED. If they TRUSTED GOD, they had EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEEDED. God attempted to TEACH them to TRUST HIM EVERY DAY! Do you know WHEN the MANNA STOPPED COMING from HEAVEN? We find out in JOSHUA 5 once people were in CANA / Israel / Promised Land and had finally HARVESTED their FIRST CROPS of the PROMISED LAND, THEN, the MANNA stopped. Give yourself a PEP TALK and PRAY, REMINDING GOD of His PROMISE to PROVIDE EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED! Cite the WILDERNESS and the MANNA. GOD, you did it for them, and I TRUST YOU to GIVE ME EXACTLY What I NEED! He already KNOWS you will have NEEDS TOMORROW and will PROVIDE! Needs in your MARRIAGE? Needs in another RELATIONSHIP? NEEDS EMOTIONALLY? Need STRENGTH? Almighty God already HAS your TOMORROW CARED FOR! Trust Him to PROVIDE Remember God is Faithful, Trust He will Provide #3 = To Experience a New Day of Hope with Jesus Depend on God for THE HOPE TO KEEP GOING
5 This is THE THRILL OF HOPE we sing about in O HOLY NIGHT! This is the HOPE in the CHAOS and the DARKNESS. This is the HOPE that MORNING is COMING! OUT of the DARKNESS will come LIGHT because our HOPE is in JESUS! Let s go back to Lamentations Lamentations 3:25 = 25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. The Lord is GOOD to those who DEPEND ON and SEARCH FOR Him! That is WHERE our HOPE LIES! IF you are SEARCHING for HOPE I FOUND IT! SEARCH for JESUS! Listen, as HUMAN beings, we can live almost 40 DAYS without FOOD; 8 DAYS without WATER and close to 4 MINUTES without OXYGEN. BUT, there is ONE THING we cannot live ONE SECOND WITHOUT HOPE! If there s ONE THING our NATION LACKS today, it is HOPE! DON T BELIEVE ME? Did you know the AVERAGE American Life SPAN has declined for 3 consecutive YEARS? ONE REASON is: many more are DYING of DRUG OVERDOSES one of the DISEASES of DISPAIR ANNUALLY (72,000 in 2017) than died during the ENTIRE VIETNAM WAR. People NEED HOPE! Why do we DO this CHURCH THING? BECAUSE, Our WORLD is LONELY, DARK, DEPRESSED, LACKS HOPE and is WEARY and JESUS is the ONLY ONE who POINTS to a NEW AND GLORIOUS MORNING! WHY CELEBRATE a BABY BORN 2,000 years ago? BECAUSE HE is the HOPE the WORLD NEEDS in 2018! How OFTEN do we put our HOPE in the EXACT WRONG THINGS?! We put HOPE in the Stock Market that s RISKY. Put HOPE in our JOB and MONEY could LET you DOWN at any moment. Put our HOPE in another PERSON they WILL FAIL YOU! When we put our HOPE in the WRONG THINGS and PEOPLE, we end up HOPELESS and WEARY. So, what can we TRUST? What can we HOLD ON TO? The answer is in Hebrews read this WITH ME Hebrews 10:23 = 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 2 (REPEAT) GRAB onto THAT and DON T LET GO! Guarantee: EVERYTHING ELSE will FAIL YOU and you will remain WEARY! Please STOP GRABBING onto FEAR, ANXIETY, WORRY and everything else this WORLD has to OFFER. LET GO of WEARY and DARK and GRAB ONTO some HOPE! No matter what DARKNESS you are EXPERIENCING right NOW, you can TRUST JESUS! To Experience a NEW DAY of HOPE with JESUS, we need to REMEMBER God s FAITHFUL LOVE, TRUST God to PROVIDE what you NEED and DEPEND on GOD for the HOPE to keep going LAST ONE Wait on God for THE HELP I M SEEKING This can be TOUGH. You make the DECISION to HOLD onto JESUS and HIS HOPE. Then, there is NOTHING to DO, but WAIT for GOD and WAIT for the SUN to come UP WAIT for that NEW and GLORIOUS MORN. And, WAITING is the HARDEST PART! As we go BACK to Lamentations, we find JEREMIAH experiencing this VERY THING Lamentations 3:26 = 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. 3 Don t miss this. I get that it s HARD to WAIT, but Jeremiah KNEW the LORD was going to SAVE HIS PEOPLE in HIS TIME. TODAY, it s DIFFERENT for US. We DO NOT have to WAIT for SALVATION! Listen, I ve told you that as a Quarterback, I can only PASS the BALL. I cannot MAKE YOU CATCH IT. BUT TODAY, I m going to TELL you WHAT TO DO. I m going to TELL you what you NEED. You don t have to, BUT, I m TELLING YOU There are SOME of you HERE TODAY who need SALVATION for your SOUL! Today you need to BE SAVED 2 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Heb 10:23). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. 3 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (La 3:20 26). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
6 YOU need to be FORGIVEN of your SINS and get RIGHT with GOD. You need to make sure you do NOT LEAVE here TODAY without being ASSURED you will SPEND ETERNITY in HEAVEN. You need SALVATION for your SOUL. Others of you are already FOLLOWERS of JESUS and you just need SAVED from a DARK NIGHT. You need SALVATION from the WEARY WORLD that s PULLING your UNDER. You need SAVED by JESUS from a DIFFICULT SITUATION. You know what you NEED? You need a DAY with JESUS! It makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE Think about the PEOPLE who had DAY with JESUS and it CHANGED EVERYTHING LAZARUS, DEAD for 4 DAYS and he STUNK Lazarus, Come Out! That s a GOOD DAY with JESUS! A WOMAN with BLEEDING problems for 12 YEARS merely TOUCHED Jesus ROBE and was HEALED. That s a GOOD DAY with JESUS! Another MAN who had NEVER WALKED in his 38 YEARS of life and JESUS CAME BY and he WALKED! Each of these people were IN the MIDDLE of a DARK NIGHT in their LIVES and THEY would TELL YOU, A DAY with JESUS makes ALL the DIFFERENCE it s a NEW and GLORIOUS MORNING! Some of you are in a DARK NIGHT right now. Your MARRIAGE. Your CAREER. Your RELATIONSHIPS. Not what you HOPED they would be. THEN, SUDDENLY, in the MIDDLE of your DARK NIGHT / WEARY WORLD, you are REMINDED that JESUS was BORN, and you can HAVE HOPE. A NEW DAY with JESUS does NOT always bring us what we WANT, but if we will WAIT on HIM, Jesus will bring EXACTLY what we NEED! Paul KNEW the NEW and GLORIOUS MORN was coming for THOSE who SWALLOW their PRIDE and BELIEVE Romans 13:11-12a = 11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. 4 WE KNOW the THRILL of HOPE for a WEARY WORLD to REJOICE IN. SOON the BREAKING of a NEW and GLORIOUS MORN for those willing to FALL on their KNEES and PLACE their HOPE in JESUS O Holy Night O Night DIVINE, the NIGHT, when CHRIST was BORN Let s PRAY! Next Steps: I will memorize Hebrews 10:23 I will Read Lamentations 3 and Luke 2 I will Trust God for the Hope I need when I am Weary I will Attend The CAROLS of CHRISTMAS Worship Series as much as possible Truth without Grace is Fundamentalism (Brutality). Grace without Truth is Sentimentalism (Hypocrisy). Special thanks to Andy Stanley, Nelson Searcy, and R.A. Pegram for outlines and ideas for this worship series. 4 Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ro 13:11 12). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.