17 December 2006: JUMPING FOR JOY – Experiencing the Lord’s Presence for Joy!

TOPIC: Christmas series (3 of 4); faith, foundation, joy, presence (of God), rebirth, sanctification
TITLE: JUMPING FOR JOY – Experiencing the Lord’s Presence with Joy!
TEXT: Luke 1:44

For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What may we learn from Elizabeth and John about experiencing the presence of the Lord?
CONCISE OUTLINE:

I. WE LEARN THE REQUISITE FOR HIS PRESENCE!
II. WE LEARN THE RESPONSE TO HIS PRESENCE!
III. WE LEARN THE RESULT OF HIS PRESENCE!

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Context is the annunciation (conception was soon, yet future).

Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah …

Luke 1:39

What we have here is John at pre-birth … 6 – 9 months [and Jesus just post-conception (see verse 36; I lean toward 6 months due to verse 39 “Mary arose and went in a hurry”)].

John is resting, perhaps sucking his thumb or taking a nap, minding his own business, and suddenly, he jerks his thumb from his little mouth and begins to praise the Lord.

I guess we could say that John was the world’s first Pentecostal? Regardless, the older knew he served the Younger, and rejoiced at the thought!

[STALL] From time to time we need to be reminded of what it means to be in the Lord's presence! Oh, it's true, as believers, the Lord never leaves us ... but most of us experience times when He seems far away!

When a plane goes into a stall it doesn't mean the engine has stopped running ... it means the plane's forward motion has slowed to a point where the flow of air over its wings is insufficient to provide lift. The plane, even with engines running, "noses over" and begins descent.

God has chosen a law of physics for flight; and he has placed responsibility for airspeed in the hands of a pilot. His air-borne well-being is his own responsibility!

In the same way, God has placed our spiritual well-being in our own hands; it’s our responsibility! Follow a few simple rules and the journey is pleasant! Ignore the rules and, even though saved, you nose over and descend.

Many have gone into a spiritual stall; they seem to have nosed over in their walk with Jesus, their forward progress is insufficient to sustain the "lift" they need!

Uncertainty about the future, family and finances, society, and this evil day assault them at every turn!

No one has to live this way! We can learn how to experience God's presence; let's discover how!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What may we learn from Elizabeth and John about experiencing the presence of the Lord?

Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacha-rias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:39-41

EXPANDED OUTLINE:

I. THE REQUISITE FOR HIS PRESENCE!

There has to be a foundation, something on which to stand! And we have our faith in the Rock of Ages! Yet it was also …

A. MARY'S FAITH

"And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord."

Luke 1:45

There's not much argument here ... an active recurring presence of God requires an active forward moving faith!

[ADAM CLARKE] "faith here is represented as the foundation of true happiness, because it [alone] receives the fulfillment of God's promises ... we should believe whatever God has spoken – HIS … AUTHORITY IS SUFFICIENT REASON!"

Faith - Paul said:

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20

And Mary "believed"! The Greek here (pisteuo) is the same as that used for Abraham when he was “reckoned righteous” for believing God.

And there has to be purity!

B. ELIZABETH'S CHARACTER

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias … and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

Luke 1:5-6

Holiness - Peter said:

… like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."

1 Peter 1:13-16

When it comes to the things God wants of us, there is not much give in God. Man, when he follows the path of least resistance, is like a river ... crooked! God knows what is best for us, and His way is straight!

And as James said: “faith without works is dead.” Friends, dead faith is inactive faith, and inactive faith is a faith that follows the path of least resistance. Jesus said: "work while it is still day!"

II. THE RESPONSE TO HIS PRESENCE!

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out in a loud voice saying, "Blessed among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.”

Luke 1:41-44

Look at Elizabeth and her baby John: the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; and Elizabeth exalted the Lord, she was filled with praise, exuberance, and proclamation!

God inhabits the praises of His people!

And the baby “leaped” in her womb “for joy." Not with joy but “for joy.”

Yet Mary's cousin never gave up humility or transparency!

“And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me"

III. THE RESULT OF HIS PRESENCE!

The result of the Lord's presence was immediate for Mary, Elizabeth, and baby John ... joy and praise and exaltation ... yet to their mind it was not immediate. They knew they were in the very presence of "the consolation of Israel," "the Son of the Most High," even Immanuel – "God with us"!

If we believe in Him, actively, He is faithful to come into our presence and fill us with unspeakable joy! One's heart is on fire at His nearness, there is lift ... OUR FAITH WILL NOT STALL!

[ACCIDIE] The result of God's presence is best understood by His absence ... which is a feeling of spiritual letdown, a need to do something but not a clue as to what! Medieval saints knew this as "accidie"... a helpless melancholy, a dreary affliction of the soul, an awareness that the Lord is not present!

When we landed a man on the moon in the '60s aerospace personnel became victims of a type of "accidie"; a kind of industrial letdown, melancholy, or pessimism. The unspoken question was, "What now?"

They needed a second wind before they started something new! They stalled!

And the Christian is confronted with this kind of challenge ... each project seems to take so much out of us that we just don't have enough get up and go TO GET UP AND GO!

Let’s forget New Year’s resolutions and resolve today to do all that we can to maintain our spiritual airspeed.

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: This passage wasn't intended to be about the practice of our faith, BUT: IF we expect to have spiritual "lift" in our lives, THEN we must allow the Holy Spirit freedom to maintain His spiritual speed over our wings to provide that lift!

Most know, don't they, some sort of effort is needed ... but they have no heart for it ... nothing seems to have come from their efforts so far, the future doesn't look any different! They tend to be overcome with a spirit of pessimism and disillusionment! The problems of every age paralyze and demotivate!

Whether the cause is apathy, weariness, neglect, or perhaps an unwillingness to surrender to God's will, I don’t know ... but at the bottom it is a failure on the part of far too many individuals to mine the Scriptures for meaning and purpose in being a Christian ... their stall affects the Body!

Remember there just one body, one Bride! What one does affects all! We are supposed to be different!

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

The result should be LEAPING FOR JOY, an unspeakable joy! Jesus Himself ... this is our hope ... we must believe what the Lord has spoken to us ... we must praise and exalt and proclaim ... our feet should dance for joy at the very mention of His name!

SO SING OF YOUR SAVIOR, glory in the hope He gives, and REJOICE IN HIS PRESENCE ... find MEANING AND PURPOSE for the faith that is in you!

We must practice the Lord's presence! Before we may do this, however, we must (1) be prepared, spiritually, to be in His presence; then we may (2) respond to His presence; and then, and only then, we will (3) experience His presence!

You see, experiencing God is more than faith alone … experiencing God is responding to one’s faith with action!


RELATED LINKS: The SHEEP'S CRIB - Sermons

GENERAL TAGS: Homiletics, Preaching, Sermons

SPECIFIC TAGS: Annunciation, Christmas,
Incarnation, Luke, Presence, Sanctification