Luke 15:10 (ESV)
10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Dear Friends in Christ,
Starting this morning I’m going to be taking a break from the sermon series on the 10 Commandments that I’ve been preaching for some time now entitled “The Fundamentals of Our Faith: Straight Talk for Crooked Lives.” We will get back to it in mid-January. But for this month of December I want to shift gears and focus upon a different theme. I’m calling it “The Perfect Christmas,” because isn’t that what we’re all hoping for this year and every year at this time? Isn’t that the reason behind the shopping and decorating, the cooking and baking, the hurrying and the scurrying? We are in search of the perfect Christmas. So during the next few weeks I’ll be talking to you about “The Perfect Christmas Tree,” “The Perfect Christmas Friend,” “The Perfect Christmas Gift,” and “The Perfect Christmas Baby.”
But before we begin discussing our perfect Christmas, I thought we’d spend some time today on this 1st Sunday of Advent taking a look at what makes Christmas special in heaven. What is the perfect Christmas there? What is heaven’s happiest holiday? I know heaven is always happy, but the Bible teaches that there are certain things that happen here on earth that make heaven even happier. Now you’re probably wondering what could possibly happen here that could have a thermostatic effect on the joy level of heaven? Well, part of the answer to that question might be found in a video I’m about to show you about a man named Joe and his daughter, Madeline. Some of you have seen this before because I showed it a number of years ago in a Bible class. But it’s definitely worth seeing again because it contains a powerful message about the love of a father for his wayward daughter, which in turn reminds us that heaven is happiest when one of its lost children comes home. Meet Joe and Madeline. SHOW VIDEO – segment #5 in “He Chose the Nails” video.
That’s a moving story, isn’t it? It’s really the story of the Bible – the story of how God looks upon his children who have turned away from him. Rather than give up on them, he sends message after message after message inviting them to come home, just like Joe did with Madeline in that video. And when we finally heed that invitation and actually set foot inside of our Father’s house again, I can assure you that there is joy in heaven unlike at any other time. You see, Christmas in heaven is not an event in December. Christmas in heaven is an event in the heart. Christmas in heaven is not just the celebration of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Christmas in heaven occurs every time there is a birth of Jesus in the soul of a human being.
How do we know this? Well, that’s the message Jesus is trying to get across to his listeners in Luke 15 which contains 3 stories of lost things. There’s the one sheep that strayed from the rest of the flock and got lost; the one valuable coin that the woman lost in her house; and the one son whom we know best as the Prodigal Son who strayed from his father’s house and became lost in his sins. And in each instance, when that which was lost was found, what happened? There was rejoicing. There was a party. There was great jubilation and celebration. All of which is a picture of what happens in heaven when one lost sinner comes home. Listen once again to Jesus’ words in our text: “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” So heaven is happiest when the lost are found.
Which brings up a rather curious question: What about us? Do we share that same joy when something like that happens to someone we know or even someone we don’t know? When you hear the good news that one who was lost has been found, that one who was not a believer in Christ is now a believer in Christ, is your bad day salvaged or your good day made even better?
Years ago when I served as the Circuit Counselor of the Altamont Circuit, Immanuel Lutheran Church in Altamont became vacant when their pastor accepted a call elsewhere. I then worked with the Elders there in conducting some pre-call interviews on pastors that they were considering to fill their vacancy. The 1st question we asked those pastors was “What is your greatest source of joy in the ministry and what is your greatest source of frustration?” Without exception, every one of those pastors stated that his greatest source of joy was to see a person come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, one of them told a story that had just happened to him. He had taken a friend fishing who was a Jehovah’s Witness. And even though they weren’t talking about spiritual matters, out of the blue this fellow said, “So tell me, what’s so important about the cross?” Talk about an open door of opportunity! And as this pastor shared with us his friend’s positive reaction to the Gospel, you could just hear the joy and excitement in his voice, a joy and excitement that was no doubt echoes and expressed in heaven as well.
All of which brings us to a very important question. What are you doing to increase the joy level of heaven? You see, my friends, every person we know, every person we see, every person we encounter on a daily basis is either headed for heaven or they’re not. I was especially struck by that thought a week ago this past Friday when I was standing in the lobby of IGA ringing bells on the pastors’ kick-off day for the Salem Ministerial Alliance bell-ringing campaign. As I watched people going into the store and coming out, I couldn’t help but think to myself: “I wonder how many of these people know Jesus. I wonder how many of them understand what he did for them. I wonder how many of them know what Christmas is really all about.” C.S. Lewis once said, “It’s a sobering thought to think that every person you see will someday be a heavenly being you’d be inclined to worship if you saw him today or a hellish being that would bring fear into your heart.”
Please understand, my friends, we’re talking high stakes here. We’re talking about eternity. So let me issue a challenge to you as I draw this sermon to a close. Start thinking about the people within your circle of acquaintances – at your job, your school, your neighborhood, maybe even within your home – people who do not, as far as you know or as far as you can tell, have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the faith in him that leads to heaven. Oh, they may have a somewhat generic belief in God, but it goes no farther than that. And I’m sorry, but that’s not enough to get you past the gates of heaven. Well, once you’ve thought of those people, start praying for them. And once you’ve started praying for them, start praying for yourself and asking God to provide you with an opportunity, an open door, to talk to them about Jesus. And when that opportunity presents itself, go for it! Don’t let it slip away because it might be the only chance that you or anyone else may have to introduce them to Jesus or to re-kindle the flames of faith in them that they may have had years ago. And believe me, you’ll find no better time of the year to do that than this time of the year. For whatever reason, people at Christmas time are typically more ripe and ready to receive and respond to the Gospel than at any other time of the year. So among all the goals that you have for yourself this Christmas – the shopping, baking, decorating, and so on – why not put this one at the top of your list: to give at least one person the greatest gift they could ever receive, the gift of a Savior who can not only make a difference in their lives now, but for all eternity. Then, not only will heaven have another one of its happiest Christmases, but I can pretty well guarantee you will too, for there’s nothing quite like leading a person to the Savior’s waiting, welcoming, and forgiving arms. Amen.