Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. The message from the angel is not to fear, but rather is a message of great joy, a message of salvation. Whoever you are, whatever your background, whatever your circumstances. Great joy is offered to you because this joy. The angel says.
will be for all. The people. Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. On that first Christmas night, shepherds were watching their flocks when suddenly an angel appeared with a message from heaven. It wasn't a message of judgment or fear, but of great joy.
Today we'll discover how heaven's joy comes to earth through Jesus the Savior. With a message titled, Good News of Great Joy. Here's Pastor John Monroe. Are you a joyful person? As people look at you as you live your life, would many say that one of the characteristics that describes you is joy?
At the birth of Jesus, When the glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds, the angel said, Fear not. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. I find it tragic that so many think of the Christian faith as one of gloom. condemnation and fear. Today we will realize that because of Jesus coming into our world, heaven's joy has come.
I want you to experience this great joy. Yes, you can be a joyful person as you receive Jesus as your Saviour. Listen to this message and receive in your heart the good news of great joy. Christmas has always had its fair share of critics. Who points out the excesses of Christmas, and to some extent we agree with them.
But there have always been Scrooges who prefer to wring their hands in gloom rather than to ring the bells of joy. For followers of Jesus, as we've been celebrating today, Christmas is about many things. But it's about Joy. The angel were going to raid Says to the shepherds that this message which comes from heaven to earth is a message of good news, of great Joy. Every single person here wants to experience joy.
We may define a different light. It may be emotionally expressed in different ways, but all of us seek joy. And we're praying here at church that this Christmas, this joy, heaven's joy, which comes to us in our Savior Jesus Christ, will fill your heart, your homes, and your relationships that truly will be a year of joy. I don't know if you describe yourself as a joyful person. You can ask your wife, your husband, your parents.
Your children when you go home. We'd like to think that we are people of joy. But we realize sometimes this joy is rather elusive. And I am aware That this Christmas Is a difficult Christmas for some. Christmas can awaken very painful memories, difficult memories for many of us.
But nonetheless, I want all of us, irrespective of your personal circumstances or what kind of year you've had up till now, I want all of us to listen carefully to the message that comes from heaven to earth. through this angel and we're going to read the words. This angel who says to these shepherds, listen carefully, fear not. Fear not. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
The message of Christmas is that with the coming of Jesus Christ, there is offered to each one of us this good news of great joy. In Christ the Savior, Heaven's joy is coming to earth. One of the great. Christmas Carols is. I think we're going to sing it later in the.
Service, joy to the world, the Lord. has come. And then the grace of God, this joy, is offered to you. Yes, to you. And we pray that each one of us Will personally receive this joy in our hearts, this good news of great joy.
The good news, of course. Is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now listen. to the words of Luke, familiar to many of us. We're going consecutively through the book of Luke and we come today to Luke chapter 2 verse 8. And in the same region, there were shepherds out in the field. keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, Fear not. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a savior. who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly There was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host.
Praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest. and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. And they went with haste. and found Mary.
And Joseph. And the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, They made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things.
pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned. Glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen. As it had been. told them.
What a wonderful story.
Something which actually happened. As we've been studying Luke, we've been remarking that Luke is basing the gospel on historical fact. This is not a fairy tale. This actually happened. And Christmas is knowing joy, not Fear.
Get out of here. Shepherds watching their flocks by night. Night had fallen over the little town of Bethlehem. A small town about five to seven miles outside the capital Jerusalem. And little did the shepherds know as they went to their work that night that events were going to happen that night which were not only going to transform their lives forever, but events were going to impact the world, the whole universe.
So that, think of it, 2,000 years later, here we are. in Charlotte, North Carolina, the United States of America. And we're remembering the events that happened to these shepherds on that first Christmas. The angel of the Lord, we read, suddenly appeared to the shepherds. And the glory of the Lord transformed the field from darkness to the brightness of light.
The joy of heaven, the light of heaven, is coming to this dark world. A world, we read, Luke describes it, as one which lives in the shadow of death.
Now I don't know how you would feel when an angel appeared to you. I've never had that experience, but I'm sure I'd be like the shepherds. They were filled with great fear. I'm sure their whole lives Flash before their eyes. These were not perfect men.
These were, because they were shepherds, they were ceremonially unclean. And they probably expected God's judgment. Here is a messenger from heaven, an angel coming to them, ordinary men. And yet When the angel speaks. to these ordinary humble shepherds, Who are the first to hear the message that the Messiah is born that night and that he's born in their hometown?
The message from the angel is first: fear not. No. The message is not to fear, but rather is a message of great joy, a message of salvation. And how the shepherds must have rejoiced. When the angel said to them, Fear.
not This is very important for us. Because I think we, like the shepherds, are aware of our own failures, our inadequacies, indeed, our sins. That we are people who come short of God's standard. And when the voice of heaven comes to these shepherds, In this supernatural way through this angel, how they must have rejoiced when the angel says, Fear not. For behold, I bring you good news of great Do it.
Christmas message is knowing. Not fear. But joy. It's so important for us to grasp this as we live in a world where many people are sad, where they're lonely. where the levels of worry and anxiety and fear have skyrocketed among all ages.
We look out in our world today and you can say, well, there's not too much to be happy about. Think of the state of our world, internationally speaking, and yet the message of Christmas is true. for 2,000 years. It has been proclaimed by messengers of the gospel, believed by millions of people, that the message from heaven to you, I want you to take it very personally, is. Not fear.
But joy. As a pastor, People who sometimes feel that life has passed them by. that they're overcome by overwhelming sense of sadness. of hopelessness. of depression.
of frustration and anxiety. And they feel, I am doomed to this kind of life of hopelessness, and others may experience joy. Uh but Not for me. Because of their background, because of difficult circumstances, because of inner turmoil. And I'm sure some of you feel that.
Tonight, I want to say to you: whoever you are, whatever your background, whatever your circumstances. Whatever your relationships. That this is the message that God is saying to you. Fear not. The message is not fear, but one of great joy is offered to you because this joy.
The angel says. That will be for all. the people. Not just Israel, not just to the Jews, not just to the shepherds, but Don't you? The centuries the message comes to you and me tonight.
A message. Of jog. But you say, John, how would I? Receive this joy. You don't know my circumstances.
You don't know my emotional state. You don't need know the horrors of my life. You don't know the mess I've made of my life. Listen, whoever you are. The joy of Christmas is offered to you And it comes through Jesus The Saviour The Lord.
Listen again. Fear not. For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day. In the city of David.
A Savior who's Christ. The Lord. A Saviour. A message of salvation. You say, well, what do I need to be saved from?
My. Save from a toxic relationship. Save from Economic Bankruptcy? Saved from some kind of deadly illness. Saved from a difficult home situation.
saved from some soul-destroying addiction. It's more basic than all of those. Salvation From what? The answer is given in the very name. Of that little baby who was born 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem and laid in.
An animal's feeding trough. His name, Joseph, is told by the angel. His name, you'll call this baby Jesus, Yeshua. which means saviour. You'll call him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
He comes to save us from our sins, to rescue us. From our own failures and inadequacies, and the mess we make of life. That authentic Christianity is not primarily about the teaching of Jesus or the miracles of Jesus or his exemplary life, although all of that is true. This is the basic message of Christmas: that when Jesus comes from heaven to earth, he comes. To save.
His name is Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. He comes to rescue us. He comes to do what only God can do, is to totally forgive all of our sins. Think of the wonder of that. That Whatever your life.
You can walk out these doors tonight. Forgiven of all of your sins. Because this word Jesus implies that we need salvation, and perhaps that's our problem. Perhaps you're thinking, well, some people make a mess of their lives, but I'm doing all right. All of us need salvation.
Let me illustrate it like this. Here is a Here is a father. He's a very good father. He's got three children, let's say ages 10, 8, and 6. He loves them, and he wants to teach them a very important lesson.
And in that house there's a A long, steep staircase. And one day he stands at the top of the staircase and he says to his three children, Now I want you to come up and join me here, but I don't want you to step on the stairs. I don't want you to touch the handrails. I don't want you to touch the walls. But I do want you to join me.
And they look this is. This is difficult. And so these little children. Begin to strategize. One of them.
Stands back from the Staircase and runs and takes a flying leap, but of course, he only goes up a few stairs and. bruises himself. Another wee boy, enterprising, gets a rope and ties it to the chandelier and thinks he will swing and he'll be able to get to the top. Not only does that fail, the rope breaks. and he is battered and bruised as well.
Another one says, creative, he's good on the trampoline, he gets the trampoline from the backyard, puts it at the bottom of the stairs and runs and he thinks if I can jump on the trampoline, I'll be able to propel myself right to the top to get where my dad is, but that totally fails. Until one of the the youngest children says, Dad. How can we do this? Can you help us? That's what the Father has been waiting to hear.
For them to understand that they can never get up themselves. And how are they going to get up? Impossible by themselves. What does he do? He comes down the stairs.
He comes to where they are. And he takes them up in his arms. And one by one, without any of them touching the stairs or the handrails or the walls, he brings them to the top. Do you get the point? Salvation.
Do you think you can reach God by yourself? God is too far away. God is infinite, holy. You can never reach them. You say, well, I tried to obey the Ten Commandments.
They're a kind of lad, they're up to God. The Ten Commandments are perfect law, but they reveal that none of us ever can keep them perfectly. This is the message of Christmas. Then instead of us trying to work to God, He comes to us. One of the other names of Jesus is Emmanuel Do you know what that means?
God With Uh That's what we call the incarnation. That's what we celebrate at Christmas, that God becomes flesh. That he who is eternal outside of time and space comes into our world, comes into our neighborhood, is born a baby, flesh and blood like us. Perfect man. And perfect God, and comes to rescue us by becoming where we are.
He is like us with this basic difference: he is sinless. And he comes. as the Lamb of God. To take away the sin of the world, to take away your sin. How does he do that?
He does it by taking it on himself.
So, the message, the good news of the gospel is, and it is good news, that Christ died for our sins. I praise God that he died for the sins of John Monroe. And that he was buried. and that he was raised from the dead. And so he comes to us.
Peter, one of the apostles, writes that. Jesus died the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. I love that. I realized I could never reach God. Of course not.
How could I? But he comes to me and he does this in love. That God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. This is good news of great joy. That I can have my sins forgiven, not only have my sins forgiven, but I can receive as a gift of the grace of God eternal life.
That the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Do you get it? Think of the wonder of it. That's why as Christians, we get so excited about Christmas. That's why we have these songs of praise and of worship and say, come let us adore him.
And praise him. Hark, the herald, the angel saying that he comes so that we can be born again, that we can have a new beginning, that wherever we are, that Christ comes to us right where we are, and he offers us salvation and forgiveness of sins and joy. I wonder. Do you know that joy? Have you had that personal encounter with Jesus Christ?
You're here. We appreciate you coming. You love the Carls. That's wonderful.
Some of you have children participating, it's wonderful, but I'm asking you. Do you know Jesus Christ? In your heart, as your Savior, has there been a time when you've called to Him to come and save you? That's why he came. This is the good news of great joy.
This is what the angel is saying. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ. The Lord. Not only is he the Savior, He is Christ.
Meaning in Messiah. The Lord, this is God. You know, that means he has all authority, he's God. And he calls on us to turn from our own Selfish agenda. Not that we don't help other people.
But he asks us not to do he asks us to follow him. That's what it means to acknowledge that he is Lord. I am to surrender my life to him. Jesus said, if anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Instead of living by your own priorities, your own ambitions, Your own ideas of what you think is right.
Now I am going to submit to the lordship of my Lord Jesus Christ, and I'm going to say, now I'm going to follow you, lead me. That's what it means to be a disciple. This is fundamental, isn't it? This is a transformation of life. This is not just saying that I believe in Jesus as my Savior and living life as I did.
No, absolutely not. This is a Change of attitude. Personal transformation, a supernatural transformation. That this one who was born in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago is the savior of the world. He is the Messiah, long-promised Messiah, and he is the Lord.
And I invite you. to put your trust in him.
Some of you haven't done that. and to receive this good news of great Joy. You say, John, how do I do that? You do that by acknowledging. that you can't reach God by yourself.
You do that by acknowledging that you have failed, that you're a sinful person, and that you need a Savior. and then to look to Christ. Who says to you, come? And I'll give you rest. I'll give you my joy.
I'll give you my peace. and to experience The wonderful. transformation of the second birth. And now I'm going to acknowledge that he is. Lord.
You're listening to the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. and a message titled, Good News of Great Joy. Don't go anywhere yet, because John will be back in just a moment with his closing remarks. The message of Christmas is one of joy because Jesus came to save us. But perhaps you're wondering about the security of that salvation.
Can you know with certainty that you're saved? What happens when you fail or struggle with doubt? John addresses these important questions in a personal booklet called Eternal Security Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. This resource shares John's own testimony of coming to faith as a boy in Scotland and carefully examines what Scripture teaches about God's unchanging promises. To receive your free copy of Eternal Security, just go to our website at theverdict.org.
And if the Verdict Ministry has made a positive impact in your life, we encourage you to consider making your own impact in the lives of other listeners and being a part of this gospel work by supporting our ministry with a financial gift of any amount. We've made it quick and easy to give a one-time donation by visiting our website at theverdict.org. And then, as we close today, we invite you to join us in person for Sunday morning worship at Calvary Church, Home of the Verdict. were located at the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road in South Charlotte. To find all the details you need for planning your visit or to learn more about all of our ministries, just go to theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe. No. Well What's your verdict? Have you received the good news of great joy? Do you understand why the Lord Jesus Christ came to this world?
He came to save. He came to dispel fear and darkness in our lives. He came to die for our sins. Receive Jesus, the Saviour of the world. and experience the good news of great joy in a fresh and personal way.
Receive this joy that transforms all of life. and this joy which never ends. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
