Christmas Eve, Hope For the Hurting

To do tonight what you're doing, that's going to church. Did you know that? You won't read a lot about it in the media. There's more people in church tonight than will attend all professional sports all year long. I mean, that's a fact. I'm not making that up. It's a fact. What is it about the mystery of this night that still has that attractive power? What is it about the mystery of what we're experiencing here that has the power just for one day, tomorrow, to shut down the credit card-consuming, cash-devouring behemoth called the mall? Huh? I mean, just for a day, the parking lot will be clear, the roads, no problem, just for a day. What is it about the mystery of all this that still attracts people? What is it that will cause some prodigal sons to call home for the first time in months to talk to broken-hearted mothers? What is it that will cause sons to hug fathers and fathers to say to wives, I'm sorry, I really do love you? There's something powerful about the mystery of this night. It has to do with what the Bible says in John 1.14. And the Bible says, The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. And despite a concerted effort to sort of eradicate the symbols and signs of this event from the public square, the hearts of men and women everywhere are still drawn to this manger to understand something of the mystery that's behind it. Now, over the years, I've discovered that there's sort of a paradox at work when it comes to Christmas Eve night and the Christ child and His life that follows. Because I can see that from the beginning, there were thorns in the straw where Jesus was laid. From the beginning, He came to suffer for us. He was no stranger to pain. And I suppose this shouldn't surprise us, really, because most everything I've found in life that's worth anything costs something, right? I mean, it's a cliché, but the cliché goes, no pain, no gain. You know that one, right? I mean, I have sort of a love-hate relationship with exercise. How about you? Maybe you just hate it, period. I mean, I love what it does for me. I mean, I love when the doctor says, Hey, you know, your pulse is low and your blood pressure is low and your weight's good. You know, I love getting up in the morning and feeling energized and ready to go. But I hate it on the way to the gym. I mean, I hear this voice that says, Don't go there today. Tries to pull me off to see things along the way. But I realize if I don't do it, I won't have the joy the next day of being able to put on a pair of old jeans and have them still fit. And it's just kind of the same way in my walk with God. I mean, I have a love-hate relationship. I mean, I love to say that I can hear from God and know His voice and be close to Him. I love that. But I kind of hate it at five in the morning when I hear the old guy on the radio saying, Wake up. He didn't even say good morning at that hour. He said, Get up. It's time. But, you know, you can't find, you can't hear that. You can't be alone with God if you don't have that discipline of pain to get up and do it. And so it is with us all. We realize that there are all these things that we want from life, but how do we get there? And I've discovered that what positions me for spiritual birth and development more and more isn't a gradual flow of blessing. Listen to me. If you're thinking you're just going to sort of osmosis your way into godliness and maturity, I'm here to tell you tonight, it won't happen that way. I've discovered that there is only one thing that pushes me on to the next level in God. And that one thing has a name, and its name is pain. It's just the way that it is for me. If I were to ask you here tonight sort of informally, how many of you who came to the point of genuine faith in Christ, or at least started your journey, did so because of pain in your life? Hundreds of you would lift your hand and say, That was me. How many of you launched a relationship with the Lord primarily due to the inertia of difficulty? You'd say, Yeah, that was it. If I were to ask on the other hand, how many of you, you know, were hitting home runs in the marketplace in your business, won the lottery, had a great marriage, wonderful kids, no pain, no health problems, and you came to Christ, the number would be very, very low. I was talking to a man a couple of weeks ago. He said, Well, you know, when the bottom fell out of my second marriage that I realized I had a real problem, that something was missing. I said, Well, how come not after the first marriage? He said, Well, everyone can make one mistake. But the second one told me something was seriously wrong with me. But I'm not just talking about the first step of your faith toward Christ. I'm also talking about those spiritual times of growth. Dear one, even if you're a believer, you'll find that your next level of growth will come because of the thorns in your life, not because of the blessing. That's why Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 10, I have insults and hardships and difficulties. He said, But I welcome them because when I am weak, then I am strong. And so our lives kind of coincide with the paradox of the Christmas story. You know, when all is well, we kind of sort of drift away from God, don't we? I mean, when we're in blessing, we just sort of, we don't go anywhere. But when hardship strikes, we find ourselves mysteriously drawn to Him. And I believe that some of you are here tonight because of that. Some of you had a very, very painful Thanksgiving. You were all alone. Some of you had a house full of people and you had a very, very painful Thanksgiving. And now it's Christmas and the same story may repeat itself. What are you going to do? I had a personal conversation with someone this week, several people. One person told me that they had serious financial problems. If something didn't change, they were going to lose their home. Other person told me they had pain in their life that was tearing them up in the inside. So much so that the doctor had said if they didn't break out of the depression, they were going to have to go to the hospital. Another couple sat in my office this week and told me of the pain in their life. And the wife said, it's been so bad that I thought the only way out was to take my own life. I didn't know any other way. Now that kind of pain, you see, I don't want to just shatter any illusions here, but there's some people with a lump in your throat right now because you're living in some kind of pain in your life. You've been rejected. You've been hurt. You've lost credibility or you've, like John, gone through a major upheaval in your life. Or maybe just you're tired of the same old situation. It's causing you pain just to get up and live life because it's going nowhere. Well, dear ones, I want to talk tonight just about what might be in those thorns. What might God be birthing in you that can be glorious? How can your hardship and your pain bring about a change? Let me just suggest three things that it might build in your life. The first one is that hardship in my life reveals the true nature of our faith, doesn't it? Did you read the USA Today this week where it said that, I think it was, 88% of Americans polled, or maybe it was 90%, said that they believed in God. I mean, I've read Gallup polls. 90% believe in God. Where does that come from? Well, let me give you an idea. Here's my understanding. I think it comes from the fact that when we were real small, like some of the little ones you're holding right now, we were taken to church and we saw the manger scenes and the little baby Jesus and the angels and the shepherds and the donkeys and all that, and it was cute. And we thought, that's wonderful. I like that. It's warm. And then we're taught about Easter, you know? But Easter, these days, is as much about bunnies and eggs and clothes. And then we go to a graduation or a funeral and we hear a prayer about God. And you know, it's not real hard to understand when someone picks up the phone and calls and says, do you believe in God? I say, well, yeah, it's that God that I heard about along the way and I sort of know something about. And that notion carries you along just fine until one day, pain strikes in your life. Boom, right there. Something significant happens. And then all of a sudden, for the first time in your life, you're asking the question, what do I really think about God? I don't have an answer for what I've just seen or been through or experienced. We call that the journey, if you will, please, from little G, God, to big G, God. That's the journey from this sort of vapid, well, I think I believe in God faith to who is the real God that I believe in kind of faith. And it doesn't start in most of our lives until we face some kind of pain. You see, for Joseph, it began, I believe, it really began in his life when he heard the words from Mary's lips, I'm pregnant. Hello? You're what? Folks, you have to kind of read between the lines. But back in that culture, for a woman who was betrothed to another man to become pregnant, in the Old Testament, it says that woman was worthy of death. Not just a divorce, but death. And Joseph, for the first time in his life, probably asked some of the questions that maybe just some of you here tonight are asking. Well, God, if you're really God, why did you let this happen? Well, God, if you really love me, I mean, why is this happening to me? And maybe even the question that some of you have asked, God, are you really there? How could you be there and let this happen? God, the journey from little G-God to big G-God is a tough one. And it's only pain, you see, that gives the horsepower to your life to get you on to that next thing. And if you're a believer tonight, I want to tell you this as well. It's only pain that gives you the horsepower to go deeper into God. You see, that's why the Bible says that, well, like James writes in his little epistle, he says, when trials and struggles come your way, he says this, consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith, it develops something of value before God. And so, dear one, wherever you are in this journey from little G to big G-God, when pain comes, it's best to know how to take it and make it work for you. And I'm not talking here tonight about pain from an ivory tower, you know, standing up here like everything's raised. Oh, yeah, well, look at you, you know, you're in your church and everything. No, you know, in fact, if I could be real honest, I've had more thorns in my life as of late. And I've had to learn some things about myself in the midst of all this. And what my thorns are, you know, I don't have to go through this long sort of purging tonight. It doesn't really matter. My thorns, you know, they're not any different or worse than yours, perhaps. We all get them from different ways. But I do know this. Hardship has pushed me to the core conviction that I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe in the word of God. I believe in the local church and its place in God's divine purpose, not because it's made my life easier, but because it's true. It's the truth. And I say tonight that it's that mystery that draws us here. You know, I talk to people, I interact with them now and then, and they say, well, I don't believe in God. How could you believe in God that would let a flight 427 crash into the ground? There were innocent people on that plane. And I'll talk to another person, I'll say, I don't believe in God. My brother was hit by a drunk driver and was killed. You know, and if I have the kind of relationship with a person and the tenor's sort of right, I've asked him this question. I'll say to him, well, you know, if you don't believe in the God I'm telling you about, then try another one. You know, try the God of the Hindus, but be prepared if you do. Because the God of the Hindus, he doesn't stop planes from going down. And the brothers of Hindu believers get hit by drunk drivers too. And try the God of the Buddhists, and you'll find another thing there. The Buddhists get on airplanes, and they go down, and their brothers are hit by drunk drivers, and they're killed. And then try New Age, and then even try atheism, don't believe in any God at all. You know what you'll find? Atheists get on planes, and they go down, and their brothers are hit by cars, and are killed. And so you're no better off. The key issue is, and what I want to challenge some of you with tonight is, to find a faith for yourself which is based on what is true, what is factual, what has its basis in history, and not just on the subjective nature of how you're feeling about whether or not something eases the pain of your life. And I want to just share with you, once you've investigated the truths about the mystery of this baby born in Bethlehem, you'll find the reasons are compelling. And that's why most Americans are still drawn to the manger. And if you're in the midst of pain, and if you are already a believer, let me just say this, don't bail out. Don't walk away from God. Don't shake your fist in His face and say, well, God, you let that happen to me. I mean, I'm not going to trust you anymore. You know, Joseph could have done that. Joseph could have said, you know something, I was a good Jewish boy. I did what I was supposed to do, and this woman betrayed me. I don't want to walk with you anymore, God. I'm out of here. But he didn't bail. He waited. We don't know how many weeks it was until the angel appeared to him and told him what was going on. And I just want to say, some of the believers that are here tonight, endure. Hang in there. And others of you, can I just sort of lay it on the table? Why are you really here? You know, someone in my family said I had to go to church if I was going to have a place to sleep tonight. Does your little G God bring you out at Christmas time? Are you hoping that you can receive enough sort of God's goodness and, you know, have him overlook enough of your life for another year that maybe just a, you know, you got a little insurance going? I mean, after all, it doesn't ever hurt to have a thin veneer of God over our lives, does it? And so we'll just sort of play the game and have a couple of experiences. And by the end of the year, things will be, you know, I'll need another touch-up. Dear one, let me tell you, it's time to find out what's true. To have the integrity of mind and heart to investigate the claims of the mystery that we're talking about. And then take a leap of faith and commitment and stand there because what you believe is something that's true. And you know what you'll find? The ground there at the foot of the cross is very firm. And it'll hold you through the storms of life. Hardships teach us about our faith. Another thing that hardships have been teaching me lately is about my true problem. You know, I have a deeper problem than my pains and my sufferings and my difficulties. You want to know what my deeper problem is? It's sin. You know, I have a more fundamental problem than bad hair days. I got a lot of those. I have bad behavior days. You have any of those? No, huh? Well, better look in the mirror, friend. When you have a bad behavior day, what is all that? Where's the, you know, when you just can't seem to control your temper? When you're finding yourself critical, judgmental, whatever. And you know what I find about myself? I mean, if I really face the truth, I cause a lot of my own hardships and my own pain. I wreck some of my relationships because of the sin that's in me. I even wreck some things here at North Way. Not because of my pain, but because of my sinfulness. And if you're willing to take an honest look at yourself in the mirror, you'll find that what's generated a lot of hardships in your life is your sinfulness. I mean, it's a fact. Much as we heard in the testimony tonight from John. You know, it's my way, God. I know I shouldn't, but I'm going to do it anyhow. And then all of a sudden, pain. You know, fast forward from the manger all the way to the cross at Calvary. And here's Jesus hanging on the cross. And who are on either side of him that night, that afternoon? Two thieves, right? One of the thieves turns to Jesus and looks at him and rails on him. It's unfair. I shouldn't be here. I didn't deserve this. Why am I here? I'm a victim. I've had all this problem. And you read it, and he basically blames everyone else for being there. And you know what I found is I'm a lot like that thief sometimes. It's easier for me to focus on the people that did me wrong, the people that hurt me, the people that I can blame. And as long as I do that, you see, I don't have to look at the mirror and face the fact about myself that, hey, wait a minute. Inside of me is this problem called sin that I need to deal with. On the other side of Jesus, the other thief simply turned to him and said, I don't have my fundamental problem isn't the people that were unfair to me. My problem is I'm a sinner. I need a savior. And remember what he said to Jesus? He said, Master, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And what did Jesus say? I will. I'll remember you. Friends, part of what draws us here to the manger tonight is the recognition that we have something fundamentally wrong with us that psychoanalysis and medication or lots of money can't solve. And I want to say it as lovingly as I can. Your deepest problem isn't your pain. It's your sin. And you need a savior. And that's why Jesus came to the planet. Call his name Jesus, the angel said, because he will save the people from their sin. Now, I suppose that some of you are kind of mad at me for talking about something this heavy tonight. It's Christmas Eve. Lighten up. Tell jokes and stories. But I know something. This is the most important message that some of you will ever hear. You need to hear. And we honor our savior by telling the truth at Christmastime. And there is a third thing that I've been learning lately, a third thing that hardship's been revealing. The first one is, what's my true faith? The second, my true problem. But the third one is, if you're a believer, it's my true destiny. Scripture teaches that Christ's work on the cross will deal with my sin problem and that he'll stick with me through my pain problems. But he also tells me that there's going to come a day when all of it's going to change. Can I just read one verse from the book of Revelation? And God himself will be with them and be their God. And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. For the old order of things has passed away. You see, a day is coming, dear ones. There is light at the end of that pain tunnel you're in. And the Bible promises that God will be there to help make sense of some of the suffering that we've all had that we don't understand. Whether it's hardship caused by our own sin or circumstance or by Satan himself beating against us, I want you to know, because of Christ, we can have hope tonight. Our message, as John said, is a message of hope. And if I hang on and have hope, I can endure. And on the other side, I'll finally be free from those things that have complicated my life and others. And I'll be made complete and whole spiritually. And I'll be safe and protected in God's perfect love and glorious presence from pain and suffering and hardship and sorrow. At least one of you is thinking tonight, well, big deal. I mean, I'm not worried about heaven. I'll worry about that when I get there. I'll just live life now the best I can. Well, you know, that's fine. And the only reason you can say that tonight is because you haven't really had your pain yet. But for a few others here tonight, that's the best news. It gives you a longing for heaven. Are you longing for heaven? I'm venturing to say, if you're really longing tonight, it's because you've seen pain. And you'll want to know one final thing that I'm learning, that the pain that I have to bear and we all have to bear, God mysteriously works that into something special in our lives. Because you see, in Jesus' life, even Matthew, the same writer that told us about this birth, tells us that in the end, the thorns became a crown. And one day, the pain we've borne, the suffering we've gone through, if we endure, it will be a crown, Jesus said, that we'll be able to take and place at the foot of the throne and say, Father God, I present you with my faith. I trusted you through my pain. I now present you my crown. Jesus said, and to him who overcomes, I will give him a crown. You see, that's the mystery of it all. God even weaves our pain into something glorious. And so friend, if you're hurting tonight, I have good news. If you accept that pain and embrace it, it'll teach you about your faith. It'll help you know what your real problem is. And in the end, it'll secure your identity as a son or daughter of God and will give you a crown to lay at the Master's feet. Let's stand and pray.