Elevate - Christmas Playlist - It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Sometimes we may feel alone or struggle during the Christmas season, but there is hope. King David, in the midst of his battles, found his strength in God's presence. He desired to dwell in God's house and gaze upon His beauty. David faced fear and felt abandoned at times, but he ultimately trusted in God's love and salvation. We can find comfort and joy in knowing that God is with us and that His love is steadfast. We don't have to cry out for God to visit us. We don't have to long for His presence. We don't have to hope that God will empower us for the things that we face because we have the Holy Spirit. We have His presence. We have His comfort. We have His power, and He dwells right here within each and every one of us. Hear this today. If you hear nothing else, you are not alone. God is with you. Welcome to Elevate from Authentic Life Church in Mobile, Alabama with Pastor John DiQuatro. We hope it builds your faith and helps you to live a life for God that you've always wanted to live. We hope it inspires you to be a fully devoted, authentic follower of Jesus Christ. Enjoy the message and welcome to Elevate. Alright, well we are in our sermon series, the Christmas playlist, and each week we'll listen to a different popular Christmas song. We're going to use it to illustrate a truth about Christmas and show us the hope that Christ brings. And last week we put the record on that record player and out came Santa Baby. And if you didn't get a chance to watch Santa Baby, catch that online if you can. But we learn to be on guard against materialism, and we discuss that life does not consist of an abundance of possessions. That the idea that we have somehow earned stuff from God is a misplaced idea, right? Just because we're really good doesn't mean that God owes us stuff. God has given us everything already. But ultimately we've learned that it's not our good works that earns our salvation. That He did the work already for us and we have to receive it as a free gift. We are forgiven. He did the work. He does the saving. It's not our works. And I hope, I hope, I hope last week that some of you were freed up from the guilt of some of your failures and your mistakes as you accepted the free forgiveness of God in our service last week. I really hope that you began your Christmas season knowing that you are forgiven. So let's see what we have today on our Christmas playlist. And always, oh I love Christmas music. It's so much fun to listen to, and some of these songs are timeless. And we want to hear what's on our playlist today. It's the most wonderful time of the year Sing it if you know it. With the kids jingle-belling and everyone telling you be of good cheer It's the most wonderful time of the year It's the hap-happiest season of all Where those holiday greetings and gay-happy meetings when friends come to call It's the hap-happiest season of all Oh man, come on, you gotta love some Johnny Mathis at Christmastime, that's right. But such a festive song, we love that song. And oh goodness, this lists all of the things that make Christmas so wonderful. The kids jingle-belling, everyone telling you be of good cheer, all of the holiday greetings, the parties, the marshmallows, the caroling, the scary ghost stories, the memories of former Christmases, the mistletoeing, whatever that is, and having your loved ones close. And all those things are really great, except the scary ghost stories. I don't get that part. Anyone tell ghost stories at Christmas? I guess maybe if you watch the Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens. Yeah, that's the scary ghost stories, alright. But these things are really great, and we love this time of year. There's something special about it, right? There's something magical about Christmastime. The tree in the living room, which has been up in my living room since Halloween. The tree that's in the living room, right? All of the decorations, the special music that fills the airwaves. Every other song is All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey, right? We all love that song, the anticipation of Christmas morning, and of all the parties, and the gift giving, and the receiving, and the festive clothes, and the 45 dirty Santa gifts that you have to buy throughout this season. But it really is the most wonderful time of the year. But it doesn't always feel like that for everybody. It doesn't always feel like the most wonderful time of the year. Maybe on the surface, you know, we know how to do Christmas, right? On the surface, we have the decorations, and go to the parties, and we participate in the activities. But deep down, for so many, it's actually a very, very difficult time of year. Maybe a loved one has passed, and you're reminded of Christmas memories. Maybe some just don't have the means to be able to give the way they want to at Christmas, and it really bothers them. It gets them down. Maybe you have lost your job. Someone you know is in a financial crisis. Or maybe you've recently received a diagnosis, and it kind of just overshadows the whole Christmas season for you. For some, Christmas can be the most depressing time of year. But there's hope for each of us that may be struggling. And for whatever it is that you may be struggling with today, there's hope during this season. And I want to bring that hope to you today. But we're going to begin by going back into the Old Testament and looking at somebody that God referred to as a man after God's own heart. King David. We're going to look at him. He's writing. You know, King David often wrote psalms and songs and poems as he was going through the most difficult experiences of his life. And this psalm that we're about to read, we're going to see that David is in a season of hardship. He's in the midst of an intense battle. People were coming against Israel, and that still happens thousands of years later. But there's war and there's difficulty, and David's in the middle of it. And look at what he writes in Psalm 27, beginning in verse 1. He says this, The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. King David, writing these words in the midst of a struggle. There's armies attacking from all sides. There are enemies approaching that are advancing against him. And he says, Whom shall I fear? Well, armies, catapults, cannonballs, swordsmen. But David doesn't feel fear at those things. Why? Because he says the Lord is the stronghold of my life. The Lord is a stronghold. What is a stronghold? It's a place of safety. It's a place of protection. It's safe from evildoers. And those that mean you harm. And adversaries and foes and armies and war. It's a safe place where you are protected from your enemy. Now, I don't know about you, but these are things that would terrify me in the natural. Having an army come against me. Having those kinds of enemies, right? Most of us freak out when our car breaks down. Or our boss is being unfair. Or somebody has said something mean to us. But David is surrounded by people that are bent on killing him. And attacking. And they have swords. And they have artillery. And they want to take him out and his entire city. Yet, through all of this, he says, Yet, I will be confident. But then he says this in verse 4. The next verse. He says, One thing have I asked of the Lord. That will I seek after. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. And to inquire in His temple. One thing that David has asked for. After all that. The enemies that are surrounding him. One thing that he's looking for. You'd think the one thing that he really wants in this moment would be, God, defeat my enemies. Get them off my back. Give me the strength to defeat them. Give me the wisdom and the strategy. I need more men. I need more weapons. Right? We often pray that way. We say, God, give me what I need to get through my situation. God, I'm hurting here. I need you to solve my problem. And we cry out in fear for God to provide the solution. But that's not how David is crying out here. In the midst of his situation. When he is facing death. Almost daily he's facing this. When the situation seems hopeless and certain to end in disaster. He's looking for one thing. That he may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. That he can gaze on the beauty of the Lord. Because he wants to be in God's presence. That's what he wants. One thing. After all these things. God, you could provide more weapons. God, you could provide more artillery. You could provide more soldiers. But he's saying this is the only thing I want. To be in your presence. Now David has been in a situation like this before. And look how he cries out to God in Psalm chapter 13. He says, How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord, my God. Light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. Lest my enemies say I've prevailed over him. Lest my foes rejoice because I'm shaken. You know, it's not like David was inhuman. I know David was one to look up to. Right? But it's not that he was an inhuman and had no propensity to feel fear. It's a natural response. We see here in this Psalm that David feels abandoned by God. He's saying, God, where are you? I'm wringing my hands here, God. There's a lot of stuff going on. Where are you? Have you left me here alone? Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt utterly alone in the midst of your situation? Like not even God can see what's going on in your life. Does Christmas time maybe bring up some of those feelings for you? I think that's pretty human too. We feel that way sometimes. I think sometimes we have to work all that stuff out through our soul and ask God those questions, right? David comes to this conclusion though at the end of this in the next verse. He says, but I've trusted in your steadfast love. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because He's dealt bountifully with me. And even though he had to go through that process within his soul of questioning God and crying out to God, God, where are you? God, have you forgotten me? He remembers. He's like, oh, that's right. You never leave me. I trust in your steadfast love. I want you to see what's important to David. God's presence. God's presence is what is important to David. When he felt alone, he was desperately reaching out in the darkness saying, God, where are you? Why? Because he wanted to feel God. He wanted to be in God's presence. And he's questioning. He's like, God, are you even here? This shows a lot about David's heart. And you could say, David, why are you complaining? Why would you even talk to God that way? That's so disrespectful to question God like that. But instead, we see a peak inside of his heart. He's just saying, God, I just need to know that you're nearby. God, I just need to know that you're close. I just need your presence. I need to know that I have your presence. That's the only way, God, that I'm going to have peace. It's the only way, God, that I'm going to have victory. It's the one thing, God, that I need is your presence. You know who else felt this way in the Bible? Moses. You know, he didn't want to take the people out into the wilderness alone. Look what he says here in Exodus 33 verse 15. He says, And he said to him, If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I in your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I in your people from every other people on the face of the earth? Oh my goodness, look what this says. God, it's your presence that distinguishes us from everybody else on the earth. For Israel, there's nations all around, but it's your presence, God, that shows people that we are the people of God. Moses knew that. The only difference between Moses and the people of Israel and the rest of the world was that they had God on their side. That was the difference. They had God's presence with them. There was a cloud by day. There was a pillar of fire by night. God went with them. And Moses said, I'm not going, God, unless you come with me. Now this group of Israelites, right? If you know the story, on the surface they were poor. They were overworked. They were a raggedy bunch of former slaves. They were undisciplined. They were unorganized. They were uneducated. But they were freed. And now they had the presence of the one true God in their midst. And they were headed towards a promise. That was the difference maker. They didn't have to be the strongest army. They didn't have to be the sharpest tools in the shed. They didn't have to be the strongest and the biggest. They just needed to have the presence of God with them. That was the difference maker. The presence of God. And on the surface of our lives, sometimes we're not that much different. We look the same. I mean, we have jobs. We have families. We have bills. We have stresses. We have burdens. We have decisions to make. Bosses to work for. Homes and cars to pay for. Families to care for. Kids to feed, right? But what sets us apart from everybody else in the world that's all doing the same thing? The presence of God. The Holy Spirit that dwells within the believer. It's that presence within us. That's what transforms us. That's what makes us different. That even though we have to live in this world, something becomes different within us. Because we're not of this world. The presence of God within us is what makes all the difference. Now as we celebrate Christmas, I mean, all of the trappings, the decorations, the gifts, the parties, the food, sometimes we miss the central focus of what it is that we're celebrating. And that's that God came to earth in human form. He saw the struggle of humanity. And to solve the issues of separation from God and of sin, He personally came to dwell among us. Look what it says in Matthew. We read how an angel came to Joseph and told him that his wife was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And then the angel says this to Joseph. He says, She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. And then he quotes in the next two verses from chapter 7 of Isaiah. And he says, All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Emmanuel. Which means, God with us. God with us. God's presence. What David was crying out for. God, just be with me. Be with my people. What Moses was crying out for. God, just be with us. Don't leave us alone. Jesus came. Emmanuel. God with us. God with us. And these three words, God with us. Man, they've gotten lost for so many during this season. Because we know that Jesus came as a baby. We know that He was God in human form. We know what He came to do. But the greatest news for us today is not that He came. It's that even though He left earth and ascended to heaven, He didn't leave us in the state we were in before He came. He gave us His Holy Spirit. His very presence. He didn't just ascend to heaven and be like, alright, I did what I came to do. No, He left His presence here for us. David cried out for God's presence as he faced his enemies. He longed to be near God. Moses cried out for God's presence to be with the Israelites as they traveled to the Promised Land. Why did they have to cry out? Because God visited, but His presence didn't often stay. His presence was in a room in the inner courts of the tabernacle. His Spirit came at different times to empower individuals or to empower the armies of Israel. But His presence wasn't necessarily constant for everybody at all times. But today, we don't have to cry out for God to visit us. We don't have to long for His presence. We don't have to hope that God will empower us for the things that we face because we have the Holy Spirit. We have His presence. We have His comfort. We have His power. And He dwells right here within each and every one of us. And so as we sing songs like it's the most wonderful time of the year, as people get lost in the excitement and the celebration of this season, maybe you're not feeling it. Maybe all the lights and the traffic doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit. It reminds you of things that you've lost. It reminds you of struggles in your life, and maybe it makes you feel lonely or depressed, or maybe you're grieving through the Christmas season because of the loss of a loved one, or you're struggling in your current job or financial situation. Hear this today if you hear nothing else. You are not alone. God is with you. He is with you. The Comforter is here to wipe your tears and to bring peace to your soul. He's here to stand with you and give you strength in the midst of your struggle. He's here to remind you that you are loved and that you are never alone. He's here to lift you up out of your depression and bring life to your spirit once again. You're not alone. God is with us. Jesus ascended to heaven after accomplishing His work on earth, but He did not leave us alone. He gave us the promised Holy Spirit. That's what we need more than anything else this Christmas season, more than any video game console, more than any designer handbag, more than any trinket or toy or whatever clothing, article, pair of shoes, more than any of those things. We need God's presence. We need to be close to the Holy Spirit. Listen, it's the most wonderful time of year because God gave us His presence. Because Emmanuel came, God with us. Because when Jesus ascended, He didn't leave us orphaned, but He left His Holy Spirit to be with us. And it's the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, that will be with you in your difficult moments. It's the Holy Spirit, the Teacher, that will remind you of Jesus' words and keep you on the straight and narrow. Look what John 14.26 says, But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance. Whatsoever I have said unto you, the Comforter, the Teacher, no matter what you need, He's that for you. But it's also the Holy Spirit, the power of God, that will empower you to do His works here on earth and enable you to be a witness for Him, to demonstrate His love and His power and His glory wherever you go. Acts 1.8 tells us so plainly, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes. And you'll be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. So what the Holy Spirit is for us in this season, is Emmanuel, God with us, His presence that was left here to come and indwell each and every one of us. And if you said yes to Jesus Christ, then you have trusted in Him as your Savior that for the forgiveness of your sins, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you. His presence is there with you. You don't have to go seeking and running around and trying to find God's presence. You don't have to. He's with you here in this room. And He's with you when you walk out of that parking lot. He's with you when you go to work in the morning and your boss is giving you a hard time. He's with you when the overwhelming pains of grief of a lost loved one come over you and it just takes your breath away. He's with you in that moment. He's with you when you're going, I don't even know if I'm going to provide for my kids for Christmas. I don't know what to do here. He is with you in that moment. He is with you. I love the fact that He is referred to as our Shepherd in Psalm 23. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me. You're with me. Guys, we're going to walk through some stuff. You heard here what Ari and Al have walked through over the last several months. You're going to walk through some stuff. We've got people in this room, right? We love the Oxners, but they're walking through some stuff right now. In the loss of their son, they're walking through some hard things, but God is with you. The Holy Spirit of God is with you. He's not left you alone. He's not left you orphaned. We don't understand all that happens. It might not feel like the most wonderful time of the year, and if it doesn't, just find rest and solace in this. God is with me. His Holy Spirit is with me. And for whatever I need for Him to be for me in this moment, if I need comfort, if I need protection, if I need peace, if I need joy, if I need empowerment and boldness, the Holy Spirit is here to give those things to me. Today, I'm asking for more of the Holy Spirit. I don't know about you, but I'm longing for that right now. It's not an easy time of year. I might be up here and decorating everything and having fun Christmas messages and all that stuff, but you know what? I'm looking for all the same stuff that you do. Right? I'm looking at my budget and my bank account just like you are. Right? I'm looking and I'm saying, man, things are really hard right now in my life. There's things that I'm struggling with here in this moment, and I'm supposed to get all happy and cheerful at Christmas time. I understand what you're going through. I need more of the Holy Spirit. You need more of the Holy Spirit in your life. The Bible talks about how He will fill us, and that's a gift that's for all of us. I just want to say if you want more of Him, if you want more of the Holy Spirit, a fresh infilling of His comfort, of His presence, of His power in your life, we're just going to seek Him today at this altar. We're just going to seek Him, seek His face, seek His Spirit, and just say, God, I need more of You. Fill me right now. Fill me with more of You. Fill me with Your Spirit. That's what He wants to do today. I feel it so strong. I felt it for days that God just wants to do something special at this altar, that He wants to give you a fresh infilling of His Spirit, of His empowerment, of His comfort, of His peace, of His joy, of the knowledge that you are not alone, and whatever it is that you need right now in this moment, His Spirit and His presence is here to meet that for you. Whether you need comfort today, or you need restoration in your marriage, or you need greater clarity in your purpose, if you need a deeper commitment to Christ, if you need greater strength to resist sin, it's the Holy Spirit that you need. More of Him in your life. And all we have to do is ask. Thank you for listening to Elevate. We hope this message encouraged, inspired, and challenged you. Authentic Life Church is located at 3750 Michael Boulevard in Mobile, Alabama. Visit our website, AuthenticLife.tv, for more information about Authentic Life Church, to find out what we have going on, or to make a donation. You can also find us on Facebook. We'd love for you to join us on Sundays at 10 a.m. for our weekend service. We have excellent children's, nursery, and youth programs, so bring the family. For Pastor John DiQuatro, I'm Scott Chestnut. Thanks again for listening, and God bless you.