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On Christmas
“let it be on earth as it is in Heaven”
“The
Kingdom is always advancing, regardless of our circumstances.”
One of my
favorite songs sung during the Christmas season is “Joy to the World.”
It is a
song of profound intercession, the meaning of which sometimes gets lost through
familiarity.
The
line, “Let earth receive her King,” is one of the most
important prayers ever prayed. It’s a cry: Let the people of this planet receive
Jesus as their king.
The Scripture says, “As many as received Him, to them He gave
the right to become children of God…” (John
1:12 NKJV).
It is a
cry for ongoing, continuous revival for the nations as people receive Jesus as
their Lord, their Savior, their King.
The song continues with, “Let every heart prepare Him room. Let
Heaven and nature sing….”
When
people yield to the Lord Jesus Christ in salvation, they are taking the first
step into His eternal purpose, which is found in the wonderful reality of earth
being influenced by Heaven.
Jesus taught them the nature of His will when He taught them to
pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
It’s in the Christmas story where God first reveals this part of His
plan saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among
those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke
2:14).
The glory
in His world is to have an effect on the reality of this one. This is where God
begins to unfold His plan that Heaven comes to earth.
Within
the reality of God’s reign in Heaven, existing without any hindrance from the
distorted will of people, is the model of what He purposes to do here on earth.
Heaven is to affect earth.
Interestingly,
when it comes to the conversion of souls, earth inspires Heaven, as all the
angels in Heaven rejoice when someone is saved.
As people
surrender to Jesus, they inspire elaborate joy in Heaven. All of Heaven
rejoices because people come to Christ here on earth.
That is
the strategy the Lord put into place. Christmas is to forever create in our
minds the picture of the perfect cooperation between Heaven and earth, and
between earth and Heaven.
Responsibility
and Joy
Jesus
taught His disciples about the mysterious access to ever-increasing joy in the
parable of the talents.
A talent
was a sum of money. Three servants were given different amounts of wealth to
steward and grow for their master.
Two of
the servants invested the money wisely and returned the talents with increase.
The
master, having seen their wisdom, praised them, telling them that he will
increase their responsibility because they have proven to be faithful:
“… You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you
in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21 Amplified Bible).
Is the
increase of responsibility and the entrance into His joy two separate rewards?
I don’t think so.
I believe
it’s more appropriate to say these are two sides of the same coin. We were
designed to co-labor with God, which is key to a healthy identity. And it is in
this identity that we exhibit the lifestyle of joy.
Perhaps
the greatest example of this principle is when Jesus told His disciples that
they could ask for whatever they wanted — prayer is co-laboring — and the
Father would give it to them.
He concluded His point with the statement that these answers to prayer
would come “that your joy may be full” (John 16:24 NKJV).
Both
servants are rewarded for their wise stewardship, and the reward was increased
responsibility and joy.
The
master didn’t just tell them to be joyful. He told them to enter into His joy (Matthew 25:11 NKJV).
Jesus has more joy than anyone. “… God has anointed You with
the oil of gladness above Your companions” (Hebrews 1:9 Amplified Bible).
“Gladness” here is exuberant joy! We do not have a distant, uncaring God.
It’s quite the opposite. He is moved by whatever moves us.
When He
invites us into a lifestyle of joy, He is not commanding us to do something
that is separate from who He is. He is inviting us into His prosperous heart.
It’s His joy.
It would
be easy to make a strong theological case for developing many different
qualities found in the nature and character of Christ.
We know the importance of faith, for “without faith, it is
impossible to please Him” (Hebrews
11:6 NKJV).
We know that there is faith, hope, and that, “the greatest of
these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
I could
go through a great list of vital attributes of God.
But I
have a sense that peace and joy are the things that will stop your neighbors in
their tracks, as they illustrate the reality of the Kingdom of God so
beautifully (Romans 14:17).
There is
a wonderful connection between these two realities.
For me,
joy is peace out loud; peace is quiet joy. The world is hungry to know what
true joy looks like.
And there
is nothing else in creation designed to model this joy in the measure of Christ
Himself, except you and me.
Violent
and Excessive Joy
Some
think that the wise men were royalty, kings of a faraway land. Others say they
were astrologers, studying the stars.
Regardless,
there is little doubt that they would have been known as the intelligentsia of
their day.
With an
extensive understanding of astronomy, this group of highly educated leaders set
out on a journey to find the Messiah.
For
nearly two years, they traveled. They searched through foreign lands to find
the One to whom the star was pointing.
The magi
came to see a King who could do nothing for them.
Unlike
the Queen of Sheba, who came to King Solomon that he might explain great
mysteries, or give her insights to solve life’s greatest problems.
This was
different. These wise men journeyed for years to find a baby who was born the
King.
And they
did it all for the sake of worship. They came to worship Jesus for who He was,
not for what He could do.
Before
they found the Messiah, they met with King Herod. After their meeting the Bible
says:
“they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when
it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child
was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:9-10).
When the
wise men saw the star, when they realized that the very thing they had been
yearning for was coming to pass, they rejoiced exceedingly with great
joy.
“Exceedingly”
has two basic definitions: excessively and violently.
That
doesn’t quite paint the usual picture we have of these studious, regal men who
approached the King bearing gifts. But the Bible says their joy was violent and
excessive.
Joy is an
unexplainable weapon. It is not something we arrive at through logic and
reason, at least not the reasoning of this world.
The
psalmist instructs us to “rejoice with trembling” in Psalm
2:11.
This
passage helps us to see that there is a connection between joy and the fear of
God.
And we
know that when we delight in God, the powers of darkness are terrified. But in
this Scripture about the wise men, their joy is extreme.
Valuing
Extremes
When the
woman poured out the bottle of expensive ointment on Jesus, every one of the
crowd thought it was excessive (see
Matthew 26:6-13).
That
money could have been saved and given to the poor.
But the
woman had come to worship Jesus, and the fragrance of that filled the house.
None of the other expressions of worship in that room were written about in the
Bible.
Her
story, though, will be spoken of forever. Maybe it’s time to be known for our
excessive worship of Jesus our Savior.
The magi
rejoiced without restraint when they realized that they were about to see
Jesus. This is what their worship looked like.
Joy, with
a violent effect on the powers of darkness. It’s as if, while we’re worshipping
and enjoying His presence, Jesus goes out and thrashes the enemy, and then
returns calling us mighty warriors.
And all we did was delight in Him. Is this not the point of Isaiah
42:13? “The Lord goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war…”
The enemy
loves to turn us inward — searching for answers within ourselves — because
there is no source of joy or life there.
If he can
get my focus off of Jesus and, instead, get me to start self-evaluating, the
end result is always negative.
But when
I consider the Lord, I get to access the very source of joy and peace. I get to
realign myself with my lifestyle of joy.
You and I
were designed to recognize Him, to be a unique sound and a unique pleasure to
Him. We were designed as instruments of joy and peace.
Understanding
Brings Celebration
Before
Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, the people had been living outside of
the protection and covering of the Lord for 150 years.
When the
walls were completed, and the city was beginning to repopulate, the prophet
Ezra read the Scripture to the people.
Gathered
in crowds around him, men and women stood together to hear the Law of Moses
read for the first time in their lives. Hearing it, they realized how far they
had fallen short of God’s original plan.
And they
began to weep.
This
would be a totally appropriate response to conviction in most churches. But
Nehemiah puts a stop to it. He says:
“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep. … Go
your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has
nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved,
for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:9-10).
They were
to offer a much costlier offering than mourning over sin could ever express.
They were to rejoice before they had earned it. This kind of offering would
take much greater faith.
The
entire community had just realized for the first time that they have been
living outside of God’s plan for their lives, and Nehemiah told them to quit
crying and to celebrate.
Those are
easy words to read on a page, but to have someone command you to be joyful when
you are in the midst of repentance is almost insulting.
Naturally,
we think, Let me work my way out of this righteous sorrow and then maybe
in three days I can feel a little joy.
But
Nehemiah is telling them to be joyful now. It’s obvious that they didn’t feel
like it, but the joy he is talking about is not that kind of joy.
The joy
of the Lord is sometimes the kind of joy you get when you rejoice.
In the
world, you rejoice when you’re joyful; but in the Kingdom, you get joyful by
rejoicing.
Nehemiah tells them to stop mourning, to enter into the joy of the
Lord, and the Bible says that, “All the people went their way to eat
and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had
understood the words that were declared to them” (Nehemiah 8:12).
They
began to celebrate because they understood.
The
moment you understand who God is — the moment the divine nature is planted in
you—joy is the only appropriate response.
The wise
men had traveled far to honor the King of kings with their treasures.
When they
saw the star that they had been following stopped over where Jesus was born,
when they understood that the Messiah had been born and that they would see
Him, they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
The joy
of the Father is our inheritance, here and now. And it only gets better.
As Isaiah prophesied, “There will be no end to the increase of
His government or of peace…” (Isaiah
9:7 NASB).
There has
never been a moment, since Isaiah spoke these words, that the Kingdom has been
in retreat. There has never been loss.
It has
never been “three steps forward and two steps backward.” The
Kingdom is always advancing, regardless of our circumstances.
Jesus was
born in a manger. He’s not that picky where He shows up. In actuality, He is
attracted to brokenness and messes.
There is
no end to the presence of His grace that overrides every circumstance. There is
no end to His joy and His peace. There is no end to His government.
Merry
Christmas! This is the simple Gospel.
Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, we rejoice without restraint when we realize
that we can see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whenever we worship in His
name.
Like the Maji, when we worship, our joy has a violent effect on the
powers of darkness. Thank You that while we worship and enjoy His presence, He
goes out and thrashes the enemy who means us harm.
We praise You and delight in Him. We pray for You to help us keep our
eyes on Jesus and not to self-evaluate, as the end result is always negative.
Lord, we pray for access to You, the very Source of joy and peace, and
to realign ourselves with a lifestyle of joy. Thank You for designing us to
recognize You and for being instruments of joy and peace. Amen.
Bill Johnson is the Senior Pastor
of Bethel Church. Bill is a fifth generation pastor with a rich heritage in the
things of the Spirit. This apostolic network has crossed denominational lines
in building relationships that enable church leaders to walk in both purity and
power. The present move of God has brought Bill into a deeper understanding of
the phrase, "on earth as it is in heaven." Heaven is the model for
our life and ministry. Jesus lived with this principle by only doing what He
saw His Father doing. Learning to recognize the Holy Spirit's presence, and how
to follow His lead will enable us to do the works of Christ, destroying the
works of the devil. Healing and deliverance must become the common expression
of this gospel of power once again. Bill and the Bethel Church family have
taken on this theme for life and ministry. Healings, ranging from cancer to
broken bones, to learning disorders and emotional healing, happen with
regularity. This is the children's bread. And these works of God are not limited
to revival meetings. The church is learning how to take this anointing to the
schools, workplace, and neighborhoods with similar results. Bill teaches that
we owe the world an encounter with God, and that a Gospel without power is not
the Gospel that Jesus preached.
Destiny has been called to publish biblically
sound, prophetic words to the Body of Christ. To that end, we seek to create a
community founded on content that has an anointing to direct, encourage and
strengthen the church as a whole.
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