Series: It’s a Wonderful Life

Title: It’s a Wonderful Life So Let’s Celebrate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDQVRxRlGdQ

At the beginning of the movie George found himself in a very precarious situation, in which a mass amount of people was threatening to withdraw their money from the bank that he had managed.  That’s when George’s wife Mary steps up and offers their personal money to help anyone in need. 

But at the end of the movie, we see that their kindness had paid off.  When George was facing a $8,000 debt that he could not pay with possible jail time, that the community had stepped in and took a collection for him.  It was a moment worth celebrating. 

As Christians it is our privilege to celebrate the goodness of God and all that He has done for us throughout the year.  God is a God of Joy. 

  John Piper - You were made, Christian, to enjoy the glory of God. That is why you were created, to enjoy the ever-flowing, increasing revelation of the glory of God

Celebrate for Joy is from God and of God

It is a gift to mankind, but it originates with God. He is the source of our joy.  He is the reason for our celebration.

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

It is the fruit of God, meaning Joy is a part of who He is. One of the main reasons we are to celebrate is because we are made in the image and likeness of God therefore, we are to exemplify His character in the earth.  Joy is a part of His character. So, let’s celebrate. Let’s be joyous, Let’s portray joy to the world.

Celebrate to Remember (One of the first celebrations that we see in the Bible was the Passover)

Exodus 12:13-14

¹³ The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. ¹⁴ “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. 

Every year they were to celebrate the day when the death angel passed over every home that had the blood of the lamb over the door.  When they would celebrate, they were to remember all that God had done in setting the nation of Israel free from their Egyptian oppressors.

If Israel had a reason to celebrate the Passover in the days of the Old Testament, We have a greater reason to celebrate. For Because of the blood of the lamb

1 Corinthians 5:7-8

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

For Jesus has become our Passover lamb.  His blood spares us from the wrath of God to come.  Therefore, Let’s celebrate. 

The Lord continued to prove His faithfulness to the Israelites. For when they had left Egypt and they were facing the Red Sea, God miraculously held back the waters of the Red Sea for all Israel to pass onto dry ground.  Then He commanded the waters to return and the waters obeyed and swallowed the Egyptians.

Celebrate In Response

After walking across the Red Sea on dry Ground, Moses burst into a song:

         Exodus 15:1-2 & 20-21

         ¹ Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
² The Lord is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
    my father's God, and I will exalt him.

How many of you can sing the song of Moses this morning? 

• Has The Lord triumphed over your enemies?
• Has He been your strength?
• Has He put a song in your heart? A pep in your step, a glide in your stride? A dip in your hip?
• Has He saved you?

If He has, then He is worthy of praise and exaltation. He is worthy of celebration.

Miriam was so inspired by the song of Moses that she breaks out the tambourine begins to sing as well.  

²⁰ Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. ²¹ And Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Their celebrating was accompanied with musical instruments, dancing and with singing.  This celebration was their response to God’s mighty awesome power. (maybe have a tambourine mpc)

A little over 400 years later when David is King the Lord puts it upon his heart to bring the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem:

Celebrate When Others Won’t

2 Samuel 6:16-17 & 21-22

¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 

²¹ And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord.

This was another instance of celebrating as a response to God’s goodness.  

Celebrate - (śāḥaq) - to play (including instrumental music, singing, dancing) This word is used 10 times in the Old Testament to mean “to play,” 10 times “laugh,” and 3 times to mean “rejoice.”

Nothing or no one would prevent David from celebrating His God.  Don’t let anything or anyone keep you from celebrating our God. 

David tells his wife Michal

(NKJV) ²² And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. 

Because she detested what God delighted in she would remain childless till the day she died.

Don’t Detest What God Delights In

For if we, His people, do not praise Him if we were to remain silent then He would cause the very stones to cry out to Him.

Luke 19:37-40

 ³⁷ As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, ³⁸ saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” ³⁹ And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

I don’t know about you, but no rock will out do me in my praise to God. For no rock can contain Him, just ask the tomb that had its stone rolled away.  Yet He chooses to dwell inside of me.

Celebrate For This Is Will of God

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

Rejoicing is as important as praying and giving thanks.  Rejoicing is the will of God for your life.

If you have been wondering what is God’s will for your life it is to rejoice and pray and give thanks.

 Philippians 4:4

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Always means “at all times.”  Meaning our praise should be perpetual. 

Celebrate the Promise

Luke 2:12-14 (angels foretell of Jesus)

¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the news broke to the shepherds that Jesus, the Messiah would soon come to earth, it says that a “multitude of the heavenly host” were praising God.  The angels began to celebrate the promises of God.

With assurance we too can celebrate knowing that His second coming is sure and absolute.  He is coming back again for a (bride) church who has made itself ready. We can celebrate the promise

Revelations 19 speaks of several accounts of multitudes in heaven celebrating

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, ²  for his judgments are true and just;

⁴ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” ⁵ And from the throne came a voice saying,

“Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

⁶ Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
⁸ it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

We get a glimpse of what it will be like when we are in the presence of God. 

• The great multitude shouts with a loud voice in response to His Justice
• The twenty-four elders fall down on their face in worship
• A voice from the throne calls out to the servants of God and everyone joins begins praising and celebrating the goodness of God.

We don’t have to wait till heaven to begin celebrating, we can and must begin even now.

Wycliffe Bible Translators (A Rhythm of Celebration)

We can integrate celebration into our lives by creating the habit of intentionally looking for where God is showing up and moving. Celebration doesn’t have to just be a big party; often it’s a simple “Thank you, God! I see your fingerprintsall over this situation.”

It’s a wonderful life when we consider all that God has done, is doing and continues to do throughout our time. So, let’s celebrate.

End out with “praise” by elevation worship