So we're going to be looking at Luke 1, verses 39-56. If you don't have a Bible, I want you to just listen as I read this story. Here's what it says. Now, at that time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ear, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord. And Mary said, My soul exalts in the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For he has had regard for the humble state of his bond slave. For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation towards those who fear Him. He's done mighty deeds with his arm. He's scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their heart. He's brought down rulers from their thrones, and he's exalted those who are humble. He's filled the hungry with good things, and he's sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel, his servant, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. And Mary stayed with her for about three months and then returned to her home. Now this last November 22nd was the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy. But it was also the 50th anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis. Now, you may know him or not know his name, but you probably know at least one of his writings, which is the Chronicles of Narnia, which over the last couple of years, two of the books in that series have been made into movies. Well, one of Lewis's, this professor from Cambridge, one of his lesser known books was Reflection on the Psalms. And in a chapter entitled The Problem of Praise in the Psalms, He speaks of the time before he became a Christian, when he would read the Bible, particularly Psalms, and he said it always bothered him that the psalmist, the guy writing him, was saying, praise the Lord, come join us, praise the Lord. Worse yet, Lewis thought, was that God himself commanded people to praise him. I mean, it seemed to him like God was saying, what I want most is to be told how good and how great I am. And he said it was almost as if God were a vain old woman with fading beauty looking for someone to reassure him that is still important. I mean, why would God, if he were so great, want the praise of mere men? Why would God need the praise of mere men? Lewis said, that would be like me having my dog bark approval for my books. Is God just a big egotist running around saying, come on, praise me, praise me, praise me some more? But then Lewis said he had one of those, I'm paraphrasing, but a duh, of course moments. He writes this, but the most obvious fact about praise, whether of God or anything, strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, of giving honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows in praise. The world rings with praise. Lovers praise their mistresses, Romeo, Juliet, Juliet, Romeo. Readers, their favorite poets. Walkers praise the countryside. Players praise their favorite game. Preys of weather, wine, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flower, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians and scholars. Except for when intolerably adverse circumstance interferes, it almost seems that the inner beauty or the inner health was being made audible. in this praise. He said, I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge others to join them in praising. Isn't she lovely? Wasn't that glorious? Don't you think that was magnificent? The psalmist is telling everyone to praise God and telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak about what they care about. My whole more general difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us as regards the supreme valuable, what's supremely valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can't help doing about everything else that we value. Everybody praises what they see as good and valuable. And people naturally want others to share their experience. In fact, our joy isn't complete until others do. My son, Jason. Dad, if you're going down to Florida, you've got to find a five guys restaurant. Why? Oh, you just got to have, there's so, the burgers are so, you got to go there. Of course I did, and wow, they're good. I came back and told the people in my Bible study, hey, you're going to such and such place, you gotta stop it at a five guys restaurant. Well, they tried and looked all over the place for four men restaurant, and they just couldn't find it. You know, there's an old Swedish proverb that says, shared joy is a double joy, and shared sorrow is half the sorrow. I think if that's true, that explains why Mary went to visit Elizabeth after hearing the message from the angel that she, Mary, even though she was still a virgin and would remain so, was going to give birth to God's Son. She wanted to share this great news with the one person she was sure would believe her and rejoice with her, thus doubling her joy. And so in this section of Luke, we have the record of their meeting. Here, two women, one old, one young, both miraculously pregnant, rejoice together as they speak of and thrill in the goodness of God. They exalt not only in God's goodness to them personally, but also in what God is going to do for all of His people throughout the ages through the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. While centuries have gone and these women are long since dead, but if the Bible's true, they're still in heaven, and I am sure they are still rejoicing, and they would want us also to rejoice in what caused them to rejoice in their day, which was a God worth praising. And so today, to enlighten your minds and help you rejoice in a God's goodness, we want to consider this portion of Luke's Gospel. So why don't we join in prayer, and then we'll get into the text. Father God, I pray for grace and mercy. You know, the Bible says, taste and see that the Lord is good. Father, I've known people who, because of cancer and radiation, have lost their ability to taste. Now that's a big loss because the enjoyment of food is gone. But if we have no ability to taste you and see you as good, our loss is eternal. So Father, I'm praying that today you would make your word honey to us, sweet and soothing. I pray for all here, whether believer or not, that their eyes would be open and they would see that this is the truth and this is what the universe is really all about. Give grace, we ask now as we look at your word. For we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Well, there's two sections in this chapter. First, we have Elizabeth's words, which we could call the thrill of Elizabeth. That's verses 39 to 45, the thrill of Elizabeth. And secondly, you have the praise of Mary, and that's 46 to 56. The thrill of Elizabeth. Now you might recall from a couple weeks ago when we were looking at that story that Elizabeth was an old woman married to an old man, a priest named Zacharias. She and her husband were true believers and they were trying to faithfully serve God and God had no doubt blessed them in many ways, but there was one blessing that he had withheld from them. They had no children. You do know, don't you, that it's ultimately God that determines whether you have kids or not. And there are no children that come into this world, no matter what the circumstances of their conception and birth, that are outside the plan and the purpose of God. You know, in the big picture, it's not white swans and black rhinos, but white children and black children and every other color that matter, because they're made in the image of God. The Bible says that children are a gift from God. They're not inconveniences that we can dispose of, as we see fit. Now, Zacharias and Elizabeth had not been blessed with children by the Lord yet, but they were about to be because God had allowed her to miraculously conceive, though they were both well beyond that age. And the angel Gabriel had come and promised that God was going to do this. Indeed, she was already six months pregnant at the time that that same angel went to Mary and told her that she, yet a virgin, would give birth to the Son of God. And so we read, starting in verse 39, Now at that time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city in Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy, and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of that which was spoken to her by the Lord." Did Mary run there? She probably wasn't very old, maybe 14, 15-year-old girl. Did she hop on her donkey? I'm sure she didn't call a cab or get on a bus, but I'm certain she went there as fast as she could, probably immediately after the angel had visited her. I mean, I can imagine her running there and getting to Elizabeth and Zacharias' house and knocking on the door and then bursting in quickly and out of breath saying, Hunt Elizabeth! Hunt Elizabeth! An angel just visited me! I'm going to give birth to the Messiah! And as she's saying this, the baby inside of her aunt Elizabeth starts kicking and moving about, and this old woman, her old eyes brighten to that of a five-year-old, and filled with God's Spirit, she gushes forth her joy and pronounces a blessing on Mary. Better yet, acknowledges the blessing that God has already given to her. She says, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Now, I want you to notice what she doesn't say. Well, you know, I'm going to have a baby as well. And he may not be as great as your son, but he is going to be pretty important himself. I've seen women do that. They sit at the table and they go back and forth trying to one-up each other on their kids, which really they're only trying to one-up each other on themselves. You know, when your heart is right, the blessing of any of God's people is a blessing to you. and thrilled this woman was, for she knew that Mary was going to have a child, not a mere child, not even an important child like hers, but the most important child, because the child that she was going to give birth to would be the long-promised Messiah, the Son of David, who ultimately would also be the Son of God. And that's why Elizabeth asked, and how has it happened to me that the mother of my Lord would come to me." You remember, her husband didn't believe the message of the angel when it came to him, but evidently she did when he communicated it to her. You recall the angel said of this son of Elizabeth and Zechariah that, quote, "'For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb, and he will turn the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God, and he will go as a forerunner before him,' meaning the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Elizabeth believed that and knew that this child that Mary was pregnant with was going to be that Lord that she was looking for. And do you know what? The baby that Elizabeth was carrying also knew this. Where did he get that? Because notice what it says in the text. This angel told him that John the Baptist would be filled with God's spirit before he was even born when he was still in the womb. And evidently this is the evidence of it because when the voice comes of Mary, the baby recognizes the voice and starts jumping all around. And some of you women thought you had weird pregnancies, huh? Notice here that when God's blessings come to his people, even the smallest of them are filled with joy. Listen, God makes his people happy. Really, really happy. A grumpy, grumbly Christian is a contradiction in terms. But notice the second blessing that Elizabeth pronounces on Mary. Blessed is she, meaning Mary, who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what God had spoken to her by the Lord. You know, so many churches make so much of Mary. Sadly, they give her worship, which God forbids to anyone but himself. You know, once when Jesus was teaching, someone impressed with what he said. Some woman shouted out, Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breast at which you were nursed. But he said, Ah, on the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it. Nothing pleases God more than listening to his word, believing what it says, and acting in accordance with it. That's why it matters whether you come to church or Sunday school or Bible study. This is where you hear God's word. Well, Mary was blessed because she believed the message of the angel that came to her from the angel, or from the angel, and Elizabeth did as well. And that's why her baby was thrilled as they thought about the goodness of God and what he has done and what he would yet do. But as I said, joy shared is twice the joy. So Mary's going to share her joy not only with Elizabeth, ultimately with us, because she's going to ponder anew what the Lord Almighty can do if with his love he befriends thee, as we sing. And so that brings us to our second point, the praise of Mary. The praise of Mary. First thing he praises her for is his tender mercies. Mary starts with him a praise with these words. He says, and this is verse 46, My soul exalts in the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Psalm 147.1 says, Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to our God, for it's pleasant, and praise is fitting. As Lewis was saying, people all praise what they think is valuable. I mean, if you like a certain restaurant, you tell your friends. If you think the Packers are great, you wear cheese on your head. If you think the Vikings are great, you keep your mouth shut and wait for a better season. All people praise and glorify that, which thrills them. Now, this song, so to speak, of Mary is called the Magnificat because that title comes from the first word of the Latin version. Now, you may catch the root word in there, to magnify. That's what people do with God when they glorify Him. They make Him look bigger. But listen carefully. It's not that they make Him look bigger like a microscope. A microscope makes something small appear bigger than it is. Rather, they glorify him and magnify him the way a telescope does, taking something that's far away, that's massive and glorious, and bringing it closer so people can see. I mean, think of the Hubble telescope that was put up a number of years ago. It could see farther, much farther than any telescope on Earth, because you get the distortion from the atmosphere. And what did they see? What did they think they were going to see? The man on the moon? The curve of the universe? You know what they saw? They saw galaxies. Many, many more galaxies. And billions and billions of more stars than they ever imagined were there. All created by a God above and beyond those stars who, according to the Bible, holds them in his hand. But the idea of glorifying God also has to do with lifting up and spreading his fame. That's why the New English Bible translates as, tell forth his glory. You know, like those church bells in Europe after World War II, bing, bing, bing, they're all ringing the victory over fascism. So God's people are supposed to ring his victory over sin and make him known throughout the world. And it was as her Lord and her Savior that Mary rejoiced. And of all the things that God's people ought to glorify Him for, the thing that they ought to glorify Him for the most is the salvation that He's provided for us in Jesus Christ. It's through His cross that we can have our sins forgiven, no matter what we've done, no matter how wrong we've been. and be turned back to God. And so what I'm saying, folks, is this. Stars are awesome. Sunsets are beautiful. But is there anything that moves the heart of a true Christian more than to hear words like this? And when I think that God, His own Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sins? And far from being an immaculate conception where Mary had no sin, she was a sinner like everyone else. And that's why she needed this promised Savior. But here was the wonder of wonders. This promised Savior was finally coming and was going to be born from her womb. She was going to be the mother of the Son of God. God's tender mercies were about to be shown to her. And this set her heart dancing. For she gives the first reason for her praise in verse 48. It says, For he has regard for the humble state of his bondservant, meaning her, For behold, from this time on, all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name." I think about that line in the song, The Little Drummer Boy. Little baby, pa rum pum pum pum. I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum. I have no gift to bring. that is fit for a king, pa rum pa pum pum, rum pa pum pum, rum pa pum pum, shall I play for you, pa rum pa pum pum, on my drum. Part of what amazed Mary here was the fact that it was to her, a poor girl, that God had given this honor of bearing this child. God loves to use nobodies to accomplish His will because it makes Him look great. David, a shepherd boy who would become king over all of Israel. Fishermen and tax collectors who would bring this message to the world and turn over the whole Roman order. A skinny Banjara kid who we know who would bring the gospel to the untouchables in India. Sometimes he uses people of great ability like Moses who was a prince of Egypt. Or Saul of Tarsus who was the shining star in Judaism. But notice that even in those cases he humbled them deeply before he used them greatly. Mary's saying, who am I that I should even be taken note of, let alone given such a great honor? Thousands upon thousands of mothers look for the honor of carrying the Messiah, and yet in your grace, it's I, Lord, who should receive this honor. And she says, for behold, from this time forward, and all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name. Listen, nobody is too small for God to use them. Nobody is insignificant, and there are no insignificant parts. no matter that do not matter to him. In witnessing, in praying, in teaching and helping and giving, we're all actors in this big drama of redemption. Some parts are bigger than others, but there are no bit parts. I think it's important, too, that we note that while Mary speaks of all these grand things, she's going to go on to speak of these grand things God's going to do, she doesn't start with the cosmic but with the personal. That should be true of you if you're a Christian in your prayers. You're sure prayers should be thanksgivings for what God is doing in the world, what He's done in history, but they should also be thanksgiving for what He's done for you personally. Has He delivered you from some addiction? What if He hadn't? Has He given you a godly spouse? You ought to praise Him for that. If he hasn't, you still ought to praise him, because you're forced to trust God on a level that you'd never have to otherwise. Has he answered some prayer for you? Has he answered some recently? Did you give him thanks? Did you tell others what he did? Are you thankful that he does these things, that he brings these things into your life, even the hard things? Did you know that down in Georgia, they have a monument to the boll weevil? You know what the boll weevil is? A little bug. It's a beetle that wiped out the cotton crop many years ago. Why would they put up a monument to that? Well, it was because of the blight on the cotton crop that the Georgia farmers turned to planting peanuts. And that became a boon for the farmers. What they thought was a disaster turned out to be a blessing. Well, God's tender mercy was not only upon Mary, but she said it's there in every age. As she quotes from the Old Testament, verse 50, and mercy is upon generation after generations towards those who fear Him. In every generation, those who by faith will give God the proper place in his life. And by the way, what place does he deserve in your life? He created you. He sustains you. Your heart doesn't beat for one more minute until he allows it and causes it. You know, my father-in-law, Suzanne and I were just talking about this this morning. He was just the picture of health. Seventy-what, four years old, whatever he was. Seventy-something years old. But he just good shape, mind sharp. He took lots of vitamins, watched his diet, was very careful. And one day he's sitting there working at a computer, he literally drops on the spot. They did an autopsy on him. Did he have a heart attack, a stroke? Neither. There was no heart damage whatsoever. It just stopped. Your heart beats because of the interplay between sodium and potassium and it causes a spark and all this kind of stuff. But evidently God just, that's it. You may not make it out of this room. That never happened to me. How many people are in hell today? That never happened to me. We live and breathe and take our steps based on God's will. And His mercy showered upon His people. Sometimes a great shower, sometimes it's light drizzle, but always the water. They water the garden of their souls of His people that they might bring forth the fruit of praise and magnify His name. The second thing she praises Him for, though, is the sovereign power. Now by sovereign power, what I mean is God's control, his absolute control over every event and every person that comes across the pages of history, both great and small. And of course, it's the contrast between the great and small that she's pointing out here. The proud and the humble, God's dealing with them. Look what it says, starting in verse 51. He has done mighty deeds with his arms. He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He's brought down rulers from their thrones and he's exalted those who are humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed. Mary might have been reflecting on stories in the Old Testament, some of which you know. The stories where God delivered the people out of the land of Egypt. You're going to say, what, 4,000 years later, we still make movies, Disney does, or somebody about these things? Or how about those stories in the book of Judges, the raising up of Samson, this mighty warrior, and Gideon? What about the victory of Hezekiah over Sennacherib, where they got up in the morning and 185,000 of Sennacherib's troops were laying dead in their tent? How would you like to be on cleanup duty that day? Or what about later proud men in the Bible like Herod, you remember? He gave a speech in his royal robes. And the people wanting to flatter him, because that's what you do, you flatter important people, make their egos... Until someday they think they're God and crush you. And they said, the voice of a God! And he went... and he was struck down by God. Josephus, who's not even a Christian, no connection with the Bible, wrote about this event in secular history. He said that Herod ended up with maggots, with worms in his intestines, and he lived for two weeks until they came out, the maggots, the worms in the intestines, and he died on the spot there. Wow. Haven't we seen this in more modern times? What about Hitler? He ends with a bullet to his own head. Stalin. Mussolini. Do you know who Nicolae Ceausescu was? He was the last leader of communist Romania. He had the National Opera produce a song in his honor. In one part of it, it contained these words. Ceausescu is good and righteous and holy. He wanted his son on his 72nd birthday on January 26th, 1990. Instead, he and his wife were executed on December 25th, a month earlier. Merry Christmas, Mr. Proud Man. Because he brings those mighty people down from their thrones. Do you know who Christopher Hitchens was? There's an author and a journalist, professed atheist, critic of religion. In his book, God is Not Great, he said the real axis of evil is Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. He, along with Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris, are the four pillars of what's known as the New Atheism. He was a sharp-tongued, hard-drinking, gutsy writer who, even after he got throat cancer, never backed down and never gave in to the weakness of religion. A couple years ago, he died, and I am sure his opinions have changed since then. He scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. And he's exalted those who are humble. He's filled the hungry with good things. I think John Piper's right when he makes the point here that he reminds us this book of Luke, the Gospel of Luke, was written to a man named Theophilus, who was probably a Roman official. He's reminding people like Theophilus of the danger of the position that he's in. Well, folks, pride is very subtle. It's very deep. And it's very dangerous. You know, pride is like that game we used to play as a kid, I don't know, they called it Indian poker or whatever, where you have your cards out and one card's put on your forehead where everyone else can see it and you can't. That's the way it is with pride. You can see it in other people. We just don't have any idea that it's in ourselves. Listen carefully, folks. Few people in power ever get saved. Few who are wealthy ever bow their knee to Christ. Don't envy those. Don't wish it for yourself. I mean, would you envy a man who had to swim across a swift-running river with an anchor tied to his leg? Don't pray for wealth and worldly success for your children. Pray that they would be humble and dependent on God, always looking to Him. God hates the proud, and anything that tends towards pride is a great danger and a temptation. Don't be impressed with power. Don't make distinctions and evaluations of a person's worth based on what's in their bank account. James reminds us, he says, listen, my beloved brethren, did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which we are called? You know, the commentators, though, at this point, are asking the question, now, is Mary talking about things that happened in the past? Is she talking about things that are happening now? Or something in the future? Well, it's probably all, but here's the thing that I think they're right on. I think she's looking towards this son that she's going to bear who will someday overturn the entire world order. That is, that at some point in the future when Jesus returns, folks, all the things that are lifted up and exalted and praised and held up and the people who strut, the people who go to the Academy Awards, come out and wait for the pictures to flash. And then they go in and they all agree that they're more important than anyone outside. The only debate is who's the most important of the most important. all that order is going to be turned over. And there's going to be somebody with Down syndrome who's going to rule over the earth. The Bible says that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. It says in Isaiah 2.17, the pride of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of man will be abased, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. That day hasn't come yet, but it will when this humble bondservant's child returns to claim what's his on the face of this earth. Finally, the last thing we see, and we do this one quickly, is Mary praises God for his covenant faithfulness. That's a big term, but it just means that God keeps his promises. Here, Mary mentions in particular the promises made to Abraham. He says in verse 54, he has given help to Israel, his servant, in remembrance of his mercy as he spoke to our father, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. Here again we see that Luke puts his gospel in a very Jewish context. You remember I told you that Christopher Hitchens referred to the axis of evil as being Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Now you may think he's two-thirds right, and I believe that he is. But we as Christians, though we know that Judaism, because it rejects Jesus as the Messiah, is a false religion, we nevertheless are indebted to that religion for the Old Testament Scripture, which is also ours. We believe that Christianity is not the repudiation of that Old Testament Scripture, but the fulfillment of it. Because we believe Jesus is the promised Messiah, who's fulfilled many of those prophecies made hundreds of years before he came, and will yet fulfill the rest. when he returns, for in Christ, as the Bible says, all the promises of God are yes and amen. Promises made to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Promises made to the nation of Israel. Promises made to his church. Christ is their guarantor. Well, notice the promise to Abraham and to his descendants forever. By the way, this is why Paul is so keen to show in the book of Romans and the book of Galatians that Gentiles, too, can be the children of Abraham. through faith. You see, it's not having Abraham's genes, but having Abraham's faith that makes you a child of his and an heir to all these promises. And that's the promises given to Abraham and his descendants forever. Now, that's good to know. I mean, isn't it something you can bank on in this unstable world? How many things are in flux in your life right now? Where's the economy going in the next couple of years? You going to have a job? I just read in the paper the other day, Sherco, Excel, Plant, looking at closing it down. My older brother works there. Jeff works at another one. They're going to close that one down. Okay, then what are you going to do for a job? What about your health? Some of you have family members here, you yourself, your health was going fine, you had all kinds of plans, and suddenly it's not where you want it? You thought you planned your life, you're thinking, no, God plans it. With so much uncertainty in this world and in your life, don't you want something that you can count on? Know the promises of God. Memorize them. Bank on them. Let that be the foundation of your hope and your dreams to come. Fill your mind so full of the thoughts of what God has in store for us when Jesus returns that it informs and shapes every decision you make today. As Peter put it, therefore prepare your minds for action. Keep sober in spirit. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. You have to understand, for the Christian, Even though we already experience a lot of joy in God today, we know that there's more, ever so much more when Jesus returns. There's breathtaking promises made that Christians are going to be resurrected and given new bodies with new capacities and abilities and powers. Can you imagine never being tired again? Can you imagine never even having to sleep again? My wife said, oh, that would be sad. She likes to sleep. I said, you won't want to sleep then. She said, how do you know we don't sleep? I said, I don't know that for sure, but I'm guessing we don't sleep because that'd be eight hours of wasted time you're going to be thinking about God enjoying his goodness. How about the promise of reigning over this earth? You mean dumb, stupid Christians who are mocked all the time in the media? Yeah, they're the ones who are resurrected who will reign forever with Christ. What about the promise of seeing loved ones who died who trusted Jesus? being together again with family members. But you know the greatest thrill without a doubt for Mary and certainly for every Christian would be to see Jesus. The one in whom we placed our trust, the one who loved us, the one we've loved though we've never seen him. And we long for him to return because he will be the pinnacle of our joy and the depth of our pleasure because it was through his death on the cross that God has reconciled us to himself. Lewis understood all this. And he called us to delight in and worship God. But he also explained something else. Not only why people want you to join in what they celebrate, but why did God? He doesn't need anything. What could he possibly get out of us worshipping him? And the answer to that, folks, is not what he gets out of it, but what we get out of it. Listen carefully. If you love somebody, you desire the highest good for them, right? That's why this nonsense, the guy's sleeping with his girlfriend. Oh, yeah, because I love her. No, you don't, because that's not her highest good. If you really loved her, you'd marry her, commit to her for the rest of your life. You're using her. That's what you're doing. It's not love, it's selfishness. Love desires the highest good for another and a willingness to sacrifice yourself for it. Well, then why does God demand that we worship Him and find our joy in Him? Because He's the highest good. Some of you are on a path right now where you think, oh, the highest good would be sex. That's why I'm on the Internet. That's why I'm looking for prostitutes and going to strip bars. Has it satisfied you? Do you go home saying, deep joy is mine? No, you go home with guilt, shame. Hide it. Some even think the highest joy would be, oh, if I had money. Oh, because the rich and the famous are the happiest. Look at Hollywood, those people are always happy. Oh, if I could just do whatever I want. What happens to people like that? Nobody could stand being around Randy Moss. He couldn't have gotten away with that if he pumped gas down in New Orleans. It was his fame, it was his power, it was his wealth that allowed him to be obnoxious. That's what you want? You know, the fear for me, for some of you guys, because I watch you, especially some of you younger, is this what you're chasing? The fear is not that you won't ever get it, but that you will. Because if you get it, you'll say to yourself, my, I've achieved it, I've arrived. And you'll never give another thought to what you've missed. I think, I started with John F. Kennedy and C.S. Lewis. I'm going to end with John F. Kennedy. Now there's a guy who had everything. Young, nice looking wife, power, luxury, privilege. He slept with all kinds of famous women. Had mistresses. He's the most powerful man on the face of the earth. Do you think he achieved lasting joy? I doubt it. And he didn't go out of this world trusting Jesus, which means he left absolutely everything behind. What good would it do for you, even if you achieved the success that he did, if 50 years from now they mark your death and exalt in your name when you're in hell being punished for never coming to grips with who you are and who God is? What a tragedy. You know what a tragedy is? Anything that happens in the life of a person who never comes to Christ. Anything. This is the only source of your happiness. The problem is we're blind to seeing it. What you ought to do is ask God, open my eyes to see. If that guy up there bumbling and mumbling is right, that's what I want. Ask him, what do you think he's going to say? No. No, he's not because he's good and he's a God worth praising. our Father in God. You know, this is a struggle. There's nothing in our culture that makes this seem true. Other than, you know, once a week or once a year or whatever that we hear these things, we don't even think about them. Because there's a lot of other things that thrill us and give us at least a flitter of happiness, but they don't last. I pray for each person here. Oh, God, that you'd open our hearts and minds, that you'd give us taste buds for you, that we would find joy in a source that can never fail us. I pray for people here that they would think in the quiet times about what really matters, about the fact that every one of us is going to die and we're going to leave everything behind. Oh, God, don't let us be blind to the things that are screaming at us all around. I pray for grace and mercy for each person here and that you'd watch over them. And perhaps, Lord, this would be the year that they would come to know Jesus. Give them grace, we ask in Christ's name. Amen. I want you to stand. Thanks for sticking with me. We're going to close by singing a song.