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Dec 13, 2020

Advent 03 - Good News of Great Joy (Click Here for Resources)

Passage: Luke 2:8-20

Speaker: Brian Land

Series: Advent 2020

Category: Grace Brevard

Keywords: worship, hope, advent, joy, gifts, singing

Advent Week #1 saw how Mary ADORED Jesus through a powerful song. Week #2 walked with foreign magicians who laid down their power and status at the feet of the infant Jesus, ADORING him as the True King through sacrificial giving. This week, Advent #3, we Join the Joy of the Angelic Choir as we sing of God’s Glory that has borne peace into our world.

12.13.20 GBV Livestream from Grace Brevard on Vimeo.

Illustrations

12.13.20 Album

Sermon Discussion Questions

(Click HERE for a printable version)

Think of some times where you received incredibly good news. What are some of the different ways you responded.
Why did you respond in these ways?

The Good News

Walk through these pivotal words the highlight the message:

“Good News” - literally “gospel” (greek for “evangelism”)

“Savior” - (get deep...don’t settle for churchy answers)
- of what

- from what

- for what

“Christ” - the “Anointed”

The Great Joy - Four Faces of Great Joy

Before you get to our responses, look at the uncontained joy of the massive number of angels (“messengers”). Once they heard that Jesus, the “good news of great joy,” was about to be proclaimed, they flew down and started a spontaneous concert. Put yourself into that setting. How shocking and awesome.

1) Adore Personally

“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

The first thing they did was move beyond information and to the person of Christ.
How do we so often merely stay with the information?
Why do we do that?
What does it practically look like to move to the manger?


2) Adore Deeply

19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 

Talk about what “Treasured up” and “pondering them” mean.

What are other things you treasure and ponder?
(otherwise known as “obsess over”)

This is a very deep and personal response. It literally refers to a deep meditation AS WELL AS a dialogue with the Lord.

What might it look like in life?
What does adoration look like WITHOUT this?


3) Adore Corporately
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

What is the difference between enjoying a “victory” (whatever really great news means to you) alone vs. with others?

Joy and Adoration that remains solo and cerebral will be weak and, ultimately, self-centered. Why is that?

The angels as well as the shepherds Adored Together. How does this propel us toward corporate worship?


4) Adore Outwardly

“They made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.“

Think about how shockingly great news is impossible to keep to yourself.
Why is it so easy to keep the Gospel to ourselves?

What are real, practical ways to “make Him known”?