Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
Full sermon notes available here: http://redemption-church.com/sermons/o-come-all-ye-faithful/
A Christmas favorite is definitely the carol “O Come All Ye Faithful.” It was originally written in Latin in the 1700’s and in the 1800’s translated into the song we know today.
Although we have sung this carol for years, have we thought about the meaning of the first line?
O come all ye… faithful, joyful, & triumphant. There is an invitation to come, but that invite is to the faithful, joyful, & triumphant. Are we invited?
We haven’t always been faithful, can we still come? We have not consistently been joyful & triumphant, maybe this invite is for someone else?
We need to be reminded who is invited, and why.
Carols 2 – O Come All Ye Faithful, Joyful, Triumphant from Redemption Church on Vimeo.
Carols 2 – O come all ye faithful
Sermon notes by Chris Fluitt
Redemption Church Plano Tx
Vid bumper- Carols
Hello Redemption Church. Hello to all our online viewers. We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year! Welcome to Redemption Church of Plano Tx. My name is Chris Fluitt and I serve as lead pastor at Redemption.
We are in the 2nd week of our Carols sermon series. This is such a complicated time of year, but one of the more amazing features of this time of the year is the music you will hear proclaiming the birth of Christ.
Last week you let us know your favorite Christmas Carols. Wow we had such an amazing mixture of answers, but a good number of you said that “O come all ye faithful” was your fave. Excellent choice.
This Christmas Carol was originally written in Latin by John Francis Wade (1711-86) in the 1700s. The English translation we sang today was made by Frederick Oakley and William Brooke in 1841.
Can you tell me the first line of the song?
O come all ye faithful, joyful, & triumphant.
I have sung this song for as long as I can remember but I never really stopped to consider the words of this first line. It is an invitation to come, but who is invited to come?
O come all ye faithful?
Wait a second. Have we always been faithful? Maybe this invitation isn’t for us..
I haven’t always had faith. There were times where I didn’t have faith that God’s word was true and that Jesus was His Son. I wasn’t always faith-filled.
And then even when I did have a professing faith in Christ, there were, and still are times where I wrestle with doubt. There are times where I have more faith than others. I have not always been faithful to God. I haven’t shown that steadfast love and allegiance to him.
There are times when I am not faithful to God’s word. God tells me to forgive someone and I resist forgiving them. That isn’t faithfulness.
O come all ye faithful? Am I still invited to come?
O come all ye joyful?
Have we always been joyful? Maybe this invitation isn’t for us..
There are days where we experience sadness. Most of us go through seasons of depression. Others live with a depression that needs medication. Some of us lost loved ones during the Christmas season, and every year we hear these carols but instead of joy, we are reminded of loss.
O come all ye joyful? Am I still invited to come?
O come all ye triumphant?
Do we always win? Can we be honest for a moment…? Don’t you just feel like a loser sometimes? Maybe this invitation isn’t for us..
There is so much failure in me. We set out to do things but fail.
- I am going to lose weight and get into shape.. I have more failures in that area than victories.
- I am going to be a better parent! I am going to show nothing but love & patience to my children… Then I turn around and freak out over something trivial. I am not triumphant in that.
- I love being your pastor, but there are times I beat myself up over this church. Why haven’t we seen more people come to know Jesus, why haven’t more people been baptized and filled with His spirit, why did those people leave, why didn’t this ministry flourish, why are we having this problem, why didn’t our congregation engage in worship, why didn’t we have a better time of prayer…?
There are times I look at the landscape of life and feel anything but triumphant.
O come all ye triumphant? Am I still invited to come?
Who is invited?
The song says the faithful, joyful, and triumphant are invited… but who does Jesus invite?
- Jesus calls the weary and burdened.
Matthew 11:28 (NIV2011) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Jesus invites the weary & burdened and gives them rest.
- Jesus calls sinners
Matthew 9:13 (NIV2011) …I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus calls sinners to come.
Jesus calls you but doesn’t leave you in the same state. When you come to Jesus you become something brand new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV2011) ..if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Jesus calls the weak & burdened. Jesus calls sinners. Jesus calls us to bring the new into our life. I would tell you that you can’t come to Jesus and stay the same! When you come to Jesus, change will happen. He makes us become brand new.
A brand new what? What does Jesus help us become?
Jesus helps us become faithful.
Faithful
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV2011) fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…
Faith start with Jesus! He is the pioneer. Faith is perfected with Jesus! Jesus is the perfecter. (Have you been trying to perfect your faith without Jesus?!!!)
Romans 10:17 (NIV2011) Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Hearing about Jesus, knowing Jesus personally, will make you faithful.
Jude 1:20 tells us that praying in the power of Jesus (Holy Spirit) will build up our faith.
O come all ye faithful! Jesus makes me a new creation. He makes me faithful.
Jesus helps us become Joyful.
Joyful
Galatians 5:22 (NIV2011) ..the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy…
Jesus brings joy! Even though we have never seen Him…
1 Peter 1:8 (NIV2011) Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
I need to tell you that there is difference between Happiness & Joy. I have heard it said…
Happiness depends on happenings.
Joy depends on Jesus.
Happiness comes and goes depending on what is happening, but when you have Jesus you have Joy no matter what is happening!
Luke 2:10 (NIV2011) But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
Luke 2:11 (NIV2011) Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
O come all ye joyful! Jesus makes me a new creation. He makes me joyful.
Jesus helps us become Triumphant.
Triumphant
2 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV) …thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ…
O come all ye triumphant! Jesus causes us to triumph!
You aren’t a loser, you are a winner in Christ! You aren’t a victim, you are a victor in Christ! You aren’t downtrodden, you are an overcomer through Christ!
We don’t come because we are faithful.. We become faithful because we came to Jesus!
We don’t come because we are joyful.. We become joyful because we came to Jesus!
We don’t come because we are triumphant.. We become triumphant because we came to Jesus!
Don’t beat yourself up for what you are not… Come to Jesus and become a new creation.
Musician
We are about to talk to Jesus in prayer. I want you to come today.. Because you are invited to come.
You are invited, not because you are worthy, but because He is worthy and has placed His worth on you!
You are invited to the manger. You are invited to His cross. You are invited into His presence. You are invited by the King.
Let’s go!
O come let us adore Him… Christ the Lord
Come adore Him today! He will make you a new creation today. He will make you faithful, joyful & triumphant.
O come let us adore the one who changes us.
Special prayer is available for anyone who wants it, just come into the first 2 feet of this stage today.
redemption-Church.com
Redemption Church is a nondenominational Church in Plano Texas. Our mission is to declare the good news and see others become followers of Jesus Christ. Our vision is to be a 1st Century Church connecting to a 21st Century world. To bring the community, the power, passion & dedication of that 1st century church to the fast paced, technologically advanced, and complex world of the 21st century.
We currently meet on Sunday afternoons at 3pm at the Corner of Parker Rd & Alma in Plano Tx. We would love to greet you in person.
Our lead pastor is Chris Fluitt.