Good News of Great Joy
Tony recorded this episode on Christmas morning and shares a significant observation from the story of the birth of Jesus in Luke chapter 2.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12
We learn from the story that this “good news of great joy” is for “all the people”, and this means that what happened on that holy night was for me and for you!
On the night Jesus was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem and proclaimed a message to them that reveals the very reason that our lives can be changed even today, over 2,000 years later.
If you’re struggling in your heart, life, or situation, there is hope!
Even if you’re struggling to manage and experience your sexual gift in a healthier way, there is hope!
The proclamations of both the angel on the night Jesus was born, and by the old man Simeon in the temple 8 days later, and the implications therein, contain the very truth and power that can change our hearts and lives, even today.
Take heart!
Have courage!
Don’t give up!
There is “good news of great joy for all the people”!
This episode was recorded on December 19th, 2023... in the shadow of Christmas which was just 6 days away.
It's so easy to get lost in the helter-skelter and business that comes along with this time of the year - buying Christmas gifts, parties, get togethers, traveling, family obligations, etc.
Rush... rush... rush... busy... busy... busy!
Sigh!
In this episode Tony encourages us to remember the "true reason for the season", and shares 3 important observations from Luke 2, which is the story about the birth of Jesus.
It's interesting to note the progresson of 3 intersting vignetes that appear one after the other in this passage.
The first one concerns something that was proclaimed by the angel who appeared to the sheperds that night.
The second one concerns something that was proclaimed by the old man, Simeon, who had a special connection to the Holy Spirit.
The third one concerns something that was proclaimed by the old woman, Anna, who had been a widow for 84 years, and was over 100 years old.
SAVIOR!
SALAVATION!
REDEMPTION!
A very significant "theme" emerges around these unusal events that occurred when this special litte boy was born in the manger in Bethlehem, and the proclamation of this "theme" reveals the very reason of his birth.
SAVIOR!
SALAVATION!
REDEMPTION!
In this episode Tony explores the mystery of the Incarnation - the mysterious reality that God became a man, and made his dwelling among us.
God became one of us, and the little baby in the manger - Jesus - was incomprehensibly 100% God and 100% human at the very same time.
But this profound mystery isn't just theology for us to believe in our head.
It's reality that makes all the difference in our hearts and lives.
It's the reality that God is with us that creates the possiblity that our lives can be truly different.
It's the reality that God is with us that creates the possibility that a man who's struggling with an addiction to pornography can truly change into a new and different man.
What do you think the chances of true and lasting change would be if God wasn't with us?
When we're confused... God is with us!
When we're struggling... God is with us!
When we're depressed... God is with us!
When we're discouraged... God is with us!
When we feel weak... God is with us!
And when we're strugglng with pornography, or any kind of compulsive sexual behavior... God is with us!
In this episode Tony shares 3 very powerful scriptures that affirm the reality that...
God is with us!
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:1,14
5 The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7
What can God stop?
God is God, and God is all powerful, and God is almighty, and nothing is too hard for God.
God can do anything God wants to do, and God can stop anything God wants to stop.
In this episode Tony shares 15 amazing things that God stopped in the bible, along with the corresponding verse for each of these 15 things.
(1) God stopped sickness.
(2) God stopped the storm.
(3) God stopped the armies of pharaoh.
(4) God stopped paralysis.
(5) God stopped leprosy.
(6) God stopped lameness.
(7) Gid stopped infertility.
(8) God stopped hungry lions.
(9) God stopped 135,00 Midianites.
(10) God stopped the firey furnace.
(11) God stopped demons.
(12) God stopped deafness.
(13) God stopped Goliath.
(14) God stopped blindness.
(15) God stoppeed death itself.
Is there something going on in your life right now that you would like God to "STOP"?
In this episode Tony affirms that God can "STOP" anything God wants to "STOP", but also shares one very important reality that we absolutley need to understand and accept.