In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Have you ever had the feeling that you were being watched? When we lived in large cities like Cleveland or Phoenix, I almost never met anyone who recognized me. I was just another face in the crowd. I rarely, if ever, came across a member in a store. That has certainly changed. I can hardly go anywhere in Adrian without being recognized. And, everywhere I go, I represent this church, and our Savior. While none of us will be perfect, this side of heaven, we do need to have integrity, so that our lives do not undercut our message. Actions speak louder than words.

If you teach that it is wrong to curse or swear, and then in the afternoon somebody hears you doing that, what do you think they are going to remember and talk about? Do you think that they will say, "Pastor taught us not to curse?" Or will they say, "I heard Pastor say a bad word." Which one do you think would travel more quickly through the congregation, and all through town? I think you know the answer. And that's not just true of pastors, it's true of all of our members too. So, remember who you are. Yes, we should speak God's Word, but we also need to live it. Remember who you are! John knew who he was. In our text, we read that a delegation came up to John, and asked him a question:

1. REMEMBER JOHN'S ANSWER

John said, "I am not the Christ." Now, to us, this answer doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was a big deal. John's ministry was making a big impact. Many, many people were listening to him preach. Many were confessing their sins and being baptized. And some among the Jews thought that perhaps he might be the long-promised Savior. But when they asked him, John always said, "I am not the Christ." He was not the long-promised Savior.

But they couldn't just drop it there. They wanted to know who he was. So, they asked John if he was Elijah. Now, the Jews had been teaching that the Old Testament prophet Elijah himself would return before the Savior would arrive. They were basing that on a promise in the book of Malachi. They knew that Elijah had never died. The Bible tells us that he went to heaven in a whirlwind. And so, they thought that the very person of Elijah would come back. But, John was not the Old Testament prophet Elijah. He was not the very Old Testament person of Elijah. And so, John said, "I am not."

The Bible said that the Messiah would be the great Prophet. So, they asked John if he was the Prophet. But again, he answered No. Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer!" And that's when John applied the words of Isaiah chapter 40 to himself. And we talked about that last week. John the Baptizer was to prepare the way for the Lord. He was the forerunner of the Christ. That should have been clear enough. John told them who he was.

But some Pharisees pursued the matter, and that's when John pointed them to the coming Savior. Instead of continuing to talk about himself, John did what God called him to do. He pointed the people to the coming Savior. And compared to this Savior, John was nothing. John said that he wasn't worthy to untie his shoelaces. John also said something that should have really struck this delegation. He said that the Savior was standing among the people already! The Savior had arrived on the scene. Now this was news! This was great news. The long-promised Savior had come, and he was standing among them! By this time, Jesus had been baptized and tempted in the wilderness. He was out and among the people. That was great news! God's Son had arrived! And John did not fail to point to him.

Wouldn't you think there would have been gladness and joy and celebration? Even if the Pharisees were not joyful about this, John most certainly was. Scripture more than once describes the Baptizer's joy at the coming of his Savior (Lk 1:44; Jn 3:29). John did not fail to confess, with his words and with his actions that Jesus was his Savior. He did not fail to confess the joy that he had at the coming of Christ. When the delegation came to John, asking the question, "Who are you?" John pointed them to Jesus. He would later say, "He must become greater. I must become less." John knew that he was just a sinner, in need of a Savior. But he was very glad to have a Savior, and that Savior was Jesus Christ. But what about you? WHO ARE YOU?

2. REPEAT YOUR ANSWER EACH DAY

I had a professor who started every year saying, "My name is so and so, and I am a sinner." And that was rather disarming. But that's only half of the answer. The other half is this: "My name is so and so, and I am a saint." No, we're not perfect, but we are redeemed by Jesus Christ and forgiven. On the cross, Jesus died for us and took away our sins. He died for all of us, and God forgave all of our sins.

Who are you? Sometimes I ask, "Who am I?" I know that I am NOT primarily a pastor. Yes, I serve as one of the pastors here, but that is not who I am. Am I my kids' Dad? Yes, but that is not #1 either. Am I my wife's husband? Yes. But that is not #1 either. So, then, who am I, really? What is the best answer to that question? I am a believer in Jesus Christ! That is the answer. I am a believer in Jesus Christ. Is that your answer too? If you answer as I do, that you are a believer in Jesus Christ, and if you agree that this answer most completely answers the question of who you are, then what does that mean for your daily life?

It's actually pretty easy to say, "I am a believer in Jesus Christ." It's not nearly as easy to say it in your actions, each and every day. Today's Epistle lesson gives us direction from God for our lives... 1 Thessalonians 5:16?18 said: "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Now let's walk through this, one step at a time, and apply God's Word to our lives.

"Be joyful always." Ouch. I have a confession to make. I haven't been doing too well in this area lately, how about you? I want to be joyful. I know why I should be joyful. Jesus has saved me. By faith in him I'm going to heaven. Everything works out for my good. I should be more joyful! But, sometimes, I'm sad. Sometimes, I'm frustrated. Sometimes, I'm weary. Sometimes I feel sick and tired. Yet, Jesus wept too, when Lazarus died. Sometimes Jesus had to get away and pray. Sometimes he took the disciples aside and said, "you need some rest." Sometimes, Jesus avoided people so that he could talk about God's Word with his disciples. When he scolded the Pharisees, I don't believe that he was smiling. When he cast out the moneychangers from the temple, I don't think that Jesus was laughing. We should not think that being joyful means that we will be joyful robots, who never endure other emotions. Not even our perfect Savior was like that! But, deep down inside, we believers have that inner peace and joy of Christmas. We understand what the angel was talking about when he spoke of "good news of great joy." That is the real joy at Christmas too. That is the kind of joy that shines through tears and loneliness and disappointments and frustrations and stress and weariness. It does give us peace and joy inside, when we remember that Jesus is our Savior. It does give us peace and joy inside when we remember that we are going to heaven. It does provide comfort and joy to know that our believing loved ones go to heaven too. We may not always have a smile on our face. If you have ever seen "The Little Drummer Boy" you probably can remember what Aaron looked like with a fake smile painted on his face. Some days, we might look that way. Remember that Jesus came just for you! He came to open the doors of heaven to you. Remembering his love brings joy to our hearts, and it can bring joy to our faces too.

Then, it says, "Pray continually." Oh, no. I have another confession to make. I don't pray as much as I want to. Do you? I want to pray more, and cast all my cares on the Lord, don't you?

"Give thanks in all circumstances." Got me again. How about you? Are we really as thankful as we should be, about every blessing from God? No, we all need to repent. We have fallen short. But here's something to be thankful for: All those sins that tweak our consciences and bother us, of not being joyful, not praying or being thankful enough, are forgiven through Christ! That is what makes us glad inside. And that inner joy should radiate to the outside.

If we happen to meet in the store, I hope that you'll see my joy, I really do! But in any case, let us remind each other that we are forgiven through Christ. And that Jesus is the reason for our joy.

We lit the pink candle today. Every year, this reminds us to be joyful. The pink candle stands for joy! Let us remind one another with more than just a pink candle, and more than just words, that we ARE joyful, because Christ HAS forgiven us, and we ARE going to heaven, through faith in him. The problems of this life are not gone. But in the midst of trials, temptations, tears and tough days, our inner joy, our faith, will shine through. Remember who you are! "Who are you?" Who am I? We are JOYFUL Christians! Amen.