What is Joy?
Has everyone turned in their Christmas lists to the grandparents yet?
Everyone updated their Amazon wish list? There’s only 21 more shopping days until Christmas!
It seems like every commercial on TV, every ad on your phone, they are all trying to tell you what you “need” this Christmas!
But our contention is that what you need this Christmas is NOT something that can be bought online or in a store.
We all need a little Christmas. What we need is a little JOY.
Do you remember a time in your life when you were filled with nothing but joy?
Mother Teresa once said this…
God is joy, joy is prayer.
– Mother Teresa, The Joy in Loving
Joy is a sign of generosity.
When you are full of joy, you move
faster and you want to go about
doing good to everyone.
Joy is a sign of union with God —
of God’s presence.
Birth Announcements
I remember many years ago now when Alisha and I found out we were pregnant with our first child. I remember telling our parents and sharing the news with them and… there’s just something about a birth announcement that fills you with absolute joy.
Does anything bring more joy than a birth announcement?
At least, it fills most people with joy. That wasn’t true for this one little girl who found out she was going to have to move out of her crib and out of her room when her new little brother or sister was born. Her parents put an eviction sign on her crib and she did not take it very well.
The sign read:
Eviction Notice: Please note that you are required to vacate the premises within 27 weeks as the new tenant is expected to move in on March 10th.
It kind of reminds me when of the night our family was sitting around the dinner table, Will and Gracie were still very young… I think Will was 4 years old and Gracie was about 2.
We told them that mommy was pregnant and that they were going to have a new baby. And Will was really sad. He said he was going to miss Gracie since we were getting a new baby!
There are few things in this world that bring more joy than a birth announcement.
Remember our Reason for our Joy
But what happens when we forget the reason for our joy?
It’s crazy to think that an expectant mother could forget the reason for her joy. After all, she has a new life living and growing inside of her. When you’re expecting a child you spend those nine months before they are born getting everything ready and making all the preparations.
From buying baby clothes to decorating their room, putting together furniture, doing all the things and all along the way you are filled with joy. You never forget your joy because there are visible signs of new life living and growing inside of you, inside of your beautiful wife.
And you can overcome unimaginable obstacles because of the JOY within you and set before you!
The discomfort of pregnancy, the pain of childbirth, the fears and worries about raising a child, the struggle of putting in a car seat for the first time, all of that pales in comparison to the joy set before you!
But what happens when we forget the reason for our joy?
We live in a world that often forgets that we have a reason for joy. True joy.
The Greatest Birth Announcement of All Time
The reason for our joy also revolves around a birth announcement.
The reason for our joy can also live and grow inside of us. And when we have this joy we too can overcome unimaginable obstacles because of the JOY within us and the joy set before us!
Maybe what we need this Christmas is a little JOY. Or at least, to be reminded of our joy.
Some 2000 years ago in what was perhaps the greatest birth announcement in the history of birth announcements, there were shepherds gathered in a field outside of Bethlehem when this happened:
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great JOY to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! – Luke 2.8-11
These days brith announcements are a big deal You have to have a professional photographer, an instagram story, t-shirts and signs and all kinds of things made in order to tell people you’re pregnant. You can’t just tell people you’re pregnant anymore, you have to get creative in how you announce it.
But no matter matter what you do, I don’t think you can out do what God did 2000 years ago when he announced the birth of His Son! Angels filled the sky. Worship erupted. Shepherds were at first filled with fear and then filled with JOY as they learned that their long awaited Messiah had been born!
They ran to Bethlehem, found the place where Mary, Joesph and Jesus were staying and they worshiped him. Why? Because… they were filled with JOY.
These shepherds had a reason for JOY that far exceeded their circumstance, their situation, their political climate, their fears, their worries, or anything else in that moment.
Mary and Joseph had a reason for joy that enabled them to overcome every fear, worry, and every unimaginable obstacle that came their way.
Their JOY gave them strength and power, endurance and patience.
Their joy had a name: JESUS. Yeshua. Which literally means: “God saves.”
And they understood that Jesus gave them a reason to be filled with JOY.
Filled with JOY
After 400 years of what felt like silence from God, God has now spoken! Not only has He spoken, He has announced the arrival of His Messiah, His Son, the Savior of the world!
Because of Jesus they would be rescued from the kingdom of darkness.
Because of Jesus they would be transferred into His Kingdom of Light.
Because of Jesus their freedom would be purchased and their sins would be forgiven.
That’s exactly how the Apostle Paul summarized it when he wrote to the Christians living in that ancient city of Colossae some 2000 years ago.
In Colossians 1.11-14, Paul writes…
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with JOY, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
Right in the middle of this beautiful passage is the word JOY.
The angels told the shepherds… I bring you good news that will bring you great JOY! Now Paul says, this JOY didn’t just come from Heaven to earth, it wasn’t just announced in a Shepherd’s field and it wasn’t just born in the humble town of Bethlehem… we, as believers in Jesus, are filled with this JOY.
And this JOY gives us strength and power, endurance and patience.
This JOY has a name: JESUS. Yeshua. Which literally means: “God saves.”
And we understand that Jesus gives us a reason to be filled with JOY.
Because of Jesus we are rescued from the kingdom of darkness.
Because of Jesus we are transferred into His Kingdom of Light.
Because of Jesus our freedom has been purchased and our sins have been forgiven.
Happiness comes and goes. But our JOY is unshakeable and unchangeable.
Our reason for JOY far exceeds our circumstance, our situation, our political climate, our fears, our worries, or anything else in this moment.
And because of the joy you have living and growing inside of you, you can overcome every fear, worry, and every unimaginable obstacle that comes your way.
JOY to the World
Maybe what you need this Christmas is to be reminded of your Joy.
It’s about this time every year that we start singing our favorite Christmas songs that remind us of our joy. At the top of that list has to be the song Joy to the World.
But did you know that when Isaac Watts wrote this song in 1719, he wasn’t writing a Christmas song?
In fact, this song isn’t even about the birth of Christ!
Listen to the lyrics again:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing, And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savoir reigns! Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy
No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness, And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders of his love.
What is the song about?
It’s not about the first coming of Jesus. It’s about His second coming!
When Christ returns we sing JOY TO THE WORLD!
When He returns as King of kings and Lord of lords, all of heaven and earth will sing! Isaac Watts wrote this song while reflecting on Psalm 98 which looks forward to the return of Christ!
When Christ returns He will reign as Savior of the world. He will rule the world with truth and grace! And we will all be captivated by the wonder of His love!
You have a Reason for JOY!
And what’s more than that?
You can be filled with this JOY when you open your heart and your life to be filled with Christ. When you do, His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, cultivates within you the fruit of His Spirit. What is the fruit of the Spirit? The Fruit of the Spirit are things like LOVE and JOY!
Sometimes you may forget the reason for your joy. But can I remind you today that you have a reason to be filled with unparalleled joy?
Christ who came will one day come again.
The same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger wants to make your heart His home.
The same Jesus who healed the lame, the blind, the deaf and diseased wants to heal your brokenness. Your broken family, your broken marriage, your broken relationships and friendships. He wants to heal you broken body, your sickness, your disease. Most of all He wants to heal your broken heart.
The One who came to dwell among us wants to come and dwell inside of you!
The One who rose from the grave wants to give you resurrected life!
Jesus wants to rescue you from the kingdom of darkness and transfer you into His Kingdom of Light.
Jesus wants you to know your freedom has been purchased and your sins have been forgiven.
Jesus came and died a criminal’s death on a cross and was buried in a borrowed tomb. Why did he use a borrowed tomb? Because He only needed it for the weekend! On Sunday He rose again, then he was seen by more than 500 people over the next 40 days before ascending to Heaven and returning to Father where He now sits on the throne of Heaven interceding for you and me!
The Hebrew writer says is this way..
For the JOY set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12.2
This is the reason for our JOY.
Because of Our JOY
If you’ve forgotten the reason for your joy, can I remind you today that the reason for your joy is found in Christ and Christ alone.
And this joy changes everything for us!
Happiness comes and goes. But our JOY is unshakeable and unchangeable.
Our reason for JOY far exceeds our circumstance, our situation, our political climate, our fears, our worries, or anything else in this moment.
And because of the joy you have living and growing inside of you, you can overcome every fear, worry, and every unimaginable obstacle that comes your way.
Perhaps what we need most this Christmas is to be reminded of our JOY.
Our joy can’t be bought and it certainly can’t be sold. You can’t find the joy you’re looking for on Amazon or in any Black Friday ad. That’s because the reason for our joy far exceeds anything this world has to offer. The reason for our JOY is JESUS! And this JOY changes everything for us!
So today, may you be reminded of the greatest birth announcement the world has ever known. It happened in a Shepherd’s field outside of Bethlehem. The angel said: “I bring you good news that will bring great JOY to all people.”
Because of our JOY we are rescued from the kingdom of darkness.
Because of our JOY we are transferred into His Kingdom of Light.
Because of Jesus our freedom has been purchased and our sins have been forgiven.
And this is the JOY we proclaim to the world. That the One who came is coming again. And when He returns, it will be our JOY!
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