Come Into Our World!

The festive joy of Christmas is a short-lived phenomenon with most Brits beginning to find their relatives annoying – by 2.13pm on Boxing Day. After the excitement of Christmas Day – the presents, the food and time spent with loved ones – the mood will start to sour the following day as families begin to grate on one another.

Disagreements over board games, what to watch on TV and politics are among the most common niggles. Other tensions included having to share a room at night, being asked to look after other family members’ kids and being the only single person in the family. In fact, the research of 600 adults, by Hotels.com, found 26 percent of those aged 18 to 34 have been nagged about being unattached.

And a quarter of younger adults have also faced criticism for not being good with money (25 percent) and not having a better job (25 percent).

Emma Tagg, of Hotels.com brand said: “With Grandma giving you the ‘why are you still single?’ side eye, your constant ‘availability’ for babysitting and the ongoing questions about your lack of savings, festive family gatherings can all get a bit much.”

Other struggles at Christmas include being surrounded by perfect couples, enduring public displays of affection and having to entertain noisy kids rather than take it easy.

Four in 10 of all those polled admit they tend to get to a point when they cannot bear to spend any more time with their family.

Sadly, one in 10 admit they only stay with their family at Christmas because they have nowhere else to go, while a fifth said the alternative of having to stay in a hotel would be too expensive.

Does your joy last beyond Boxing Day? What about when lights/decorations come down? Dark mornings and dark evenings!

Explanation (5m)

But God promises joy to the world

The flavour of Christianity is joy

Luke 2:10 NLT

but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

If we have HS in our hearts then our lives should be marked with joy.

But how can people find joy in a broken world?

Life stinks. TSA doctrine ever since Fall we have been "totally depraved” - Victorian, but every part of our lives is touched by sin.

World not normal. Broken. That’s why we need a Saviour. That’s why we need God to be with us - Immanuel. He is the only one who can re-create us for life rather than death.

Because God commits himself to us

We can only find joy in this world, because God commits himself to us:

Isaiah 61:8–9 NLT

“For I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be recognized and honored among the nations. Everyone will realize that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

Justice means far more than legal punishment. Means the way life and society are supposed to work. It means shalom, wholeness.

Hates the wrong he sees in the world today, distorting humans from what he meant us to be.

This is who God is. Hates wrong. Loves right.

God cannot do anything but keep his covenant. He can’t do anything but build a new world. God can’t do anything but bless us.

That’s where we find joy.

The early Christians were marked with joy

If you look at early church, it was full of joy. Marked by joy. Even its greatest detractors couldn’t help but notice joy, however much they persecuted church.

Lived in a hard world - much harder than ours - but kept their joy in God.

Ancient Rome was built so shoddily that first century Christians lived in constant fear of buildings collapsing or being torn down, but kept their joy.

Deep darkness, no health service, no vaccinations, no pensions, no heating, no refrigeration, no technology.

But Christians stood out from the rest of the world because they were a people enjoying God’s presence in their hearts, they had Jesus’ practical wisdom for daily life and looked forward to endless enjoyment of him in heaven. How could they not be filled with joy?

Joy is still Christ’s Christmas promise to the world today

His Good News gives hope beyond everything that beats us down:

1 Peter 1:8 NLT

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

Jesus’ mission was to save not to condemn

Described mission:

John 3:16 NLT

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Christ’s gift to world today.

He brings good news to poor.

He comforts brokenhearted.

He proclaims captives will be released from their bondage.

He proclaims prisoners will be freed.

He brings God’s favour to those that mourn.

He exchanges a crown of ashes for a crown of beauty.

He exchanges mourning and despair for joyous blessing and festive praise.

The cross brings us joy

Stands in synagogue in Luke 4 to preach first time and takes this text from Isaiah 61.

Makes it clear this is his mission.

His cross cancels all our sins. All our debts. All our wrongs. All our mistakes. All our bad habits.

God says through Jesus - the little baby lying in the manger, who will one day grow to show us how to live a joyous, righteous life and will die our death for us - that we are free to leave the past behind and live in inexpressible joy.

Application (5m)

We must find joy

It’s not about being happy, it’s about finding joy beyond everything that beats us down

Not about being happy when life/circumstances make you unhappy.

It’s about giving you hope and joy beyond difficulties in life and everything that might beat you down.

Remember the Good News

We live with the Good News that Christ has won the victory over everything that’s against us. You may think you have too many sins stacked against you. You may think you’re broken beyond mending by your failures. You may think your chance at a life of joy has passed you by, but Jesus (through Isaiah) is announcing that new life of joy to you and confounding your deepest fears.

The question is, will we accept Jesus’ joy and freedom this Christmas?

And we must spread joy

God gives back everything sin has ruined through the church

If we do, then in return, Jesus gives us a mission:

Isaiah 61:4 NLT

They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.

God promises to put right everything that has been ruined - in our homes, in our character, in the world.

And he does it through us - his church.

The mourners of verse 3 and the rebuilders of verse 4 are the same people.

God’s joy turns us from mourners into builders.

If you remember back to Nehemiah, as Future Builders, God’s people literally rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after the exile.

That was a picture of things to come: we, God’s people are called to be Future Builders and be a part of God’s deep restoration of the world.

There is prophetic power in a joyful church

Isaiah—God Saves Sinners Chapter 44: Revival, Preaching, and Prayer

As we face the modern world with all its trouble and turmoil and with all its difficulties and sadness, nothing is more important than that we who call ourselves Christian, and who claim the Name of Christ, should be representing our faith in such a way before others as to give them the impression that here is the solution, and here is the answer. In a world where everything has gone so sadly astray, we should be standing out as men and women apart, people characterized by a fundamental joy and certainty in spite of conditions, in spite of adversity.

The world may lose its joy by 2:13pm on Boxing Day. Christians should not and must not. Our joy must last as we lean on the power of the One who comes to bring Good News of great joy. And we must pass that lasting joy on.

Are you ready to bring Christ and his joy to the world this Christmas?

Next Steps

Who or where can you bring some joy this Christmas?

Post-Its, pens.

Video: Joy to the World - Voctave | 3:00

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