Joy
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Pre-Sermon
Today is the third Sunday of Advent. Advent means to arrive or to come to. During Advent we celebrate the first arrival of Jesus, the Son of God, born of Mary. For Christ has come; and Christ has died; Christ is risen. And we anticipate His second coming. Christ will come again.
As I mentioned last week, Advent marks the beginning of the Church calendar. As winter takes hold of the land, and the days are colder, darker, dreary, joy can be difficult to find. Yet, the Church has a message for a world that lacks hope and stability. Our message is Joy to the World, the Savior has come!
Looking back at that first Advent, angels appeared to a group of shepherds. The angels did not appear to kings or queens or anyone of “importance.” They did appear to Fortune 500 CEOs, movie stars or anyone rich or famous. God’s messengers appeared to lowly, average, smelly, shepherds. Luke 2:10–11 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Great joy! The long-awaited Messiah has arrived. This Messiah would later begin His ministry with these words - Luke 4:18–19 (CEB) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Because He has come, we can say along with Mary Luke 1:46–48 “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servants.”
Pastor Alistair Begg tells of a note he received after a conference he was speaking at. The note said this - “Dear Pastor Begg, a friend was suffering through brain cancer and its treatments. His relationship with Jesus was such that the nurse on duty wrote as a critical comment on his chart, ‘Mr. X is inappropriately joyful.’ ‘Since then,’ said the writer, ‘it has become one of my goals to be inappropriately joyful.’”
Inappropriately joyful. There are two truths we can glean from this story. Presuming that this nurse did not know Jesus.
1) People without Christ do not understand how joy is possible when experiencing circumstances that make joy inappropriate or improbable.
2) People with Christ can have joy even while experiencing circumstances that make joy inappropriate or improbable.
Of course, the question we must ask is what is joy, and how is joy possible when it should not be? How can one have joy while enduring grief, loss, pain, suffering, trials …?
Before we answer that, understand that
God calls His people to live right-side-up (Kingdom Principles) in an upside-down world.
God's original design was much different than the world in which we live. Sin, death, chaos, and spiritual enemies have infiltrated and turned God's original design upside-down. And God's plan of redemption is to reverse that upside-downness and to make things right-side up. So, when God invites us to live by His Kingdom principles - to live right-side up in an upside-down world.
When the world says hate; God says love. When the world says retaliate; God says forgive. When the world says its all about you; God says it’s about others – and so on. God calls us to live right-side up in an upside-down world.
So, when it comes to joy, God’s Word tells us to be a people who exhibit joy when the world can’t. Just like the nurse – “how can you have joy at a time like this!” Simply because Mr. X knew Jesus was living right-side up. Mr. X would say, “If you only knew what I know and who I know – you could have inappropriate joy as well.”
But what is joy? Anytime we speak of Biblical joy, we must make the distinction between joy and happiness. The word happiness dates back to the 14th century and comes from
Latin - hap - means chance or fortune. It means to be in advantageous or lucky circumstances.
Happiness then is literally dependent upon external events going in one’s favor. Your favorite team wins, you get that raise you’ve been hoping for, Santa brings everything on your list - you’re happy. How long does that happiness last?
Happiness is dependent on favorable circumstances. But what happens when your team loses, the other person gets the raise, and you find reindeer droppings in your stocking? Not so happy.
Consider this: the Bible speaks very little of happiness. The ESV uses the word happy only 18 times. NIV pushes it to 29. Joy, however – is used 203 times in the ESV; 247 in the NIV. That’s a significant difference. Which one do you think God is more concerned with?
So, what is joy? VIDEO
A few quotes from the video:
“Joy is an attitude God’s people adopt, not because of happy circumstances but because of their hope in God’s love and promises.” ~ Bible Project
What are some key words here?
“The joy of God’s people is not determined by their struggles [or lack thereof] but by their future destiny.” ~ Bible Project
(See 2 Cor. 6)
So, joy is an attitude that God’s people adopt, cultivate or choose. Kay Warren said this -
“Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.
Joy begins with our convictions about spiritual truths we're willing to bet our lives on, and truths that are lodged so deeply within us that they produce a settled assurance about God.” ~ Kay Warren: Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough
What do you think?
How do we attain this inappropriate joy in an upside-down world? Again Kay Warren
“If we are going to experience joy in this lifetime, there’s only one possible way: We will have to choose it. We will have to choose it in spite of unbelievable circumstances. We will have to choose it in the middle of a situation that seems too hard to bear. We will have to choose it even if our worst nightmare comes true.
This isn’t what we want to hear. We keep trying to line up all the little ducks in a row, to smooth out the rough spots, and to shore up all the wobbly places, still convinced that if we get our act together, we finish the huge project, our health clears up, we get a raise, or we can just get things right, we can finally be joyful.”
During this Advent season, I introduced a traditional Church proclamation – “Christ has come; Christ has died; Christ is risen; and what – Christ will come again.” There is a reason the Church developed this proclamation. Not only is it good to say together, but it’s a truth that can help us persevere in tough times and create a sense of joy.
Think of it like this -
Christ has come; Christ has died.
Remembering the past and anticipating the promise enables us to find joy in His presence.
I’ll say that again without the extra commentary – Remembering the past and anticipating the promise enables us to find joy in the present.I’ll break that down in a moment, but here’s the problem - if we forget the past (what God has done) and we disregard the future (where we’re going) then we’re left with what? Focusing on the present circumstance, which probably won’t create a lot of joy.
Break it down …
Joy comes from Remembering (the God things).
The question is what are we remembering? We’re looking for what has God done. Q – Biblically, what are some things God has done? (Abram and Sarai; Moses; the Exodus, shepherd boy, the Cross ….).
Before God led Israel into the Promised Land -
And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.
What does remembering do for us? Not only do we look back in Scripture, but we also look back in our lives and remember what has God done? What has God done for us and others. Think about it - What had He done for you?
So, joy comes from remembering. But joy also comes from
Joy comes anticipating.
What are we looking for here? Promises – personal or in Scripture. Q - What are some promises we/you have?
We’re also looking forward to the return of Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Q - How can looking forward provide joy?
Lastly,
Joy comes from His presence.
Talking about abiding with Christ.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Abiding – opening ourselves up to Jesus.
