A Little Joy Goes a Long Way

We have brief snippets of joy here in this life: the bride and groom celebrating on their wedding day; the rush one feels when whipping down a roller coaster at an amusement park; the spark of inspiration one feels when watching the cool sunrise or capturing a vibrant sunset. We love to be joyful. And we love to give joy to those we love, especially our children. It’s why we love to see our children and grandchildren run around giggling in uncontrolled laughter and why we spoil them rotten by giving them the expensive gift their heart has been set on for endless months.

But these snapshots of joy, as exciting as they may be, are brief and momentary. A child gets over their current toy and longs for the next one. The park ride comes to an end. Marriage sinks into the routine and the relationship takes work and sacrifice to continue. The joy lasts but a moment, and then the moment is gone. It takes work to recreate.

Perhaps chasing joy is what drives our capitalist society.

And don’t get me wrong, these things that provide joy in our world are good things. But they are not designed to be the ultimate thing. (pause) Their joy fades. No, these good things are pictures of God, who is the ultimate joy. His joy never fades.

And that brings us to the main idea of this sermon: That Lasting joy will come in knowing the God of joy.

Lasting Joy will come in knowing the King of Joy.

Like many Fathers, God loves those whom he calls his children, even his adopted children. It’s why he gave them the greatest gift of all, a little child wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. Through this human being, true joy, lasting joy, would be given to the people he calls his own.

1. The Lord is the King of Joy

How do we know this?

Psalm 98:4–6 ESV

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

His nature has been revealed through all of scripture. The LORD is a good and gracious king. Slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. All good and perfect gifts come from him. He is the maker of heaven and earth, the object of praises. The Lord works in the lives of his people to produce joy. He brings us to himself and gives us to one another. His intention for you and for me is that we be sanctified, cleansed from the patterns of evil, that we might do good toward one another and see good days. The Lord orchestrates joy for us as people. He has designed all the cute creatures that are in the world, every puppy, kitten or newborn child. His creation was deemed good. And his creation of mankind was deemed very good. And we may be tempted to love the Lord simply because of what he gives, but we would be missing out on who he is. And that’s what I think this Psalm gets correct. The praise and glory and worship is given to the king, the Lord, simply because he is who he is. He is the king of joy. He has imprinted his image and likeness onto mankind and through that we can see the Lord’s heart of true delight.

The Father delighting in the son, and the son delighting in the Father. The Spirit delighting to bring glory to the Son and to the Father. The Father delighting to send forth the Spirit. Three persons acting as one, delighting to make all of creation, including mankind.

The Lord’s delight spills over. The joy of the king spills over into the world. Even when we messed it up because of sin.

2. The King of Joy entered the world

If anyone gets it right, angels who serve the Lord would.

It’s the birth of Jesus where angels arrive and announce the same joyful presence of God coming to the earth. They show us that he is the king and that from him flow all good things. We are blessed to be in his presence.

-Angels (joy to the world)

Luke 2:10 ESV

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.

Luke 2:11 ESV

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

3. The King brings joy to all people

-foreshadowing the works of Christ in the world

That he is a savior for all people. What great joy and reaction there is when the weight of sin is lifted from a person’s life! Joy is often accompanied by tears, a flood of relief, and a response of praise.

This king Jesus would accomplish a work so great in his lifetime that would bring a sense of joy for all the people.

His death on the cross.

And angels and humans are to be heralds, proclaiming the greatness of this king.

4. Joy is to be found in the King

If they did not do so, then even the stones would cry out.

Stones would cry out

Luke 19:37 ESV

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,

Luke 19:38 ESV

saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Luke 19:39 ESV

And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”

Luke 19:40 ESV

He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

If Jesus’ disciples did not shout forth in joy for the very works that Jesus did, the rocks themselves would have cried out. The glory of Jesus and the good news that he brings is not unannounced.

Enough for Nature to Rejoice

Psalm 96:11–12 ESV

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

Psalm 98:7–8 ESV

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together

When we proclaim in Joy to the World, “Let heaven and nature sing!” We really mean it. He is the king, the God of heaven and earth. He is responsible for all of the beauty you see in the world around you. If you haven’t stopped to take into account the handiwork of God’s own artwork, I would encourage you to do so. We need to point the good things in life back to the Lord.

Mankind also is to rejoice

Psalm 96:2 ESV

Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.

So what does Joy do for you now?

Well, a little bit of joy goes a long way.

5. The King’s Joy is Lasting happiness

It is possible.

but we struggle to hold onto that joy.

This past week I struggled with joy. And it’s no unknown that the enemy specifically tries to undermine the work of the ministry, and perhaps this particular spirit tried to dampen my joy. I didn’t want my expression of joy to be inauthentic but real. And I had to wrestle with my heart to get it in the right place. And what I realized is that joy is easily lost when we take our eyes off the king of joy.

We struggle when we lose sight of the king of joy.

When we place the source of our happiness in our circumstances

Have you ever seen Christians who have so little, but have so much joy? It’s because, as in the words of John Piper, “When we have little and have lost much, Christ comes and reveals himself as more valuable than what we have.”

Sometimes the Lord, in his wisdom, sends trials into our life so that our joy may be redirected back to him. I think of one of the pastors and his family at my previous church. 2020 wasn’t just a difficult time with Covid, but it’s also the year their whole house went up in flames. Thankfully, he and his wife and his children made it out alive. But they lost everything. And yet, looking at their family, you wouldn’t know that they had just lost all of their worldly possessions and were living in a motel. It’s because they were joyful. God had used the fire to destroy their home that their joy might be rooted in their Lord.

And I know that there are those of you sitting here today who have lost much this past year: friends, family, home, health. And there are those of you who are working with less this year. But joy, lasting happiness, doesn’t come from health or humans or money or gifts, it comes from the Lord who give you health, who gives you friends and spouses and family, who gives you money and finances, who gives you food and gifts. He is the one who offers you salvation from your sins and who has made a way for eternal life. Sometimes it takes the removal of God’s blessing for us to recognize the one who has provided it for us all along. And once he does that, then we can find our true joy, our lasting happiness, in him.

So maybe you’re struggling to find that joy.

But sometimes the only thing we need to do to obtain joy from the Lord is to ask him:

John 16:20 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

John 16:21 ESV

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

John 16:22 ESV

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

John 16:23 ESV

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

John 16:24 ESV

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

We love to give gifts during the Christmas season as way of reminder of the one true gift that was given to us.

This Christmas season is a good time to stop and remember the object of our joy, the one from whom our lasting happiness comes. A king of joy who came as a little baby, born in a manger. The maker of all things, the giver of every good and perfect gift, the source of joy of salvation for many peoples, humbled to the form of man that he might live a perfect life and die the death we deserved to die in shame upon the cross that we might have true joy and lasting happiness.

Joy, this relief from sin, is to be lasting. It’s a hope that we can tap into.

Conclusion

Lasting joy will come in knowing the King of Joy. That king is the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit and we are granted access to the Father. Through Christ the burden and weight of sin that was meant to sink us to the pit of hell was deadened, and we are free to live. It’s knowing that Christ has accomplished a perfect life before the Father that sets us free from having to prove ourselves to the Lord, day in and day out.

Did you know that the song Joy to the World is about Jesus’ second coming?

God’s work is not done yet. There is joy for us to have in this present time, but there is more joy to come. One day the earth will be freed from its bondage to sin and the creation which has been groaning with the pains of sin will be set free, and a new heaven and new earth will arrive.

But for now, he gives you a preview, a foretaste, of his future glory and joy. It is this joy that Christians are to hold onto, though there is little else to cling to.

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