Our Joy
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
When we say to someone, “I love you.” What do they say in return? We typically may hear the words, “I love you too!” Hopefully we mean it and we are not just mirroring what someone has said to us. But do we ever hear, “I joy you!” Too often we think of joy as being a noun. But did you know that joy was also a verb? What is a verb? It is an action word. Let me show you the difference.
If joy is defined as a noun the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. However, joy as a verb means to “be glad or rejoice.”
Maybe we need to start a new trend this Christmas that says, “I joy you!” This time of the year you hear the word joy used in our singing. Joy to the World. What a wonderful Christmas carol. What if we could do joy to the world? What exactly does joy do? Joy is mentioned multiple times and multiple areas throughout Scripture. It is even mentioned in prophecy:
11 The ransomed of the Lord will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Let’s look at a few characteristics of joy found in this one verse.
The Presence of Joy
The Presence of Joy
First, there is the presence of joy. In the context of this passage, joy is something that has been missing. The people of Israel needed a Redeemer. They had long gone through the motions and become the opposite of joy. They had become a depressed people, melancholy in their ways. They were full of sadness and sorrow. They were not happy. They had lost their way. However, the first thing we notice is that the “ransomed of the Lord will return.” We see this same verse is Isaiah 35:10
10 and the ransomed of the Lord will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
The Return
The Return
The return points the the way that God intended for all mankind. The return is coming back into the fellowship that God desires with us but our sinfulness breaks it down and leads to death.
17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.
However, when the promise of joy returns, there is restoration for the people of God.
The Restoration
The Restoration
19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Restoration comes with repentance. I love this verse from Acts and its use of what we are talking about here. “That times of refreshing may come from the Lord!”
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
How can He purify us? The reminder is back in Isaiah 51:11 in the word RANSOM.
The Reminder
The Reminder
The reminder is that the “ransomed of the Lord will return.” This is good news. And what does good news do? It gives us great joy. Remember the what the angel said in the Christmas story?
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Isaiah foretold this! Isaiah declared some 400-800 years before the birth of the Christ child. Just at the right time, Christ was born to redeem us. The “ransomed of the Lord will return.” We are ransomed. We have been redeemed. We are paid for. Our debt has been paid because of the fact that Christ came into this world. He came as a baby, taught is a man, and died on the cross for you and I to experience holiness and forgiveness. Our ransom has been paid. As a result we should experience great joy.
Let’s look at the prominence of this joy.
The Prominence of Joy
The Prominence of Joy
It calls for celebration.
The Celebration
The Celebration
They will enter Zion. Zion was another name for Jerusalem. It was the city that held the place of worship. When someone could enter Zion, they were able to commune with God through the acts and rituals practiced in the temple. They could do what God desires most, they could worship! The celebration of worship should give us joy! Christmas is such a joyful time of the year. We begin the Christmas season not with decorations in the stores but with music. It is always music that sets the tone for the celebration. The prophet Isaiah declares that the ransomed of the Lord will enter Zion with singing. Do you think they will be singing Joy to the World?
The Carol
The Carol
Isaac Watts wasn’t even writing a Christmas carol when he wrote that song. He was writing a response to reading Psalm 98. I want to encourage you to read that entire Psalm sometime today, but for now notice Psalm 98:1-2
1 Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
Our God has worked out salvation. His name is Jesus. No wonder Isaac Watts wrote, “joy to the world, the Lord has Come!” Does that give you joy?
The Crown
The Crown
Isaiah says that we will be wearing the crown of everlasting joy on our heads. What exactly might the crown of everlasting joy be? It is the realization that because of Jesus we are not only set free, but we are indeed can be glad forever more because He has freed us. We need to have a crown by the way, because you and I are members of a royal priesthood.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Does that give you joy? It sure should! There is power in our joy!
The Power of Joy
The Power of Joy
11 The ransomed of the Lord will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Overtakes
Overtakes
Have you seen on social medial the videos of two babies sitting together and one starts laughing? The second starts laughing and they continuously make each other laugh just by laughing. When joy overtakes us, it is like those babies and we will become so consumed that no outside worry can interfere. Joy overtakes us. Joy overcomes us.
Overcomes
Overcomes
Did you know there is a difference between overtake and overcome? Overtake means to catch up with or draw even with. Overcome means to get the better of in a struggle or conflict. Joy overtakes us and overcomes our struggles.
Overwhelms
Overwhelms
Joy also overwhelms us. Overwhelm means to conquer. What would your life look like if joy overwhelmed you? Isaiah 51:11 says it make sorrow and sighing flee way. Sorrow is that anguish we experience when we grieve something. It could be a person, a loss, or something that makes us worried. Sighing is when we are groaning due to mourning or physical distress. Joy takes that away! We celebrate the fact that the Good News gave us great joy. All our burden, all our pain, all our problems flee away when we wear that everlasting crown of joy. And truthfully, the only way we can wear an everlasting crown of joy is by knowing the person of joy!
The Person of Joy
The Person of Joy
The good news of the Christmas story is that Baby Jesus was born.
The Baby Jesus
The Baby Jesus
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob;
it will fall on Israel.
9 All the people will know it—
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria—
who say with pride
and arrogance of heart,
The Good News is that the Teacher Jesus was born.
The Teacher Jesus
The Teacher Jesus
Jesus said,
40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.
Jesus the teacher desires for you and I to experience joy by being His student.
The Savior Jesus
The Savior Jesus
There is also great joy in knowing the Savior Jesus. He presents you faultless before His heavenly Father and does so with great joy. Jude 24-25
24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Did you catch that? He is able to keep you from falling. He is able to present you before God without fault. He has joy when He presents us. He was before all ages and forever will be. That is good news and it gives us great joy!
There is one other thing about joy. If you truly want to experience it, go back to your Sunday School class as a child where that dear saint taught you that Joy meant Jesus, Others and You.
Jesus
Others
You
Put Jesus first. Others second. Yourself last. Watch what happens when you do. You will experience great joy!
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
