Joy
Notes
Transcript
The Christmas season is wrapped up with a lot of nostalgia. A lot of tradition. If you’re anything like me, there’s usually your go-to Christmas song that you want to hear as soon as we enter into this season. You probably find yourself reminiscing over past Christmases with family and friends. There’s a warmth that comes over you.
Many of the Christmas songs written even seem to reflect on the past and traditions. We like to watch our favorite Christmas movies over and over again. That’s been Amy and me for the past couple of weeks. As soon as we get the kids down to bed and settled a little bit, we’re just like, what Christmas movie are we watching tonight? Let’s watch this one again. We try to soak up every minute of the season as we can.
The Christmas season seems to bring with it, at least a lot of times our hope is, a sort of, pause to life. We just want to kind of slow down and rest in the joy of the season.
A lot of Christmas songs even reflect this internal longing for joy and peace.
Think of the lyrics to the well-loved song, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on
Our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yule-tide gay
From now on
Our troubles will be miles away
Do you hear the longing? The aching? The yearning? It’s a longing for hope. A longing for peace. For love. For joy. It truly is, whether humanity realizes it or not, it’s a longing for a savior. An escape or deliverance from life’s troubles.
I think the reason why most people want to soak up the Christmas season for as long as they can is that it appears that for at least a few weeks, though imperfectly, but it appears that for at least a few weeks there seems to be a sense or maybe just a hope for calmness and joy. There seems to be a short respite from life’s stresses, even if it’s just for one day on Christmas day. Or maybe it’s the day after once all of your family is gone and you have some quiet again. Whatever it may be, there’s a longing for escape and a yearning to remain in that world of peace and joy, and calm.
Our hearts desire redemption and saving and relief from life’s troubles. That’s the reason why lyrics in songs yearn for troubles to be miles away. There’s a reason why we long for peace and just a moment where everyone is seemingly getting along. Deep down within our hearts and souls, we long for things to be made right. You can’t deny that reality. Our hearts ache for it. And yet, humanity looks to false saviors to fix the mess. Humanity looks to false saviors to find that joy that their hearts yearn for.
And apart from looking to Christ as the solution to the cause of sin, which is the cause of all of life’s troubles, apart from Christ alone being the Savior, our redemption, our salvation, our joy, the world has no answer or solution to the problem of suffering, the problem of pain, of trouble. In fact, the best the world can do for you is to say maybe next year it’ll be better. Just like what we saw in the lyrics to “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” At least next year the troubles that you’re facing now will be in the rearview mirror. What it doesn’t say is that you’ll be facing a brand-new set of troubles, but I guess just keep kicking the can further down the road. Maybe next year there’ll be peace. Maybe next year I’ll finally be happy.
Do you know what the Christmas story is? It’s an invitation to all who are weary from life’s troubles, all who are hungry for peace, all who are searching for meaning, all who are desperate for joy to come find rest, peace, eternal joy in the person of Jesus Christ.
These opening lines from Luke 2 are incredibly recognizable and remind us of the Christmas season, the Christmas story.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
These are most likely recognizable words to many of us, at least if you have a church background but really what we see even in this opening verse is the cry of humanity for a savior.
Here’s why. Caesar Augustus was emperor over the entire Roman empire, basically the entire inhabited world was under his control. He was born with the name; Gaius Octavius and he was the great-nephew of Julius Caesar. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, he clawed and fought his way into power and eventually turned Rome into a superpower that lasted for centuries.
He was actually, greatly loved by the Roman people and in fact, gave much of his power back to the people. But he was also the first Caesar to be given the name “Augustus.” And that name is significant when you begin to dig into it.
The title, “Augustus” means “holy” or “revered.” And up to this point in time, it was a title held and given only to the gods. In fact, it was about this time as Luke was writing this gospel that cities in Asia Minor were adopting Caesar’s birthday, September 23 as the first day of the New Year and they were hailing him as “savior.” So, the Romans were revolving their entire lives around this one individual in power. They were looking to him for hope, peace, and joy.
Even when Caesar Augustus died, the Roman people comforted themselves by turning to their belief that Caesar was a god and gods do not die. And so, even though Caesar was in a tomb, lifeless, not breathing, they kept telling themselves, “gods don’t die, gods don’t die, gods don’t die.” But Caesar wasn’t coming out of that tomb.
And so, what Luke brilliantly does in Luke 2 is to some degree, he’s comparing and contrasting two Saviors.
One was a former ruler of Rome who died, and the people had to comfort themselves by repeating the phrase, “gods do not die.” “Gods do not die.” It kind of sounds like, “Next year our troubles will be miles away.”
The other Savior contrasted in this passage is Jesus. God in the flesh come to save and redeem his people. A Savior who would one day die but would be brought back to life to live forever as our King and Savior.
The Romans looked to Caesar Augustus for their hope and joy and peace. And when death took him from them, they didn’t know what to do, how to cope, and whom to turn to. They just kept living in this delusion that he’s not really dead.
What are you looking to for joy, meaning, and salvation? Is it a perfect marriage or relationship? Is it just the right gifts under the tree? Is it the perfect family gathering without any drama or stress? Is it a big Christmas bonus? Or is it Christ? What is it? We all look to something.
Parents, let me just talk to you for a second. I totally get and understand that as parents we want to provide the perfect Christmas for our kids. I love seeing my kids joy and excitement on Christmas morning, I really do. It’s a blast. But, here’s where we need to guard ourselves and walk in wisdom. Are we discipling our children to find more joy in material things found under the tree that will soon wear out and end up in the city dump or are we discipling them to find their true joy in the person of Jesus?
We’ve got to be careful because our hearts are so easily tempted, so easily persuaded to find joy in anything other than Christ. Our hearts do not naturally drift toward him, they drift toward the things of the world and so our responsibility as parents are to lay before our children the supreme treasure of Jesus Christ and pray fervently for the Holy Spirit to ignite a fire within their hearts to love and savor Jesus above all things.
We’re one week away from Christmas. Spend this week with your kids, as much as you can reading through the Christmas story. Read it with your kids and have them read it aloud. Have them act it out and invite them into the story to share in the joy of Jesus’ birth. Talk about it with them throughout the week. Share your heart with them and how much Jesus means to you. And pray for them and for your own heart to find supreme joy in Christ alone. Celebrate the true gift of gifts.
Listen, on Christmas morning, celebrate together. Open gifts. I hope there’s lots of laughter and joy in your home but never forget your responsibility to disciple your children to see that as much happiness as a toy can bring, it doesn’t compare to the beauty and worth of Jesus!
So, again the question before us this morning. Where do we turn for joy? What do we rest in? What does Jesus bring us that is so much more significant than what the world can bring us?
To answer those questions, let’s focus our time on the angel’s announcement to the shepherds in verses 10 and 11. Right away we see three words that probably get lost in the story but are incredibly powerful and necessary for they create the reason for our hope and joy.
Let’s find them in these verses together.
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.
Three powerful words are found in verse 11.
Luke 2:11
For unto you
Three simple words but jam-packed with hope, life, and joy.
We’ve spent the last three weeks talking about the anticipation that the Advent season brings and here we are now with the culmination of it all. For centuries, generation after generation after generation waited and longed for the coming of a Savior King, and now finally, here we are, “For unto you.”
Something has been given. A gift is here. We have here the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Meaning this, God became flesh and lived among us.
The historic doctrine of the church is the belief that through the miraculous virgin birth God became man and lived among us.
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
I’ve always liked how Eugene Peterson said it. He says, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”The apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian church says that Jesus “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
Even the prophets talked of this coming day. Isaiah writes.
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
The birth of Jesus changed the world. As he lay in that manger, wrapped in swaddling cloths, surrounded by Mary and Joseph and a few shepherds, the world would never be the same again.
Why? Because unto you, to us a true and everlasting Savior has been born. God has come to earth, born in the likeness of man, yet without man’s brokenness and sinful nature.
I see two life-changing realities that take place in our hearts from the angel’s announcement that the coming of Jesus brought into this world. When the angel told those shepherds, “For unto you” everything changed in mankind’s search for redemption. Because now, the waiting was over. Now, in flesh and blood, the promised Messiah who would redeem humanity and creation was here. Without, the “for unto you” in this announcement, nothing would have changed and humanity would still be without hope.
So, what changes because Jesus was born?
Number one:
Courage.
Courage.
Notice the first thing the angel said to the shepherds in verse 10. He said, “fear not.” The opposite of fear is courage.
So, we need to ask. Why does the birth of Jesus give us courage?
When I was a kid, our family lived in a really old home. It was one of those homes where the basement kind of looked like a dungeon. You know what I’m talking about? It was unfinished, old exposed brick foundation. It was dark and cold. I hated any time I had to go down there by myself to get something.
And, even into my teenage years going down there just caused me to shiver a bit. Now I was okay as long as the light was on, but you know that feeling when you’re downstairs and there’s no light switch up at the top, so you have to flip the switch and then walk up with that dark room behind you? You know what I’m talking about?
So, I would stand there at the base of the steps, and like get in this ready to sprint stance. I would start running up the steps as I flipped the switch behind me. My parents probably wondered why I was always out of breath any time I came up the steps. Because I’d also try and run lightly, because I didn’t want anyone to know I was terrified of the basement.
I was fine if the light was on. I was fine if there was someone else down there with me. It’s when I was alone and in the darkness that terrified me.
Darkness is unsettling because we can’t see. There’s the loss of control. There’s the unknown.
This was humanity before Jesus came. Completely lost in darkness. Lost in a world of brokenness and sinfulness. A world that was decaying. A world of pain and hurt. A world filled with suffering and death. In fact, a world that didn’t know how to deal with death other than to say, “gods don’t die.”
But then, unto us a Savior was born. Jesus didn’t just turn the light on, he was the light itself.
The apostle John in his gospel says of Jesus,
John 1:4–5
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
In John 16 Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart,” right? Fear not, be courageous. Why? “Because I have overcome the world.” Jesus has overcome the darkness. He is the light that will never be extinguished but will shine forevermore.
What’s Jesus promise in Matthew 28 as he commissions his disciples to go into the world, a dangerous world, a lost and dark world with the hope and joy of the gospel? He says,
Matthew 28:20
I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The courage to endure suffering and the brokenness of this world does not come from us willing it, but from us abiding in Christ who is the light who has overcome the darkness. Christ who is our life. Christ who is our strength. “For unto you.” He’s come and He is with us.
Even the courage to stand before a holy God without being destroyed does not come because of our moral goodness but through Christ alone.
Call people to repentance and faith in Jesus
Secondly, the coming of Jesus has brought us:
Joy.
Joy.
There’s no way we can miss that. The angel’s announcement was one of good news of a “great joy” that will be for all the people.
How does the birth of Jesus bring great joy?
Because the birth of Jesus was God’s promise to mankind, fulfilled. Since the fall of man into sin in Genesis 3, God has promised a redeemer who would restore and save mankind from their sin and bring them back into right relationship with God, which is where true joy is found, in the presence of God.
Since that promise in Genesis 3 mankind has waited and wondered, when will God fulfill his promise? Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise and the solution to mankind’s problem. He is the way back to God which is where we find joy.
The psalmist says,
Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
And so, eternal joy is found in the presence of God. We cannot enter the presence of God in our sinful and unredeemed state, and so Jesus is the bridge that ushers mankind back into the presence of God.
And so, the angels are saying to these shepherds, “I’ve got great news for you!” The one who can bring you back into right relationship with the God of the universe where you experience fullness of joy is here. He’s born. “For unto you.” “Promise fulfilled.”
The birth of Jesus is “God with us.” And he’s with us forever
Listen, this world is difficult, filled with hardship and suffering. There’s no escaping that. Even if these next couple of weeks offer a bit of relief, we know problems are just around the corner. I don’t say that to depress us, I just say it to acknowledge reality and to plead with you to look to Christ who is your joy through hardship and suffering.
I don’t know what this next year holds for you. But God does and he’s good, he’s faithful, and by abiding in Christ who has come, we can walk through and endure suffering, with joy.
How? Because Jesus has overcome the world. Because he promises to be with us to the end of the age. We can endure because Jesus has been given to us. And even if we lose everything in this life, Jesus can’t be taken away, and we know he’s enough. He’s sufficient.
The apostle Paul teaches this so well in Philippians 4. He says,
Philippians 4:11–13
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
His deep and abiding joy was in the sufficiency of Jesus.
Is Jesus enough for you? Listen, I’m a people pleaser. Too often my joy is not found in Christ alone, but in hoping people like me. So, people become my idol. Wanting them to accept me. Wanting them to like me. Wanting them to approve of me.
It’s an area I have to confess and repent of often.
What is it for you? You need to identify those idols in your life and repent and turn to Jesus. He’s enough. He’s what we’re after. He’s our treasure, our delight, our unending joy that nothing in this world can match or even come close to.
This section of Scripture concludes with angelic worship. The angels begin praising God for his work of redemption, praise God for his grace and mercy. Praising God for his love for sinful rebels. Praising God because through Jesus, creation will experience peace, hope, and joy.
In verse 14 the angels sing,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Jesus brought us what we needed most. Peace with our God. This ultimately was what the birth of Jesus was all about. We were lost in darkness and hostile toward our Creator. The relationship was fractured, and Jesus restored it through his life, death, and resurrection.
There’s the story in the gospel of Mark, chapter 4 of Jesus and his disciples. They had gotten into a boat and as they were sailing a powerful storm came upon them. And it was so powerful that the waves were tearing the boat apart. And these disciples, many of them experienced fishermen are thinking they are going to die.
So, they go find Jesus who’s sound asleep through all of this. And they wake him up and say, “we’re dying. We have no hope, we’re sinking. Help us!”
And I love what Jesus does. He gets up, looks at the storm, and says “Peace! Be still!” And the storm stopped.
What a beautiful picture of what the birth of Jesus brought into this world. It brought hope, joy, and peace. God with us. “For unto you.”
Apart from Christ, we’re sinking. We’re lost. We have no hope. The world seeks to crush us, oppress us, and destroy us. Sin is raging a violent storm within us, the enemy seeks to lead us to despair, and Jesus arrives and with his life says, “Peace! Be still!”
And through faith in Christ, we find that peace, we find that joy, we find the courage we need to continue on.
That’s the joy we find this Christmas season.
Communion