Discover the Light of the World (Advent week 3)
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Luke 2:10-11
Luke 2:10-11
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
There’s a story about a little boy in church with his mother. He was a good little boy, quiet and well behaved. He didn’t cause any problems. But every once in a while he would stand up in the chair, turn around, look at the people behind him and smile at them. His smile was infectious, and soon everybody behind him was starting to smile back at him, too. It was all going fine until the mother realized what the little boy was doing. When she did, she grabbed him by his ear and twisted it a bit, told him to sit down and remember that he was in church. Then he started sniffling & crying, and she turned to him and said, "That’s better."
It’s sad, isn’t it, that many people have the impression that when we come to church that it is all gloom and doom, and that there is nothing here to really bring joy into our lives?
Joy—Webster’s defines it as great delight or happiness that comes over us when we experience something exceptionally good and satisfying.
All of us have experienced happiness that we have mistaken for Joy at different times in our lives.
I’m sure that if we sat here long enough,
you could think of times you’ve personally experienced joy,
…maybe even a time you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
But happiness is not joy. Happiness is always dependent upon circumstances, positive emotional connections and it always ends for that moment. Joy, on the other hand, is detached from external or peripherial influences.
It’s this same joy the angel of the Lord proclaimed to the shepherds when he said,
“Behold, I bring you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,
who is Christ the Lord.” (ESV)
You see, those moments of happiness we experience now, like receiving a long-awaited package, are just a foretaste of the eternal joy found in the Gospel of Christ. In fact, it’s the Gospel that gives joy meaning. We can be filled with “Great Joy” this morning because the Gospel ushers in an eternal joy.
Jesus, our eternal Savior, is the starting point for everlasting joy, not a package, or something else we’re chasing after, that in the end, only falls short in fulfilling the longings we have for lasting joy.
OBJECTIVE: MY HOPE AND PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING IS THAT WE WOULD KNOW THAT “THE GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY IS A REALITY FOR CHRISTIANS THAT EXTENDS TO EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE.”
To drive this reality home, we’re gonna to look at:
The Announcement of Joy (Luke 2),
The Experience of Joy (John 15 & Gal. 2),
The Resiliency of Joy (Heb. 2, 1 Pet. 4)
Let’s begin our time reflecting on joy by going back to the angel’s proclamation to the shepherds.
The Announcement of Joy (Luke 2)
Luke tells us the shepherds were living outside in fields watching over their flocks when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared, and the glory of the Lord shone all around them. It was a terrifying experience for the shepherds, to say the least!
10 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. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (ESV)
Imagine what that experience must have been like for the shepherds…
Over the generations shepherding had changed from being a family business like it was in David’s time to being a despised occupation.
People looked down on shepherds. Many times, shepherds were accused of robbery and using land they had no rights to.
They were generally considered “unclean” because of their work.
They were in daily contact with dirty, smelly sheep, manure,
their own blood from cuts and scrapes, and insects that buzzed around them. In the Jewish community, all of this meant that shepherds were seldom clean enough to worship with God’s people in God’s presence. So, they were generally treated as outsiders.
Yet, here in Luke’s gospel, we have the angel of the Lord proclaiming the birth of Jesus to the least likely people to receive such wonderful news…
…The shepherds are first to hear the good news and then invited to come and worship the Savior who had been born! The very ones who were considered outsiders, who would have been considered the least worthy, are the ones who have this magnificent experience!
And now think of this: These shepherds will be linked to the
birth of Jesus forever. That’s amazing. It’s humbling.
In the Gospels, we see Jesus doing the same thing the angel did.
He continually reached out to the outcast and unwelcomed outsiders.
He would eventually give His life for them, making a way for them to experience peace with God. And it’s this peace with God—this being made complete/whole—that’s the “good news of great joy!”
And here’s where it gets really good…You know, we’re not that different from the shepherds or the folks Jesus reached out to. All of us at one time were separated from God. We were in some shape or form outcasts. And that same gospel of great joy that was proclaimed to the shepherds, and is continually proclaimed to the present day, is proclaimed to you too!
Because of the gospel of Jesus, we can experience today the same joy of the shepherds.
This brings us to our second point…
The Experience of Joy (John 15 & Gal. 2)
You see, we experience joy when we live in relationship with Jesus.
And in chapter 15 of John’s gospel, we see what this relationship looks like.
Relationship with Jesus begins by abiding in Him. The only way to live a truly good life is to stay close to Him. The starting point begins with us maintaining a relationship with Jesus.
Keep that in mind as you listen to what Jesus said to his disciples…
9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. (CSB)
See, love now becomes an absolute command for believers and an essential quality for a relationship with God and others. We can’t forget how much Christ loves us. He loves us as much as God loved Him. When we remain in Christ’s love and keep his commands, we remain in God’s love also.
Here’s the cool thing about this passage:
Jesus is telling the disciples (and us) that we can experience the joy He Himself always experienced—this is done by remaining in Him.
I love this because it’s joy (what we’re talking about today) that ties love and obedience together. Jesus is inviting us into an everlasting relationship with Him—He’s calling us into joy! Now that is an inspiring thought. And one that should fill us with great joy!
In fact, joy is the hallmark of the Kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Joy is a natural byproduct of a genuine relationship with God,
just like in the same way we’d expect an apple tree to produce apples.
And here’s the really amazing news: the fruit of joy isn’t produced by the believer, but rather by the Holy Spirit working in the one abiding in Christ. That’s where the joy comes from. That deep inner rejoicing that is promised to those who rest in Christ.
The “fruit of joy” is simply the life of Christ lived out in a Christian.
It’s a joy that continues even in the midst of hardship and suffering.
That brings us to our third point…
The Resiliency of Joy (Heb. 2, 1 Pet. 4)
Yes, joy can be experienced in adversity.
Joy in suffering is not a trick of the mind. I’m not talking about joy as if we can just put on a happy face and have happy thoughts all the time. We do live in a broken world that’s been crippled by sin. It affects all of us.
So, let me be clear: I’m not saying to rejoice in pain because we derive some kind of pleasure from being mistreated. That would be a foolish and wrong thing to say. No. Suffering has meaning because it puts us into deeper fellowship with Jesus.
Paul understood this, that’s why he could say that…
“Our hearts ache, but we always have joy.” (2 Cor. 6:10)
Listen, Paul didn’t hesitate to admit that his life was full of sorrow.
At the same time, Paul didn’t despair as he endured his sorrows.
It was his hope in Christ that caused him to be always rejoicing (Col. 1:24). The key to experiencing joy in adversity in a fallen world is to adopt an attitude based on the hope we have in God’s love and promise.
Think of the Exodus. The Psalms tell us that When Moses led God’s people out of bondage, the Lord caused them to leave with shouts of joy as they entered the wilderness…a place of vulnerability. (Psalm 105:43)
Yet, they were filled with joy. How could they do that?
Here’s the answer: The key to their joy wasn’t determined by their struggles, but by their future.
“In its most sublime meaning, joy is a deep confidence that God is in control of every area of our lives, even the painful places. The fullness of joy comes from a deep sense of God’s presence in a person’s life. Joy occurs when our pain drives us to depend upon God.”
Jesus models this kind of joy for us…
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus went to the cross because of the joy it would bring. He looked right through the cross to the coming joy, the joy of bringing salvation to those He loves. We’re called to follow Jesus’ example and, when faced with adversity, we’re to keep our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Peter also understood this aspect of joy. (His first letter was written to encourage Christians who were experiencing hostility and harassment from their neighbors.) That’s why he could say…
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
It is amazing to think that increased sufferings seem only to increase the believer’s joy in the Lord, but that’s what Scripture testifies to. (Acts 5:41; 6:25; Rom. 5:3; Col. 1:24; Heb. 10:34).
Peter’s telling us that rejoicing in suffering for Christ now will certainly lead to great rejoicing in His presence when He returns. This is why during times of suffering, we’re called to turn our thoughts to the glory and the joy of Christ, which one day we’re going to share in—that is a promise.
Conclusion:
This brings us to the end of our time together this morning.
Let’s go back to the questions I asked earlier.
Can we truly have joy in challenging times in our life?
The answer is: Yes! THE GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY IS A REALITY FOR CHRISTIANS THAT EXTENDS TO EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE.”
Great joy has been, and is, proclaimed loudly in the Gospel of Jesus and it’s available to all who listen and believe its proclamation.
Just like those shepherds, we are invited to enter and experience this great joy by living fully in Christ’s love. It’s what gives meaning to all the joy we experience, in both the big and small joys of life.
It’s this Gospel of great joy that makes us resilient people.
It empowers us to keep on keeping on, even in the face of difficulties,
as we look to Christ and await his return.
Application…
My application this morning is this:
Believe the announcement of joy (receive the Gospel),Enter into the experience of joy (remain in Jesus’ love and keep his commandments)and be resilient as you anticipate a future joy (hope in eternity and the second coming!).
I want to close our time together with the words of the apostle Paul and the psalmist…
“4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
…for “24 This is the day the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it.
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.