Joy for Advent
Notes
Transcript
Introduction: Talk about the crush. Talk about shepherds candle.
In the NT the Greek word for Shepherd is Poimen and it is used 17 times. Only Luke in chapter 2 of his gospel uses the word literally to mean a herder of sheep. The rest of the time it is used figuratively to denote a spiritual leader or the Good Shepherd (Jesus).
So let’s take a look at the story. Luke 2:8-18
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there appeared 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 men with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
Shepherds
How they got Joy.
Why we should choose Joy
Transitional Sentence: As a Child of God we can choose Joy no matter what is happening in our lives.
Shepherds (PHOTO)
So, what are Shepherds and what do they do? The work of a shepherd is to feed, graze, drive out to pasture, protect, nourish, care for and secure sheep.
The duties of a shepherd in an unenclosed country like Palestine were very onerous. “In early morning he led forth the flock from the fold, marching at its head to the spot where they were to be pastured. Here he watched them all day, taking care that none of the sheep strayed, and if any for a time eluded his watch and wandered away from the rest, seeking diligently till he found and brought it back. In those lands sheep require to be supplied regularly with water, and the shepherd for this purpose has to guide them either to some running stream or to wells dug in the wilderness and furnished with troughs. At night he brought the flock home to the fold, counting them as they passed under the rod at the door to assure himself that none were missing. Nor did his labours always end with sunset. Often he had to guard the fold through the dark hours from the attack of wild beasts, or thieves looking to carry some away.
b. So, what was a shepherds lot in life.
The shepherds weren’t exactly at the top of the social ladder. However, some shepherds actually owned the sheep they tended. Others owned the sheep and had their children tend the sheep. Others may have owned the sheep and paid others to take care of them.
So quite often the shepherds were hired hands. Hired hands didn’t have the same stake in the sheep as did the owners so they didn’t always care for the sheep as the owner would. This gave them a reputation for being untrustworthy or even lazy. They lived in the wild regularly, smelled of the sheep they protected and were not able to practice personal hygiene the way others could.
Because of their situation they were seldom able to follow the law and the traditions of their people so they were considered unclean which pushed them out of of the synagogue and society.
They lived in a place and time of little hope and joy.
c. Why did the shepherds need Joy?
The shepherds needed joy because they didn’t have much to be joyful about. A new born lamb or finding a lost sheep might have been the best joy they had in their lives herding sheep.
They didn’t have much hope of changing their circumstances because herding sheep is probably all they knew.
2. How did they get some Joy.
a. First let’s take a look at what Joy is?
joy (emotion) n. — the emotion of great happiness and pleasure.
But something has to provide that emotion or be the source of it. Something has to be going on in your life for you to feel that great happiness. That is where the second definition of joy comes in to play.
joy (source of) n. — something or someone that provides a source of happiness.
The question is - who is that something or someone?
b. Well, according to our passage, Good news, brings Joy. Luke 2:10-11
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Expand on the ideal of Angels coming to the lowly shepherds and not the rich and famous.
So, the news brings joy but it is actually who the news is about that is the source of that joy.
The word Savior in verse 11 means to save or deliver. This was the Messiah that was promised long ago by God and the Prophets. This Messiah was supposed to deliver them from oppression and all of their woes.
c. So, Jesus is actually the source of all Joy. John 15:11
11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
We can find joy in the things of this world, the beauty of it, the things we have and the people in our lives, but they are all fleeting. The things break and go away, people change, they may bring joy one day and pain the next. But Jesus - Jesus never changes. In Him is all joy and He will give to us that joy that our joy may be made full. Our joy cups will be overflowing so that others will see our joy.
3. So, why should we choose Joy?
a. We have Jesus - He brings Joy. He is joy and He gives us His joy. No matter what is going on in our lives we can have joy because we have Jesus. Psalm 43:4
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.
The Psalmist while calling out for God’s assistance says that his exceeding joy is God. We should feel this same exceeding joy even when something is going on in lives that causes us to call out to Him. We should be bubbling over with this joy. This joy isn’t fleeting, it’s not based on something that this world provides. God is the source of it. God is unchanging and His word will last forever. His promises will be fulfilled and all those who believe on His name will dwell with Him for eternity.
b. What should we do about this joy that He gives us?
We should do the same thing the shepherds did. Verses 17 and 18 of our passage says: Luke 2:17-18
17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
The shepherds told people. They made the statement known. In other words they didn’t keep this a secret. The joy of being the first to know about the birth of the Messiah was bubbling up out of them. They told everyone. Can you imagine them running through town telling everyone this great news. I can also imagine people looking out their windows telling them to knock of the noise because they were trying to sleep.
What would it be like if the joy of the Lord bubbled up out of each of us? How many people could we tell about Jesus and what He did for us and what He could do for them.
Exit: Joy - the Angels delivered a message of great joy that was for all the people. It was for all people and for all time. The message brings joy but the person spoken of in the message that is the source of the joy. For all those who have the Spirit of God living within have this same joy. We have the joy because the Spirit of God gives us the joy. That is why we can stand in the middle of the storm and still be joyful. We can still let the joy bubble out of us. We can still tell people about the Lord.
The shepherds ran to see this thing that the Angels told them about. When they saw Him they worshipped and believed. They were the first to know about this wonderful thing that has happened.
Jesus came for the shepherds, they received joy when they believed. You too can have this great joy. Accept Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior and He will give you His joy to make your joy complete. Accept this message of great joy
10“Behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
If you already believe then let your joy be complete, let the joy of the Lord fill you up until it is bubbling up from within you. Then go and tell someone about Him.
Pray!