Christmas Series 2025-Joy

Joy

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Psalm 98 (ESV)

A Psalm.

1 Oh 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 known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.

3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!

6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!

8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together

9 before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

Introduction

If I were to ask you: What’s your favorite Christmas song? ...what would you say?

*Say it out loud. (Away in a Manger... Silent Night... O Holy Night... Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer... Joy to the world...)

That’s one of my favorites as well. But did you know that... when Isaac Watts originally wrote the song, ‘‘Joy to the World,’’ in the year 1719... he wasn’t thinking about Christmas at all.

That’s hard to believe, right?

Today, Joy to the World has been named by many: The most published Christmas song in North America.

You can buy Christmas cards and stickers, sweatshirts and wrapping paper... all with the words, Joy to the World... and yet, the song wasn’t even written, as a Christmas song.

When you read the words to this song closely, you’ll start to notice that it says nothing about the birth of Jesus... it’s primary focus in on the second coming of Jesus.

Isaac Watts penned the words of this song... while reading the second half of [Psalm 98].

These were the words that inspired him that day.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together.

Before the Lord; for He cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity.

As he read God’s word... he began to imagine this image of the whole world bursting into song... as the Lord comes to judge the earth.

So, with that image in his mind, Watts wrote the four verses of ‘‘Joy to the World.’’

Joy to the world, the Lord is come, Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, and Heaven and nature sing... Joy to the world!

The Savior reigns; Let me their song employ... While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains... Repeat the sounding joy... He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove... the glories of his righteousness, and wonders of his love.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come.

When Watts finished writing this song... he wrote these words at the top of the page: ‘‘The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom.’’

That was the focal point... of Joy to the World... which makes it (I believe) the perfect hymn for this Advent season.

You may remember from last week... Advent means ‘‘to wait’’ or ‘‘to anticipate.’’

And that’s what we’re doing.

We’re now anticipating the second coming of Christ.

We’re waiting for Jesus to return for His bride.

Just as the children of Israel were waiting for God to fulfill His promises over 2,000 years ago... in Advent number 1... we are now waiting for God to complete His mission... in Advent number 2.

And as we wait... we wait with a great hope... We have hope today because we know that our God is a God that keeps His promises... He’s a promise-keeping God.

In [Micah 5:2] God promised He would send His Son.

He said, ‘‘Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me.’’

In [Isaiah 7:14] he said it again [over 500 years before Jesus was born].

He said, ‘‘Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.’’

God promised to send His Son... He promised to send The Messiah... and He did.

We’re no longer waiting for the SAVIOR to come. (that was Advent number 1)

We’re now waiting for our KING to come back. ...and as we wait, we wait with HOPE... and today we’re going see why we can wait with JOY.

Joy to the world... the Lord is come!

I know that sometimes, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of this season, we tend to forget what Christmas is all about.

Christmas is about a God that loved us so much... that He sent his one and only Son, and He did that... so that we could have... JOY!

We can wait with JOY today... because God sent us Joy in the form of His Son.

On that day Jesus was born, the Bible says... an angel appeared to some Shepherds that were living in a field nearby as they tended to their animals at night.

And when this angel appeared, it told them (Luke 2:10) ‘‘Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’’

The angel told them-Don’t be afraid! Jesus is here and He came to bring you GREAT JOY.

You know what that tells me?

JOY is what Christmas is all about.

Jesus came to be our Joy!

And He came because he wanted you to experience great joy... a new kind of joy!

A Joy that is only available in Him and through Him!

Let me just say this... It’s okay to have fun at church!

In fact, you ARE the Church; therefore, the church should be fun! Amen?

[John 1:4] In Him (God) was life, and that life was the light of men.’’

What kind of life is this talking about?

Abundant Life.

It’s the same ‘life’ that Jesus mentions in [John 10:10] ‘‘I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.’’

God said... I didn’t send My Son so you could just get by... I sent Jesus so that you could experience real life... life to the FULL!

When God gave us the gift of JESUS, He gave us the gift of JOY.

Maybe you hear that this morning, and you’re thinking: If Jesus came to bring me Joy... then why don’t I have joy in my life right now?

Let me ask you another question: Where does your joy come from?

And that’s an important question as we dive into this discussion.

Because ultimately, you’ll never be satisfied with true joy... until you discover where true joy comes from.

What is the source of your joy?

Here’s how God designed it to work: Joy doesn’t come from our CIRCUMSTANCES.

Joy comes from our SAVIOR.

Now... FUN can come from circumstances.

You can experience FUN through hobbies, family, ballgames... but JOY was designed to come from this baby named Jesus.

When the angel said-Fear not!

Jesus is going to bring you great Joy.... He was saying, you now have access to a NEW kind of joy ... (not because there was a new baby arriving on the scene...) No.

Joy was now available because the Savior of the world was born.

Let me tell you where I believe we get this wrong sometimes.

We get it wrong when our joy is contingent on our circumstances.

We get it wrong when our joy comes from a THING (baby, relationship, job, level of success, marriage)... And I say we get it wrong, because If your joy comes from a thing, you’ll always need more of that thing to maintain your joy.

And many of us may be there today.

You’d say... I don’t have joy today!

You’d say... I failed to maintain the source of my joy... (marriage, job, success, relationship) ... and because I failed to maintain my source of joy, I don’t have joy anymore.

And if you’re there today, I don’t want you to feel like you’re alone in that.

We’ve all been there at one point or another.

We put our FOCUS and our HOPE on something other than Christ and as a result, we depend on that thing to bring JOY to our lives.

Perhaps for you, it contingent on how someone treats you... or if you get your way or not... or if you have a good day at work or a bad day at work.

If your day is good... then you’re good.

But if your day is bad... then you’re a mess until bedtime.

That’s not the way Joy was designed to work.

God never said our joy should be contingent on our circumstances.

He said our joy comes from our savior.

And that doesn’t mean things are always going to go our way.

It doesn’t mean we won’t experience trials and difficulties along the way.

But the truth is... You can be sad on the surface while maintaining joy in your spirit... Because ultimately, our joy doesn’t come from our circumstances.

It comes from Jesus.

Do we get that today?

There’s a big difference between joy and happiness.

Happiness comes from your circumstances... Joy comes from having Christ in you.

That’s why you’re happy one day and unhappy the next... it’s because your circumstances change.

In fact, that word ‘happy’ comes from an old English word... ‘happenstance.’

It’s different than JOY.

Joy comes from the inside and is produced by the Holy Spirit... Happiness comes from the outside and is produced by your circumstances.

So, if you’re here today and you’d say, ‘‘When times are good, I am good.

When times are bad, I am bad.’’

Just remember... TRUE JOY comes from Jesus... and we see that joy delivered by God and portrayed in the Christmas story in [Luke chapter 2.]

The Shepherds (Luke 2:15-20) After the angel appeared to these guys in the field and scared them to death, the angel told them where Jesus was born, what he was wearing and where he was laying.

In other words, the angel was saying, ‘‘The Son of God is here... and don’t just take my word for it... go see for yourself!’’

Now, when that happened, I can just imagine the doubts that popped up in their minds.

‘‘An angel is going to appear to us?’’

These guys were some of the lowest people on the totem pole when it came to education or social status... and I’m sure they were thinking... ‘‘There’s no way that just happened... There’s no way this can be real!’’

But despite all their doubts, the Bible says they packed up, made the journey, and wanted to see the Savior with their own eyes.

15 When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘‘Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’’ 16 They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger.

17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

I love this story.

Because what started as DOUBT soon turned to BELIEF... and the cause of their transformation was them simply being exposed to the TRUTH.

They saw Jesus!

They met Jesus!

The truth turned DOUBT into FAITH and because they had faith to GO TO JESUS... they got to experience a brand new JOY they had never experienced before.

Look at what happened next-once they had seen Jesus, once they had experienced that joy... they couldn’t keep it to themselves.

They had to tell somebody about Him!

17 After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child ... These shepherds became the first evangelists of the New Testament era as they shared what they had seen and heard and experienced... and look at how the people responded...

18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19 But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.

The Joy of Jesus transformed the lives of these shepherds... and after meeting Jesus, this says they told others about Christ... they glorified God... and they praised Him for all the things they had seen and heard.

Can the same be said about your life?

Has the JOY of Jesus transformed your life?

Are you telling others about Christ?

Are you glorifying God and praising Him in your life?

We can have Joy today... because of Jesus.

There’s another story in Luke 2 that I want us to look at this morning and it’s the story of Simeon and Anna beginning in verse 25.

Simeon and Anna We know that Simeon and Anna were serving in the temple as this story was unfolding... and the Bible portrays both of them as godly people.

[Luke 2:25-38]

25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

That phrase, ‘consolation of Israel’ refers to the time when God would send His Messiah to ‘console’ or ‘comfort’ His people.

So this says... that day finally came and the Holy Spirit was on Simeon and gave him some kind of supernatural nudge to let him know... And here’s why this is so cool (v. 26).

26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.

So, the Holy Spirit had PROMISED this guy that before He died, He would see the Messiah.

And he had been holding onto that promise... and waiting for that day.

27 Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law,

28 Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said,

29 Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation.

31 You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel.

33 His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.

34 Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary: ‘‘Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed

35 and a sword will pierce your own soul-that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’’

Have you ever looked forward to a day you couldn’t wait to arrive?

Maybe it was your wedding day, graduation day, your birthday, Christmas day, etc.

If so, you can imagine what Simeon felt when this day finally came.

God had made him a promise... and the day finally came when the promise was fulfilled.

The Bible says in that moment, ‘‘Simeon took him up in his arms and praised God.’’

Once again... The Joy that came from Jesus caused this man to praise God!

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,

37 and was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers.

38 At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

That says, when she saw Jesus, (READ that again) ‘‘she gave thanks to God and she spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.’’

So once again, Simeon and Anna both experienced fulfillment and joy when they met Jesus... and as a result of their joy, they PRAISED HIM... WORSHIPPED HIM... and SHARED HIM with others.

Maybe you’re hearing that today... and you’re thinking, ‘‘But how can the same be true in my life? How can I have JOY today?’’

Let’s learn from God’s Word today: How did the Shepherds do it?

They replaced their DOUBTING... with TRUSTING and by choosing to TRUST God... it positioned them to PRAISE God.

If you have DOUBT in your mind, you’ll lack JOY in your heart.

[James 1:6-8]

6 But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord,

8 being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.

The Shepherds moved past their doubts... and moved forward in faith towards Jesus... and when they saw him, [the Bible says] they praised him.

How did Simeon and Anna do it?

They focused less on their PROBLEMS... and more on God’s PROMISES.

We’ve got to believe... that God’s promises are greater than our problems.

Sometimes the problems in our lives block God’s promises from our eyes... but we’ve got to remember what Jesus said in [Mark 9:23] .... He said, ‘‘All things are possible for one who believes.’’

Our God is a faithful God... and He’s a God that keeps His promises.

Joy doesn’t come from your circumstances.

Joy comes from a Savior... and that Savior’s name is Jesus.

Jesus came to bring you Joy!