God with Us Brings Joy
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Puppy gift
Puppies are not easy to put in a box
They are uncontainable
If you get one, you want to show it off
Joy is like that
It is boundless and uncontainable and you want to share it with others
Joy is what we celebrate on this 3rd Sunday of Advent
As we join those Ancient people of Bethlehem, let us worship the Lord as we anticipate His arrival.
Unlike them, we not only get to celebrate His coming but we wait, excitedly for His second coming. That brings great joy! Lets unpack today’s message : God With Us Brings Joy
Joy Overcomes Shame
Joy Overcomes Shame
But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were old when they got the message
Elizabeth was physically unable to have kids
Zech lost his voice because of his unbelief
Elizabeth experienced the JOY of God With Us when she was thrust into this new situation
To understand her JOY we have to understand her pain
Childless
Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
Elizabeth didn’t have kids but you have to know she wanted them
Did she have miscarriage?
Was she just infertile?
Many women have had to face trials like Elizabeth
Elizabeth would have been stressed and frustrated because she couldn’t have kids
She would have likely grieved for years
She might have eventually resigned to the fact : She was never going to have children
And then - GOD showed up
Zech gets the visit from the angel
How did he tell Elizabeth? Writing or hand signals (he couldn't speak)
“How could this be?” must have been what Elizabeth was thinking
But look what Luke records
Luke 1:25 ““How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.””
then for some reason Elizabeth spends the first five months of her pregnancy is seclusion.
Then Elizabeth got to experience JOY when her cousin, Mary shows up to the house.
I love the encounter. lets read it Luke’s gospel:
A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
God With Us caused the baby in Elizabeth’s belly to leap for JOY.
Mary never had to tell Elizabeth what was going on, somehow, supernaturally, she knew that Mary was carrying the Messiah who would save the world.
Joy was at work in both of their lives even amidst the difficulties of their circumstances.
Immanuel, God With Us, was already giving JOY on earth
Not only that but, that JOY was beginning to spread!
Luke 1:57–58 “When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.”
Remember, JOY in uncontainable!
Elizabeth experienced a miracle and her JOY made shock waves.
Not only does JOY overcome shame but:
Joy Has a Source
Joy Has a Source
What would you do to experience JOY?
While miracles do happen, most of us are not likely to experience the miracle Elizabeth did. We certainly won’t be able to experience Mary’s miracle first hand.
However the JOY is available to us today.
This JOY is brought by GOD with Us, Immanuel.
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Jesus, is God’s great gift of JOY to everyone! The verse said “joy to all people.”
Who doesn’t want JOY?
If you have experienced God’s gift of salvation you understand this great joy.
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
I want to Highlight rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy
People want to be happy - to feel good but,
Happiness comes and goes
its circumstantial and fleeting
Pursuing happiness for the sake of happiness leaves us empty
What we need is JOY!
JOY includes happiness but its much deeper
JOY permeates our souls
JOY can happen when a child is born, a wedding day, being cancer free, a healing or salvation of a loved one
JOY is rooted in gratitude - Gratitude is the breeding ground for JOY!
JOY comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
Because Jesus gives us the hope of eternity with God, an eternity that starts now, we can experience glorious, inexpressible joy.
That JOY cannot be taken away!
Here’s something else:
Joy Defies Circumstances
Joy Defies Circumstances
I mentioned that JOY and happiness are different
One defining characteristic of JOY is that if defies our circumstances
Happiness comes and goes but JOY goes deep in our souls even when facing life’s challenges
When you have JOY that comes from Jesus you take part in the big picture
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
JOY understands that there is more than what meets the eye
God is always at work
God will make everything right
When we see God’s plan for the future, we can experience JOY in the present
It takes practice
I encourage you to ask God to give you another view, His point of view!
Jesus is the God’s gift of JOY to us
Joy overcomes shame and has a source, it defies circumstances and finally:
Joy is a Choice
Joy is a Choice
Mary responded,
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
One of the beauties of the Christmas story is the response of Mary
She may have been thrust into this situation, giving birth to the Savior of the World, but she accepted it with great JOY.
Her expression encourages us: she said, “How my spirit rejoices…”
Rejoices is an active form of JOY.
It is Mary making a decision to embrace JOY
She chose JOY
We are also to choose JOY
The Bible gives us instruction about JOY:
Philippians 4:4 “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”
Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”
Today, we get to choose. — Its up to you and me
I choose JOY,
Where are you today?
Altar
Altar
In order to experience JOY it starts with a relationship with Jesus.
You can start that today by repenting of your sins and asking Jesus to be Lord
Others have allowed circumstances to rob them of the JOY they once had - make your way to these altars and let the Holy Spirit touch you and restore to you the JOY of the Lord.
Now is the time for you to respond, the altars are open, come now.
