The Gifts of Christmas (3)

The Gift of Joy

Last week, we stood with the shepherds and unwrapped The Gift of Peace. We learned that peace is not the absence of trouble —peace is the presence of Christ.

Peace does not come from perfect circumstances.

Peace comes from being reconciled to God.

Peace settles fear.

Peace steadies the storm inside the soul.

But peace is not the final destination.

Once fear is quieted…

once guilt is removed…

once the heart is made still…

Joy is what rises next. Joy erupts when we recognize that God is already at work within us.

This joy is not shallow.

It is not seasonal.

It is not dependent on circumstances.

The Bible says:

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

This is not borrowed joy.

This is not manufactured joy.

This is God given joy.

Today, we move from the silent stillness of the manger to the overflowing song in Mary’s heart.

So as we continue through the gifts of Christmas, let’s unwrap together…

“The Gift of Joy.”

I. Joy Comes from the Presence of Jesus

Luke 1:39–41a, 44 (KJV) “The babe leaped in her womb for joy…”

God didn’t tuck joy into the background—He made it a headline of the gospel.

The New Testament repeatedly uses the language of joy

Rejoice

be glad

joyful

gladness

This makes joy central to the gospel message

We find what brings joy to a persons heart here.

Mary arrives not with an announcement of who it was she was carrying or a testimony of her encounter

all she did was walk into the house carrying Jesus, say hello and two things happen immediately:

The baby leaps

Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Ghost

Joy doesn’t come from:

Decorations

Gifts

Music

Perfect conditions

Joy comes when Jesus enters your life

II. Joy is Deeper than Happiness

Luke 1:44–45 (KJV) “Leaped in my womb for joy… Blessed is she that believed…”

The Bible is careful with its language here.

It does not say the baby leaped for happiness —

it says he leaped for joy.

That tells us immediately:

Joy and happiness are not the same thing.

Happiness depends on happenings. We are happy when things go well.

Joy is a deep-rooted, Spirit-filled reality that remains even when circumstances are difficult.

Look at Elizabeth’s reality:

Old

She was barren for years

her husband had become mute

She has lived under public shame

She has likely endured whispers, mockery, and rejection

By all outward standards, Elizabeth has every reason not to be happy.

Yet when Mary walks in, Elizabeth says:

“The babe leaped in my womb for joy.”

Why?

Because happiness looks at what’s wrong.

But joy recognizes who is present.

That means:

Happiness is outward-directed

Joy is inward-directed

Happiness lives in conditions

Joy lives in conviction

That’s why Paul could say:

“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Phil. 4:11).

v.45 tells us blessed is she that believed

This verse connects joy directly with faith

Mary believed = joy grew

Elizabeth believed = joy overflowed

Belief opens the door for joy to rise.

Doubt always tries to drain it

Joy is not the reward for a trouble-free life — joy is the fruit of a believing heart.

Happiness lives on the surface. Joy lives in the soul. Happiness changes with the weather of life. Joy stands steady in the storms of life. Happiness reacts to circumstances. Joy responds to faith.

And like Elizabeth, you may not be happy about everything you’ve been through — but you can still be full of joy if you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ

III. Joy Will Always Express Itself Outwardly

Luke 1:46–55 (KJV) – Mary’s Song

When real joy shows up, it never stays silent.

It always finds a voice, a song, a testimony, and a sacrifice of praise.

The Bible does not say Mary thought about rejoicing. It says:

“My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46–47)

Joy didn’t sit quietly inside her. Joy stood up and started singing.

1. Joy Expresses Itself in WORSHIP (v.46)

“My soul doth magnify the Lord…”

Mary does not magnify:

Her calling

Her favor

Her future

Her miracle

She magnifies the Lord.

This is one of the surest tests of real joy:

If joy is real, God gets bigger in your eyes.

If joy is shallow, your situation stays bigger than your God.

Joy doesn’t deny your problems—Joy simply refuses to make them the focus.

1. Joy Expresses Itself in WORSHIP

2. Joy Expresses Itself in TESTIMONY (v.47)

“My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

Notice what Mary testifies: Not “God my miracle worker” Not “God my promise keeper” But “God my Saviour.”

Joy is received by faith with the gift of salvation.

Mary’s deepest joy is not tied to:

Being chosen

Being favored

Being used

Her deepest joy is tied to:

Being saved

And according to Jeremiah 15:16:

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart…”

When God’s Word gets inside you, testimony comes out of you.

You don’t need a microphone to testify. When joy is real, your life starts talking.

1. Joy Expresses Itself in WORSHIP

2. Joy Expresses Itself in TESTIMONY

3. Joy Expresses Itself for God’s GLORY(v.48-55)

Her joy is not tied to:

A holiday

A calendar

A celebration

A moment

Notice what she ties her joy to instead:

It is Tied to GOD HIMSELF

God’s Grace

“For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden…”

Mary is overwhelmed—not with pride, but with astonished gratitude. God looked at a nobody.

“He hath regarded” means:

He noticed me.

He turned His eyes toward me.

He valued me when no one else would have.

Grace does not begin with human worth—it begins with God’s attention. Mary’s joy erupts because she realizes:

“God sees me.”

Nothing produces deeper joy than knowing the God of the universe chooses to look on you with favor.

“Low estate” speaks of:

Her humble background

Her ordinary life

Her lack of status and resources

Her unimportance in the world’s eyes

This is the pattern of God’s grace in Scripture: He lifts the lowly. He honors the overlooked. He chooses the unexpected.

Mary is saying:

“His grace didn’t come to the throne; it came to my small life.”

This is why her joy glorifies God—because she knows she did not earn this moment. Grace always produces joy, because grace removes boasting.

“…for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

Mary is not boasting; she is marveling. She is stunned that God would take her small story and fold it into His eternal story.

Her joy becomes a testimony not about her greatness, but about the greatness of God’s grace.

God’s Power

“For he that is mighty hath done to me great things…” (v. 49)

Mary’s joy is rooted in what God can do.

God’s Mercy

“And his mercy is on them that fear him…” (v. 50)

Mary’s joy is rooted in what God will forgive.

God’s Covenant

“He hath holpen his servant Israel… as he spake to our fathers…” (v. 54–55)

Mary’s joy is rooted in what God has promised and never broken.

Mary teaches us this:

Joy that is real will always worship.

Joy that is deep will always testify.

Joy that is rooted in God will outlive the season.

If your joy can only shout when things go right, That joy is fragile.

But when your joy is tied to:

God’s Grace

God’s power

God’s mercy

God’s covenant

You can still sing:

In confusion

In waiting

In struggle

In sorrow

Because joy is no longer seasonal—it is spiritual.

IV. Joy is Powered by the Spirit

Not human effort

Luke 1:41b (KJV) – “Filled with the Holy Ghost

John 17:13 “And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

For Christian believers, joy comes from the Holy Spirit within them and not from the happy situation around them,

It is “joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1:6), the very joy of Christ Himself who prayed that we might have the “full measure” of His joy within us (John 17:13).

This joy isn’t something that we manufacture or imagine; it’s the miraculous gift of God’s life within us.

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).

You don’t create joy. You don’t fake joy.

Joy is the miraculous by-product of God’s life inside of you.

TOY & BATTERIES ILLUSTRATION (Be sure to bring a powered Remote Fire Truck and a Wooden one)

A child can open a brand-new toy on Christmas morning:

It looks good

It feels good

It has promise

But nothing happens… until the batteries are inserted.

Without the batteries:

The toy has potential

But no power

That’s how many people treat joy:

They come to church

They celebrate Christmas

They admire Jesus

But they never experience the full potential of the gift that has been given to them

Because they either quench the Holy Spirit or they have the wooden version with no place for the Spirit

Jesus is the gift. The Holy Spirit is the battery. and Joy unspeakable is what turns on when the power connects.

Truth:

Biblical joy is not momentary cheer—it is rooted in Jesus Christ

the joy of Christmas isn’t ment to be a temporary thing,

it is ment to be experience every day, all year long.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4).

CONCLUSION

Hope taught us to believe. Peace taught us to rest. Joy now calls us to rejoice.

Not because everything is perfect — but because God is present.

Mary didn’t rejoice because her life suddenly got easy. Elizabeth didn’t rejoice because everything made sense. They rejoiced because Jesus was near.

And that same Jesus is near right now.

Joy is not your circumstance. Joy is not your personality. Joy is not your season.

Joy is the Holy Spirit powering the life of Christ inside you.

And when that power is connected…

Joy rises when tears are still falling.

Joy stands when life is still shaking.

Joy sings when the answer hasn’t come yet.

For the Unsaved

If you don’t have Jesus, you don’t have lasting joy — only temporary relief. Today, joy is not found in what you fix… joy is found in who you receive.

For the Believer

And if you’re saved but weary — faithful but empty — present in church but disconnected in spirit — the Lord says, “Plug back in.”

You didn’t lose your salvation — but you’ve let life drain your joy.

The Call

So if you need:

Salvation

Renewal

Restored joy

Fresh fire

A reconnection to the power source

This altar is for you.

Jesus is the gift. The Holy Spirit is the power. And when that power is connected, joy doesn’t just sit there — it turns on, leaps up, overflows, and magnifies God.

If you’re ready to receive joy again — this is your moment.