Come Home to God’s Joy

Intro

This Advent season we looking at the four things represented by these advent candles. hope, peace, joy and love. each of them are something that Jesus brought with him when he was born and he left for us when he died and rose again. Jesus brought us true and everlasting hope, peace, joy, and love. and yet even though we know that there are times in our lives when we try to find those things elsewhere.

Today we are going to look at joy. Probably the most Christmasy sounding of these qualities because of so many great Christmas songs that make joy a key part of it. When talking about Joy I can think of no better place to start than the first Christmas song of joy recorded that came straight from angels in Luke 2:6-14

Luke 2:6–14 CSB

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!

These are beautiful and famous verses for a reason. We have the birth of Jesus, we have the angels, we have the shepherds. It’s the culmination of everything the Bible has been pointing to so far. There’s a lot going on. but I want to zoom in on the declaration of Joy the angels make.

Luke 2:10 CSB

But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:

The message of Jesus’ arrival is a message of great joy. It was a message of great joy to the shepherds, it was a message of great joy to the wise men, and it is a message of great joy for you. The angel didnt say have come to bring you happy news that will make you happy. That is because the news that Jesus is born is news that trancends happy. and makes true joy possible. Notice the title of this sermon is not come home to God’s happiness.

1.Happiness is not your Home

We get fed the lie day after day that the most important thing for each of us is to do what makes you happy. That providing for your kids a happy life is the most important thing. Im going to say something that is going to rub you wrong way, but I hope you will hear me out.

God’s priority is not your happiness. If you come to church, if you read the Bible because you think the end goal is if I reach a certain level of being a Christian than I will be happy, or God will see my effort and make everything in my life go smooth so I will be happy. Then respectfully you are setting yourself up for massive dissapointment. Because God never promised to make you happier he promised to make you holier.

Happiness is always tied to circumstances. and circumstances are always shifting. I think about how much my happiness level can fluctuate just based off something like watching sports. one moment Im cheering, one moment, im booing, if its UT game it usually ends with me crying. but my level of happiness can be like a rollercoaster in any given day, week, or month. whether you are a Christian or nonChristian your happiness is tied to your circumstances.

We use the term happy life, but the reality is no one will ever go throughout their entire life always being happy. some may be generally happier than others but we will all experience a full range of emotions because of our circumstances throughout our lives. God is certaintainly not a grumpy old man who doesn’t want you to be happy. But your temporary happiness is not his top priority for you either.

I want my kids to be happy but their happiness is not my top priority. They aren’t happy when they ask if they can have candy for breakfast and I tell them no. They aren’t happy when I tell them they have to go to bed cause we have church the next day. They aren’t happy when we don’t let them watch certain shows because of the messages being pushed on them. And i am ok with them not being happy about those things because I know there is something more important than their happiness.

God knows what is more important for you than your happiness. If happiness was what was most important Jesus’ message would have been radically different. Instead of denying yourself it would have been indulge yourself. Instead of take up your cross it would have been take up whatever makes you feel good in the moment, Instead of ‘follow Me,’ it would have been ‘follow your heart.’ But Jesus didn’t come to give us a life built on temporary feelings — He came to give us a life built on eternal truth.

The news of Jesus arrival isn’t happy news its joyful news. Because it isn’t news to make you happy it is news that is meant to fill you with Joy.

Joy and happiness what is the difference? happiness always shifts with circumstances. Happiness like any emotion happens to you, you cant control it you cant choose it but.

2. Joy Is Chosen, Not Circumstantial

Because Jesus came and was born in a manger, because he came and died on a cross, and because he rose and left the tomb empty. We have a choice that we didn’t have before. We are able to choose joy. We don’t have to base our spiritual and mental health on the happiness or lack theroff that is imposed on us. We are given the choice to choose joy.

Through Jesus death and resurrection we have been given forgiveness, we have been given life and we have also been given a reason to choose joy when we had no reason to choose joy. Like peace comes from being made whole. Joy also comes from being made whole. We are able to choose joy because we have been made whole by the blood of Jesus.

If joy is a choice just like anything we need a reason to choose it. And I think often times our reasons for choosing God’s joy are the wrong reasons, and that is why we don’t feel the joy.

Looking at the shepherds who recieved the good news of great joy. I want to point out that their situation was not one that had much joy. no one looked at a shepherd back then and was like I would love to be a shepherd.

Being a shepherd was a terrible job. you were hired for a small wage to watch the sheep of someone who was rich so he could get richer off the sheep that you were watching 24/7. You were considered dirty. You couldn’t even participate in temple life because were considered unclean. even though you raised the lambs that were sacrificed there. If I am in that situation you know what good news of great joy sounds like to me? a new job. one that you get a more livable wage. one where you can not be looked down on by everyone else. one where you can stop working nights and be at home with your family.

But that wasn’t the good news of great joy. the promise of better circumstances was not the shepherds reason for choosing joy. The shepherds had the same job before the angels sang and after the angels sang. people still looked down on them after they saw Jesus like they did before they saw Jesus. they were still under roman rule and yet the joy they had a reason to choose joy trancended their circumstances.

Like the shepherds. We have a reason to choose Joy. We choose to find it not how good our job is, what people think about us, or what government rules over us.

3. Joy Holds Firm When It’s Anchored in Jesus

James 1:2–4 CSB

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

We have the ability to choose joy even in trials because our joy isn’t anchored to our happiness it is anchored in Jesus. When a boat isn’t anchored what happens? it is pulled in whichever way the current takes it. even in calm seas and it doesn’t look like the boat would go anywhere. theres always a current you may not see that will pull the boat away.

If you look for joy in anything the world offers you, it will be just like you are on a boat that is unanchored. everything will seem fine for awhile until you look up one day and realize you are so far from shore you cant even see it anymore.

But when you choose Jesus as the anchor of your joy. You can be out on the water in the middle of huricane all around you. but because you have the strongest anchor that has ever existed you wont be overwhelmed by the ways you will be overwhelmed at how strong your anchor is and it will cause even more joy.

Looking at these verses everything comes full circle. James is talking about how we should consider our trials as a reason to choose joy because they test our faith so that we develop endurance and we become mature and complete. which feeds right back into our joy.

It is joyful that we go through trials because the end result is positive.

We go through a trial and our faith is made stronger, we go through a trial and we realize that Jesus helped us endure so now we know we can endure more, we go through a trial and we move from baby Christians to mature Christians. Because we know the end result of the trial will be joyful we can choose joy in the middle of the trial.

Even though we would never consider ourselves happy when we grieve loved ones, when we go through heartbreak, when we are betrayed by those we thought we could trust. We can still choose joy. Because of the strength of our anchor.

Because our joy is not anchored in our jobs we dont lose it if we lose our jobs, because our joy is not anchored in the economy our joy doesn’t crash if the economy crashes, because our joy is not anchored in any other relationship. If the relationship falls apart our joy does not fall apart.

Our joy, our hope, our peace, our love is anchored in the same place as our salvation in Jesus our cornerstone. Because Jesus chose to come as baby. Because he chose to die for you. You have the ability to choose Jesus. If you have chosen Jesus, Jesus you get to choose joy. when you’re happy or not doesn’t matter because happiness is not your home. You get something far better. Jesus is your home. and because Jesus is your home joy can be your home.

Conclusion

If you have not chosen Jesus this morning my prayer is that you would come home to Jesus. You would stop looking to just live a happy life when Jesus has something far better for you. He has good news of great joy for you. He offers you everlasting hope, peace, joy and love that can only come from being accepted into the family of God through the sacrifice that he made for you on the cross. before you can choose joy you have to choose Jesus.

Choose Jesus this morning.

If you are a Christian this morning and you say I have chosen Jesus. but I don’t feel all that joyful. I struggle to choose joy what do I do? You back to where you got your Joy in the first place.

Psalm 51:12 CSB

Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.

You don’t get your joy back by trying harder. You get your joy back by going back to the One who gave it to you in the first place. You return to the cross. You return to the empty tomb. You return to the moment Jesus saved you and made you His. David didn’t pray, “Help me feel happier.” He prayed, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”

Because joy isn’t something you manufacture — it’s something God renews. Joy grows when you remember what Jesus has done, when you rehearse His faithfulness, when you slow down long enough in this busy season to fix your eyes back on Him.

And the good news is this: the God who brought joy to shepherds in the middle of the night is the same God who can restore joy to you this morning. He hasn’t changed. He hasn’t moved. If anyone has drifted, it’s us. And all it takes is turning back.

I want to close my leading a prayer that echoes what David prayed in Psalm 51:12

Restore the joy of your salvation to me and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.