JOY

JOY

Typical of last minute Christmas shoppers, a mother was running furiously from store to store. Suddenly she became aware that the little hand of her three year old son was no longer clutched in hers. In a panic she retraced her steps and found him standing with his little nose pressed flatly against a frosty window; he was gazing at a manger scene. Hearing his mother’s near hysterical call, he turned and shouted with innocent glee: "look mommy! It’s Jesus - baby Jesus in the hay!" With obvious indifference to his joy and wonder, she impatiently jerked him away saying, "Come on, we don’t have time for that!"

WOW!  Don’t you think that is a good general description of our Christmas observance?  We do not have time for Jesus at Christmas—at least for nothing more than a decoration.  We are too busy with the shopping, the buying, the parties, the dinner, the traditions, the activities, the name drawing, the tinsel, the garland, the trees, the décor…..but no time for Jesus. 

And if there is no time for Jesus—then there is no real joy at Christmas. 

Jesus is the tidings of great joy.

Jesus is the only reason for joy during this season.

Gifts, presents, laptops, jewelry—material things—only bring temporary joy, but Jesus brings lasting JOY.

This is what we are going to talk about today; JOY—the joy of Christmas! And if you will surrender yourself and your Christmas celebration to Jesus, you too can have JOY this Christmas season.

Luke 2:8-20

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

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

19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

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

Pray

There was a survey a few years ago that asked people if they were looking forward to Christmas.  While most answered "Yes," there were still far too many who said "No." When asked why they responded negatively, this was their response;

· Christmas reminds us of things that ought to be, but are not.

· Christmas is a time of love, but we feel unloved.

· Christmas is a time of giving, but we don’t want to give, or can’t afford to give.

· Christmas is a family time, but there is anger & hostility in our family.

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy—but that is not always the case.  There are far too many people walking around at this time of year full of anger, frustration, depression, and sadness.  On one hand you have people who are ecstatic about celebrating Christmas, and on the other hand you have those who can’t wait till it’s over.  I personally think that Satan works especially hard to make sure that people don’t see the true meaning of Christmas, because if they see the true meaning of Christmas they will have joy—and with joy comes freedom.  Satan doesn’t want you to have joy, so he has uses all this “stuff” to choke out the truth.

The angel said, “I bring you good news full of great joy,” and what is that good news?  What is the joy the angel speaks of?  It has nothing to do with flat screen TV’s on sale, or 50% at JCpenny’s.  Could you imagine; “behold I bring you good tidings of great joy; black Friday shopping at Wal-mart will begin at midnight this year.”

NO—that is not the good news full of great joy.  The good news is that the son of God has come to the world to save it.  The son of God has come to redeem mankind.  Jesus the Messiah was born to free us from the bonds of sin and slavery.  It is something to be joyful about;

· No longer are we slaves to addiction

· No longer are we slaves to self destructive behavior

· No longer are we slaves to a depraved human nature

· No longer are we slaves to the flesh

But we are free!  The son of God has come to set us free!  That is GOOD NEWS!

But still there are so many people who know Christ who do not experience this joy…so many Christian people walking around with frowns on their faces and bitterness in their hearts.  There is a name for people like this—we call them Scrooge’s.  This is how famous the character of Scrooge has become, that his name has become synonymous with anyone showing a hateful spirit at this time of year.   

But the “Scrooge” of Christmas may be older then you think, because the original scrooge was actually there at the first Christmas.  There was a spirit there at the first Christmas that was alive in a man that hated Christmas even more then Ebenezer did…and his name was Herod.

As the Magi were travelling to worship the baby Jesus who had been born in a manger, they were intercepted by King Herod.  When Herod asked them where they were going, they instructed him that they were following a star searching for the Messiah that had been born.   Herod did not like the idea of another king being born, so he lied to them and told them that when they found the Messiah they should report back to him so he too could worship.  This is what happened….

Matthew 2:16-18, “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, & he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem & its vicinity who were two years old & under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

Herod presents a very negative side to the Christmas story when everything else is so positive and joyful.

· Shepherds came to worship. 

· Wise men brought gifts.  

· Angels sing.

· The miracle of the virgin birth.

· The joy of God’s love. 

· The radiance of His light.

But in the midst of this beautiful Christmas story of hope, peace, and joy…there is a negative person and a negative reaction of a person who had no joy.  Herod sees the birth of Jesus as a threat and a curse. So he issues an order that all little boys two years old & younger in Bethlehem are to be murdered.  Like the Scrooge—he tries to kill or destroy Christmas.   

· How could anyone have reacted that way to a baby’s birth? 

· How could anyone be so mean and cruel? 

· How could anyone be so miserable? 

· Why?  What was Herod’s issue? 

· What was his problem? 

Why are there so many people alive today who cannot find joy at Christmas?

· Why are people miserable at Christmas time?

· Why do they hate to see this season come around?

· Why are they miserable while others are joyful?

Let’s explore 3 reasons why people lose their joy at Christmas by using Herod and Scrooge for an example. 

Reason #1

HEROD AND SCROOGE WERE SO WRAPPED UP IN THEMSELVES THAT NOBODY ELSE MATTERED

When Herod looked in his mirror, what did he see?

· He saw a king with power, prestige, & wealth.

· He saw a king who wore designer robes & a crown,

· He saw a king who held a scepter in his hand and was seated upon a royal throne.

· He saw a man that was envied and feared

· He may have even saw himself as a God

According to the standards of the world, Herod was an immensely successful king.

· He reigned from 47 BC – 4 BC.

· He Built palaces & fortifications.

· He Built the Temple – twice as big!

· There was a huge Famine in 25 BC, but he melted down his own gold to buy food for the people.

But all these successes aside,

· Herod was very uneasy. 

· He was insanely suspicious. 

· He was insecure and he trusted no one—not even his own sons.

Why?   Why was Herod so successful yet so miserable?  The answer, of course, was given by Jesus a few years after Herod had gone.  It is a problem that has always existed and always will exist; "If you lay up your treasure only on this earth it won’t last very long. Moths eat it, or it rots away, or thieves break in & steal."Meaning it is yours but for a moment, then it slips from your grasp.

So here is Herod, the forerunner of all the Scrooges & the Grinches of Christmas, saying, "Bah, humbug," as he thinks about the Christ-child that threatens his wealth.  This is what consumed Herod; Himself and more stuff for himself…. and anything that threatened that was the enemy and had to be destroyed.

Selfishness robbed Herod’s joy.

Selfishness robbed Scrooge’s joy.

So Earthly treasures will not last...but another problem with earthly treasure is that it never satisfies, it always criesout for more. Herod wanted more

· He wanted more power and more prestige.

· He wanted more money and more kingdoms

· He wanted more gold and more subjects

· He wanted more respect

So when he heard that a king had been born, even though that new king was a helpless baby, he felt threatened because he was absorbed by the things of the world and he thought his things were going to be taken away.

Some People cannot find joy at Christmas because they are too wrapped up in themselves. 

· They want more. 

· They never have enough. 

· Nothing is ever good enough for them

And the reason there is no joy at Christmas is because Christmas is all about them;

· Either what they can get from others…or what they can give to others

· –but it is still about them

Believe me when I say this, I know it is hard, but we have to get the thought that a “good Christmas” is enough presents, or exactly what the kids or the person that we love wanted, out of our minds.

Christmas is not about us at all…

· Christmas is about God’s answer to the world’s problem of  unsatisfaction

· Christmas is about God’s answer to the world’s problem of needing more

· Christmas is about Jesus who came to fill the gap in us and to show us that we can be satisfied.

A Good Christmas is understanding that Christ is the reason for it all. Christ is the one who even gives us the ability to have a good Christmas. Without Him we would have nothing.

Like David said in Psalm 107:9, “He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”  Many people cannot find joy this Christmas because they are too wrapped up in themselves and searching to fill their void with things of the world—things that cannot bring joy.  The truth is that joy only comes from Jesus Christ.

How about you?  Are you wrapped up in yourself this Christmas? 

Are you wrapped up in yourself in general?

Could that be why you are not having any joy?

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Reason #2

HEROD AND SCROOGE’S SINS HAD SO HARDENED THEIR HEARTS THAT THEY COULDN’T RESPOND TO OTHERS

How Herod responded was a pretty outrageous response…killing children.  How could anyone in their right mind do what Herod did?  How could anyone issue an order to murder innocent children?   How can men respond with such hatred and violence?

The only answer is that Herod was so callused by his sin & so wrapped up in himself that he didn’t care about others anymore.  He was only concerned for himself and sin had him so blinded that he didn’t care.

Sin does that.  If you continue in your sin…then each time you sin, it gets a little easier until one day you don’t even feel guilty any more.  Herod started out with little lies & little acts of dishonesty, and soon it was easy for him to issue the decree, "Murder innocent children."  It was a slippery slope that he slid down. There was no tinge of guilt, no tears of remorse, and no repentance in his heart…because sin had hardened him. No longer was there any sensitivity in his life; only hate and greed.

Sin steals our joy. 

· Sin makes us miserable

· Sin makes us angry

· Sin makes us depressed

· Sin makes us jealous

· Sin makes us unreasonable

· Sin makes us bitter

· Sin is death; emotionally, spiritually, and physically

If you have no Christmas joy—maybe it is because you have sin in your life.  Maybe you have hardened your heart toward the sin that you do have and you need a revelation from God today to reveal that sin to you.

· It could be pride

· It could be greed

· It could be unforgiveness

· It could be selfishness

· It could be a lack of faith

· It could be a lack of self control

A thousand Christmases, a thousand carols, a thousand Christmas trees, and even a thousand Christmas presents will never change that misery you have inside of you…

· the wages of sin is misery

· the wages of sin is death

· BUT the GIFT of God is ETERNAL LIFE and freedom from that Misery.

That is the true meaning of Christmas….that you can have joy if you will renounce your sin and accept Jesus into your life instead.  That is why people can still have joy even when they don’t have stuff.

You can’t recognize Christmas without recognizing Jesus, and you can’t recognize Jesus without recognizing sin.  When Herod recognized Jesus, he refused to recognize his own sin.

Some of you here today refuse to recognize your own sin, and until you do—you will never find joy.  This Christmas take a real look inside yourself and see if there is anything there that is stealing your joy—any sin that need to be disposed of.

Reason #3.

HEROD AND SCROOGE NEVER LEARNED THAT THE ONLY SATISFYING WAY TO LIVE IS TO LOVE

Christmas was a curse for Herod for a third reason; Herod had never learned that the only satisfying way to live is to live a life of love.  Herod had been taught that the only way to live was to; exercise power, rule over others, manipulate lives, control situations, and always be in charge.  If anything gets in your way, then take care of it…even if it means killing babies. Caesar Augustus was recorded saying, “It is safer to be Herod’s pig than to be Herod’s son.”  WOW! Now that is a legacy to leave behind.

But the whole point of Jesus’ life was love.  “God so loved the world that he gave…” that is the point.  That is the Bible summed up right there.  And then on this Earth, Jesus patterned for us that the way to live successfully is to live a life of love.  “love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Thirty-three years after Jesus was born, there was a great showdown in the streets of Jerusalem. The soldiers of Rome with their swords, spears & armor and beside them were the Jewish Sanhedrin. They were all so grand and powerful, taking up arms against one man.

Together they nail Him to a cross & watched Him die, and they laughed and scoffed at him.We can almost hear their voices, even today;

· "Crucify him”

· “Take down His body & bury it in a tomb.”

· “ Roll a stone in front of it, seal it with the insignia of Rome & put guards there”

· “We have won! Power has triumphed!’"

But has it? Nearly 2,000 years have come & gone. Today, the soldiers of Rome are gone. The Sanhedrin is gone. But the love of God still stands, and the voice of Jesus still says that the only way to live is to live a life of love. 

A little hand reaches out of the manger & says, “Grab hold, I’ll lead you to the throne.  I’ll lead you to the Father.  I’ll lead you to the one who is anxious to show you the way of life …if you’ll only follow me."

The Savior invites you this morning.  He offers His life and His blood for your sins, and He waits to see if you will accept His great gift.  He wants to give you a life of love, and he wants to give you a life of joy.

· Don’t be a scrooge.

·  Don’t be a Grinch.

· Don’t be a Herod   

But accept the love of the father.  Accept the joy of Christmas.

If you don’t have joy this Christmas….

· maybe it is because you are too wrapped up in yourself

· maybe it is because your heart is hardened by sin. 

· OR maybe it is because you don’t live a life of love.

But it is not too late to change.  Every year Christmas comes around and reminds us that Jesus come to give us life and life more abundantly then what we are now living.  Surrender your life to Jesus, and experience real joy.  That is the key that opens the doors of happiness, fulfillment and purpose—surrender. 

Have you surrendered your life to Jesus?

Letting go of the Past

Just for a moment can you bring to remembrance the movie “A Christmas Carol” to help teach us some biblical truths. If you recall the first spirit that visited Scrooge and “the chains that we have forged in life.” 

Let me remind you today actions have consequences and we will reap what we sew, but through Jesus chains can be broken and we can be given a fresh start to change our seed and begin preparing for a good harvest.

The second spirit that visited Scrooge on Christmas Eve was the spirit of Christmas past and it is here where we begin to get an idea where Scrooge’s loss of joy has come from. 

Scrooge had some hurts and disappointments from his past that he had never let go of and they robbed him from ever experiencing joy. 

This could very well be the root of his problem that led him to other destructive patterns like the ones we have talked about today.

I want to leave you today with this; the Number one joy killer is a refusal to let go of the past. 

If you desire to have joy, you have got to let go of the past. 

You can’t keep holding on to your past and move forward.  You must make a decision if you want to continue to hold on to what has happened or if you want to let it go and move forward.

If you want to have a joyful Christmas this year like you have never had—it is time to let the past go and embrace your future.

Let’s take a moment today, and let go of our past, our past hurts, our past that the adversary continually tries to bring up and define us with. Our past that puts us back in that mindset or that head space.

let’s go to the altar and release our past and give it back to the Lord.