Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Joy
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What is this thing called Joy?
Perhaps you have already received a card with that word on it.
Perhaps you have heard a song about it.
Maybe you have in imprinted on one of your ornaments or some other festive decoration.
It is but one word that is mentioned one time in the Christmas Story.
Listen to this passage from
Luke 2:
Did you catch that word used only one time?
Joy.
What is this thing called Joy?
Webster’s says in its noun form, it is the “emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.”
The angel said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great JOY, which is to all people.”
Did you hear that?
The good tidings of great JOY is for all people.
That means that you and I can have this same JOY that this angel described and that a multitude of other angels joined in with the one in celebrating the birth of Christ.
Let’s look at this JOY the angels proclaim.
First, we have JOY DESIGNED.
Joy Designed
Joy was designed by God Himself when He chose to reveal Himself to us.
God takes the initiative to reveal Himself to us in many ways.
He chooses to do so that He might create a people for Himself.
God’s desire is to have fellowship with you and me.
He tells us Who He is: that He is loving and shows Himself to us in ways that we can understand.
You see, God is so great and mighty that we cannot understand all that there is about Him.
God takes the initiative to reveal Himself to us in many ways.
He chooses to do so that He might create a people for Himself.
God’s desire is to have fellowship with you and me.
He tells us Who He is: that He is loving and shows Himself to us in ways that we can understand.
You see, God is so great and mighty that we cannot understand all that there is about Him.
However, He reveals Himself to us in ways to that help us understand why we are chosen by Him as His creation.
He is gracious, purposeful, redemptive, as well as the Author of Life and Hope.
In showing this to us, He wants us to develop characteristics like His.
He wants us to be loving, hopeful, and a people of grace.
He wants our soul to be united with Him and to be give us salvation from our sins.
Therefore, He has provided for us the Christ child, the Savior, so that through Him our sinful selves can be united, atoned for and redeemed to a Holy God.
One great theologian put it this way: “The first link between soul and Christ is not my goodness but my badness, not my merit but my misery, not my standing but my falling, not my riches but my need.
You see, you and I as well as all mankind have a problem in that we are not good enough to be associated with a Holy God.
My badness, my misery, my falling and my need are far greater than my goodness, my merit , my standing and my riches.
Sure there are things we can do to accomplish great things in each of these areas, but the sum total of all our best efforts will still fall short of a Holy God!
We are condemned because of our shortcomings.
Now we are not sure that this was the same angel speaking to the shepherds that had spoken to Mary in person and to Joseph in his dream.
But the message was sure the same:
Joy was designed because of our great need.
Our great need has been met, and that is cause for great joy! Do you realize what this means?
It means that you and I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime!
What we are doing on this earth is just practice for eternity.
We strive in this life to make something of ourselves, perhaps with things we can buy or taste or see or do.
All of these things will only satisfy us temporarily if at all.
We need to satisfy our souls with the way that God has designed them to be satisfied.
We are a stubborn people!
Many of us have done what what Jeremiah described in
What a sad verse this is, yet so many of us make it the theme of our lives: we choose not to walk in the path that God has designed for us.
God has designed JOY for you and me in order that we can be all we can be for the glory of God!
Psalm 23:
That is what the angels knew!
They knew that the glad tidings of great joy they spoke of meant that you and me could be be restored, guided and directed down “paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
In this season, we can have this same joy!
Not only has this Joy been determined, this Joy has been delivered!
Joy Delivered
A birth announcement is a glorious thing.
Perhaps when your child was born, you sent out an embossed card outlining all the details about the date of birth, the size of the baby, the place of the birth and the announcement of the child’s name.
I texted my mom this week to ask her about my birth announcement.
“On July 23, 1962, coming in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 21” long, born in Winston Salem, North Carolina, here is Mitchell Lee Marlowe!”
My mother was quick also to say that I was the smallest of her four children, but look at me now!
By the way, isn’t funny when we die, we make a similar announcement but leave out some of the details?
“On such and such date in Boone, North Carolina, Mitchell Lee Marlowe died.
He was 6’6’’ tall and weighed too much!
Boy did he ever grow passed that little size from birth.”
On such and such date in Boone, North Carolina, Mitchell Lee Marlowe died.
He was 6’6’’ tall and weighed too much!
Boy did he ever grow passed that little size from birth.”
In the birth announcement of Jesus, we don’t get the length and pounds, but we do get the announcement of the day, place and the name.
But do you see what else we get in this birth announcement?
We get His name, His purpose, and we get the results which are Glory to God, Peace on Earth and the favor of God!
The result is JOY DELIVERED!
These angels knew what this meant and as a result, they expressed great joy!
Luke
How many is in a great company?
It’s a big deal when this announcement of Joy is delivered.
Can you imagine the chorus that shouted and perhaps sang “Glory to God in the highest and Peace on Earth with whom His favor rests.”
Joy was designed.
Joy was delivered.
Joy was determined.
Joy Determined
When something is determined, there is set outcome, a set plan if you will, that takes place.
When the Joy Designed becomes Joy Delivered, there is Joy Determined.
We see that outcome at the conclusion of this Angelic Birth Announcement:
Glory To God in the highest!
What does this mean?
It means that there is nothing higher, nothing greater, nothing more important than God.
No if’s, and’s, and but’s.
He is the ultimate authority.
It is the necessary preliminary to real peace on earth.
Genesis 31:
Isaiah
Glory to God in the Highest!
Joy is determined!
If we can say Glory to God in the Highest, then we can say, “He is in charge, He is control, His way will be my way, and then we can say PEACE will reign.
Only God can give you and me peace.
The Stoic Philosopher Epictetus stated that “while the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy.
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