Songs of Christmas / Joy to the world

songs of Christmas What's an interesting thing that many times we sing hymns and songs and we don't really investigate the meaning of the word that we're singing. We know what comes next and what note to hit but we don't really evaluate what it is that we're singing. I think this is a great thing because in many many of the great hymns that we seeing there is a theological truth, but many times has skipped over or not understood because we haven't taken the time to really examine. So this morning we're going to be dealing With the song Joy to the world that we sang it this morning, but we are going to be dealing with the the content of that song but you might not know about Joy to the World as it is actually an adaptation from Psalms 98 Isaac Watts was say in English poet and way back in 1719. He published this poem taken from Psalms 98 and the poem is set in such a way that it takes an Old Testament text that deals with the feeling of God With His People Israel, and it applies it to the New Testament. Framework of the church and the coming Kingdom. So it's a very interesting exploration to recognize that what we sing about is based on the Old Testament, but it has New Testament applications to do is just read through a few verses of Psalm 98 the section that was used for Joy to the World verse 4 of Psalm 98.

All the Earth Break Forth and sing for joy and sing praises sing praises to the Lord with a liar with a liar and the sound of trumpets in the sound of the horn shout. Joyfully before the King The Lure of the sea Roar and all it contains the world and those who dwell in it. Let the rivers clap their hands for Joy before the Lord for he is coming to judge the Earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the people's with Equity kind of match the words of Joy to the World with Psalm 98. That's not a word forward thing. It's a poem that he wrote based off of Psalm 98. So when we recognize what he was trying to do and give us a framework that we are taking an Old Testament concept of the greatness and glory of God the joy that comes to our lives because of God's participation in our life. That happens we can be an instrument of God of bringing that Joy to the World. Before we go any further this morning. I'd like to buy for order free.

Heavenly father. Thank you for the opportunity to know your will for us. Lord it is absolutely amazing to us that you would send your son to this world begin with. But to die on behalf of the world because of your great love for us is overwhelming. Thank you for the opportunity to recognize all that you do and have done. And we pray that we would not retain that joy that you've given to us, but we would truly share that Joy with the world in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

The first thing that I see Ben and work just read through verse 1 of Joy to the World in just a moment. What's the first thing that I see based upon? The the text of Joy to the World is God's entrance into the world. Joy to the World the Lord is come Earth receive her King let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing.

Views of Joy comes from the very presence of God in the world. That's interesting. When you look up the word Joy 1 definitions of feeling of great pleasure and happiness, but I think a greater description comes from the actual Webster's Dictionary that says it is an emotion evoked by well-being success or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires Really in the world estimation Joy is completely connected to your circumstances Joy can only come when you get what you want. First understand that when God sent his son into the world the entrance of God into the world in the person of Jesus Christ gave the ultimate opportunity personal Joy. Personal Joy, our circumstances are possessions, but from our relationship with God from our participation and what he would have us to be involved in. God's entrance into the world obviously was in Bethlehem. But I hope you understand it. That was just the manifestation of the person of Jesus Christ. It wasn't his beginning. Jesus Christ has always been. As part of the godhead God the Father God the son and God the holy spirit. So Jesus Christ became flesh in that instance when he entered into our world. the Lord Has Come Earth receive her King. How did we do is that at that as a world in the world receive its king when Jesus Christ came to this earth in the form of a baby.

Well, they were three wise men. Mary and Joseph and some Shepherd's but that was pretty much it. Ultimately when Jesus Christ revealed who he was is the very Son of God did the world receive him. ultimately

Let Earth receive her King I didn't happen. In his Earthly Ministry, but it will happen there will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. That day is coming. But in the meantime we would job to do. You mentioned that Joe is not related to our circumstances. But look at the next section let every heart prepare him room.

Interesting thing about the ministry that God has in our life is that God is never going to occupy any portion of your life that you do not hold vacant for him. We can fill our lives with all sorts of good things. We can fill our schedules with all kinds of meetings and good things to do, but when it comes down to it Are we reserving room? forgotten our hearts Is our heart prepared for him to occupy it?

You know after we accept Jesus Christ is our savior. That is an ongoing process. For us to prepare room for him in our hearts.

Ongoing process something that we will never fully accomplish. But it's still an ongoing expectation. We would make room for him. by choosing to follow him over our own will The Holy Spirit does not occupy any part of us. That is already filled with something else. We talked about being filled with the Holy Spirit in many churches today. But I want you to understand that in your life. You can never have any more of the Holy Spirit than you received at the moment of your conversion the moment you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior the holy spirit in the third person came and indwelt you. It's an ongoing permanent condition. You can never have any more of the Holy Spirit than you had at the moment of your conversion. The question is not how much of the holy spirit that you have. Jim truly is how much of you does the Holy Spirit? Have you made room for him in your heart?

And heaven and nature sing.

When we truly understand what Joy is when it's not just surrounded by circumstances and good fortune and that Joy comes from our communion and intimacy of fellowship with our creator.

Everything around us fits when we understand God's blueprint for life. And for the world, we don't have to be worried about what's going to happen tomorrow because we know

We don't have to be worried about this eventuality or that possibility. We can simply trust that God is in charge. nature sing when we enjoy God's Fellowship when Joy truly permeates Our fellowship with him.

The second thing I see is God's enablement. To live the life that you would have us to live. Where is 3 of? Door to the world says no more. Let sins and Sorrows grow. Hawthorne's infest the ground he comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.

Exactly what he's trying to communicate through that verse. We find that his expectation. Is that sin? Sorrow B multiplying in our lives.

When we apply this personally. Sin, and sorrow have no place in the life of a believer?

If we truly experience the joy that God intends for us to know sorrow. Is it a part of it? If we are truly investing our time and our efforts and things that are eternal. send no longer has power. No how long has place in our life when we made room in our hearts for him?

We should be always pursuing. the concept of being sinless always pursuing but will we ever be sinless? No. We will always have a sin nature expectation is not that we be sin less but that we simply seek is everything we do an occupy our time with to send less than we did yesterday.

Are we examining Our Lives matter asking is what I'm doing, right?

What are we asking what? It's what I'm doing best.

You don't many times. We have choices between good things. The hardest choices in life are never the choices between right and wrong.

Wrong choices. We know the answer to the most difficult choices are between what is good and between what is best? Because there's lots of good things and we can just pepper Our Lives all these pretty good thing that we use our time and resources for that is good. Diminishes or excludes our ability to do what is best.

Understanding of God's will for our life. Has to be at the Forefront of our mind. When we wake up in the morning when we're making out our monthly calendar our yearly calendar are we putting God's will? in front of our own will

next section the first three

I think it's huge. just understand he comes to make His blessings flow. Far as the curse is found where on this planet. Can you go to get away from the curse of Adam in Genesis?

anywhere Are we free from it in here?

No. I will bet you that before the service is up some of you and sending what you thought about while you're being right here. I'm not pointing fingers cuz it might be me.

No, we cannot get away from the curse on the earth. Wherever you go you are in a first world plus, somewhat Melancholy, but the greatest experience that you can come across the the most beautiful the most beautiful sunset. Whatever it is that is your idea of perfection on the earth. The best I can get on the earth is cursed.

How is subject to the curse that happened in the Book of Genesis?

King Kong to make His blessings flow

as far as the curse is found.

I take that to mean. God wants us to take the blessings that he gives to us and make those people as far as we can ever we are. God's blessing in your life is not about how much you can receive and learn and know and how much you can gather but it's about how you can be used by God to read His blessings as far as the curse is found Wherever You Are. Are you seeking to be God's hands and feet in that place? God wants to use you.

We have a discussion about this in Sunday school this morning about how there is a separation in most people's minds between the the clergy the professional Ministry and the laity those that aren't paid. to do ministry and the thought is most times that those who get paid to do. That's what I get paid for. What's my job? I'm not being paid. My job is to occupy AC. Once I have punched my time card and then clocked out then the rest of the time of that week is mine. I could be no further from the truth. Everyone is a minister regardless of if you are in a professional capacity or in a lifting capacity make His blessings flow through his

That's not a building. So. people God wants to use his people see the blessings that he intended for the entire world to experience which is fellowship with him and Genesee of relationship with him. That is the joy that intends for all mankind to know he's not willing that any should perish all to come to repentance. So when we understand that Dodge is CERN, The entire world could have joy. We recognised also that we are a part of that process. Because Jesus Christ is not here in the flesh. He is ascended. He's at the right hand of the father. But he's left his church on Earth.

Jesus Christ said I will build my church and the Gates of Hell will not Prevail against. We have the great privilege of being a part of what God would have us to do a complish this goal of bringing Joy to the World.

You know what lot of Christians bring to the world.

aggravation conflict

we have to be careful that we are bringing you the right things to the world cuz God didn't save us. To be an aggravation to the world. He saved us to be an example. What it looks like? to truly have joy We're simply living out the line that God would have us to live. We're not living it. Like everyone else was thinking differently. We make decisions differently differently. We speak differently.

Are we being an example? Joy to the World

finally I would point out God's engagement with the world. God is always engage. Look at verse 4 of Joy to the World. He rules the world with truth and Grace and makes the nation's prove the glories of his righteousness. And wonders of his love. Know how does he make the nation's prove the glories of his righteousness?

I want you to be convinced today.

That nations rise and fall. By the will of God Alone.

The nation's prove the righteousness and wonders of his love. Are the fact that all the things that happened in our world today Are Not Mere happenstance? Go back and look at that the political environment around the birth of Jesus Christ. It's truly astonishing. Think about what's necessary for? That God intends for the entire world to be reconciled through to be known we would need a Common Language. We would need safety of travel would need a way to communicate easily. What happened at the birth of Christ who was in power.

room rule the majority of the known world, but a Common Language they rule with an iron fist so you can travel safely. There was stability. in the world No, I'm not saying wrong is God's idea of of government? I'm just saying God instituted Rome at such a time to allow the message of his son. Jesus Christ to be most effectively proclaimed. God makes the nation's prove. Is righteous in the wonders of his love.

You see Israel at the birth of Christ was so fixed on getting out from under the tyranny of Rome that they didn't realize that were in God's hands to establish a culture and society in which the message of the truth of Jesus Christ to be spread abroad. They were so fixated on defeating the government of Rome over them. Russian their brutality they wanted nothing to do with it. They were so fixed on the idea that I was going to send a savior. from Rome But they missed the fact that God sent a savior. from themselves from their own sin

governments are incidental they rise and they fall.

God is what is necessary for July not governments. politics not economic prosperity joy comes Very strange places sometimes you know, where one of the most. prolific and largest churches it located in the world. China

it's an underground church because it's illegal to be a Christian. This flourishing is growing why because Joy doesn't come from your government being on your side.

What do we get that mixed up sometimes in America? We think that is a government agrees with me and then I can have joy and we need to fix the government. We need to fix people.

Governments are broken because people are broken. Play reflection of the people that it governs. Our job is not to fix the government the government's not the problem. Problem is the hearts of mankind. only evil continually there is none righteous. No, not one. To every single human being has a sin problem that God placed his church on Earth to address.

Are we doing it?

Are we doing at being a part of what God intended his church to accomplish the glories of his righteousness is the fact that we and change someone through. Introducing them to Christ. We can have a part in them changing from being spiritually dead without Christ being spiritually alive.

huge

churches get so excited when they have a lots and lots of people.

People are just switching churches.

There's no game to the kingdom. It's when churches are engaging the culture when they're engaging with people that do not know Christ. When were asking questions that will provoke them to examine their Eternal destiny?

Then we're bringing.

The church word for that is called evangelism.

To talk to people about the good news of Jesus Christ the fact that God sent his son to be a part of this world. we could have a redeemer a savior the Martian problem when we are engaged in that process.

We're fulfilling God's intention for his church.

Because God's intention for his church isn't for people that know Christ to have a people to get together and hang out together. No, that's called a country club. Churches are not to be Hangouts for Christians. Churches are to be hospitals for sinners. If I were interested in is getting people who I guess I'm thinking the same place the same time. We're operating a country club if when we are operating with people that don't know Christ. on Colonel separation from God because they've not accepted Jesus Christ as their lord and savior. Are we participating?

good question is are we Standing on the Promises? Or just sitting on the premises.

We getting out and being active. In what God would have his church to be?

The place that allows His blessings to flow as far as the curse is found.

pray that we're not content to have a Country Club Church I pray that each one of us see ourselves.

as the conduit of God's grace Pour out and lavish Is Love on the world that has no concept of what true. Love you. Only understand joy and response to possessions and good fortune.

May we be a part of expressing and being an example. About God truly intended for the world, which is Joy. There is son Jesus Christ.