Advent: Joy!

The JOY set before HIm...

What brings you joy? Who or what activity brings you joy?

We all experience joy in life, but what brings you joy may be totally different than what brings me joy.

Here’s some examples of joy from a worldly perspective. “...we jump for joy when we win a hard-fought competition, or we double over in uncontrollable laughter when someone relates a hilarious story. We squeal with delight after getting a surprise gift, and whoop and holler exuberantly when we hear fantastic news. We feel buoyant and jubilant on beautiful day. (7 ways to create more joy in your life, Jude Bijou)

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Happiness can be based upon the situations that we find ourselves in. Our moods can change quickly depending on what we are going through. Just watch the Saskatchewan Roughriders. One minute there can be dread because of a missed tackle. Then we are excited because a ball was tipped and our favorite player caught an interception.

This morning as we look to God’s word, we’re going to look at joy: The joy set before HIm, and our joy as Christians.

Hebrews 12:1–3 NIV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

For the joy set before HIm...

Let’s make no mistake here, Jesus knew exactly what He was getting into before He came to earth.

Genesis 3:14–15 ESV

The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

During this advent season, we remember the birth of Jesus. It was no surprise to Jesus when God sent Gabriel.

Luke 1:26–38 NIV

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Jesus came to do the will of His Father. When Jesus was probably 12 or 13, His parents lost Him while they were in Jerusalem. They searched for Him and when they finally found, here’s how the story goes.

In Luke 2:48-52

Luke 2:48–52 NIV

When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Jesus came with one purpose. It wasn’t to be in a picture on the front of a Christmas card. He didn’t even come to be an earthly king, even though some would have wanted that.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the mother of two of Jesus’ closest disciples, John and James, came to Jesus and asked if her two boys could sit next to Jesus when He came into His kingdom. She was thinking thrones when Jesus knew that His earthly throne was going to be a cross.

Jesus said, “You don’t know what you are asking, and then He went on to explain His purpose.

Mark 10:41–45 NIV

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Life Application New Testament Commentary Jesus Teaches about Serving Others / 10:35–45 / 178

A ransom was the price paid to release a slave from bondage. Jesus paid a ransom for us, and the demanded price was his life. Jesus took our place; he died the death we deserved.

You’ve most likely heard the slogan, “No pain... No Gain!”

The New International Version Chapter 12

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame,

Jesus knew what it was going to take to accomplish the goal. He knew the agony. He knew the disappointments that He would face. He knew the rejection. He even knew the opposition from sinners.

He knew the cost, yet because of the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame.

As we look back at the punishment that He bore, as we look back at the rejection that He suffered at the hands of sinners, Jesus looked beyond all that and saw that through all this, He was reconciling us to God.

Could you imagine the agony that He must have suffered in the garden when He was pleading with the Father if there was another way? Could you imagine what it must have been like know of Judas’s betrayal, and even the antagonism of the very people He had created?

Even through all of this, He still knew that His purpose was to bring life. He kept His eyes focused on the joy that was set before Him.

If Jesus’ joy was based on the circumstances He was going through, there would have been no joy.

True joy does not depend on circumstances or happiness.

It is based on our faith that regardless of everything that is going on around us, good or bad; God is still in control.

Romans 15:13 NIV

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Only people that believe in what Jesus did on the cross have this kind of joy, and this kind of joy is based on faith.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. Without hope, there is no joy.

James 1:2–5 NIV

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Why can we have pure joy in trials? Because God is there. There is no need to be afraid, because we have confident hope that God is in control.

Years ago, a friend convinced me to go on a ride with him at a small country fair. It wasn’t big, but it headed towards the ground very quickly. I’m not really into rides. I felt completely out of control. There was a quiet sense of terror.

Pre-Donna, my Dad had bought a mare that was more of a racing quarter horse. My Dad loved his horses, so one day we put a saddle on the horse. My brother and sister-in-law, had a hankering for horses too, got on and rode the horse around the pasture. I don’t even remember the horse’s name.

Brave me, decided to get on this horse so I put my foot in the stirrup and was sitting on the horse. I hadn’t been on a horse for almost twenty years. I was wearing quad comfort work boots that were too wide for the stirrups. Riding a horse was never my first love. When out of no where, this horse takes off to a full gallop across the field. I’m pulling back on the reins and yelling wow! Wow!. One of my foot is out of the stirrup and the other one is only my tip toes. To make a long story short, this horse had been trained that if you put your heels into the horse as a pressure point, it meant to go faster.

I’m out of control headed towards a barbed wire fence. Finally, I get her turned and stopped. I was out of control and was afraid that I was going to get hurt.

I tell you these stories, just to let you know that I had no joy in either situation. When we are afraid, when we are trusting in our own abilities as we are going through these trials, there is no joy, and yet we are called to count it all joy, even when we are going through trials of many kinds.

1 Peter 1:3–9 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Why do we have reason to rejoice? Because we have an inheritance kept in Heaven and we are kept by God’s power.

Personally, I don’t believe in once saved always saved, but I do believe that when we are in relationship with God, He keeps us. No one can snatch you out of His hand.

Romans 8:38–39 NKJV

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We have much reason to rejoice! We are more than conquerors because Christ loved us. We can have peace that surpasses understanding, and the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Just as Jesus endured the cross and despised its shame, it was for the joy that was set before Him. We, too, need to look past our circumstances and fix our eyes on Jesus. Let’s not get sidetracked but keep our eyes on the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 NIV

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Communion

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NKJV

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.