Waiting with Joy
Waiting (Advent) • Sermon • Submitted
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· 45 viewsFor the third week of Advent, we'll see how we can wait with joy, regardless of what the wait looks like.
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Candle Lighting
Candle Lighting
During Advent, we light candles as a reminder of where we are
4 candles represent the four weeks leading up to Christmas
Then we light the Christ candle in the center on Christmas Eve
Last week, we started with hope
Both hope that was expected before Jesus was born
And also the hope we have now as we wait for Jesus to come again
Our second week, was the candle of peace
We talked about how the past, present and future of Scripture all points to Christ’s peace
This week, we light the candle of joy
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Light candles
Introduction
Introduction
Bad news was prevalent this week
All the illnesses
Mom calls, “I’m so sorry, are you stressed?
Not really, no. It is what it is!
I felt God saying there were some trials coming up
My first response was, “Oh no...”
Then it was, “Ok, Your will...”
Then it was, “Can you help me have peace and joy anyway?”
It seems the answer was “Yes!”
God didn’t make the situation different, He didn’t have to
The change I needed to not be miserable was in me
Not in my circumstances
Do you ever think of your stuff like that?
Please God, change this or change that
When actually what needs to change is in you
YouVersion: Waiting with Joy
Obviously today, we’re talking about Joy
Do you ever notice that joy is something the Christian life is all about?
Christian is a music genre!
Turn on the radio, there are Christian stations
Even the secular ones in December play Christ-mas music
When Christmas became a Dec. 25 holiday, Christmas songs came out right away
The first we know of was “Jesus Refulsit Omnium” or “Jesus Illuminates All”
We sing out because joy is what we do!
Or at least it should be...
What is joy? How is it different from happiness?
Happiness is your situation changing your feelings
Joy is how your feelings change the way you face your situation
John Piper: “Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.”
James talks about this:
James 1:2–4 (ESV)
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Notice he’s giving an instruction
If joy was natural and effortless, we wouldn’t need instruction
James doesn’t begin with, “Keep on breathing in and out.” We naturally do that...
What we don’t do naturally, is count our suffering as joy
Joy is not a guarantee
Joy is not a guarantee
It’s not something we experience all the time
As believers, we always have reason to have joy
But we don’t always have it
If we did, the church would be a much better place
And also, the world would be better too!
Joy is actually a choice
Not necessarily an easy choice, but it is a choice
The reason it can be hard is this:
There are things that try to block our joy
There are things that try to drain our joy
There are things that try to battle our joy
There are things that try to snatch your joy
But, if you allow joy to win, it will override everything that tries to defeat it
What I want to do is look at the Christmas story and think about how it affects us now
Let’s go back before Jesus was born, before he was even conceived
Let’s look at his mom, Mary
Luke 1:28–30 (ESV)
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
This whole situation starts with worry
The angel says, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
Her first thought is, “Uh oh, what does that mean?!”
She’s a teenager - somewhere between 13 and 16
She’s about to marry Joseph - super happy!
Marriage time to them was prom to us
They weren’t marrying in their 30’s
They were dying in their 30’s
This angel comes and gives her a magnificent greeting
This is a lot of pressure for a kid
Then the angel says, “Don’t worry, God is being good to you.”
Here’s that call to joy - this is a good thing
But then he tells her what it is:
Luke 1:31–34 (ESV)
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
So the angel says, “The Messiah is here! Throne of David! House of Jacob! Eternal Kingdom!”
Mary says, “Whoa, whoa, whoa… Back up to that “having a baby” part...
Ladies, let me ask you this:
If God came to you and asked you to carry a baby...
Would you do it?
That would create the worst joy robber possible
Joy’s worst enemy is anxiety
Joy’s worst enemy is anxiety
All of the signs, cards, movies and songs talk about joy at Christmas
But all of the conversations, statistics and attitudes talk about stress
Mary has these two things battling here for sure
Joy, anxiety, joy, anxiety...
Luke 1:35–37 (ESV)
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Parents, your 13 yo daughter says, “I’m pregnant”
Time to move up the wedding...
Can’t believe Joseph would do that
“Um, he didn’t”
What?! Who’s the Father then?
It’s a miracle from God! Never been with a man!
How many would believe their daughter?
How many would believe their daughters friends?
Or anyone who made that claim?
How many men would believe their fiancee...
Um, Mary… I know it wasn’t me so...
They live in a small town, you think there would be gossip?
Joseph knows he hasn’t been with you, you think he might be upset?
Your friends probably know where babies come from, you think they might judge you?
I know Christmas plays are stressful, I know parties and family gatherings are stressful, I know buying gifts when money is tight is stressful...
How do you think an unmarried teenage ancient Jewish girl with a miraculous baby’s stress level was?
Look at what she says though:
Luke 1:38 (ESV)
38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Whatever God wants
Just like, she’s stuck between “Yay, miracle baby!”
And, “Oh no, miracle baby...”
Am I happy or sad?
Well, how about I choose joy, I’ll choose God
Joy is always found in the Lord
Joy is always found in the Lord
If you want to have joy, you go to God
It’s not Oprah, it’s not drugs, it’s not your children or spouse
It comes from God
Again:
John Piper: “Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.”
In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he talks all about joy
What’s interesting, though, is what he’s doing
When Paul writes this letter, he’s in prison!
Do you think that makes him happy?
Let’s see what Paul actually says here about his prison stay:
Philippians 1:15–18 (ESV)
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice,
Paul knows there are two groups preaching:
One that hates Paul, they want to be better than him, they’re even glad he’s in prison because it’s their shot
But there’s another group that preach the gospel because they care about people!
Joy is a choice
Joy is a choice
And Paul says, forget that first group man!
Those losers will get what’s coming to them!
Actually, no.. He says, “Either way Christ is preached!”
IN THAT I REJOICE!
You see what Paul is doing there?
He has a choice: Let the people who are doing right make me happy
But then you have the people against him making him unhappy
Those two then have to compete with each other
Whichever one is winning then, dictates how he feels
Instead, he finds JOY
I don’t care whether happy or unhappy wins
I have joy, because of Christ! He is still being preached, even when they do wrong...
There’s one more thing I want to look at about joy:
Jesus has come and given us plenty of reason to find joy
He has reconciled us to God, given us a chance at salvation, manifested our righteousness
We also know that our future is promised and it is good
Billy Graham: “I have read the last page of the Bible. It is all going to turn out all right.”
But, we’re not on the last page of the bible yet
That’s why our joy isn’t always present
Paul’s letter to the Galatians gives us a pretty good view of things
Galatians 5:16–17 (ESV)
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
This is a basic Christian principle
There is an ongoing battle within us: spirit and flesh
They are in constant conflict with each other
But then look at what Paul says after that:
Galatians 5:19–21 (ESV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these...
When our flesh is working, that’s what we look like
Notice the inner emotional ones:
Enmity (or hostility), strife (bitterness), jealousy, anger...
Picture a hostile, bitter, jealous, angry person
Does that sound like someone who has joy?
Joyful, joyful we abhor you… no!
That isn’t a person surrendering to God
That is a person surrendering to their sinful flesh
What’s interesting is what Paul then says in response to this:
Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
JOY!
When the Spirit is working in you, you experience joy!
As a matter of fact, it’s love, joy, peace to start
That is 3 of the 4 candles leading up to Christmas
We started with hope, then peace, today is joy, next week is love!
Joy is found in the Spirit’s victory over the flesh
Joy is found in the Spirit’s victory over the flesh
That’s the battle - and joy can always win if you don’t get caught up in the other stuff
Believe it or not, joy is found in surrender
Stop fighting to be happy, stop fighting against the things that make us unhappy
Instead, we focus on God
Christmas is not the time to focus everything on ourselves and our circumstances
Unless, you want to focus on your eternal circumstances!
Jesus came, died and was resurrected
Your future is already taken care of
Yes, it’s not here yet, but it’s coming
And Jesus is coming again
As we wait today on His second coming, wait with joy
I promise, it’s much better than waiting with anxiety...
Prayer
Prayer