Advent Week 3 Joy

10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Matthew 2:1–12 NLT

1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

[VIDEO] joy

Joy to the World - Good News

Introduction

Have you ever asked yourself the question isn’t there more joy in life than I am experiencing?

Will Christmas be a time of joy for you?

I have been lacking joy, it is was a vague uneasiness that became a stabbing conviction one day after reading ,

Psalm 5:11–12 NLT

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy. 12 For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.

I wrote in my journal, “where is joy to be found. Am I just a busy let down of a washed up father and husband?”

I recognize that my walk with Jesus did not look like this, especially the word joy stabbed me with conviction.

That all who love your name my be filled with Joy. That triggered my frustrated journal entry. Since my sabbatical I have been unsatisfied with my relationship with Jesus. The Bible seems to indicate more… more joy, more connection, more life. This is a product of a couple years of God working on my heart, strong leader, WIL, Elder retreat. Jesus has lovingly and gracefully sustained my weakness and allowed my hunger for Him to grow. I have let myself become busy, distracted and sought comfort and rest in things which do not give it. I have lead my family in creating habits and rhythms around false joy, I have not lead my family well. I default to sit and watch some streaming show rather than engage one another even over the protest of my loving wife. I have not been steady in my personal devotions, my personal time with Jesus instead rationalizing that I am alway studying the word and letting that suffice. That is like saying well I don’t need to eat because I teach others about nutrition. So I find myself feeling disconnected from Jesus, and so others around me. Which accounts for my lack of Joy, and my calling out to God for a return to the closeness and relationship I have walked in with him. I have settled for false joy, a half hearted religion poisoned by the fleeting promises of the temporary stuff of the American Dream. Am I the only one experiencing this?

Christmas is the story of God breaking in, God coming down, God exposing the false joy of this darkness; drowning out the sad songs of I just want to use your love tonight... with the announcement,

Luke 2:10–11 NLT

This is the Advent of a forever joy, a fruitful joy which purges and replaces false fading fruitless joy in our hearts. This message is good news of for all of us, everyone here can experience and know that Jesus is bringing joy to humanity.

That God in Christ is offering the free gift of eternal life, that our failed efforts at self righteousness are not intended to load us with guilt, rather our falling short, our rebellion, our brokeness is to lead us to Jesus, to help us understand our need for this savior who is Christ the Lord.

False Joy: Good News supplants Herod’s lie Forever Joy - Good News of Great joy God with us. sFruitfull joy: for all men, no favoritism

False Joy: Good News supplants Herod’s lie

Herod is living a lie, can you relate? His rock star lifestyle is build on false joy, false hope, a house built on the sand. He has trusted in his power, money and success but they prove to be false when the mention of a new king shakes him to the core. This is no longer good news to Herod who is living his best life now. He has no need of a savior, he is basically a good King. He has forgotten God’s plan.

Herod is living a lie, are we? Do we know God’s plan or is it confusing to us because we judge that God should work according to our expectations? God sends the king of kings to be born in a stable, where animals are kept, after sending the pregnant mother on a 96 mile journey only to find no place to stay. Jesus the king of kings is born in a manger and announced to shepherds and Magi. Herod misses all this because he has turned from God, Herod relies on priests to tell him about God. When they hear from the Magi they are surprised and immediately decide to kill the messiah. If Herod had known the God of the Bible he would know this is the ultimate false hope. To stop God’s plan, to think of a better way, to rely on yourself, this is false joy. Are we missing the beauty of what God is doing because we have forgotten what he is capable of? Are we lacking joy in our circumstances because we believe that God would never have plans like this?

Herod is living a lie because he thinks that he can claim the name of God and pay lip service to religion while still doing whatever he would like to do. Herod thinks he can serve God and money. God has not called his people to drag his name through the mud and tear down his great name, God’s people are called to be a kingdom of priests, a people who walk in obedience not sacrifice.

There is more to life than the pursuit of happiness, more to life than the american dream could ever offer, more to life than religion aimed at justifying ourselves, more to life than false and short lived joy in material things. Is it the height of irony to say Christmas is not about material things? It is time to shift our paradigm, The word for this is repent, to change your mind. The Bible promises a true and forever joy available to all people, given as a gift of grace and offered to us today, it is Jesus, the savior of all. He is also called Emmanuel which is God with us Jesus has come bringing great joy because of his Great sacrifice in our place. Jesus is the saviour, saving us from self-righteousness, from sin, from Death.

False joy is doomed to fail because circumstances can change, some things are out of our control, and we cannot live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, we are made for connection to God and His word.

Christmas is the celebration of the Good News concerning the gift of a forever joy in the place of false fading joy. This is God’s plan for all people that they would be reconciled not by our work, but by Jesus work so that we can walk with the true source of joy even in the most difficult circumstances just as this Christmas story demonstrates.

[Herod and Magi Slide]

Forever Joy - Good News of Great joy God with us.

Think about the relational nature of joy. Have you ever received a gift/seen a video that brought you great joy? What is your first reaction? I want to share this with someone. When we have good news or something funny we want to share it. Jesus is no different, when we face the trials that life brings the mountains and the valleys, he is with us. And this is the good news God is not following us around like a micromanaging judge ticking off all our mistakes and waiting with a grin to punish us for each misstep. God is not a cosmic ebeneezer scrooge checking all our attempts to enjoy life. The good news is that we become family when we trust in the name of jesus. We are called beloved children. Jesus gives us this picture of our union with him. God desires that you enjoy life to it’s fullest and the way to that fullness of Joy is to know Jesus.

John 15:4–5 NLT

4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

Why does Jesus encourage us to remain in him?

John 15:9–11 NLT

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

So that we will be filled with joy. That our joy would overflow.

This is not a false hope of never experiencing pain or sickness or sadness or depression, etc. It is the promise of connection, of relationship, of someone going with us.

I remember a friend my dad had a crazy Vietnam vet who would eat raw crabs off the beach and go hiking at night. He took us to a trail at night and said walk up to the end of that trail. he pointed into the darkness all I could see where a few trees framing a black hole I saw no trail. I refused to go into that darkness. He told us our night vision would come and we would be able to see after a bit. It was only when he said I will go with you on the trail you can follow me that I was brave enough to go. I couldn’t see the end of the trail he was talking about or even where it lead but I could see him.

I am finding my joy in life returns as I walk closely with Jesus, he give strength when needed and knows where the trail leads.

Time and again we are encouraged to

Philippians 4:4 NLT

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

Philippians 3:1 NLT

1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

Romans 12:12 NLT

12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 NLT

16 Always be joyful.

These encouragements are not the Bible just saying hey turn your frown upside down, it doesn’t matter what you are going through just grin and bear it. That fatalism that is to make nothing of your trials, to say that suffering is an illusion and must be ignored. The scripture is saying that no suffering is meaningless, that your struggles are part of what God is doing in you and will accomplish great things. Your struggleds are never swept under the rug or ignored, God is at work. Everyone will face their own set of challenges and God will give you beauty for ashes, he will transform you through struggles to bring about more Christlikeness.

The good news is that God’s people are called to rejoice in Him and have received the gift of Joy, through God’s empowering presence The Spirit of God indwelling us.

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

We receive all this by grace through faith in what Jesus has done.

Throughout God’s story his people have learned to rejoice in the desert as the video said as they looked forward to what God was going to accomplish. The joy that comes as an act of faith and hope in the God who delivers becomes a strength to His people.

2 Corinthians 6:8–10 NLT

8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. 9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Paul a servant of Christ appointed to preach the Gospel said these things. “ESV 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;” God give grace for the struggle.

I experienced this a few times: youth pastor; young person being mistreated; sadness wondering how to help? God hit me with Angie telling me to smile

Revelation 21:4 NLT

4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

God is helping, I felt overjoyed even as I shed tears, joy did not take away the moment or make it nothing joy was with me. assuring me that things will work out.

New Living Translation Chapter 8

Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

This Christmas celebration is just that, a remembering of God’s story. The celebration of God’s gift of a savior who is Christ the Lord, God with us. This is the good news of great joy which continues to this day. Jesus desires for us to have joy.

John 15:11 NLT

11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

Now we come to the final part of this Good news of great joy for all men. This Forever Joy overflows, we have more than we need and can share it. We can pass it on, in fact this is why God would have us rejoice.

Fruitfull joy: for all men, no favoritism

So Jesus is announced by shepherds and Magi? translation scumbags and foreign astronomers. God is reminding us of his plan that Jesus, the seed of Abraham would be a blessing to every family on earth. That the plan is for all men. There is no favoritism for Jesus, he was the friend of tax collectors and sinners, drunkards and gluttons, prostitues…The beginning of this story reminds us that the Joy of the Lord is to see people come into his kingdom.

Luke 15:3–7 NLT

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

The message of Christmas is

Luke 2:10–11 NLT

God has freely given Joy to the world in the person of Jesus, the son of God, the suffering servant who took on the form of a servant and was obedient to the point of death. The one who took our sins upon himself, Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. To reconcile all men to himself.

I fully intend to reclaim the joy that Jesus promised me, to walk more deeply more closely with Jesus as He enables me. I want to allow this Christmas to enable repentance in my life and the Spirit to bring about the fruit of joy in me so that Psalm 5 encourages rather than convicts...

Psalm 5:11–12 NLT

Jesus supplants False joy,

Jesus Gives Forever joy

Jesus fill us with fruitful Joy.

Amen,

Prayer

Taken from Colossians 1

Father we ask you today to give us complete knowledge of Your will along with spiritual wisdom and understanding. So that way we live will always honor and please the You, and our lives will produce every kind of good fruit. Father enable us to grow as we learn to know You better and better. We also pray to be strengthened with all Your glorious power so we will have all the endurance and patience we need. May we be filled with joy, always thanking you Father. You enable us to share in the inheritance that belongs to Your people, who live in the light. You rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of Your dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good will to all mankind.

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