Advent 2024 Week 3: Joy
First Speaker:
What is joy? Is it an emotion? A decision? An attitude? Joy is hard to define, but Joy is even harder to have. Most of us struggle to consistently find joy in our lives. It is much easier to focus on our circumstances. Are they good or bad? Are you too busy? Is your mental health struggling? Is work going well? Do you have enough money? Hows your marriage? If things are well, we’re happy. If they’re not, we’re sad.
Yet God commands His people to rejoice. Think about that. We are commanded to have joy. How could God expect us to have joy when our lives are so full of distraction and difficulty? Believer, don’t lose faith! God knew that you would struggle. He doesn’t just command that we have joy, He also provides it! Galatians chapter 5:22-23 says:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
The Holy Spirit works in your life to provide joy. And this joy does not rely on our circumstances. It’s not about how good your life is or isn’t right now. Its a gift from God. So how do we experience this kind of joy?
Second Speaker:
One quiet night in the hills surrounding Bethlehem, a small group of shepherds found joy.
“In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.” Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to people he favors!
What was it about this experience that brought these shepherds to the kind of joy that sent them running through the night? The Messiah was born. The good news of His birth brought great joy!
First Speaker:
Psalm 16:11 clarifies this for us:
You reveal the path of life to me;
in your presence is abundant joy;
at your right hand are eternal pleasures.
In the presence of Jesus is abundant joy. That’s where the shepherds found it and thats where we find it. His coming brought great joy to the world, and it is still through abiding in His presence that we can find joy through our struggles and trials. Jesus promises us that nothing we face will be strong enough to rob us of our place in His kingdom, and our faith and trust in His great mercies and mighty promises bring joy everlasting.
This is the true path of joy: to place our hope and faith in Jesus Christ our Savior. In His presence we will have abundant joy.
Church, let us be in the presence of Jesus this morning and just like the angels and shepherds, let us declare His majesty and glory with great joy!
