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Sunday, December 30, 2018

The Love Of Advent





This is the manuscript of the sermon preached at Christ Church, Los Angeles, CA on Sunday
December 30, 2018.
God’s love for us is so great, so powerful; so perfect and unconditional that He sent Jesus to bridge the gap that was caused by sin.

John 3:16-17 NKJV For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

To hear the audio click on the YouTube image at the end of the manuscript.

This is the fourth and final sermon in our Advent series. When we started we said that Advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,”.  During Advent, we’re reminded of how much we need a Savior, and we look forward to our Savior’s second coming even as we celebrate his first coming at Christmas.

Our first week we talked about the hope of Advent.

Hope is the feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  Advent teaches us to not only to expect hope for eternity, but we can expect hope for today.

The next week we talked about peace.  Peace that is not just a psychological state of mind; this peace is spiritual peace.   This is the peace of people whose sins are forgiven

Last week it was joy.  A joy that rises above circumstances.   This joy is not produced by something external that makes me feel happy. It is the  supernatural result of a life filled with the Holy Spirit of the living God.

Love of Advent

This Sunday I want to talk about the love of Advent.  This love is a gift that originates with God and is Undeserving, Unlimited, and often Unclaimed.

In the fourth century, Saint Augustine wrote, “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.”

Undeserving Unlimited Love

Advent gives us time to step back and love. By taking the focus off ourselves we are able to see the needs of others.

Jesus said this to his disciples;
 
John 13:34-35 (HCSB)34  “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another.35  By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

This was a different kind of love because it was to be   exercised toward others not because they belonged to the same nation as the disciples, but because they belonged to Christ, and it was to be the expression of the love of Christ, which the disciples had seen in life and would see also in death..

God’s love for us is so great, so powerful; so perfect and unconditional that He sent Jesus to bridge the gap that was caused by sin. 

John 3:16-17 NKJV For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

He knew that we were powerless, without hope apart from Him. The Lord knew that there was no way we could ever enter into His presence on our own merit, so He who knew no sin became sin for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 HCSB He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

After the disobedience of Adam all of mankind was under the curse of sin which is death, eternal separation from God. 

Genesis 2:15-17 HCSB The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden,  but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

Well he and his wife Eve did eat;

Genesis 3:17-19 HCSB And He said to Adam, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

Because of that all of mankind was doomed to suffer the consequences of Adam's sin.

Romans 5:12 HCSB Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.
 
But all praise to God He loved mankind so much that it compelled Him to pay the ultimate price on the cross in order to bring us back to Him. 

This is the kind of love that the Greeks called agape which when translated from the modern Greek is the highest form of love, the love of God for man and of man for God.  It's unconditional love.  The kind of love that a parent has for  child, a spouse has for their mate, that you have for your best friend.

It's the kind of love that Paul described when he wrote;

Romans 8:38-39 (HCSB)38  For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, ⌊hostile⌋ powers,39  height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

In these two verses Paul broadens out the experiences, and the things that confront us to include really everything; death or life, angels, man, anything above the earth or below it, animate or inanimate objects, anything at all. Then he emphatically declares that none of these things shall be able to separate us from the love God has for us, this love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The power of God's love can never be exhausted it never ends. It's unlimited.

This is 1 John 4:7-10 from the Amplified Bible

1 JOHN 4:7-10 AMP Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience]. The one who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. [He is the originator of love, and it is an enduring attribute of His nature.] By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath].
 
That is unlimited and undeserving love.


Jesus Christ laid down His life once, and we ought to lay down our lives repeatedly in self-sacrificing love.  We may not have the opportunity to save anybody's life by dying in their place.  However we can and should do the next best thing, namely, sustaining them when they have needs. When you give to another who is  in need you have followed the Lord Jesus' example of self-sacrificing love.  The evidence of genuine love is deeds rather than words.

That’s the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13

Paul had written to them earlier in his letter about the gifts  the Holy Spirit had given each of them so that they could bless each other and the church could operate as God intended it to witness to the world the love of Christ and be the ambassadors that would bring others to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:20 HCSB Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

It's pretty apparent in chapter 13 though that those gifts were not being shared in love.

The first three verses of this chapter talk about the absence of love 13:1-3


1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (HCSB)1  If I speak human or angelic languages but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.2  If I have ⌊the gift of⌋ prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.3  And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

It didn’t matter if they were talking in a language that others could understand or what we call an unknown tongue. Without love, their speech would be only a noise.

Then he goes on to say that the person with the deepest knowledge and the greatest faith is worth nothing without love.

The most generous act to help poor people would be of no use without love.

Then he writes in first part of verse 4 that love is patient and kind.  Patience and kindness show God’s attitude to us

2 Peter 3:9 (HCSB)9  The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

That's love.
  
The second half of verse 4 through verse 7 tell us what people with love don’t do.

1 Corinthians 13:4b-5 (HCSB)4b Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited,5  does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs.6  ⌊Love⌋ finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.7  ⌊It⌋ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

People who love unconditionally

1. Are not jealous of others.

JAMES 3:16 AMP For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [unrest, rebellion] and every evil thing and morally degrading practice.

2. They do not brag about themselves.

Luke 18:9-12 (HCSB)9  He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else:10  “Two men went up to the temple complex to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.11  The Pharisee took his stand and was praying like this: ‘God, I thank You that I’m not like other people—greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.12  I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’

3. They are not proud thinking about how important they are.

Proverbs 16:18-19 HCSB Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble  than to divide plunder with the proud.

4. They are not selfish.

Philippians 2:3-5 NLT Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6. They don’t  become angry easily.

James 1:19-20 HCSB My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,  for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

7. They don’t keep a record of how people have hurt them.

Matthew 18:21-22 HCSB Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times? ” “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus said to him, “but 70 times seven.

8. A loving Christian does not try to find fault in other people.

Matthew 7:1-2 HCSB “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged.  For with the judgment you use,   you will be judged, and with the measure you use,   it will be measured to you.

The kind of love Paul just described never changes

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (HCSB)8  Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.10  But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.11  When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.12  For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known.13  Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.  

1 John 4:10 (HCSB)10  Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  

If you want to know how to love one another, look at the love that sent Jesus to earth to live a life of love and pay the price for all of our sins. It's all about love. This isn't a love of fancy words and impossible tasks. This is a love that says, "I am willing to love you no matter what."

We can love because He first loved us and because He loved us He sent His Son so that He could save us and give us another gift which is His Holy Spirit and if we allow Him to operate in us and fill us His fruit will be evident in us and we can love unconditionally.

Galatians 5:22-23 HCSB But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,  gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

That fruit is activated by the love that we celebrate during Advent as we celebrate Jesus’ first coming as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and as we look forward to to His second coming in the clouds.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 HCSB For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,  with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.

Let’s Pray,

Heavenly Father

The whole meaning of Christmas can be explained in one little four letter word…LOVE. You sent your gift of pure love to us that first Christmas. Love descended from heaven to be born of a virgin. Love lay in the scratchy hay of a manger in a meager barn in Bethlehem. All of your love, God, was robed in the delicate skin of a baby and wrapped in swaddling clothes. This final week of Advent, help us to reflect on the magnitude of love that was made manifest in Jesus.
Your word became flesh and you made your dwelling among us when Jesus was born. You set aside all of the glory and splendor of heaven and chose the most humble way to enter into your kingdom. Beneath the stars, surrounded by all of the hosts of heaven, Love came. Welcomed by an earthly mother and father, shepherds and wise men, Love came.
You are King and King and Lord of Lords, Messiah and Ruler of All, yet you came not as a lion but as a lamb. You came as an innocent baby whose purpose was walk this earth in complete love, and then to sacrificially give his life as an atonement for the sins of His children. Emmanuel. God with us. Love in the form of a man.
That was your plan. From beginning to end, you knew every minute of Jesus life. You knew that the cross of Calvary was waiting for Jesus, yet you still sent your only Son so that our sin debt could be paid and we could walk blameless because of the shed blood of Jesus.
There is no greater gift then this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends. You willing gave the gift of your life because of your love. Your righteous blood covered our sin. You redeem and restore us when we confess you as Lord and Savior of our life. In that moment you give us the gift of your love for all eternity. We receive grace upon grace and mercy upon mercy in that moment.
The greatest gift of all came that first Christmas. It wasn’t wrapped in a beautiful package and set under a decorated tree. The greatest gift came wrapped in the flesh of baby Jesus and laid in the rough wood of a manger. Our perfect gift would later be rewrapped in the scars of our sin and nailed to the rugged wood of a cross on Calvary, all because of love.
Father, this final week of Advent, fill our hearts and minds with the sign

Unclaimed Love

At the very beginning I said that this love that we celebrate at Advent often goes unclaimed.

How would you feel if you had spent hours and lots of money looking for a gift for a loved one. I'm not talking about for your boss or an acquaintance I'm talking about someone you really care for, and that person opens all the other gifts and thanks the giver and leaves your gift under the tree and walks off.  The gift goes unclaimed.

Well that's what happens so often to God.  He loves mankind so much that He sent us a gift that we didn't deserve, an unlimited gift everybody everywhere can claim it but many don't. They don't claim the gift because they think they need to do something to earn it. They don't claim it because they think they have to reciprocate in some way but all they have to do is accept it and the gift itself will cause you to love the One that gave it.  It goes unclaimed because those of us who did accept the gift don't tell others about the giver.


Father, I realize that your mission is all about love. You love us so much that you gave us the most precious One in the universe, your Son Jesus Christ. This season is the season of giving, but it can also be tainted by selfishness, greed, and despair. Keep us away from the thieves that would steal the message and joy of Christmas. Surely you taught us to love one another!

Sermon Audio


Sunday, December 23, 2018

The Peace Of Advent




This is the manuscript of the sermon preached at Christ Church, Los Angeles, CA on Sunday 
December 23, 2018.  

For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.  Jesus is Wonderful, the Counselor who comforts and guides us. He is our Mighty God, fully divine. And as the Prince of Peace, He brings our hearts a peace that passes all understanding today and a home of eternal peace in Heaven.  

To hear the audio click on the YouTube image at the end of the manuscript.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Thank You

This is the third of our four Advent sermons.  Two weeks ago we talked about the Hope of Advent.

Biblical hope which is built on faith. Hope is a peaceful assurance that something that hasn’t happened yet will indeed happen. 

Romans 8:24-25 NIV For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Last week we talked about the Joy of Advent.  A joy that we can’t express in words.  Here’s the way that Peter described it

1 Peter 1:6-9 HCSB You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials  so that the genuineness of your faith — more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

It’s a joy that’s different from just being happy which vanishes when things get tough.  A joy that doesn’t depend on circumstances.  Joy that rises above our circumstances.  Joy that’s not produced by something external that makes us happy but is the supernatural result of a life filled with the Holy Spirit of the living God. 

This week let’s talk about the Peace of Advent. Now peace is defined as freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility.

The kind of peace that we look forward to during Advent was prophesied as being brought to mankind through a man. 

Isaiah 9:6 (HCSB)  For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

God foretold the coming of Jesus long before He came, through Isaiah. From the foundation of the world, He knew His beloved Son would humble Himself so that His beloved — but sin-stained —  people, that’s us, could be lifted up. Jesus would leave all the might and glory and majesty of Heaven to be born an infant, a babe laid in a dusty manger.

Luke 2:8-12 HCSB 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 a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”

Who is this baby?

Let’s go back to

Luke 1:30-32 HCSB Then the angel told her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.

The Son of God… given to us is Jesus and He is the Cornerstone upon which our faith is built, upon which all the promises of God are kept.

In his first sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter said,

Acts 4:11-12 HCSB This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.   There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.”

This Jesus is Wonderful, the Counselor who comforts and guides us. He is our Mighty God, fully divine. And as the Prince of Peace, He brings our hearts a peace that passes all understanding today and a home of eternal peace in Heaven.  Jesus is the person Isaiah was talking about. He is the Prince of Peace.

As Prince of Peace he will bestow what shālôm, which is the Hebrew word translated "peace," implies in its fullest meaning: which is health to the sin-sick soul; a sound and healthy relation between sinners and God, as well as between sinners and fellow sinners; and a sound condition of universal righteousness and prosperity prevailing over the earth.

This shalom is not just a psychological state of mind; this peace is spiritual peace…the peace of the God of all Creation, the peace that passes all understanding.   This  peace guards you from anxiety, fear, and worry, it's the peace Paul talks about in;

Philippians 4:6-7 HCSB Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

This peace is the opposite of anxiety.   It is the tranquillity that comes when you commit all your cares to God in prayer and don’t worry about them anymore.  You are confident that God can and will do what is best for you. 

This is the peace of people whose sins are forgiven

Romans 5:1 (NKJV)  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

From the very beginning, or at least after man sinned in the garden of Eden, God promised to do something about all the agitation and distress in our world.  He promised to restore the peace, and He did.  He sent the Prince of Peace to come and do what we can’t do for ourselves.  Jesus brings true, lasting peace, the kind of peace that all of us are desperately seeking. 

Isaiah 9:6 (HCSB)  For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

The Greek word for peace eirēnē, corresponds to the Hebrew word shalom and expresses the idea of peace, as well-being, restoration, reconciliation with God.

You see, Sin created a barrier between us and  God and we can’t destroy that barrier on our own. Without God’s intervention, we would have never found the way of peace with Him. But He provided the perfect solution to our sin problem. He sent His Son, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to pay for our sins and remove the separation that existed between us and Him.  When we trusted Jesus as our Savior, we were reconciled to God and no longer His enemies.  In Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we have peace with God.

Without a relationship with Jesus we are in opposition to God, we are His enemies.   Reconciliation with God happens at salvation and that only happens through the right relationship with the Prince of Peace. 

Romans 10:9-10 HCSB If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

Colossians 1:21-22 (NKJV)21  And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22  in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--

Romans 5:10 (NKJV)  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

The peace that comes from being in a right relationship with Jesus is not a peace that depends on everything going well.  If that’s the case, when things go bad, that peace quickly goes away. Like the difference between happiness and joy we talked about last week.  

Here’s what the angel said when he announced the birth of the Prince of Peace to the shepherds.  We read this scripture last week when we talked about the Joy of Advent.

Luke 2:14 (NKJV)  "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" ​

The reaction of the shepherds to this announcement of peace and good will was to immediately go see and then tell others.

Luke 2:15-18 NIV When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Jesus came many years ago, right into the midst of chaos and weariness.  Remember when He was born Israel was occupied by Rome and they were looking for this Messiah that God had promised.  And to a dark world, He brought peace and great hope.  They were hoping for  military victory that would bring peace and joy but this Prince of Peace was bringing a victory over sin and death, and peace between God and man through His own death.

He still brings it today. He lifts our burdens and heavy spirits and promises rest for our souls.

May God help us to reflect that same heart of peace and grace to our world today. Giving a simple gift, a smile, a kind word, a meal, or just taking the time to listen to a friend who’s hurting, or letting someone in through a long line of holiday traffic. Just the little things can be more meaningful than we could ever know, to another who feels weary or burdened.

Sometimes in the rush of the holiday season, it seems that more people appear stressed, on edge, weary and worn, tempers are short. What's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year can often feel more like madness - in the traffic - in the crowds - in the shopping frenzy.

There's  nothing wrong with being “on the go.” Or being active. Except this one thing.  We often never stop.

God is not so interested in whether we "get it all done" with a few days to spare before Christmas. He's interested in "us," in our hearts, in our lives.

We read this scripture earlier;

Philippians 4:6-7 HCSB Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Pursue the peace that passes understanding in all you do because there is something greater at stake.  In this world where there seems to be no peace and no way to achieve it, we need to be the ones who say that real peace is available only in the Prince of Peace. 

Here is the way that Philippians 4:7 reads from “The Passion Translation”, a new translation of the Bible 

Lord Jesus Christ, my Prince of Peace, I come to you to tell you every detail of my life, so that “God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to  me through Jesus Christ”

Dear God,

Thank You That Your Yoke Is Easy And Your Burden Is Light.  Thank You That You Promise To Give To Us, Those Who Feel Worried, Hurried, Pressured, And Stressed; Deep Rest And Peace For Our Souls - If We'll Just Come Before You. Thank You For Your Reminder That We Don't Have To Carry It All. Forgive Us For The Times We Try To Be Self-Sufficient, For Not Taking Time To Rest. Thank You For The Refreshing That Comes From Your Spirit, Filling Us With Joy, Covering Us With Your Shield Of Favor And Blessing, Leading Us Forward With Hope.  Equip Us To Be Those Who Notice The Lonely, The Hurting. Help Us To Slow Down, To Take Time, To Point Others To You, The Prince of Peace.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen


Sermon Audio







Sunday, December 16, 2018

The Joy Of Advent



This is the manuscript of the sermon preached at Christ Church, Los Angeles, CA on Sunday December 16, 2018.  Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. The dictionary defines joy as "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation." With this definition, we could say that "happiness" and "joy" are interchangeable. But that’s not biblical joy. “Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” To hear the audio click on the YouTube image at the end of the manuscript.


This is the second of our four Advent sermons.  Last week we talked about the Hope of Advent.

Biblical hope which is built on faith. Hope is the earnest anticipation that comes with believing something good. Hope is a confident expectation that naturally stems from faith. Hope is a peaceful assurance that something that hasn’t happened yet will indeed happen.  Advent is a time of expectation and hope and it prompts us to pause each day in December and remember why Jesus came and why we celebrate Christmas.  

Romans 8:24-25 NIV For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 

Jesus came in order to save us from sin and it's penalty death and He is coming again to completely eliminate sin from the world.

This week we want to talk about the Joy of Advent.

On the night that Jesus was born there was an announcement made.

Luke 2:8-14 NKJV  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will  be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

The dictionary defines joy as "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation."  

With this definition, we could say that "happiness" and "joy" are interchangeable. But that’s not biblical joy. 

Joy depends on God not circumstances

Happiness depends on circumstances, joy depends on God.  If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord  and Savior you have joy because of your faith in Him and His sacrifice for us.

There was a Jesuit biologist and philosopher who once wrote, “Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.”

From Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible -  Joy which is better experienced than expressed because there are no words to describe it.   It is a joy on account of the glory of God, which the believer lives in the hope and faith of; and by it saints may know a little of what heaven itself will be.

The Apostle Peter says we Christians have a joy that can't even be described.


1 Peter 1:6-9 (NKJV)6  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,7  that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,8  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,9  receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.

What did Peter mean when he wrote that we “rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory”?

It’s clear that the joy that Peter was talking about is so great that is beyond human ability to describe.   Now, that’s a lot of joy.

One reason that we don’t always experience the kind of joy Peter talked about is that we confuse happiness and joy.  We think that both happiness and joy are found in pleasure, security and prosperity.   

Joy is not the same as happiness.  Happiness vanishes when things get tough; joy continues and may even grow when things get tough.  When we focus on the love of Jesus and not the circumstance we realize that the joy of the Lord is our strength. 

Nehemiah 8:10 (NLT2)10  And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

Nehemiah said this because the people were weeping when they heard the word being read to them and the realized that they had been disobedient.

Joy with continuous  dependence on the help of God, is a powerful means of strengthening the soul. In this frame of mind scripture tells us that the word of God leads to a joyous heart which can lead to a healthy body. 

Proverbs 4:20-22 NKJV My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

While we may not be, happy as the world defines happiness, we still have joy.

Happiness is usually dependent on circumstances. If everything is going well I'm happy. If not, not so much.

Our joy should rise above circumstances.   This joy is not produced by something external that makes me feel happy. It is supernatural result of a life filled with the Holy Spirit of the living God.

Galatians 5:22-26 (HCSB)22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,23  gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.24  Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25  Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.26  We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

James 1:2-3 (NKJV)2  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,3  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

Joy is conferred by Christ upon his own followers.

John 15:11 (NKJV)11  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

What had He told them that would give them so much joy?

John 15:1-10 (NKJV)1  "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.2  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.3  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.4  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.5  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.6  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.7  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.8  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.9  "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Jesus’ birth was then and still is an occasion for joy. 
This joy of the Lord is a joy which words cannot describe, and along with it comes honor.  We are friends of God and with that friendship comes honor.

John 15:13-15 (NKJV)13  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.14  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.15  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Jesus died for us to free us from the penalty of sin which is death, eternal separation from God. 

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That’s a reason for unspeakable joy. 

James tells us that we should even have this joy during the bad times. 

James 1:2-4 (NKJV)2  My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,3  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.4  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Our joy should rise above circumstances.   This joy is not produced by something external that makes us feel happy. It is supernatural result of a life filled with the Holy Spirit of the living God.

Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.24  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

When the angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds he told them that he was bringing them news that would bring great joy. 

Luke 2:10 (NKJV)10  Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

Not only to them but to all people.  We, if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior are the recipients of that joy which is beyond words and brings honor.

This announcement to those shepherds over 2000 years ago brought joy to a people who had been waiting for their Messiah for hundreds of years.

We read some of those prophecies last week.

Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV)  Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:7 (NKJV)  Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

Isaiah 9:2,6 (NKJV)2  The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

After hear the announcement from the angel the shepherds wanted to go see for themselves

Luke 2:11-20 (NKJV)11  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.12  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:14  "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
15  So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."16  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.17  Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.18  And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.19  But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.20  Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

That joy wasn’t just for Israel but for all people

Isaiah 42:6 (NKJV)  "I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles,

Romans 3:29 (NKJV)  Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,

We, if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior are the recipients of that joy which is beyond words and brings honor.

Jesus’ birth was then and still is an occasion for joy, the kind of joy that we do our best to express in the familiar Christmas carol “Joy to the World”. 

Isaac Watts wrote the words of "Joy to the World" as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return at the end of the age, rather than a song celebrating his first coming.The nations are called to celebrate because God's faithfulness to the house of Israel has brought salvation to the world. - Wikipedia

Joy to the World lyrics by Isaac Watts

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love. ​

That’s what Advent is all about.  Advent is the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.  For Christians  it is both the first and second comings of Christ. We celebrate the first coming at Christmas and look forward to His second coming.  We anticipate the coming of Christ from three different perspectives. In the flesh in Bethlehem, in our hearts everyday, and in glory when Jesus returns. 

We can choose to live in an attitude of resentment, anger and fear or we can choose to pursue the joy of Christ...joy unspeakable and full of glory.

“The Lord  bless you and keep you; The Lord  make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’

Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.


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