Advent 2022: Joy – Luke 2:8-14

Good morning. I'd like you to turn with me to Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2. Luke chapter 2. And I'll be reading verses 8 through 14. Luke 2.

Luke 2 · chapter mention Luke 2 · chapter mention Luke 2 · chapter mention

! Luke 2, 8 through 14.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them, and they were filled with great fear.

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.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you.

You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom he is pleased.

Father, thank you for your word and the life that it gives us.

May we be nourished on it today for your glory and for our joy.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

This second week of the Advent season, we have, I'm in the South too long.

We have the opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of joy in the gospel and in our daily lives.

One thing that the scripture clearly teaches us is that God wants you to experience great joy.

God created you and me with the unique capacity to experience joy.

He has equipped us with physical senses that enable us to enjoy the world around us.

We not only see with our eyes, but we delight in seeing the beauty of sunsets and flowers and puppies and newborn babies.

We enjoy the wonderful sounds of waterfalls, jingle bells, bird songs, symphony orchestras, and familiar voices.

We savor the flavors of milk and honey and smoked jalapeno peppers.

We relish the flavors of peppermint and pine and vanilla and breezes from the sea.

And we take pleasure in the sensations of fur and cotton and water and sand between our toes at the beach in the summer.

And in the gentle, warm touch of friendship.

We also experience joy in significant events like births and weddings, victories and accomplishments and unexpected surprises.

God designed each of us with the capacity to enjoy the world he made.

And I believe he expects us to express our delight.

It is an act of worship when we direct our delight in joy toward him.

In spite of the curse that has tainted our fallen world, we still have the capacity to experience much joy in it.

But I believe God also wants us to experience another sense of joy.

He has actually given us the capacity to enjoy him.

King David declared it in Psalm 16 when he said,

In your presence there is fullness of joy.

At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

And in Psalm 43 he specifically calls God my everlasting joy.

In spite of the judgment that looms over a rebellious world, the Lord has made it possible for us to experience joy in him even now.

That is Advent joy.

God holds out to you the possibility of experiencing joy in him through the good news of Advent.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34 8.

Now, we should expect an increase of joy in a holiday season that celebrates the coming of the Savior into the world.

But we should also be aware that much of the joy we observe at this time is from different sources.

Some are looking forward to a vacation from school.

Some are still dreaming of a white Christmas.

Most anticipate visits with good friends and family.

These as well as the giving of gifts and receiving of gifts bring about happy emotions in all of us.

But much of the joy observed at this season isn't really Advent joy.

Joy that is dependent on a season is not Advent joy.

And any joy that has its source in temporal circumstances is not Advent joy.

The uniqueness of Advent joy can be observed in the story of the incarnation.

And in the association of joy with the announcement of Jesus' birth.

That announcement points to joy's significant role in the gospel.

The passage we read from Luke teaches us that God sent the long-awaited Messiah into the world as a baby

so that you would experience a fuller and more lasting joy.

I believe this truth is emphasized in the passage through an interesting contrast in the story.

The contrast is between the initial response of the shepherds who saw an angel

and the response that the angel indicated most accurately corresponds with the message he was bringing.

I'd like to focus on our time together on that contrast.

Because I believe this contrast highlights two things that God wants us to understand

in order to experience Advent joy.

First of all, the better you understand your need for the coming of Jesus,

the more you can understand and experience great Advent joy.

The first part of the contrast is found in verses 8 and 9.

Look at those verses again with me.

And in the same reason, there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

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.

Now, this is not the first time in the Bible that we've seen angels appearing

and bringing great fear to those who observed them.

The Bible records many angelic visitations,

and several include responses such as the shepherds.

If you remember, the prophet Daniel wrote of being completely drained of strength,

falling into a deep sleep, and then trembling on his feet,

simply at the vision of a heavenly being.

And in the previous chapter of Luke's account here in chapter 1,

both Zechariah and Mary had to be told to not be afraid.

But what is unique about the appearance of the angel to the shepherds

is the addition of the phrase,

the glory of the Lord shone around them.

Verse 9.

It's easy, I think, to pass over the significance of that phrase.

During the Exodus, when the glory of the Lord appeared at Mount Sinai,

we're told that it was in a cloud,

and was like a devouring fire at the top of the mountain.

Exodus 24, verses 15 through 18.

Exodus 24:15–18

And another time, when Moses asked God to see his glory,

God had to put Moses in the cleft of a rock

and covered him with his hand

in order that he might shield him from a direct view of God's glory.

And that was to protect him from death.

Exodus 33.

Now, of the shepherds, it says,

that glory shone around them.

The shepherds' fear was understandable.

Not only because they saw a supernatural being,

that was frightening enough,

but also because of such an encounter with God

that must have been terrifying,

likely heightened their own sense of sinfulness

before a righteous God.

Most of us here have, at some time,

become very aware of our need of Christ.

But many people still don't understand that need.

Well-meaning Christians often misrepresent the need.

Jesus is presented at someone who simply helps us in our loneliness

or gives us a reason to live,

provides significance for our lives,

or even helps boost our self-esteem.

But the gospel message says that we need to be delivered

from God's good, righteous judgment and wrath.

The greatest need everyone born into this world needs,

or has,

is to be delivered from the judgment of a good God.

If you don't sense that need,

it's because you're not a,

you don't see your own self,

really,

in view of this good God.

And this understanding is essential

to experiencing adventure.

The other part of the contrast is observed in verse 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.

The great fear of verse 9 stands in stark contrast

with the great joy of verse 10.

Now,

I admit that the author of the gospel

doesn't comment specifically on the contrast,

but the connection is just so obvious.

In light of the contrast,

I would like to suggest that the Holy Spirit intended

that contrast to communicate something important to us

about our experience of the gospel.

I believe that in order to fully experience

great Advent joy,

you must not only need to grasp your need,

your need of Jesus's coming,

but second,

you need to understand

the joy

of the good news

and

the good news

that brings

that joy.

Now,

what do we mean by joy?

I like

older definitions

because

they're a little more

full.

Webster,

1828

definition of this

English word joy

says,

the passion

or emotion

excited by the

acquisition

or expectation

of good,

the excitement

of pleasurable

feelings

which are caused

by success,

good fortune,

gratification

of desire

or some good

possessed

or by a rational

prospect

of possessing

what we love

or desire.

Gladness,

exaltation.

Isn't that a little more

full than the Oxford

a feeling of great

pleasure or happiness?

This definition

cites various

causes of joy,

but at its core

is a

pleasurable

feeling,

a passion

or emotion

excited by the

acquisition

or expectation

of good,

the excitement

of pleasurable

feelings.

Joy is typically

understood in that

way.

There has been

a great deal

of discussion

about the

difference between

joy and happiness

in the Christian

world.

some make a

strong

distinction

like one

popular

19th century

evangelical

who wrote

this.

Joy is

distinctly

a Christian

world

and a

Christian

thing.

It is the

reverse

of happiness.

Happiness

is the

result of

what happens

of an

agreeable

sort.

Joy

has its

springs

deep down

inside

and that

spring

never runs

dry

no matter

what happens.

Only

Jesus

gives joy.

He had

joy

singing

its music

within

even under

the shadow

of the

cross.

As wonderful

as that

sounds to

us,

it really

doesn't

agree

with either

the English

or the

Hebrew

definitions

of the

word

joy.

joy in

the Bible

refers to

emotions

and

celebrations

but

both

the

godly

and

ungodly

are

referred

to

as

having

or

experiencing

joy.

The

main

distinctions

in the

Old

Testament

are the

objects

of the

joy

which

for the

godly

is God

himself

and

its

duration

salvation.

Job

Job 20:5

20

verse 5

declares

the joy

that's the

same

Hebrew

word

simcha

the

main

word

for

joy

all

throughout

the

Bible

it

says

the

joy

of

the

godless

is

for

a

moment.

And

on the

other

hand

Isaiah

says

that

the

godly

are

promised

an

everlasting

joy.

I draw

your

attention

to this

because

over

the

years

some

have

tried

to

present

joy

as

something

altogether

different

from

the

happy

emotions

that

we

share

with

all

people.

What

they

suggest

is

something

like

an

emotionless

joy.

Oxymoron

if I

ever heard

one.

That

just

isn't

so.

The

various

biblical

synonyms

that

depict

joy

simcha

and

sason

and

gil

and

ranan

they

are

all

distinguished

by

the

way

emotion

is

expressed.

There

is a

joyful

shouting

there

is a

joyful

singing

there

is

intense

joy

there

is

quiet

joy

but

in

all

cases

the

joy

is

clearly

observable.

Nehemiah

even

records

a time

when

the

people's

joy

in

Jerusalem

was

so

great

that

it

was

heard

at

a

far

distance.

Nehemiah

12

43

says

this

and

they

offered

great

sacrifices

that

day

and

rejoiced

for

God

had

made

them

rejoice

with

great

joy

the

women

and

the

children

also

rejoiced

and

the

joy

of

Jerusalem

was

heard

far

away.

Now

the

angels

announcement

of

great

joy

of

the

good

news

of

great

joy

to

the

shepherds

was

described

as

one

that

brings

the

same

great

joy.

joy

it's

joyous

news

because

it's

the

fulfillment

of

the

long

awaited

answer

to

the

human

predicament.

It

is

the

news

of

the

anticipated

messianic

king.

It

is

news

of

a

savior

who

is

Christ

the

Lord.

It

is

news

of

God's

gracious

plan

to

save

his

people

from

his

wrath

through

the

death

the

sacrificial

death

of

Jesus.

It

is

the

news

of

forgiveness.

It

is

the

news

of

granting

a

righteousness

to

those

who

are

unrighteous.

I

can't

help

but

believe

that

the

contrast

seen

here

in

these

few

verses

is

intended

to

emphasize

the

wonder

of

the

message.

It's

benefit

to

Israel.

It's

grander.

It's

mystery.

And

it's

amazing

initiation

in

these

humble

circumstances

among

shepherds

and

sheep.

But

I

also

believe

there

is

something

more

being

communicated

here

by

the

phrase

great

joy.

The

prophets

of

Israel

wrote

a

great

deal

about

joy

and

predicted

a time

when joy

would be

prominent.

I

mean,

they

didn't

just

indicate

that

there

would

be

joy

at

the

arrival

of

the

new

heavens

and

the

new

earth.

But

they

prophesied

that

joy

would

characterize

the

new

heaven

and

the

new

earth.

In

Isaiah

65,

17

through

19,

we read

this,

for

behold,

I

create

new

heavens

and

a

new

earth

and

the

former

things

shall

not

be

remembered

or

come

to

mind

but

be

glad

and

rejoice

forever

in

that

which

I

create

for

behold,

I

create

Jerusalem

to

be

a

joy

and

her

people

to

be

a

gladness.

And

then he

says

something

interesting.

I,

the

Lord

speaking,

will

rejoice

in

Jerusalem

and be

glad

in

my

people.

No

more

shall

be

heard

in

it

the

sound

of

weeping

and

the

cry

of

distress.

Now,

this

passage

informs

us

that

God

himself

rejoices.

It's

a part

of who

he

is.

And

that

he

has

destined

us,

the

people

of

God,

to

reflect

his

joy

in

one

great

climactic

amazing

eternal

way.

We

characterize

our

joy

and

reflect

his

joy.

And

that

joy

will

never

end.

Now,

though the

prophet spoke

of a day

that is

still to

come,

there's

no doubt

that God

wants you

to experience

this joy

now.

Advent

joy is

a message

of present

joy

as well

in the

anticipation

of a

future

joy.

The

first

Christians

experienced

this

joy.

And

joy was

a

prominent

characteristic

of the

early

church.

One

theologian

in the

late

19th

century

said

this,

the

New

Testament

is the

most

buoyant,

exhilarating,

and joyful

book in

the entire

world.

Do you

see it

that way?

In the

pages of

the New

Testament,

we see

joy

everywhere.

We see

it in

the

proclamation

of the

gospel

in

Philippians

1.

We see

it in

the

joy

of the

salvation

of the

lost

in

Luke

15.

We see

joy

in

suffering

Romans

Romans 5 · chapter mention

chapter

5.

We see

joy

in

persecution

Acts

541.

We see

joy

in

prison

Acts

1625.

Joy

at the

loss

of

property

for

the

sake

of

Christ

Hebrews

1034.

And

joy

because

of

faithful

disciples

written

by

John

in

2nd

John

and

3rd

John.

The

New

Testament

also

directly

instructs

us

to

rejoice

in

the

Lord

always

in

Philippians

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

chapter

4.

And

it

reminds

us

that

our

joy

in

the

midst

of

trials

is

inexpressible

and

full

of

glory.

1st

Peter

1.

8.

Now

in

case

you're

wondering

inexpressible

doesn't

mean

there

that

it

can't

be

seen.

It

just

means

that

you

can't

express

it

enough.

No

matter

how

expressive

your

emotion

of

joy

is,

it

is

not

enough

to

meet

with

the

glories

of

what

we

have

been

given

and

promised.

Advent

joy

is a

joy

that

transcends

all

other

joys

because

it

is

based

on

the

goodness

and

greatness

of

God

the

Father

the

Son

and

the

Holy

Spirit

in

their

presence

and

eternal

work

on

our

behalf.

It is

a

relational

joy

that

we

experience

a

joy

we

share

with

one

another.

It

is

an

experiential

joy.

It

is

observable

and

undeniable.

It

is an

effectual

joy.

It

powerfully

affects

the way

we

live

and

strengthens

us

to

resist

the

misguided

joys

of the

world.

And

it

is

a

lasting

joy.

A

joy

that

never

ends

but

ever

increases.

The

contrast

of

fear

and

joy

in

the

story

of

the

shepherds

encounter

with

the

angels

and

the

glory

of

the

Lord

instructs

us

about

God's

desire

for

us.

It

teaches

us

that

God's

or

God

sent

the

long

awaited

messianic

king

into

the

world

as

a

baby

so

that

you

would

experience

great

joy.

Fear

and

joy

in

our

own

lives

are

often

gauges

of

spiritual

health.

Fear

has

many

causes

but

it

generally

indicates

that

we

haven't

fully

embraced

and

experienced

Advent

joy.

I

would

like

to

close

with

a

quote

from

a

pastor

who

spent

a lot

of

time

studying

the

topic

of

joy

and

is

somewhat

of an

authority

on

Jonathan

Edwards

perspective

of

ever

increasing

joy.

And

he

writes

this

perhaps

the

greatest

mistake

you

could

possibly

make

is

to

think

that

an

emphasis

on

joy

breeds

passivity

or

leads

to

a

safe

and

self

absorbed

lifestyle

or

an

approach

to

Christianity

in

which

the

believer

is

so

obsessed

with

the

condition

of

his

heart

or

his

emotional

state

of

being

that

he

neglects

his

family

or

ignores

the

need

of

his

neighbor

or

becomes

coldly

indifferent

toward

the

lost

or

retreats

in

isolation

from

the

hurts

and

needs

of

others

and

then

he

goes

on

to

define

this

joy

it

is

a

deep

delight

and

joy

in

the

all

satisfying

beauty

of

Christ

that

stokes

the

white

hot

flame

of

passion

for

the

plight

of

the

nations

it

is

the

it

is

deep

delight

and

joy

in

the

all

satisfying

beauty

of

Christ

that

energizes

the

will

of

man

or

woman

to

make

whatever

sacrifices

are

necessary

to

preserve

a

marriage

that

is

falling

apart

it

is

deep

delight

and

joy

in

the

all

satisfying

beauty

of

Christ

that

empowers

the

human

heart

to

overcome

addicted

behavior

and

sustain

the

soul

in

its

fight

against

sin

and

temptation

it

is

deep

delight

and

joy

in

the

all

satisfying

beauty

of

Christ

that

enables

weak

and

broke

the

weak

and

broken

soul

to

persevere

when a

job

is

lost

or a

child

rebels

or a

promise

is

shattered

or a

dream

comes

to

not

it

is

deep

delight

in

the

joy

of

an

all

satisfying

beauty

of

Christ

that

encourages

the

timid

and

fearful

heart

to

engage

and

confront

the

Christless

culture

in

which

we

live

with

the

good

news

of

the

gospel

of

the

cross

of

Christ

and

the

life

of

forgiveness

and

hope

that

can

only

be

found

through

faith

in

Jesus

it

is

deep

delight

and

joy

in

the

all

satisfying

beauty

of

Christ

that

will

sustain

a

church

through

adversity

and

bind

the

hearts

of

its

people

together

in

unity

and

love

and

mutual

affection

this

is

the

joy

that

is

ours

for

the

taking

now

and

forever

because

God

has sent

to us

his

son

a

savior

who

is

Christ

the

Lord

joy

to

the

world

indeed

so

may

God

bless

you

today

and

this

next

year

with

a

greater

awareness

of

your

need

of

Christ

as

well

as

with

a

greater

experience

of

the

satisfying

fullness

of

Advent

joy

this

season

and the

coming

year

let's

pray

together