Joy to the World

The scripture reading is from Revelations chapter 21 and 22.

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

Starting in chapter 21 verse 1 we read,

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.

For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

Behold, the dwelling place of God is with men.

He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.

And God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.

Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.

For the former things have passed away.

And he who was seated on the throne said,

Behold, I am making all things new.

Then in chapter 22 verse 1 we read,

Then the angels showed me the river of the water of life,

bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb,

through the middle of the street of the city.

Also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit,

yielding its fruit each month.

The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

No longer will there be anything accursed,

but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,

and his servants will worship him.

They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads,

and night will be no more.

They will need no light of lamp or sun,

for the Lord God will be their light,

and they will reign forever and ever.

And he said to me,

These words are trustworthy and true.

And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets,

has sent his angel to show his servants

what must soon take place.

And behold, I am coming soon.

This is the word of God.

Great. Thank you, Angeline.

Well, once again, good morning.

It's so great to be with you,

and to celebrate Christmas together this morning.

And especially welcome if it's your first time with us.

If you're visiting us maybe from afar,

or your first time in Watermark,

a warm welcome to you.

And a doubly special warm welcome to the children.

It was so great having you singing up there.

Thank you for singing.

Children, that was really wonderful,

and we're so glad that you're with us this morning.

Now, for those that are maybe joining us for the first time,

for the month of December,

we as a church have been looking at these Christmas carols

that we sing every year,

and we hear playing of the speakers in the shopping centers,

and on the streets.

And we've been looking at these carols that we're so familiar with,

but often we don't think a lot about.

And we've been looking at the words to these carols,

and the scriptures that have informed them and shaped them.

And so a few weeks ago, we looked at,

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,

this amazing song that speaks about the brokenness of our world,

the problem of sin,

and the longing for all human hearts,

for healing, for redemption, for a Savior.

I love the words, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,

and ransom captive Israel.

Well, not just Israel, all of us.

Dispel the shadows of the night,

and turn our darkness into light.

Describes, I think, the longing of every human heart, right?

And we spoke about,

Hark, the herald angels sing.

This announcement of good news, of great joy.

We spoke about,

O Come, O Come, let us adore Him.

The call of men and women throughout the ages to make Christmas about Jesus,

to fall on our knees,

to join the wise men, the magi, and the shepherds,

and to worship and adore Christ the King.

And today, as our final Sunday of Advent,

and our final Sunday of 2022,

we're going to be looking at one more carol,

this very famous carol, Joy to the World.

It's such a wonderfully joyful song.

It captures, in many ways, the spirit of Christmas,

the joy, and the hope, and the celebration.

Do any children know how the song goes?

Joy to the world, the Lord is come.

Yes, the case here is blocking her ears.

That's what happens when I try and sing.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns.

Let men their songs employ.

And then you get this refrain,

Let heaven and nature sing.

Let heaven and nature sing.

Or repeat the sounding joy.

Repeat the sounding joy.

Such a song of celebration,

and joy,

and thanksgiving.

And yet, once again,

similar to our hymn last week,

sometimes, if we're honest,

Christmas doesn't always feel that joyful,

that celebratory.

Oscar referenced it earlier.

For some of us, Christmas is a difficult time.

Remembering a loved one that has passed,

maybe far away from family.

Sometimes, if we're honest,

all the joy and the celebration of Christmas

can feel like a little bit of Christian hyperbole,

a little bit of over-promise and under-deliver.

We talk about,

the Savior's come.

Joy to the world.

But does Jesus' life and death and resurrection,

does it really deliver on all the promises,

especially the promises of the angels?

Good news of great joy for all people.

Sometimes it can feel like,

hey, maybe for everybody else,

but except me.

You know, every year we light the candles, right?

We light the candle of peace.

Jesus has come to bring peace.

And you think, peace?

Where is peace in our world?

You've got one nation declaring war on another nation.

You've got one tribe fighting against another tribe.

Governments fighting against their people.

Or even on a really micro level,

within families,

sometimes our world seems starved of peace.

Where is the peace that Christ promised?

Or we light the candle of joy.

And we think, joy?

Many of us live with this dark cloud of joylessness

that permeates our lives.

Where is the joy that Jesus was supposed to bring?

Or we light the candle of hope.

And yet every year,

December quickly rolls into January.

January.

And we face another year of,

maybe, hardship, difficulty, turmoil.

The optimism of Christmas

dissipates about as quickly

as the wrapping paper

on the gifts that we receive, right?

For those of you that are children,

or youth,

or yet,

university,

Christmas,

joy,

celebration.

I hope you were really spoiled today.

I hope your parents

spoiled you rotten.

But let's be honest,

school is coming again.

January is coming again.

Classes are coming again.

Exams are coming again.

And so sometimes Christmas

can feel big on sentimentality,

but a little short on concrete hope.

In other words,

how is Christmas

with fluffy lambs

and fairy lights

and soft swaying music,

and how is that going to help us

as we go into 2023

and face another year

of challenges

and turmoil

and difficulty?

Friends,

for some people,

maybe if we're honest,

the Christmas shopping

and the decorations

and the food

is a nice escape

from the realities of life.

But when Christmas is over,

life still happens, right?

Well, today,

I want us to think about Christmas

and to take a step back.

And today,

I want us to see

that Christmas

is actually not just

a historical event

that happened 2,000 years ago.

the Christmas story

is actually still being written.

And the final chapters

in the story of Christmas

have not yet been fully told yet.

They're still coming.

We're still in the midst

of the story,

and the story of good news

of great joy

is still being written

and untold

before our eyes.

Today,

I want us to see

that Christmas,

that Christ coming 2,000 years ago,

His life,

His death,

His resurrection,

was the beginning

of good news,

of great joy,

but it's not all that there is.

And there's more

to the story

and the announcement

that the angels

proclaimed on that day.

In other words,

today,

I want us to see

that Christmas calls us

to a living faith

and a living hope

in the midst

of a broken

and a difficult

and a tumultuous world

because the Christmas story

has not yet finished

being written.

Okay?

Christmas calls us

to a living hope

and a living faith

in the midst

of a broken

and difficult world

because the story

of Christmas

has not yet finished

being written.

The reason is this.

At Christmas,

we celebrate

Christ's first coming,

His advent.

But Christmas

also anticipates

and promises

Christ's second coming.

Look at the final verse

that Angie read to us today

in Revelation 22.

Children,

I think you've got

in your packs

something to write.

Look at how this,

you need to tell me,

how does this verse end?

Jesus says this,

Behold,

I am,

what does it say?

Coming soon.

Do you know

in the final chapter,

Jesus says that three times?

Verse 7,

Behold,

I'm coming soon.

Verse 12,

Behold,

I'm coming soon.

And the second last verse

of the entire Bible,

chapter 22,

verse 20,

Jesus says,

Surely,

I am coming soon.

Christmas doesn't only

celebrate Christ's first coming,

it anticipates

and looks forward

to the day

when Christ will come again.

Friends,

the story of Christmas

is really the story

of how Jesus entered

into our broken world,

our painful world,

to rescue and heal

and redeem humanity,

but to bring us

to a world

of wonder and grace.

And the brokenness

and the pain

and the tears

of our world

have an expiry date

on them.

But there is a world

coming

that Jesus is coming

to initiate

or inaugurate

or bring about

a world in which

truth and joy

and peace

and the things

we celebrate

have no expiry date.

How many of us

have had Christmas parties

in the last month,

right?

How many of us

are tired

of Christmas parties?

Okay?

We've all had

office parties

and CG parties

and neighborhood parties

and many Christmas parties.

And what do we all play

at Christmas parties?

Secret Santa.

Okay?

And so everyone's

got to buy a gift

and you've got to

either put it in the middle

or maybe at your office

you take someone's name

out of the hat

and you've got to

buy a gift for somebody.

Okay?

And so what do we do?

We all go online

and we order something

and then invariably

the post is full

and it's slow

and your gift

doesn't come

in time

for the Christmas party.

And so what do you do?

You print a picture

of your gift,

right?

And you give it

here's your coffee mug

it's on the way,

right?

Or here's your book

it's coming.

Friends,

every element

of our Christmas celebration

is like giving somebody

a printed picture

of the internet

promising the real deal

that's still to come.

The very best elements

of Christmas

are like a picture

that's been printed

anticipating the reality

that is still to come.

And so this is what

this Christmas carol

points us to.

It calls us to a living faith

in a broken world

because the final chapters

of Christmas

have not yet been written.

And so let's look

at this passage

that Angie read to us

this morning

and let's see how

the Christmas story

wraps up.

Revelation 21 and 22

describes the final chapters

of the Christmas story.

Because it describes

the world

that Christ has prepared

for us.

And one of the things

we see,

we should have it

on the screen,

one of the things

we find,

the world to come,

the world that Christ

is going to bring about

is not a world

of clouds

and angels

playing harps

on the clouds.

It's described

as a city.

A city.

And that means

it's a real physical world

with real physical bodies

for those that are redeemed.

It's a world

in which there's life

and activity

and productivity

and real relationships.

It's going to be

a real physical world

that we get to enjoy

and celebrate.

It's a world

in which,

as our song said,

the Savior reigns

with Christ the King.

And He reigns

in truth

and grace.

And that's

an amazing thing.

Picture a world,

imagine living

in a city

in which

every relationship,

every conversation,

every aspect

of the world

is baptized

or flooded

with truthfulness

and gracefulness.

Where every conversation

you have,

you never have to

second guess,

never have to doubt,

never have to wonder

what somebody's real motives are,

real intentions

behind their words.

A world permeated

by truthfulness,

a world permeated

by gracefulness

and kindness.

Jesus is bringing

a real physical world

in which the Savior reigns

but He reigns

in truth and grace.

A world in which

He not only reigns

righteously

but the effects

of His reign

are felt throughout

every corner of the world

where every aspect

is put right

according to the way

that God originally

designed it.

Here is going to be

a world

in which God

and humanity

are so combined,

are so united

that they're described

like a marriage,

the two becoming one.

Where we see God

face to face,

we're no longer distant,

there's no barrier

between us.

I didn't actually

think about it earlier

but in Angie's reading

as she read it,

I thought about it

in chapter 22,

it says,

we will see His face.

We will see His face.

I don't know

if you've ever been

on a work trip

or you've been away

and separated

from your family,

your loved ones,

maybe your wife,

your kids,

or your parents

and so you long for Him.

You want to be

with your family.

Maybe you had to go

on a work trip

and you're away

for your child's birthday

and you just think,

oh, I wish I could

be with them today

and there's that longing

or maybe you live

in Hong Kong

and your family

lives somewhere else

and you wish

at a time like Christmas

you could be

with your family.

There's a day coming

when that separation,

that feeling

of homesickness

will be utterly gone

because we'll be truly

at home,

face to face with God.

I don't know

if you've ever

been on a way

on holiday

and you try

and phone your family.

These days

we FaceTime

or you WhatsApp call

or you Zoom call

and it's nice

but it's not quite the same.

But sometimes

you have those times

when the connection

is really bad

and there's long silences

and then you both

try and speak

and you speak

over each other

and the conversation

is just a nightmare.

Do you know

what I'm talking about?

I hate those calls.

My family lives

in Africa

and the signal

is not always very good

and the electricity

is always off

and the power is down

and we have those calls

and it's more frustrating

than rewarding.

And so sometimes

can I confess

sometimes I just take the phone

and I just kill it.

I just can't handle it.

I'm so frustrated

by this call.

It's such hard work.

If we're honest

sometimes

even our relationship

with God

can be a bit like that.

It feels like

the connection is bad

and there's long silences

and then it feels like

you don't know

what he's saying

and he certainly

doesn't sound like

he's hearing

what you're saying

and it feels like

the connection is bad.

Friends,

there's coming a day

Jesus says

in the new world

we will see him

face to face.

We will be with God

and he will be with us

in the same room.

No more lost connection.

No more brokenness.

We will be with him.

Look at what else it says.

It says in verse 4

it says

he will wipe away

every tear from our eyes.

Death will be no more.

There will be no more mourning.

No more crying.

No more pain anymore

for the former things

have passed away.

Friends,

when Christ comes again

and brings about

the world

that is to be forever

heaven is going to be

a place

where there will be

no more sadness,

no more despair,

no more agony,

no more anxiety

inducing thoughts,

no more panic attacks,

no more brokenness

where all of those things

are going to dissipate

and become

non-existent entirely.

I don't know if you've ever

woken up in the middle

of the night

from a bad nightmare

and you sit upright in bed

and your heart is beating

and suddenly you realize

it was just a dream

and it kind of,

your heart calms down,

you realize it's not true.

There is coming a world

that Jesus is going to

come back and bring

and everything that is sad

and everything that is broken

and everything that causes

despair and hardship

and panic attacks

is going to become untrue.

It's going to be like

a distant memory

from a distant world.

Christmas promises

that Christ is coming again

and all those things

will be put away.

And conversely,

Jesus tells us

that the very best things

in life,

the most heart-wrenching stories

of compassion and kindness

and justice and mercy

are a small glimpse,

like an internet picture

of the world that is to come.

Look what else he says here.

He says,

Behold, I am making

all things new.

I'm making all things new.

I don't know if you've ever

seen the movie Toy Story.

Anyone like the movie

Toy Story?

Children, do you like Toy Story?

No, you don't like Toy Story.

Okay.

I know why you don't like it

and I'm the same.

I liked Toy Story

up until the part

where you meet the kid next door.

Do you remember

do you remember Sid?

The neighbor to Andy

and Woody

and Buzz Lightyear.

Right.

What does Sid do?

He takes toys

and he pulls them apart

and he destroys them

and then he puts them

back together again

but they're a mixed match

of toys.

Right.

And they're kind of

this broken thing.

They kind of work

but they don't really work.

Okay.

This is Sid's toys.

Sometimes life

in this broken world

can feel a bit like that.

It can feel like

life is broken

and someone's trying

to put it together again

but it doesn't quite work.

Sometimes relationships

can feel like that.

Right.

They kind of work

but they don't really work

like they're meant to work.

Friends,

soon,

very soon,

Jesus is coming again

and Jesus says,

I'm going to make

all things new.

He's not going to just

kind of put us back together

and sort of fix us

and duct tape us together.

I had a friend once

who said,

if something's broken,

duct tape it

and if that doesn't work,

you haven't put

enough duct tape on it.

Okay.

So if you've got

a broken boat,

just duct tape it together

and keep on going.

Sometimes life can feel

a bit like that,

like it's been duct taped

together.

Jesus is coming

to make all things new.

To put away the brokenness

and the duct tape

of our lives.

Jesus is coming

not just to kind of fix us

and sort of put us together.

He's come to make

all things new.

And what does that mean?

Well, look at what

our song said.

At the end of the

Christmas story,

it says,

there will be a place

where there's no more sin

or sorrow to be found.

Sin and sorrow

are the two twin evils

of our world.

Two sources of pain

because of our sinful hearts

and the brokenness

of the world

in which we live.

No more sin

or sorrow will be found,

nor thorns infest

the ground.

Genesis 3 talks about

one of the consequences

of sin coming

to the world.

There's this multitude

of sorrows.

It's like the soil

of our lives

are infested

by thorns

and thistles.

And so our relationships

and our work

and even our hobbies

and our families,

it feels like

even amongst

the best things in life,

thorns seem to somehow

grow in the midst of it.

And yet,

even back then

in Genesis 3,

God promised

that there would be

one,

a man who would come,

born of a woman,

who would take upon

himself the thorns

and the brokenness

of our world,

who in a very literal sense

would wear a crown

of thorns,

one who would

take upon himself

the thorns

and the curse

of the world

so that those

who trust in him,

those who receive him

as their king,

would receive favor

rather than affliction

and grace and kindness

rather than turmoil.

Friends,

this is what Christmas

is about.

Jesus,

the Redeemer,

has come

to take upon himself

the curse

and the brokenness

and the thorns

of our world

to come and bring us

and deliver us

from as far as

curse is found,

he will bring his blessings.

And that's an amazing line.

It says,

Revelation,

Angie Redditor,

says,

no longer will anything

be accursed.

Well,

in the words of our songs,

he will make his blessings

flow far as the curse

is found.

Think about that.

As far as the curse

is found.

You know what that means?

It means in every sphere

of life,

in the farthest corners

of our world,

where brokenness

and pain exist,

in that day,

Jesus will bring healing

and redemption

and resolution.

Friends,

in our lives,

where our identity

feels broken

and our self-worth

feels broken,

where we feel shame,

where we feel guilt,

we are relationship

with ourself

and our relationships

with others,

our relationship

with God,

even our relationship

with creation,

even the environment

itself,

are all tainted

and affected

by the curse.

And every aspect,

every sphere

of life,

where brokenness

has entered in,

Christ is going to bring

his healing,

redeeming grace.

He will bring

his blessings

far as the curse

is found.

There is not a square

inch of the entire

cosmos that has been

affected by sin,

that Christ won't bring

his healing and redeeming

grace.

Even creation itself,

the trees and the mountains,

the forests and the environment

will experience

and prove his redeeming grace.

In the song,

Joy to the World,

that we're going to sing

in a few minutes,

it says,

fields and floods,

rocks,

hills and plains

will repeat

the sounding joy.

And Angie,

you read about it

in Revelation 22,

it describes the trees

and the rivers

and their leaves

and the healings

that they bring.

and describes

a place how

12 months of the year

the trees produce fruit.

I don't think

that's literal.

I think what it means

is heaven's going

to be a place

where there's no winter,

no barrenness,

no death,

no frost,

never winter,

summer all the time around.

It describes a place

where there's never night,

there's never any shadow

of darkness

in that place

because light

will permeate

every aspect

of creation.

Scotty Smith

says this,

the valley

of the shadow

of death

will soon become

the playground

of eternal life

and joy.

And so friends,

Christmas tells us

that Jesus came

born as a baby

in a manger,

but that manger

was dismantled

and converted

into a cross

upon which he would

die and hang

for the sins

of the world.

But even that cross

is not the end

of the story

because that cross

is one day

going to become

a throne

from which the Savior

will rule and reign

in truth and grace

over all of the new world.

Friends,

Christmas calls us

to live with living faith

and living hope

even in the midst

of a broken

and fractured world

because the Christmas story

is not yet finished

being written.

Jesus came

but he's coming again

and he's going to make

all things new

and he's going to put right

all that is wrong

with the world.

Jesus is coming again

and so joy to the world,

the Lord has come

but oh boy,

he's coming again.

He's coming again.

Now,

what does that mean?

How should we respond?

Well,

let me give us two things

very quickly.

Firstly,

our song that we're going

to sing,

Joy to the World,

tells us.

It says,

Let every heart

prepare him room.

Let earth receive her king.

I don't know if any of you

have been receiving guests

this Christmas.

Maybe you've had family

coming from afar

and so what do you do?

You prepare their room,

right?

You make the bed,

you write a little card

on the bed,

you put chocolates

on the bed

and you clear out the junk

out of the cupboards

and you make their room ready

and prepare them room

for your guests to come,

right?

Friends,

what does it look like

for us to prepare him room

in our hearts,

to clear out the junk

and to welcome

heaven and earth's true king?

What does it look like

to fall on our knees

and say,

Christ,

come and have your way

in my life?

Friends,

this Christmas,

Christ is coming.

Let every heart

prepare him room.

Let every heart

receive heaven and earth's

true king.

But here's the second thing.

At the end of Revelation 22

it says this,

the spirit and the bride

say,

come

and let the one

who hears come.

Let the one

who is thirsty come.

Let he who desires

take of the water

of life without price.

Jesus issues us

an invitation.

He says,

I am coming

but why don't you

come first?

Come and receive

the gift of life

that I give.

At the end of

Matthew chapter 2

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

you know the story

of the wise men?

There's an amazing line

where it says,

and they went home

a different way.

Remember they went

and they found Jesus

and they anticipated

going back to Jerusalem

and telling Herod

about the newborn king

but they were told

in a dream

that Herod was a charlatan

and so they went home

a different way.

Friends,

maybe you came to church

with one attitude today.

Maybe Jesus wants you

to go home

a different way.

To go home

a different person.

To go home

with new hope,

with new joy

in your heart

because you've received

heaven and earth

true king.

Friends,

Christ has come

and He's coming again.

Let's open our hearts

and receive Him.

Let's come and drink

of His grace.

Let's come and worship

Him together.

Friends,

Christmas calls us

to a living faith

in the midst of a broken

and fractured world

because Christmas

hasn't yet finished

being written.

It anticipates

Christ coming again.

So let's open up

our lives

and open up our hearts

and receive Him.

Let's live with hope

and faith this year.

Joy and love

knowing that Christ

has come

and He's coming again soon.

Let's pray together.

Father God,

thank you for

every one of us

here today.

For the children,

for the elderly,

for those that are

just beginning their lives

and those that are

in the second half

of their lives.

For those that are seekers

and those that are worshippers.

God,

for those that have come

from afar

and those that call

Hong Kong home.

God,

we thank you

for every gift

of grace this morning.

Lord,

we thank you for Christmas

and I pray that

as we make our way

into 2023,

God,

we will live with

living faith

and living hope

because you,

Christ,

on the throne,

you rule and you reign

and you come again

to make all things new.

Jesus,

thank you

for the promise

of Christmas,

the hope,

the joy,

the celebration

of Christmas.

We praise you

and we love you.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.