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Joy
Joy
What is Joy? (allow for answers)
— We tend to define Joy through rose-colored glasses.
— We see Joy as happiness.
— As shining with Glitter and Light… where everything is at peace! There is no struggle and strife… no heartache!
— As an ending to a Hallmark movie… where everything is just… perfect!
But… Can I tell you — Joy is something much deeper than that.
— Joy is something that goes beyond a momentary feeling - an emotion - of happiness, to a deeply rooted sense of identity.
Emotion never lasts… its temporary… But Joy is eternal!
— The Challenge is that we have to CHOOSE it!
Look at Luke 3… We looked at this chapter last week, and talked about how it connects the Peace of God to our lives and to the world… This is again the perfect text to begin our study of Joy because… just like Hope, Peace, and Joy are linked together in the Advent wreath and the advent season… They are also inter-linked in our lives and in the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God!
7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
9 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”
11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”
14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”
15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,
16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
Again… I have to say: “John the Baptist is pretty harsh here!”
He calls the people “a brood of vipers,” and… tells them to “quit hiding behind their ancestry”!
— How would you like it if I said those things to you?! Would you keep coming to church? Would you consider me to be speaking from the Spirit?! NO! The truth is, most of us would leave the church in offense if the pastor talked to us like that…
But… It wasn’t that way for John… People still followed him…
So… I gotta ask… Why John the Baptist? Why are we looking at this passage today — on the third week of Advent? On a day when we talk about the Joy he brings to our lives?
— What does John’s message have to do with Christmas and being prepared for Christ? What does it have to do with Joy?
I. Joy begins with Repentance.
A. What is John’s message?
Repent! — John’s harsh words are a call to repentance, because that is where life in the Kingdom begins.
We often think of repentance as - “I’m sorry.” as apologizing,… But… the Greek word metanoia means something completely different.
metanoia — “a change of mind, which results in a change of lifestyle.”
It is a complete reorientation and transformation of one’s life!
John’s call is to Repentance… to completely changing not only their minds, but their entire lifestyles…
John insults them…he gets their attention… and then he calls them to repentance…Look what he says after that: “ quit relying on your heritage....” Why?
Our heritage will not make us right with God!
Our heritage will not save us from our Sin!
But that is exactly what the Jews believed....
They believed that “because they were children of Abraham”… their ancestry would save them… after all, they were “God’s Chosen People”!
Look at verse 8:
8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
John is telling them — “God has called HIS Children… His people… to something more.”
The fruit they are producing is NOT that of the Children of God…
Luke 3:11-14:
Children of God are to produce the fruit of LOVE and COMPASSION… But…
Trees that are not producing good fruit will be cut down… Luke 3:9:
There is to be transformation in the lives of the Children of God!
If your life has not changed — in the way in which you live it — then you are not a Child of God....
Now… is the time to change that… its not to late…
Acts 2:38 — 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
B. John’s message points to the NEW FAMILY Jesus is creating — one that is not based in heritage, gender, race, or background — but rather on a life lived CHASING after Him!
i. This Family BEGINS with REPENTANCE!
ii. This Family is created through the waters of baptism… not through the Old Covenant ways of circumcision and bloodline…
12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
— Look at Jesus’s words to Nichodemus:
3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”
— Jesus makes it clear… life as a Child of God is a NEW BEGINNING… not a life filled with the OLD WAYS!
C. Last week we saw the contrast between the kingdoms of the world and the Kingdom of God breaking into the world… Today, we see the worldly family versus the NEW FAMILY being formed by God!
D. John’s call to “REPENT” is a call to enter into that Family… A family filled with Joy!
II. “What Should We Do?”
— Luke 3:10
10 And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”
— How do we enter into this family? How should we act? What does being a part of this family look like?
A. Luke 3:11 — ““Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”
i. Generosity is a key component…
— Mt. 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?
38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?
39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’
40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;
42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’
45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’
46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
ii. This new life is a life of generosity. (God blesses us so that we can bless others)
iii. Look at their questions again.... “What should we do?”
a. Their focus was on how to save themselves.
b. It should be on the well-being of others.
B. Luke 3:13
13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”
i. Greed has no place in this new life.
ii. Tax collectors were notorious for taking more than they were supposed to… more than was even a reasonable salary… and pocketing the excess… They cheated their own people!
— What causes people to act that way? to cheat others? to steal from them? Covetousness.
iii. Coveting… cheating people… taking from others… is not a part of this New Life. Exo 20:17
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
iv. John is “reorienting them” to this new family…
— Covetousness… Greed… mistreatment of people… is NOT in the character of members of this NEW FAMILY — of Children of God!
v. There is another important reorientation here…
1. Tax collectors were hated… but John seems to be saying that they are still welcomed into this New Family.
2. They are never asked to stop being Tax Collectors…
3. They are called instead to the same standard of repentance and new life… and to live in the occupation they practice…
4. Only the way in which they live in the world changes… which in turn changes their jobs and how they relate to people around them....
5. John never tells them to quit their jobs!!!!
— Understand — because it applies to another group as well…
C. Luke 3:14
14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”
i. John tells them to be kind and content…
ii. soldiers were the ones with power. They could easily harass and cheat people… without repercussions....
iii. Yet — notice this — John does not tell them to quit being soldiers! (Many people in the Church today need to hear this....)
iv. Instead, he calls them to STOP… to stop being abusive… to stop stealing from people… and to be content in their financial standing… and to simply do their job!
— Which is what we are called to do… (we cheat and steal because we are not content with what we have)
23 Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters,
24 since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.
— Contentment with our financial standing leads to JOY in our lives… and it will theirs as well....
v. John tells the people to “be generous” … to “not be greedy”… and to “be content”… If we want to be content, then we have to learn to live simply!
— Being content — living within our means…
— Being content — not coveting what others have… this doesn’t mean have no ambition, it simply means don’t let ambition and greed control you...
— Being content — understanding what is important and necessary…
vi. Luke 3:8
Luke 3:8 (NRSV)
8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
D. A life transformed (now hear this) — a life that bears good fruit — is one of contentment, generosity, kindness, and love… Greed and discontent destroy those!
i. When we think about Joy… many people think of happiness, contentment, and generosity… in their current situation…
ii. A transformed life bears good fruit, and the consequence of that is Joy!
iii. But… what is Good Fruit?!
E. Gal. 5:22-23
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.
i. Notice that Paul does not say “the fruits of the spirit”… He says “the “Fruit” of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
ii. These are what we receive when we enter the family of God… ALL of them, not just a few.... They should ALL be evident in our lives…
— We do not get to say “I’m doing good with patience, but not with kindness…” That is not LOVE!
iii. Lives transformed by the Spirit bear ALL the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
F. Why? Why are the fruits — evident in our lives — important?
i. Because people need to see the JOY in our lives!
ii. They need to SEE the fruit in our lives…
iii. We need to find the JOY of a transformed life… so that others can see that JOY!
iv. That means that we must find JOY in the right place!
— We are not going to find it in material possessions… in lustful relationships… in parties, drinking, and drugs… We won’t find it in “the Good Life”… We will only find it in Jesus!
— It is our relationship with Jesus… in His family… as His brothers and sisters… as Children of God… that we find JOY!
III. Jesus is The Good News… Jesus is the Joy for ALL people…
— Are we sharing that Truth? Are we so fired up about the JOY we have found in our new lives that we cannot help but “shout it out” to the world around us?! Are we running around so full of the Fruit that we cannot help but have it spill out on people?!
— John was!!! That’s why people wanted to be around him…
A. John was so full of the Spirit that … people began thinking that he might be the Messiah!
B. Why?!
i. Because his words were transformative…
ii. He called people to something more…
iii. He called them to a greater life than they had known… one filled with Joy, Love, Peace, and Generosity....
C. But… John only pointed them to the True Source of Life… Jesus.
i. John was simply preparing the way…
ii. Luke 3:16
16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
iii. They felt transformed and empowered by the water, but Jesus would baptize them with fire and the Holy Spirit…
iv. John used the imagery they knew to talk to them about Jesus… Notice, he didn’t actually answer their question as to who he was… that didn’t matter… only the truth about Jesus bringing the Kingdom of God crashing to the earth did!!!
v. John’s only concern was that they understand Jesus and receive the New Life He provides!
D. Luke’s last words about John…
18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
i. John spent his life proclaiming Christ.... Do We?! Are we so excited about the JOY we have in Christ that we can’t help but share it?
ii. The ultimate good news was the coming of Christ.... He would bring a new order of things… He would show them how to be generous… compassionate… and content…
iii. He would show them how to give up their greed… their pride… their covetousness… and how to act properly toward others....
iv. John simply prepared the way.... The real, living and breathing Good News was Jesus — Immanuel — God With Us — coming into the world!
E. If we could only grasp that truth… the truth of Immanuel… then we would find the JOY that is Christmas!!!
(hear the words of Spurgeon)
Oh, May God teach you the meaning of that name, Emmanuel
God with us
Emmanuel, it is wisdom’s mystery
God with us
Sages look at it and wonder
Angels desire to see it
The plum line of reason cannot reach half way into its depths,
The eagle wings of science cannot fly so high,
And the piercing eye of the vulture of research cannot see it,
God with us
It is Hell’s Terror,
Satan trembles at the sound of it,
His legions fly a pace, the black winged dragon of the pit quails before it,
Let satan come to you suddenly and do you but whisper the word,
God with us
And back he folds confounded and confused,
satan trembles when he hears that name,
God with us
It is the laborer’s strength,
How could he preach the Gospel,
How could he bend his knees in prayer,
How could the missionary go into foreign lands,
How could the martyr stand at the stake,
How could the confessor acknowledge his master,
How could men labor if that one word were taken away,
God with us
Is the sufferers comfort,
Is the balm of his woe,
Is the alleviation of his misery,
Is the sleep that God gives to his beloveds,
Is the rest after exertion and toil,
God with us
Is eternity’s sonnet,
Is the Heaven’s Hallelujah,
Is the shout to the glorified,
Is the song of the redeemed,
Is the Chorus of Angels,
And is the everlasting oratorio of the great orchestra of the sky,
God with us
— Spurgeon understood the JOY… the Peace… the Hope… we have in Christ. Do you?
— Have you found that JOY? Have you found Christ’s JOY in your life?! If not, then don’t wait… today is the day!
Conclusion:
We live in this space of the already/not yet Kingdom of God… We know that Christ has come… We know that God stepped out of Heaven, put on flesh, and came to live among us… We know why!
He did it to save us… He did it to show His love for us… He did it to bring JOY into our lives by ushering in a new way of life… a new family… a new kingdom — yet, sometimes, all we see around us is the brokenness of this world!
(If you don’t… then take a closer look around you!)
We enter into weeks like this… we talk about JOY… but we wonder if JOY is available to us… It is hard to find JOY in the midst of despair…
It is hard to find JOY in this “in-between time”… this time of preparation… this time of waiting for God’s work in us and in this world to be completed…
During Advent we prepare our hearts for Christ… We pray for Him to draw close… We seek His touch on our lives, especially in our moments of weakness… and doubt…
The Good News is… We can find JOY NOW!!! We don’t have to wait…
Joy isn’t merely a feeling brought about by those fleeting circumstances where we experience temporary contentment and peace… JOY is a deep and abiding state brought on by our connection with Christ!
It’s not passive… it is active… it grows and strengthens as our lives are transformed… and purified… into Christlikeness!
But it only happens when we choose… When we choose to accept the invitation Christ extends to let go of the world and enter into the Family that He came to offer!
This Christmas… This New Year… We can choose JOY!
It happens when we choose to lay aside our discontent… when we share with others generously… when we seek out ways to share Love and Compassion with the world around us…
It happens when we CHOOSE to set aside the world… and take up our role in the family Christ invites us into…
So… I ask you: “Will you stand with me… Will you choose to let go… to let go of your discontent… to let go of your covetousness… to let go of your desires for control your world… and choose to claim JOY in your life?!?
Will you declare with me — “Joy to the world! The Lord has come!”