"How To Know Joy"

Luke 1:68-69

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Introduction: The other day I received some “funnies” via my e-mail. I would like to read them to you: The first one is of a person who lives in a semi-rural area and he called the local township administrative office to request the removal of the “Deer Crossing” sign on the road. The reason, he said: "too many deer were being hit by cars" and he didn't want them to cross there anymore. (As if the deer were reading the signs!)

Someone else was at the airport in Birmingham, Al., checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge? To which the passenger replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?” The employee smiled, nodded, and said: "That's why we ask."

Another story is of a couple that arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up their car. They were told the keys had been locked in it. They went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver’s side door. As they watched from the passenger side, one of them instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. "Hey," he announced to the technician, "its open!" To which he replied, "I know - I already got that side."

Laughter is important. If you know me at all, you know I love to laugh, and I love to make other people laugh. Those who know me are regularly sending me “funnies” via e-mail. I believe God gave us laughter to keep us healthier and happier. God gave us laughter to enjoy life all the more. God gave us laughter to help us get through the tough times of life.

As we come to the second Sunday of Advent, we think about JOY. And when we think about joy, we probably think about fun, and happiness, and laughter.

I. Joy Experienced- (Revelations 21:4)

There is much in life that can make us feel joyful. Music can cause us to have

feelings of joy, but even more, it is the emotions that music can draw out of us; the ideas that music can produce within us. While we all have our own musical tastes, music in and of itself does much to stir up our emotions. I want to play some various kinds of music, and as I do, I want to see if it creates a feeling of joy in you. As I play the songs, close your eyes and let God use the music and the lyrics to speak to you.

1. “I Can Only Imagine” (Mercy Me)- [beg. – 1:25]

This leads us to feel joy because of the idea that one day we will be in heaven. The words say: “I can only imagine, What it will be like, When I walk, By your side. I can only imagine, What my eyes will see, When your face, Is before me; I can only imagine. Chorus: Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel, Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still, Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall, Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all, I can only imagine.”
We don’t know exactly what heaven will be like, but we know that it will be joyful because we will be in the presence of God! As Revelations 21:4 tells us: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” What a joyous time heaven will be!

The next song is Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” There are 4 movements; I’m going to play a portion of Spring for you…

2. Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons: Spring”- [beg. – 1:20]

As you closed your eyes, did anything come to your mind? When I close my eyes, I often let the music create scenes in my mind. This is the same idea that is behind the Disney movie Fantasia, where artists created animated stories from the music. As we think about spring, we experience the joyful thoughts of flowers blooming, the weather warming up, and an atmosphere of enjoying God’s creation.

The third song is “Agnus Dei” from Michael W. Smith…

3. Michael W. Smith: “Agnus Dei”- [beg. – 1:45]

As this song starts I imagine the voice is that of an angel, singing to the risen Lord, the words “Alleleuia, for the Lord God Almighty reigns.” Then it is a chorus of angels! “Holy is the Lamb…You are holy.” There is joy in knowing that God the Son not only came into this world, in human flesh, and died for our sins, but that He now reigns in heaven as the slain lamb. He is holy for many reasons, but important for us is that as the lamb of God He sacrificed Himself so that we might have life! In this we rejoice.

Lastly, let us listen to the London Symphony Orchestra play ‘Joy to the World.’ [Beginning to 1:20]

4. London Symphony Orchestra: “Joy to the World.”

The orchestra plays it with such exuberance. Then the choir comes in and starts singing the lyrics: “Joy to the world, the Lord is come…”/ This is what Advent season, what Christmas is to be about: JOY. We rejoice in the coming of Christ into our world. We rejoice that LOVE Himself has stepped into our dimension.

II. Joy Known- (Luke 1:68-69; Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

a. Joy is more than happiness- But Joy is more than our feelings;

more than our emotions. Joy is even more than happiness. Joy is something that can be experienced at all times and in many ways. That is why the apostle Paul can say to us in Philippians 4:4- “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.”

We are all seeking joy in our lives. If you were to ask anyone, chances are that one of their goals in life is to feel a sense of joy. They want to be happy. And yet, having said this, it is important for me to point out that there is a difference between happiness and joy. Most people think these words are synonyms, that they mean the same thing, but this is not true. Happiness is based on experiences, while we are told by Paul that joy can be experienced always. That is why Paul says in another book he wrote, 1 Thessalonians, in chapter 5, verses 16-18- “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you.”

When we are “joyful,” we can love life, and take everything in life in stride. How is this possible? Because our joy comes from knowing that we are not in charge, but God is, and that God can work all things out for the good.

When we are letting God fill us with joy, then we will tend to be less stressed,

and we will laugh more. [“Amusing Grace,” page 4] Let me tell you some helpful facts about laughter that comes from joy:

· Thirteen muscles are used for our smiling mechanism, while 50 muscles are required for frowning;

· Laughter lowers the levels of cortisol in the body. Cortisol

suppresses the immune system. Lowering this level helps the immune system to work and prevent disease.

· You can get the same benefits for your heart and lungs

from laughing 100 times a day than you can from rowing for 10 minutes a day?

· Laughing for 15 seconds adds 2 days to your life span.

We are all too stressed because we don’t not let the joy of the Lord fill us!!

b. Joy at all times- The Greek word for joy is “chara.” It refers to

exultation or delight. The interesting thing is that it is used in the Bible in talking about good experiences AND in trials. Let me help you to understand this…

1. First, is the “JOY” that is found in looking beyond

ourselves. Our focus is often wrong. Our focus is usually on ourselves; on the trials we are facing. We are very selfish by nature. But if we could learn how to focus less on ourselves, and more on others, then we would experience more joy in our lives, because we will dwell less on our trials. This is true. The more we give of ourselves to others, the more joy we experience! The message of joy for Christmas is that Jesus is Immanuel; God with us. And of course we know that Jesus told us that He came to serve, not to be served. So in this season, maybe you adopt-a-family to give a Christmas present to, OR go with us later this month and sing Christmas carols at The Manor. There are lots of ways to give of yourself!

2. Second, is the joy of knowing that through Christ

we will be delivered from our hardships. This is indeed a word that should bring joy to our hearts, because life is full of hardships. Yet, joy is experienced as we let God walk us through our hardships, and bring us to the other side stronger, more capable, and wiser. God doesn’t keep us “hardship free,” but helps us through the struggles of life.

3. Third, joy is finding favor with God as we read in Luke 1:68-69. Let me read verse 68 again. Luke 1:68 reads- “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has looked favorably on His people and redeemed them.” How has the Lord looked favorably on His people? By visiting them, in Christ, and by redeeming them.

We need to understand what has really happened here; God has visited us! God has taken on flesh and lived among us! God has come to this earth to give us a glimpse of who He is! God has come to this earth to let us experience unconditional love. God has shown us favor by doing this, because it is not as if we have deserved this glimpse, or visit, or love. And God has redeemed us in the One we call Christ. We experience great joy in knowing that we are that special to God.

Conclusion: Let me ask you this: Are you experiencing joy in your life? I hope your answer is yes. But whether it is “yes” OR “no,” it should be yes when you leave today. Joy comes from knowing that God is with you and working for you at all times. Joy comes from knowing that God’s will can be seen happening in our lives when we trust God. Joy comes from knowing that God looks favorably upon us. As Psalm 37:4 tells us- “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” How great it is to know that we can find delight in God, and through delighting ourselves in Him, the JOY will pour out to us. I hope you will do this often throughout this Christmas season and beyond. Amen.