Advent, Pt. 3, Shepherds - JOY
A Time for Joy
Advent, Pt. 3, Shepherds - JOY
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© December 13, 2015
What brings you joy?
There are any number of things to which we may attribute joy.
A new baby
A cozy home
A loving and supportive spouse
A joyous surprise
The fellowship of family and friends
Winning the Super Bowl
A birthday party
Etc., etc…
Today we are talking about “A Time for Joy”.
Does “joy” mean we are happy all the time, or at specific events?
What does “joy” mean?
There are many dimensions of “joy” aren’t there? … Just like the facets of a beautiful diamond.
Our Emotions – which include the dimensions of emotions we associate with “joy,”
· can soar to great heights
· or bottom out in sorrowful depression…
depending on our immediate circumstances,
which may or may not truly reflect reality around us.
Thus, swings of emotional “joy” may sometimes be tied to our perception of ambivalent and unstable circumstances!
So, we cannot equate God’s joy with mere circumstantial joy.
Where is True Joy Found?
True Joy is found in God’s Dwelling Place.
1 Chronicles 16:25–27
25 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy in his dwelling place.
If the presence of True JOY is found in God’s Dwelling Place then those who have God in the Dwelling Place of their heart have the greatest opportunity to find and sustain true Joy.
Joy in the Shepherd’s Hearts
We do not know how many shepherds were on the hillside that Christmas Eve, or what their circumstances were, but our minds can picture a group shepherds sitting together around small fires on the hillside warming themselves from the cool night air, watching over their flocks at night. Some may have been dozing as others talked about the day’s events, told stories, or gave helpful instruction to the younger shepherds. Some could have been rough and skeptical about life, some positive and kind, while others may have had a terrible day, which started with a squabble with their wife or a fellow shepherd. There probably was a pecking order of authority among them, the older and wiser having the elder clout among the young, enthusiastic and brash. There were those in their group who probably felt belittled and depressed and while others were considered overconfident, overzealous know-it-alls. Some had been satisfied just to make it through the day with no immediate goals, while others dreamed of owning an unrivaled numbers of flocks as soon as they could. Some may have been happy and content, and some sad and seriously concerned about their dismal future.
None of them were aware of what was going to brilliantly unfold in a flash before their eyes that evening. The air was crisp and fresh. The night was dark and those closest to the fire were warm. They didn’t know it, but this group of humble shepherds would be the first to welcome the new and most powerful King ever to be born into the world. This new Baby in a manger was God who had become man.
Whatever emotions they had been feeling earlier in the evening would be turned into a surge of the most exhilarating joy and anticipation that they had ever experienced. They would see heaven opened and an angelic host praising God and announcing Christ, the Messiah’s arrival as a Baby…wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
The shepherds looked at each other in confounded amazement! “Let’s go and see!” had barely come out of some of their mouths when the youngest most energetic men began to run toward Bethlehem. The younger men would eventually be darting from one dwelling to another, in search of the confirming clues given by the angels…a Baby in a manger! Their options narrowed their search…and they already knew the town. When they found the Baby, they would guide the others to Him.
That night would change all of them. It wouldn’t change their personality, their circumstances or their abilities, but it would change their hearts and their eternal perspectives. This change of heart, not personal circumstances, would be the essence of their life-long joy.
Never in the history of the world had a virgin birth ever happened – and it would never happen again! A virgin would conceive and bear a Child and they would name Him “Jesus”, for He would save His people from their sins.
Let’s look at these Scriptural accounts:
Matthew 1:20–23 - The Virgin Birth
20 …An angel of the Lord appeared to (Joseph) in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”
Luke 2:8–20- The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
15 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.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
· Angels announced Christ’s Birth
· The Angels went back to heaven
· The astonished Shepherds talked to each other:
“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
· Shepherds hurried to find the Christ
· They found Him
· Shepherds told about The Christ spoken of by the angels and who they had found
· People were amazed
· Mary treasured up and pondered these things in her heart
· Shepherds returned glorifying God:
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
The Scripture is full of references of JOY
There are almost 250 verses in the Bible, which mention Joy.
67 of those verses associate joy with singing.
Celebrations Worshipping God brought Joy to the Nation of Israel
Throughout Israel’s history there have been times of great joy. So much so that the rejoicing had been heard all around and far away…
There was Rejoicing when the Glory of the Lord appeared to all the people and the Fire of God fell on the Aaron the Priest’s Tabernacle sacrifice
Leviticus 9:23–24
23 Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
Joyful Celebrations Worshipping the Lord!
Hezekiah (720 B.C.) caused a great celebration during the time of the Passover and Unleavened Bread
2 Chronicles 30:21–27
21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests sang to the Lord every day, accompanied by the Lord’s instruments of praise.
22 Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the Lord. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the Lord, the God of their fathers.
23 The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully. 24 Hezekiah king of Judah provided a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep and goats for the assembly, and the officials provided them with a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep and goats. A great number of priests consecrated themselves. 25 The entire assembly of Judah rejoiced, along with the priests and Levites and all who had assembled from Israel, including the aliens who had come from Israel and those who lived in Judah. 26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon (approx. 970 B.C.) son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem (some 250 years). 27 The priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place.
(See also Nehemiah 8 for the joyful celebration of the Feast of the Tabernacles.)
Celebration and Joy at the laying of the Foundation for the Second Jewish Temple
Ezra 3:10–13
10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:
“He is good;
his love to Israel endures forever.”
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
In Esther 8 and 9 there was great joy when the Jews were delivered from those who wanted to destroy them.
A depth of Peace and Joy, uncommon in the world, should be evidenced in the Christian’s Life because of the Transformation of New Birth by the Power of the Holy Spirit, at Salvation.
The Subterranean River of The Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22–23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
It seems that the “fruit” of God’s Spirit is like a subterranean river in which God’s Joy is abundant, life giving and deeply satisfying. The “tree” of a person’s life born again and “planted” through the power of the Holy Spirit, by this hidden river, receives all the benefit of such soul-satisfying sustenance from which their life is displayed to the world. (Psalm 1)
One who, on the other hand, continues to drink, in his or her spirit, from sources, which they often keep hidden, filled with deceit, lust, corruption, and self-deception to satisfy their own dark carnality, eventually become a reflection of the source from which they derive their pleasure. Things of God then seem to be removed bit by bit from the lives of this individual until all that is left is the evidence of the work of their own hands, somehow making them feel visibly accomplished, but spiritually they are starved and anemic.
Endurance and Perseverance at the anticipation of Joy – a Living Hope
The anticipation of the reality of a joyful conclusion to the race of life gives us the power of endurance to end the race well.
Hebrews 12:2
…Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him
· endured the cross,
· scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Substantive Joy is Established through Salvation
Isaiah 12:3
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
How is Joy sustained…even in trial?
1 Peter 1:3–9 - Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
James 1:2–4 - Trials and Temptations
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
How is Joy deadened?
Matthew 13:18–23
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received
· the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But
· since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.
· When trouble or persecution comes because of the word,
· he quickly falls away.
· 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word,
· but the worries of this life and
· the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
King David cried out for forgiveness of his sin
Psalm 51:12
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Tragedy or suffering can consume our joy.
Psalm 137:1–4
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a foreign land?
How is Joy regained?
We can persevere in humility and peace, waiting on the Lord and crying out to Him for cleansing, deliverance, healing and joy.
James 4:6–10
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners, and
purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Grieve, mourn and wail.
Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Isaiah 40:31
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Conclusion – on this Advent Sunday remembering Shepherds and Joy, let’s remember, as God’s Children:
Joy is an attribute of God
Joy is a fruit of God’s Holy Spirit
Joy in fullness is found in God’s Presence
Joy in Waiting on the Lord
If the presence of True JOY is found in God’s Dwelling Place then those who have God in the Dwelling Place of their heart have the greatest opportunity to find and sustain true Joy.
Jude 24–25
To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.