Today we are continuing our Christmas series called All I Want for Christmas. This year, we are focusing on the greatest gift and gift giver of them all, Jesus. As we celebrate Jesus and the gift that He is, we want you to understand something that can change everything about your life. Jesus is more than the greatest gift we could ever receive. As we follow Him, we can experience our best lives possible. Believing in Jesus and being a Christian is so much more than just a concept for our minds, it’s how we live our lives and when we walk with Jesus, we receive some incredible gifts in and for our lives. This Christmas season, we are looking at six of the gifts that we experience as we allow Him all the way into our lives.
Hope, Peace, Joy, Grace, Salvation, and The Holy Spirit.
We have discussed the first two gifts so far: hope and peace. Now, what is interesting to me is that a theme is building with these gifts. In week one, we discussed hope, looking at Mary processing the most intense message ever. We saw how important and energizing hope can be and how important it is to place our hope in God because those who don’t struggle and walk through life are hopeless. When we focus on Jesus and trust God, we experience this amazing gift from Jesus, hope, regardless of what circumstances we find ourselves in. Last week, Ken talked to us about peace and showed us how Joseph’s life was completely flipped upside down and how, in the intensity, pain, and confusion of it all, he could experience peace. The theme continued to build that we can experience these incredible gifts from Jesus, regardless of what we are walking through in life, as we focus on and pursue Jesus. That is so important because life is so hard, and our circumstances don’t always feel hopeful or peaceful. That theme will continue today as we look at another awesome gift from Jesus: JOY. Now, joy is an interesting thing and something that comes up a lot around Christmas. We see it in decorations and sing about it in Christmas Carols. But as much as we talk about joy and tell people we experience joy as Christians, it’s another one of those things that Christianity advertises that we seem to struggle to experience in our lives. I think we can just look at The Christmas Story itself and see that we should have joy in our lives because it reveals and proves God’s great love for us, and I’m hopeful that you are slowing down and soaking in the truth that God loves us this much! Even though we didn’t earn it and don’t deserve it, God took care of what we could not by sending Jesus to this world.
Romans 8:3 God went for the jugular when he sent his own Son. He didn’t deal with the problem as something remote and unimportant. In his Son, Jesus, he personally took on the human condition and entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity to set it right once and for all. MSG
That is what Christmas is all about. God entered the world to redeem us, help us, and do something for us that we couldn’t accomplish on our own! This is the greatest gift of all, Jesus, and leads us to a life of joy. But what is interesting to me is that right before this beautiful verse, we find something that so often describes our condition as we navigate this challenging life in this broken world.
Romans 8:1 With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. 2 A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. MSG
I don’t know about you, but when I hear of a life described as living under this continuous, low-lying black cloud…I can feel that, how about you? Life is hard, and we deal with so much, and even as Christians, I would say it’s much more common to see people living under this continuous, low-lying black could than it would ever be to walk in hope, peace, victory, strength, and what we are talking about today…joy. There is so much intensity in our lives, and then a Pastor gets up and talks of this wonderful joy we should have in our hearts; well, let’s just say that can be hard to receive as we all sit here thinking, “Pastor, that sounds great, but you have no idea what I’m walking through.” I totally get that, but we also have to look at God’s word here, we NO LONGER have to live under this continuous low-lying black cloud! Why? Because of Jesus, there is a new power in operation that can get us out from under that heavy, wet blanket of life. Jesus is the key. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, “I know Jesus came for our salvation, and we often hear at MRC that Jesus came to give us life and life to the full, but joy seems like a stretch in this difficult and tiring and overwhelming world we live in. We feel more connected to the concept of the heavy, low-lying, continuous black cloud than we ever do with experiencing joy. I get that, but that is where we start today as we start to uncover and hopefully discover joy in our lives. Jesus is the source of this gift and wants us to experience it, and we can. Let’s look at what Jesus says here in John chapter 15…
John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” NIV
So, joy is a big deal and is something made complete in us by Jesus as we focus on Him, remaining in His love. The great gift giver wants us to experience His joy, and we can and will as we remain in His love. With Jesus in our lives, the question must be asked. Why is it so rare to see joy in people’s lives today? There are a few reasons for this that I will touch on here. First, if we aren’t living for God and allowing Jesus into our lives we won’t experience joy in our lives. Because our joy is made complete in Jesus and no other way. I saw this quote the other day and I just loved it and wanted to share it today.
“Joy is a mindset. A mind set on Jesus and a determination, no matter the situations you face in life, to remember the goodness of God.” Lisa Bishop
Well, that is different, isn’t it? It’s a mindset, a mind SET on Jesus, and a determination that no matter what hits us, we will live for Him, remembering His goodness. That is huge and if you think of it, thinking of joy as a mind SET on Jesus, this determination that no matter what we are walking through to remember the goodness of God in our lives really begins to separate two terms that we often tie together. That’s the second reason it is so rare to experience this gift of joy in our lives. We mistake happiness for joy and pursue happiness instead of joy. Now, we probably find fun and happy moments along the way, but we wonder where this joy is that we keep reading about in Scripture! The problem so often is that we aren’t pursuing joy. We are pursuing happy times. Joy is so interesting because we all want it but rarely experience it! We sing of it, read about it, decorate our homes with it, and we want it, but wonder why we aren’t experiencing it, and we must understand the difference between happiness and joy. You can have happy moments and feel great in those moments and still not have joy, and you can walk through tough stuff and not feel happy and still have joy. There is that theme again. Jesus gives us these incredible gifts that we can walk in, regardless of our circumstances, which is huge because our lives are not easy! Let’s look quickly at the difference between the two.
Happiness – a state of well-being, a pleasurable experience. It is a temporary feeling. It depends on something external or factors outside of ourselves to give us a feeling.
Joy – to feel great delight or to welcome or to be glad. It isn’t a state or moment, but joy is true contentment that comes from something internal. Joy comes from God and our relationship with Him. It doesn’t depend on circumstances or anything from the outside.
So, before we dive into the Christmas story, can I ask you if you are experiencing the joy of the Lord in your life? Maybe the better question is, are you pursuing happiness or joy? So many of us want joy, but we aren’t going to find it where we are looking for it. We may find happiness and fun moments, but not joy. Our joy is found in God. He is our joy; we can have this joy when we seek Him and live for Him. So, the question of the day in a conversation on the incredible gift of joy may be, What do you pursue? Is it happiness or joy?
When we pursue happiness instead of true joy, it can lead to devastating behaviors and a frustrating life, wondering where this joy is that we keep hearing about that Christianity seems to advertise. We can look good, feel good, and find good moments in our lives. These are the things you will post about on social media. Things like when your child wins an award at school, or when you get to go on a nice vacation, the highlight reel moments, or just the fun ones in life. For some, it may be when you drink enough eggnog at the Christmas Party to laugh at all the things, you wouldn’t normally find funny during the family get-together, for others it can be just finding peace and a numbed or good feeling in a substance. We can think in those moments, I understand this joy thing…but we are mistaken. What we feel is happiness. We can also look at the challenging moments when we are overwhelmed and stressed out. When work is not going well, and our schedules feel crazy, when the car breaks down, or a loved one is sick, or when a relationship with someone we care about is falling apart…maybe something breaks in the home, and you just know it’s going to take time, money and energy to repair that thing, in those moments, we can wonder why in the world I don’t have any joy. But what we are doing is switching joy and happiness in our mindset. Do you see it? Happiness is temporary; it is a moment to feel good, and we can find those in many forms, from external things and circumstances, but joy is different. It has depth, and meaning, and it is internal and is only found in God. Paul helps us understand that here in Romans 14.
Romans 14:17 God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. MSG
Do you see it? We find joy in God as He sets us right, puts us together, and completes us with…joy. We won’t find it in material possessions. We won’t find it in alcohol or substances. We won’t find it in food, wealth, success, or other people. We will only find joy in Him. Remember our quote from earlier?
“Joy is a mindset. A mind set on Jesus and a determination, no matter the situations you face in life, to remember the goodness of God.” Lisa Bishop
So, we now know what joy is, and we have found a clear and important separation between joy and happiness, which is so important. Now, we will use the Christmas story to help us identify some things that can block us from experiencing joy and use it as a road map to experiencing joy in our lives. For today, I want to look at three clear blockers from joy I see in this story.
Fear and Anxiety can block us from joy.
Let’s start with Mary. We looked at her story two weeks ago and the incredibly stressful, intimidating, overwhelming, confusing message of Hope she was given. She is to give birth to and raise the Savior of the World…no pressure there. In her story, we see something that can block us from experiencing joy. We see fear and anxiety, and we also see how to overcome it.
Luke 1:28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. NIV
We often think of the Christmas Story in a romantic and clean way, but it was intense, and everyone was afraid. From those who would raise Jesus to those who heard the news, even The King, Herod, and all of the people in Jerusalem were also afraid!
Matthew 2:3 When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified — and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. MSG
The Christmas story is filled with emotion, scandal, fear, life-threatening journeys, violence, and near-death escapes…it’s far from soft and easy. I’m not sure God could have designed a more difficult and intense way for His Son to enter this world, and maybe that is the point. We talk a lot about fear, stress, and anxiety in life. Anxiety is the number one mental health concern in the United States today. Fear and anxiety are major blockers to experiencing joy, and Mary shows us how to overcome them.
Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. NIV
She has a lot to process in a hurry, and she decided to trust God. Even though it is scary, and she doesn’t have all or any of the details answered for her, she lets go of it all and lets God lead. This shows us a major way to find joy in our lives: we choose to let go and trust God. So, let me ask you: when life is hitting hard or doesn’t make sense, and anxieties and fears press in, can you let go and trust God? Are there times in life when it’s easier to let go and trust God? I can tell you there sure are for me. It’s one thing to let go and trust God when things are going the way we want…but those moments are few and far between, aren’t they? Can you let go and trust God when life is intense and confusing, going in directions you can’t control or in ways you don’t want them to be going? Can you let go and trust God like Mary if the only thing you know from God moving forward is that He is with you in whatever comes next? Can we keep our minds SET on Jesus, focused on the goodness of God when life is hitting and hitting hard? That is different, isn’t it?
Resentment can block us from joy.
Let’s talk about Joseph for a moment because this poor guy has a lot to process. In his story, we see another potential blocker of joy, resentment, and how to overcome it.
Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him 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. 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. NIV
This is a lot to process if you place yourself in Joseph’s shoes. You are engaged to be married, and the Scriptures are clear that you haven’t been together intimately, and now she is pregnant. But she is telling you not to worry, she didn’t cheat on you, God placed the baby inside her. How do you process this? Joseph would be devastated, and did you notice it said he is a good guy, still loves her, and is trying to divorce her quietly? Joseph is crushed, somewhere between heartbroken, angry, and confused. What does Joseph choose to do? He chooses to let go and trust God. He could have been filled with resentment; instead, he forgives and chooses to let go and trust God. Did you see that?
Now let me ask you, how do you do with this choice to forgive, to let go and trust God? We must understand that resentment blocks us from joy. It’s interesting because we learned this fall that our spiritual maturity is measured by our ability or inability to love others well. And let’s face it, life with people is messy, painful, and pulls so much out of us. As people, maybe the hardest thing you will ever do is love the way Jesus challenges us to love because we are not just to love those who are easy to love, but also those who are difficult to love, haven’t earned our love, and those who I’m sure you could prove to me don’t deserve your love. So, can I ask you this today? Can you let go and trust God with people who hurt you and don’t respond to you the way they should? There is no greater killer of joy in your life than holding onto hurts. Can you forgive, let go, and trust God even if they don’t have to answer for what they have done? Could you forgive and let go even if you never get what you want from the other person you are struggling with? Nothing will free you up more than trusting God and letting go. Resentment won’t just keep you from growing into the person God created you to be, but it blocks you from experiencing joy. Loving as Jesus commands us to love isn’t for the faint of heart and will take you having your mind so SET on Him that you embrace His love for you, grasping that you didn’t earn it, and are grateful for Him treating you this way, allowing you to extend that same treatment to those around you who need it as much as you do…and with letting go and trusting God, comes this gift of joy.
Busyness blocks us from joy.
There is one more lesson in the Christmas story that I want to highlight today…and I would call this one, the biggest threat to us walking with Jesus and experiencing life with Him (our best lives possible). This one can be sneakier, which may make it the most dangerous. It is busyness. We don’t try it, but Jesus gets crowded out of our lives, blocking us from experiencing the gift of joy. We have so much filling up our minds and schedules, taking our energy and resources from us, that Jesus is crowded out. There is no room for Him in our lives; then we spend our days surviving, not living. If we don’t see this and do something about it, we live out our days trying to make it to the next one. Years go by so quickly, and we miss out on so much. Remember where Jesus was born? There was so much happening that there was no room for Him in this world. It is no different today.
Luke 2:6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. NIV
So, Joseph and Mary don’t have a very easy go of things here, do they? There was a census taking place, and they had to go to Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem. It’s a busy time, and the town is crowded with people. It’s amazing how much is packed into two sentences there in Scripture. This was a difficult journey for Joseph and his young bride, who was ready to give birth any day. Then they get there, and it’s time for the baby to be born, and there is no doctor, no hospital, no warm room, or bed. No, she gave birth to him, wrapped him in cloths, and placed him in a manger because there was no room for him in the inn. What an image of our culture today. It’s not intentional, but we live such busy lives with so much clutter, distraction, and stuff that we have no room for Jesus…we crowd him out of our lives, and with Him pushed aside, we find no joy because our joy is made complete by Him! The way through is to seek Him first, to make Him the highest priority in our lives. When we make room for Him in our lives and truly SET our minds on Him, we experience this incredible gift of joy.
So, I want to ask you a few questions as we close, and I want to start here. Would you say that you are experiencing this gift of joy? When I read Romans 8:1 earlier, could you feel the concept of living under a continuous, low-lying black cloud in your life rather than joy? Why is that? When you think about why you are not experiencing joy in your life what is your reasoning for that, what do you point to? Some of us will point to our circumstances and just how hard life is…and life is hard! But we learned today that joy has nothing to do with our circumstances. For some of us, we have replaced the pursuit of joy in our lives with the pursuit of happiness and have turned to all the wrong things for temporary good moments…and while we find some from time to time, it’s just not giving us our best lives possible. Remember what Paul said?
Romans 14:17 God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. MSG
For some of us, we may point to the stress we are under…the fear and anxiety we are struggling with, that is the thing that is keeping us under the continual low-lying black cloud. If that is you, it’s time to ask yourself this question. Can I let go of my fears and stress and trust God to lead my life? Can I set my mind on Jesus and choose joy, or will I continue to struggle through fear and anxiety? For some of us, we have been deeply and profoundly wounded. We walk through life carrying resentment, weighed down under the continuous, low-lying black cloud of our pain and unforgiveness. If this is you, I want you to face a few things. First, forgiveness is a requirement of being a Christian. It isn’t optional. Yes, hurt people do hurt people, but forgiven people, forgive people. It doesn’t make what happened to you ok, but it does mean you won’t continue to carry it through life anymore. Now, I want to take it a step further and help you with something that has the potential to free up in life if you can process it. It’s not easy to receive or deal with, but it matters. You likely have someone in your mind right now that you are struggling with or hurt by. And you need to come to terms with something. You may never get what you want from that person. They may never recognize what they did or give you what you need to move on. Can you give it to God, lay it at His feet, let go, forgive, and move forward anyway? This isn’t easy, but so often, it’s resentment that blocks us from experiencing joy. For others here today, we have no room for Jesus in our lives. He has been crowded out of our hearts, minds, and souls. If that is you, it’s time to seek Him first and prioritize Him in your life. Remember, Jesus came to help. He set things right. He makes us whole and completes us with joy. When you look at your life, are you experiencing joy? What are you pursuing in your life? You won’t find it in your stuff. You won’t find it in people, decorations, a glass, or a bottle. Joy can only be found in Him.
“Joy is a mindset. A mind set on Jesus and a determination, no matter the situations you face in life, to remember the goodness of God.” Lisa Bishop