Steve Gentry
[0:09] Go ahead and have a seat. Welcome to Village Church. This is your first time here. My name’s [0:13] Steve, one of the pastors here at Village Church. And as always, I’m thankful and grateful [0:17] to see each and every one of you. If you have a Bible, go ahead and turn it to Luke chapter [0:21] two. We will be there for the majority of the morning as well as a few other places. [0:27] But December is upon us and Christmas Day is quickly approaching. 2024 is almost a memory. [0:36] It has flown by. We barely knew thee. So much has happened in every one of your lives this
[0:43] year and so much has happened in the world at large. It may feel like you have to force [0:49] yourself even to realize that it is the Christmas season. Our theme this year is going to be [0:56] fighting for Christmas, maybe not the type of fighting that you were used to or the [1:01] infighting that you may experience with your family this season. But so much of life depends [1:09] on God reorienting our focus on His work in this world as well as His work in our lives. [1:17] And so often it feels like a fight to remind ourselves of the grace of God that’s available
[1:23] in Christ Jesus, of the repentance that God seeks to bring into and out of every single one of our [1:30] lives and the focus that He desires us to have on His glory and His work above everything else [1:38] in this world. And I believe that God desires to use Christmas to reorient your focus onto Him [1:46] and onto what He desires to bring out of your life. And obviously He desires to do a work [1:52] in your life whether you believe it or not. And I know this because He intentionally [1:58] sent His Son into this world to become a part of creation in order to redeem you.
[2:06] And in light of that reality, 17th century Anglican Justin Taylor is recorded as saying, [2:13] God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy. You see, God wants you to choose the joy [2:21] of knowing what Christmas is about and live to share that joy with others with intention. [2:27] It won’t happen by accident. None of you in this world will ever drift towards joy. [2:35] None of you will ever just wake up one day and you’re more joyful than you were yesterday. [2:41] If you wait for that to happen and you wait for it just to come about in your life,
[2:46] you’ll be waiting to the day that you die. It takes intention to have joy. It takes effort. [2:53] It takes focus. And here’s the key that many of you are missing. Joy requires a choice. [3:01] You must choose to be joyful. And it is a sin, I believe, to choose anything else in light of what [3:10] God has done for us in Jesus Christ. And because of that, I believe that Christmas is a season of [3:16] joy because of the objective reality of the Christmas narrative, because of the objective [3:24] truth that God sent his son to become part of creation to save sinners like you and me.
[3:31] While it is true that there is suffering in this world, and it’s of course true that there’s so [3:36] much sorrow, it’s so true that there is pain, and it is so true that there is frustration in this [3:44] world. And all of these things are going to happen every single day of your life. And for many of [3:51] you, guess what? Bad news. It’s only going to get worse. The fact is that even in light of all of [3:59] that, God has given you the truth of joy, no matter how hard your life may be, no matter how [4:08] your life may become. And Christmas stands as this symbol of that joy that I believe should
[4:15] absolutely transform your life. The messaging throughout the Christmas season makes it seem, [4:22] though, as if it’s easy to have joy. The world, though, is going to seek to convince you that [4:28] Christmas joy is about doing the season right. And so many of you, maybe last week or maybe a [4:36] few weeks before that, or maybe it’s even happening today, or maybe you’re going to wait [4:39] till Christmas Eve. That’s too late. You’re going to try to order your life in such a way [4:47] that you can just say without a shadow of a doubt, I did Christmas right this year. I did
[4:52] everything right. I put the puzzle together. I got everything ordered exactly the way it needs to be. [5:01] And then you’re going to be left asking the question, why don’t I have more joy if I did [5:05] everything right? And some of you will experience unnecessary disappointment that could have been [5:14] avoided. If you’d realize that Christmas is not about the effort that you put in, Christmas is [5:19] not about doing the season right. You can drive through all the light displays in this world, [5:25] and you’re going to wake up in the morning and not like what you see the same.
[5:30] Christmas is about the objective reality of what Jesus Christ was born into this world to do, [5:35] and that is the only way that you can guarantee rock solid joy in your life. [5:42] Yet so many people will still have a lot to complain about this season. I know some of you [5:48] already shared them with me. I’m always thankful for complaints. That’s true because sometimes when [5:54] people complain to me, it reminds me of how good I’ve got it. And I’m like, well, at least I’m not [5:58] going to complain about you. Some of you are going to spend the season complaining. Everything is too
[6:05] hectic. It’s just go, go, go. I need relaxation and I’ve got all these to do’s in my life. [6:11] Some of you will complain that there are all types of obligations that you don’t really feel [6:18] like participating in, but you think you do for one reason or another. Some of you are going to [6:24] There are too many Christmas parties. There are too many events. There’s too much extended [6:29] family stuff. And some of you are going to complain that there are no Christmas parties, [6:33] that there are no events, that there is no extended family stuff and on and on.
[6:39] Then people will complain about this dreaded materialism that everyone is trying to sell [6:45] you something or you feel the need to buy someone something. And you feel some type of innate guilt [6:52] in feeling the need to spend money on material this season. And then of course, there’s always [6:58] the complaint that we’ve lost the true meaning of Christmas and all this other stuff obscures what [7:04] it’s really supposed to be about. And so you’ll walk around Jesus juking everybody. Jesus is the [7:10] reason for the season. Don’t forget that none of us did. But sometimes you’ve got to slow down
[7:17] and say, in light of all of that, how can every single one of those things you complain about [7:22] actually be redeemed and have joy in everything about this season? How can you use everything [7:31] about this season to celebrate the reality that Jesus Christ was born into this world? [7:39] And so I want to spend the morning looking at what having real joy this time of year is [7:43] actually about and how you can protect yourself from losing joy. Number one, this morning, [7:48] I want you to understand joylessness reveals misplaced trust. Joylessness reveals misplaced
[7:56] trust. There is the expectation of what you’re going to experience this season. And then there’s [8:01] the reality of what you’re going to experience this season. I want to start by looking at the [8:07] revelation that the angel Gabriel gave to Mary about the first Christmas. In Luke chapter one, [8:13] starting in verse 26, the text reads, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God [8:19] to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the [8:25] house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came to her and said, greetings,
[8:31] O favored one, the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the same and tried to discern [8:39] what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, don’t be afraid, Mary, [8:45] for you found favor with God and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. And you shall [8:51] call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high. And the Lord God [8:59] will give him the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. [9:05] And of his kingdom, there will be no end. I like Mary’s response because it’s real.
[9:13] And Mary said to the angel, how will this be since I’m a virgin? That’s a normal response. [9:19] Mary has two responses on the first Christmas. And I think both of them are not what you expect [9:24] from Mary. First, the text says she’s troubled. Then the text says that she said, well, that [9:31] can’t happen for obvious reasons. And so what we begin the Christmas season with is a form [9:39] of disappointment, a form of questioning, a form of life is not going the direction that I thought [9:49] it was going to go. And God is bringing something into my life that is going to redirect me, is
[9:54] going to reorient me, that is going to change the future that I had in view. And Mary was going to [10:00] step into a future that she was not expecting. That is a very human experience that we have the [10:09] future that we expect. And then we have the reality of what we’re going to endure to get [10:15] to the future, not of my design, but the future of God’s design. When I talk about disappointment [10:22] in Mary’s life, I’m talking about our temptation to expect ease and leisure. And then the [10:29] devastation of the reality of how God works his will into our lives. There’s this temptation
[10:36] to believe that when God makes a promise, we will respond every time with trust and praise [10:43] because the road ahead where God’s promises are concerned are always easy, aren’t they? [10:49] But then inevitably you’re going to encounter resistance, you’re going to encounter some type [10:54] of struggle, you’re going to encounter some type of disappointment to a degree that makes you doubt [11:00] God and even doubt his promises. You know, I can’t stand anybody that acts like they’ve never been [11:05] disappointed because you’re a phony. You’re fake. You walk through the world with a smile on your
[11:13] face as though you woke up every day expecting to get older and uglier and fatter and more pain [11:19] yesterday than you were in yesterday. And you just have life’s great. People ask me how I’m [11:25] doing all the time and I always say pretty good and people say just pretty good. And I say, well, [11:29] yeah, considering the alternatives, I’m always pretty good. I’m never great. I’m 44 years old [11:36] and I am overweight. Great was a long time ago. So in my mid forties and the shape that I’m in, [11:45] I’m so pretty good. It’s kind of a win every single day.
[11:51] If you walk through life denying disappointment, I don’t think you can ever become who God wants [11:58] you to be because God has a lesson in every disappointment that you’re ever going to [12:02] encounter in life. And unless you root down and experience those disappointments, you’ll [12:07] never become the person God wants you to be. And preparation for Christmas decorations a few weeks [12:14] ago, I was looking on YouTube and I found this most amazing holiday display I’d ever seen in my [12:20] life. It was funny because it wasn’t set to Christmas music at all. I’m not going to tell
[12:24] you what song it was. You’ll judge me, but it was set to an awesome song. And man, the lights on [12:31] this house were incredible. There were these LED displays in every single window. There were LED [12:37] dancing Christmas trees. There were spotlights all over the roof spinning around shining [12:44] everywhere. And then you get like to the climax of the song and literal flamethrowers started going [12:50] off in the front yard. And I was in awe. What an amazing Christmas display. Now the fact is you may [12:59] love Christmas, but if you price that out, the panels alone are thousands of dollars and the HOA
[13:07] fines for flamethrowers may just bankrupt you. Now the fact of the matter is I get to the end and I [13:16] find out that this light display was done on a soundstage by a professional FX company. [13:23] But for some, when you see something like that, your expectation of the light display that you [13:29] can actually put on in your front yard is disappointing given the budget that you have [13:36] and what time may actually allow for you. And you’re like, I will never measure up to these [13:40] expectations. You see, you can be very disappointed when you expect perfection
[13:47] and end up with less than that because so many times our expectations are misplaced because [13:54] we don’t expect to be tested. We don’t expect to be stretched and we never expect to be [13:59] challenged by God. We expect to sit there, give our requests to God, depend on his promises and [14:07] have them delivered to us on a silver platter within two business days like Amazon Prime. [14:14] But the fact is that moves of God occur unexpectedly in the midst of what we may be [14:20] out. But they require us to reorient the direction of our lives, always emotionally and
[14:28] mentally, but sometimes even physically the direction of our lives. And what’s more than [14:34] that is it requires us to move our expectations to God’s plan rather than our own. You see, [14:41] when the angel reveals to Mary that she was going to be having this baby, she was troubled [14:48] because moves of God disrupt your plans. But that’s always the way Jesus works. [14:55] If you’re going to follow Jesus for any time, you have to realize that he is the great disruptor. [15:04] Jesus does not come into the mundane and leave it that way. Jesus does not insert himself
[15:12] into the average human experience and then allow the average human experience to endure. [15:20] And I see so many of you, you are pursuing the average human experience with everything that [15:29] you have. And I look at the word of God and I say, what about this would convince you that the [15:36] average human experience is what God wants for your life. And you invest
[15:45] in the material, you invest in the world, you invest in the transient.
[15:55] And if that’s all you ever get,
[16:00] what part of you was ever living for Jesus in the first place?
[16:05] Mary’s life was no exception to this rule. Even as the one who would be the mother [16:16] of the earthly Jesus, he was the great disruptor for her life. Yet in Luke 1 46,
[16:26] Mary responds to her trajectory changing moment. And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord.
[16:41] Imagine every plan you ever had for your life is ripped out of the pages of the book that you are [16:48] God crumbles it up, throws it in the garbage. And then within a few minutes you have
[16:58] faith to respond to it with my soul magnifies the Lord.
[17:06] So that’s the type of faith you have. You see, joy is anchored to what you desire most. [17:13] There’s a rhetorical question. Please don’t tell me the answer. Where is your disappointment right now?
[17:22] I don’t think there’s anybody in this room that’s not disappointed in something, disappointed [17:25] about something. If you say that, oh, I have no, everything’s great. Liar. Don’t be a phony.
[17:34] Where is your disappointment right now? But here’s the better question. You see, you may be able to [17:38] look at it and say, that is what I am disappointed in. This is what I am disappointed in. This isn’t [17:43] working out the way that I thought it would. I don’t feel the way that I ought to feel based on [17:48] everything that’s going on in my life. I am disappointed. Stop just looking at the thing, [17:54] mourning the loss and saying, I wish it was different. Begin to reorient like Mary and say, [18:02] what does my disappointment reveal about me?
[18:07] What does it say my hopes were in? What does it say I was pursuing? What does it say I was [18:16] investing in? What does it say I was valuing? What do my disappointments reveal about me? [18:23] How are you disappointed and why are you so disappointed? You see, sometimes our [18:30] disappointments reveal that our faith isn’t what we thought it was. Sometimes disappointment [18:36] is actually where the discipleship of your life is the rubber meeting the road. [18:43] Whether it’s people you are disappointed in, whether it is material things you are disappointed
[18:47] in, whether it is physical or emotional things you are disappointed in, our disappointments [18:52] can reveal places where we need to repent the most and trust God with our all. You see, you want to [19:00] trust God and follow him, but you also want everything that unbelievers have going on in [19:06] their lives. That’s because, as Calvin said, the human heart is a perpetual idol factory.
[19:13] You see, the core of disappointment is the path of pain that leads to the glory of God’s promises. [19:19] It risks the things of this world, but faith is about trusting the future that God has called you [19:25] to walk into. Psalm 42 11 is a pep talk for the soul. Why are you cast down, oh, my soul? Why are [19:34] you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
[19:43] What’s David talking about? He’s talking about the disappointment that’s going on in his soul, [19:48] and he’s reminding himself, I need to reorient my focus.
[19:53] God is my salvation. He is my God. You see, instead of settling into disappointment, [20:01] which is what some of you do, you allow it to define your life. We have an entire movement of [20:06] victimhood in this country that would rather define life by what is wrong rather than seeking [20:11] what is right. Instead of settling into your disappointment, maybe you should consider how [20:17] God is working to bring you real joy in his purpose and plan through your disappointment. [20:24] You see, Mary’s disruption became the joy filled good news. And we’re finally going to get to our
[20:31] text of Luke 2 10. And the angel said to the shepherds in a field, fear not for behold, [20:42] I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
[20:52] Mary’s trouble or question of how it’s possible and her praise
[20:59] goes beyond her life, transcends her and becomes joy, good news for all the people. [21:10] You see, Christmas is less about creating an atmosphere that meets your expectations [21:16] during the holiday season and it is more about realigning your faith to understand what God did [21:23] and the birth of his son. So that whether you are in the middle of a season in which your [21:30] expectations are being met, or if this is a disappointing season where things just aren’t [21:40] regardless of what you’re enduring, you know that your life matters to God
[21:45] because he moved heaven and earth for his son to enter creation. How do you do that? Number two, [21:53] this morning, Christmas joy is about an event, not a feeling. Christmas joy is about an event, [22:00] not a feeling. Some of you will spend the next few weeks of your life depressed because you [22:06] feel like Christmas this year. It doesn’t change that it is Christmas. You can’t wake up on December [22:17] 25th and say, I need a mulligan. I don’t feel Christmassy this morning. So we’re going to try [22:23] again tomorrow. Oh, you’ll be doing that the rest of your life. So what if it doesn’t feel right?
[22:29] I am so tired of people using the excuse. I know I just don’t feel.
[22:36] Well, who in the world convinced you that how you feel is God? Who is it that told you how you [22:44] feel can dictate your future and everyone else’s? What you need is you need somebody to actually [22:51] come into your life and say, Hey, guess what? Absolutely nothing in the world depends on how [22:55] you feel. Nothing. How I feel doesn’t change my responsibilities. How I feel doesn’t change [23:04] what I’ve got to do. How I feel doesn’t change the fact that I need to be a husband. How I [23:09] feel doesn’t change the fact that I need to be a father. How I feel doesn’t change the fact that I
[23:13] need to pay my bills. How I feel doesn’t change the fact of me needing to mow my grass. How I [23:19] feel doesn’t change the fact that I’ve got to pastor. If I wake up on Sunday morning, which I [23:24] I would never admit that this actually happens. [23:26] And I think, I just don’t feel like preaching today. [23:29] Buddy, if I’m on the schedule, I’m up here. [23:33] And nobody cares how I feel about it.
[23:36] I’ve gotta do it the same. [23:40] Why? [23:41] Because life isn’t about how you feel. [23:43] It’s one of the greatest lessons [23:45] that you can learn entering into adulthood [23:47] that parents aren’t teaching kids anymore.
[23:50] Is how you feel isn’t God. [23:53] Buddy, stop asking people how they feel. [23:56] Because if I told you, it would terrify you.
[24:03] You see, joy is objective. [24:06] Joy is not subjective. [24:09] While your happiness does tend to be subjective [24:12] in this constant state of flux, [24:15] it’s still a choice that you make. [24:18] But let’s be honest,
[24:19] your level of happiness tends to change with your mood. [24:24] That’s why it’s important to understand [24:25] that there is a difference between joy and happiness. [24:28] You may not be happy about what you are enduring, [24:31] but you sure better be joyful [24:33] in the midst of what you are enduring.
[24:35] Because the joy of Christmas [24:37] is based on something more concrete [24:40] than sentimentality or a Hallmark movie. [24:44] It’s based on something more concrete than feelings [24:47] that you try to resurrect this time of year. [24:49] Joy is meant by God to be permanent.
[24:53] That is the point of what the angel says in Luke 2, [24:58] starting in verse 10. [24:59] He says, it is good news of great joy, concrete. [25:05] Nothing changes that. [25:07] Nothing that you are enduring changes the reality [25:10] that Christ came into this world,
[25:12] lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, [25:15] and then rose from the dead. [25:17] So it is good news of great joy, [25:19] whether you are feeling it or not. [25:22] And it means that we celebrate an event [25:24] with a specific meaning rather than a sentimental idea.
[25:30] Our joy comes from the reality of what Christmas is, [25:34] not the idealism of what we want Christmas to feel like. [25:40] So think about it, friends. [25:42] Our joy doesn’t depend on whether or not [25:44] we feel the right spirit of Christmas at the moment or not. [25:48] Doesn’t depend on whether or not the visit with Santa
[25:51] went well or your child cried the whole time. [25:55] Doesn’t matter whether you can afford every gift [25:58] that your children will beg you for. [26:01] Doesn’t matter if you were able to get exactly [26:05] what you wanted to get for the decorations for your house. [26:09] Your joy should not be invested in any of those things.
[26:13] Whether or not you feel the right spirit [26:15] at Christmas or not, Jesus was born.
[26:19] Our joy doesn’t depend on whether our holiday plans go [26:23] the way that we want. [26:25] Jesus was born. [26:29] Our joy doesn’t depend on whether or not [26:33] your family visits go well or go sour. [26:37] Jesus was born.
[26:41] Christmas isn’t a thought. [26:43] Christmas isn’t a feeling. [26:44] It is the celebration of something [26:47] that God did in real time. [26:51] You see, that event is full of meaning [26:54] that should have feelings attached.
[26:58] But whether or not your feelings are catching up to reality, [27:02] God still loves you and sent his son [27:05] to redeem you from your sin. [27:08] You see, when you anchor your joy to Jesus, [27:11] you have cause to celebrate. [27:13] Regardless of anything else happening
[27:16] or how you are feeling, because it means that God loves you. [27:20] It means that there is salvation. [27:23] Therefore, on my worst day, [27:26] I have joy and must change my attitude [27:31] to one of celebration because Jesus is God become man. [27:38] If you will not do that,
[27:42] then friend, you are disobeying God [27:44] and you need to repent. [27:47] I say this with love. [27:50] Stop feeling sorry for yourself [27:54] and celebrate God’s kindness [27:57] through the birth of Jesus Christ.
[28:01] Life isn’t turning out the way that you thought it would. [28:05] Welcome to the club.
[28:08] Nobody else’s did either. [28:11] And those fake phony people that pretend that it did [28:15] are probably already on antidepressants. [28:19] And that’s why. [28:21] You see friends, are you overcome by pain? [28:26] Or are you overwhelmed by the joy of Jesus Christ?
[28:31] In Luke two, 13 through 14, [28:33] this reveals a host of angels singing [28:38] of the glory of God. [28:40] Look at the text.
[28:42] And suddenly there was with the angel, [28:45] a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, [28:48] glory to God in the highest on earth, [28:52] peace among those with whom he is pleased. [28:55] There it is. [28:56] Pentecostals are like, this is the shekinah glory, all right?
[29:00] It’s the angel band. [29:02] It’s the angel band. [29:03] But when you consider what the text says previously [29:08] about Mary and Joseph’s experience on Christmas, [29:10] I have a tough time driving four hours [29:12] like getting into an argument with my wife.
[29:14] Because you imagine putting a woman [29:16] who’s eight or nine months pregnant on a donkey [29:18] and traveling to Bethlehem [29:20] and you didn’t make a hotel reservation. [29:24] Oh man. [29:26] Talk about a cold shoulder in a barn that night, all right?
[29:31] And they didn’t have epidurals back then. [29:33] I looked it up.
[29:39] And here I just started to fight with people [29:40] that don’t like epidurals.
[29:44] I was asking for one, all right? [29:46] I was just like, well, don’t let her have all the fun, okay?
[29:55] But consider the experience [29:57] with the angel band’s proclamation [29:59] and in human life, they don’t coincide, do they? [30:05] Until you consider the object of reality of who Christ is. [30:10] And that changes pain to praise.
[30:14] That changes enduring a terrible suffering [30:16] to the joy of knowing that when the suffering is over, [30:20] pleasure forever more in his right hand. [30:23] You see, joy has always been about what God does for us [30:26] rather than something that we do for him [30:29] or something that we can cultivate for ourselves.
[30:32] And so the theme of joy runs [30:34] throughout the entirety of scripture. [30:37] It is always treated objectively [30:40] and in response to the work of God [30:42] that he does for his people rather than the response [30:46] of what his people do for him.
[30:49] You see, joy is so closely related [30:51] to gladness and happiness, and the more joy you have, [30:54] the gladder you will be and the happier you will be. [30:57] But joy is more than a state of emotion in scripture. [31:03] Nehemiah chapter eight, verse 10 reveals [31:05] the joy of the Lord as the strength of his people.
[31:08] And he said to them, go your way, eat the fat, [31:10] drink sweet wine, send portions to anyone [31:13] who has nothing ready, for the day is holy to our Lord. [31:17] Do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is our strength. [31:22] Is it yours?
[31:25] This great celebration is so interesting [31:29] because it is actually about Ezra [31:31] just speaking the law to the people of Israel. [31:36] The move forward for Israel was to serve God with joy, [31:41] but ensure that they spend time celebrating joy. [31:46] Can you celebrate this season what God has done?
[31:50] See, the Christmas narrative flows out of the same idea. [31:53] The great joy that the angel speaks of [31:55] is about what God is doing in this event. [31:57] Regardless of how you feel or what negativity [32:00] you are carrying around, the good news of great joy [32:04] is that God has still accomplished redemption
[32:07] for his people, and nothing that happens in my life [32:13] can ever negate the reality of the birth of Jesus Christ. [32:19] His physical birth was necessary [32:22] for him to do the work of redemption. [32:25] That is the anchor of concrete joy. [32:33] So the question is, if you’re a Grinch this time of year,
[32:36] how can you not celebrate Christmas? [32:39] How can you not have undefeatable joy? [32:44] If anyone without Christ celebrates Christmas [32:49] in your neighborhood with more joy than you have, [32:53] you need to change your life. [32:57] Because number three this morning, understand,
[32:59] fighting for joy is a powerful witness for Jesus. [33:03] Fighting for joy is a powerful witness for Jesus. [33:07] Joy postures you to love others.
[33:13] Miserable people, I don’t know if you know this or not, [33:16] but don’t tend to be the most loving people. [33:20] Miserable people usually spend most of their day [33:22] trying to figure out how they can bring [33:24] everybody else to their level. [33:26] I don’t know if you’ve ever been around a miserable person,
[33:28] it’s part of my job.
[33:31] But miserable people tend to spend their life focusing on [33:35] how can I make everyone around me miserable? [33:38] And you have to fight that, because they will win. [33:42] You will walk away from that conversation, [33:44] oh, what a creep, what a jerk, [33:46] you just want everybody to be miserable.
[33:47] And then you get in the car and you’re like, it worked. [33:50] Now I’m miserable.
[33:54] Joy is what actually puts you in a position in life [33:58] where it is so much easier to love other people. [34:02] I’ve never met anyone who didn’t want to actually have joy. [34:06] Miserable people want to have joy, [34:08] they just don’t know how to get it. [34:10] I’ve met with people who don’t believe
[34:12] they are capable of joy. [34:15] And a lot of people who just simply don’t know [34:18] how to order their world so that they can have joy. [34:21] But desiring to have it and actually having it [34:24] are two different things. [34:26] The reality is that many of us don’t have a lot of joy
[34:29] during the holidays, in fact, for many people, [34:33] Christmas ends up being the opposite of joy. [34:36] Do you know that according to recent surveys, [34:38] 88% of people feel overstressed during the holidays.
[34:43] I mean, that means there’s only 12% of us [34:46] that are doped up, all right. [34:49] 88% feel overstressed, you see, that’s not joy. [34:52] So we have to ask, why is Christmas so stressful? [34:55] Surveys show that the average married couple [34:59] fights more during the holidays
[35:01] than any other time of the year [35:02] over what to do, how to spend money, [35:05] extended family issues, and even food. [35:09] Surveys also show that conversations with family [35:13] are a massive source of stress relationship. [35:17] You see, the struggle for many is not that all
[35:20] of the worldly elements of Christmas [35:22] prevent you from having joy, that’s a cop out. [35:26] The problem is that you allow your vision of celebration [35:29] to be overtaken by someone or something else. [35:35] You see, Christians should be motivated [35:37] by their joy in Christmas to out celebrate
[35:40] unbelievers at Christmas time, [35:42] regardless of the context within which you are doing it. [35:46] Yes, you should live and say, [35:48] I will show those miserable people how to celebrate. [35:52] I will be joyful, regardless of what my mother-in-law says. [35:58] I’m going to be joyful in her presence.
[36:02] You see, all of the stuff of the Christmas season [36:05] is ultimately a celebration that Jesus has come, [36:10] whether the world realizes or not, and so we celebrate. [36:15] Only Christians know, friend, what it means [36:18] to celebrate what God has done for us. [36:21] And so you need to understand that if you will not do it,
[36:25] believer in Christ, who else is going to? [36:31] And therefore it is an imperative that we must celebrate. [36:35] A key issue with an understanding of joy [36:38] is how it affects those around us. [36:41] If you want your children to see the love of Jesus, [36:44] you will be joyful this holiday season,
[36:47] no matter what’s going on inside of you. [36:50] You see, I’ve seen so many people live in misery [36:53] and not understand why other people [36:54] don’t want to have the faith in Jesus [36:56] that they claim to have. [36:58] So why can’t I reach anybody?
[37:00] I tell them the gospel, and I feel like we’re gonna end up [37:02] saying, well, have you heard your tone while you do it? [37:04] I mean, you just sound miserable. [37:06] You live a miserable existence. [37:07] The reason that your evangelism is unsuccessful [37:09] is because people look at the life that you’re living,
[37:11] and they say, well, I don’t really want to have that. [37:14] I don’t really want to have that. [37:15] You don’t have it all together. [37:17] You are an emotional wreck. [37:19] You are stressed to the max. [37:21] Your marriage is miserable.
[37:23] You don’t love your kids. [37:26] And so when you say, Jesus is the reason for the season, [37:30] they’re like, well, you got nothing else going on, [37:33] so it probably must be for you. [37:35] That’s what unbelievers think. [37:37] You can’t expect them to understand.
[37:40] But when you define your life by the joy of the Lord, [37:44] and you refuse to let anybody out celebrate Jesus [37:48] in the way you’re going to celebrate Jesus, [37:51] here’s the thing I’ve always learned. [37:53] It reorients the way that you view your spouse. [37:56] It reorients the way that you view your children.
[37:58] It reorients the way that you view others around you. [38:01] And you don’t begin to walk into those Christmas events [38:05] with family thinking they owe me something. [38:08] And you begin to just walk in and say, [38:10] well, I hope I can remind everyone [38:12] of the joy that they need to have.
[38:16] You stop looking at your spouse as an opponent [38:19] and start looking at your spouse [38:21] as someone that Christ came to redeem. [38:24] You stop looking at your children [38:26] as the burden that this world [38:27] wants you to think that they are.
[38:29] And you start looking at your children [38:30] as a righteous stewardship and a privilege of joy [38:35] that God has given you to raise for his glory. [38:39] You see, friends, once the host of angels [38:43] is proclaiming in verse 14, it is made known to them [38:48] that these shepherds are witnesses
[38:51] of God’s mission to bring peace into a sin-cursed world. [38:58] That’s the joy that we have through faith. [39:01] And we are shepherds of God’s reconciling work [39:06] through the life of Jesus Christ. [39:10] But we must love others by making that known [39:15] in every part of our lives.
[39:18] Joyful news is meant to be received by people. [39:24] And if you’re a Christian, you are the conduit [39:28] through which God sends that joyful news. [39:32] Jesus said it this way in the garden discourse [39:34] to his disciples in John 15, 11. [39:37] He says, these things I have spoken to you,
[39:39] think about this, that my joy may be in you. [39:45] And that your joy may be full. [39:50] See, you cannot know what the fullness of joy even is [39:56] until Christ shares his joy with you.
[40:03] That makes Christmas a beautiful season. [40:07] That’s why I don’t understand people [40:09] that wanna have somber services around the Christmas time [40:12] and light candles and pretend we’re all druids [40:14] for an evening. [40:16] I don’t understand them.
[40:18] It’s just not my thing. [40:19] If that’s your thing, welcome to village. [40:21] We’re never gonna do it.
[40:25] The only thing I understand during the Christmas season [40:29] is experiencing a joy infinitely greater [40:32] than the birth of even my own three children.
[40:36] When my children were born, [40:38] I didn’t look in the hospital room [40:42] and begin to mourn and say, my life is over.
[40:47] If there were tears, there were tears of joy. [40:50] I’ll never admit if there were or not.
[40:55] It was a joyous moment. [40:58] But my children are mortal. [41:00] My children are just humans. [41:03] How much more joy is there when we celebrate the day [41:07] that I, in all of my capacity, [41:10] will always say the greatest miracle of scripture is this,
[41:16] that God stepped out of eternity [41:19] and became part of his creation
[41:24] with so much love, with a mission [41:27] to lay his life down for you.
[41:33] Joy is an act of worship and mission. [41:39] The third verse of joy to the world puts it this way. [41:45] He rules the world with truth and grace [41:48] and makes the nations prove the glories [41:52] of his righteousness and wonders of his love. [41:57] Let earth receive her King.
[42:00] Let every heart prepare him room. [42:06] Do you have that kind of joy? [42:10] Will you choose that type of joy this Christmas?
[42:19] Friend, for the next few weeks, [42:22] celebrate every part of Christmas [42:26] loudly and proudly this year. [42:31] Regardless of what’s going on, [42:33] regardless of how miserable you may have been yesterday [42:36] or in the past, make this year the year of change.
[42:42] Out, celebrate everyone so that all will know [42:47] who has given you unshakable joy. [42:53] A few application points this morning. [42:56] Anchor your joy to the truth of Jesus rather than feeling.
[43:01] Anchor it to Jesus. [43:04] Secondly, learn to celebrate with joy.
[43:08] Learn to celebrate. [43:10] Thirdly, fight the urge to be a Grinch. [43:14] Just fight it. [43:17] If your son asks for an Xbox, don’t explain to him [43:20] how that’s such a material request [43:23] in light of the glory of God.
[43:25] Don’t try to turn into John Calvin in that moment. [43:28] Just say, I love you, son, maybe.
[43:35] Fourthly, use joy as evangelism. [43:39] Use joy as evangelism. [43:41] Joy is not painting a fake smile on your face. [43:47] Joy is an objective reality that you walk into [43:51] where people must look at your life and say, [43:56] what do they have that I need?
[43:59] See, that’s joy. [44:00] And then finally, declare with joy [44:04] that King Jesus was born.