Dec. 19, 2021

“GREAT JOY”

LUKE 2:8-14  

Luke 2:8-14

How many people do you meet that describe their life as being full of great joy?

Luke 2:10 “Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”

John the Baptist leaped for joy in his mother Elisabeth’s womb:

Luke 1:44 “For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”

We could prepare a long list of all the reasons people give for lack of joy in their lives. Some of them being: Sickness, stress, set backs, sufferings, struggles of life, sin in our personal life and sin in the world. Let’s consider some of the unchanging circumstances of the shepherds lives before we identify some key factors of joy. When they returned after seeing the baby Jesus, they were still financially poor, they were still considered the lowest class of the social structure. The sheep still smelled bad and required constant care. They returned to the same wife and kids they had before Jesus was born, but they rejoiced.

Secret’s To Joy:

1.   We Must Understand Who We Are.

2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Luke 2:11 “For there is born to you this day…”

Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

2.   The Promises Of Scripture.

Another key for experiencing great joy contained in the angel’s announcement is trusting the promise of Scripture.

John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 10:9-10,13, Ephesians 2:8-9 Romans 5:1, 1 John 5:12 “He that hath the Son hath life…”

C.S. Lewis said, “that God must find our prayers too weak when considering all the promises offered to believers.”

3.   Pardon From Sin.

Another step in your journey to great joy is knowing that your sins are forgiven.

King David said:

Psalm 32:1 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.”

2 Peter 1:4-9

Remembering that glorious day when your sin was forgiven keeps joy in your heart.

Jesus is the Savior of the world, and His salvation produces great joy.

4.   Fellowship With The Believers.

A wise man once said, “Friends double our joy, and divide our grief.”

Luke 2:20 “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.”

Developing positive relationships is a critical part of following Christ and experiencing great joy.

Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Great joy is God’s Christmas gift to you. Will you open it? And will you give it to others?