LIVE: YouTube LIVE
Speaker: Pastor Raymond Seow
Scripture: Luke 2:8-11
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
Introduction
- Naturally everyone wants to be happy without worries.
- Don’t worry is correct, but it must have the right basis.
- We all can have true and lasting joy to live in high spirit every day.
A. The Joy We Have
1. Fake Joy
- The pleasure a person enjoyed when committing sin (against God) or breaking a law.
- There are consequences to face: God’s judgment and court judgment.
- We must live within the bounds of God’s laws or country’s law to enjoy true joy.
2. Fickel Joy
- Fickel joy depends on circumstances: it disappears when circumstances are unpleasant.
- But true joy resides in both pleasant and terrible circumstances.
- Circumstances can neither produce nor detract from true joy.
3. Fading Joy
- A true joy, present in all circumstances and experienced by all people. It is rooted in God’s common grace.
- Matthew 5:45 tells us that God blesses everyone. (For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.)
- However, this is a fading joy because all things on the Earth are fading, or deteriorating.
- The best this world has to offer is a fading joy, it will not last forever.
B. The Joy We Are Promised
- In the Bible, the word joy occurs more than 200 times, but great joy is less than 10 times. It is reserved for the highest of the moments.
- On the first Christmas night, an angel of God brought the good news of great joy for all the people.
1. Great Joy of Celebration
- It’s Joy to the World. This is for all the people to celebrate.
- Celebration of receiving God’s gift, Jesus Christ.
2. Great Joy of God’s Coming
- Jesus is the Son of God, who came to visit His people.
- For other religions, people search for god. Only in Christianity, God came looking for His people.
- Though Jesus has ascended to heaven, He has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in Christians.
3. Great Joy of Reconciliation with God
- Christmas brings us good news of great joy because all of us are in some real bad, and horrible situations.
- Good news because Jesus is the anointed one, the Messiah, the Saviour. He can save us!
- Good news and great joy: because our relationships with God can be reconciled and restored to what God has intended when He created humans. He wants His people to have intimated relationships with Him.
- All these are possible because Jesus came to die for our sins on the cross, resurrected after buried for three days and later ascended to the heaven.
Conclusion
- Don’t worry! Grab the forever joy by repenting and accepting Jesus as your Saviour.
- Don’t worry! Let the forever joy be manifested in your daily Christian lives.
- Tell others how they can embrace this forever joy.