Joy to the World
A study of Philippians
Part 5
“Joy in Jesus”
Philippians 4:4
Merry Christmas
I am so glad to see each and every one of you here this morning
Over the last few weeks we have been studying joy as explained and described by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Church at Philippi
We took a hard look at how to find joy in our relationships
How to find joy in our service to God and others
How to find Joy in believing
How to find joy in Giving
Today we are going to look at the source of our Joy
Jesus Christ
As we celebrate his birth
But more than that as we celebrate his life
And then
As we celebrate the “Lord’s supper “in remembrance of our King
Please open your bible to Philippians 4:4
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!”
Paul tells us to always be full of Joy
In spite of the circumstances
In spite of anything
Find joy
In the Lord
He says in Philippians 3:8
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ
Paul shows us here in his letter to the church at Philippi
The source of his Joy
The common theme throughout this series has been Joy
And Jesus has been the key to that joy in all the areas of our lives
In order to find joy in our relationships
We must know Jesus
In order to find joy in our service
We must know Jesus
In order to find joy in our belief
We must know the right Jesus
In order to find joy in our giving
We must know Jesus
So this morning it is my prayer to show you Jesus
All of Jesus
Not Just the baby in the manger
Not Just the man on the cross
But the whole package
I believe when we see Jesus in this way
Our Joy in Jesus will grow
And I believe the joy in our lives
In all areas of our lives
Will also grow
Please open your bibles to John 1:1-5
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,[a]
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
You see Jesus’ life did not begin in the manger
His existence did not begin in Bethlehem
But his life here on earth as a human
Did
John 1:14
So the Word became human[d] and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.[e] And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
The word
Became human
God came down to earth
----Pause-----
You are all familiar with the Christmas story
But
I believe we can never tell it enough
So
Let me read the account of Jesus
God the Son’s birth
Luke 2:1-20
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
The Shepherds and Angels
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Look at verse 10 be with me
“I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
--Good news that will bring great joy to all people---
The Word
Jesus Christ
The Lamb of God
Left the security of Heaven
He gave up his place of honor
And became human
To bring joy to the world
To bring joy to people
Jesus brought Joy to the world in a manger
Let’s look at the beginning of his ministry here on earth
Luke 3:21-22
21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.[g]”
In one simple act of obedience
Jesus sets the example for us
And brings joy to the Father
In this moment
Jesus Christ
No longer a baby lying in a manger
But a man
Fully grown
Was stepping into the role that had been planned before the creation of the world
His time had come
Not for completion of the plan, we will see that in a few moments
Not even for the making of or defining of the plan that happened before the heavens and earth were spoken into existence
But
Now
For the implementation of the plan
God sent his Son
His perfect Son into an imperfect world
In order to satisfy the need for a payment for sin
Only Jesus
The Word
Only Jesus the baby in the manger
Only Jesus the one whom the dove descended on had the power or the ability to accomplish this
Only he
Jesus Christ is perfect
And only he by being perfect
Could provide the perfect sacrifice
----Pause------
In just a little over 30 years
That baby in the manger
Born of a virgin
The one who had been prophesized about for hundreds of years before his birth
And the one they world had been waiting on
Brought joy to the world
He brought joy through personal relationships
He brought joy through comfort
He brought joy though his miracles of healings
Miracles of mercy
Though his teachings and his preaching he brought Joy
A truly humble man full of love
Who had every reason to demand respect?
Put everything aside
For us
He ultimately brought joy to the world through his death
And through his resurrection
He traded the glory of heaven
For the hardships of earth
He traded a crown of gold for a crown of thorns
He traded a throne for a cross and a tomb
He traded the acclaim of legions of Angles
For the Jeers and rejection of the very ones he had come to save
The very ones he had created
And it was in this trade that the plan was completed
And it was this trade assured the joy that the angels had promise thirty years earlier
On a cross
The same Jesus who had come as a baby
The same Jesus who had been baptized by John
The same Jesus who had healed and comforted
The same Jesus who had taught with authority and truth
The same Jesus who had walked on water
And
Fed thousands with just a few fish and loaves
That same Jesus who had died on a cross
Rose from a tomb
3 days later and sealed the joy that can be yours forever
Joy in our salvation
But joy in our relationship with Jesus now
Heaven later
But help for today
And listen to me
That same Jesus who was born of such humble circumstances
The one born in a barn
The one who was rejected and abused
The one who rode into the city on a small donkey
That Same Jesus
Will come back as the reigning King that he was created to be
One day the eastern sky will part
And Jesus Christ
Not the baby
Not the humble carpenter
Not the beaten and bloody man on the cross
But Jesus Christ
The King of the universe
Will ride back
On a huge white horse
And claim the place of honor that he always deserved
The bible says
Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord
On the earth
Above the earth and under the earth
And a course of angels will sing
Hosanna
Glory to God in the highest
And those who believed
Those who accepted
Those who became children of God through the sacrifice of Jesus
Will be among those singing
And then
The Joy the angels promised
Will be complete
Because of his existence we can have joy
Because of his birth we can have joy’ because of his obedience we can have joy
Because of his life we can have joy
Because of his death we can have Joy
Because of his resurrection we can have joy
And because
He is
Coming back for us soon
We can have joy
So as Paul says In Philippians
I say Again
Rejoice in the Lord- Rejoice!!
Let’s celebrate his birth- life – death – resurrection and return
As we remember Jesus through the taking of the Lord’s Supper
Please listen to this song as the men pass out the Juice and bread
Take this time to remember
To say thank you
To rejoice in Jesus
Take this time to celebrate our Joy in Jesus
-----SONG------
1 Corinthians 11
On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.[a] Do this in remembrance of me.”
Eat
25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”
Drink
26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
Close from the heart
Pray
