Joy from the Lord

Introduction to Joy and Peace

Now today they read a passage in Matthew's gospel that speaks about the wise men coming from the east to worship King Jesus. And they also spoke about two words for Advent, joy and peace. You know, most Sundays we only have one word, but since we have two Sundays left, we had two today. Joy and peace in many respects, they really connect together beautifully. You know, a lot of times when you have peace, you also have joy. And a lot of times when you have joy, you also have peace. For today's message, we're going to hone in especially on the joy that we can have in Christ. The title for our message today is Joy from the Lord. And as we get into the sermon, we will be speaking about that passage from Matthew 2 that they read today.

Struggling with Joy

But I've just got a question for you about joy. Do you ever have times of wanting to have joy in your life?

You know, I think that probably every one of us want happiness. Probably every one of us want to be joyful. Every one of us want to experience joy. But I would probably also think that every one of us have times that we struggle to have joy.

Do you ever struggle to have joy? Do you ever feel beaten down? Ever feel discouraged? Ever feel weighted down? Ever feel like you just don't have joy? You know, I think there's all kinds of reasons. I believe we all have times that we struggle to have joy. Do you ever struggle to have joy?

You know, I've certainly been there. There's a lot of reasons we can struggle to have joy.

Busyness Steals Joy

One thing that comes to my mind is sometimes we will get so busy and we get so in the weeds with everything that we've got going on in our life and we're going going going and just running running every day. And when we do that, if we're not careful, we can get to where we never really slow down and just enjoy the blessings that God has given us. Have you ever been at that stage where you're so busy you feel like you don't really slow down? And also when we get so busy though, that busyness can distract us from slowing down to be with the Lord. I mean, have you ever felt like you just don't have enough time? Ever felt like you just don't. Maybe you're like, "I want to read the Bible, but I'm just so busy." Or maybe I want to spend more time in prayer, but I'm just so busy. But I tell you what, there's a way every one of us can make time for the Lord. And it is about prioritizing.

And when we do when we make time despite the busyness and we make time to block out time with the Lord, we are going to have moments of having joy in the Lord.

Trials and Worry Steal Joy

Now I'll tell you what else can happen is sometimes we can have really hard struggles in our life. We can go through trials. Hey, you know what the Bible says though? Count it all joy when you encounter various kinds of trials. That's hard to understand how you could be joyful in a trial. But I'll tell you one thing it does is it reminds us we need the Lord. And it also reminds us we have the Lord in those trials. Aren't you glad we've got the Lord to go to and it's also an opportunity for us to draw closer to the Lord because we know I need you, Jesus. I need you. Help me.

But sometimes in the midst of hardships and things that go on in life, it can be hard. And the enemy loves to get us overwhelmed and worry, right? Whether it's finances, whether it's relationships, whether it's health, whatever it is, the enemy loves to get us overwhelmed. And when the enemy does, it steals our joy. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. And one way the enemy will work is with the worries that we've got in our life to get us overwhelmed. Jesus knows and God knows how much we have to be on guard against worry. Think about what the Lord said in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 6, therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Sometimes I think our joy can be taken from us because we get overwhelmed with worry. Has that ever happened to you where you're overwhelmed with the burdens that are in your life and you get so overwhelmed that it steals your joy? We've got to be on guard against worry. I love the scripture. It says, "Casting your cares on him for he cares for you." You know, if we want to have joy, who wants to have joy? If we want to have joy, one thing, we got to give those worries to the Lord or the enemy will use it to eat us up. And we got to trust the Lord.

Joy from the Lord

And whether it's busyness, whether it's burdens or whatever it is, we got to take time to be with the Lord. Because let me tell you something, we can have joy from the Lord. No matter how hard life seems, no matter the circumstances, we can have joy from the Lord. You can have joy from the Lord. Despite what's going on in your life, you can have joy from and in the Lord. Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Again, I will say, "Rejoice." And do you know where he was when he penned that? In prison. Yet he said, "Rejoice in the Lord always." Always. Not sometimes. Not only in good times, always. In everything I say, rejoice.

The Wise Men's Great Joy

You know, in the passage that the youth read today, I want to start off just for a moment and go to verse 10 of Matthew 2, and then we'll kind of speak more about this passage. But we see that they have joy. They have great joy. I mean we can have great joy in the Lord. Just like we read about these wise men that had great joy. We you me can have great joy in the Lord. It says in Matthew 2 verse 10 when they saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And I tell you today, you me, we can have great joy in the Lord.

The Story of the Wise Men

I want to get more to that verse in a minute, but before we do, just to kind of backtrack back to the beginning of the passage, you know, when we think about this passage in general, Matthew 2 verse 1, it says, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews. For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him."

Before we speak more of joy, first you know a lot of times we'll see in nativity scenes three wise men there at the birth of Christ. Well, first off, we don't know how many wise men there were. Probably there was probably a pretty large group traveling. Sometimes we might get three because there's gold, there's frankincense, and myrrh. Clearly, we don't know exactly how many there were from the Bible. But also in the word of God, we see they weren't there the night of the birth of Christ. What it says there is now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. And we also know what did Herod do when he found out? He got real worried that someone was gonna become king and he ordered for all the kids two and under to be killed. Herod was evil. Pure evil. You hear about Herod killed one of his wives, killed his children. He was evil. And the fact that he ordered for all the kids two and under to be killed, you read about that later if you keep reading in Matthew 2, tells you that very likely the wise men came. They came after Jesus was born and very likely Jesus might have been one, might have been two, somewhere in there. We don't know the exact age. But those are just a couple of things to keep in mind. We always want to look to what does God's word say? Not what the world says? What does God's word say?

But most it says that the wise men came from the east. It doesn't say exactly where they came from. Most biblical scholars believe that they came from a group of people that studied the stars, astrology and astronomy. And God used this star that was a different kind of star to get their attention. Notice what they said. And I mean, why would they have traveled so far? Most believe that they came from modern day Iraq or Iran, which would have been would have come from Babylon or Persia. Some even believe specifically the Zagros mountain chain. But in that area, the Zagros mountains are in Iraq and in Iran. And a lot of the people studied the stars. They were known for astronomy and astrology. And there was also a priestly class there that we call them the magi. There was a priestly class there of the Zoroastrian faith. So many scholars believe they come from that area. The Bible tells us they came from the east. But notice what it says there. For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. It also says they said, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?"

God's Supernatural Call

Why would they have come if they were from Babylon? That's about 800 miles depending on the route you would come. Why would they have come all that way just from seeing a star?

Well, we don't know for certain, but very likely and by the way, when you go on later in this passage, once they come and they're told that the king of the Jews would be born in Bethlehem, do you remember what happens when they come later in the passage? It says that later on when they come this star reappears and it's as if it's just guiding them. It says there in Matthew chapter 2 verse 9 when they heard the king they went to King Herod. King Herod summoned the scribes and they said, "Well, of course the promised king is going to be born in Bethlehem." They all knew Micah 5:2. They all knew the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. And it says, "When the wise men when they heard the king, they departed, and behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them till it came and stood over where the young child was."

There was something different about this star when it reappeared. It's as if it was just leading them right to where Jesus was. You know, why would they travel all this way? Because very likely they did study the stars and they knew there was no star like this that they had ever seen. They said, "We have seen his star." In other words, they somehow knew this star was pointing to the birth of the promised king. Now, if they were from Babylon, Jews got held in captivity in Babylon, right? And Jews didn't all come back home. So they would have had some understanding about a king of the Jews. But I believe they came all this way because this star was from God. This wasn't like any other star. This was supernatural.

And I believe they came all this way because it was as if God was calling them to come and worship. Why else would they travel possibly 800 miles, you know, and in those days if they went like 20 miles a day by feet, that would have been 40 days? Why else would they have made all this traveling just to come? Well, because this star, something about this star was different. And somehow by seeing this star, it's as if they felt the presence of God. And it's as if they felt God calling them to come. And they said, "We're coming to worship him."

So something about this star was different and they just knew I believe God called them and they just knew they had to go. They had to journey. God's call can be radical, right? God can call you to some crazy things. Don't you know some people back in their homeland were probably like, "You're crazy. You think this star is telling you to go possibly 800 miles." Nevertheless, they went.

Persistence in Seeking

We know from the final verse that they came. They made this incredible journey because they knew they had to come and worship the promised king. And something else we see is that the star seems to have gone away for a period that when they came to Jerusalem they came to Herod because they didn't know right where the child was where Jesus was. And when they came they came to Herod and they say we have seen his star. So the star at some point went away. That's also important when you follow God's tug and when you follow God's call, once you answer the call, you know, there'll be times when life kind of gets back to normal. But you know what they did? They kept going. They said, "We have seen his star." And then what happens? They started to go towards Jerusalem. Verse 9 tells us they heard that the promised king was going to be born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was about six miles from Jerusalem. So they started, you get the picture, going in the general direction of Bethlehem to find this promised king and to worship him. And that's when the star reappeared. And it says, "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy."

Why did they have such joy when they saw this star? Because I believe they felt the presence of God. This star was a star God sent to point to the birth of Christ. And they had come all this way. And I believe they also said it was like confirmation that yes, you're getting close. And then can you just imagine this star leading them when it reappeared and then it just seems that it just hovered above the home where the young child was, where Jesus was. The Bible says they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. They had joy from the Lord.

True Joy Comes from the Lord

And when I think about the joy that they had, they didn't have that joy because they had money. They didn't have that joy because they had great jobs. They had that joy because it was from the Lord. And you and I, too, we can have joy. And there's the best joy. You know, the world and money and possessions, it won't give you the fullness of joy. It won't give you true joy. If you want true joy this Christmas season, you get it from the Lord. And every one of you, me included, we can all have joy in the Lord.

Seeking the Lord for Joy

And let's also remember when we think about getting joy in the Lord, we get joy when we seek after the Lord, when we prioritize time with the Lord. Sometimes we get so busy or we get so worried that we neglect our time with the Lord. We neglect sitting with the Lord. Sometimes you got to sacrifice to seek after the Lord. Sometimes someone might say, "Well, I'm too tired. I'm not going to church. I'm too busy. I'm not reading my Bible. I'm just I got too much going on. I want to watch Netflix, some movies. I'm not going to pray." But like sometimes it takes some sacrifice. Think about what the wise men did, man. They knew they needed to come and worship this king just from seeing a star. And again, I believe God calling them.

And they sacrificed. They traveled a long, long way. If it was Babylon, it was likely around 800 miles. Yes. Sometimes we say we can't even sacrifice to get up to go to church. We should be willing to sacrifice to seek after the Lord. And if we want joy this Christmas season and if we want joy in our lives, we're not going to find it from things of this world. We're going to find it from the Lord and seeking after the Lord. When you seek after the Lord, do you know what I mean? It gives you joy.

First, when you seek after the Lord, when you take time to pour in the word, when you take time to pray, when you take time to worship and be at church, first there's just the joy of knowing you're trying to not live in sin and you're living for the Lord. That brings a joy and that brings a peace. Amen. But there's also this. When we keep seeking after the Lord, you know what happens? We get moments of feeling the presence of the Lord. And the Bible says in his presence is fullness of joy. We get joy from being in the presence of the Lord.

Personal Experiences of God's Presence

Have you ever had times where you've sought after the Lord? You're worshiping, you're reading the Bible, you're praying, and you get moments of feeling the presence of God. I don't know of any greater joy we're going to ever get than when we get those moments of being in the presence of the Lord. Have you ever had those times where you feel his presence? Speaking of stars, I remember one time crying out when I was praying early in the morning and I had a hard thing going on. I was like, "Lord, am I going to be okay?" I'm crying out to God. I was like, "Lord, am I going to be okay?" And at that moment, this huge shooting star just flew by and a peace just came over me. And it was as if God was just giving me a sign. I got you, Joshua. You're going to be okay. And when we seek after the Lord, we're going to get those times of and I felt the presence of the Lord. We're going to get those times of feeling the presence of the Lord. And guys, feeling the presence of the Lord. That's where we're going to get joy. We're not going to get joy from having a big house, having a nice car, having this or having that. When we want joy, we get it in the Lord. And when we seek after the Lord, we get those moments of feeling the presence of the Lord.

There's times when it's just a moment. I was sitting in seminary graduation and man, thousands of people are in this big chapel, probably two, three thousand, I don't know, and everybody's singing Joy to the World. The Lord has come. This booming group of people just singing joy to the Lord. And I just had a moment with God somewhere in that time where I just started crying. And I just had it was a cry of joy. I just had great joy in this.

Worship in His Presence

You know that's what happens to the wise men. I believe when that star reappeared I believe that was a moment they felt the presence of the Lord. You know what I mean? And then watch what happens as you go on in the passage. They the star reappeared. The star hovered basically over the house where Jesus was. And in verse 11 it says, "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother and fell down and worshiped him." They had sacrificed to seek the Lord. They had traveled all this way without even knowing exactly where they were going to go. And they had come all this way. And then they had this moment where they were literally in the presence of God in the fullest way possible. They were in the presence of this young child, Jesus. And it says they just fell down and worshiped him.

I believe what happened when they walked in that house and they saw Jesus, they had a mountaintop moment being in the presence of God where they were in complete awe and complete had complete peace and had complete joy being in the presence of God. Now, we might not always have quite that kind of moment, but let me tell you, anytime you are in the presence of God, you're going to have joy. In his presence is fullness of joy. They had sought after the Lord and now it got to this point that they were in the presence of the Lord and they fell down and worshiped him. I don't think we can even describe the joy and the peace that they had.

The moment I answered the call, when I heard that my prayer was answered and brilliance shone everywhere in McDonald's in Leland and I didn't see anybody in McDonald's, I didn't hear anybody. I was just in the presence of the Lord in a supernatural way. For some reason, God chose to do that. I tell you, I had indescribable joy, indescribable peace there.

No Joy Like Joy from the Lord

When we seek after the Lord, I don't know what ways we'll be in his presence. More times than not, what I found in my life, it's a simple moment where I just feel the presence of God. But sometimes God can choose to do something supernatural like he did with the wise men where they were in his presence in his fullness. I just want to say to close up today like there is no joy like the joy we get from the Lord. There's nothing in this world that we can go after that's going to get us joy like the joy we get from the Lord. It doesn't matter if you're the best ball player in the world. That's not going to give you true joy. It doesn't matter if you're the president of the United States. That's not going to give you true joy. I'm not knocking going after achievements. Go after achievements. But we have to understand those things pale in comparison to the joy we get from being with the Lord. No money is going to give you joy. No job is going to give you joy. Nothing we accomplish in this world is going to give us the joy like the joy we get in the Lord and from the Lord.

Closing Challenge

When we seek out the Lord, when we keep pursuing the Lord, even when the star goes away, even when the mountaintop moment goes away, we keep seeking after Jesus day in day out. And we help one another to do that. The church encourages one another to do that. And when we do, we get a joy like you can't get from anything in this world. I just want to close by saying this Christmas season, let's seek after God so we can have joy in the Lord. It starts with placing our faith and our trust in Jesus. John 15:11 says, "These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full." When we have trusted in the Lord and we try to if we strive to live for the Lord and seek after the Lord, we have joy in a way that this world can't give. Hey, we're celebrating the birth of Christ. We should be joyous about that, right? We are celebrating that Jesus came and he came with a purpose. He came to die. He laid down his life so that me and you and all of mankind could be forgiven of sins when we place our faith and our trust in him. He hung on the cross. He suffered. And he died. And we also know he rose on the third day. That's why he was born on this earth. That's why he came down from heaven, born of a virgin. He came to make a way for you and I to be forgiven. And we should have joy. Every one of us as Christians, we should have joy celebrating the birth of Christ. That song that we sang at the graduation, Joy to the World, it says, "Joy to the world. The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King." We ought to have joy this Christmas season.

We've got to be careful. Christmas decorations and, you know, Christmas parties and presents, that's all a lot of fun. And, you know, we give out presents, we decorate things. We do this and that, but let's not get so caught up in all that that we lose the real reason for the season. I mean, if you're not careful, you can get so busy in the commercialism of Christmas that you miss out on the joy in Christ. You can get so busy that you're running here, running there, doing this, doing that, that you don't stop and just ponder the awesome joy and the awesome peace we get celebrating that Jesus came to save a sinner like you and me. This Christmas season, let's remember to have joy. Not a joy from the world, but a joy in the Lord.

God, we love you and we just thank you and praise you that in you, Jesus, we can have true joy. In you, Lord Jesus, we can have the fullness of joy. And I pray for each one listening today. I pray for your joy for them, for me, for all of us. Lord, I just pray for the fullness of joy that that we would be a people that seek after you. That today and this Christmas season and beyond, we seek after you, Jesus. We want to be with you, Jesus. We want to worship you, Jesus. We want to sacrifice to worship you. We want to sacrifice to grow in the word, to grow in prayer, to serve you. And God, that as we do and we truly have a heart seeking after you, that you just give joy, true joy, the best kind of joy, joy from the Lord.