Go! And Rejoice In The Joy Of Jesus (Advent Joy) Series

Go! And Rejoice in the Joy of Jesus (Advent Joy)

“Good News of Great Joy”

Introduction – Joy That Cannot Be Silenced

Every December, the world chases happiness—lights, tinsel, songs, food, presents.

But happiness is fragile, happiness fades when the decorations come down and reality returns.

Happiness disappears when the lights go out… when the holiday ends… when January arrives with bills and burdens.

Joy, however — real, eternal, unshakeable JOY — remains when happiness dries up.

Joy is not a mood swing.

Joy is not a personality type.

Joy is not pretending everything is fine.

Joy is the unshakeable unbreakable reality that God is with us.

Joy is the fruit of Jesus—born in Bethlehem, crucified at Calvary, risen in glory and reigning forever!

When the angel appeared on that first Christmas night, Heaven did not declare:

“Good news for good people who finally earned it.”

The angels didn’t come to announce a reward for the good.

They declared good news of great joy for people drowning in sin, darkness, fear, and confusion — GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY for sinners, for strugglers, for the broken — for people like us.

Today, from the Word of God, we will discover:

1. Joy for the Broken

2. Joy from Abiding in Christ

3. Joy in the Storm

4. Joy in Christ’s Salvation

Go! And Rejoice in the Joy of Jesus!

Point 1 — Joy Has Come to the Broken

Luke 2:8–11 (NLT): “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!’”

Shepherds in the first century were social outcasts, They were considered unclean and they were not welcome in the temple.

Humble shepherds, dirty unclean, despised, ignored. Yet they received Heaven’s first Christmas invitation.

Why? Because God’s joy is for the unlikely, the unworthy, the forgotten.

The angel declared:

Good news (euangelion) — the Gospel!

Great joy (chara) — not just calm happiness, but deep explosive delight! – Joy rooted not in circumstances but in God’s grace.

Great joy, for all people — including us, right here, today.

Isaiah 9:2 (NLT): “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.”

This prophecy was given 700 years before Jesus’ birth.

Jesus is that Light — joy that breaks into our darkness.

Jesus is the Light, shining into our darkest places.

Joy begins not when life is perfect — Joy begins when grace meets our brokenness.

Max Lucado wrote: “Jesus came not for the good, but for the confused. Not for the proud, but for the broken.”

That is joy! Joy is the overwhelming truth. Joy is the realisation that God knows everything about us… and still loves us.

The Night The Lighthouse Shone

A terrified sailor in a violent storm once wrote, “I could not see the harbour, I could not see the shore, but I saw the lighthouse—and I knew I was not lost.”

Jesus is Heaven’s lighthouse—joy shining through terror.

Even when the waves of life crash, joy declares: You are not lost. The Saviour has come.

The storm does not mean God has left you.

Joy declares: The Saviour has come for YOU.

Point 2 — Joy Flows from Abiding in Christ

John 15:9–11 (NLT): “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

Advent joy is not a seasonal feeling—it is a relational reality.

Jesus says: “Remain in my love.”

Greek word: µ??? (meno) — to stay, continue, dwell, make your home.

Joy isn’t found in success, popularity, or comfort. Joy is found in Jesus Himself.

Jesus does not offer seasonal joy — He offers His own joy!

He doesn’t give joy like a gift that can be lost—He fills us with His own joy.

His joy becomes our overflowing joy!

Joy is relational, not circumstantial.

Joy is not about what is under the Christmas tree — it is about Who hung on the tree.

Psalm 16:11 (NLT): “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

Joy is not a place.

Joy is not a feeling.

Joy is a Person—Jesus.

Tim Keller: “If Jesus is your real joy, nothing can take it away.”