[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 21st of December, 2025, the fourth Sunday in Advent. A recording of our service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]
We’re not entirely sure who composed the 98th Psalm, but some, including the early church fathers, attribute it to King David. In it, the author sings, “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” (Psalm 98:3b (NASB)) Now this would have been written just about 1000 years before Jesus was born, but we know that Jesus is the salvation of God, that Jesus is the Christ.
Isaac Watts understood this, too, and that passage led him to compose one of my favorite hymns for this time of year, one that we’ll be singing in a few minutes: “Joy to the World”. The passage and the hymn both speak to our awaiting the coming of our Lord Jesus, not only for His birth but also His return, when He will call His church home.
While the entire world might not yet know Jesus, let alone accept Him as Lord, and not everyone is filled with joy right now, still, we who know Jesus as our Lord and Redeemer are indeed joyful. Our joy comes from being able to celebrate Jesus’ birth, and also in looking forward to His return. So be joyful, Family! But if you’re not feeling particularly joyful because of something that has happened, then at least be encouraged, for God does love you – and think about attending our Blue Christmas service this afternoon.
Our Bible is all about Jesus, so we could say that reading it should bring us joy. And indeed, it contains many passages that speak of joy and being joyful, of rejoicing and even of shouting for joy. But I was lead to one for today where Jesus wants to share His joy with us.
Think about that for a moment… Jesus want us to have His joy, the joy of God, so that our joy can be complete, no matter what we’ve done or experienced, no matter what we’re going through. With the joy of God we can do as the Apostle Paul tells us and rejoice always, giving thanks in all situations. Please listen and follow along to our Lord’s encouraging words as recorded by the Apostle John in verses 9 through 17 of the 15th chapter of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the New American Standard Bible this morning…
9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.”
--John 15:9-17 (NASB)
Let us pray… Father God, thank You for electing us to follow Your Son Jesus! Thank You for sending Him to redeem us. And thank You for sharing Your joy with us when we obey Your Son. Through Him and our obedience to His commandment, our joy can be made complete. Just as You love Jesus, He loves us, and He commands that we love others in that same way. But too often we struggle with this. Father, we know that these inner battles displease You. We need You to help us live more righteously. Please forgive us those times we disappoint You and help us be more obedient to Your and Your Son, more loving, more caring, more compassionate, showing Your love to others so that they too might find salvation through Jesus.
Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day. This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
I know I've used this before, but it bears repeating for the message it carries. Our society as a whole is becoming increasingly self-centered, with more and more people caring only about themselves and what they can get out of life, rather than how their actions and words may impact others, for better or for worse. George Bernard Shaw once noted that, “This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one: the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, and being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”
I don't know about you, but I want to be a force of nature, a force for our Lord Jesus, not some selfish little clod. Even though I might sometimes complain that the world is not doing what it could to make me happy, I still take great joy in serving my Lord, and rejoice in His blessings.
Jesus left us with rather simple tasks: to love one another and to make disciples. Our joy is made full when we do as He commanded. But we all know that those two “simple” tasks are not all that easy to carry out and complete. We can be quite hesitant to approach someone to tell them about Jesus, especially a stranger, or someone we know is dead set against anything religious. And as for loving others, there are some that are very difficult to love, for any number of reasons. But Jesus calls us to love others as He loves us. His love is selfless, unconditional, sacrificial. Are we capable of loving like that, even for the people that hate us?
There’s one sentence in that passage that should compel us to do as Jesus commands. Jesus declared, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit.” Jesus chose us, you and I, to go and bear fruit, and the sweetest fruit comes from helping a lost soul find and know Jesus. Studies have shown that doing good for our fellow man makes us feel good, gives us joy. What better good could we do than to help someone receive salvation and everlasting life?
As I said, loving all others and making disciples for our Lord is not easy. In fact, Jesus warns us that doing as He commands, while it can increase our joy, it may also bring hardship as well. But even if it does, we should remain joyful as we endure the hardship and tribulation. Hear the words of our Lord delivered in His Sermon on the Plain as recorded by the Apostle Luke in the 6th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 22 and 23…
22 “Blessed are you when the people hate you, and when they exclude you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to treat the prophets the same way.”
--Luke 6:22-23 (NASB)
Be joyful if the world turns against you because of your belief in and service to Jesus. Rejoice, even in the midst of trials and persecution. Jump for joy, for God has been watching and has a wonderful reward all prepared for you in heaven. This kind of attitude comes when our joy is made full by Jesus.
Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room. This is what Advent reminds us to do, to make room in our hearts for Jesus. And Jesus calls us to help other folks open their hearts to Him as well.
Our joy is made full and complete when we follow Jesus and carry out the task He left us. No, it won’t be easy. But even when our neighbors and fellow man mock us and persecute us for our belief and our service, we can take comfort and joy in knowing what awaits us in heaven.
So let us go and bear fruit. In that beautiful name of Christ Jesus our Redeemer, our true joy. Amen.
Let us pray… Almighty God, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to redeem us and bring joy to the world. Sadly, the world doesn’t really want joy, not the true and full joy Your Son brings. The world thinks joy comes from things we own or what other people can do for us. This kind of joy, earthly joy, is temporary; it fades with time. If the world would accept You and Jesus, it would understand. But the world is Satan’s playground and he doesn’t want people to understand. He wants them to be easily disappointed so they’ll turn against You. Please forgive us, Father, those times when we let the world dictate our actions. Forgive us when we turn every way but to You when looking for joy. Please help us share our joy with the world by sharing Your love. Help us rejoice in the face of trials and hardship so that others may see Your hand at work in our life. And Father, please help us reach out and share the Gospel message with everyone we come into contact with.
Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your word, and seeking Your help to do so…
Lord Jesus, You promise to make our joy full and complete if we only do as You command. And we will obey Your command if we love You. The joy You offer lets us rejoice even when others hate us, laugh at us, persecute us simply because we follow You. You chose us to serve You, Lord, and we thank You for loving us this much. We just ask that You now please give us the courage and the strength to go out and do as You command. Please forgive us when we struggle, as did the Apostle Paul, to do what we know is right, and to not do what we know is wrong. And please help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.
Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises. Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares. Help us see though his temptations. Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer. All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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