Joy

Happy Sunday, and merry Christmas. In Luke chapter 2, verse 10, the angels told the shepherds that the birth of Jesus would bring great joy. Remember these words: "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Good news of great joy. The Greek word for great is mega, so this is really saying mega joy, huge joy, big joy. Does this describe you? It should.

Philippians 4:4 tells us to "rejoice in the Lord always." First Thessalonians 5:16 tells us, "Rejoice always." We all likely know these verses. The question is, do we really rejoice always? Do others always see the joy of the Lord in our lives?

There are so many things in this world that can try and take the joy from our lives. The Excedrin Headache Research Center listed 10 joy robbers years ago. I've saved this list; it's about this time of year. Number one, fighting crowds and traffic can rob us of our joy. Number two, not getting enough sleep. Number three, not having enough time. Number four, spending too much money. Number five, eating or drinking too much. Number six, skipped meals. Number seven, cooking and cleaning. Number eight, getting together with friends and family. Number nine, traveling. And number ten, being away from friends and family.

If we are honest, we would agree that some of those things are difficult. I live in Atlanta, and I hate traffic. We have plenty of it. But traffic has never robbed me of my joy. You see, our joy is not contingent on circumstance.

Our joy as believers cannot be taken from us. If we are connected to God as we should be, we are immune from joy robbers. Here's the key: our joy comes from our salvation. Because you belong to God, nothing can take your joy away.

On July the 18th in the year 64 A.D., the city of Rome burned. The fire raged for six days. It destroyed 70 percent of the city of Rome. The people, as you can imagine, were devastated.

All of the religious temples and shrines and even the household idols were burned up. And this had great religious implications, because it made the people believe that their deities had been unable to deal with the situation, and their gods were not powerful like they thought they were, or maybe they weren't real at all. The people were mad and homeless and helpless. Many died in the fire, and, well, people wanted vengeance.

History tells us that it is very likely that the emperor Nero had the fire started. He was an ambitious man, and he wanted to build Rome. Before he could build, he needed a blank canvas, so the fires were started. Nero, after the fire, knew that the people needed someone to blame, and as politicians have been known to do, he lied.

He spread the rumor that it was the Christians that had started the fires. This untruth caught on like wildfire itself, and persecution, horrible persecution, began. So Christians fled Rome in fear of their lives, the ones that made it out.

At this same time, the apostle Peter wrote a letter. You know it; it is First Peter. The letter was written to those who fled Rome, and it begins this way: "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the exiles of the dispersion in Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." That's verse one of First Peter, chapter one.

Again, it's written to those who fled Rome, the exiles of the dispersion. Peter has some words about joy, of all things, for these people, these people who are having the toughest of times. I'll read verses three through six and then skip to verse eight. Peter tells these refugees:

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance, an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive the salvation which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There's wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while."

Now to verse 8. We are told, "You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him, and you rejoice with the glorious and inexpressible joy."

During the worst days of their lives, these Christian exiles needed reminding what really mattered. They'd lost their homes. Many had lost all of their possessions. Many had lost loved ones. It was the worst of times.

What Peter does here is to remind these weary people of what really matters. Salvation matters. Eternity matters. Inheritance matters. Joy comes when we forget our circumstance and we focus on our destination.

One of my best friends died this year. He had just turned 61. His doctors gave him limited time, and he knew his days were short. We spoke on the phone a lot. While we spoke of old times and family, our conversation was mostly about the future: eternity, heaven.

Hunter was one of the best Christians I've ever known. He kept his eye on the prize. He knew he had to endure trials for a little while, and he lived his last days with the great expectation of a priceless inheritance in heaven. His earthly journey came to an end, and through it all, his last days, he had great joy.

The message of the angels from Luke 2:10 is for all of us: "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Merry Christmas. Joy to the world, the Lord has come.

Let's pray. Lord, thank you for this season, the season that helps us get through every other season. Thank you for the joy that is ours in spite of what is going on in this world, because we are connected to you and we belong to another world. Continually remind us of that, as we are people of great joy always. In Jesus' name, amen. Merry Christmas.