“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

Saw a bumper sticker that said, “2020…you suck!”

Americans are down. Americans are unhappy. In fact, a recent General Social Survey shows that just 14 percent of American adults say they are happy, down from 31 percent who said the same two years ago. That year, 23 percent said they had often or sometimes felt isolated in recent weeks. Now 50 percent say that.

In total, fewer Americans are likely to call themselves happy than at any point since the survey begun in 1972.

According to a new report by the American Psychological Association, more than 70 percent of Americans say this is the lowest point in US history.

Just typing this makes me depressed!

We need joy!

The biggest realization about joy is that joy is very different than happiness. Happiness often times accompanies joy, but joy is so much deeper and resilient than happiness.

• Happiness is something that we experience as a result of good things happening to us
• Happiness depends on happenstance. When good things happen, we are happy. When bad stuff happens, we are unhappy
• Our happiness is at the mercy of the world around us

Joy is not like that at all. Joy is content, reality, and truth driven.

• Joy has to do with a changed reality
• The text from Luke is in the announcement of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds. The angel tells them that he is “bringing good news of great joy for all the people” (v10)
• And then in the next verse, the angel reveals the content and the truth of the source of great joy: “to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (v.11)

Jesus is the content, the reality, the truth that changes our reality. Jesus is the reason for joy. Joy is content driven. Joy is Jesus driven.

The birth of Jesus changes everything. Death, suffering, Covid-19, race riots, an economy on the brink of a depression, etc., none of these things changes the reality that God is with us. In Jesus, we come to the realization that we were created for eternity, that we were created for so much more than what this world can offer.

Because of Jesus, this world is the only hell we will ever experience. But without Jesus, this is the only heaven people will know.

Jesus changes everything.

Jesus is the source of our joy.

Repent and believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23)

This week we are looking at the second of the nine characteristics listed in Galatians 5:22-23 as the fruit of the Spirit: joy.

Remember, we don’t speak of the “fruits” of the Spirit. The Greek is singular – fruit of the Spirit.

The Greeks did not have an “etc” to denote that the listing of like qualities. The way they expressed “etc” is to make a list of like qualities. What this means is that there are other God-honoring, people-blessing qualities that could also be included with the nine in Galatians 5:22-23 as long as they are God-honoring, and people-blessing.

Joy. The Greek for joy is chara. Joy is closely related to both “rejoicing” (chairo) and “grace” (charis). They all share the same root.

Joy, is not only an emotion we feel as a result of having something good happen to us. Joy is a deep sense of knowing that everything has changed for the better because of God’s grace. Joy is the result of grace. Grace comes first. Joy is the result.

When someone has experienced grace, they are forever changed. When someone has experienced God’s grace, there is nothing in the created universe that can take our joy. We are reminded by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:37-38, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That is quite a comprehensive list!

When we have experienced God’s unconditional love, a love which no one is deserving of, that’s called grace. And because we are the recipients of grace, joy is our result.

Look forward to getting to know “joy” better with you this week!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16)

Love has three components:

1. An object – the world – you and me
2. A choice and decision – love is not an emotion. Love is a decision
3. A sacrifice

Today, we come across the third component of love: sacrifice.

When God chose the world as his object of love, God made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the beloved. In order that we might have life, God gave up his own life for our sake. That the decision for us required a rejection of everything that is not us was most clearly demonstrated on the cross of Jesus Christ.

For all of eternity, God the Father and the Son was in perfect relationship. There was never a time when God the Father and the Son were not unity and harmony.

But when the moment came for God to choose the world to be his beloved, it necessarily meant rejecting everything and everyone that was not the beloved – even his own Son.

For the first time in all of creation, when the Son turned to the Father, there was no response…just a deafening silence.

“And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'” (Matthew 27:46-47).

Everywhere else, when the New Testament speaks about God the Father and his relationship to the Son, the verb used to describe the purpose for Jesus coming to earth is always “send” as we find in John 3:17 – “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world…”

But when God wanted to remind the world how much he loves us, the word God uses is “gave.” The Greek word means “I offer,” “I give,” “I place,” “I put.” To love us, to save us, to redeem us, God offers, gives, places, and puts his Son on the cross to pay the debt of sin for us so that we might live with Christ through his resurrection.

Wow! What amazing love!!!

God absolutely loves you and that’s the God honest truth.