2006 Songs of Christmas Series

2006 Songs of Christmas Series – “Repeat the Sounding Joy”
Psalm 98
Sermon preached at Curwensville Presbyterian Church – December 24, 2006 [7:00pm]

Prayer Introduction: Have you ever been singing a song and suddenly realized what you were singing? I was on a Senior High youth retreat. I loved those retreats. We used to come away from those on such a spiritual high. Well one afternoon, during a break we were listening to some – well, lets just say, it wasn’t Christian music. It was a popular song at the time, and we were all standing around singing it together; and suddenly we all realized what we were singing. It was the opposite of what the retreat was all about.

Whether it be pop songs or church hymns, we often sing without realizing what we are singing. In the case of pop songs, it may be best not to realize what you are singing; but with the great hymns of the faith – you are missing out on the life-changing truths expressed in those songs.

And so during this Advent season we have been looking at “The Songs of Christmas” – learning what they really mean, so that we can enjoy them more. Personally, I’ve realized that I had no idea what many of these songs were really about. At the 11:00pm service, later tonight, we will look at “Silent Night!” but right now we get to look at “Joy to the World!” And I have come to discover this isn’t really even a Christmas song!

Isaac Watts wrote this song at a time in which most people only sang the psalms in their worship services. Watts didn’t think that the arrangements were very good for singing. He didn’t like the poetry (or lack thereof), or the tunes, so he set about the task of trying to do a better job of rendering those psalms and he produced his own book of songs to sing in worship. And thus came the invention of hymns.

“Joy to the World” is Isaac Watt’s rendering of Psalm 98. And when he wrote it he had in mind primarily Jesus’ second coming, not his first coming. To be sure, Christmas is a celebration of the first coming of the Christ – 2,000 years ago, born in a barn in Bethlehem and laid sleeping in the feeding trough; but this is also a time to celebrate his second coming – when he returns to save and to judge the whole world.

“Joy to the World” is primarily about Christ’s second coming, but over the last 100 years or so it has become more associated with Christmas as well as the second coming. So let me invite you to open your hymnals, again, to #40 (which we sang earlier tonight); and if you have your Bible, open up to Psalm 98 – upon which this song is based. Let’s pray as we begin…We pray now for the preacher in the pulpit. He is not worthy, but by your grace he is able. And so it is through Jesus Christ that we pray – Amen!

READ Psalm 98

I. Joy to the World – Stanza #1 (vv.4-6)

“Joy to the World! the Lord is come: Let earth receive her king.” This comes right from Psalm 98:4 – “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth” (or in the King James Version – “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth”).

Did you know that being joyful is the meaning of life? The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” It has been suggested that this might be better stated, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God BY enjoying him forever.” Pastor John Piper says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.”

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” This is so true. And not only does this show us how to have joy; it also shows us why so many people are living without true joy.

Now don’t misunderstand, joy is not the same thing as happy – there are lots of people who can be happy. Years ago, Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Glenn Parker was asked why NFL linemen are generally cheerful, and said, “There are not a lot of well-paying jobs for 300-pounders. We found one, and we're happy about it.”

There is lots of happiness. In fact, much of our culture is consumed with trying to create pleasure and happiness. We spend billions of dollars on entertainment. Our daily calendars are filled to overflowing with events – especially for our kids – designed for pleasure and happiness.

All because we have lost our joy. When we have no joy, we become pleasure seekers. Neil Postman has written about this in his very insightful book – Amusing Ourselves to Death.

What’s the difference between joy and happiness? Oswald Chambers describes it like this: “Happiness depends on what happens; joy does not.”

D.L. Moody elaborates: “Happiness is caused by things that happen around me, and circumstances will mar it; but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition. It is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring the world can't see and doesn't know anything about. The Lord gives his people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to him.”

Did you hear that last part, “The Lord gives his people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to him.” Joy comes from the Lord; and is given to those who walk in obedience to him. That doesn’t sound like it should work – especially in a culture that is so fond of exercising personal freedom. We don’t like the idea of being obedient to anybody.

And we have known lots of religious people, who are very obedient, but have no joy. That’s why Billy Sunday said, “If you have no joy in your religion, there's a leak in your Christianity somewhere.”

Joy comes from obeying the Lord, not from obeying religion. We don’t sing, “Joy to the world! Religious tradition has come.” Our joy is in the Lord.

II. Repeat the Sounding Joy – Stanza #2 (vv.7-9)

But notice that both the first and second verses begin, “Joy to the World.” If joy can only come to those who follow the Lord, why would “the world” be joyful at the coming of the Lord. Because this isn’t about Jesus’ first coming (Christmas); this is about his second coming.

“Joy to the world! the Savior reigns” – the 2^nd verse begins. When Jesus returns, he will return to reign as the King of the universe (which he is). When Jesus returns he will come to judge the earth, but there’s no joy in that – unless you know that by his mercy you have been spared of His judgment.

This is why nature sings of his coming, “While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains/Repeat the sounding joy.” Nature will echo the joy – because the Lord is the Lord of all nature.

It has been said, “Joy is the echo of God's life within us” (Joseph Columba Marmion). Does your life echo joy – demonstrating that the Lord is the Lord of you? That the Lord lives and reigns in you?

“Joy is that deep settled confidence that God is in control in every area of our life” (paraphrased from Paul Sailhamer); while our lack of joy comes when we try and control our own lives.

Which again takes us back to the pursuit of pleasure. C.S. Lewis wrote: “Joy is never in our power, and pleasure is. I doubt whether anyone who has tasted joy would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasure in the world.”

There is nothing better than joy, which comes only from surrendering control of your life to the Lordship of Christ – and that is the act of faith. It isn’t faith just to say that you “believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord.” Faith isn’t just words – or believing something. True faith has feet. True faith means trusting – in real life.

To enter Camp Krislund you have to go across “Faith Bridge.” Looking at that little bridge you wouldn’t believe that it could really hold your car. It shows the difference between saying, “I have faith” – yet trying to find another way into the camp – and actually demonstrating faith, by crossing the bridge.

Lots of people come to church services on Christmas Eve claiming to have faith – but they have no joy. Don’t miss out on the joy of living out real faith. Give your life over to the Lord, that he may give you resounding joy.

III. No More – Verse/Stanza #3 (v.1)

The opening words of Psalm 98 are, “Sing to the Lord a new song.” This doesn’t mean, “sing a new melody.” It means sing the song of new life in Christ – the song of redemption (cf. Revelation 5:9-10).

The new song – the song of redemption – is the song sung by those who trust in Jesus as Savior and surrender to him as Lord. Only Christians – filled with joy – can truly sing the words of the 3^rd verse – “No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow/Far as the curse is found.”

When Jesus returns, there will be no more sin or sorrow. He will come to reverse the curse that came at the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground because of you, through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you…” (Genesis 3:17b-18a).

Jesus will return to redeem the earth – so that thorns no longer infest the ground. Far as the curse is found, Jesus will come to reverse the curse. What a great day that will be.

You can begin to enjoy it now, though. Because Jesus has already come – he can stop the growth of sins in your life. He has come to set you free from sin – in order to live in joy-filled obedience.

In fact that is what next year is going to be all about for our church. We will lift up 2007 as “A Sabbath Year: A Year Set Apart for Holiness.” All of those things that you have wanted to change in your life, the sins you’ve wanted to overcome – we will work on them together. Perhaps you’ve tried to stick to a diet before. You’ve tried and failed, tried and failed. You’ve tried to give up smoking, drinking. But just can’t seem to overcome it. You want to get back to church regularly, keep your daily devotions consistent, deal with your anger…

And you are thinking, I’ve tried before – why should next year be any different? Because next year we are going to do it together. Next year we will, together, call on Jesus for help.

2007 will be the year of hope – the year for God’s redeeming grace to affect your life. We will take these sins, together, to the cross of Christ – and watch him crucify the sinful desires waging war within us. We will match people up together to be accountable, who will walk with us to the cross – or perhaps drag us kicking and screaming to the cross.

2007 will be the year of freedom – letting the Truth of Jesus Christ set you free from sin’s grip on you – so that we can live in the joy that only comes from walking with Him in obedience.

A biblical counselor was talking to a girl who said, “I've lost my joy, I've lost my peace, and I want it back.”

“Where did you lose it?” the counselor asked.

“That has nothing to do with this,” the girl replied. “Help me to get it back.”

“But where did you lose it?”

“I don't want to talk about that.”

But eventually she did talk about it. She lost it when she moved in with her boyfriend. When she repented and walked with the Lord in obedience the joy returned to her life.

IV. He Rules – Stanza #4 (vv.2-3)

In the fourth verse we sing, “He rules the world with truth and grace.” That will happen when He returns; but in 2007 we will see Christ rule His Church with truth and grace.”

When He returns, He will “make the nations prove the glories of his righteousness.” In 2007 he will cause His Church to show the glories of his righteousness, and the wonders of his love.

Oh the wonders of His love. You see, the Church gets the “sneak preview” of what is to come. The time is coming when we will see Jesus face-to-face (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:12). How glorious that will be. But God, in his goodness, has given us the opportunity to taste what is to come – by receiving His Lordship in our lives right now.

Today, yes today, you can begin to experience joy. The key is in focusing not on things, but on your faith. James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it pure joy [in the King James this says, “Count it all joy”].”

“Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

Do you realize how radical that is? If you would apply this, and you can, this is absolutely life-changing. When we focus on our trials – we lose our joy. So instead of focusing on the trials that you face, focus on the way in which your faith is being improved by those trials.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, “Be joyful always.” And you really can be joyful always; because your joy isn’t dependent on what is happening to you, but what is happening in you.

If you let Christ rule your heart with truth and grace; if you let Christ prove the glories of His righteousness in your heart; if you let Christ show you the wonders of his love you can “Count it all joy.” You can be joyful always.

My old Senior High Sunday School teacher worked the assembly lines for Ford; but he always did it with a smile on his face. People would ask him, “How can you smile at a crummy job like this.” And he would tell them. He would tell them that his smile came from the joy he had within him.

G. K. Chesterton said, “Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian.” We aren’t trying to keep it a secret. It’s just that no one can understand it, except Christians. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, which lives in the heart of true believers.

Joy comes to those for whom THE TRUTH HAS SET FREE – AMEN!