Joy is Jesus
Week 3 — ADVENT 2025: JOY
I’ve been challenged this Christmas season to zero in on the Hope and Peace that Christ brings—the heart of Christmas, the reason Jesus stepped into our world to satisfy that deep, eternal longing in every human heart.
If we’re not careful, words like Hope and Peace can get buried under the noise of life. They start to feel heavy, distant, or too impossible for the messy reality we’re living in right now. And if we’re not paying attention, we’ll keep pushing them off into the future, waiting for the day we finally “feel” them. But I want to say it loud and clear: Hope and Peace are here, and they are found in Jesus.
The hope we have in Christ isn’t some fingers-crossed, “I hope-so” kind of wish. It’s not wishful thinking like “I hope this works out.” No—this hope is a confident expectation. It’s a “know-so” hope that stands tall above every circumstance, especially when everything around us looks hopeless.
The same is true of peace. The peace of the gospel isn’t the absence of conflict; it’s the presence of the Lord. It’s the unshakable steadiness of God right in the middle of the storm.
Hope and Peace are massive spiritual realities and so is JOY— our focus this third week of Advent. These are giant words because Jesus takes them to an entirely different level. BUT if we’re not careful, they can slip away—or get lost—in the chaos of life. When trouble hits or when conflict strikes, a lot of people jump ship because they’ve never grasped what true hope, peace, and joy really are. I know this is true, because I have experienced this in my own life. Sometimes it’s easier for me to focus on the fray of life instead of my faith in Jesus.
"Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to despair; but great thoughts of Christ will pilot you into the haven of peace." – Charles Spurgeon
Let’s take a closer look at that word JOY this Advent seasons. In Luke’s Gospel—chapter 2, verse 10—the angel of the Lord drops another giant word on us—JOY. And it all begins with the angles’ first two words:
“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’” (Luke 2:10)
You’ll find those words, “fear not”—or some variation of them—all over Scripture. God spoke those words to Abraham when He promised to make him the Father of Nations (The Abrahamic Covenant.) Moses spoke those words to Israel on the edge of the Red Sea. He told the Children of Israel not to fear and to see the salvation on the Lord. After the death of Moses,’ God told Joshua not to fear as he prepared to lead the Children of Israel to take the Promised Land. Throughout the Prophecy of Isaiah, the Lord comforted His people over and over again with those words, “Fear not.”
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Two chapters later:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1-3)
Back to Luke 2, the Angel of the Lord knew exactly why the shepherds needed to hear those words, “Fear not” first as something world-changing was about to take place: “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy…”
To “Behold” is to pay close attention— to wake up. This isn’t ordinary news the shepherds were about to hear—this is life-altering, history-shifting news and the angel called it “good news.” Don’t glide past that phrase, “good news.” In the original language, it’s literally the gospel. The whole gospel is wrapped up in those two words: “Good News”—“good news of great JOY!”
Joy is the other giant word. One writer I appreciate defines joy as “the inner state of well-being.” I love that. It’s deeply biblical. Joy isn’t about the outer state of well-being—because life gets messy, doesn’t it? Sometimes it’s downright hard. But real joy isn’t tied to our circumstances. Real joy is Jesus—rooted in His finished work on the cross that gives us victory over anything life throws at us. Joy is that deep, inner well-being that becomes a weapon in spiritual warfare, guarding our hearts and turning us away from cheap earthly pleasures toward the lasting pleasures of God.
"Joy is an unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction... It is never in our power and pleasure often is." – C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy
This “great joy” is succinctly wrapped up in the message of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” That’s the good news the angel announced to those shepherds—the glorious gospel of Jesus. And this good news comes packed with “great joy.”
This “great joy” is nothing less than the “good news” of Jesus Himself – this “Child born in the city of David.” The Apostle Peter describes this “great joy” it like this: “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)
Friends, perhaps the one of the greatest truths about this “great joy” is that we don’t have to wait for heaven to taste this joy. We can know and experience this “great joy”—this inexpressible glorious joy that words can barely capture… AND IT’S FOUND IN THE JOY OT THE LORD!
Nehemiah declared, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Nehemiah declared this right in the middle of rebuilding Jerusalem’s ruins after years of captivity and destruction. Nothing about their situation looked joyful. But remember, joy isn’t dictated by the outside. Joy is Jesus. It’s faith in Him that lifts our eyes above the temporary wreckage and fixes them on the true meaning of life.
And because joy begins on the inside, it ought to manifest itself on the outside too. Christianity is not a frowning contest. I still don’t get how some folks who claim to believe this “good news of great joy” can be the grumpiest, rudest, most sour people you meet. May the Lord remind us afresh of what the angel declared that night!
Remember, this message wasn’t just for the handful of shepherds. It was “for all the people.” The good news of great joy is universal, offered freely to anyone who will believe—the “whosoever” of John 3:16 and all those of whom Peter said the promise is for “you and for your children and for all who are far off” (Acts 2:39). It’s as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10:13: “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
That’s the angel’s message of “Great Joy.” It’s Jesus.
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
Closing Thoughts
In 1719, Englishman and Pastor, Isaac Watts penned these words as a part of the Christmas Classic, Joy to the World. Watts wrote,
Joy to the world the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing. And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sound in joy, repeat the sound in joy, repeat, repeat the sound in joy.
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. far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, and wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love.
As we continue to move about this Christmas season, my prayer for you and that you will look past the hustle and bustle of the season and experience the real Joy that is Christmas – the Joy of the Lord and may the God of all comfort give you peace.
Perhaps your joy has been lacking. Perhaps the fray of life has taken a real toll on you and now all of a sudden, the adversary has robbed you of your joy.
Or maybe you’ve be caught up by everything else this Holiday Season EXCEPT JOY. I want to invite you to take the next few moments in prayer and ask God to remind you of His goodness in your life and to remind you of what the Joy of Christmas is really all about.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. – Romans 15:13
YOU ARE LOVED,
PastorPusch
