Advent: Joy

From Pastor Ryan Lewis's message on Luke 2 • December 16, 2020

The sound of children laughing. Serving others. Joining with fellow believers in worship. The anticipation of Christmas.


JOY. It’s easy to describe, but not as easy to define.

In Luke 2:10-11, an angel announces,  “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.”


This verse tells us WHO joy comes from -- Jesus.


Perhaps it’s hard for the world to define joy because the world doesn’t know the true source.


Joy is a gift.

God’s arrival to earth in the flesh was always part of His plan. It was prophesied and longed for by His people. When the angel made the proclamation in Luke 2, this is what people had been waiting for -- in darkness -- for centuries, JOY.


Joy had been lost in the garden; God was no longer with His people.


When Jesus came back -- God in flesh! --  He bridged the gap. He is the SOURCE of joy and the GIFT of joy.


As receivers of this gift, we have a responsibility with it.


Joy is our duty and our delight. 

Any gift -- especially one as incredible as this -- should merit a response of gratitude to the giver.

Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” We are to joy and then we are to re-joy.

“What a gracious God we serve, who commands us to rejoice!”- Charles Spurgeon


The joy of a believer is not dictated by our circumstance. Joy is our duty because it’s a gift we have received in Christ, His joy is found in us.


“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18


“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that  your joy may be full.” - John 15:11


Joy may be our duty, but it’s not ours to perform in our own power. The Holy Spirit produces joy in our lives.


To get more joy, the world tells us we should “pray harder” or “have more faith”. The Bible tells us the opposite… that when someone believes and trusts in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is in that person and produces fruit in their life.


Joy is a fruit.


The primary source of joy in our lives is the Holy Spirit; not us. We don’t have to work really hard to find joy… we can unwrap the gift of Jesus and connect with the source of joy Himself. 


John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”


A vine only produces fruit because of what it’s connected to; it is rooted in its lifesource. When we abide in Christ and are rooted to the vine, the Holy Spirit produces much fruit! Joy included.


One of the things Satan tries to rob us of is our joy. Always the deceiver, he twists the truth and allows us to think that we can find more joy in things of this world than we can with God. Just like Adam and Eve in the garden, when they reached out to grab their own fruit, they received shame, guilt, anxiety and depression.


The irony is that when we try to grab our own joy we get these things too --  anxiety, stress, depression -- that lead us farther away from the Source.


The ultimate Source of joy is God. To find joy, abide in Him and trust where He leads. 


Joy is our delight.

When we find joy in Jesus, we are free to delight in our relationship with Him and the good gifts He gives us. Joy is not something look for, it’s something we appropriate -- or go deeper and deeper into -- when we are abiding in Christ.


When we stop looking at people and things as our source of joy, we are free to find joy in people and things.


God is the ultimate source of joy.


“Joy is a gift from God that “is ours today because Christ is here; it’s ours tomorrow because Christ will be there, and it’s ours forever because he will never leave us.”  -Amy Carmichael


Ever since sin entered the world, all of the earth has been longing for joy. The only person we will ever find joy or love or peace in is Jesus Christ.


Let us abide and rejoice.


..


Watch this sermon here. 

Arm Yourselves

June 11, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 4:1-6 Prepare to suffer Is. 50:6-8a I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. The martial language indicates that discipline and grit are needed to live the Christian life, particularly in view of the suffering believers encounter. -Thomas R. Schreiner Some people won’t like you if you follow Jesus When a culture abandons biblical standards, when extramarital sex, cohabitation, and birth outside of marriage become normal, people attack the church for its moral snobbery and judgmentalism. Peter warns us that if we do take a stand, we need to expect slander, not applause. -Daniel M. Dorian This is one of the hardest things a new Christian has to face. Your friends liked you because you shared in “the same flood of debauchery.” It seemed great fun at times, but then you came to embrace Christ… But your friends have not… They will be surprised when you say “No.” -Juan Sanchez. Keep an eternal perspective Our outcome is glorious Suffering is good for us Let’s remember that suffering accomplishes God’s purposes. It exposes what or whom we are trusting (1 Peter 1:6–7). - Juan Sanchez Ecc. 7:2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Discipleship Questions: Verse 1 tell us to arm ourselves by thinking as Christ did about suffering. How did Christ arm himself for and against sufferings? What does it look like for us to do that? Have you ever lost friendships (or had them change) because you were following Jesus? Do you fear that we (or our kids) will experience greater persecution in the future? If yes, how should we handle that fear?

I Believe That We Will Win

June 3, 2025
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:18-22 Jesus suffered and died in order to bring us to God Jesus conquered death by his resurrection “A wonderful text is this, and a more obscure passage perhaps than any other in the New Testament, so that I do not know for a certainty just what Peter means.” —Martin Luther Problem #1 - he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison —Jesus preached through Noah to those who lived at that time (1 Peter 1:10–12) —Jesus proclaimed His victory to evil angels (see Genesis 6:1-4) Problem #2 - baptism now saves you —Scripture is clear - we are saved by grace not works —baptism pictures our salvation from God’s judgment through the resurrection of Christ “The waters of baptism, like the waters of the flood, demonstrate that destruction is at hand, but believers are rescued from these waters in that they are baptized with Christ, who has also emerged from the waters of death through his resurrection. Just as Noah was delivered through the stormy waters of the flood, believers have been saved through the stormy waters of baptism by virtue of Christ’s triumph over death.” —Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude —in baptism we are appealing to God for a good conscience "This appeal is an act of the heart looking away from itself and from all human instruments and calling on God, appealing to God, for grace to save.” —John Piper —in baptism we are pledging to God to live in a manner worthy of the gospel Jesus ascended to heaven and now reigns over everything “We can face suffering as Christians with confidence rather than panic, and hope rather than despair, because the road marked with Christian suffering is, no matter what its twists and turns are, the road to vindication and glory. The God who vindicated Jesus will vindicate you, and he will sustain your faith until that day.” –Juan R. Sanchez, 1 Peter For You Discipleship Questions: How does Jesus’ death and resurrection encourage us when we suffer? Why did we need Jesus to suffer and die to bring us to God? How does Jesus’ victory over death give us eternal hope? What are your thoughts regarding some of the problems in this passage? How does what Peter says about baptism elevate the importance of baptism? When were you baptized and how does this passage inform your understanding of baptism? How does knowing our victory is secured help us with all the things this life throws at us?

Who Can Be Against Us?

May 27, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Nobody can (truly) hurt Christians Psalm 118:6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? The train of thought is as follows: “No one will be able to harm believers on the future day if they are zealous for good” (v. 13). Indeed, even present suffering is not a sign of punishment but of blessing both now and especially in the future, on the day when God rewards his people with eternal life. -Thomas R. Schreiner Honoring Christ Erases Fear Share your faith with strength and gentleness Embrace balance Be prepared to share The truth of the gospel is a public truth that can be defended in the public arena. This does not mean, of course, that every Christian is to be a highly skilled apologist for the faith. It does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others why they think the Christian faith is true. -Thomas R. Schreiner Be prepared to suffer “I’ve spent a number of years in India and Africa where I found much righteous endeavor undertaken by Christians of all denominations; but I never, as it happens, came across a hospital or orphanage run by the Fabian Society [a British socialist organization], or a humanist leper colony.” -Malcolm Muggeridge Be bold! We will likely suffer as Christians in this world, but that suffering is slight and temporary compared to the eternal inheritance that awaits us. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we die and receive our promised inheritance. Can you imagine how emboldened Christians would be if we only believed what Peter is saying? -Juan R. Sanchez Discipleship Questions: Does the fact that nobody can (truly) harm us comfort you? What would change if we lived like we really believe that? Are you a more confident person as someone who knows Christ? Does your security in Christ embolden you to take some risks in life, knowing that the worst that could happen is death? How equipped / prepared are you to give a reason for the hope that you have? What would grow your confidence and competence in that? Have you considered joining Michael Clark one day for evangelism at the harbor? Well….you should….
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