Skip to main content

Good News of Great Joy


“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. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”
Luke 2:10-11

            The story of Christmas is a key part in the gospel and is more marvelous and incredible than any work of fiction. Yet many times Christmas seems like old news to us and while we enjoy the season, the story of God coming to earth and being born as a man does not seem to captivate us and cause us to rejoice as much as it should. I see this in myself; it is so easy to get distracted at this time of year. So, let us take time to look at the good news of Christmas and the joy it should bring those who have been born again, and let us praise and glorify God for it.

            The angels came bearing good news. This good news is the gospel which simply means “good news”. And this is the good news: a Savior was born. He would be called Jesus, for he would “save His people from their sin.” (Matthew 1:21) The angels said that this child was a Savior who is the Christ (the Messiah). The Jews had awaited this Christ for many years, and now He was here! Still, this child was not only a Savior and the Christ, but He was also the Lord; He was God. Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” which means “God with us”. Jesus is God, yet He humbled Himself and became a man! Paul says in Philippians 2 that even “though [Jesus] was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8) He came, not to overthrow the Romans, but to die. He did not come as a conquering king, but as child. And this child would grow up like a young plant. He would have no form or majesty that we should look at Him nor would he have any beauty that we should desire Him. He would be despised and rejected, a man of sorrows well acquainted with grief, for He would bear our grief and carry our sorrows. He would be wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. We had all gone astray like sheep. Yet the Lord would lay upon Him our iniquities. And by His stripes would we be healed. (Isaiah 53) Those who turn to Jesus, the Savior who is Christ the Lord, repenting of their sins will be saved. How amazing is the grace of God, that He would send His Son to bear our sin! Jesus came so that we might be saved; and this is the gospel, the good news.

            This news that the angels brought was not just good news, but good news of great joy, joy that stems from the good news. A Savior has come and brought redemption and we who know Him should rejoice in the salvation He has brought us. John Calvin comments on this passage saying, “By calling it great joy, he shows us, not only that we ought, above all things, to rejoice in the salvation brought us by Christ, but that this blessing is so great and boundless, as fully to compensate for all the pains, distresses, and anxieties of the present life. Let us learn to be so delighted with Christ alone, that the perception of his grace may overcome, and at length remove from us, all the distresses of the flesh.” So let us rejoice in Christ and be delighted with Him alone, especially in this season. But what does this joy look like? How do we rejoice in Christ? Again, before can rejoice in Jesus we must understand something of the good news of redemption. We must also realize that joy is not a mere fleeting feeling, but rather a state of the heart and mind that is lasting. To rejoice in Christ is to delight in Christ and to have pleasure in Christ that is not momentary but lasting. To have more joy in Christ, we must know Him more. We must also understand more of His work of grace and mercy. If you wish to have more joy in Christ this Christmas (as we all should), take time to open the Word of God and read the Christmas story and  read of the work of Christ on the cross. Cry out to God for more understanding. Maybe, instead of spending an evening watching a classic Christmas movie, spend it reading and meditating on the birth and work of Christ. This will help your joy in Christ grow.

            As the shepherds we should praise and glorify God for this good news of great joy. The shepherds reacted to this news by making haste to see the Christ-child. Luke 2:15-16 says, “When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” The shepherds did not seem to doubt the angels, but trusted their message, making haste to see the child. They did not doubt like Zechariah did in Luke 1 when an angel told him he would have a son in his old age. May we, like the shepherds, have faith in the promises God has given us in His Word. After seeing Jesus, the Shepherds left proclaiming what they had seen and heard, praising and glorifying God. “And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:17-20) As we see Christ in the scriptures we should come away glorifying and praising God as the Shepherds did. When we see the grace of God in Christmas, may we praise and glorify God for it, and not only on Christmas but every day! So, our joy in Christ should result in worshiping Him and praising and glorifying His holy Name, for He is infinitely worthy of our worship! 

            So meditate on the gospel this Christmas. Remember the good news of the grace of God! And if you have never turned to Christ and believed on Him, may today be the day: Turn to Him! Rejoice in the gospel and in Christ, and glorify and praise God for His grace. All of this may seem like old news, but let it sink in again. Even though we may have heard the Christmas story thousands of times, may it not be old news to us, but good news of great joy as fresh and meaningful as ever, causing us to praise and glorify God.
           
              

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Dangerous Teachings of the Jesus Culture Movement

              Jesus Culture began in 1999 as a conference, called the Jesus Culture Conference, led by Banning Liebscher, the youth pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California. [1] The music at these conferences were led by Kim Walker-Smith and the others who would become known as the Jesus Culture band. While many are aware only of their music, Jesus Culture is more than a band; it “is a movement with the purpose to ignite revival in the nations of the earth!” [2] While Jesus Culture is more than a band, it is their music that has grown in popularity. They even performed at the Louie Giglio’s Passion Conference in January of 2013 at which John Piper was a speaker. Many young Christians are familiar with the music of Jesus Culture, and many churches, Bible camps, and other ministries sing their songs in worship. However, Jesus Culture is not just a band; it is a movement that promotes false teaching and teachers, is built not on the Bible but on the supposed visions and propheci
21 comments
Read more

Justification by Faith in Romans

Introduction During the height of the Protestant Reformation, John Calvin wrote in an early edition of his Institutes of the Christian Religion that justification by faith “is the chief article of the Christian religion.” [1] Many of the Reformers would have said the same. Many today, however, argue that justification is of secondary importance. The doctrine of “justification by faith” in Romans especially has been the subject of intense debate. In the first five chapters of this letter, Paul lays out the doctrine of justification by faith. Thus, in understanding Romans, one must come to grips with what Paul teaches about this doctrine throughout the book. In the first five chapters of Romans, Paul suggests that justification occurs when God, once and for all, declares righteous, on the basis of Christ’s death and resurrection, the one who believes in Jesus, leading to great peace, access into God’s grace, and the certain hope of glory. Definition In his letter to the Roma
Post a Comment
Read more

The Destiny of the Unevangelized

  As Western Civilization has become more globally aware and more religiously and culturally diverse, many evangelical Christians honestly wonder about the fate of those who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel—the unevangelized. Many ask themselves. “Will God really condemn people who have not even had the opportunity to hear about Jesus?” On account of this, some have abandoned the faith and embraced pluralism, denying the uniqueness of Jesus and affirming the salvific nature of all religions that promote good. Others, however, seek to stay true to the Bible and affirm that salvation is Solus Christus , in Christ alone. Nevertheless, not all evangelicals agree about the fate of the unevangelized. The Bible teaches that though all mankind, including the unevangelized, are dead in their sin and destined for eternal separation from God, God lovingly redeems those who, upon hearing the gospel in this life, place their faith in Jesus. Thus, hearing and believing the gos
Post a Comment
Read more