Luke 2:8-20, Matthew 2:1-12 - The Joy of the Lord
Welcome to Advent
Welcome to The Well Community Church. If we have not met yet, my name is Brad. I get the privilege of hanging out with you here today and celebrating Advent. Merry Christmas to everyone—to those in person, those joining us online at one of our campuses via video, and those sitting at home watching there. We are just so grateful that you’re with us.
We are in a four-week series of Advent. If Advent is new for you, it is an opportunity for us to downshift, remember the Lord, and reflect upon the hope that is in Christ, the peace that is in Christ, the joy that is in Christ, and ultimately the love that is in Christ. If you happen to be a guest here with us today—and this is the time of year where a lot of folks say, “It’s the end of the year, it’s Christmas, I should go to church”—welcome. We are so glad you’re here.
I want you to know what you are going to get here at The Well Community Church: we are going to handle the Bible because the Bible is the revealed Word of God. We are going to teach the Scriptures and seek to understand who God is and what that means for us. The hero of the text from beginning to end is the person of Jesus Christ. And so we are going to proclaim Him, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we might present, by God’s grace, everyone complete in Christ. It’s for that purpose we labor, striving according to His might, which mightily works within us.
Colossians 1:28-29 (NASB)
We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.
Hope and Peace in Christ
A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the first week of Advent: that He is our hope. If you weren’t with us, one of the things we brought up is that there is no hope apart from Him. There is no hope in anything or anyone other than the person and work of Christ. You may have tried to find hope in the things of this world, but you’ve probably come to realize, as most of us have, that nothing in this world can truly provide hope like Jesus can. If you try to find it in the things of this world, you will find yourself feeling like something is missing. That is by design, meant to lead us to the realization that there has to be hope beyond this world.
Titus puts it this way when he reminds us that we were all once foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our lives in malice and envy. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us—not on the basis of deeds done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Titus 3:3-7 (NASB)
For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and [His] love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to [the] hope of eternal life.
There is no hope in anyone but Christ. We also saw that He is our peace, and there is no true peace in anything other than Him. The book of Isaiah reminds us that a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest upon His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (NASB)
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Indeed, Christ is our peace. For those who have placed their faith in Christ, the Bible says you have been justified by faith, and therefore you have peace with God. The enmity and alienation you once experienced with God has been removed because of the work of Christ; you have been united, redeemed, and reconciled to Him.
The Shift to Joy
The first two weeks of Advent are designed to cause us to slow down, reflect, and even be moved to repentance. They are meant to awaken our deep need for a hope and a peace that we do not possess in ourselves, but must receive through Christ.
When you get to the third week, however, Advent takes a pivot. Instead of an internalized, reflective, somber posture moving us toward repentance, it shifts to joy. What we begin to experience in this season is a joyous reflection upon the person and work of Jesus Christ and what He has done to provide this joy for us.
The Old Testament Hebrew word for joy is Simchah, which carries the idea of jubilation, happiness, satisfaction, pleasure, and delight. Similar to the word we learned last week—Shalom, which is translated as peace—Shalom is not merely the absence of conflict; it is when everything is right, whole, and as it should be. In many ways, joy is similar. Joy is not just a fleeting emotion; it is not merely laughing. Joy is the deep sense that all is right. It is experiencing delight, satisfaction, and God’s pleasure because we are reconciled to our God.
The New Testament Greek word is chara, which shares this meaning of joy, gladness, delight, and profound satisfaction. This is the very joy that surrounds the birth narrative of Jesus.
Good News of Great Joy for Shepherds
If you have your Bible, turn to Luke chapter 2. We will look at Luke 2 and then Matthew 2, examining the birth narrative of Jesus—the Christmas story behind the nativity scenes sitting in our homes—and being reminded of the joy our Savior provides.
In Luke chapter 2, the very first people told about the coming of this Savior are shepherds. That is significant for a number of reasons. Throughout the Old Testament, God drops clues across the pages of Scripture that Someone is coming. Whether it’s the “He” of Genesis 3:15, the seed from the line of Abraham in Genesis 12, the ruler from the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49, or the King from the house of David in 2 Samuel 7, the Old Testament continuously builds anticipation. Yet the Old Testament finishes somewhat open-ended: you know He is coming, but you don’t yet see Him.
Then in Luke 2, we receive the first picture of God clothing Himself in humanity through the vulnerable infancy of the baby Jesus. What strikes me is that the shepherds are told first. That says so much about our God. In that culture, being a shepherd was not a sought-after career. No child looked at their father and said, “Dad, when I grow up, I want to be a shepherd.” You were a shepherd simply because your dad and granddad were shepherds. It was not prestigious, nor was it considered a particularly religious role.
Yet the birth of the Savior is announced first to a group of shepherds—not the religious elite, not the wealthy, not the well-connected, but a group of perceived misfits working out in the field. I love that because most of my life, I feel far more like a shepherd than anything else. God loves the shepherds.
Luke 2:8-14 (NASB)
In the same region there were [some] shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, ’Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ‘This [will be] a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’
Don’t miss the sheer awe of what happened there. Here they are standing in the dark, hearing that the Messiah who brings joy has arrived. Suddenly, the skies roll back, the heavens open up, and an angelic choir sings praises to God. These men had never even seen a streetlight, and now they are witnessing the glory of heaven. They must have been completely overwhelmed.
Luke 2:15-20 (NASB)
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds [began] saying to one another, ‘Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
I love their urgency. They don’t say, “Let’s check on the sheep first” or “Let’s call home.” They say, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem right now and see this thing the Lord has made known to us.” They hurry, find Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger, and immediately share what they had been told. Mary treasures these things in her heart, and the shepherds return glorifying and praising God.
Our traditional Christmas carols capture this rich theology. Consider the hymn God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen:
God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, For Jesus Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy.
From God our heavenly Father a blessed angel came, And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same, How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy.
The shepherds at those tidings rejoiced much in mind, And left their flocks a-feeding in tempest, storm, and wind, And went to Bethlehem straightway the Son of God to find. O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy.
For generations, we have sung about this very moment: the joy of God made flesh, His love poured out in Christ, and shepherds carrying tidings of comfort and joy.
Wise Men Seeking the King
Sometime later, Matthew chapter 2 records another visit by a very different group of people. These were not local outcasts; they were scholars and dignitaries—Magi from the East.
Matthew 2:1-6 (NASB)
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’ When Herod the king heard [this], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, ’In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’’
In this narrative, you see two starkly contrasting motives. The Magi have an earnest desire to seek and worship this King. King Herod, on the other hand, has no desire to worship; he wants to destroy this child because he feels threatened by Him. When Herod inquires of the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah was to be born, they point directly to the prophet Micah: Bethlehem in the land of Judah.
Matthew 2:7-12 (NASB)
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found [Him], report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.’ After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over [the place] where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned [by God] in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
When the wise men saw the star resting over the place where the child was, Scripture says they “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Why? Because they understood what they were beholding. They knew this was the promised Savior of the world. They fell down, worshiped Him, and presented treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh—gold symbolizing His worth, frankincense His deity and royalty, and myrrh preparing Him for His eventual death.
Isaac Watts captured this reality in Joy to the World:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing.
Why does heaven and nature sing? Because Christ the Messiah reconciles us back to the Father.
Apart from Jesus, we are separated from our holy, righteous God. We are sinful, and there is nothing good dwelling in our flesh that can unite us to God on our own merit. But God, through Christ, has reconciled us. Because we are restored into a right relationship with our Creator who loves us, we experience a profound joy—a knowledge that all is fundamentally right. It does not mean we will never face conflict, sickness, or sorrow; it means that because of Him, we have an anchoring joy in the midst of whatever comes our way.
Joy Motivated the Cross
Jesus did not come into the world merely to lay in a manger; He came on a mission driven by joy.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB)
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus was moved by joy to accomplish our redemption. He did not come begrudgingly. He didn’t arrive frustrated with humanity, saying, “If you would just stop sinning, I wouldn’t have to do this.” No, for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, despising its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. What was that joy? The joy of oneness with the Father and the joy of bringing us into that same reconciled fellowship.
Luke 15:7 (NASB)
’I tell you that in the same way, there will be [more] joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Jesus tells us that heaven erupts with joy when one sinner repents. True joy is found when we recognize the depth of our sin, turn to Christ, and are reconciled to the Father. It is not found in religious performance or self-righteousness; it is found in repentance and grace.
Charles Wesley and George Whitefield wrote of this reconciliation in Hark! The Herald Angels Sing:
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!” Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies; With the angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord; Late in time, behold Him come, offspring of the favored one: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity, Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.*
Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”
Abiding in the Vine
If you try to find lasting joy in the things of this world, you will always come up empty. The things of this world were never designed to satisfy your soul.
1 John 2:15-16 (NASB)
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
True joy is found in Christ alone. In John 15, Jesus explains that the Father is the vinedresser, He is the true vine, and we are the branches. As we abide in Him and remain in His love, something is produced in our lives that we could never generate on our own.
John 15:11 (NASB)
’These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and [that] your joy may be made full.
God provides what we lack. Joy in the midst of suffering, trials, and cultural chaos is not a product of human willpower. It is not simply grit or pasting on a smile and saying, “Choose joy.” Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
As we abide in Christ by the Spirit, a supernatural transformation occurs: we are no longer satisfied by the empty offerings of the world; we are satisfied in Him. Peter describes this enduring joy under trial.
1 Peter 1:8 (NASB)
and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
This Christmas season, God offers us hope, peace, and inexpressible joy through Christ. And not only do we get to experience this joy, we have the immense privilege of proclaiming it to the world. The Apostle John writes about this fellowship and proclamation.
1 John 1:1-4 (NASB)
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life– and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us– what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
John is saying, “We walked with Him, we heard Him, we saw Him, and we are telling you so that your joy may be full.” We get to point people to Jesus so that they, too, may experience the delight and wholeness of reconciliation with God.
The First and Second Advent
Advent holds a double meaning: we remember His first coming, and we eagerly anticipate His second coming.
In His first Advent, Jesus came in humility—born in a manger, living a perfect life, dying on a cross, rising from the dead, and ascending to the Father. If you have never embraced the gospel, that joy is available to you today. It does not come through religious rule-following or trying to be a good person. It comes when you raise the white flag of surrender and say, “Lord, I cannot save myself; I need You.” Like the shepherds, you simply respond in faith to the good news.
And then we look forward to the second Advent. If you have read the end of the Scriptures, you know how the story ends. It takes away the anxiety of wondering who wins. When you watch a game knowing the final score, you don’t panic during the tough moments.
In Revelation 19, Jesus returns as the victorious King of kings. He will establish His kingdom, make all things new, and wipe away every tear. Isaiah describes that glorious day.
Isaiah 51:11 (NASB)
So the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy [will be] on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.
When Christ returns, we will be with Him forever, delighting in His presence without end. Sorrow and sighing will flee away forever.
Psalms 16:11 (NASB)
You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
If you have trusted in Jesus Christ, that is your eternal future. That is our hope, our peace, and our joy. And if you have not yet trusted in Him, His invitation still stands. You will not find lasting hope, peace, or joy anywhere else. For the joy set before Him, Jesus endured the cross for you. Turn to Him, receive His grace, and know the fullness of His joy.
A Closing Prayer
God, I am so grateful that this Christmas season we can celebrate Advent, slow down, and remember what You have done for us. Thank You for the joy You provide. Thank You that You love us and made a way for us, so that we are not trapped in our sin. Lord, what a privilege and gift it is to be reconciled to God through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. We thank You for the joy we have in Him. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.