Good News of Great Joy
December 18, 2022 Speaker: Derek Whalen Series: Advent
Topic: UPCC Passage: Luke 2:8-20
Listen to sermon here.
Sermon Outline
1. What is Joy?
- Joy is the steady, confident, gladness of heart that comes from possessing salvation
in Christ, Living in the presence of Christ, and looking forward to the return of
Christ. - Joy IS a gift from God, but it is also our response to God (Rom. 15:13)
- Joy is NOT just a feeling although it often involves feeling
- Having joy does not mean we suppress grief and ignore sorrow (2 Cor. 6:10)
2. Where do we find joy?
- (Lk. 15, Rom. 15:13, 1 Pet. 1:8)
- Question: Have you ever repented of your sin and trusted in Christ for salvation?
3. How do we keep joy?
- Living in His presence (Ps. 16:8-11)
- Question: Are you living in the presence of Christ today?
- So what do we do when our joy is leaking or gone?
- Get close to the fire (Ps. 34:5)
- Identify Joy Robbers
- Ask God to restore in you the joy of his salvation (Ps. 51:12)
4. What is the anchor for our joy?
- The HOPE that we have in Christ (Phil. 4:4-5, Heb. 12:2)
- Biblical hope is a confident, eager anticipation that God is going to fulfill all his
promises to us in Christ Jesus.