Fourth Sunday of Advent: He came to give joy

(This is the fourth post in a four-part series that seeks to help Christians observe Advent, that season celebrating the coming of our Savior and leading to Christmas Day. This series is designed for use on each Sunday of Advent, but it can be used at any point -- and this one will have to be, since it is late, for which I apologize.)

God the Son came to earth as an embryo in a virgin's womb and as a baby born in a stable to give His people the kind of existence they otherwise could never possess.

He came to give life to those who trust in Him. The apostle John testified to this truth in his first letter, saying, "By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him" (I John 4:9).

We were dead in our sins, as the apostle Paul wrote in Eph. 2:1, but God, "being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Eph. 2:4).

The Son came to give us life, but it is not just any life or life only as opposed to physical death. During His public ministry, Jesus proclaimed this reality, saying, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

This abundant life could be described as a life of joy. It is not an abundant life based on the possession of things or the absence of pain. It is not an abundant life based on self-fulfillment. It is a life centered on Christ Jesus -- knowing Him and making Him known, valuing Him pre-eminently.

John Piper has famously written, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." He has gone on to make the point that God's glory and our joy are not at odds.

God the Son came to give His people joy. True joy can only be found in Another, not in ourselves. That One in whom true joy is found is the One whose coming we celebrate at Christmas. That joy is in an unchangeable, indestructible King who rules over an unshakable kingdom. As citizens of that kingdom, we can experience a joy that always rules despite our circumstances.

May we realize that anew this Christmas and place our hope for joy in Him and not in any of the trappings of the season.

Here is Chris Tomlin's version of "Joy to the World," which we have sung the last two Sundays.