This year Advent our focus is Joy. “Joy to the world the Lord has come.”

Joy seems to be a religious word we pull out with the Christmas decorations.  It is light and nice. We are also discovering Joy is a way to combat loneliness, depression, anxiety, and fear. It can help us break addictions, habits, and sin patterns in our lives.

How does joy do this? 

Neuroscience studies reveal that our brain feeds on joy, or what Dr. Allen Schore, a neuroscience researcher at UCLA calls “relational happiness”. When we are in someone’s presence who is happy to see us joy is felt and this releases Dopamine that our brain seeks.  

We experience joy and Rejoice!  Rejoice is the outward expression of joy in us.  It is the overflow of joy that comes from being so happy we cannot contain it or hide it.

We sang earlier, “Rejoice, rejoice, Immanuel”.  God has come to be close to you. The God who was distant has come near.

The God of creation has come to Israel and to us. This should trigger overflowing joy in us, so that rejoice!

Question: Think of the last time you were so happy you rejoiced?, What or who provoked it? Colts win, maybe your spouse did something nice, bonus at work, maybe it was an encounter with God in worship, an answered prayer?

Why do some people seem to have this joy and others don’t?

There may be loss in your life, separation from those you love. Yet, some still can experience joy even in these circumstances. 

Many are continually searching for something to make them happy. What if you discovered you had access to unending joy and happiness?

Imagine discovering a lost treasure buried in your backyard. Something that was there all time but suddenly you discovered it and you could access it. Would it change your life?  Your overall outlook?  Would you rejoice?

Regardless of your circumstances, or until you find that buried treasure, I want to show you how to live a more joyful life.

The passage we will look at today reveals why we struggle with joy and happiness. 

SIDENOTE: I am going to correct something I have taught in the past.  I was reviewing studies I had made and messages I’ve preached distinguishing between joy and happiness.  That happiness is circumstantial and joy is abiding in us and doesn’t depend on circumstances.

When we examine the Bible we don’t find the writers of scripture or the early church writers separating joy and happiness. They are used interchangeably.  If this is the case where did this separation come from?

I think it came primarily from the Puritans who thought that happiness wasn’t being serious.  If we experienced something outside of God it must be bad.

Let’s see happiness and joy as synonyms.  

The problem is that we seek lots of things outside of God to find happiness.

What if all of the habits and weaknesses we give into to try and gain some happiness could be filled instead with God’s presence in such a way that we could break their power over us?

Question: If you could stop something in your life right now, what would it be?

When we walk with God He offers us continual joy and peace. Knowing He is happy to see us and is pleased with us.  Knowing He never leaves us.  These are qualities and views that keep us in joy instead of despair. 

We get to the place where we walk with God with an increasing awareness of His presence. This gives us a continual dose of relational joy and peace. Neurologically and psychologically the brain gets that shot of dopamine it craves.

While this seems logical too many cannot see this truth. They see it as out of reach. But what if you began just 2-3 times per day stopping and remembering God is with you?  You would be feeding your brain the Dopamine and Serotonin it craves and you feel joy and peace through this relational connection with God.

The Enemy’s Play

There is another factor at play and that is Satan’s efforts to distract and deceive you. Paul addresses this in his letter to the Church at Corinth.

Paul’s writings in 2 Cor. 3-4 describe the deception of the enemy who blinds the eyes, and minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the truth. 

If you are committed follower of Jesus you might not be deceived but you are certainly capable of being distracted from God.

If Satan cannot stop you from having a relationship with Jesus he blinds us into a shallow and left-brain relationship where we keep God at a distance. For many this is all they believe they can have.

Paul relates a story from the Old Testament to illustrate his point about people being spiritually blind and unable to connect with God.

Moses has this encounter with God for 40 days on Mt. Sinai. He comes down and his face is glowing. 

Think of a solar panel that absorbs power from exposing itself to the sun. It draws light and power from the time in the sun’s presence. This power is transferred to a battery to later be released to power something else. That is a good description of the Christian life. 

Moses has a problem though. The glory of being in God’s presence is fading. It is, either from fear, the people will not be as impressed with him or the fact the people cannot stand that bright shining into their lives and exposing their sinfulness, but Moses wears a veil, again to either hide what is there or what is not there. 

Even the ministry that was characterized by chiseled letters on stone tablets came with a dazzling measure of glory, though it produced death. The Israelites couldn’t bear to gaze on the glowing face of Moses because of the radiant splendor shining from his countenance—a glory destined to fade away.  2 Corinthians 3:7 TPT

The result is that people don’t see clearly. They have Moses’ story and they listen to his experience but they do not have a personal encounter with God.  They have rejected Him.  EAnd paul states that even the encounter Moses has with God over those 40 days on the mountain is going to fade.

In other words, we can’t live on past experiences with God. Those experiences can inspire us but the question is always where is your heart today with God.

We are not like Moses, who used a veil to hide the glory to keep the Israelites from staring at him as it faded away. Their minds were closed and hardened, for even to this day that same veil comes over their minds when they hear the words of the former covenant. The veil has not yet been lifted from them, for it is only eliminated when one is joined to the Messiah. 2 Corinthians 3:13‭-‬14 TPT

So Moses covered his face whenever he spoke to the people.  He wasn’t himself.  There was a veil or mask.  When we are not ourselves and are unwilling to let people see the real us we lose our influence because there is no trust.  I have to feel safe and trust you to risk showing you the real me.

The result is that wherever Moses spoke the people couldn’t receive, couldn’t comprehend God’s truth or what a real relationship with God looks like.

Paul does not blame Moses.  The problem is that the people have refused to open their lives to God and to submit to Him.  We don’t often call out rebellion enough in people.  A lot of the pain in people’s lives is through their own selfish choices.  They can say they love God but still violate His rule in their lives.

The Good News is that right now at this very moment you can make the choice to surrender your will to God.  “Not my will but yours be done.”

15 So until now, whenever the Old Testament] is being read, the same blinding comes over their hearts. 16 But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. 17 Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom.  2 Cor. 3:‬18 TPT

18 We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  2 Cor. 3:‬18 TPT

The closer you get to the light the more it is reflected in us.  

Illustration flashlight.  As it moves closer to my face the more the light is reflected.

Paul says that many people cannot see Jesus or experience Him because Satan blinded them.

Even if our gospel message is veiled, it is only veiled to those who are perishing, for their minds have been blinded by the god of this age, leaving them in unbelief. Their blindness keeps them from seeing the dayspring light of the wonderful news of the glory of Jesus Christ, who is the divine image of God. 2 Cor. 4:3‭-‬4 TPT

What is the answer for these people?  They need to see Jesus reflected in us.

For God, who said, “Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,” is the one who has cascaded his light into us—the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor. 4:6 TPT

This is the meaning of Christmas.  The celebration of light invading our darkness globally and personally.  This light is generated through the knowledge of God (left brain) and gazing into the face of Jesus (right brain).

Lest we get prideful and think this power is ours and want to bottle and sell it through our global TV ministry, Paul reminds us… 

We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within so that the extraordinary overflow of power will be seen as God’s, not ours. 2 Cor. 4:7 TPT

This season joy should hold new meaning if you have been following this teaching on Transformation.  I believe it gives the season of Christmas and the theme of joy a whole new meaning.  Meditate for a moment on these familiar lyrics.

Joy to the World

The Lord has come.

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare Him room.

People cannot prepare room for Jesus in their hearts or receive Jesus as their King and Lord if we do not share a message of joy that overflows from within us through acts and words of love.  

I challenge you to let the celebration of the coming of Immanuel give you cause to Rejoice!