Christmas Carols, Part 3 Sunday, December 16, 2012
“Joy to the World”
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. Luke 2:8-10 (NKJV)
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Luke 2:28-32 (NKJV)
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:33-35 (NKJV)
Video:
History of “Joy to the World”
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts – other familiar hymns
1. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
2. Alas and Did My Savior Bleed
3. Come Ye that Love the Lord
History of Joy to the World
Written in 1719 by Isaac Watts based on Psalm 98. Interestingly, this is the most published Christmas carol in North America, but it originally was not about Christmas. It is about the Second Coming of Christ.
Psalms 98
1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the Lord, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the Lord, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
The Nature of the Kingdom of God: the NOW and the NOT YET.
CONTEXT:
The shootings in CT this week:
Facebook postings:
26 dead what is the world coming to?
“Why in this Elementary School? Why in this class of innocent children?” I’m thinking that this makes plain that no one is safe in a culture of godlessness.
So...somebody tell me again what God's sovereign, "wonderful plan" and purpose was for what happened in that school in CT today.
WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?
Vision Statements:
In their book The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner write, "Every organization, every social movement, begins with a dream. The dream or vision is the force that invents the future." The following corporate vision statements, representing some of the dreams for various Fortune 500 companies, can challenge the church to ask, "What is Christ's dream or vision for our church?"
- Avon—"To be the company that best understands and satisfies the product, service, and self-fulfillment needs of women—globally."
- Amazon—"To be earth's most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online."
- Harley Davidson—"To fulfill dreams through the experiences of motorcycling."
- Starbucks—"To share great coffee with our friends and help make the world a little better."
- Hilton—"To fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality."
- J.C. Penny—"To be America's shopping destination for discovering great styles at compelling prices."
- CVS Caremark—"To improve the quality of human life."
- Johnson & Johnson (for a department that designs & manufactures orthopedic implants)—"Restoring the joy of motion"
- Kraft Foods—"To make today delicious."
- Toys 'R' Us—"To put joy in kids' hearts and a smile on parents' faces."
- Weyerhaeuser Company—"To release the potential in trees to solve important problems for people and the planet."
The Vision of Christmas:
1. Let earth receive her KING
VERSE 1:
Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let earth receive her King;
26 But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:26-28 (NIV)
2. Let the whole earth WORSHIP Him
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. … 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Romans 8:19, 22 (NIV)
3. He breaks the CURSE
VERSE 3:
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:13-14 (ESV)
4. He will PROVE His righteousness
VERSE 4:
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. Isaiah 42:3-4 (ESV)
One Last Point:
Let every heart prepare Him room,
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