Fourth Week of Advent (Joy) - Part 1

Joy in the Birth of Christ and the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website, morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to the gospel of Luke, chapter 1. Luke, chapter 1, and this is, of course, the final week of Advent, and the theme, as we heard, is joy.

The Angel’s Announcement of Great Joy

And there was, of course, great joy surrounding the birth of Christ, as we read earlier in the scripture reading. What did the angel of the Lord say to the shepherds while they were watching over their flocks by night?

The angel said, Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. And now we're going to look at this text of scripture that oftentimes doesn't get a whole lot of attention. This is the account of Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth, who was with child.

Mary, Elizabeth, and John Leaping for Joy

Luke, chapter 1, starting in verse 39. Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste to a city of Judah and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

Let's open in prayer. Our Father, as we look to your word this morning, give us understanding. Help us not only to learn about the subject of joy, help us by your spirit to be joyful because of what you have done for us.

So we ask that you would illuminate your word, speak to us through it. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

Amen.

All right, in this passage we just read, Mary, the mother of Jesus, visits her cousin or relative or whatever the relation was, who is pregnant with a baby boy. And this baby boy would grow up to be who?

John.

John the Baptist, the great prophet of Israel who had that high privilege of being the forerunner to the Messiah. But long before that, long before John introduced Jesus to Israel as the Lamb of God, long before that, when John was still a baby in his mother's womb, we read about this curious account where, upon hearing the voice of Mary, he leaps for joy.

Now, the Bible doesn't really tell us what the theological significance is of this event, but we do see a couple things. Number one, when this happens, what takes place with Elizabeth? She is filled with the Holy Spirit.

That's number one. And then number two, I think it's safe to say that the reason she was filled, the reason why the baby, is it leaped or leapt?

Yes.

Yes, okay, either one, good. You can correct my grammar after, okay? It's safe to say the reason why the baby leaped for joy was because of Jesus. It was because of Jesus. Yes, it was the sound of Mary's voice that brought this about.

But what is significant about Mary? She was a godly woman, no doubt about that, a chosen woman. Blessed was she or is she among women. But in verse 42, Elizabeth gives us the answer. She said, blessed is the fruit of your womb.

So Mary was blessed among women. This is another thing. Is it blessed or blessed? We don't know.

Yes, right?

Mary was blessed among women because of the fruit of her womb. Because of Jesus. Now turn to Psalm chapter 16. Psalm chapter 16, and as you're turning there, Elizabeth was kind of wondering about this great honor and that she says, you know, why is it that the mother of my Lord would come to me?

So again, she says, the mother of my Lord, they understood something about what was happening. And it's interesting that God had arranged this connection between Jesus and John the Baptist. We know about the connection when Jesus and before Jesus starts his ministry, but that connection was even before they were born.

I find that fascinating. John in utero leaped for joy.

Why?

Well, David wrote in Psalm 1611. I think this is the reason we'll get to that. But he says of the Lord, you will show me the path of life.

Why?

Because in your presence is fullness of joy.

Okay.

In the Lord's presence is the fullness of joy. Why did the baby leap for joy? Because he was in the presence of the Lord. And because of that, even as an unborn baby, he was filled with joy so much so it spread to his mother, who was filled with the Holy Ghost.

So what about this word joy? The Greek word Kara is, at least in the King James version of the Bible, translated 51 times as joy and three times as gladness. So we see that joy and gladness are synonyms.

And in that same Psalm, Psalm 16, David also says, starting in verse eight, I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad. So my heart is glad and my glory rejoices, and my flesh also will rest in hope.

So the baby John leaped or leapt for joy. Was it not because of the Lord? Because the Lord was before him. Whatever synonym we use for joy, whether it's joy or gladness or rejoicing or exaltation or delight, isn't this what we want?

Isn't this what we want, especially now? Isn't this what the Lord wants for us?

Joy.

Well, if we agree on that, that it's what we want, and it's what the Lord wants for us, how do we find it? How do we acquire joy? Well, the answer I think we can find in Psalm 16. We must set the Lord before us, but not just that.

We must set the Lord always before us. Psalm 16, verse 11. Again, you will show me the path of life in your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures for evermore. Now, David, who wrote this Psalm, he knew what he was talking about.

A man after God's own heart. David knew what it was like to set the Lord before him. And because of that, David had joy in his heart. And that comes out in many of the Psalms, which express the blessing of God that is available to all who set the Lord before them.

But David also knew what it was like to lack joy. In Psalm chapter 51, what did he say? Here's the contrast. I have set the Lord always before me. That's how you have joy. But in Psalm 51, what did he say?

My sin is always before me. And with that statement, we see a contrast. And then David contemplates the effects of sin in Psalm 32. When his sin is always before him, what did he say? When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all day long.

For day and night, your hand was heavy upon me, and my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. But then I acknowledged my sin to you, and my iniquity I have not hidden. And I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

So here's one of the points I want you to consider this morning. Something will always be set before you. Either you will have the Lord set always before you, or you will have your sin set before you.

It will be one or the other. It is your choice. The Lord can give us joy, the fullness of joy. Fountains of living water. Our sin gives us what? Dryness in our bones. And our vitality turned to the drought of summer.

When I read that verse, I think of Psalm chapter 1. That's the first thing that comes into my head. Psalm chapter 1, which says, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord.

And in his law, he meditates day and night. And because of this, what? He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bring forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.

Anyone who reads Psalm chapter 1, you say,.

Yes, that's what I want.

That's what I want in my life. I want to be blessed. I want to be like that tree planted beside the rivers of water. Well, if you want that, then set the Lord before you. Set the Lord always before you.

Meditate on his law day and night. I suspect Christians don't, many Christians don't meditate on the law of the Lord day and night. You say, well, we should meditate on Christ. Okay, meditate on Christ and his words, his works.

Meditate on those things day and night. Christ who fulfilled the law. See, we have to set something before us, don't we? So spiritually speaking, let me ask you, what is before you? Day after day, what do you set before you?

And what does that mean? Well, it's right there in front of you. It's your focus. You can't avoid it.

It's always there.

And it controls our mind, our life. What is set before us will likely determine whether or not we have joy. And then I'm reminded of what David said in Psalm 103. He said, I will set no wicked thing before my eyes.

So set the Lord before you. Now, if you would turn back to Luke chapter one, Luke chapter one. So John, as a baby in his mother's womb, he left for joy because the Lord was before him. Mary was called blessed among women because the Lord was before her.

And Elizabeth, her cousin, she was honored and filled with the Holy Spirit because the Lord was set before her. So the way to experience gladness and joy is to always set the Lord.

Before you.

Now,.

How did this whole situation with this meeting between Mary and Elizabeth? And of course they were both, they both gave birth to the two most important human beings who ever lived. I think we could say that.

How did this situation come about? Look at Luke chapter one, verse five says, there was in the days of Herod, the King of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias of the division of Abiah and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron.

And her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord,.

Blameless.

But they had no child because Elizabeth was barren and they were both well advanced in years. Amazing how many times we see this similar thing throughout the.

Scriptures,.

Isn't it? Verse eight. So it was that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord and the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and fear fell upon him. I bet it did. And this is something we see again and again and again, Mary, when the angel comes to visit Mary, she's troubled.

Wonder what manner of greeting this was. The shepherds, when the angels appear to the shepherd out in the fields was to say that they were troubled. And now when Zacharias sees the angel, he also is troubled.

Thanks for listening. I'm pastor Michael Grant from Morris Corner church. Like to listen to the complete message. Or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscornerchurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, with the grace of God be with you.