AT CHRISTMAS, WE CELEBRATE THE JOY OF OUR ETERNAL KING
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“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” – Psalm 98:4
Christmas is a time of rejoicing. A time when joy fills our hearts as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. All heaven and earth rejoiced at the blessed first Christmas. For God entered His creation, out of the deepest of love for us, to pay the ultimate price for our freedom.
“Joy to the World” is a beloved Christmas carol written in 1719 by Isaac Watts, an English minister. This song celebrates the joy of Jesus. Disillusioned by the lack of joy amongst his parishioners, Watts chose to write hymns of triumph and rejoicing. He based his lyrics for “Joy to the World” on this verse from Psalm 98… creating a song of jubilant praise and exaltation to the King of Kings.
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
Although this hymn is most popularly sung in the Christmas season, it actually describes the return of our glorious Savior. Our King Jesus will come again in all His glory to set up His everlasting kingdom. All heaven and nature will sing for joy. Every heart is to make room for His holy presence.
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
Jesus is the hope of the world. Creation awaits His return. Our true joy rests in this hope… our Living Hope. In this stanza, all nature is rejoicing, for the King has come. He will live and reign forever.
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
In Christ’s eternal kingdom, there will be no more sin or sorrow, pain or tears. The curse will be forever broken. For the King will be triumphant over all evil and His blessings will flow to all.
“We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14
Jesus, the Righteous One, reigns in glory. And He will bring us into glory to be with Him forever. This is the blessed hope that lives in the hearts of all believers.
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 Sovereign One rules over heaven and earth with righteousness, grace and truth. We are awed and humbled by His wondrous love… a love that spans eternity and will never diminish.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” – Revelation 22:13
This is the blessed Savior whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus is the promised Messiah… the Light of the World… the Victorious One. He is the only begotten Son of God… our Redeemer… our Immanuel. He is the Christ… the Lamb of God… the Resurrection and the Life.
Jesus Christ came to earth to save His people from their sins. He rose to glory to rule as King of Kings and Lord of all forever. He is our only source of true joy. This Christmas, let us praise and glorify Him… for He is the joy of our world.
† Eternal Takeaway: Jesus the Messiah reigns in glory over all heaven and earth †
