Dharius Daniels - The Power of Joy

I want you to meet me in the Scriptures. Luke chapter 2, verses 10 and 11 are the two verses we will read. For those of you who may be here for the first time, thank you so much for being here; I mean that. We’re glad to have you with us today, and we’re excited about all that God is doing in your life. We’re glad that you’re with us this afternoon. Luke 2:10 says, «But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’» I want to pause right there and speak on this subject during our time together: «The Power of Joy.» Everybody say it with me: «Joy is power.» Family, we are situated in the midst of a season on the Christian calendar known as the Advent season. Everyone say «Advent.» Come on, say it one more time for your minds: «Advent.» The word «Advent» comes from a Latin word, «Adventus,» and it simply means «coming.» The Advent season this year, spanning from December 1st to December 24th, is a season in which Christians pause in anticipation and celebration of the coming or birth of Jesus Christ. And I don’t know about you, but every now and then, I have to pause for the cause and acknowledge that I’m glad He came. I want to say that again just in case someone missed an opportunity to respond appropriately: I said, every now and then, I have to pause for the cause and acknowledge and admit that I’m glad He came because when He came, my life went up. I don’t know where I would be, who I would be, or how I would be if He hadn’t come down. I am so grateful for the ultimate gift that entered my life, and it wasn’t just a gift under a tree; it was a gift on a tree. His name was Jesus, and I’m glad He came. There are a number of reasons we should engage in celebration regarding His coming, but during our time together today and over these next three weeks, I want to lift up something I think is extremely important yet often overlooked. Here it is: I’m glad He came because His presence gave me a present. I’m saying I’m glad He came because His presence gave me a present. What’s the present He gave you, Pastor Darius? It’s in the foundational text we read in Luke chapter 2, verse 10. His presence gave me the present of joy. I said, His presence gave me the present of joy. Our text here in Luke chapter 2, verse 10 explains what I’m articulating. The Bible is clear; you have a group of men—one version of this story refers to them as shepherds, while another version calls them wise men—but these shepherds, who are wise men, are tending to their sheep and their flock when suddenly, they have this unannounced encounter with an angel. An angel is a messenger of God, and they are startled and unnerved. The angel says to them, «Don’t be afraid; I’ve got some good news.» And he states that this good news will bring them great joy. See, somebody should have said «Amen» right there! He says, «I have good news, and this good news will bring you great joy.» These shepherds are just minding their business, and unexpectedly, they are exposed to undeserved information: Jesus has been born! The word hadn’t even spread yet; nobody had posted it on Facebook, nobody had sent out a mass text, and nobody had sent a GroupMe message. But all of a sudden, these shepherds receive information before it reaches anyone else. You know what that’s called? Favor. Yeah, that’s what we call it in Christian circles: it’s the favor of God. It is undeserved, unexplainable, unearned preferential treatment for which the only appropriate response is to give God praise. It’s treatment that shouldn’t lead to arrogance but to appreciation. It’s when certain things happen to you that shouldn’t happen to you, things you don’t deserve, but when they happen, it’s a revelation of God’s goodness, not your own. And this is why we respond with praise—not because I’ve been good to God, but because He’s been good to me. Favor is something I want in my life! Sometimes that’s the way favor shows up: by giving you access to information that everyone else doesn’t get. But not only did these wise men have access to information that everyone else didn’t receive, they had access to an opportunity that everyone else didn’t get. Because now, because of the information, they had the opportunity to have an audience with Jesus. Isn’t that amazing? They get to see Him wrapped in swaddling clothes in that manger. They not only received information; they got an opportunity! We call that favor—when God gives us undeserved, unearned, unexplainable access to opportunities for which there’s no explanation. God did it not because we’ve been good to Him, but because He’s been good to us. You can’t earn favor, but these wise men, these shepherds, teach us that you can position yourself for it. Because what were they doing? They were just being faithful with their flock. Some people were probably observing their activity and minimizing that activity, saying, «Oh, you ain’t doing anything; you’re just out there with your little sheep. I see you with your little sheep; you’re just out there with your little sheep, doing your thing.»