The title “Bouncy Joy” came from the 12.27.09 Sunday sermon by Brian Onken at Southside Fellowship.

Joy is expressed because of the perceived value we have for the object we are joyful about. The more value we ascribe to an object, the more joy we will show when we think about that object.

For example, as you reflect on the gifts you received this Christmas you can measure the value you ascribe to those gifts by the joy you expressed when you opened them. Your expressed joy was indicative of how much you valued the gift.

If you received a long-anticipated or cherished gift, you probably expressed great joy because you received something you valued. Contrariwise, if you received a gift that you did not perceive as valuable, you probably had a difficult time mustering joy over the gift.

The Ultimate Gift

Is there anything in heaven or earth that Christians can find better than the joy found in the riches of Jesus Christ? The glory and beauty of our blessed God is the zenith of all our joy. All other joys light their lamps at the feet of the beauty of the Savior, who is the only one worthy of our highest affections.

He endured the most unutterable sufferings because of his pity and affection for us. Now, because of God’s kindness to us, we can come to that place of joy unspeakable as our affections are moved toward a greater understanding of the grace of God that has been extended to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Bouncy Joy

Inexpressible joy is the kind of joy expressed when words seem inadequate. This is “bouncy joy.” Bouncy joy is the joy children express at Christmas time when they receive the most-ultimate, mind-blowing gift. Their anticipation of and affection for the gift leaves them with no other option but to jump up and down. Words in that moment are inadequate.

Does the Gospel give you bouncy joy? Does it lead you to the top range of your joy meter? If this is not your experience, then you are saying that Jesus is okay, but there is something better. Most assuredly, the Gospel is the greatest gift, the gift that supersedes all other gifts.

Bouncy Joy is What Mature Faith Looks Like

Mature faith looks like this kind of joy! When you see, feel, experience, and appreciate the Savior more than anything else in life and when he is your deepest and most precious treasure, then you can be sustained during times of personal suffering or situational difficulties.

Only the joy found in the Gospel can carry a person through his darkest hour. Fortunately, this kind of joy is the privilege and benefit for all Christians.

What treasure do you reserve to be the recipient of your “bouncy joy?”

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The Father used four different methods to create four different people

1. In the beginning he created man without a man or a woman. He was Adam
2. Then he created a woman without a woman. She was Eve.
3. Then he created people with a man and a woman. That’s you and me.
4. Then he created a man without a man. That was Jesus.

Though the virgin birth of Jesus is just as miraculous as the other three creative acts and quite profound, that is only part of what amazes me. I’m more stunned by the awareness that the Father would be willing to send his Son to earth AND that the Son would be willing to come. The unmerited giving of the Father and the coming of the Son is stunning to me.

The story does not end in the cradle…

This baby was on a mission to die for others. He came to do the will of his Father, which was to die on a cross for the sins of the world. But more than that: both the Son and the Father suffered at that cross. While one died, the other experienced the loss of a son. One gave his life and the other experienced the loss of a life. God experienced both sides of death in order to regenerate me:

1. The physicality and pain of death
2. The emotional and spiritual pain of loss

At the cross, the Father judged the Son and the Son took the judgment. The Son lost his life and the Father lost his Son. This happened so I could live and be free!! The greatest gift that God could give was the complete sacrifice of himself.

Yes, the virgin birth is profound, but it is even more incredible to know that I can be saved by a person who was willing and able to come, die and then come alive again. Now, by being yoked to him, I am assured that nothing can overcome me. To be in Christ is to be in steadfast victory and eternal fulfillment.

Do I really believe the Christmas story? Lord, help my unbelief!

Application Questions

1. Are you profoundly stunned by the story of Jesus?
2. Are you living in the good of the story of Jesus?
3. What areas or situations in your life are not being affected by the power of the Gospel?

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As long as I am stricken with the guilt of my sins, I will be captive to them. In such cases I will often find myself re-committing the very sins about which I feel most guilty.

The gospel slays sin at this root point and, thereby, nullifies sin’s power over me. The forgiveness of God, made known to me through the Gospel, liberates me from sin’s power because it liberates me first from sin’s guilt.

The preaching of such forgiveness to myself is a very practical and real way of putting the Gospel into operation as a nullifier of sin’s power in my life.

Wow!

Have you ever gotten caught up in the recycling effect of sin and ended up walking under the cloud of guilt that your sin brings? Are you walking under that “cloud” now? Do you have a life-lingering-recurring sin pattern? What great Good News I have for you this Christmas season: Christ was born to die for your sin!

This Good News is the Gospel and the Gospel is Christ!

Yes, the Gospel is a Person. It is not a technique to live a better, freer life. The Gospel is not a method or “12 Steps” or “7 Habits”. The Gospel is a Person whom we can have a relationship with.

• The Gospel is a Person we look to.
• The Gospel is a Person we adore.
• The Gospel is a Person we express our deepest heartfelt gratitude for.
• The Gospel is a Person we worship.
• The Gospel is all about a Person.

Thank you Jesus for saving me from my sins. Thank you for helping me to repent and to live out God-glorifying obedience today. Thank you for the Gospel, the power of God. See Romans 1:16.

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My children were wishing the shoppers, who were walking out of Kohls yesterday, a Merry Christmas. The kids were sitting on top of the van singing and spreading Christmas cheer to everyone within 25 yards of their voices. It seemed like a good way to pass the time while mom was inside shopping for one of them.

Two ladies passed by and greeted my kids back with a “Merry Christmas” and “Do you think Santa can see you from the North Pole?” With discretion (thankfully), my 6-year old son said to me, “No, but God can see us.”

I was so encouraged that my kids know the difference between the two Christmases, while still able to enjoy both of them.

The Cultural Christmas

My kids do not believe in Santa, the Lion King, Ariel, or Wall-e, but they enjoy all of them. I’m glad they can play make-believe and imagine many things, while discerning the limitations of such human contrivances.

We have a Christmas tree, Christmas lights, a Santa figurine, stockings on the mantle, and several other family traditions that center around the cultural Christmas. We watch the “Miracle on 42nd Street” every year and Lucia and I watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” always hoping that George Bailey will make it out of Bedford Falls.

And, of course, there is 98.9 that plays Christmas music in our home from Thanksgiving to New Years. This season is fun, packed, and entertaining. It is a season that comes and goes and we enjoy as much of it as our schedule and finances allow.

The Biblical Christmas

There is another kind of celebration in our home that is supra-seasonal. It is not constrained by time, place, or money. It’s a daily celebration that runs throughout the year. Our enthusiasm for this kind of celebration is enduring because it is motivated by grace, not by our culture.

Daily, throughout the year, we celebrate the crucified, risen, and reigning Savior. While there are times when the cultural Christmas can be annoying or “in the way” there is never an unwanted intrusion of the biblical Christmas.

I hope your pace this Christmas season has not left you off-balance in an effort to keep up with the expectations of this seasonal experience. If it has, please stop, slow down, and take a break. While it can be fun, it’s not that important.

If our activity does not point us to the Savior, then our activity is in the way. Christmas is one of many things in our lives that can point us to the Gospel, but if Christmas or any other thing gets in the way of the main thing, then we need to readjust.

Celebrate Jesus this week! May all things bow before the only one worthy of adoration.

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