The Great Joy Christians Celebrate in Christ’s Coming to Earth!

14 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 98:4.        Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise (break forth in song), and rejoice, and sing praise.

One more Sunday friends, the third one in Advent, as we prepare for the celebration of our Lord and Saviour, Christ’s birth on Christmas Day; one of the most important occasions in our Christian calendar. And to help celebrate such an auspicious occasion, as we fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary today, we’ll sing a season hymn declaring how grateful and joyful we are for Christ’s birth. And yes, you guessed right, it’s that Christmas favourite, Joy to the World, another of Isaac Watts, that master hymnist’s wonderful songs. 

And no wonder he wrote so many beautiful songs, because he was said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. He eventually became a minister of the cloth, which I guess gave him time and inspiration to pen such beautiful hymns. So, without further ado, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in an up-temp, scintillating, rousing version, a la Boney M. 

Singing: ‘Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing. Joy to the earth, 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. Joy to the world, the Lord is come…joy to the world, the Lord is come…’ 

And He certainly has my people! He came to earth to save us from our abominable sins and to show us what the Father was truly like. It’s also interesting to note that Watts did not write this hymn as a Christmas carol, since the lyrics do not reflect the Virgin birth of Christ, but apparently as a hymn celebrating the Second Coming of Christ. However, despite not been a Christmas carol, since the 20th century, in North America, it’s been nonetheless the most published hymn associated with Christmas. Explain that nuh! 

But it works very well, since the scholars tell us that Watts’ lyrics are a Christian interpretation of Psalm 98 and Genesis 3. And ‘Psalm 98 is one of the Royal Psalms (Psalms 93-100), so called because they all emphasize God’s royal kingship in various ways. Psalm 98 especially emphasizes our joy in the face of God’s kingship over all the earth.’ 

And we see that being emphasized all through the psalm: ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed (revealed) in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 

Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise (break forth in song), and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm (sound of a song). With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods (rivers) clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity (uprightness).’ (Ps. 98: 1-9) 

And all of that is very true, it’s just that it all began with the birth of Christ. Christ’s birth set the stage for salvation and all the other goodness of God to be revealed and enjoyed. That’s why the psalm calls for three groups to rejoice: God’s people (vs. 1-3), the whole earth (vs. 4-6), and all of nature (vs. 7-9) The first and second verses of the hymn deals with heaven and earth rejoicing at the coming of the King, and though Watts was thinking in terms of Christ’s Second Coming, we find it useful to use the hymn to celebrate His First Coming (smile) 

Meanwhile, it’s reputed that the third verse of the hymn alludes to Genesis 3:17-19, after Adam and Eve sinned, and the Lord was doling out His punishment. ‘And unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow (toil) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ 

Yes friends, it was a tough punishment, but the Lord in His goodness and mercy offered up a reprieve through His Son Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion, and He will return in all His majesty and glory to rule one day when the Father deems the time is right. Thus, the fourth verse of the psalm can allude to Christ’s rule over the nations, who are called to celebrate as the psalm reminds us, that because of God’s faithfulness salvation has been brought to the house of Israel. (Ps. 98:2-3) 

So friends, whether we’re celebrating Christ’s First or Second Coming, the important thing is that we’re celebrating the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to mankind; SALVATION!  So, let’s keep on celebrating as we go deeper into the Christmas Season, for it is one of the best reasons to celebrate! Much LOVE!

…at Christmas time…joy should be flooding our world…instead of the crushing anxiety and debilitating uncertainty that currently floods it… 

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Today’s Scrip-Bit 13 April 2021 Isaiah 11:3.

13 Apr 2021 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Isaiah 11:3.     ​The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

Oh friends, it’s Tuesday! Give thanks and praises unto our wonderful God that He has blessed us with another beautiful and bountiful day on planet earth; His beautiful universe! What a wonderful God we serve my faithful brethren! There’s no other deity like Him in this evil and godless world, and every day He gives us the strength to do whatever He needs us to do. No other supposed deity does that either. 

So why shouldn’t we praise and worship and glorify Him eh, since we know from practical experience that He’s a great and good God? No reason whatsoever! That’s why I think this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin is ever so appropriate for today, any day really. (smile) It’s titled‘Only Goodness.’What a wonderful title! 

So please pray with me. ‘What glorious words of wonder Come from the Apostle Peter. He wrote, “But we are looking forward To God’s promise of new heavens And a new earth afterwards Where there will only be goodness.” (2 Pet. 3:13) O dear God “Where there will be only goodness.” After centuries of war, greed, and lust After indulgences shamelessly practiced After hatred, hostility Jealousy and abuse. Murder and martyrdom Crime and cruelty Curses and rebellion. After whimpering cries from starving children After tragedy and catastrophe Loneliness and despair At last…at long last “There will be only goodness.” O dear Lord Your promise is Your guarantee But please hurry a little.’ 

Yes, my fellow saints in Christ, one fine and glorious day, our Lord would have had enough of this sinful world and replace it with a world where there is only goodness. He has promised it, and we know that His promises are ever faithful, so it’s only a matter of time. And yes, I know that some of us are rather impatient, we can’t wait for that day to come, but as always, it’s in God’s timing, whenever He is ready, and He’s never in a rush like we are, neither is He ever late. I can testify to that! 

And it’s not a new promise nuh mih bredrin. From since the days of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord faithfully promised: ‘And there shall come forth a rod (shoot) out of the stem (stock or trunk) of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow (bear fruit) out of his roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding (his delight shall be in the) fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes (by what he sees), neither reprove after the hearing of his ears (decide by what he hears): 

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity (decide with uprightness) for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite (strike) the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle (belt) of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins (the belt of his waist).’ (Is. 11:1-5) 

Yes, friends, that was the Lord’s promise of the Messiah’s Millennial Kingdom to His people Israel. But they misunderstood the whole thing. They expected a warrior king to come and release them from the bondage of Rome and were very disappointed when He came as a quiet, peaceful, LOVING rabbi. In any case, that particular promise was not supposed to happen in His first coming, but in the second. As John describes it in Revelation 21; the scripture promise on which our poem is based. 

‘And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst (who thirsts) of the fountain of the water of life freely.’ (Rev. 21:1-6) 

Oh my people, that’s what the faithful of God have to look forward to! It may not happen for a while yet, but we can be sure that it will happen when the Lord decides the time is right! That means we have to hang in there, keep being faithful even during these evil and godless times, because the promise is not for little while, but for eternity, which is forever! And as the prophet Habakkuk so rightly declared: ‘For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’ (Hab. 3:3) 

Yes friends, the time will eventually come when ‘the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.’ (Is. 11:6) Oh what a beautiful picture of peace and harmony! Those shall be the characteristics of Christ’s eventual kingdom! Glory be mih people! No more predatory stuff, no sin, no evil no pain and sorrow, only goodness and mercy, dwelling with our Triune God, till the end of time! 

Wow! What a glorious time to look forward to! And for those of us who are eagerly looking forward to it, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know who and whose we are. In strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’ 

Now it’s time to stop talking and go out and share Jesus’ LOVE and friendship with those who don’t know it. Much LOVE!

…faith without works is dead… (James 2:26)  

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8