A Joyful King Is Coming

Biblical counselor Mike Emlet asks, “Do you lament that moments of beauty, joy, and laughter in your life are so fleeting? It’s like one of those Instagram videos of a toddler eagerly smiling and accepting a slice of lime (“Ooh, a new food!”), which gives way to a puckered and confused expression (“Wait, what?!”). Moments of joy are too easily swallowed up by intrusions small and large. These joy interrupters could be the next hard thing on our rapidly expanding to-do list on a given day or the shocking news of a loved one’s cancer diagnosis. Whether minute or monumental, the challenges and griefs of life in this fallen world can quickly overshadow our perception of the good that God brings into our lives.” I begin with this quote because he’s captured the reality of our everyday fight to be joyful. You could almost exponentially rate this difficulty during the Christmas season. We have family, friends, co-workers, community needs, school activities, and all kinds of things pulling for our attention. We often feel like we’re running marathons we never trained for.

I want to point you to one truth today that helps us have joy this season. Of course, this looks pretty simplistic, but I hope I can show you from the Bible that this is the power source for joy that may prove elusive. Specifically, the joy of Christmas is a person: Jesus Christ our Lord. To understand how His arrival brings joy, we will look back at the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 52, the prophet is helping the people understand not only that they have wronged God, which led to their exile in Babylon. But God’s activity in responding to sin extends comfort through a coming King who will take the role of a suffering servant for the good of the people. If we go back to 51:9, this section begins with an announcement. Isaiah is stirring people like us to action: “Awake, awake!” (51:9), “Wake yourself, wake yourself!” (51:17), “Awake, awake!” (52:1), and “Depart, depart!” (52:11).

The passage we’re exploring today begins in 52:1, and the prophet’s tone changes. Here’s a good description: “Even in our present hardships, we can throw off a victim mentality and rejoice in the royal dignity God has promised us… just as Israel’s history told a sad story of repeated losses, our future will be a glad story of endless grace, for the honor of God’s name. Then his people will forever know Him as He truly is—present, near, involved (v. 6).” This is where we pick up in v.7, giving us 2 encouragements in the King’s arrival…

Read Isaiah 52:7-10 (This is God’s Word; thanks be to God)

2 encouragements in the King’s arrival…

I. The King’s coming is JOYFUL news. (7-8)

7 How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of him who brings good news,

who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,

who publishes Salvation,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;

together they sing for joy;

for eye to eye they see

the return of the LORD to Zion.

So you know we’re talking about the King; you can see the end of v.8 as the Lord returns to Zion. Think of Zion as the outpost notorious for the King. V.7 begins envisioning a beautiful picture: upon the mountains comes someone bringing good news. Look at the connection to what makes this such good news: it’s news that is peace, it’s the good news of happiness, it’s about salvation and it’s centered on communicating that God reigns. When we think we understand a concept, another big one is given.

And v.8 gives more: the watchman on the city wall lift up their voice and sing for joy because this messenger with news of victory approaches. And the culmination of this victory is that the person Himself, the King, will arrive. The King’s coming, then, is joyful news. Whether it’s thinking of Jesus’s first coming, or how He comes through in the here and now to encourage our hearts, or will one day return as King of kings and Lord of lords, doesn’t the sight of Him bring you joy? I just read someone this week put it this way: intellectually, we know God is with us, but how would it change our outlook if we could see him with us in our everyday lives? God with us in our family, God with us in our finances, God with us in our pain, God with us in our _______, He really is with us. And His arrival into the stuff of our lives brings joy and happiness. The King’s coming is joyful news. 

Finally, as we dig into vv.9-10, listen to this encouragement about the King’s arrival: II. The King’s coming is joyful news for ALL. (9-10)

9 Break forth together into singing,

you waste places of Jerusalem,

for the LORD has comforted his people;

he has redeemed Jerusalem.

10 The LORD has bared his holy arm

before the eyes of all the nations,

and all the ends of the earth shall see

the salvation of our God.

To put it simply, what is happening in vv.9-10 is, “The people of God hear the good news and explode with joy (v. 9). Indeed, the glory of Christ’s reign will reach even to “all the ends of the earth” (v. 10).” I love the language in v.9 speaking to the waste places. Sometimes, we wonder why the well-off get all the good stuff. But it’s for people who are not well-off, those who are far off and who need comfort and find it. Blessed are the poor in Spirit, Jesus said, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And God’s comfort comes through for His people, the ones He has repurchased from captivity. Think of how far gone you were in your sin, but God came through. And v.10 gives us a picture: God has bared his holy arm before the eyes of the nations. In other words, He’s flexing so that the world sees. When you have no reason to be joyful except in God, the nations stand in awe that God alone must put the spring in your step. Too many of us sulk, and our joy is only found when we get our way. God doesn’t have to bare His holy arm before the nations for such a thing. This selfish life is how we all act when we’re living following an anti-God life. But He comes to save us from our enemies, including ourselves. The result is that God’s salvation is universally recognized. It’s rated E for everyone. All the earth sees His rescue work play out.

This rescue is what happened with the coming of Jesus. Remember that good news of great joy for shepherds in the field. They went to Bethlehem to see this One called “Savior, Christ, the Lord.” And we marvel at Him, too. He produces joy in all who He rescues. 

In conclusion, today we’ve seen that the King’s coming 1) is JOYFUL news 2) for ALL.

Dicken’s work, The Christmas Carol, begins with the line, “Marley was dead, to begin with.” And our story is the same. We were dead. We were far gone. We were in the wastelands without hope and without God. But, He came near. The King came; this is good news and great joy for all. Will you turn from sin and trust Him? Will you allow Him to shape your joy. Rest in Him and know the happiness He brings. Look for Him, anticipate Him, seek Him, and you will indeed find Him. For some of us the issue isn’t that we’re selfish, but we’re hurting, beat down by this world and its people. The sight of the King coming is joyful news for all of us, too, because we don’t have to languish in hurt forever. Our King gets the final word. Tears are wiped away. Sin will be no more. We get Him forever. In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore. We want you to know Jesus as we make Him known today so that you can glorify God and ENJOY Him forever.