Can you remember your greatest moment of joy? Was it the birth of your child? Was it when your team won the big game? Was it when you got the big job promotion? How about your wedding day? Joy comes to us in many different ways. And when joy hits, you better watch out. People jump up and down and scream their heads off. Sometimes people weep uncontrollably. Other times a person is so filled with joy that they become absolutely paralyzed.

Joy doesn’t always last though. The thunderstorms of anger can explode at any time. The quiet loneliness of depression can bog down your heart. Anxiety that you lug around can squelch out joy.

This evening we are continuing our Advent series, “Produce Fruit in Keeping with Repentance.” God Word gives us the fruit of joy today. Let us repent of our sins and may we be comforted by the one who gives us eternal joy. Then let us produce fruits of joy in our lives.

Christmas can be such a wonderful time of the year, a time filled with festive joy. The words of Scripture before us this evening reveal to us godly joy expressed by an unborn baby. That baby’s name would be John – John the Baptist. Mary had believed the message of the angel about her cousin Elizabeth and she hurried to see her. When Mary arrived at Elizabeth’s a wonderful miracle took place. As Mary came near and spoke to her cousin, the baby inside of Elizabeth leapt for joy.

At the mere presence of the mother of God’s Son, this baby expressed joy by leaping in his mother’s womb. The Lord was coming and not even the unborn baby could control his emotions. That was God’s wonderful miracle of joy.

When was the last time you leapt for joy? We too know that the Lord is coming. Sadly, joy sometimes escapes us. Why is that? It is joyful time of year. How come we aren’t overjoyed?

One of the problems is ungratefulness. When I was talking about love on Sunday, I said that selfishness is the great enemy of love. Well, ungratefulness is the great enemy of joy. It is hard to be filled with joy when you are constantly thinking about what you don’t have. It is hard to be filled with joy when you dwell on the bad things in life. Are there going to sad, bad, and awful events in this life? Yes! Should those things destroy our joy in the coming Lord? Absolutely not.

The devil wants us to be ungrateful for our blessings. He wants us to be greedy for more. He wants us to long for better health. He wants us to wish we had jobs that required less work with more pay. He wants us to think that we always get the raw deal in life. The devil wants us to snuggle with him under the blanket of self-pity.

And our sinful natures give in way too easily to this sin. We may not always recognize the ungratefulness in our lives. People are good at excusing ungratefulness by saying that they deserve more than out of life. In spite of all the sinful excuses we can make, the fact remains – ungratefulness will destroy our joy. If we are constantly dissatisfied with our lives, jobs, family, homes, and church, we will never be joyful.

That ungratefulness then leads to a worse situation. People who flounder in this sin of ungratefulness long enough eventually become buried in despair. And that despair can lead a person completely away from God. Beware of your ungratefulness! It is sin. It is damning sin. Repent.

So what is the solution? How can be filled with joy? As always look no further than our Scripture lesson for this evening. There we find the answer. John the Baptist leapt for joy in his mother’s womb because of the coming the Savior. Christ is the one who gives us joy. Without Jesus, there can be no real, lasting joy.

Jesus removed our guilt from us. He lifted the despair from us with his atoning sacrifice. Christ lived in joy obeying His father’s will. His joy was carrying out that will all the way to the cross where he died to bring us joy. And then He rose from the dead to give us eternal joy, because we know that just as He lives, we too shall live. Let us have the same joy in the resurrection as the women who saw Jesus on Easter morning. The gospel of Matthew tells us they were “filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Our joy comes from the resurrection.

Our joy also comes from the faith that the Holy Spirit gives us through the gospel. When the Apostle Paul and Silas shared the gospel with the jailor of Philippi the book of Acts tells us the jailor “was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family.”

And finally our joy comes from knowing that our sins are forgiven and heaven is ours. The prophet Isaiah expressed this joy beautifully with the words, “They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” Oh what a glorious joy we have in the resurrection, our faith, and ultimately heaven all because of Jesus our Savior.

Repent of your sins of ungratefulness. Be filled with joy in the coming Savior. Then produce fruits in keeping with your repentance. Here are some ways:

Children, you can produce fruits of joy by obeying your parents. Proverbs 10:1 says, “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.” Be a joy to your parents. Listen to them. Obey them. Respect them and it will go well for you too. Then you too will have joy.

This idea is applied to adults also. God commands his believers in Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Produce fruits of joy by being a joy to your pastors and leaders.

Are there any grumpy people here, God’s Word speaks to you also. Proverbs 15:30 says, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart.” Yes a simple smile at someone can be a fruit of repentance, an expression of joy.

Have fun in the life God has given you, too. God promises you joy. Take advantage of it. If you find enjoyment in something, that joy will carry over into other not so enjoyable aspects of life. Listen to the words of Ecclesiastes 8:15: “So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.” Enjoy life!

Also you can show fruits of joy by finding joy in others. Look at how God blesses you through other people. Listen to these words from 1 Thessalonians 3:9: “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” Be grateful for others and the joy they bring to you.

You can also be joyful in suffering. Yes, even in suffering. Whatever you are suffering now, think of it and rejoice. This is what God’s tells us to do. I know that it sounds weird, but listen to James 1:2. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” Rejoice over your suffering because they make you stronger to persevere through this life.

And then express your fruits of joy in keeping with repentance in worship also. Let us come to God’s house in joy and hear that saving message of the gospel. Show this joy like the Thessalonians did. 1 Thessalonians 1:6 tells us: “you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” Let us welcome the message of God by coming to church and Bible study and reading the Bible at home with joy.

In worship we can also produce fruits of joy by singing for joy. Often when you look up the word joy in the Bible it is connected with singing. King David wrote in Psalm 28, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” This Advent, sing for joy to the Lord, being thankful for all your blessings.

In worship, also pray with joy. Take a page from the Apostle Paul’s book. In Philippians 1:4, he wrote: “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.”

And then produce fruits of joy in worship by giving to God in joy. Be like the Macedonian churches whom Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 8:2. “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” Their joy moved them to give richly to God’s work even though they were suffering severely. May joy move us to give back to God what He has given to us.

John the Baptist leapt for joy over the coming Savior. This time of year is filled with joy because the Savior came as baby himself, born in Bethlehem to be our King. As Christians, may we also be filled with joy in keeping with repentance because that King is also our Savior. He lived for us. He died for us. He rose for us. Let us leap for joy over Jesus. AMEN.