Isaac Watts was an overachiever. He composed hymns, an estimated 750 of them. His rhythm was to write a new hymn each week to be sung at the weekend church service. In the back of my SDA hymnal there is a list of authors and their songs that are published in the hymnal. Most authors have 1 or 2, Watts has 25. The only composer name that appears more often than Watts is “Anonymous”. Anonymous has Watt’s beat, but only by 3. Watts wrote I Sing the Might Power to Save, Marching to Zion, O God our Help in Ages Past, and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. His greatest hit is the Christmas favorite Joy to the World. Watts wrote the classic lyrics in 1719. And today, over 300 years later, it is by far the most published Chrsitmas hymn, appearing in over 1,400 different North American. Contemporary Artists continue to record their own versions of the classic carol. Just this past week (December 7, 2020) Joy to the World made it onto the CCLI top 20 list, three times in three different versions. Watts was an overachiever.
Of all Watt’s achievement the most surprising is that he wrote an all time Christmas Classic and he didn’t even know it. He wasn’t trying to write a Christmas song. He wrote the words to Joy to the World as a poem based on Psalm 98. It was about the second coming of Christ not the first. There is a reason why this Christmas carol never mentions Mary or Joseph, stables or stars, Bethlehem or an inn, angels or even baby Jesus. It is not about Christmas. In 1848, 100 years after Watt’s death, his poem was set to the tune we sing it to today. It was published during the holidays and has been a Christmas favorite ever since.
Live in Present Joy! Hope in Future Joy!
The story of the Christmas song that was neither Christmas nor song illustrates how easily we confuse the blessings of Christ’s first advent with the promises of His second. Jesus is joy to the world! But there are important distinctions between present joy and future joy. When we blur these destinations we are left disappointed. When we try to live in future joy we find that it is not available to us yet. When we root our hope in present joy we find that it is temporary and mixed with sorrow. When we confuse the blessings of the present with the promises for the future bad things happen!
To let’s not make this mistake. Let’s live in present joy and hope in future joy. Present joy is about participating in the blessings God has given. Future joy is about anticipating the blessings He will give. Present joy is about receiving what is promised for today. Future joy is about perceiving promises that are not yet reality. There is joy for this world! There are present joys we can live in and future joy we can hope in!
When I speak of “present joy” I am referring to those blessings we are living in because of the first coming of Jesus. When I speak of “future joy” I am referring to those promises we hope in at the second coming of Jesus and beyond. The “beyond” is important to clarify because there is also a 3rd coming of Jesus, after the millennium, when the promises of the 1st and second coming are brought to completion.
Let’s take a look at Psalm 98, that same passage Isaac Watts studied in 1719. We will trace the words of the psalm and the lyrics of the song to help us clarify how God brings both present and future joy to the world.
Wonders of His Love
Psalm 98:1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!
All God’s wonders are love! We can live in the joy of the marvelous things He has done. And we can hope in a future that is filled with even more wonders of God’s love.
| Present Joy |
| Christ came humbly in Bethlehem’s stable! (Luke 2:7) |
| In the incarnation God took on mortality! (John 1:14) |
| Christ wore a crown of thorn! (John 19:5) |
| Future Joy |
| Christ will come in the clouds with great power and glory! (Matthew 24:30) |
| In the translation humanity is given immortality! (2 Corinthians 15:50-54) |
| We will received a crown of glory! (1 Peter 5:4) |
Christ’s second coming will be in marked contrast with his first coming. Then his glory was veiled with the garb of humanity. He came with no outward manifestation of glory. When he comes the second time, his divinity will not be concealed. He will come with his own glory and the glory of his Father. He will come as One equal with God, as his beloved Son, the Prince of heaven and earth. Instead of a crown of thorns, he will wear a crown of glory. Instead of a garment of humility, he will be clad in a garment of royalty. Upon his vesture will be written the name, “King of kings, and Lord of lords.”
Ellen White Youth Instructor, July 25, 1901
The Savior Reigns
Psalm 98:1 His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
The Savior reigns! But His reign is partial and contested. And we have hope in a future when His reign will be complete and there will be no competing power.
| Present Joy |
| The cross defeated the powers of darkness! (John 12:31; Colossians 3:18; John 14:30, John 16:11; 33) |
| The powers of darkness are still in this world! (Ephesians 2:2; 6:12-13; Revelation 12:12; 1 Peter 5:8) |
| Future Joy |
| The final judgement will destroy the powers of darkness! (Revelation 20:10) |
| The kingdoms of the world will become the kingdoms of Christ, and He will reign forever! (Revelation 11:15) |
Make the Nations Prove
Psalm 98:2 The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
All nations are blessed by Christ now. But in the future all nations will “prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love.” There is joy in seeing glimpses of God’s glory among the nations now! And there will greater joy when every nation is filled with God’s love, every culture displays God’s glory, and none among the nations deny Him.
| Present Joy |
| Christ is seen by some! (Matthew 13:16-17) |
| Christ was rejected and despised! (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:10-11) |
| The church is commissioned to go to all nations. (Matthew 28:19-20; Revelation 14:6) |
| Future Joy |
| Every eye will see Him! (Revelation 1:7) |
| Christ will be received and worshiped! (Philippians 2:10; Isaiah 25:9) |
| The church will be comprised of all nations and gathered in worship. (Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 15:4) |
Far as the Curse is Found
Psalm 98:3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Christ will “make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.” But not yet. The extent of his salvation is not yet complete.
| Present Joy |
| Christ came to suffer and die! (Luke 22:9) |
| The death of Christ is the cure for the curse of sin. (Galatians 3:13-14; Genesis 3:14) |
| Future Joy |
| Christ will come to give life! (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54) |
| The New Earth will enjoy the eradication of the cures of sin! (Revelation 22:3) |
Joy to the World
Psalm 98:4-6 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
There is joy in Christ now! There is so much joy ahead!
| Present Joy |
| We have good news of great joy! (Luke 2:10) |
| Salvation has been extended to the world! (1 John 2:2) |
| The Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance! (Ephesians 1:14) |
| Future Joy |
| We will have everlasting and pure joy! (Isaiah 35:10; Revelation 21:4) |
| The harvest of the world will be gathered! (Matthew 24:31; Revelation 14:14-16) |
| We will inherit the kingdom! (Matthew 25:34) |
Let Heaven and Nature Sing
Psalm 98:7-8 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together!
Creation sings! And one day all creations will sing uninterrupted praise to God!
| Present Joy |
| Christ came from heaven to earth! (John 6:38) |
| There was a mistakable sign in the heavens! (Matthew 2:10) |
| Creation displays God’s glory! ( Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19) |
| Future Joy |
| Christ will make a new heaven and a new earth! (Revelation 21:1) |
| There will be unmistakable signs in the heavens! (Matthew 24:29-30) |
| All creatures in heaven and on earth will worship God! (Revelation 5:13) |
He Rules the World
Psalm 98:9 before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
| Present Joy |
| Christ did not come to condemn but to save! (John 3:17) |
| Future Joy |
| Christ will come in judgement! (Act 17:31; 2 Peter 3:7-10, Revelation 20:11-15) |
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Are we there yet?
If you have been on a family road trip you are familiar with the question, “are we there yet?” It is an important question to clarify because being there changes things.
A father plans a family vacation to a luxurious mountain lodge in the in the Colorado Rockies. He promises the kids that the lodge will be huge, there will be snow, it will be a tone of fun and there will be fancy food! But to get there they have to make the long drive from the East Coast.
After several hours one of the kids asks the question, “Are we there yet?” Dad answers, “no”. Then he pulls into a parking lot and gets out of the car. The kids celebrate, “We’re here!” Then complain, “Dad, you said the lodge would be huge!” Dad answers, “The lodge is huge, but we are not there yet. This is a rest area.”
Several hours later the kids are hungry. Dad gives each of them a PBJ sandwich. “Dad, you said the food would be fancy!” Dad answers, “The food will be fancy, but were not there yet.”
A few hours later the kids are disappointed. They complain, “Dad, you said there would be snow and mountains!” Dad answers, “There will be snow and mountains, but we’re not there yet. To get to Colorado we have to drive through Kansas.”
And every complaint along the way goes on like this, “You said this would fun… I thought we were going to relax… I’m not comfortable… My butt hurts…!” And every time the answer is the same, “Yes, but we’re not there yet!”
When we confuse the blessings of present with the promises future it can steal our joy. Instead of enjoying what we have we complain about what we don’t. We are preoccupied with joys that are reserved for the future. Not only do we miss out on joy, we misrepresent God. God’s promises are portrayed as empty. We complain, “God, you said you would wipe ever tear from our eyes. You said there would be no more pain. You said you would end suffering!” And God gently responds, “Yes, but we’re not there yet!”
When we struggle to find joy in the world we should not conclude that God has broken His promises. Instead, let’s live in the present joy God offers and hope in the future joy He will give.