Joy to the World, Part 3

This is the third post in an Advent blog series. Read last week’s blog in this series.

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.

Much of Isaac Watts’s hymn, “Joy to the World,” was inspired by Psalm 98. But of all the lyrics in this hymn, the third stanza has the least direct tie to the psalm. Still, its words are backed by biblical truth.

Jumping from the Old to the New Testament, it’s clear that sin and sorrow will no longer reign the world because the Lord comes to make His blessings flow as far as the curse is found.

Every Blessing

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” -Ephesians 1:3

Jesus humbled Himself, coming down from Heaven to Earth to bring us every spiritual blessing we could possibly need. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, goes on to explain what these spiritual blessings are.

• “… he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” -Ephesians 1:4
• “… he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ … .” -Ephesians 1:5
• “… we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins … .” -Ephesians 1:7
• “… he made known to us the mystery of his will … .” -Ephesians 1:9
• “In him we were also chosen … .” -Ephesians 1:11
• “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” -Ephesians 1:13-14

In short, believers are forgiven, saved, and made heirs to the Kingdom of God through Jesus. The hymn says God’s blessings flow, but it might be more accurate to say His blessings are gushing and flooding around us like an ocean of grace.

The Magi brought extravagant gifts when they met the newborn King, but the gifts that Jesus has given His followers are beyond measure.

Making All Things New

Christ’s blessings bring salvation, and they also bring an end to pain and sorrow.

The effects of sin are all-encompassing. Sin not only tarnished human souls; it also brought death, destruction, and suffering to the whole world. The Savior’s birth signaled the coming redemption for the entire Earth.

One day, Heaven and Earth will pass away, and God will make “‘a new heaven and a new earth … (Revelation 21:1).’” There, God will dwell with His people, and mourning and crying and death will be no more (Revelation 21:3-4).

“The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.” -Isaiah 25:8

Because the effects of sin are far reaching, God’s redemption reaches even farther—as far as the curse is found. The entire slate will be wiped clean, and He will make all things new.

The sins, sorrows, and thorns that infest the Earth will be no more because Jesus comes to make His blessings flow. Pain might plague Christmases today, but soon, joy will come to the world.

Read the next blog in this series.