Title: Joy to the World
---
00:00 - Christmas is the Announcement of a King
01:02 - Our Plan for the Coming Weeks
03:18 - Psalm 98, the Inspiration to Joy to the World
03:51 - Reading Psalm 98
05:03 - A Call to Worship
06:56 - God's History of Protecting His People
07:57 - Roaring in Praise to God
09:43 - This Praise is for God's People and All Creation
10:19 - Priase God for His Salvation and Judgment
11:19 - How is This Psalm About Jesus?
14:49 - Joy to the World, the King Has Come
22:50 - Creation Repeats the Sounding Joy
26:34 - No More Sin or Curse
33:59 - He Rules the World with Truth and Grace
35:51 - The Nations Prove the Glories of His Righteousness
37:18 - Jesus Coming as a King is Good News
40:02 - Singing Joy to the World
42:19 - Closing Prayer
---
Psalm 98
A Psalm.
Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
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.
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!
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
before the LORD, for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity. (ESV)
---
Jed Gillis traces “Joy to the World” back to Psalm 98 to show that Christmas is the joyful announcement that a king has come. He explains that the psalm first calls Israel to sing because God has made his salvation and righteousness visible to the nations and has faithfully protected his people, then widens that call so that all creation joins the chorus, praising God for both salvation and coming judgment. 
Gillis shows how Isaac Watts read this psalm through the lens of Christ, seeing Jesus’ first coming as the display of God’s salvation and his second coming as the day when God’s righteous judgment and the full removal of the curse will be seen. Walking through the carol, he highlights that welcoming Christ means bowing to his absolute authority in every part of life and trusting that his rule of truth and grace is far better than self rule. The message urges hearers to receive Jesus as king with glad surrender, to see even the pains of a fallen world as reminders that we make poor kings, and to look ahead in hope to the day when the risen King removes sin, sorrow, and thorns as far as the curse is found. 
---
Berean Bible Church is a non-denominational church in East Knoxville, TN. We are grounded in the Word, celebrating the transformative power of the Gospel. Our community thrives on worship and mutual encouragement, fostering deep connections among members. Committed to our mission, we reach out with compassion and hope, reflecting God's glory throughout our city and beyond.
Learn more at berean.church.