Sermon
Psalm 98: Joy to the World
Stonebrook Community Church
Speaker: Matt Heerema
December 21, 2025 · 27 min
Summary
Using Psalm 98 and the hymn "Joy to the World," the sermon explains why Christians can authentically sing of joy despite present suffering. The pastor argues the song is a protest against darkness, grounded in four truths: Christ's promised return, his current reign, the end of sorrow, and his coming justice and love.
Highlights
Joy to the World is one of the greatest hymns ever written, specifically because it is a protest song against darkness in a way of fighting for joy in a world full of darkness.
Every knee will bow one day, and in the meantime, we Christians do know the glories of his righteousness and the wonders of his love.
Through Jesus's life and death on the cross in our place, he offers us mercy and forgiveness and entrance into the joy we're looking for forever.