“BE ELATED!”
TEXT: 1 Thess. 5:16
One of the 3 great promises of the Declaration of Independence (i.e. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”) is the pursuit of happiness ... or joy. Biblical joy goes far beyond mere happiness ... in fact it is much greater than simple happiness!
For Christians, JOY is not something you have to earn ... IT IS SOMETHING YOU ALREADY HAVE – but you might not even know it! You might have it in Christ and yet not have discovered it:
Christian JOY … we have it already in Christ; we just need to discover it and enjoy it! To find anything you must know what it is you’re looking for. So, we are going to look at Christian joy ... something every saved person possesses in Christ!
Biblical joy is not a simple feeling but a frame of mind and based on a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the knowledge that we are never victims, we are always VICTORS! Victors by nature are joyful people!
I. THE RULE OF ELATION
1 Thess. 5:16a Rejoice
This is not a suggestion!
Paul’s other writings to churches in the New Testament says the same thing.
PHILIPPIANS 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say Rejoice
In fact the entire letter to the church in Philippi was based on the theme of JOY; the word was used more than any other!
Paul wrote from a prison cell facing possible death
It was also a command to the Philippians and not a suggestion!
If you are not experiencing Christian joy ... something is wrong!
Either you don’t understand it. Or you are not looking for it.
Sometimes we fail to experience Christian Joy because we are not focused properly ... we only see the present sufferings:
Many years ago a ship was lost in a terrible storm at sea in a deserted area of the ocean. Only one man survived the storm, being washed upon a deserted island. In his desperation he daily prayed to God for deliverance and help. Each day he hoped, but no one came, not even a passing ship. He managed to store a few things from the ship that floated ashore, and he even built a hut ... everything in the world he had left he kept in that hut.
One day while returning from a hunt for food he looked up toward his crude hut to discover it was on fire. Now everything was lost ... he ran to it but it was too late to save anything! He fell into a deep depression and got angry at a God! He began questioning whether life was really worth living!
As dawn broke he rose up and went down to the shoreline, and to his amazement he saw a rowboat coming toward him with a larger ship off-shore! Once aboard ship he discovered that the captain would not have known about him had it not been for the signal fire he thought the man had made ... the man’s last straw was actually a God-send for his rescue!
God is always able to bring blessing out of curses! This KNOWLEDGE IS WHAT GIVES US OUR JOY, not the circumstances of each trial! –
Romans 8:28 “ALL THINGS WORK TO OUR GOOD!”
Paul MAKES THE COMMAND FOR JOY; JUST THAT … A COMMAND!
The reason a Christian can experience joy even in the midst of great pain or a painful struggle is the knowledge that God is ALWAYS IN CONTROL!
There are no accidents for the believer!
Satan has no authority over us, and God never permits anything that will destroy us. God may let the devil test us but the devil is limited by God. Only our own bitterness anger and resentment can rob us of JOY!
If you are in a trial right now it is completely within God’s knowledge and approval ... and the outcome will be good when it gets here! Hang on to your joy in the Lord in the meantime!
Paul not only gave this advice ... he practiced it!
The themes of his books, mostly written from prison cells or following beatings and scourges were about joy and love while experiencing rejection and pain in his life; even facing death frequently! It WORKS!!!
ELATION
It sets us apart from the world. OUR JOY IS TIED TO THE THINGS OF ANOTHER WORLD!
* It keeps us strong during trials we can’t understand!
* It gives meaning to meaningless PROBLEMS !
* It enables us to stay on course when a storm is overpowering us.
II. THE Idea OF ELATION
Paul keeps everything in view, even the worst that this life can throw at us is really powerless to destroy us or defeat us if we keep our focus and our joy in Christ!
2 Cor. 6:4-10 “As servants of God …”
(1. Great endurance;
(2. In troubles, hardships, and distresses; 6:4
(3. In beatings, imprisonments and riots; 6:5
(4. In hard work, sleepless nights and hunger 6:5b
(5. In purity, understanding, patience and kindness; 6:6a
(6. In the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ... etc. 6:6b-8a
as deceivers, and yet true ; As unknown and yet well known as dying and, behold we live as chastened and not killed As sorrowful yet alway rejoicing as poor, yet making many rich as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Paul says the Biblical nature of JOY is something more than just a feeling!
It is based on something more substantial than just how we feel; it is based on WHO WE ARE RELATED TO – JESUS CHRIST!
Biblical joy has little to do with feelings, but to do with my relationship with Jesus Christ!
If you are in Christ YOU CAN BE JOYFUL ... no matter your present circumstances or trials!
"IN HIM ..."
“We move and have our being”
“We are more than conquerors”
“We already dwell in heavenly places”
“All things are possible!”
The secret to Biblical joy is being IN HIM!
1 Thess. 5:16b evermore
This kind of Joy can renew your spirit no matter what trial you still are going through!
This is what made Paul and Silas to sing at midnight while in prison ... facing a death sentence after being beaten up all day long!?
It was their joy in Christ that allowed them to sing!
We can experience real renewal in the relationship we have in Christ; we experience a real transformation no matter how many trials we undergo when we have touched our Lord!
III. THE Persistence OF ELATION! 1 Thess. 5:16c John 16:22
"Evermore" ... this joy was meant to go on forever ... no end!
It is not a momentary thing … it is a permanent dynamic!
How many people in this world are joyful ALWAYS? Christians can be!
Remember, we are not talking about an EMOTIONAL STATE - IT IS A RELATIONAL ONE!
How tragic so many Christians don’t realize this great truth ... it has not been revealed to them about their wealth of joy in Christ!
John 16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man taketh from you.
There are times of tears, and anger and frustration, fear and loneliness ... but these times will all be temporary for those in Christ. Jesus has reassured us that this will not last or be a permanent state!
Jesus reassures the disciples that the pain they were experiencing for the moment will disappear in time and that the joy that comes will never be taken away from them!
The "MISERABLE SAINT" breaks the heart of God as well as deprives himself and others of the life of Christianity. We are not poverty stricken when it comes to joy, some only act like it!
One of the greatest misers of the 20th century was a miserable rich woman named Hetty Green. She died in 1915 with over $1,000,000! She however ate cold oatmeal because she considered it too expensive to heat it; her son had to suffer through a leg amputation unnecessarily because Hetty Green wasted time looking for a free clinic to do the surgery! She finally died because of a stroke she suffered while becoming too excited over a discussion about the value of drinking skimmed milk to save money. She had unlimited wealth at her disposal but failed to enjoy it because she chose to live in poverty instead! How many Christians do this with JOY!? In Christ they are rich in joy, but they choose to live miserable examples of Christian life! – Source Unknown
There is no excuse for a believer not to experience genuine Christian joy!
THE ONLY REASON PAUL COULD WRITE TO THE CHURCH OF PHILIPPI AND THESSALONICA TO "ALWAYS REJOICE" IS BECAUSE THEY COULD ALWAYS REJOICE!
If you need to cry at times or feel angry … fine, but don’t live in this state! Touch the cross and leave your burdens there, and enjoy the transformation Christ brings to your life!
"Oh what joy divine, is mine ... leaning on the everlasting arms.”
Concl.
Christian joy is not so much a feeling as much as it is a fact! It is a state of mind that realizes God is in control of everything in our lives ... even sorrowful events will yield positive results as God guides those events and us! Therefore we can rejoice always. It is a fact of our relationship to Christ that brings inward joy!
