This comes from the writing of John Maxwell. “After a major earthquake occurs, they begin reporting on all the aftershocks. Even though the earth has stopped moving, there are always a few more trembles after the major quake.
Changes we have come to in the past few years
We went from humanism, where we’re the masters of our fate, to fatalism, wherein we have no control over what happens.
We went from rationalism to relativism, a movement from truth as absolute to truth is relative, and we each have our own realities.
We went from science being the ultimate that will deliver us, to technology, where applications exist to serve our needs.
We went from enlightenment to narrative. It’s a shift from, “I want the facts,” to “Give me a story; paint a picture for me.”
We went from universal right and wrong, what I call “self evident ethics,” to tolerance, in which everyone is tolerant of everyone else’s values.
We went from materialism to spiritualism, from a mindset of believing only in what we can see, to a sense of mysticism in which we believe in invisible realities.
We went from individualism, that self-made man persona, to community, being focused more on teamwork and family.
We can no longer do ministry today as we did ministry yesterday.
REJOICING BRINGS JOY INTO LIFE Phil 5:22
A man was speaking on the radio and said how many times have you heard “Have a nice day.” Is this a Biblical truth? Do we need to be happy all the time if we belong to God? Many think that being happy is the goal in life every day. Some will even fake a smile or a laugh to make you think they are happy. Life is not always happiness. Someone has stated you know you are gong to have a bad day when…… When you have a bad day can you still rejoice? I want to share a personal story with the caption you know your gong to have a bad day when you are going to move in a rental truck with all your belongings on it and they tell you it is practically a new truck with a few thousand miles on it. Your wife is driving the car and you are pulling the van on a dolly in back of the truck. You have walkie talkies so you can keep in touch. About 50 miles down the road the engine light comes on the truck. You pull over in a parking lot to make a call to the dealer and he instructs you to wait for help. The help arrives about an hour later. The man looks at the problem and says he can not fix it there and you will have to be towed to a shop some fifty miles away and he has brought a wrecker to do just that. He pulls the truck, you drive the van and wife follows in car. You soon find yourself in a way out place and are told it will not be until Monday that they can fix the truck and this Saturday. I spied another truck sitting on the lot and ask about it. They say they have not been able to get rid of it but it does run. Eight hours later they have transferred your stuff to the other truck and you are on your way. I am still speaking with my wife on the radio. We come to a motel and she will go see if they have a room for us. I pull and stop on the off ramp to wait to hear the good news. Then it is that I am visited by a highway patrol man who tells me it is not safe to stay there. I drive into the motel parking lot to find wife. I have tried to contact her again and again by our radio but no answer. It is a small lot but with my great driving ability I back up and go forward until I am wedged in and have a car that I cannot get around. I enter the motel wondering what has happened to radio reception to find that my wife turned her radio off. She has been trying to get us another motel but they are all full. Not being very calm at this moment I let her know my situation with the truck. The lady behind the desk laughs and says it is her car. We take off from there and find a rest area a long the interstate and pull in for a nights rest. I jump out of truck to sleep with my wife in the car. I am hot for it is July in Iowa and decide to roll down window which my wife does not like. Then it begins to rain. Then there is the next day but we will save that for another time.
What I am saying here that it is easy to be happy when life is going OK but when you have one of those days like we had where do you find happiness. Joan has referred to that night as the time for a divorce.
That would have been nice to walk into the church we were going to pastor and say we just got a divorce.
Because happiness does not always come and circumstances are not always pleasant I want to suggest to you not to seek happiness but develop the spiritual fruit of joy Philip. 4:4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 1 Thes. 5:16 Always be joyful. I would like to look at what I discovered about what happens when we depend on happiness. The root word hap means luck or circumstances. So that means when things turn out right I am happy. JOY is different for it comes from attitude or a choice that we make. JOY is not dependent on luck or circumstances but comes from inside our being. Every one of you here today can choose to be joyful. The song we can sing is Jesus, Others and You, what a wonderful way to spell JOY. I want to proclaim that JOY makes your life enjoyable.
Let us turn to Romans 5 and find reasons to have joy in our lives. See if you can find the three reasons with me.
1. Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. The first reason for our JOY is HOPE. Did you know that we can live for 40 days without food, 3 days without water, 8 minutes without air but not one minute without hope? There was survey taken of the many POW’s from WW II and those who survived did so because they had hope. If we base our hope on things that are temporary or will soon pass away it will not last. Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope.” The song writer wrote:
My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus’ Name. When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay. When He shall come with trumpet sound, oh may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.
We have JOY because our hope is in Christ. Rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
2. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience; [4] And patience, experience; and experience, hope: [5] And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
The second reason I find is that God has a meaning for our lives. Distress is that which puts pressure in our lives. This covers all testing, trials, difficulties, troubles, evils, setbacks and problems. Some seem to believe if we just get rid of the distress in our lives we will be happy. When we get rid of one problem that might seem big we then find little problems that we did not see. Being joyful helps us everyday enjoy life no matter what problems may come our way. Joy comes because we realize that we have the presence of God in our lives. God is always with us even when we are going through suffering. To rejoice does not mean to act as if there is nothing wrong in our life. I have heard that some believe that the more suffering we go through the more spiritual we will be. “We rejoice in our suffering.” This does not mean we are to rejoice that we are suffering. We are to rejoice because we know behind that suffering is a purpose for us. We must believe that God has a purpose for us to go through suffering. Perhaps you have heard what a college student wrote to her parents that go like this: “I am sorry I have not written sooner. You see my stationary was burned in the fire in our dorm that was set by the demonstrators. I am not in the hospital any more and the doctors say my eyesight should come back. The boy names Bill offered to let me share his little apartment with him until I find something else. He comes from a good family and that makes it easier to tell you we are going to get married. I know you have always wanted to be grand parents and guess what? P. S. Would please not read too much in the above which was an English composition I wrote. There was no fire, no hospital, my eyes are OK, I am not expecting and there is not boyfriend. I did get a D in French and F in Chemistry and I wanted to make sure your mind was in the proper viewpoint.” Our viewpoint makes a difference. We read what our suffering is for. We know problems have a purpose. We know there is a value in our testing, trials, difficulties, troubles, evils, setbacks and problems. God knows what is going on and has a purpose. 1. Suffering produces determination, persistence and perseverance. This is the ability to live life under pressure which means we hang in there, we do not give up and we keep on keeping on. As we make it through a rough time it gives confidence and new strength as we have to face another difficulty. 2. Suffering produces character which is proven to be reliable. I told you about the suitcase commercial with the gorilla. God uses sufferings to make us better and tougher for life. 3. Suffering produces Hope which is assurance in Christ’s power and strong belief in God’s promises. Problems come to improve our Hope. How would you rate you hope today? There are no problems that come into our life that God is not aware of and can take care of. When we choose the right attitude our life is improved. We need to choose to have joy because we KNOW GOD. James 1:2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Joy comes because you KNOW. How mature are you? In the book of Philippians the word Joy is used 19 times. Where did Paul write it from? He was in person. God is greater than any problem that we face.
3. Romans 5:11 “We rejoice because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has not made us God’s friends.” The third reason for our joy is God is with us. God is always with those who believe in Him. We are God’s friends and He cares for us. Isaiah 43:2 “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” God is with you and nothing can devastate you or destroy you or beat you or crush you or overpower you or overwhelm you. The devil, other people and God will not destroy you. Nothing in the entire world can take God’s love and care away from you. Whatever you go through you are not alone. That makes us rejoice.
I want to conclude with four things we can do spiritually. I want to challenge you to practice them for the next six weeks to make them part of your life. 1. Develop an attitude of gratefulness. EPH 5:20 "Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 TH 5:8 "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you." COL 1:11"Being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."
3:17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Having a thankful heart cause us to be more stable emotionally. Being grateful gives us more energy than any other emotion. To develop more in gratefulness take time to write a letter, make phone call or visit someone and let them know how much you are thankful for them. Sing songs of thankfulness to God. 2. Give with greater enthusiasm. 2 COR 9:7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Acts 20:35 "Remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: `It is more blessed to give than to receive. MAL 3:10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12"Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty. " LK 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." We need to act as God does in giving. I use my shovel to give unto God’s store house and He shovels back to me but guess who has the bigger shovel? 3. Serve others and God with an on purpose willingness. Mk 8: 35 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." EPH 6:7, 8 “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. When we really get into serving we do not have time to ask, “Am I Happy.” 4. Share Christ with others. The greatest thing after you have been saved is to see someone else come follow Christ through your witness. LK 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." 15:10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
1. Develop an attitude of gratefulness. 2. Give with greater enthusiasm. 3. Serve others and God with an on purpose willingness. 4. Share Christ with others.
