Expect Joy
Faith Expectations Part 4
05/18/08 PM
Text: Various
[This lesson and this series are drawn from the writings of Tom Allen in his book “What to expect now that you believe.”]
Faith Expectations
This lesson is another in the series titled Faith Expectations. I know it is probably true of many gathered here tonight, I know it true for myself, that when we had obeyed the call of the gospel, accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and been Baptized into Him there were great expectations of what our faith would do in us, for us, and through us. And we are justified in these expectations:
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
John 10:10b “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
We are right to have high hopes for our faith. As believers we should never lose the “great expectations” of our faith especially since the greatest expectation is yet to come, that being the return of our Lord and Savior. Until that day it remains for us to balance our expectations with the reality of living as sojourners in this world. And so let us consider a great expectation of our faith: Expect Joy.
Introduction
Try for a moment to enter into the emotion of the moment when the crippled man is instantly, completely, and permanently healed. Imagine the feeling of standing on your own for the very first time. Can you feel the wonder that he felt at being able to obey the command of Peter to walk? I can only imagine the joy that must have been surging throughout his heart but I think we can see it in what was recorded in Acts 3:8 “With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.” Joy in what the power of Jesus had done for him was a natural outcome for the crippled beggar and Joy is the outcome of that same power of Jesus in all who believe in His name today. We all are crippled by sin and just as helpless to cure ourselves as the beggar was helpless to strengthen his ankles by his own efforts. But by the power of Jesus we are healed, cleansed so we may as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:8 “greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory…”
I.Joy In Our Forgiveness
A.Unexpected, undeserved, and certainly unearned, we are forgiven.
1.This is the greatest gift imaginable. More valuable than any gold or silver, more precious even than any physical healing.
2.By the blood of Jesus our almighty God has declared our sins atoned for, our guilt absolved, we are completely forgiven.
3.Psalm 51:9-12 “Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Through repentance of our iniquity and belief in Jesus we open the door of our heart to the Joy of salvation.
B.By the sacrifice of Jesus we have a new standing with God
1.In Christ we are new creatures and our relationship with God is restored.
2.We stand as sons and daughters of God our adoption signed and sealed by the blood of Jesus.
a.We do not stand alone for Jesus stands with us.
b.1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”
We can rejoice in our new standing as children of God.
II.Joy For The Duration
A.Jesus provides the context for our joy
1.John 15:9-11 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”
a.“These things I have spoken to you…” refers to the “keeping” and the “abiding” previous in the verses.
b.Having the “joy of the Lord” in us is partly dependent upon us abiding in His love through obedience to His commandments.
2.Paul expressed a similar sentiment
2 Timothy 1:12b “for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
a.As we entrust our lives to Him, He will guard us.
3.This is powerfully illustrated in the life of our Savior.
a.It was for His willingness to do the will of the Father that it could be written:
Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
b.“Joy” and “enduring the cross” seem to be an oxymoron but it was joy to the Savior to submit to God’s plan of salvation.
4.Expect joy when you remain in His love by obeying His commands.
a.Many wonder where the joy is when it is they who have wandered away in sin and disobedience.
B.Others become disillusioned about their lack of joy because they have confused joy with happiness.
1.They expect the Christian life to be one happy day after another.
a.Happiness depends on happenings. Happiness in this sense of the word is a purely emotional response to outward circumstances.
b.When circumstances are good, then they are happy. When things take a turn for the worse, sadness sets in.
2.The Joy of the Lord is not primarily emotional.
a.It is based on more than mere feeling; joy is based on the truth of God. It is based on His love for us, and His promises to us.
b.Joy has to do with deep internal realities; happiness is all about surface external emotions. This is why when even in painful circumstances we may still expect joy in our hearts.
C.There is a difference between joy in the midst of a difficulty and joy because of that same difficulty.
1.God does not expect us to rejoice because we have been diagnosed with cancer but we can rejoice in the midst of that difficulty because of what God may teach us through the experience.
2.An illustration of this can be found in Acts 13.
a.False rumors were spreading among the leaders of Antioch which lead to the persecution and expulsion of Paul and Barnabas.
b.Look how the believers reacted:
Acts 13:51-52 “But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
c.They were filled with joy because of what God would do as a result of their troubles. This is joy in tribulation not for tribulation.
D.Jesus said in John 15:11 “that your joy may be made full.”
1.There is joy in the world which leaves us empty instead of full. A counterfeit version which has no longevity and fullness.
a.Job 20:5b “And the joy of the godless momentary”
Hebrews 11:25 “…enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,”
b.Solomon’s compelling lament:
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 “All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. 11Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.”
2.In contrast Solomon’s father (David) announced:
Psalm 16:11 “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
3.This is what to expect; joy for the duration. This deep sense of joy is ours in the sweet by-and-by and in the unsavory here-and-now. Jesus has provided for it and we can lay hold of it.
III.Joy In Our Attitudes
A.Having laid hold of joy in our hearts, we need to let it show in our lives.
1.We won’t all express the joy of the Lord in the same manner. With a body as diverse as the body of Christ there is no standard for a joyful attitude.
a.And we should not make it a contest to see who has the loudest laugh or widest smile but people should be able to sense the joy in our attitudes.
Illustration: A sister approaches a brother at church and asks, “Are you happy in the Lord?”
“Of course I am!” snaps the brother
“Then perhaps you should tell your face about It.” the sister replies.
b.When we carry the joy of the Lord in our hearts we need to expect it to show in our attitudes.
c.“Joy inexpressible” should not be “Joy unnoticeable.”
d.We need to make sure our faces know about the joy in our heart.
2.Poster: Joy is contagious – let’s start an epidemic.
Conclusion:
As believers of Jesus we can expect joy; joy that is full and long-lasting. Joy that is deeper than any happiness we have ever felt. Joy that so fills our hearts that it spills over into our attitudes and our lives. Expect Joy!
Invitation
