OPEN: In my files I have comments by several people about what they felt would make someone happy.
Daniel Boone - “All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse, and a good wife.”
Albert Schweitzer - “Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.”
Johnny Carson - “Happiness is your dentist telling you it won’t hurt and then having him catch his hand in the drill.”
Joan Rivers – “Happiness, at my age, is breathing.”
Now there has been a group that believes they’ve come up with a more “scientific” answer. They call themselves “Evolutionary Biologists and they believe we were NOT created. Instead, their view is that mankind was the result of billions of years of evolution. Someone once characterized evolution as the theory of “From Goo To You” because of their belief that we are nothing more than evolved primordial goo/ goop/ muck/ mud.
Now, these evolutionary biologists believe that the emotion of happiness is a tool that a mindless evolution has used to help us survive as a species. Happiness (they say) was developed by mindless evolution to help us learn to regularly use our digestive organs and our sexual organs. Essentially happiness encouraged primitive species to eat and make babies.
They observe that (because of the happiness influence) people regularly pursue food and sex because eating andhaving sex release neurochemicals that make them happy and that’s the reason living things have survived on our world.
(see footnote #1 at end of sermon)
Now, as you might imagine I reject all that.
By contrast to this bizarre Evolutionary teaching the Bible says we have been created in the image of God.
As one person noted:
"We are not (as Evolutions teach) one step above apes.
The Bible teaches that God has made us one step beneath angels."
(loose rendering of a quote by Allen Webster)
Thus, happiness is not the tool of a mindless evolution.
A survival technique of some sort.
No. Happiness is the gift from God to us because we’ve been created in His image.
God created us to be filled with Joy.
ILLUS: The Jewish Encyclopedia tells us that no language has as many words for joy and rejoicing as does the language of the Old Testament Hebrew. In the Old Testament there are 13 Hebrew language roots, used in 27 different words. They are primarily used for some aspect of joy or joyful participation in worshipping God. (Kaufmann Kohler)
There is NO OTHER LANGUAGE like the Hebrew language that has as many words for joy. And that’s because God’s people were meant to be a joyful people. A thankful people. A people filled with rejoicing.
So, the question is this: How do I lay hold of that joyfulness?
What do I have to do to be filled with joy in my life?
The interesting thing about the text we read this morning is that we find 2 instances of joy listed.
The first of these is found in verse 17 - “The seventy-two returned with joy…”
(see footnote #2 at end of sermon)
And the 2nd is in verse 21 “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit…”
What caught my attention here was the fact that JESUS was full of joy!
Now, in this series of sermons I’ve been trying to deal with situations that moved Jesus.
Situations where Jesus cried.
Where His heart was touched.
OR He felt a certain affection for someone.
And what’s unique about this passage is that it’s the ONLY place I could find where Jesus is said to have experienced Joy. And we have a bonus in this text because not only does Jesus experience Joy BUT so do the men He sent out on their mission.
So, I want to start with the 72 men Jesus sent out on a missions’ trip.
Now, they had a simple job. They were the “advance men” for Jesus’ ministry. They were to visit the different towns Jesus would visit over the next few months and prepare the way for Him to come in and speak.
First, Jesus told to pray TO God: "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Luke 10:2
And then they were to work FOR God. They were to do miraculous things like heal people & cast out demons in Jesus’ name, and they were to preach one simple message: “the Kingdom of God is near.”
In that simple message, they were warning the townspeople that something dramatic was going to happen. Someone was coming that would tell them God’s will for their lives and share the thrilling news of the coming Messiah.
When they got back – these 12 were excited!!!
Luke 10:17 tells us “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."
They’d never had anything like this happen before.
They were changing other people’s lives!
AND they were doing something important with their own lives!
They’re excited!
They’re pumped!
They don’t think anything can stop them now that they follow Jesus!
But then Jesus does the oddest thing: He rains on their parade a little bit.
He says “do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:20
Now, why would Jesus say that?
Why would He tell them they were rejoicing in the wrong thing?
Well, because they were.
Jesus wanted them to understand that there were two kinds of joy:
Joy of this World
And Joy of the Lord.
The “Joy of this world” is based on what “I” can DO.
How much money I can make.
How much position or fame I can receive.
How attractive I can make myself.
How much pleasure I can enjoy.
Joy for people of the world is based on “ME”
Look at what “I” did.
Look at what “I” accomplished.
Look at what “I” attained.
That’s exactly what Jesus is trying to get at.
“Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to YOU”
BUT rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:20
Don’t rejoice in what you have done.
Rejoice in what God has done for you.
Jesus said they should rejoice in the fact that GOD has written their names down in “the book”.
Ephesians 2 tells us that – as Christians saved by the blood of Jesus – our name is written down in that book. And because we’ve been saved by the grace of God:
“… we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
Since our names are written down in Heaven, we now have the power to do good works which God prepared in advance for us. When we became saved, God gave us access to the all the power of heaven. We have literally been ‘plugged in’ to the power of Heaven.
ILLUSTRATION: (pull out a clothes iron)
This is an iron. It’s really a great little invention. You pour a little water into the reservoir, you plug it into the wall socket and you can make wrinkled pants and shirts look almost brand new.
It works really well… as long as it’s plugged in.
But what happens when the iron gets unplugged?
It isn’t going to iron very good anymore is it?
Without electricity will make a nice paperweight. But without that electricity, it can’t do what it was designed to do. Its power is derived from the electricity it gets from the wall.
In the same way – our power is derived from being plugged into the resources of Heaven. And we got that “plugged in” when our names got written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Jesus tells the 72 men – YOU got your power from me. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19
So don’t rejoice (Jesus is saying) in what YOU have done.
Rejoice in the power God has given you by your name being written down in the heaven.
Rejoice in God, and what He’s done for you.
Because Joy is NOT a man/woman thing… it’s a God thing.
Now I want to switch from the 72 disciples to the next two verses that tell us about Christ’s joy. What was it that made Jesus joyful?
“At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit”
Where is Jesus getting His joy? (through the Holy Spirit)
Now notice what Jesus does once He’s filled with joy through the Holy Spirit
He begins to pray.
In fact, it’s not just a prayer… it’s a praise.
(He) said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Luke 10:21-22
The first 9 words out of His mouth were praises:
“I PRAISE you, Father – Lord of Heaven and Earth”
Jesus is receives His joy from the Spirit
And because of that joy, he praises the Father.
He receives His joy and reflects His joy to God.
Because Joy Is A God Thing, not a man thing.
Joy is not about what YOU can do.
It’s about what God can and will do through you.
Of all people on earth… we ought to be the most joyful people in town
We ought to be singing about that joy all the time.
In fact, if you know this song, sing it along with me:
“I’ve got the joy-joy-joy-joy down in my heart.
Down in my heart, down in my heart.
“I’ve got the joy-joy-joy-joy down in my heart.
Down in my heart to stay.
And I’m so happy, so very happy,
I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart
And I’m so happy, so very happy,
I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart
I’ve got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart
Down in my heart, down in my heart.
I’ve got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart
Down in my heart to stay.
And I’m so happy, so very happy,
I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart
And I’m so happy, so very happy,
I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart”
That’s the kind of song we need to be singing ALL the time. Because it is the will of our Father that we be a joyful people. That’s why the Hebrew is so filled with words that describe joy. And joy is a repeated theme in both the Old and the New Testaments.
(PAUSE)
But sometimes, that’s not so easy to do.
Are there times when you just don’t feel “joyful?”
Times when you don’t feel like “rejoicing?”
Of course there are.
There are times I don’t feel like it either.
That’s why God makes such an emphasis on the power of Joy.
For example, in Philippians 4, Paul says
”Rejoice in the Lord always, again I’ll say rejoice.”
Now, why did Paul repeat himself? Why say “again I say rejoice?”
ILLUS: How many of you have children/grandchildren?
Have you ever had to repeat yourself with them?
WHY?
Because they don’t pay attention the first time!
Paul repeats himself on this because Rejoicing doesn’t come naturally to us. He repeats himself because we’re too distracted by the toils of this world to focus on the real power that rejoicing can give us in our lives.
Nehemiah 8:10 tells us “… Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
Where’s that joy come from?
It’s OF THE LORD!
You see, that kind of Joy isn’t OF the world. It’s of the Lord.
The world didn’t give me that kind of joy… God did.
And since the world didn’t give it to me – guess what? - the world can’t take it away!
Now – this is important.
If you miss this next point you’ll have missed the WHOLE point of the sermon.
The joy of this world will fail you.
If my joy is focused on what I can do, what I can accumulate, what I can possess, what I can brag of… then I can lose that.
If my joy is in my possessions… and I lose my possessions –
(guess what) I’ll lose my joy.
If my joy is in my house… and I lose my house –
(guess what) I’ll lose my joy
If my joy is in my health… and I lose my health –
(guess what) I’ll lose my joy
If my joy is in a loved one… and I lose that loved one –
(guess what) I’ll lose my joy
AND when I lose my joy…
The world starts falling apart on me.
I can become depressed, discouraged, demoralized.
I may even wonder why I want to live!!!
And when that happens… I’ve literally lost my strength.
And when that happens a lot of people begin to get angry with Jesus.
They say “Jesus, why did you allow me to lose that which I found such joy in?
And Jesus will say
“Didn’t I tell you?
Didn’t you listen?
There is nothing you have on this earth that you’ll ever keep.”
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19
Everything you are attracted to in this world is going to get broken, stolen, rust or die.
If your joy is wrapped up in those things you’re destined for disappointment.
BUT Nehemiah 8:10 tells us “… Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
The people who understand this can weather any storm
They can survive any tragedy.
They can heal from any heartache.
They can handle any hardship in this world.
Because they Joy of the Lord is their strength
And that was what Jesus was trying to teach us in Luke 10
You (as Christians) don’t get your joy from this world… you get from the Lord.
And since the world didn’t give it to you, the world can’t take it away
CLOSE: While on a short-term missions trip, Jack Hinton from New Bern, N. Carolina, was leading worship at a leper colony on the island of Tobago. There was time for one more song, so he asked if anyone had a request. A woman who had been facing away from the pulpit turned around.
“It was the most hideous face I had ever seen. The woman’s nose and ears were entirely gone. The disease had destroyed her lips as well. She lifted a fingerless hand in the air and asked,
‘Can we sing Count Your Many Blessing?’”
Overcome with emotion, Hinton left the service. He was followed by another team member who said, “Jack, I guess you’ll never be able to sing that song again.”
“Yes I will,” he replied, “but I’ll never sing the same way.”
Now why was that woman - so misshapen by disease - able to sing that song?
Because she had learned that the Joy of the Lord was her strength.
She had learned that without Him (Jesus) there was nothing worth anything to her.
But with Jesus she had a joy the world could not take away.
INVITATION
Footnote #1: Robert Wright, quoted in Time 1/17/05
What is happiness for? Happiness is for getting us to use our intestines, ovaries and testicles. People so reliably pursue food and sex because eating and copulating release neurochemicals that make them feel happy. And the reason this neurochemical rule is part of the human heritage is that the genes responsible for it have, understandably, done well for themselves.
The general principle: genes that dish out pleasure in ways that have helped propel them through the generations are the genes that are with us today. So the laws governing happiness were designed not for our psychological well-being but for our genes’ long-term survival prospects. That fact, when pondered at length, can induce unhappiness.
But first the good news. Eating and copulating aren’t the only ways to aid genes, and so aren’t the only things that bring happiness. Helping your offspring thrive is a natural joy booster. So is excelling at work or play; during human evolution, impressing people could be good for your genes. Indeed, so various were the avenues of genetic proliferation that that lots of not obviously animal activities bring happiness: making friends, being part of a team, even helping the needy.
Footnote #2: Just by way of explanation: The King James Version (KJV) says there were 70 men sent out by Jesus. But more modern versions all seem to say there were 72. This appears to be because the KJV was based upon the a manuscript called the “Textus Receptus” which dates from about 500 A.D. But over the years, researchers have older manuscripts that have slight variations such as this one. While the KJV is still the gold standard of Bible translations, modern translations feel that if enough older reliable manuscripts agree on a conflict they should be quoted as more valid.
