Joyride - Pt. 4 – Check Your Oil
I. Introduction
Hold on. Close your eyes. Clinch your teeth and perhaps your cheeks. The roller coaster called life can spin you and turn you inside out. Jesus boards this ride of life and makes us one of the greatest promises next to salvation! We read that promise in . . .
II. Text
John 15:11
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
You will remember that I told you that it is important to backtrack and hear what He told us (on purpose) so that we could find out what prerequisites we must meet to obtain fullness of joy.
We have been learning some important things about joy:
1. To have fullness of joy we must be willing to embrace and appreciate pruning?
2. To have fullness of joy we must be rooted in Him which is revealed by whether His Words are at home in you and if we become obedient to His commands.
3. Our strength level is determined by our joy level. The Joy of the Lord is our strength.
4. If Jesus' joy enabled Him to face death, then surely His joy in you can empower you to face life!
5. There is only one location that joy can be found which in His presence. So we cannot confuse condition and location because happiness is the product of condition. Joy is the product of location.
So I want us to wrap up this ride today by asking you a question, “Have you checked your oil lately?”
Let's start in the New Testament in
TEXT: Hebrews 1:8-9
But to the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”
Then in the Old Testament we are familiar with a passage that was a Messianic prophecy that in Luke 4, Jesus quoted to announce His own arrival on the scene. However, He only quoted the first part. We like the first part and overlook the part He didn't quote but which He still has the authority and power to fulfill then and now.
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Some thoughts on these passages as they relate to Jesus and to us and in particular this repeated phrase of oil of joy.
1. Jesus' joy was a result of love and hate.
The writer of Hebrews reveals that Jesus was anointed with the oil of joy because He loved justice (in another version it says righteousness) and hated evil (iniquity, or unrighteousness). What brought the anointing on Jesus will bring the anointing on you. Too often we have no anointing of joy because we don't love what He loves and hate what He hates. We love what we love and hate what we hate thinking that will produce joy and it instead produces distraction, pain, and anger. I see that we are filled with love for things that God hates and we have no joy. I see that we are filled with hate for things that God loves and we have no joy. What we love (we get that) and hate (hate can produce joy?) determines whether or not we are anointed with joy!
He is anointed because He is righteous; we are anointed that we may be righteous. Isaiah says He will anoint us with joy so that we can be trees of righteousness.
2. Jesus was anointed with joy above the others but not to the exclusion of others.
The writer of Hebrew says He is anointed above others meaning that those around Him have a level of anointing that He exceeds. This lines up with what Isaiah tells us that the Messiah would arrive on the scene to do. He will come and give us the oil of joy! In fact, He should have more joy than us and at the same time we should have more joy than those around us that don’t have Him!
We see this played out in the lives of the disciples . . . Acts 13:50. Some of the Jews convinced the most respected women and leading men of the town that their precious way of life was about to be destroyed. Alarmed, they turned on Paul and Barnabas and forced them to leave. Paul and Barnabas shrugged their shoulders and went on to the next town, Iconium, brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit, two happy disciples. (Notice the connection between Joy and Holy Spirit – remember Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit!)
The disciples understood that even against the backdrop of an angry mob they were anointed with joy!
So how powerful is it that Isaiah tells us that Jesus has the ability to give us joy as a replacement for mourning so that we begin to wear a garment of praise rather than a spirit of despair? There is a spirit of despair! The anointing of joy can overtake and overthrow that spirit and even cause praise to become your covering. So the good news to you this morning is that you can be anointed with His joy!!!
So if we love what He loves and hate what He hates we are anointed with the oil of joy!
The specific statement "The oil of joy" is a revelation of what joy does for us. Listen if you love what God loves, hate what He hates, are living righteously then the oil of joy should be applied to your life. The oil and what it accomplishes will be apparent. This symbolic language reveals 4 very specific results/symptoms of joy in and on our life.
3. The Oil of Joy should produce:
a. Softness - Oil softened - we think the more righteous we become the harder we become, grumpier we become, less fun we become. When we are anointed with joy we should be softer folks. Our hearts of stone should be turned to soft hearts of flesh!
b. Perfume - Oil perfumed - When you are anointed with joy you should smell different! People should smell you coming. Your life should have a different fragrance. They should welcome your arrival rather than avoid or dread your appearance.
c. Beauty - Oil is a beautifier. The Easterns did not think they were fit to attend a banquet until they first washed their face and anointed themselves with perfumed oil. They would apply/anoint themselves with oil until they had oil dripping from their hair and their faces were shining bright. How many of you know that joyful people are more beautiful? How many of you know that you are better looking when you are full of joy? I am trying to save you a trip to the plastic surgeon! Just let joy impact your face! Too many of us claim joy but don't reflect joy. We need more than the Oil of Olay we need the oil of joy! We arrive at all kinds of events with no shine. Shine baby shine. I am convinced that the reason so many people resist Jesus is because of the lack of oily Jesus followers!
The man who said, "If Christians were as happy as it is our duty to be, there would be no resisting a faith so visibly rich." was spot on!
d. Healing - Finally, the Eastern mode of medicine was generally the application of oil! Do you remember what the hero in the parable of Good Samaritan used to doctor the man who had fallen among thieves? He poured on oil and wine! Oil heals. If we are anointed with the oil of joy, then we should be producing healing in those around us!
Proverbs 17:22 - A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Scientific studies have backed this up. Studies have shown that laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, increases muscle flexion, and boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells, which produce disease-destroying antibodies. Laughter also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and produces a general sense of well-being.
You have the ability as you are anointed with joy to be a medicine to treat someone's disease. Who are you healing with joy? Your joy should be more contagious than all of the sickness of life that tries to crush those around you!
So are you oily? Are you anointed? Do you love what He loves? Do you hate what He hates? Are you softer, perfumed, more beautiful, and healing? Are you anointed with joy?
