HoHum:
Have the children come up and do a Children’s Minute with them.
What kind of day are we having today? Are we happy, (Show the smiley face.) or are we sad? (Show the sad face.) What are some of the things that make us happy? Here are some things:
A sunny day A party A new toy A puppy An ice cream cone
A balloon Spending time with a friend
What are some things that make us sad? Here are some things:
Falling down and skinning our knee Making a bad grade in school Feeling all alone Losing our favorite toy Having an argument with our best friend
When someone says something that hurts our feelings When we miss someone
When we think about things that make us happy and things that make us sad, it is pretty simple. When something good happens, we are happy and when something bad happens, we are sad. Do we think Jesus wants us to be happy? Jesus wants us to be joyful instead of happy! What is the difference between being happy and being joyful? Listen and I will tell everyone in a few minutes. Does this mean that nothing bad will ever happen in our lives? No, of course not, but even when we are sad, we can still have joy in our heart because we know that Jesus loves us.
WBTU:
After the apostles were flogged and then released by the Sanhedrin, we find this reaction from the apostles: “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” Acts 5:41, NIV.
There was rejoicing among the apostles in spite of being beaten badly? Clearly their joy came from something other than their circumstances. Our English word happy comes from the Latin word for chance. Happiness is what we feel when our circumstances are pleasant. Joy, on the other hand, come from our faith no matter what our earthly circumstances are.
1 Peter 1:8 is talking about the great joy that fills us when we are saved. One of the marks or fruits of salvation is joy. William Barclay- The Christian is a [person] of joy... A gloomy Christian is a contradiction of terms, and nothing in all religious history has done Christianity more harm than its connection with black clothes and long faces.
Since joy is automatic for a Christian, we don’t have to work at being joyful. Not so. There are several commands in Scripture to be joyful. God would not have commanded us to be joyful if we do not have to work at it. Since joy is a command we can also see it as a spiritual discipline, something that we need to choose to do.
Just a few verses to show this: Back to back commands in one verse. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4, NIV.
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV. The discipline of joy is a discipline of thanksgiving. We are to give thanks and rejoice no matter what- rejoice in order to be joyful. This might sound like telling the crippled to walk by walking. Or the beatings will continue until morale improves. But to just do it can unlock the coldest of hearts; there is great liberation in practicing the discipline of joy.
This is my New Year’s thought for us, be joyful, experience it but also work at it. Noticed that in my ministries after the 3rd year it seems that the joy seems to go down. In one ministry, before I came, they mentioned that the joy had gone out of the church. After 3 or 4 years with them, that same idea came back into the congregation with a vengeance that ruined it.
Come back to the opening Scripture, 1 Peter 1:8 where we celebrate God filling us with joy.
Thesis: Why are Christians so joyful?
For instances:
Christians are joyful- their sins are forgiven
“Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:39, NIV.
When we respond to the gospel by confession, repentance, baptism, we have the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is no joy on earth like the joy of knowing that God has forgiven every sin we have ever committed.
David said: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Psalms 32:1, 2, NIV.
Christians are joyful- they are free from the power of sin
“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” John 8:34, NIV.
Every person who is not in Christ is a slave to a cruel master. But when we come to Jesus Christ He sets us free. “Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:31, 32, 36, NIV.
Even after becoming a Christian, we can be set free from any sin that we often fall into: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4, NIV.
Christians are joyful- they are children of God
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--” John 1:12, NIV.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ” 1 John 3:1, NIV.
Suppose we knew that we were the child of some great man or the child of a billionaire or the child of a king- wouldn’t that make us happy and joyful? But being a child of any of those is nothing compared to being a child of God, the King of kings.
My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men, Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them; but now He is reigning forever on high, And will give me a home in heaven by and by. I’m a child of the King, A child of the King: With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.
Christians are joyful- they are delivered from all fear
We should fear nothing or no one but God alone. A great many people have their joy spoiled because they are constantly thinking that some calamity may overtake them. People who have the comforts of life but don’t enjoy them because they fear that some calamity may come and take the comforts away. Others don’t enjoy life because they fear they may be thrown out of work and not be able to make a living.
This past year had a situation where one of my sons needed to attend a school that would meet his special needs. Concerned that I would lose my ministry here because for him to attend this school needed to move our residence to Ohio. Approached the elders and supportive of us moving to Ohio and continuing to minister here. In a week we are moving to Ohio. For a while not able to enjoy myself because of these concerns, I was worried. However, even if the worst does happen, we are delivered from all fear.
Soon after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, an angel appeared in their camp to announce the happy event. The shepherds were terrified according to Luke 2:9. The Greek here is, almost literally, they were “mega-afraid.” “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10, NIV. The great joy the angels speaks of is “mega-joy.” In other words, the shepherds’ mega fear would be replaced by mega joy when they saw Jesus. When we are saved, our mega fears are replaced with mega joys.
Even the greatest fear, the fear of death, is taken away. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14, 15, NIV. A Christian knows that what men call death is for us simply to depart and be with Christ.
Christians are joyful- they have everlasting life
“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.” John 6:47, NIV.
Before I became a Christian I did not like to look into the future, but how I love to look into the future now! It is a great joy to preach, but oh, to be able to stand and look down through the coming ages and see them roll on, age after age, and know that I am going to live for all eternity fills me with an inexpressible and glorious joy, a joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Hymn by Barney Warren- I have found the joy no tongue can tell, How its waves of glory roll! It is like a great o’erflowing well, Springing up within my soul. It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, Full of glory, full of glory, It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, Oh, the half has never yet been told.
So What:
Jesus taught that joy is one of the marks of his kingdom. He said “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10, NIV. What is fullness of life if not joyful? Jesus also said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11, NIV. When people discover this, Jesus said, they are like a man who found treasure in a field and “in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 13:44, NIV.
