HoHum:
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart,
Where?
Down in my heart!
Where?
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,
Down in my heart,
And I'm so happy,
So very happy,
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart.
WBTU:
In Greek Bible, this is shortest verse, even shorter than John 11:35. This command is very simple, not needing much explanation. Easy to understand but difficult to live
We have said that joy is something that we are filled with by God but it is also something that we must cultivate or work at in our lives. It is like love. The love of God fills us when we become Christians but we must work at sharing that love back to God and then with others.
In way of review and to add more thoughts let’s talk about the joy that we are filled with:
1. This joy comes from God the Father
“You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.” Psalms 4:7, NIV.
God did something in our hearts that is more than natural joy that we received when all the crops have come in, and we had all that we wanted to eat and all we wanted to drink and all the resources and money that we need. God did something in our hearts way more than that.
2. This joy comes through Jesus Christ. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11, NIV.
3. This joy comes from God, through Jesus Christ, motivated by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the energizer of this kind of joy. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” Romans 14:17, NIV. From God as source, through Christ as mediator, by the Holy Spirit as energizer. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, ...” Galatians 5:22, NIV.
This is all talking about how God fills us with joy. Since God fills us we don’t have to do anything to produce joy in our lives. Not so. This is where this verse comes in. We need to walk with the Spirit, keep in step with the Spirit, work with the HS to produce this joy.
Thesis: To rejoice in the Lord always, follow these guidelines:
For instances:
Read and feed upon the Word of God daily
“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.” Jeremiah 15:16, NIV. When the Bible becomes our joy and heart’s delight, we will want to read it. We will want to hear it preached. We will want to remember it and think about it all the time, every day.
II. Meditate upon the teachings of Christ and His apostles
In our Lord's final time with His disciples, John 13 to 17, He mentions joy and full joy eight times. Never were they more exhilarated than to be with Him and to follow along and have the promise that they would reign with Him in the Kingdom. And so when Jesus started to talk about His death and it began to sink into the disciples’ minds that it was near. Jesus had been telling them, "I'm leaving, I'm leaving," never was the fear greater, never was the anxiety greater, never was the sense of dread greater, never was there a time in their experience with Him when they would have a more validated reason to be sorrowful then that and it is precisely that moment in the Upper Room the night of His betrayal that He reminds them repeatedly of joy, that they are to be joyful.
And in that wonderful Philippian epistle some form of the word joy is mentioned 16 X. What makes that, I suppose, remarkable is that that was written as one of Paul's prison epistles. It was written while he was a prisoner, while he was suffering the direst of conditions and persecution and hostility from other Christian evangelists who were accusing him of iniquity and sin. His reputation was being attacked and sullied by those who also named the name of Christ. And in the midst of that sort of personal persecution from other believers, as well as the hostility and suffering at the hands of the Romans, he mentions joy 16 X.
Paul says in “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.” Colossians 1:24, NIV. He obeyed this command and his sufferings were great. We read the whole epistle of 2 Corinthians, this long list of things that he suffered, shipwrecks and beatings and whippings and stonings and in all of it, he says, in all my sufferings I rejoice.
Now someone might say, "Well what about Romans 12:15? “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Well that's right, but it doesn't talk about our internal Christian joy. That is simply saying, "Show compassion and empathy and sympathy with people, join in their laughter when they're happy, join in their weeping when they're sad." Identify outwardly with normal human emotion. But that kind of weeping does not negate joy as is clear from 2 Corinthians 6:10 where Paul says, “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing...” Paul gives testimony there that he obeyed this command as a way of life. Even when he was sorrowing with and over others, all of those kinds of emotional experiences never touched his joy.
III. Spend time with brethren who radiate joy
A. As Titus' joy encouraged Paul - “In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.” 2 Corinthians 7:13, NIV.
As Philemon's love and joy refreshed the hearts of others and gave Paul joy - “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.” Philemon 7
One popular ad jingle from 1977 to 1985 was: I’m a Pepper, he’s a Pepper, She’s a Pepper, we’re a Pepper, Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too? Be a Pepper. Drink Dr Pepper. I’d really like to be a Pepper in the sense of being a “pepper-upper” to people! I’d like to be a builder-upper of people rather than a “putter-downer” of people.
IV. Sing praises of joy to God
Certainly we should sing when cheerful - “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” James 5:13, NIV.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25, NIV.
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. (What does a Spirit-filled Christian look like? See the next two verses.) Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. (our speech to one another is filled with praises to God, how encouraging to hear people humming Christian songs, quoting Christian songs) Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Similar thing mentioned in Colossians 3:16)” Ephesians 5:18-20, NIV.
However, thanking and praising God in all things does not mean we “stuff” and deny our feelings, sorrows and frustrations with life. The pattern and instructions in the Scriptures for a life of thanksgiving and praise is to regularly “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7, NIV. for we are too weak to carry the burdens of life. Paul, the great apostle of joy and praise, openly and honestly shared his struggles with God and his friends. This command to be joyful always is followed with pray continually or pray without ceasing. Cannot be live out “be joyful” or “give thanks” without praying.
So we praise God mainly through song and through that others are drawn to our wonderful God and Savior. – Doxological evangelism. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9, NIV. The role of a priest is to take the people to God in prayer (intercession) and to take God to the people in praise and through declaring His truth. Through this people are drawn to the gospel message.
V. Lead others to Christ, for they will be a great source of joy
A. As the Thessalonians were to Paul- “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.” “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20; 3:9, NIV.
As John's converts made him joyful - “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 4, NIV.
A couple who never had children, come to the end of their days and have regrets about this. They have no one to help them or share their golden years. Those Christians who have had no converts are the same and even more so. Need to be able to point to others and see how God used us to reach them and how these Christians are walking in the truth.
Paul was coming to the end and he was encouraged by Timothy. “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith...” 2 Timothy 1:3-5, NIV.
