Intro:
Good morning and we welcome everyone to our 4th and last Sunday for the month of March with a theme “A Joyful Hope”. And throughout all our exhortations this month, it all circled on this topic. But a question remained unanswered “are we happy?” Do we still feel the joy of God in our hearts? You see many people are still seeking to find this kind of joy that would satisfy their needs, yet it seems that all the material things on this world would always lack the quality of joy they are longing.
Today, we would seek the effects of joy that could only be found in God. We would study Biblical characters that they themselves have the effects of this kind of joy and it all started when they met God. You see many people were touched by God after they met Him. A living testimony is none other than ourselves. We are a living testimony to everybody that after we met Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have that hope and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit in us. But before knowing and accepting God, we are just like the other people who are hoping for joy to come to them filling and satisfying them. Let us learn again how to be…
Joyfully Hoping for God Maligayang umaasa sa Diyos
How many of us are still hoping that they can find joy? Many tried to get it from material things, from relationships, from achievements and entitlements of this world but it can only be found in God. Despite of all the challenges and trials of life there is a joyful hope in God. Well, today is the truth that we will all and for many again find that joy in God while we hope to get it today. God will never fail us.
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
ASND “Nawa ang Dios na nagbibigay sa atin ng pag-asa ang siya ring magbigay sa inyo ng buong kagalakan at kapayapaan dahil sa inyong pananampalataya sa kanya, para patuloy na lumago ang inyong pag-asa sa pamamagitan ng Banal na Espiritu.”
It is only God that can be our source of true joy in our lives. And once we find it, this will grow and overflow in us through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. Once we experience this inexpressible joy, changes in our lives start to happen.
What are the effects of these joy in our lives after we found our hope in God? On this exhortation, we can find 3 major effects of this joyful hope in us. Let us look upon the 3 persons in the Bible that showed their joyful hope upon meeting God in their lives. There are a lot of Bible characters that showed joy and hope after they met our Lord Jesus. Who are these people and what can we learn in order to have joyful hope?
1. There is a Jubilant Hope in leaving our sinful life – Matthew and Zacchaeus
Here comes 2 famous tax collectors in the Bible in the lives of Levi or Matthew and Zacchaeus. If there is most wealthy job in the Bible it is probably the tax collector. And Jesus was able to choose one of His disciples in the person of Levi or Matthew.
Look at the encounter of Levi or Matthew with Jesus:
Luke 5:27-32 “After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow Me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed Him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
And the encounter of Zacchaeus with Jesus:
Luke 19:1-10 “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed Him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
What can you notice about the 2 tax collectors? Both have given Jesus a party because they were both jubilant. What was the reason for the celebration? It is because these 2 tax collectors are willing to leave all what they have in order to have that hope they found with Jesus. Matthew or Levi followed Jesus and left everything even his job as tax collector and became His disciple. Zacchaeus on the other hand believed to be a follower of Jesus after this incident in his life by giving half of his possession and giving back 4 times the amount he cheated. There is this jubilant hope that they felt when they met Jesus for the 1st time in their life. How about us? Have we remembered the 1st time we encounter Jesus? What was the feeling?
It's not only Matthew but the rest of His disciples left their old sinful lives so they can follow and live with Jesus. What is the hope that they are clinging on to with Jesus – it is the word “jubilation”. Nothing in this world can equal the kind of jubilation that God is bringing to His own people. Because the Bible said in Luke 15:10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The joy we can feel when we leave our sinful life is the same spirit joy that angels and heavenly realms also feel.
And so we feel excited what’s next of this new found joy by giving us hope in Christ! This new found joy is what we called “joy of our salvation”. It is the kind of joy we feel in encountering our savior.
Robert Murray once said “The truest, purest joy flows from a discovery of Jesus Christ. He is the hidden treasure that gives such joy to the finder.” Ang pinakatotoo, pinakadalisay na kagalakan ay dumadaloy mula sa pagkatuklas kay Jesucristo. Siya ang nakatagong kayamanan na nagbibigay ng gayong kagalakan sa nakahanap
Compare this to Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
And once they found this joy, they became jubilant, they would not want to leave Jesus anymore even in the midst of trials, persecutions and problems. God will fill our cup with gladness and the very source of our joy is none other than God!
Look at an instance when many of His follower unfollow Christ…
John 6:66-69 “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Why did the other disciples leave Jesus that time? Because they don’t have the joy – the joy of knowing God deeper and wider. Look at what Peter told Jesus – Lord You have the words of eternal life. Again, the joy of leaving our past life is called the joy of our salvation.
There is no single person in this world who regretted that they left their sinful lives in order to be happy and be satisfied with God. Just like the song Pastor Joey composed with lyrics…
Makamtan ko man lahat ng yaman sa mundo
Makamit ko man pangarap at mithi ng puso ko
Kung ako’y manlalamig sa Yo at malalayo ng husto
Ay bigo pa din at hungkag pa din ang puso ko
(Ikaw ang yamang hinahangad
At ang pangarap kong sasapat
Panginoon, Panginoong Hesus) 2x
Higit sa yaman sa mundo
Higit sa luho at kinang nito
Ikaw ang nais ko, ang tanging nais ko
Ikaw ang yaman ko Panginoon.
Psalms 37:25-26 “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.
Why do they become generous and lent freely? Because of the 2nd effect…
2. There is an Overflowing Hope in loving God. – Mary, or the woman with alabaster jar
After a jubilant hope in the life of Levi or Zacchaeus, another Bible character that had another effect in her life after meeting Jesus, and it was Mary the sister of Lazarus and Martha. Mary, one of the 3 siblings had a special relationship with our Lord Jesus and after Jesus raised her brother Lazarus from the dead, the special act of worship was seen in her and we can find it in…
John 12:1-8
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Let us compare this similar event written by Mark in…
Mark 14:1-9
1 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” 3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
As we compare these 2 stories, we can see the similarities in place (it happened both in Bethany), the gospel of Mark mentioned it happened in the house of Simon the Leper while for John, it only mentioned that it was in Bethany while Martha served. There was an expensive perfume (made out of pure nard) mentioned by both writers, the container was an alabaster jar (Mark) and it was measured as one pint (John). It was both a woman (Mark) but (John named her as Mary), and this woman poured the perfume on Jesus’ head (Mark) while for (John) Mary poured it on his feet while wiping it with her hair. Both incidents were criticized by Judas Iscariot (mentioned by John) while for Mark it was uncertain who rebuked the woman among the crowd. In both Gospels, Jesus interpreted the actions as preparation for his burial but there are some important notes that was taken by the 2 Gospel writers that will lead us on an overflowing hope felt by Mary or that woman with alabaster jar.
A. Overflowing hope leads us to love God more and openly!
It was mentioned that it was a pure nard. A Spikenard at that time was imported in India and a whole jar or pint would have cost the equivalent of a common worker’s annual income. It was an expensive offering that she gave to the Lord lavishly and lovingly! And she was never ashamed to show her love to Jesus openly!
Like David said 2 Samuel 24:24b “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” Surely a year’s income is an extravagant cost to share to someone we love and that should always be God alone.
B. Overflowing hope leads us to worship God unashamedly!
Look at the details given by John and Mark, each perfume was poured in Jesus’ head and feet. It was intended and not as a bragging right of Mary that she was able to spend that much for Jesus but instead it is a worshipping opportunity for her to show her ultimate worship to God! In verse 3 of John 12, it was mentioned that the room was filled with fragrance that everybody noticed it and that for them it was a waste of money. But for Mary or the woman, it was pure intentional and spiritual fragrance that matters. And spiritual fragrance is not about the smell but the quality of our hearts that is willing to sacrifice out of our pure worship to God. Jesus knew Mary’s heart full or worship while Jesus also knew Judas’ heart which is full of betrayal.
Hosea 6:6 NLT “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.”
It is the heart of worship that God is longing for us. Look at the widowed woman who gave her last coin to God, she gave it unashamedly even if it’s her last money. What she felt was an overflowing hope that God will provide all her needs. Look at the widow of Zarephath, when Elijah told her to offer to God all she got and the blessings overflowed!
Look how Mary worshipped Jesus – she poured the whole expensive perfume from His head down to His feet and wiping it with her hair! The crown of glory of every woman is her hair and to wipe it with her hair means she was showing her humility to God by declaring God as her glory and not her hair.
C. Overflowing hope leads us to model our faith.
When Mary gave her best for God, she started a wave of blessings that has been going on ever since. First, she was a blessing for Jesus as she shared her love to Him, and she was a blessing to her own town or place as the fragrance spread. If not for Mary, her village Bethany would probably have been forgotten. In fact, the account of her deed was a blessing to the early church that heard about it because of the 3 Gospels that recorded the story. Mary has been a blessing to the whole world – and still is! The Lord’s prediction has certainly been fulfilled!
Like Mary, we can model our faith to others, how? By showing them how to love God with our joy of sacrifice. Loving God with or without material things will always require our joy of sacrifice for God.
1 Peter 1:8-9 “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Who would forget David when he danced with all his might before the glory of God entering his town? Many criticized David especially his wife, but he doesn’t care even if he is the king of Israel at that time.
Like Mary or the woman with alabaster jar, she expressed that joy of loving God with her overflowing hope by bringing the joy of sacrifice for her Lord and Master.
Do we have our own alabaster jar that is ready to be sacrificed for God and let that overflowing hope of fragrance be smelled in this place?
Lastly, the last effect of our joyful hope is that…
3. There is a Yielding Hope in living with God. – the Gadarene demon-possessed.
Another person who had encountered Jesus and experienced joyful hope is the Gadarene demoniac found in Luke 8:26-39. And we know the story of this man who had been demon-possessed for a long time. And when he met Jesus, deliverance happened as Jesus rebuked the demon inside this man and went to the herd of pigs. After the deliverance, suddenly the spirit of joyful hope prompted the man to be on his right mind, dressed and sitting at Jesus’ feet. But look what happened next. Let us start reading it in…
Luke 8:26-34:
26They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time, this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most-High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times, it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. 30Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside,
Luke 8:35-39
“And the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasene asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So, he got into the boat and left. The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.”
And at that moment, this man lived his life with God. This man literally begged Jesus not to leave Him and be with Him and live with Him. Yet Jesus opted for him to stay and be a messenger of his yielding hope to other people so he may testify about Him.
We need a yielding hope with Jesus as we live with Him. We need to beg always to God so that we will never go stray anymore with our lives. Look at Moses said to God when He said to them to go out to the desert again.
Exodus 33:15-16
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
Moses was right. The difference between people putting their hope on material things and people with yielding hope to God is His presence. When we have that yielding hope to God, our joy will always be complete, God will always satisfy us with all we need not just all we wanted. David said it so long as God is his shepherd he shall not be in want (Psalm 23:1) because so long as we yield to God He is all we need!
Psalm 37:5-7
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
The Psalmist like David, wanted everyone of us to start yielding before God. To yield means “to give way to pressure or influence” or in short to submit to God and be His servant as we do His will. By yielding to God as a result of His joyful hope means to experience the joy of service to Him.
Ang lahat ng pinalaya, pinagaling, pinatawad, nakaranas ng Kanyang kaligtasan at natutong magmahal sa Diyos ay naglilingkod din ng lubusan sa Kanya. The joy of our salvation and joy of sacrifice will never be completed without the joy of service to God by yielding to Him!
Look at the Gadarene man who was delivered, he realized that to live with Jesus and continue to serve Him will be his utmost joy is his way of thanking God after he was saved by God. He may not know it but it is the only way to maintain that he will be free from these demons forever.
Jesus once said in Matthew 12:43-45 “43 When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
That’s why we need to yield to God and be occupied with His Spirit so that the devil won’t deceive us anymore and dwell in our lives again and start to punish us, ruin our lives once more. But instead, be busy with God and be busy with His Kingdom as well serving Him until He comes again.
Conclusion:
Illustration:
I really like this story about Professor William Phelps. He taught English Literature at Yale from 1892-1933. Dr. Phelps was grading tests shortly before one Christmas, and he saw a note a student had written next to a tough question on the test. The student wrote, "God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas."
The professor returned the test with his own note under the student’s comment: "God gets an A. You get an F. -- Happy New Year."
I like that statement: "God gets an A." When our world is falling apart and nothing seems to be going our way, God gets an A, our Adoration and Awesome Praise despite of all difficulties in life! Then we will get an F (not a failing grade) but that is Filled with JOY!
So, in summary, the 3 major effects of a joyful hope to God’s people are:
We have a J-ubilant Hope to leave our old and sinful life – our Joy of Salvation
We have an O-verflowing Hope to love God – our Joy of Sacrifice
We have a Y-ielding Hope to live with God – our Joy of Service
Jesus promised us that His joy will always be with us to complete us or to fill us.
John 15:11 NIV “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Are you joyfully hoping for God right now?
As I close, I like the song Pastor Joey entitled
“Sa Piling Mo”
Nais kong mamasdan ang Iyong kagandahan – the longing of Zacchaeus to see Jesus
Nais kong Manahan sa Piling Mo kailanman – to leave the old life in order to be with God
Ang ibigin Ka ang syang nais ko – the act of loving Jesus through the alabaster jar
Ang sambahin Ka ang syang mithi – the act of pouring the expensive perfume to Jesus’ head and feet
Hindi na lalayo, hindi na lalayo – the response of the Gadarene man being delivered
Ang pangako ko…
Sa piling Mo napapawi ang pangamba
Sa piling Mo lubos ang pag-asa (overflowing hope)
Sa piling Mo galak ay umaapaw (overflowing joy)
Sa piling Mo O Diyos
Sa piling Mo…
