"...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2 ESV)
"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne." (NLT)
The Greek word translated as "perfecter" is 'teleiótés' and means to bring a process to its completed finish and conclusion (it is only used here in Scripture). The Greek word translated as "joy" is 'chara' and means cheerfulness, delight, and gladness.
Listen, beloved: Jesus voluntarily went to the Cross and endured its pain and shame with joyful gladness because He wanted to spend eternity with you!!
On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to live within those who repent and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, Peter, the Apostle, preached to the people standing there, stunned in amazement by what was happening. He quoted King David, who he said was prophetically speaking of Jesus.
"'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence." (Acts 2:25-28 ESV)
King David declared that the presence of Jesus would make those who give their lives to Him will be "full of gladness." The Greek word translated as "gladness" is 'euphrosune' and means good cheer, joy, delight, and gladness of heart. Those who give their lives to Jesus are anointed with the "oil of gladness."
"you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." (Hebrews 1:9 ESV)
The Greek word translated here as gladness is 'agalliasis' and means exultation, exuberant and happy joy. The anointing of God that comes immediately upon a person at the moment of salvation is gladness and joy beyond human comprehension and understanding (Mark 4:16). It is what separates them from the rest of the world.
THE FULLNESS OF GOD'S GOODNESS
What a person believes about Father God is the most important thing contained in their mind. It affects everything about them. God rejoices over every Born-Again Christian with joyful gladness.
"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV)
The Hebrew word for "gladness" is 'simchah,' and means elation, delight, laughter, exuberant joy, and merriment
This verse is one of the most poignant passages in the Bible because it depicts the heavenly Father singing over His children and finding joy in their presence, just as any good and loving parent would do. God holds us next to His heart just as a loving mother holds their baby and quiets them with her love - and even sings to them! This image shows that God is not a distant, nebulous force somewhere out there, but a God who assures forgiven sinners that He loves, and is with them, so they have nothing to fear – ever!
In Scripture, the love of God is often expressed using the Hebrew word 'hesed,' which means a committed love that never fails and lives in the will as much as in the heart. However, the Hebrew word used for "love" in Zephaniah is 'ahabah,' and is also used in the Bible regarding the passionate love of Jacob for Rachel (Genesis 29:20), Michal for David (1 Samuel 18:28), the warmhearted love of Jacob for Joseph (Genesis 37:3), Uzziah's devotion to gardening (2 Chronicles 26:10), Jonathan's deep friendship with David (1 Samuel 18:3), and the devotee's delight in the Lord's law (Psalm 119:97). This is also the definition of God's love for His people, which delights Him and makes Him contemplate YOU with wordless adoration, a love that cannot be contained but bursts into ecstatic singing (Hosea 3:1; Zephaniah 3:17).
The verse says that the self-existent, mighty, and powerful Triune God is in the center of your life. His faithful and affectionate love covenant has saved you from your failures and sins. It will cause Him to be silent over you in His rest as He jubilantly sings and leaps, rejoicing and dancing over you with great joy and happiness because He is pleased with you when you chose to repent of sin and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The pleasure of heaven is expressed over you!
You ravish his heart, for He takes great "delight in you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride" (Isaiah 62:4-5 NIV). The Father's passionate rejoicing echoes throughout the heavenlies. Jesus paints a beautiful picture of unbridled joy:
"I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (Luke 15:7 NIV)
Jesus is exceedingly glad. He endured the Cross because He wanted to spend eternity with His Bride, the Church. He said the torment of the Cross would not shake Him because the Father would be at His right hand and never leave Him. His heart rejoiced, and He was glad because He was full of joy. He was anointed with gladness more than any other human being.
"Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy..." (Jude 1:24 ESV)
THE FULLNESS OF GOD
The Bible admonishes us to live our lives "overflowing with thanksgiving..." We will grow strong and vigorous in the truth (2 Corinthians 9:12 ESV). He warns us to make sure that no one is led astray and taken "capture" with "empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ." (Colossians 2:8 NLT). Within Jesus, all "the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19 ESV). As a Born-Again Christian, you have been made "complete" in Him "who is the Lord over every ruler and authority" in the universe (Colossians 2:10 NLT).
To a certain degree, this "completeness " is conditional on how we appropriate it. God has given us all of His fullness at the moment of salvation. However, it is up to us to stay constantly connected to Him in every condition and circumstance in which we might find ourselves experiencing His fullness.
God will rest in His joyous and glad love for you, content with it as His supreme delight because you chose Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. He will no longer hold you eternally accountable for your sins because of the final sacrifice Jesus made.
"Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." (Psalm 32:2 ESV)
"But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God." (Hebrews 10:12 ESV)
When we focus on God's endless love, power, and deliverance, we can experience joy, gladness, and hope in times of difficulty. Jesus is our King, our Savior, and our Beloved! (Zephaniah 3:15-17) We are eternally held tightly in the hands of a singing, joyously glad, and dancing God! (See John 10:29)
