TITLE: “JOY! (Easter)”
INTRODUCTION:
ILLUS: A missionary had arrived in a small Chinese town. After she arrived, she soon noticed that a gang of bandits had just destroyed the little town and everything in it. Then a native Christian, showed the missionary the ruins of his home; a burnt roof and structure, and furniture, all turned to ashes. Then, what appeared to be the last straw, the native Christian pointed to his hymnbook and Bible. He said, “They even burned my Bible and hymnbook!” And from the ruins, the native picked a single page of his Chinese hymnbook, the only thing to escape the flames! The missionary took up the piece of paper and it read “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” What an apparent mockery, a note of joy in the midst of total destruction. But the missionary went on to say, that if you could have gone to the little chapel and seen the light on the faces of those native Christians, that evening. Those who had lost nearly everything were speaking of the home that Jesus has prepared for those who love Him. “Yes”, the missionary claimed, “There is joy to the world, but only because the Lord is come!”
The natives of the small Chinese town truly displayed the type of joy that I want to discuss tonight.
I believe that most of us are somewhat aware that Jesus Christ is a source of joy, while there are those who would debate whether He is the ultimate source of joy. But by studying the passages read earlier tonight, I believe we can easily come to the realization that True joy found in Jesus Christ is ours for the asking.
I would like to discuss three truths concerning joy that not only occurred in the lives of Jesus’ followers, but also happens in our lives today. First, is ....
MAIN POINT #1: “The Revelling in Joy”
John 12: 13 “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!’”
In reading through the Gospels, we get a sense of joy building to a climax. Jesus started His ministry calling ordinary individuals to Himself and His ministry. Chosen followers sat under the ministry of this man - Jesus Christ. They have shared moments of laughter together. They shared moments of sorrow together. They ate together, slept together, and had fellowship together.
Jesus’ followers have seen Jesus cast out demons, heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, restore hearing to the deaf, and restore hope to the hopeless. Some followers even seen the transfiguration, where Jesus was glorified before their very eyes. They have even witnessed the impossible with their own eyes. They have seen Jesus raise people from the dead - Lazarus. Jesus had constantly taught His disciples and followers that He was indeed the Son of God. So based on what the followers heard and seen, at this point, I believe they were convinced that Jesus Christ was the true Messiah.
At the scripture portion, where Jesus makes His triumphal entry, His followers are experiencing their ultimate peak of joy. You see, their ‘master’ whom they loved and served faithfully for three years is now getting His so-called ‘recognition’ that has been long overdue.
They thought Jesus was entering Jerusalem to claim His Messiahship and become the Messianic ruler in Jerusalem. I can picture Jesus entering Jerusalem with the crowds shouting in excitement and waving their palm branches almost in a state of estacy. Jesus’ followers were witnessing for the first time large crowds accepting Jesus their master, as the spiritual/political leader of the Jews, with the exception of the Sanhedrin.
At this point, I do not believe that the followers of Christ could of been any more filled with joy, than is evident in this passage. They were ecstatic because the crowds were exalting Jesus Christ like never before.
Can you relate to the amount of joy that Jesus’ disciples must have been feeling that day (whether you’re a Christian or not)?
The second truth which we can all equally relate to, which
is ....
MAIN POINT #2: “The Removal of Joy”
Matthew 27: 65,66 “‘Take a guard’, Pilate answered. ‘Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.’ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting a guard.”
Christ’s followers have taken a ride on a emotional roller-coaster in the matter of hours. They went from a peak of joy, to where their joy had been crushed (taken away from them). Life fell from in under their feet and apparently there wasn’t too much, they could do about it.
In my own mind, I am trying to re-capture how the disciples must have been feeling at this point. Their leader/master was quickly taken from them, and they were left as abandoned orphans with no one or nowhere to turn to. Their master was brutally murdered for His beliefs by the Jews. Now they must have been afraid and lonely, wondering what their fate would be; if the Jews would come after them as well. Not only were they concerned with what would happen to them, but also their fellow-believers, their own families, and what would even happen to their faith in Jesus Christ.
In other words, the followers of this man Jesus, who walked with Him for three years; they were taught by Him; they ate with Him; they had intimate fellowship with Him; they laughed with Him in the good times; they cried with Him in the bad times; and ultimately He became their family. You have heard the cliché many times that ‘blood in thicker than water’. The relationship between Jesus Christ and His followers was now marked in blood, in more ways than one. Not only did His followers feel alone, but they also carried a tremendous amount of guilt ‘on their shoulders’. When Jesus was arrested, tried, and put to death; His loyal faithful followers were no where to be found. In fear of their lives, they observed all that happened at a distance. I can visualize that each time as the nails were driven further into Jesus’ hands, His followers’ hearts were equally pierced, but they were too afraid to do anything.
So after putting Jesus to death, at the command of the Jews, He was placed into a sealed tomb. Not only were the followers spiritually separated from their master, but now they were separated physically because of the tomb. At this point there was absolutely no hope - all hope was taken away. Their joy, Jesus Christ, was sealed in a tomb and there was nothing His followers could do about it even if they wanted to, because a huge rock and guards stood in the way.
Why am I graphically trying to re-capture what the followers must have been feeling that day? I want to attempt to make some parallels with what they were feeling to what we experience today. I ask you to ask yourself, what has robbed you of the joy that you deserve? What is keeping you from your joy? What life’s stone guards you from having the joy that you need and deserve? Is it your finances, family problems, friends, your place of work, your church, or maybe it’s a combination of everything around you?
We have noted the disciples experiencing a peak of joy, and then the removal of that same joy, which also occurs in our lives as well. But the third truth was ....
MAIN POINT #3: “The Restoration of Joy”
John 20: 19b,20 “Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”. After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”
Let us attempt to capture the scene that John describes in John 20. He tells us that the disciples were gathered in a room with the doors locked because they were afraid of the Jews who killed Jesus.
I don’t know if I could fully imagine how the disciples were feeling at that time. The account shows them being literally fearful of their lives, and I don’t know about you but I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
So we picture Christ’s followers whose lives are now filled with so much turmoil and ‘emptiness’. Not knowing what to do, where to go, what to think of their three years with Jesus, or what would happen in their future; if they actually have one. Can you relate to feeling like that? I can picture them all gathered together in a room. Some sitting while others are standing; some are verbally disturbed, while others reflect on what has happened. But regardless of their stance, there was no answers or solutions.
Then, in the middle of all this confusion and heartache, out of nowhere Jesus makes an appearance to His followers. John 20:20 tells us that the disciples were overjoyed, perhaps more joyous than they have ever been before.
You have all heard of the saying before, ‘the moral of the story’. Christ’s followers have missed the ‘moral of the story’ in terms of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth. That’s why, when Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb, His followers misunderstood what was really happening, and therefore their separation from their master made them joyless.
Little did the disciples know, but there was only one way to receive their joy back, and that was by God’s power and God’s power alone! Little could they do to remove the stone and get to Jesus even if they wanted to with the tomb sealed and secured by Roman guards. They needed someone to intervene on their behalf.
That’s what God did! God knew their feelings, and what they so desperately needed. So God in all of His wonderful beauty and power removed the stone and resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead. Then, after Jesus appeared to the disciples in the room, their joy was restored as it was originally and perhaps even greater than it was before.
Many of us have stones in our lives which block us from being truly joyful. I believe that regardless of what we try to do to eliminate these stones from our pathway, we will ultimately fail. We may succeed in making ourselves temporarily believe that we are happy or joyful, but have we discovered a real sense of joy, but who are we really kidding?
You see, God was able to remove the stone that stood in the way in the happiness of Christ’s followers. Likewise, God is willing and able to remove the stones that separate you from your joy. What separates you from your joy isn’t your problems, but it is not having Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
I challenge you, you can look wherever you want, but it is to God that you must go, if you want to be truly joyful and happy -- there is no other way. It doesn’t exist.
If you remember nothing else of what I say tonight, I want you to remember that true joy is only found in Jesus Christ.
On this Easter Sunday, you can experience the same joy that the disciples felt when Jesus re-appeared to them in the room by allowing Jesus Christ personal access to your life.
