This morning, I’d like to talk about joy. How does that statement make you feel? Hopeful? Glad? Or does it arouse feelings of apprehension? Joy is a funny topic. You would expect that people would enjoy hearing about joy; that they would welcome a discourse on such a positive topic. But I’ll bet that in some of your minds, the prospect of a sermon on joy is less than welcome. Because, paradoxically, it often makes people feel depressed and guilty. They know that Christians are supposed to be joyful, and yet they have a gnawing suspicion that their own joy isn’t up to snuff; that their own heart isn’t as full of gladness and good cheer as it ought to be. They’re not sure just why they don’t feel particularly joyful, but they do know that joy is something that’s expected of believers. And so the result is often hypocrisy. Playacting. Fakery. Putting on a mask of joy, when the reality is very different. In fact, I suspect that joy is one of the most commonly counterfeited attitudes among Christians.
You may remember that last week, we looked at the importance of being honest as we share with one another our struggles and hardships. We are members of the body of Christ, and so when one suffers, we all suffer. God intends for us to support one another, and encourage one another, and help one another. And the only way we can do that is if we’re willing to humble ourselves and admit our weaknesses and failings. Claiming to possess something we lack undermines genuine fellowship. But we can be honest with one another, because we understand grace. We understand that all of us alike are sinners, having nothing to commend us to God or merit his favor. None of us have any standing before God to judge or condemn anyone. We are loved and accepted by God only because of Christ. And therefore, we can love, and accept, and forgive, and empathize with one another.
On the other hand, some don’t even make a pretense of joy. They’re just openly grumpy and morose, and they’ve come to view this as normal. They’re the Eeyores of the faith. They’ve absorbed the fact that following Christ involves persevering in faith through struggle, and hardship, and trials. But they’ve missed the part about joy in journey. They see the Christian life as a matter of grim determination, of joylessly soldiering on through a world of woe. Well, my message today is for both of these, the pretenders and the drudges, and everyone who just wants to get a better handle on joy. We’re going to be looking at why joy seems so elusive, so hard to grasp, and so hard to hold on to once we’ve found it. And we’re going to see what we can do to make joy a more consistent and a more authentic part of our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.
First, I want to review a few verses to establish that joy is indeed a normal part of the Christian life.
"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
"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." – Romans 15:13
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." – Galatians 5:22
"Be joyful always." – 1 Thessalonians 5:16
The Bible does not teach that joy is an exceptional condition, something to be experienced only on rare occasions – perhaps when we’ve just gained some deep insight from the Scriptures, or when we’ve received some great answer to prayer, or at those times when our fellowship with God seems unusually close. No, Paul writes that this is what the kingdom of God is all about – righteousness, peace, and joy. It’s something we’re to be filled with. It’s one of the distinguishing marks of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. And he puts it most clearly and succinctly in First Thessalonians: "Be joyful always." It’s not intended to be rare; or unusual; or uncommon; or exceptional. It’s supposed to be what the Christian life looks like. It’s what we should expect as we walk with Christ. And so, if our hearts possess little joy, and our lives display little joy, then something is amiss. We need to find out what’s wrong and work to correct it.
I use the term "work" intentionally, because one of the reasons people don’t experience joy is that they fail to work at it. Now, that sounds faintly ridiculous, doesn’t it? – working at being more joyful. It seems like a contradiction in terms, like planning to be more spontaneous. We tend to see joy as a basic character trait, something you either have or you don’t. Or, we view it as something which God does to us, with little or no involvement on our part. Not something to be sought, but only received. After all, if joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit, something He produces in our hearts, then doesn’t it stand to reason that he will give us joy as He pleases, regardless of what we do? If joy is truly a work of God in our hearts, then isn’t it a bit presumptuous to pursue it, to take things into our own hands?
No. And here’s why. The process of maturing in the faith, of growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, is a cooperative effort. It’s a joint venture between you and God. Yes, the joy comes from Him. The power comes from him. Even the initiative comes from Him, as He draws us to Himself in love. But we have to act. We have to work, drawing on the power which he supplies. We have to choose to receive what He offers, not passively, but actively. Yes, it all comes from God, even the ability to respond, but at the same time, it requires every ounce of strength and commitment which we can muster. Listen to what Paul says about his efforts with the Corinthian church:
"I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm." – 2 Corinthians 1:23-24
Paul wasn’t waiting around for God to supernaturally zap these people with joy; he was laboring, working with them for the purpose of their joy. Similarly, in another place, he writes:
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." – Philippians 2:12-13
Paul exhorts them to "work out" their salvation. Now, is he talking here about justification? Is he talking about earning forgiveness, or meriting a right standing with God by good works? No. He’s talking about sanctification, the process of becoming more like Christ in our heart attitudes, and speech, and conduct. He’s talking about the continuing process of transformation that began when we placed our faith in Christ. Note that it has two parts: We are to work – nothing will happen unless we exercise our wills and choose to obey – but at the same time, it is God who works in us. This is true, not only of joy, but of all the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It’s absolutely true that these graces are produced by the Spirit of God working in our hearts and lives. And it’s also absolutely true that none of them will become a part of our lives unless we choose to obey. In theological terms, sanctification is a synergistic process. And so working and striving, rightly understood, are not the opposite of faith, but an expression of faith.
Another reason people don’t experience joy consistently is that they look to people or circumstances to supply it. They experience joy at certain times – when a child is born; when they’re on vacation; when some event has brought them especially close to their husband or wife; when they achieve some milestone of success in their career – and they think that’s normative, that those kinds of experiences are how we receive joy. Times like that are real blessings from God; they do bring real joy. But it’s temporary. It’s fleeting. Those peak experiences are like the dessert of life; God never intended that we should try to make them into our daily meal. Because if we do, we’re going to be disappointed. We’re going to pursue joy by trying to change our circumstances, which usually involves trying to manipulate other people. And that is a strategy doomed to failure and frustration. Any joy which is going to sustain us in the long run cannot depend on the shifting winds of circumstance; it cannot depend on pleasure, or prosperity, or good health, or the good will of men. Lasting joy, the joy that Paul and Jesus talked about, is of a very different type. It is hardier and more resilient. It prevails in all kinds of conditions; and it will sustain us, not only in ordinary circumstances, but in the midst of hardship and sorrow. Because it’s built on a different foundation, one that’s reliable and enduring.
What is that foundation? The foundation for true, lasting joy is constructed of the promises of God, backed up by the love of God, the power of God, and the truth of God. The way we maintain our joy is by reflecting upon, and relying upon, these promises.
The promises of God are of two kinds, future and present. Next week, we’ll look at those which have to do with this present life. But this morning, I’m going to focus on those which have to do with the life to come. Why are these promises so powerful? How can the assurance of blessings and rewards in the future give us joy in the here and now? Well, we have the testimony of Scripture that it does so.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." – Matthew 5:11-12
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." – Romans 5:1, 3
If you think about this a bit, it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that the promise of a future good would bring joy in the present. Assuming, that is, that you really believe that you will receive what has been promised. How do people respond when they win the lottery? They rejoice! They yell, and jump up and down, and dance around the room. They do that as soon as they learn they’ve won. Why? When the numbers are announced, all they have is a lottery ticket, a piece of cardboard. They don’t have any money yet; in fact, they may not get it for several weeks. But that doesn’t matter. They have complete assurance of receiving the reward, because of the promise of the state of Ohio to pay the winner. And so they rejoice, and continue to rejoice. A couple hoping to conceive rejoices as soon as the pregnancy test comes back positive, even though the child won’t be born for another nine months. The friends and parents of a bride-to-be rejoice as soon as they hear of the engagement, even though the wedding may be several months away. We have many examples from daily life which show that a firm confidence in a future benefit brings joy. The greater the blessing, and the more certain we are of receiving it, the greater our joy. But in the case of God’s promises, both of those conditions are met to the utmost. His promises to us are absolutely certain of fulfillment, and at the same time, they are inexpressibly wonderful.
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" – Numbers 23:19
"For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." – 2 Corinthians 1:19-20
No matter how many promises you may uncover in the Scriptures, every one of them will be fulfilled in Christ. God does not make idle threats or idle promises; everything he has said will come to pass.
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." – Ephesians 1:18-19a
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." – Romans 8:17-18
The sufferings we undergo in this world, as painful and heartbreaking as they often are, do not compare to the glory and riches we will receive at the coming of Christ. And neither are the pleasures of this world comparable. What we will experience in heaven is far beyond what we have experienced, far beyond what we can even imagine. As Paul writes, quoting the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:
". . . ’No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’" – 1 Corinthians 2:9
But although we cannot fully comprehend or even imagine what heaven will be like, God has revealed enough to whet our appetites; enough to convince us of its transcendent beauty and glory; enough to persuade us that it is of far greater value than all the gold, silver, and diamonds in the world; enough to fill us with joy at the prospect of entering into it. Here are just a few of the many promises God has made us concerning the life to come.
First of all, it will be a place of unbroken joy and gladness. Sorrow and suffering will be unknown. No grief, no loss, nothing ruined or broken. No shame or regret for the past, no worry or fear about the future. Only pure delight and gladness, for ever and ever. No matter what you may be going through now, there will come a time when your suffering ceases, forever.
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." – Revelation 21:3-4
Second, it will be a place of unbroken communion with one another, unmarred by sin. It will be such that the sweetest fellowship we enjoy here can only dimly approximate. There will be no hatred, no resentment or bitterness, no pride. No selfishness, but only generosity and giving. No malice, no contempt. Only compassion, and love, and kindness toward one another. Instead of people contending with one another to see who will be the greatest, our desire will be to bless and serve one another. The Scriptures compare this joyful fellowship to a banquet, a celebration, a wedding feast.
"Then the angel said to me, "Write: ’Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’" – Revelation 21:9a
Third, it will be a place of new abilities, new skills, new powers. Think of the pleasure you get from doing something well; from giving joy to others or meeting their needs. Think of how you feel when you play an instrument well, and create music; or teach well, so that your students understand; or serve well, so that someone is well cared for; or build something; or make something; or discover something. All of those capabilities will be expanded beyond imagination, so that we will have vastly greater opportunity for creativity and accomplishment. We will have new bodies, far superior to these, and we will be living in a new heavens and new earth, created by God to be ideally suited to us.
"So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." – 1 Corinthians 15:42-43
Finally, and most wonderfully, we will have unbroken communion and fellowship with Christ. He is the one who makes heaven heaven; without him it would be nothing more than a cosmic Club Med. His love will be what makes it all worthwhile; His presence will be what makes every sacrifice and suffering worth the cost.
Having said all that, and I’ve only scratched the surface, what is the work we have to do in order for these promises concerning the future to bring us joy in the present? It’s very simple. We have to know them. We have to meditate on them; dwell on them; think about them. We have to rely on them, to live every day as if they were true. We have to do everything we can to get them into our minds and into our hearts. Read the Bible. Study it. Memorize key passages. Pray through the promises, claiming them for yourself. Pray and ask God to make them real to you. Go to them in times of trouble; return to them over and over for comfort and consolation. In short, you need to make the promises of God an integral part of your world view; a central part of how you understand and evaluate your life. If you do that, then you’ll not only know the promises, you’ll also know the One who gave the promises. And when the time comes for you to see them fulfilled, I guarantee that you will in no way be disappointed.
(For an .rtf file of this and other sermons, see www.journeychurchonline.org/messages.htm)
