Rejoice in the Lord
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
How do we define joy?
Joy is closely related to gladness and happiness, although in the NT, joy is more a state of being than an emotion - a result of the choice to know and meditate on the character and promises of God.
What is the source of joy?
The source of joy in our lives comes from being in step with the Spirit. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5:16 -25.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
How do we rejoice in the Lord?
First, we must become aware of where we are walking. Our perspectives, our expectations and our actions reveal to us who we are in step with.
Second, we must choose God’s grace, and crucify the perspectives, expectations and actions that do not align with God’s Word.
Third, we must choose to delight in the character and promises of God, accepting him for who he is, and recognizing that any joy we have comes from him.
Perfect Illustrations: For Every Topic and Occasion Joy: Joy Hard Won
In Decision, Joni Eareckson Tada writes:
Honesty is always the best policy, but especially when you’re surrounded by a crowd of women in a restroom during a break at a Christian women’s conference. One woman, putting on lipstick, said, “Oh, Joni, you always look so together, so happy in your wheelchair. I wish that I had your joy!” Several women around her nodded. “How do you do it?” she asked as she capped her lipstick.
“I don’t do it,” I said. “In fact, may I tell you honestly how I woke up this morning?”
“This is an average day,” I breathed deeply. “After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00 A.M., I’m alone until I hear the front door open at 7:00 A.M. That’s when a friend arrives to get me up.
“While I listen to her make coffee, I pray, ‘Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don’t have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no resources. I don’t have a smile to take into the day. But you do. May I have yours? God, I need you desperately.’ ”
“So, what happens when your friend comes through the bedroom door?” one of them asked.
p 154 “I turn my head toward her and give her a smile sent straight from heaven. It’s not mine. It’s God’s. And so,” I said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs, “whatever joy you see today was hard won this morning.”
I have learned that the weaker we are, the more we need to lean on God; and the more we lean on God, the stronger we discover him to be.
Citation: Joni Eareckson Tada, “Joy Hard Won,” Decision (March 2000), p. 12, used by permission
We can find joy in the Lord by choosing to meditate on passages like Isaiah 35. Isaiah 35 is a Messianic chapter, speaking to Jesus first coming, and the Millennial Kingdom after his second coming.
Isaiah 35:1-2.
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.
The desert wilderness speaks of both the human soul and the land of southern Israel. In Jesus first coming, his birth, death and resurrection bring life to humanity. He gives his life to us. In this we choose to rejoice.
In the Millennial Kingdom, Jesus will bring life to the land of Israel, fulfilling his promises to her. In this we choose to rejoice.
In Jesus first coming, they saw the glory of Yaweh, and in this they rejoiced.
John 1:14-16.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”)
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
We choose to rejoice, for from his fulness we have all received, grace upon grace.
Though we don’t see him, we agree with 1 Peter 1:8-9.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
In this we rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of God’s glory.
Isaiah 35:3-4
3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”
Honesty is the best policy. We must see our weak hands, our feeble knees, and our anxious hearts, and come boldly before God’s throne of grace to receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need, for he has saved us and he is coming to judge the living and the dead. In this we walk the path of joy.
Isaiah 35:5-7.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
What is the sign of the first coming of Messiah? According to Jesus in Luke 7:18-24, the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the dead are raised, the mute sing for joy, and the poor have the Good-news preached to them, bringing water to dry and thirsty souls.
What is the sign of the second coming of Messiah? The land of Israel is renewed and restored, and beyond that, the whole world.
In this we rejoice.
Isaiah 35:8-10.
8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He is the Way of Holiness. He is the path of joy. Through his work even us fools can be saved and walk in his way.
In this we rejoice.
In the Millennial Kingdom, Satan, the lion, is bound, and the redeemed Jews return to Jerusalem with singing - an effective way to express the joy given to them.
This reminds me of the chorus by Robert Rainy.
Joy is the flag flown high
From the castle of my heart
From the castle of my heart
From the castle of my heart
Joy is the flag flown high
From the castle of my heart
When the King is in residence there
(So) let it fly in the sky
Let the whole world know
Let the whole world know
Let the whole world know
(So) let it fly in the sky
Let the whole world know
That the King is in residence there.
Today, we the redeemed come to “Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:22–24)
In this we rejoice.
Oh, what joy there is in the Lord!
Luke 2:9-11
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Church, hear the message of great joy. Jesus is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. In this we rejoice.
Now we see how to apply Paul’s command in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
Our joy comes on account of what Christ has done, is doing, and will do, irrelevant of whatever other circumstances are happening in our life.
So go forth with a song of joy in your heart, for Jesus is born a Savior who brings life to your barren souls now and for all eternity.