Sermon Tone Analysis

Pray

Introduction

We’re continuing in our series on the Fruit of the Spirit and we’re now onto our second fruit of the Spirit - Joy.

So by way of introduction, I want you to think for a second of what makes you happy?

What would make you happy right now?

More money?

To see distant friends or family members?

To be lying on a beach in the sun, relaxing with nothing to think about except for what you’re going to eat next?

Right now that sounds appealing to me.

And I’m sure that, if I was on holiday for 2 weeks in the sun, I would be really happy.

Many of you know that this time last month I was skiing in Italy with a couple of friends.

Apart from the fact that I broke a few ribs on the last day, I had so much fun.

It was good to get away and get my head showered and to spend time enjoying the scenery and the thrill of skiing down the slopes.

And I was happy for that week.

But then that week ended - painfully…and then I got home, back to reality…back to normality....back to work, back to early morning routines getting the girls ready for school, back to porridge, as they say.

Then, I wasn’t as happy.

Don’t get me wrong; I was happy to see Kate and the girls.

I was happy to get stuck back into work…but I had a great time away.

And the thought of going to a beach and sitting in the sun makes me feel happy.

But when holidays are over and you’re back to the damp, grey Northern Ireland skies, that happiness soon fades away to a distant memory.

And that’s the thing with happiness.

Happiness is temporary.

Happiness is an emotion - it’s a feeling.

Pause

Remember last week when we talked about love and we saw that love isn’t just a feeling, but it is a choice.

That love - agape love is more that a warm and gooey feeling, but a sacrifice, where we choose to love those who are hard to love.

Well, it’s the same with joy.

Happiness is a feeling…and emotion.

Joy is more than a feeling - joy is a state of being.

[Happiness is an emotion, joy is a state of being]

And by that I mean that happiness comes and goes depending on the circumstances.

So when I’m on holiday, I’m happy.

When the holiday is over, the happiness fades.

When I am out for dinner with Kate or friends, I’m happy.

When we get home, the happiness fades.

Happiness depends on external circumstances and if things aren’t going well for us then we are not happy.

Joy is different.

While happiness comes and goes depending on the circumstances, joy remains with us regardless of our circumstances, because joy is a state of being.

Which means that if I have joy, when I’m on holiday, I can be joyful and happy, but when the holiday is over, I still have joy.

It means that when life turns against me, I can still have joy.

Now that is counterintuitive.

How can we be joyful when our lives are in turmoil.

How can we be joyful in the face of death?

How can we be joyful in the face of sickness?

Well, that’s why joy is a fruit of the Spirit, because joy is something that the Spirit gives us as a result of being born again.

In John 15:9-11 Jesus says this...

And Paul says in Philippians 4...

And that’s where we get our joy…in the Lord.

Rejoice in the Lord.

So we don’t rejoice in our circumstances.

We don’t rejoice when times are good, because times change - circumstances change.

Instead, we are to rejoice - we are to find our JOY in the Lord himself, who never changes.

However, sometimes we try to find out joy in places other than Jesus.

Pause

There’s an example of this in Luke.

We read it earlier, let’s read part of it again...

So in Luke 10, Jesus sends out 72 of his followers to the surrounding towns and villages.

And he tells them to go and heal the sick and tell them that the kingdom of God has come.

And so these 72 followers go out, two by two, to the surrounding towns and they tell of the kingdom of God and they heal the sick, they even cast out demons.

And when they return to Jesus they are full of joy

They’re joyful.

They have done amazing things for Jesus.

Jesus has given them the power to heal the sick, to cast out demons and to change people’s lives.

And they come back elated…joyous…but their joy is in the wrong thing.

Because Jesus corrects them.

He says...

Jesus tells them not to rejoice that they can do all this amazing stuff for him.

That will happen to them anyway - that’s not what they should be focusing on.

Instead, Jesus says, rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

And that is the source of our joy - the fact that, as believers, our names are written in heaven, in the lamb’s book of life.

Rejoice that Jesus love you and cares for you and even went to the cross for you.

Rejoice that you are forgiven, that you have a new life in Jesus.

Find your joy in the Lord - REJOICE in the Lord and again I say, REJOICE!

Because the Lord never changes.

Circumstances change, but Jesus never changes.

Trials may hit you and sickness even death may threaten you, but Jesus remains the same and your names are STILL written in heaven, despite your circumstances.

And that’s the source of our joy.

And when that is the source of your joy it will change your life and your perspective on life.

Pause

So, with that established, we can see how James can say, for example...

How can we consider trials of many kinds joy?

We can’t if we think that joy is like happiness.

Remember, happiness is an emotion depending on circumstances, joy is a state of being and it doesn’t depend on our circumstances.

So how can James say what he says?

Well, if we rejoice in the LORD ALWAYS, and we rejoice that our names are written in heaven…in other words, if the source of our joy is in the Lord and the fact that he has saved us and our eternal destiny is secure…if THAT is where our joy comes from...

…then we can count trials as joy.

Because, as James continues, the trials test your faith and make it stronger.

They make you into a more faith-filled person.

And that helps you to get through the trials and out the other end, which produces perseverance....and that makes us mature and complete.

So if we value who we will become in Christ - if we value the fact that trials will make us into better, more faith-filled Christians, then we will actually welcome trials…because that is our goal in life - to be a more faith-filled, mature Christian.

For those who aren’t Christians, their focus is on themselves and making the most out of life, and being happy and healthy…but that is a worthless task, because once they die they’ve an eternity of torment ahead of themselves.

But if their life’s goal is to be happy and healthy, then they won’t count trails or sickness as joy - it will go against their whole goal in life...that will ruin their lives.

But for US, as Christians, we’re not living for ourselves - we’re living for Jesus - and our life’s goal is to be MORE and MORE like Jesus…to be complete, to be mature as a Christian.

And if trails make us a mature Christian - if a trail makes us more like Jesus, then we will welcome trails and we can count it joy.

Naomi...

Pause

I’ve used this analogy before in this passage - but it’s like working out at the gym.

Working out at the gym takes effort.

It’s hard work, it’s boring.

It’s tough.