The Jesus-Joy (Dave)

HOTL-TIL-3-The Jesus Joy (Dave) • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

0 ratings

· 7 views

Notes

Transcript

I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! 12 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. 13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends

Introduction to Joy

This week we light the candle of joy as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

The Christmas story is a story of joy. Shepherds aren told by the angels that they are being told news of great joy on the birth of a Saviour.

The Magi who had traveled from afar following the star - upon finding the infant Jesus, are “overjoyed”

And we even sing songs in this season of joy - celebrating that we are not alone - God is with us.

The Joy Dilemma

Joy is a wonderful word and a powerful emotion and state to experience and yet it seems to be something that causes us all a dilemma

By dilemma - we have this description of joy for people of faith but then we endure moments of suffering, stress and sorrow where joy appears to have flown away.

Right now in this season opf COVID 19 there are many people who are not experienceing joy. For many of us this Christmas means distance and disappointment.

But on the other hand there are others who are enjoying the moment - good things are happening in there lives. Remember the song from the Sound of Music -

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens Brown paper packages tied up with strings These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites When the bee stings When I'm feeling sad I simply remember my favorite things And then I don't feel so bad

Let’s consider the two ends of faith that touch on joy...

Faith where joy is central: We have it when everything is going my way

Let’s look at faith where joy is central. In the Old Testament joy covers a wide range of human experiences—from sexual love (Song of Sol. 1:4), to marriage (Prov. 5:18), the birth of children (Ps. 113:9), the gathering of the harvest, military victory (Isa. 9:3), and drinking wine (Ps. 104:15). On the spiritual level it refers to the extreme happiness with which the believer contemplates salvation and the bliss of the afterlife.

Phrases like the “the joy of the Lord is your strength” “Rejoice in the Lord always” and the fruit of the Spirit includes joy.

Joy is part of faith in God - let’s never lose sight of that - our hope in God is a foundation for deep abiding joy.

The danger is when we make joy the only outcome for our faith - where we expect everything to be going our way - that all our wishes become true.

That makes our joy unstable because now it is simply based on good circumstances. Secondly it makes us dishonest becuase we are not allowed to be authentic about our sorrow, stres and suffering.

Faith where joy is peripheral: We have it sometimes... maybe… don’t count on it

This takes us to the other place where faith becomes peripheral.

For these people the focus is on the struggle of faith now and the reality of suffering.

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. Psal 126

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30

The weariness of life, the drudgery, the disappointments, responsibilities, the grind move people to a place where joy is something they are not looking for as much. Real joy is what lies ahead so now the focus is on persevering, courage and faithfulness.

Joy - we have it sometimes…maybe…don’t count on it.

People who live here are always serious, likely skeptical of simplistic answers to faith and suspicious of any who is always smiling.

The danger for them is that faith becomes a burden, they lose sight of God at work around them and our faith becomes unattractive to others.

The Jesus-Joy

So where do you stand when it comes to joy? In the passage we read today we are confronted with Jesus saying we can exprience his joy.

Jesus want us to be joyful “... so that you will be filled with my joy.”

Jesus wants us to be joyful. The journey of faith includes joy that gladdens the heart. Jesus is talking to us telling where joy is found - and He is making it clear it is found in Him and livng out His words that speak of what real living is all about.

(Joy in the Farewell Cycle are directly focused on Jesus’ departure from the world and his desire to provide his beloved followers with a sense that they must not fear the future but rejoice in what is being done through him. They must look beyond their anxieties)

Joy connected to the way of Jesus “...obey my commandments...this is my commandment...”

So here what we find about joy in this moment with Jesus…joy is connected to the way of Jesus…obey my commands

--------- The Way of Jesus------

Jesus makes clear, however, that this relationship is relationship characterized in obedience. ‘Remaining’ is conditional upon ‘obeying’. ‘Abiding (or remaining) in Christ’ must not be reduced to a subjective, mystical, inner state. The mark of an abiding heart is not only, or even principally, a sense of inward serenity, but a ‘conscience clear before God and man’ (Acts 24:16).

It is allowing Jesus’ words to remain in us (7).

This obedience is not, however, a grim, forbidding thing, I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (11). To submit to Christ is no hardship. Rather is it the road to liberation. It therefore brings joy... but again it is joy with a moral basis, the joy of submission and wholehearted obedience.

(Bruce Milne, The Message of John: Here Is Your King!: With Study Guide, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 221–222.)

The greatest moral command of Jesus is to love…all other commandmens that we follow ultimately are an expression of loving God and others.

A joy connected to the sacrificial love of Jesus Inward - “...remain in my love”

The basis for joy is found in one place Jesus tells me - I must be connected deeply to the sacrificial love of Jesus.

What did Jesu come into this world to do?

He was sold, to buy us back; captive, to deliver us; condemned, to absolve us; he was made a curse for our blessing, sin offering for our righteousness; marred that we may be made fair; he died for our life; so that by him fury is made gentle, wrath appeased, darkness turned into light, fear reassured, despisal despised, debt canceled, labor lightened, sadness made merry, misfortune made fortunate, difficulty easy, disorder ordered, division united, ignominy ennobled, rebellion subjected, intimidation intimidated, ambush uncovered, assaults assailed, force forced back, combat combated, war warred against, vengeance avenged, torment tormented, damnation damned, the abyss sunk into the abyss, hell transfixed, death dead, mortality made immortal. In short, mercy has swallowed up all misery, and goodness all misfortune. (Joseph Haroutunian, ed., Calvin: Commentaries, The Library of Christian Classics) Jesus came to rescue me - love found me - the mercy and grace i need it is found in the deep self giving love of Jesus.

I need to take moments everyday and live in that truth of Christ

A joy connected to the sacrificial love of Jesus Outward - “...no greater love than to lay down one’s life…”

Let’s not lose sight of thee word of Jesus - joy comes from following the way of Jesus - the way of Jesus is living out this command - love each other in the same way I have loved you - now let’ go one more step - Jesus loved us sacrificially - no greater love than to lay dwon one’s life…so joy comes from loving sacrifically.

If I want Joy

it is not about getting my way

it is not making my life’s priority a bucket list of happy experiences

it is not living self centeredly

Joy comes through loving sacrificially…that is how God loves us he loved us sacrifically but sending us His Son

If we are to love God and others we too must embrace this path in a world that says this makes no sense - love others sacrificially

How does that look in your familoy, friends, chrch, work and your neighborhood.

That is Jesus Joy.

Related Media

Related Sermons