A Church with Joy

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:08.470 Let's turn our attention now to second John. Second John Twelve and thirteen will 2 00:00:08.509 --> 00:00:12.750 be my text for this morning that I'll be preaching from. Will read the 3 00:00:12.789 --> 00:00:49.009 whole letter, though. Second John. The grass withers, the flower fades, 4 00:00:49.689 --> 00:00:56.560 but the word of our Lord stands forever. The elder to the elect 5 00:00:56.600 --> 00:01:00.679 lady and her children, whom I love, and truth, and not only 6 00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:03.750 I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that 7 00:01:03.870 --> 00:01:11.390 abides in us and will be with US forever. Grace, mercy and peace 8 00:01:11.469 --> 00:01:14.950 will be with us from God, the Father, and from Jesus Christ, 9 00:01:14.989 --> 00:01:19.299 the Father's son, in truth and love. I rejoiced greatly to find some 10 00:01:19.459 --> 00:01:23.379 of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the 11 00:01:23.500 --> 00:01:27.459 father. And now I ask you do your lady, not as though I 12 00:01:27.500 --> 00:01:32.379 were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the 13 00:01:32.459 --> 00:01:37.730 beginning, that we love one another, and this is love, that we 14 00:01:37.890 --> 00:01:42.329 walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you've heard 15 00:01:42.370 --> 00:01:47.049 from the beginning, so that you should walk in it, for many deceivers 16 00:01:47.090 --> 00:01:49.599 have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of 17 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:55.760 Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 18 00:01:56.239 --> 00:02:00.079 Watch yourselves so that you may not lose what we have worked for but 19 00:02:00.239 --> 00:02:04.590 may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide 20 00:02:04.590 --> 00:02:08.430 in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching 21 00:02:08.909 --> 00:02:13.949 has both the father and the son. If anyone comes to you and does 22 00:02:14.030 --> 00:02:16.780 not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him 23 00:02:16.780 --> 00:02:22.659 greeting, or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in 24 00:02:22.780 --> 00:02:25.740 his wicked works. Though I have much to write you, I would rather 25 00:02:25.860 --> 00:02:30.810 not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and 26 00:02:31.009 --> 00:02:37.689 talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. The children 27 00:02:37.729 --> 00:02:50.319 of your elect sister greet you. Amen. So as John writes to this 28 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:54.800 church and brings the greetings of another church to them, we have a sense 29 00:02:54.840 --> 00:03:00.430 of what life was like in these churches. There's both trial and difficulty. 30 00:03:00.629 --> 00:03:07.069 There are deceivers, there is guarding and watching and protection, but there's also 31 00:03:07.310 --> 00:03:15.659 hospitality and generosity and love. There's excitement. As John sees the work that 32 00:03:15.860 --> 00:03:20.699 is of that the spirit is doing in the churches. He says in verse 33 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:25.180 four, I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth. 34 00:03:25.219 --> 00:03:30.449 It makes him happy when he thinks about these churches, when he sees 35 00:03:30.569 --> 00:03:36.330 what's going on. He sees them and he rejoices, no, he rejoices 36 00:03:36.409 --> 00:03:40.289 greatly. It says he is a happy man because of the Work of God 37 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:47.879 that he is seeing in the world among these people. He wants to talk 38 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:53.240 to them more. He has much to write, but he would prefer not 39 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:57.750 to use paper and ink. He wants to come and talk face to face. 40 00:03:57.789 --> 00:04:02.189 He says that our joy, his joy and their joy may be complete. 41 00:04:03.310 --> 00:04:09.150 And it's this focus on joy that I would like to spend some time 42 00:04:09.310 --> 00:04:13.460 on this morning, because I think that one of the things Jesus wants us 43 00:04:13.460 --> 00:04:18.100 to see in this passage and in other passages of scripture is he wants us 44 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:24.850 to see and understand and even experience something of that joy, joy that exists 45 00:04:25.009 --> 00:04:28.810 in that church, in his church, so that we might pursue it, 46 00:04:28.930 --> 00:04:31.610 so that we might seek it, so that we might seek it in particular, 47 00:04:32.050 --> 00:04:40.000 particularly in him, to find our joy in him and in his body. 48 00:04:42.439 --> 00:04:46.920 And we see that here particularly pert im going to try to staying stop 49 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:50.800 saying that word in verse twelve. We see it in verse twelve. John 50 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:56.350 wants to come and be face to face with them. Now John is not 51 00:04:56.550 --> 00:05:01.550 opposed to writing. We have a letter, we have three letters, and 52 00:05:01.709 --> 00:05:09.379 a gospel of John and the revelation of Jesus Christ, according and written by 53 00:05:09.500 --> 00:05:12.980 John, as the spirit revealed it to him. Lots of words from John, 54 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:15.259 many of them in the New Testament. He knows that it's good. 55 00:05:15.379 --> 00:05:20.420 He knows that it brings joy, it expresses joy. The spirit of God 56 00:05:20.610 --> 00:05:28.529 uses paper and ink to Minister to the people, as he does even today. 57 00:05:29.610 --> 00:05:34.170 But at the same time there's something about being a part that is makes 58 00:05:34.290 --> 00:05:42.240 joy incomplete, being face to face. There's something good about that, about 59 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:46.319 being in person and connected with this person in front of you that John Longs 60 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:50.629 for. And of course we all have experienced this, even perhaps the most 61 00:05:50.670 --> 00:05:56.230 in our lives over the last year or so. Paul talks about this of 62 00:05:56.470 --> 00:05:59.990 was well and Colossians to five. He says, though I'm absent in the 63 00:06:00.069 --> 00:06:03.339 body, I'm with you in the spirit, rejoicing to see your good order 64 00:06:03.860 --> 00:06:10.500 and the firmness of your faith in Christ. There's still rejoicing and joy even 65 00:06:10.579 --> 00:06:15.100 when we're apart. But there's something very good about being together. In another 66 00:06:15.139 --> 00:06:18.529 one of Paul's letters he says nobody is with me, nobody is with me 67 00:06:18.649 --> 00:06:25.569 except just one, and there's sorrow in that. He longs to be together. 68 00:06:26.050 --> 00:06:30.730 And the pictures and revelation that we're ultimately moving towards, the pictures of 69 00:06:30.850 --> 00:06:38.920 Heaven, are of communion, of togetherness, of seeing the Lord himself face 70 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:44.720 to face. Now that doesn't always get to happen. Didn't happen for John, 71 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:48.189 didn't always happen for Paul, and even now the Lord specifically tells us 72 00:06:48.310 --> 00:06:54.230 by his apostles that this is a time for us not to be facetoface with 73 00:06:54.350 --> 00:07:00.029 the Lord, but to live by faith and not by sight. But there's 74 00:07:00.029 --> 00:07:02.180 something kind of hard about that, isn't there? There's a longing that we 75 00:07:02.300 --> 00:07:08.300 have, a desire for our joy to be complete, to see the Lord, 76 00:07:08.500 --> 00:07:15.089 to see the saints, to see the Kingdom. This joy that is 77 00:07:15.290 --> 00:07:20.649 anticipated in the future, but is not something that is purely future, though. 78 00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:26.290 We experience it here and now, and I like to think about these 79 00:07:26.490 --> 00:07:31.480 things with you today through some questions. First, what is joy? Second, 80 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:35.519 where does it come from? Third, how is it disturbed? And 81 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:44.000 finally, is there any hope for future joy? And we'll look at various 82 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:50.230 scriptures. Because there are so many I am not going to give you time 83 00:07:50.670 --> 00:07:55.829 to look them all up, but I will encourage you to write them down 84 00:07:56.470 --> 00:08:00.060 if you like, and I will read them to you. And then, 85 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:03.420 of course, some this is a posted online. Perhaps you are listening at 86 00:08:03.459 --> 00:08:09.300 some future date to this and you can hit pause and look these up. 87 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:18.050 Let's consider these questions. What is joy? The Hebrew and Greek words for 88 00:08:18.170 --> 00:08:26.199 joy means something like an excited happiness or the experience of gladness, and it's 89 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:31.279 expressed in a lot of different ways. It's interesting to understand joy and light 90 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:33.919 of the things that come along with it. So just a couple verses here. 91 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:39.679 Psalm forty two four talks about joy in the context of shouting and singing. 92 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:45.870 Some times joy is a little bit noisy. Psalm forty two for these 93 00:08:45.990 --> 00:08:48.590 things. I remember, as I pour out my soul, how I would 94 00:08:48.590 --> 00:08:52.549 go with the throng and lead them in the procession to the House of God 95 00:08:54.309 --> 00:09:03.659 with glad shouts and songs of praise. A multitude keeping festival sacrifices and instruments 96 00:09:03.700 --> 00:09:05.899 are mentioned in Psalm forty three, four, then I will go to the 97 00:09:05.980 --> 00:09:11.889 altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy, and I will praise 98 00:09:11.889 --> 00:09:18.129 you with the Liar Oh God, my God. Four Times God has mentioned 99 00:09:18.210 --> 00:09:22.250 there in that verse. Psalm forty, three, four. Then I will 100 00:09:22.250 --> 00:09:26.600 go to the altar of God to God, my exceeding joy, and I 101 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:31.759 will praise you, God. That might be number five, with the Liar 102 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:37.120 Oh God, my God. You can see why the psalmist describes God as 103 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:43.429 his exceeding joy. That is who he is. That that leads us to 104 00:09:43.509 --> 00:09:48.350 our second question. Where does joy come from? Our joy comes from God. 105 00:09:48.470 --> 00:09:54.740 Our Joy is God, as the Psalmist says, God is the source 106 00:09:54.740 --> 00:10:01.539 of deep and True Joy. Psalm sixteen eleven says you make known to me 107 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:07.649 the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy. At 108 00:10:07.690 --> 00:10:16.610 your right hand are pleasures forevermore, pleasures forevermore. The foldest of joy is 109 00:10:16.809 --> 00:10:22.399 found in the presence of God. We also might say joy is found in 110 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:28.679 the promise of God. Romans Thirteen Paul writes, may the God of hope 111 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:35.509 fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that, by the 112 00:10:35.669 --> 00:10:41.710 power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope what is hope? 113 00:10:41.309 --> 00:10:45.429 What is it that we are filled with in believing? What is it we 114 00:10:45.590 --> 00:10:48.350 are believing? What is the hopeful thing we are believing that fills us with 115 00:10:48.509 --> 00:10:54.820 joy? It's the promises of God. It's the work of Jesus, Christ 116 00:10:54.940 --> 00:10:58.940 for us on the Cross, the one who dies for our sins and puts 117 00:10:58.059 --> 00:11:05.529 God's banner of love over us. Those promises give us hope and those promises 118 00:11:05.610 --> 00:11:13.769 fill us with gladness hope. Rather, joy and hope. But joy comes 119 00:11:13.809 --> 00:11:18.490 also from the word of God, the presence of God, the promises of 120 00:11:18.570 --> 00:11:22.399 God, also the word of God. John Eleven, these things I have 121 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:26.559 spoken to you. Jesus says these things. I have spoken to you that 122 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:33.669 my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. Jesus 123 00:11:35.750 --> 00:11:41.230 tells us things so that his joy. Can you imagine how nice that is, 124 00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:48.059 the joy of Jesus, what that might feel like, so that his 125 00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:54.740 joy would be in us and then we might say, as he says, 126 00:11:54.820 --> 00:12:00.860 that your joy may be full of good and necessary consequence right of the joy 127 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:07.210 of Jesus being in us? Full Joy. The presence of God is a 128 00:12:07.289 --> 00:12:09.649 source. The promises of God are as a source. The word of God 129 00:12:09.730 --> 00:12:13.769 and of course, the spirit of God. Acts Thirty two says, and 130 00:12:13.929 --> 00:12:20.320 the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit, and of course, 131 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:22.559 Galatians five twenty two. And the fruit of the spirit is love. 132 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:30.429 Joy, the source of joy is also found, we might say, in 133 00:12:30.509 --> 00:12:33.470 the Church of God, through the spirit working in US and establishing us in 134 00:12:33.549 --> 00:12:39.149 the word. Acts Fifteen three says. So, being sent on their way 135 00:12:39.149 --> 00:12:43.659 by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the 136 00:12:43.740 --> 00:12:50.100 conversion, conversion of the gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 137 00:12:52.340 --> 00:12:56.460 The Church of God is not on parallel with God himself, but the 138 00:12:56.539 --> 00:13:00.929 Church of God is the body of God, the body of Christ, and 139 00:13:01.129 --> 00:13:05.529 in that as we see our joy in Christ, we see it in his 140 00:13:05.730 --> 00:13:13.039 body. The apostles come to a Phoenicia and Samaria and they're talking about the 141 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:18.840 work of the spirit in the churches and these other churches, about hearing about 142 00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:24.440 these brothers and sisters. It says it brought them great joy. This happens 143 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:28.389 for us as well when we hear about the missionary work that is done and 144 00:13:28.549 --> 00:13:31.750 throughout the world, when we hear about the Gospel going forth, people believing 145 00:13:31.909 --> 00:13:37.549 and growing in God. It's the work of God. It brings us joy. 146 00:13:39.309 --> 00:13:45.019 Consider also, first Thessalonians to nineteen. For what is our hope or 147 00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:50.340 joy or crown of boasting before the Lord Jesus as his coming? Is it 148 00:13:50.500 --> 00:13:56.210 not you? Paul says here in this passage that his boasting, hope and 149 00:13:56.330 --> 00:14:03.330 joy is the Church of Thessalonika, an amazing thing. Paul is happy to 150 00:14:03.409 --> 00:14:07.210 see them, he's happy to see God's work in them. Similarly, and 151 00:14:07.610 --> 00:14:13.000 first thessalonians three nine. For what Thanksgiving can we return to God? For 152 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:16.039 you, for all the joy that we feel, for your sake, before 153 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:22.000 God, or Paul in Romans Nineteen, for your obedience, he writes to 154 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:26.950 these Christians. Your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over 155 00:14:28.110 --> 00:14:31.149 you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and 156 00:14:31.389 --> 00:14:37.149 innocent to what is evil. Philippians two, too, complete my joy, 157 00:14:37.350 --> 00:14:41.940 Paul writes to the Church there complete my joy by having or being of the 158 00:14:41.059 --> 00:14:46.779 same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and with one 159 00:14:46.860 --> 00:14:52.490 mind or one more Philippians two seventeen. Even if I, Paul writes, 160 00:14:52.610 --> 00:14:56.129 even if I am to be poured out as a drink, offering, upon 161 00:14:56.210 --> 00:15:03.090 the sacrificial offering of your faith. I am glad and rejoice with you all. 162 00:15:03.649 --> 00:15:07.240 Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me. Do you 163 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:11.720 hear the joy that is expressed in these passages, in these expressions of joy, 164 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:16.480 an understanding of joy? It comes from the word of God, the 165 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:20.549 spirit of God, the promises of God, the presence of God. It 166 00:15:20.710 --> 00:15:26.789 comes from God. Are exceeding joy when he makes himself known, when he 167 00:15:28.110 --> 00:15:31.950 does his work among his peoples, when he draws us into his joy and 168 00:15:33.149 --> 00:15:35.379 gives us that joy. And we see it in our brothers and sisters around 169 00:15:35.419 --> 00:15:41.500 us. It's a delightful thing, it's a wonderful thing and we praise with 170 00:15:43.059 --> 00:15:48.179 we praise and rejoice with one another. This is the source of our joy, 171 00:15:48.059 --> 00:15:54.009 is God himself in Christ. So number three then. How is our 172 00:15:54.049 --> 00:16:00.250 joy disturbed? How is our joy disturbed? Well, there are many things 173 00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:04.480 in life that disturb our joy, that upset our joy, that make us 174 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:15.799 not happy. Sorrows in this life, death, frustrations, vanities, sins, 175 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:23.029 the devil himself. But the Lord is amazing in this way. Gives 176 00:16:23.070 --> 00:16:27.830 US great joy to think about this, the ways in which he overcomes these 177 00:16:29.029 --> 00:16:33.700 things and even transforms them in such a way that we can both experience sorrow 178 00:16:33.779 --> 00:16:38.500 and joy at the same time. We'll talk about that in a minute, 179 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:44.740 the way that our joy may be disturbed but not set apart or cast away, 180 00:16:45.100 --> 00:16:48.769 but for now I want to tell you the one thing that does truly 181 00:16:48.929 --> 00:16:53.809 disturb and completely disturb joy, the thing that casts it away and removes it 182 00:16:53.850 --> 00:17:00.440 from us all together, and that's imposter joy. When we set our hearts 183 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:07.160 and our joys on fleeting things, on sin, on sinful pleasures, on 184 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:11.440 the flesh, on the things of this world, that's when we lose true 185 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:15.269 joy. When we chase after the counterfeit versions of it, that's when we 186 00:17:15.430 --> 00:17:22.549 don't truly have it. The scriptures describe the people that chase after the imposter 187 00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:30.099 joys of this world as those that are in bondage, slavers, slaves of 188 00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:34.819 their sin, of sorrow and misery and darkness and the evil one. It 189 00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:40.539 might look one way on the surface, but of course it's not, and 190 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:45.569 we all have experienced this, even as Christians, when we give ourselves over 191 00:17:45.369 --> 00:17:49.730 to the things of the flesh and seek to find joy and pleasure and things 192 00:17:49.769 --> 00:17:56.410 that are not of the Lord. There's something to that, or else we 193 00:17:56.490 --> 00:18:00.839 wouldn't do it. But we all know the heartache it causes, the sorrows 194 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:07.359 that causes, the ruptures and fractures it causes between us and the people that 195 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:15.190 we are called to love and be in fellowship with. The scriptures say, 196 00:18:15.309 --> 00:18:19.630 for the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but 197 00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:26.420 of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. When we turn aside 198 00:18:26.420 --> 00:18:30.299 from the Holy Spirit, when we turn aside from the Kingdom of God, 199 00:18:30.779 --> 00:18:34.700 when we turn instead our eyes to the things of this world, to filling 200 00:18:34.740 --> 00:18:41.609 up our lusts and our pleasures, that's when our joy is truly disturbed. 201 00:18:44.609 --> 00:18:48.529 The good news for those who are in Christ, however, is that though 202 00:18:48.609 --> 00:18:52.250 our Joe Boy may be disturbed or lessened even by our own sins, we're 203 00:18:52.329 --> 00:18:59.720 never utterly destitute of it, because we have Christ. When we're in Christ, 204 00:18:59.880 --> 00:19:03.240 we have his joy, and that's a joy that never fully goes away. 205 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:07.640 Sure, there are ups and downs in life. There are times when 206 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:12.990 we are filled with sorrow, we might say, on our bones and our 207 00:19:14.109 --> 00:19:22.269 bodies feel like they're breaking with grief trouble, but the Lord never leaves. 208 00:19:22.710 --> 00:19:30.940 He never leaves those who belong to him. Considered God's word and rejoice in 209 00:19:30.980 --> 00:19:37.819 it with me. Colossians one hundred and twenty four, Paul says. Now 210 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:44.769 I rejoice in my sufferings. I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and 211 00:19:44.930 --> 00:19:48.490 in my flesh. I'm filling up what is lacking in Christ, it's afflictions 212 00:19:48.130 --> 00:19:52.480 for the sake of his body. That is the church. We're again, 213 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:57.119 Paul and Second Corinthians six, eight through ten. We are treated as impostors 214 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:03.720 and yet are true, as unknown and yet wellknown, as dying and behold 215 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:08.150 we live, as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful, yet always 216 00:20:08.230 --> 00:20:22.460 rejoicing. Paul doesn't say I'm never sorrowful, he says sorrowful yet rejoicing. 217 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:30.140 That's the Christian life. It's living in this world, experiencing the curse that 218 00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:33.460 is on the world, experiencing the war that is going on in our hearts 219 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:41.690 between the flesh and between the spirit, and yet not losing heart, yet 220 00:20:41.849 --> 00:20:47.650 having joy and rejoicing, knowing who the Lord is and what he's done for 221 00:20:47.730 --> 00:20:53.640 us. Consider Hebrews thirty four. For you had compassion on those in prison 222 00:20:53.680 --> 00:21:00.720 and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property. I hope that can be 223 00:21:00.839 --> 00:21:08.710 true to me someday. And here's the reason why. He says to these 224 00:21:08.789 --> 00:21:15.230 Christians, you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property since you knew that you 225 00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:25.700 yourselves had a better possession and abiding one. Take what you want. You 226 00:21:25.819 --> 00:21:30.019 want to cloak, take two. You want another Ta Cheek, take the 227 00:21:30.140 --> 00:21:36.730 other cheek. You want another mile, take another mile. I have an 228 00:21:36.769 --> 00:21:41.809 abiding treasure in Christ, and everlasting one. I have the joy of Jesu 229 00:21:41.890 --> 00:21:49.200 Jesus Christ. You can't take that from me. That's how they joyfully accepted 230 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:57.519 the plundering of their property. Sorrow and suffering do not take away Christian joy. 231 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:04.509 It might take away joy in our bodies, the joy of wealth, 232 00:22:04.750 --> 00:22:11.109 the joy of whatever, but they don't take away Christian joy, everlasting joy, 233 00:22:11.150 --> 00:22:17.740 abiding joy, because Christians know that God is at work in their suffering. 234 00:22:18.900 --> 00:22:23.099 They know that they have a better possession and abiding one and a lasting 235 00:22:23.339 --> 00:22:30.930 one in Christ, because Christ himself, for the joy that was set before 236 00:22:30.970 --> 00:22:37.210 him, went to the cross, despised the shame and suffered for us, 237 00:22:37.329 --> 00:22:48.759 because he knew that he would receive the full reward for obedience that's what brings 238 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:53.279 us joy. What brings us joy is that we can look to Jesus, 239 00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:59.109 the founder and the perfector of our faith. We can look past the sorrows 240 00:22:59.150 --> 00:23:04.589 and trials in this world. We can look past the separation of space that 241 00:23:04.710 --> 00:23:11.589 we sometimes have to use pen and ink or video chats or text messaging or 242 00:23:11.630 --> 00:23:18.059 whatever. We can know that there's something more for us in the future, 243 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:22.259 even though we don't have it all right now, even Jesus Christ himself, 244 00:23:22.619 --> 00:23:27.890 whom we will one day see face to face. We have victory over death, 245 00:23:29.009 --> 00:23:30.769 we have victory over sin, we have victory over the flesh. We 246 00:23:30.890 --> 00:23:38.130 have an abiding possession and nothing can remove us from his love. Knowing God 247 00:23:38.490 --> 00:23:44.359 in Christ, through the forgiveness of our sins, the sacrifice of his flesh, 248 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:52.200 knowing him and being known by him, now and forever, knowing that 249 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:56.470 we are eternally loved and that there's nothing can that can separate us from that 250 00:23:56.670 --> 00:24:07.309 love. That's what brings Christian Joy. In one of our hymns we seeing 251 00:24:07.829 --> 00:24:14.339 savior. If of Zions City, I, through grace, a member am 252 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:22.380 let the world deride or pity, I will glory in Thy name. Fading 253 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:30.529 is the worldlings pleasure, all his boasted pomp and show solid joys and lasting 254 00:24:30.730 --> 00:24:37.009 treasure. None but Zions children know. Isn't that true? To belong to 255 00:24:37.130 --> 00:24:41.079 the city of God, to be those who are on Mount Zion, to 256 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:48.680 know the Living Jesus Christ, who's forgiven our sins? That's solid joys, 257 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:56.190 that's lasting treasure and pleasure, and we know it because of Christ, and 258 00:24:56.390 --> 00:25:00.230 so is their hope for future. Joy In the midst of our sorrows and 259 00:25:00.390 --> 00:25:08.700 trials. Absolutely, if you don't feel joyful but you want to feel joyful, 260 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:14.019 if you feel sad and you have heartache and you want to feel better, 261 00:25:14.059 --> 00:25:18.819 let me suggest a few things. Meditate on the promises of God. 262 00:25:19.819 --> 00:25:26.450 Meditate on the passages that we've considered today. Meditate on his constant and abiding 263 00:25:26.529 --> 00:25:33.170 in perfect love for you and the hope that is to come to read again 264 00:25:33.210 --> 00:25:40.720 from Romans fifteen thirteen. May the God of hope fill you with all joy 265 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:45.319 and peace in believing, so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, 266 00:25:45.400 --> 00:25:49.390 you may abound in hope. Number two, look forward to the day 267 00:25:49.430 --> 00:25:52.950 when you will see God face to face. Know that the trials that you 268 00:25:52.990 --> 00:26:00.509 undergo now are by his design and because of love. The things that you 269 00:26:00.589 --> 00:26:06.500 are going through are your going through because he loves you and he's using them 270 00:26:06.619 --> 00:26:11.740 to perfect you and to draw you to himself, and one day they will 271 00:26:11.779 --> 00:26:18.019 all be gone and you will see God, you will greet him face to 272 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:25.650 face. And third, if you desire to experience and have more joy, 273 00:26:25.690 --> 00:26:29.450 I would encourage you, in line with the Scriptures we've read, to do 274 00:26:30.289 --> 00:26:37.160 to seek and experience and hope and hear these things alongside your brothers and sisters 275 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:41.759 who have been saved along with you, to know that you're not alone, 276 00:26:41.799 --> 00:26:47.829 to know that God has brought us together in his body and to rejoice with 277 00:26:48.069 --> 00:26:53.150 each other. First Peter Thirteen says rejoice in so far as you share Christ 278 00:26:53.230 --> 00:26:59.470 sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 279 00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:07.099 The Gospel pronounced first by the angel when Jesus, at the incarnation of 280 00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:15.220 Christ, said this in Luke, to fear not, for behold, I 281 00:27:15.539 --> 00:27:21.369 bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people, 282 00:27:21.569 --> 00:27:23.930 for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior 283 00:27:25.009 --> 00:27:30.400 who is Christ, the Lord. And at the end of Jesus's life we 284 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:33.720 read in John Sixteen twenty two. So also, you have sorrow now, 285 00:27:33.880 --> 00:27:40.000 but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice and no one will 286 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.950 take your joy from you. So until then, let's stand alongside one another 287 00:27:45.390 --> 00:27:49.069 and look to the work of God, both in the future and now in 288 00:27:49.190 --> 00:27:55.190 the world, and let us rejoice. And when we are comforted, let 289 00:27:55.190 --> 00:27:57.190 us be comforted with one another, and when we suffer, let us suffer 290 00:27:57.269 --> 00:28:02.460 with one another, and when we rejoice, let us rejoice with one another, 291 00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:06.660 and in that we will fulfill the command of the Lord in Philippians, 292 00:28:06.779 --> 00:28:12.410 for for rejoice in the Lord. Always. Again, I say rejoice. 293 00:28:14.450 --> 00:28:18.769 Let's pray. Our Lord, we thank you for the joy that you give 294 00:28:18.809 --> 00:28:23.250 to us in Jesus Christ, a joy that is abiding and strong, a 295 00:28:23.569 --> 00:28:27.559 boy, a joy that is everlasting, because, Lord, we you know 296 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:33.000 and we know that we need a joy like that that is different than the 297 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:41.119 temporary joys of this world. They are fleeting, fleeting, and I'm not 298 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:47.190 lasting. And so we we asked that you would continue to give us this, 299 00:28:47.670 --> 00:28:51.630 the joy that is in Jesus Christ, the joy that we have when 300 00:28:51.630 --> 00:28:55.509 we are united to him, the joy that comes from knowing him and being 301 00:28:55.589 --> 00:29:00.140 in him and dwelling in the presence of God. We also ask, Lord, 302 00:29:00.180 --> 00:29:07.019 that you would forgive us for boasting in fleeting joys, for boasting and 303 00:29:07.140 --> 00:29:12.210 rejoicing and the confidence of this world. A stupid and foolish we are to 304 00:29:12.250 --> 00:29:17.089 do so when we see over and over again how quickly it passes, how 305 00:29:17.130 --> 00:29:22.650 how quickly it disappears. Lord, we ask that you would help us to 306 00:29:22.730 --> 00:29:27.359 hold on to two solid things and to do so by faith, even when 307 00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:32.200 we don't see them, even when we can't see one another. Is We 308 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:36.039 desire to see. Let us hold on to the promises of God and, 309 00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:41.069 as we do so, let us look forward and rejoice to that day when 310 00:29:41.109 --> 00:29:45.150 all will be room made right, when there's no more separation, when there's 311 00:29:45.190 --> 00:29:51.029 no more sorrow and there's only and always rejoicing, when every misery and every 312 00:29:51.069 --> 00:29:56.140 fear will be taken away, when every tear will be wiped from our faces, 313 00:29:57.019 --> 00:30:03.980 dabbed from our eyes, and we will know you in the perfection and 314 00:30:03.099 --> 00:30:10.569 beauty of holiness and love forever and ever. Until then, Lord, we 315 00:30:10.650 --> 00:30:14.410 ask that you would be at work in us, that you would strengthen us 316 00:30:15.049 --> 00:30:21.210 and fill us with your joy and hope in believing we pray this in Jesus 317 00:30:21.250 --> 00:30:22.559 name on them