The Lord gives us His JOY each day, but the devil tries to rob us of it each day.
For example, he will make sure each day people will enter our life that take great delight in stripping every ounce of joy that they can extract from our life. They spare no effort:
• They will drive across town if there is something they can do to make our life miserable.
• They will walk in the rain and snow for miles, if there is something they can do to make our life miserable.
• They will spend the last dollar they have, if they can do something to make our life miserable.
Illus: Lizard Thicket a restaurant in Columbia, S.C. have a large sign inside that tells their customers, “Be Nice or Leave”.
Every Christian has had to encounter such people. HOW ARE WE TO TREAT THESE PEOPLE? While we are happy that God’s Word speaks out on some issues, this is an issue we wish the Word of God was silent on.
Why? Because God tells us to do something, and it is the last thing we want to do. Look how he tells us we are supposed to deal with people who try to make our life miserable.
Look at Matthew 5:44, we read, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
When it comes to people who want to make our life miserable, most of us feel like those disciples that wanted to call fire down from heaven and fry them. But God’s Word tells us we are to pray for them.
While others might be doing everything they can to make our life miserable, each day the Lord Jesus does everything He can do to make our life JOYFUL.
Illus: Bank
Look again at John 15:11, we read, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
The joy we Christians have within us is the JOY OF THE LORD that He has provided for us. NOTICE, it does not say He gives us HIS HAPPINESS! Some folks think that JOY and HAPPINESS are the same, but they are not. Happiness come from happenings.
Illus: Some day we can get up.
• The sun is shining
• There is not a pain in our body
• Even the dog that normally takes one looks at us and growls, is wagging his tail like he is glad to see us
Everything HAPPENS to fall in place, and we find ourselves HAPPY!
Happiness comes from without, but JOY comes from within
Our HAPPINESS depends on HAPPENINGS, but our JOY DEPENDS ON JESUS
I might not be happy about what's happening in my life, and I might even shed some well-deserved tears, but on the inside, I can be joyful because of my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord wants to give us HIS JOY because He LOVES US, and He knows it is critical to our SUCCESS AS A CHRISTIAN.
• As Christians, all kinds of bad things might happen to us that rob us of our HAPPINESS! WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER OUR HAPPINESS
• As we face these many difficult times in life, we need the JOY OF THE LORD! WE HAVE CONTROL OVER OUR JOY!
Illus: Remember when Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls in Jerusalem? He had a great deal of opposition in this endeavor. He literally had people making fun of his ability to do such a job. The men that helped him had to face this ridicule on a daily basis. But notice what Nehemiah said to them.
In Nehemiah 8:10, we read, “Then he said unto them…FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH.”
DID YOU GET THAT? The JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH!
One reason we have so many weak Christians today is because they have allowed the devil to rob them of their joy
• One reason today we have so many Christians who cannot influence people to come to know Christ, is because as they look at the misery in the Christian’s life, they are afraid if they accept the Lord they will be the same way
They have taken a double hit. THE HAPPENINGS OF THE WORLD HAVE ROBBED THEM OF THEIR HAPPINESS, and the DEVIL HAS ROBBED THEM OF THEIR STRENGTH.
You and I can only be effective for Christ if we have the JOY OF THE LORD. Based on the Word of God, we know that it is the will of God for His joy to remain in us.
WHAT KIND OF JOY IS IT?
I. IT IS A PRESCRIBED JOY
He said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you…”
Before we can appreciate a verse of scripture, we have to put it into the context in which it was written. Such is the case in this verse of Scripture where He speaks about His joy that He wants to remain in us.
For example, He spoke these words after they had left the upper room. The disciples were very sad for a number of reasons. Why? He had just told them some very alarming things in the upper room. He dropped three devastating bombs into their lap:
(1) HE DEALT WITH A DISPUTE
In Luke 22:24, the disciples had been arguing among themselves as to who was the greatest.
After their ridiculous debate, they had a chance to:
• Get away from the hustle and bustle of Passover week
• Take off their dirty sandals
• And sit down
Any one of these bragging disciples could have decided to take the first step and wash the feet of their fellow disciples. But it is not one of the disciples, but the Master who decides to do the washing of the feet.
Foot washing was such a menial task, that not even Jewish slaves were expected to do this lowly job. Only the Gentile slaves were forced to do such things.
But while these big shot disciples were fussing over who is the greatest among them, what a shock it must have been that the Lord felt obligated to wash their dirty feet. The lesson here for us as Christians, is not foot washing, but humility.
What a shock it must have been that the Son of God knelt at their feet ,and washed their dirty feet. SUCH HUMILITY!
THIS WAS A SHOCKER! But also look at another shocker -
(2) HE DEALT WITH HIS BETRAYAL
In the second part of the Upper Room discourse, as the disciples are settling in now, still a bit surprised no doubt about the foot-washing, Jesus drops another bomb into their laps.
He says in verse 21, "But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table."
Even impetuous Peter wouldn’t just blurt something out this time. The disciples were all so shocked, the only thing they wanted to know was, "Lord, who is it?"
But already in shock with the things they are facing this day -
(3) HE DEALT WITH HIS ASCENSION
He was preparing to depart and go back to the Father and leave them behind.
This is not one of their best days, they were shocked with what they were hearing and how it would affect them:
• The foot washing incident
• The betrayal incident
• Now He tells them HE IS LEAVING THEM AND GOING BACK TO HIS FATHER
Needless to say, THIS WAS NOT A GOOD DAY:
• These disciples were sad
• These disciples were worried
• These disciples were afraid
What does He say to them in this condition?
Look at John 15:11again, we read, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
Jesus is the great physician, and it is as if Jesus was writing a prescription for these sad, depressed disciples.
He was saying to them, even though you are sad, "If you do what I tell you, you will be able to experience the JOY OF THE LORD even during difficult times."
WHAT DID HE PRESCRIBE FOR THEM?
(1) HIS PRESCRIPTION FOR JOY INCLUDED LOVING OTHERS
Look at John 13:34-35, we read, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
You cannot have JOY IN THE LORD unless you love others. A person that is full of hate is a miserable person.
(2) HIS PRESCRIPTION FOR JOY INCLUDED LEARNING TO REST IN THE LORD
Look at John 14:1, we read, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
A person that is not trusting in God is a miserable person.
(3) HIS PRESCRIPTION FOR JOY INCLUDED OBEDIENCE
In John 14:15, we read, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
A person that is not keeping the commandments of God is a miserable person.
God tells us we have to…
• Love others
• Learn to rest in the Lord
• Obey His commandments
…if we want to experience the JOY OF THE LORD in our life.
But doing these three things that the Lord prescribed, can be medicine that is difficult to swallow.
HOW CAN WE DO THESE THINGS?
(4) HIS PRESCRIPTION FOR JOY INCLUDED LEANING ON THE HOLY SPIRIT
Look at John 14:16-18 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”
PRESCRIBED JOY includes loving each other, resting in the Lord, obedience, and trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us through all the difficulties of life.
It is A PRESCRIBED JOY and …
II. IT IS A PERMANENT JOY
He said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might REMAIN IN YOU….”
Notice the words “remain in you”. God wants you to have His joy every day of your life.
The word “remain”, meno, (pronounced as men'-o) means abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry, thine own. It is clear from the Scriptures that God wants our joy to be permanent.
Not that there won't be any ROUGH SPOTS or BUMPS in the road along the way. THERE WILL BE!
But through the trials, He wants our joy in Jesus to remain in us.
While some may do things to us out of hate and jealousy, as Christians we need to realize that no matter what may come our way, God has allowed it for our good.
GOD WANTS HIS JOY TO REMAIN IN US AT ALL TIMES!
• This is why in James 1:2-4, we read, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
• This is why in Romans 8:28, we read, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
God wants us to manifest this joy.
• Every one of us knows someone who needs the Lord Jesus as his Savior. Stop and think. What kind of a billboard are you for Christ? Can they see the joy of the Lord in the midst of adversity?
• Does your joy in Christ shine through in spite of difficult circumstances?
• If you're just as miserable as anyone else when things don't go you're way, why should anyone want your Jesus?
These verses remind me that not only is His joy permanent, but it will get better when we see Jesus face to face.
It is great in the NOW AND NOW, but it will be even better in the SWEET BY AND BY!
His joy is a PRESCRIBED JOY, a PERMANENT JOY, but also-
III. IT IS A PREEMINENT JOY
“These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
Look at the words, “…joy might be full”.
The Lord not only wants us to have joy, He wants us to be so FULL OF JOY, that there's not room for any sorrow. It was never Jesus' intent that He’d have a bunch of grumpy disciples.
• When the disciples first saw the risen Lord, they were joyful. John 20:20
• When the early church gathered there was an attitude of joy. Acts 2:46-47
• These early believers were even joyful when they were persecuted for the sake of Christ. Acts 5:40-41
And may I remind you again, that you cannot have fullness of joy in your life without the fullness of the Holy Spirit in your life. (Romans 14:17 Romans 15:13)
His joy is a PRESCRIBED JOY, PERMANENT JOY, and a PREEMINENT JOY. But also-
IV. IT IS A PERSONAL JOY
Look at Psalm 16:11, “…in thy presence is fulness of joy.”
WHERE CAN YOU FIND JOY? The Bible says, “IN THY PRESENCE IS FULNESS OF JOY”.
The Lord Jesus has the franchise, and if you ever hope to have joy in this life you will need to come to Him.
This explains why:
• When we spend time at the feet of Jesus, we leave with joy
• When we come to church where the Lord has promised to be in the midst of two or three who have gathered in His name, we leave with joy
One of the sad things that we find in our churches today is the absence of joy.
There should be:
• Joy in our preaching
• Joy in our singing
• Joy in our giving
• Joy in our testifying
• Joy in our teaching
• Joy in our witnessing
• Joy in our fellowship
And listen, if you are a saved child of God and you do not have the joy of the Lord, it is no one’s fault but your own.
On the inside, each of us should have a sense of joy. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? We must learn to live in the PRESENCE OF GOD.
Illus: Do you know why happily married couples have happy marriages? They stay close.
Do you know how to remain joyful as a Christian? Stay close! Abide! Talk to Him, and let Him talk to you.
• Talk to Jesus about your problems
• Talk to Jesus about your concerns
• Talk to Jesus about your joys and sorrows
• Listen to Jesus and remain still before Him
• Listen to Jesus as He speaks through His Word
• Strive to spend time with Jesus
In His presence is fullness of joy.
The reason that many Christians are so sad today is because they do not spend enough time in His presence.
Conclusion:
Why do so many Christians live defeated lives? The devil has robbed them of the Joy of the Lord which is their strength.
Notice, before the Lord said in John 15:11, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in your, and that my might be full”, He said a great deal about us abiding in Him the same way a branch abides in a vine.
The secret to joy is ABIDING IN CHRIST, not sometimes, but all the time. The Lord wants every child of God to have His joy.
I. IT IS A PRESCRIBED JOY
II. IT IS A PERMANENT JOY
III. IT IS A PREEMINENT JOY
IV. IT IS A PERSONAL JOY
