Sermon Central
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Joyride -Pt. 3 - Location, Location, Location Series
Contributed by Steve Ely on Aug 17, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: We have the right to pursue happiness. However, we soon discover that happiness is fleeting.Joy is better, but how do you find, obtain and keep it?
Joyride - Pt. 3 - Location, Location, Location
I. Introduction
Corkscrew turns. Neck snapping changes of direction. Lunch losing lurches. For many of us that is not the description of an amusement ride that is the description of our life. We have been talking about how Jesus boards the ride of life and made made us one of the greatest promises next to salvation! We read that promise in . . .
II. Text
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
You will remember that I told you that it is was important to backtrack and hear what He told us (on purpose) so that we could find out what prerequisites we must meet to obtain fullness of joy.
In the proceeding verses Jesus informs us that fullness of joy is found when we are willing to embrace and appreciate pruning? Jesus makes it clear that our Father in our best interest will make cuts out of our lives. During good and bad seasons He will remove things so that our joy can grow. We can't fight the cuts. He then says we must be rooted in Him. He even tells us how to tell we are rooted. We know we are rooted when His Words are at home in you. Your level of joy is directly proportional to the Word that has made its home in you. No Word = No Joy. Little Word = Little Joy. Much Word = Much Joy. A Wordless life can't help but be a joyless life. Then Jesus says we are rooted when We become obedient to His commands. Obedience is a key component for joy!
Then last week we talked about Jesus' PED - Performance Enhancing Deposit. I challenged you that Ezra revealed that our strength level is determined by our joy level. The Joy of the Lord is our strength. I talked about how we underestimate the importance of joy. We think joy is just about feel good, goose bumps and plastic smiles. However, we talked about how according to Hebrews 12:2 it was joy that enabled Jesus to face the cross. So I said to you If Jesus' joy enabled Him to face death, then surely His joy in you can empower you to face life!
The fact that you have within you the joy of the Lord should enable you to make it through. You can endure till the end. The joy of The Lord is your secret weapon! Not your joy. His joy is in you!
So let's move forward. Does anyone in this room know the 3 most important rules in the real estate business? Location, location, and location. If you have a little 1000 sq. ft. house on Rockwell and 63rd and pick it up and set it right on the beach in Florida how many of you know the location will make a huge difference in the price of that house. Nothing changed about the house except the location. Location is a crucial factor.
Well when we talk about joy location is also very important. Let me see if I can explain.
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
David has a revelation that when we are in the pursuit of joy location is everything.
David is adamant that the only place to find fullness of joy is in His presence. There is only location that fullness of joy can only be found . . . in Your presence.
I bring that to your attention because I believe so often we confuse condition and location.
We pursue condition not realizing that if we would pursue location our condition would change.
Yet we either think joy is a condition or we think it exists in some other location.
Let me deal with both misconceptions:
a. Condition
Happiness is the product of condition. Joy is the product of location. The difference is that simple. Happiness is defined by the condition of your life. If your condition changes your happiness changes. While joy has nothing to do with condition. It is a location. It is a place of being.
Happiness is made up of two words that literally mean happenstance! Happiness comes from the root word hap which means an event or a happening. What this presupposes is that happiness is based on the occurrence of an event. We know that the impact of an event will change based on varying circumstances and this means that happiness is based on the occasion of an event which has no guarantee of producing a positive emotion. So Happiness fluctuates and comes and goes. But that isn't joy.
