Knowing the Fullness of God’s Joy
Text: Psalm 16:11
Intro:
This Sunday is our 1st week that we are now having our monthly theme this July entitled “Know God, Know Joy”. As I was meditating our text this month found in Psalm 16:11, I can’t help but to ask God, what kind of joy does God wants us to understand or grasp at this point in time? If you ask many people, including ourselves, what are the things that make us joyful? You see there are a slight difference between happiness and joy that can be found in this world. According to Wikipedia, “happiness” is defined as a mental or emotional state of well-being which can be defined by, among others, positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. While “joy” is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. On this 2 meanings we can see that being happy is an emotion while joy is the highest level of that emotion. So being joyful or full of joy means we are not just happy, but super, mega, or having a great emotion of being happy.
In this world where many things we think are sources of joy in our lives, we sometimes mistakenly identify them as the true source of this great emotion. Allow me to give you a glimpse of what the word means in the light of God’s Word. Let’s read our text today Psalm 16:11
Psalm 16:11 NIV
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
English Standard Version
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
In this verse we can see 3 sources of joy that God wants us to experience:
1. His Path of life – “landas ng buhay”
“You make known to me the path of life”
John 14:6a Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”. Jesus is the only way to that life we ever wanted to experience. He has the roadmap to that life that goes to His Father that is why He also said in the 2nd part of the verse “no one can come to the Father except through Me” which means He knows the Way where infact He is the “only” Way to that life! And the verse says that “God will make known to us that way” He will never keep that as a secret! God wants us not just to be happy, but joyful and He will not be contented in keeping the 1st source of joy to us, but to make them known to us the path of life. It is to discover that way to that joyful life with God.
David is the author of this Psalm and as a shepherd to his own flocks, he should know the path where his sheep is walking through. The shepherd knows the way and after him his sheep follow. In John 10 Jesus clearly states the function of a shepherd, not just an ordinary one but a “good” one. What does this shepherd do which makes him as “good” to his sheep? Let us read in verse 1 to 5:
1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
Here we can see that the shepherd becomes “good” because of these qualities:
• he enters the gate appropriately (not gate-crashing it) v2
• the sheep listen to his voice – v3
• he calls his sheep by their names and leads them out (one by one) –v3
• his sheep follow his voice because they know it– v4
• they will not follow a strangers voice – v5
What truths can we find in these verses in John 10?:
• God wanted to be our shepherd, so long as we allowed Him to. He will not gate-crash our hearts in order to make known the path to that kind of life God wanted for us!
• If we could only listen to His voice
• If we could only know Him by His many Names and attributes to us and be lead accordingly
• If we can just follow all His voices, His promises
• And not follow other sources of voices like the sound of this world
You see, this is the problem, God is so willing to be made known to us but we just don’t know how?
Illustration:
A story about a son who always asked his father about a car as a birthday present. But instead of giving the car, the father gave a Bible that this young man could read. With much disappointment, the son did not bother to open up the given Bible and just held a grudge over his own father until his father died. In his loneliness, he remembered the Bible that was given by his late father and to his surprise, the Bible has a note inside and a car key. The note states that the car is still parked at the car dealer ready for pick up. If only the son just give a moment with the gift given by his father, he should’ve gotten the car while his father is still alive. There is a chance the father makes him known the promised gift but his son has taken it for granted!
How long did God want to be noticed by men, even in the creation of this world? He is not a stupid God when He created man and the woman even when He knew they will fall into sin. But He has His own plan and purpose and that is to save them and make known to them once more the path of life! Have you discovered the path to that life?
2. His Joyful Presence – (presensyang nakakapagpaligaya)
“in your presence there is fullness of joy”
Can we name a person who can make us happy, or can make us joyful? Or what are the things that can make us joyful? Is it possession (materially, financially,) power (authority, rights), pleasure (vacation, travel)? If all of these things are our motivation so we study hard, work hard and eventually die hard to get all of these, then we become prideful. You see man is created not to be contented with what he has now. He will try to do anything just to get the full capacity of this world for his usage.
We can see that in our technology where man tirelessly finds a way to simplify life by doing things comfortable, elegant, fast, efficient and cost-saving. Even in anything you can see today there are always a new version and the cycle never stops, ex. Cellphones, computers, cars, clothes, foods, accessories etc. Name it there will always be a newer version. Because of all these technologies, there are many big C’s which slowly eats up our society (not cancer, nor catastrophe, nor calamity) but what we call “contentment”. Contentment (kaluguran) is a mental or emotional state of satisfaction may be drawn from being at ease in one's situation, body and mind. Contentment is about our satisfaction being fed.
This is a serious problem that we deal every day, we never be contented with what we have. How many times we change our cell phones, computers and other electronic gadgets? How about our cars, clothes, personal accessories like watches, jewelries etc.? And to others, even people we tend to replace with other (girlfriends, boyfriends, friends). It seems that man will never be contented, even to the point that we wanted to be just like God! (Eve was tempted to be like God).
What does the Bible say about this emotion? The Apostle Paul learned a lot about this subject
Philippians 4:11-13:
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
ASND:
11Hindi ko sinasabi ito dahil nanghihingi ako ng tulong sa inyo. Sapagkat natutunan kong maging kontento anuman ang kalagayan ko. 12Marunong akong mamuhay sa hirap o ginhawa. Natutunan ko na ang lahat ng ito, kaya maging anuman ang kalagayan ko, busog man o gutom, sagana o salat, kontento pa rin ako. 13Kaya kong harapin ang kahit anong kalagayan sa pamamagitan ng tulong ni Cristo na nagpapatatag sa akin.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NASB:
And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
ASND:
Ngunit sinabi ng Panginoon sa akin, “Sapat na sa iyo ang aking biyaya, dahil ang kapangyarihan ko'y nakikita sa iyong kahinaan.” Kaya buong galak kong ipinagmamalaki ang aking mga kahinaan, nang sa ganoon ay lagi kong maranasan ang kapangyarihan ni Cristo. Dahil dito, maligaya ako sa aking kahinaan, sa mga panlalait sa akin, sa mga pasakit, pang-uusig at sa mga paghihirap alang-alang kay Cristo. Sapagkat kung kailan ako mahina, saka naman ako pinalalakas ng Dios .
The 2nd source of our joy is His joyful presence within us if we learn to be contented in any life’s circumstances.
“The Bible calls us to allow our convictions, not our circumstances to govern our sense of contentment.” –Rob Kuban
What is your conviction? Is it to satisfy our fleshly desires or is it to rely on God’s power and strength because of His presence that brings us joy regardless of our situations may be?
You see, one way of dealing with contentment is being grateful or thankful.
Illustration:
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are."
3. His Eternal Pleasure – (walang hanggang kasiyahan)
“with eternal pleasures at your right hand”
The last source of God’s fullness of joy is His eternal pleasure. It’s not enough that we know the path of His life unless we walk that path and enjoy His presence while we are in our spiritual journey, but it’s also important what brings pleasure or joy to our Master and Lord. Because those that would count after our spiritual journey is over. It is not a matter of how we lived here on Earth, but how we lived faithfully which gave pleasure to our Master.
Are we faithful for all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us? These blessings came from God and somehow God used these blessings to bless us and others. It is also a source of our happiness because of His endless provisions. I remember the parable of the talent in Matthew 25:14-30, where a master called his 3 servants and entrusted each of them with 5, 2 and 1 bags of gold accordingly and went on his journey. The servant with 5 bags of gold doubled it because he faithfully used it with a profit and it goes as well with the servant with 2 bags of gold. Both of them got their master’s nod by saying in:
Matthew 25:21 ESV “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
But what happened to the 3rd servants who did nothing to the single talent that was given to him, he just hid it out of fear for he knew his master’s character to gain from the earnings of others. What did the master told him in verse 26-30?
26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28“?‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
God is not after the quantity of the talents we have for our service to Him, but He is looking at the quality of our service to Him. Don’t hide that God-given talent to us, there will always a purpose why God gave it so that others may also get benefits out of it. God would always be delighted once we are used to give Him the highest form of praise.
Aside from our service to God what gives Him pleasure is none other than our worship to Him inspite of all the hardships, all the testings this life brings to us. In Habakkuk 3:17-18 says
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
God is after our attitudes towards hardships here in on Earth to be joyful and rejoice despite of all the troubles. Because in heaven, His eternal pleasure is to be worshipped non-stop since here on Earth we been doing it already. Revelation 7:15-17 says:
15 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
16 ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ ”
His eternal pleasure is about the power of His praise. In the past we learned that in the Bible when the right hand of God was mentioned it means authority, power and strength. In verse 11-12 we can see how the angels, the elders and other heavenly beings will worship God:
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
Conclusion:
Church, His eternal pleasure is to see His people worshipping Him, serving Him and His joyful presence will be over them satisfying them. There will be no more heat (problems) that will beat them down but instead God will be their Shepherd to lead them to the path of life.
Why don’t we do this now here on Earth because this will be a practice of what we will be doing in Heaven! Knowing God is knowing what the Lord’s joy is all about and that is His path of life, His joyful presence and His eternal pleasure!
