GOT JOY
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GOT JOY?
GOT JOY?
How many of you can remember the “Got Milk” commercials?
The original one showed this guy who was obsessed with Alexander Hamilton. It showed the guy’s whole house and it had a pictures of every where of Hamilton.
He was making and eating peanut butter sandwiches while listening to the radio and there was a trivia question that the radio station comes up with and then calls people at random to see if they could answer the question. If they get the question right they win $10,000.00.
Well the guy stuffs part of a sandwich in his mouth and then hears the trivia question which is who shot Alexander Hamilton. He knows that is was Aaron Burr.
Then the phone rings and it’s the radio station calling. He answers the phone and mumbling because he has a mouthful of dry sticky peanut butter.
They ask him the trivia question and he tries to answer and all he can do is mumble. He tries again and again to answer, but they can’t understand him because of the sandwich in his mouth that he can’t swallow because it’s too dry.
He looks over and sees a milk carton and tries to pour a glass of milk so, he could get a drink to answer the question and there is only a trickle of milk in the container.
Hardly enough to wash the sandwich down. the man cries out in frustration and the words and a voice over come the screen saying “GOT MILK”.
Many in our world today both Christian and non Christian are much like the man in the commercial.
Living in frustration because there is something missing in their lives.
Something they need.
What they need is JOY.
The Apostle Paul speaks of Joy as one of the Fruits of the Spirit.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal
Paul is writing to the church in Galatia.
He is talking to them about living a life in the SPIRIT or other words.
A life that allows the Holy Spirit to empower the Christians,
Rather than to follow sinful desires, which is the nature of mankind.
Paul writes that only the Holy Spirit can empower us to live a live that produces “Fruit”.
Let’s look at our text again.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
:
When missionaries in the northern part of Alaska, where the eskimos are, were trying to get the Bible translated, they had some difficulty.
When you go to translate the Bible in any culture, there’s a difficulty in translating some words because cultures and languages don’t always have the same word.
There was no word in the Eskimo language for JOY. and as they were trying to translate JOY, biblically, they drew from experience.
And as they watched, they saw the happiest, the most JOYFUL moments in the Eskimo village were in the evening when they fed their sled dogs.
They’d go out, and the dogs would yelp and wag their tails and get all excited. And so, out of that experience, they pulled the word for JOY: “wagging their tails.”
When you translate the passage where it pulled where it says, “The disciples, after the resurrection, saw Jesus and they were full of JOY,” for the Eskimos, it reads, “When the disciples saw Jesus, they wagged their tails.” (Full of JOY)
If you ever go to that part of Alaska and you are a Christian, I guess you will need to walk around wagging your tail if you are “FULL OF JOY.”
I. What is Joy?
I. What is Joy?
Let me point out something people, get confused on, and that is. There's a difference between JOY and HAPPINESS.
Happiness: Is dependent of Circumstances.
A person can be happy because something happened in their life or the circumstances in their life.
Good Job,
Just married your sweetheart
A new Baby
Received a raise
Going to church
The fact you have a good looking preacher.
Theses things could make you happy.
I submit to you this morning that we can all be happy at times in our lives due to circumstances even if we are not a Christian this morning.
Happiness is EXTERNAL
Happiness is based on CHANCE
Happiness is based on CIRCUMSTANCES
JOY: Is dependent on Choice.
In God’s word, one of the first things apparent to me is that God wants His people to be JOYFUL.
Joy is INTERNAL
Joy is based on CHOICE
Joy is based on CHRIST
I think one of the great mysteries in life is that as you look at the Christian community.
You see a lack of joy.
We ought to be the most joyful people in the world.
We have,
Hope
Jesus
There is an old saying, but it’s true.
Everyday is just another day in eternity for us.
We are guaranteed this by our faith in Jesus Christ.
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
In the book of John Chapters 14.
John 14:
We see Jesus is assuring His, disciples that even when He is gone.
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6
He will return for them.
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
: 1-
In chapter 15 of the book of John.
Jesus talks of the assurance that they can have if they will only remain in Him.
Trust in Him
Jesus then tells them why He is sharing this with Him.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
As Christians, we should be overflowing in JOY.
How can we not have JOY in our lives?
I think for many Christians, they have lost the JOY of their SALVATION!
II. How Does A Person Lose Their Joy?
II. How Does A Person Lose Their Joy?
I believe there are many way’s to lose our JOY.
Unforgiven Sin.
Unrepentant Sin.
As Christians we have been saved by the Grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and our sins will be forgiven.
The apostle John writes in ,
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Sin will take our JOY folks.
In , King David has been convicted of sin with Bathsheba by God and David writes this Psalm.
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done this evil in thy sight: That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
: 1
David’s unrepentant sin had caused him to lose his JOY.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit.
Let me share to you another Psalm.
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old Through my roaring all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, Or as the mule, which have no understanding: Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, Lest they come near unto thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: But he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
:
If you have sin in your life!
You can’t have JOY IN THE LORD.
Has sin in your life robbed you of your JOY this morning Christian?
All we need to do is share with God and ask for forgiveness.
He can and will restore to you the JOY of OUR SALVATION.
Another way to lose our JOY.
To allow resentment and bitterness to take hold in our life.
Especially in our SPIRITUAL LIFE.
Let me tell you what I mean.
We are saved into the Kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
We are on Fire for God aren’t we?
We want to work for the Lord.
Be in God’s service anyway we can.
As we participate in what we call church life,
We work and try to do what we think God wants and commands us to do.
As we work hard for the Lord, we see that not everybody feels this same compulsion that we do.
As years go by, we get disheartened by the lack of commitment by many church members.
Hebrews chapter 12:15 warns us about bitterness.
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
A self fulling prophecy that 20% of the people do 80% of the work and we look around and the old spirit that we had before the Holy Spirit came
We need to watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to.
Trouble you.
Corrupt you.
When we allow this resentment and bitterness to come into our lives,
It robs us of the JOY that come with being a child of God.
We wind up being one of those old sour puss Christians that lost the JOY of their SALVATION.
If your here this morning and you have a heart of resentment and bitterness.
It will rob you of the JOY that our Savior wants you to have deep within us.
As the song from Disney’s movie Frozen, “Let It Go”.
We are called to be faithful in ourselves.
Don’t worry about what other church members do.
Philippians 2:12
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Show the results of your service to God and you SALVATION,
Paul is simply saying,
Rekindle the JOY that comes from your SALVATION.
Work hard to show the results of your salvation,
Remember that there are two things that we owe the lost.
Obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
The Gospel
A Warning
Those are just a couple of ways to lose your JOY.
As Children of God, we should be Joyful!
III. Are You Feeling Joyful?
III. Are You Feeling Joyful?
As in the commercial I started of with about milk.
My question this morning is “GOT JOY”