Title: Let's Be Full of Joy
2011.2.6 Sunday morning worship service
Bible: John 15:10-11
Title: Let's Be Full of Spiritual Joy
John 15:10-11 ‘10. Just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love, so if you keep my commandments you will abide in my love.
How can we change the sad life of the world into a happy life? In the medical world, it is said that a lot of laughter is healing, and in the philosophy of psychology, it is said that life will be better if you live with a positive mindset.
Would that really make people fundamentally happy?
With this title, <Let us be filled with joy spiritually>, we want to get the channel of true joy.
1. True joy comes from God
That means don't look for joy in the world. Life is about to be happy through various kinds of games such as gag concerts and other worldly pleasures, but all of them are fleeting. For true joy does not come from man and does not exist in the world. True joy is in God.
1) Modern Bible, Psalm 43:4 ‘… God who gives infinite joy…’
New Translation, Ecclesiastes 2:26 ‘God … brings joy’
Psalm 16:11 “…in your presence is a fullness of joy…”
2) The Lord also reads the text, John 15:11, “I give this to you so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full.”
3) New Translation, 1 Thessalonians 1:6 ‘… the joy of the Holy Spirit’
If you do not gain spiritual joy, you will suffer even if you leave the church.
If you say you believe in Jesus, the rules of life do not change, your stubbornness remains the same, and God's truth is not established as the standard of your life, there is no joy.
There is no true joy in the world. It's not in my personality either. Whenever we come to the Lord, we must remember that there is no true joy in ourselves and the world, and we must give up our worldly power. You have to give up even your own abilities that you believe in. It is said that man has only toil and sorrow (Psalm 90:10).
Ecclesiastes 2:23 “All his life, he is troubled and toiled only with sorrow, and his heart does not rest even at night.” I hope that you will always have an attitude of seeing God on the premise that true joy is only in God. We must approach God with humility. You have to let go of everything that looks good to the world. It's not about maintaining true happiness with such things.
2. We find joy only when we practice the truth
Knowing the truth does not bring joy. Just like the joy that Confucius said in his Analects, Confucianism is the joy of coming to church and listening to sermons, it is not true that we have gained true joy. True joy can always be received by doing the truth. Text John 15:10 “As I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love, so if you keep my commandments you will abide in my love.”
If you hear the sermon to rejoice and sing praises loudly while shouting Guam that you are now happy, there is no guarantee that the joy of your soul will last. The Apostle John rejoiced greatly toward his brothers, 3 John 1:2 "...I am very glad that you are walking in the truth."
The joy of the Holy Spirit is the true joy. How can we practice the truth and obtain the joy of the Holy Spirit? We introduce three types.
1) Joy comes when the Holy Spirit is present through repentance in the Word.
Luke 15:10 “…there is a joy in the sight of the angels of God when one sinner repents.”
Those who repented after hearing the apostles' preaching rejoiced in Acts 2:46. Repentance brings joy.
2) We experience true joy when we suffer tribulation because we live according to the Word.
John 16:20 “...you will be sad, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”
If the Lord is persecuted by the apostles for your name
Matthew 5:12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven...”
Acts 5:41 “The apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to be reproached for the sake of his name.”
Did you know that Jesus carried it with joy when he carried it on the cross?
Hebrews 12:2 ‘… Let us look to Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy that was set before him…’ (the joy that was set before him was resurrection and glory)
3) I get joy from my prayer life
Isaiah 56:7 “…I will make joy in my house of prayer”
Prayer opens the eyes of our souls. It is a conversation with God who is spirit. Naturally, you will experience spiritual joy. I am happy as long as I have time to pray. Even if you are hungry and sick, your soul is happy.
If you change the frame of your life in the truth, your soul will change and you will find a whole new joy. The fullness of joy is filled with the light of life that casts out darkness in the heart and brightens it with light. God immediately gives this joy to those who want to live the truth. If you repent, try to live for the gospel, and be faithful to your prayer life, He will surely give you this joy. A life of faith without joy is something you made yourself, and it is not something you should blame God for.
Are you still willing to rejoice with the conditional world?
Are we still trying to keep the joy in our pride and our emotions?
Let us ask God for true joy.
When we receive true joy, we are filled with indescribable joy.
Let's live a repentant life. Let us be courageous to live the truth and accept persecution. And let's get joy through our prayer life. I pray that you and I will be filled with joy inside.