Leap for Joy

Luke 6:23

23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy:for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Prayer

Leap?

Someone who has had a rough week.

Someone who your here today, but if you would just be honest you’re not feeling much joy at the moment.

Leap......did that fix it all.

Are you bubbling over with joy now?

Leap.........….did joy just flow all over you and suddenly you can't hardly contain what you feel?

But the Bible instructs us to leap for joy.

Is it wrong?

Everybody Happy?.......................Smile.

Everyone wants to be happy.

While our freedom has been attacked ferociously, when our forefathers came to this great nation they wrote what we know as the Declaration of Independence.

We see that from the beginning of this nation there was a desire for happiness.

The second paragraph reads this way.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We are all in pursuit of happiness, however there is something we must understand.

Happiness Meaning:

Pleasant or contented mental state.

Happiness is simple an emotional state, it’s a feeling characterized by feelings of Joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfilment.

We seek for happiness, but we fail to understand happiness is made up from the combination of two words.

Happy Meaning:

Chance; A person’s luck; fortune; fate

Ness:

Word forming element denoting action; quality; or state.

Let’s unpack this a little more.

Happiness comes from the word happy which is being greatly pleased or content, now that’s what we are looking for.

But there is a controlling factor to happiness.

Happy: Happiness: is controlled and manipulated, it’s roots are sank deep into another form of this word which is happenings.

What am I saying, our happiness is controlled by happenings.

As long as the conditions surrounding us are to our liking we can be happy.

When we like all that is happening in our world we have happiness.

But the moment that our surroundings shift and things are not to our liking there goes our happiness.

As children of God, we can have access to something far greater than mere happiness.

Leap For Joy

We can have Joy.

Well, those are the same thing or at least close enough to be synonyms.

Joy Meaning:

Feeling of pleasure and delight:

Yeah,…………………that’s the same thing:

No because joy is more than a feeling: another meaning is this:

Source of pleasure and happiness.

Joy is more than a feeling it is the source that God will give us, it means we can have joy regardless of circumstances, regardless of happenings.

In the English Standard Version of the Bible, the words "joy," "rejoice," or "joyful" appear a total of 430 times, compared with "happy" or "happiness," which appear only ten times.

Joy is lasting, and it satisfies the heart in a unique and marvelous way.

Joy is a characteristic of God's people, that is only found by spending time in his presence.

Happiness only comes from happenings, but joy comes from God almighty.

Joy can be had in the middle of a valley, the midst of the storm, no matter how dark it gets.

1Peter 1:8

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

There is a joy that is unspeakable, it isn’t something you can explain exactly, it’s just a calm in the midst of the storm.

A joy that others cannot understand, they look at everything in your world and they question how you can have happiness, joy and peace like you do.

Paul speaks of the calm, the joy, the peace that I’m talking about

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Does anyone want this joy.

Just how can we find this Joy?

What if I told you, all it takes is a leap, you simply leap for it?

Leap for Joy

Full of Joy

God has a plan for your life, and in that plan, he has placed a reserve of Joy, It is His will that His children are full of Joy.

John 15:11

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Psalms 16:11

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Luke 24:52

And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:

Acts 2:28

Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

His desire is that we are full of joy.

We all want this joy, personally, and then in our family, in our home.

However we all are stuck in this thing called Life………………………………………….

As we live this life, situations come up, problems appear, people do things and say things that have a way of robbing us of the joy that we so desperately want.

We live in a world that is under a curse due to sin…………….and sin will steal our joy.

As I said earlier, His Plan is that we have fullness of Joy……………………………………….

But there are people under the sound of my voice that are definitely not full, In fact if you were totally honest today you would acknowledge, my Joy tank is empty, I’m running on fumes today.

Why is this the case?

After all, if he desires, we be full of Joy.

Fullness of Joy is found in His presence and in the center of His will for my life.

He has a perfect will for our lives.

Ephesians 1:5

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

It is His pleasure that we are adopted into the body through Christ.

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Only accepted through adoption.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

I don’t have time today to give you all the scriptures and make all the points concerning adoption and His will for your life.

For the sake of time I’m going to highlight a couple things and move on, but we can have a bible study and dig deeper, just let me know you want to.

First His will is that all men come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

His will is that non should perish.

Why must we repent, because repentance is dying out to this flesh, crucifying this carnal man.

In repentance we die out to self, we die out to sin. We mortify the deeds done in the body.

Romans 6:1

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Here is we must die out to our sinful nature to. That is His will.

So, we find a place of repentance and the old man dies.

What do you do with something that’s dead?

Bury It………………If you don’t it will soon begin to decompose, rot, and stink.

How do we bury sin and the old man?

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:

Once we repent and die to our sin, we must bury it in baptism in the name of Jesus.

Why Jesus Name

Acts 4:12

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Again I can explain more for better understanding……………….Just not in this message.

So, we have died out, we are buried with Him in baptism, What next?

Romans 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:

that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

We are raised up to walk in newness of life when we are filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost.

When we repent, get baptized and receive the Holy Ghost there is a transformation that takes place.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

While there is much we could discuss about his will for your life, this is the beginning of His will.

And this is his will for every single one of us.

Its his will that we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

It’s His will that we love him more than the things of this world.

1 John 2:15-17

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

Not only are we not to love this world but in his will, we don’t allow the world to form or manipulate our way of thinking.

Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In his will is Holiness and separation from this world.

1 Peter 1:16

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; (Do these things) and I will receive you,

When we separate, here comes that adoption again.

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

I could go on and on about His will and how that if we get in His will, we can have this fullness of Joy.

We get it by Leaping for Joy

How do we find His will for our life, how do we find Joy?

God has a place for you, He has a destination, but he also has a path for you to get there.

He says this is where I want you.

And we are on the journey called life.

Animal Distraction

Experienced animal trainers take a stool with them when they step into a cage with a lion. Why a stool? It tames a lion better than anything_ except maybe a tranquilizer gun. When the trainer holds the stool with the legs extended toward the lion's face, the animal tries to focus on all four legs at once. And that paralyzes him. Divided focus always works against you.

Distractions Steal our Joy.

World / Work / Money / Media / Hobbies / Relationships / Entertainment / The Church (Problems)

Baggage takes our Joy.

Offense / Bitterness / Victim Mentality / Unbelief /

Self-Justification—Self Deception

Theology, Ideas, Opinions / Influence (What will other say, think of me.

Pick up a lot of baggage as you travel through life.

Struggle to find what you’re looking for due to the baggage.

You know He has a will for you……..But

Luke 6:23

Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

At some point you have to forsake all the baggage and leap into this thing.

Talking about leaping with both feet.

People live on the edge is this thing always questioning, why.

Do this, do that, who here, go there.

Every excuse in the book as why they can't just surrender and live for God.

What can I do and still make it how close can I live to the world and still con God into?

Letting me in.

Lay down the luggage, quite trying to straddle the fence, quite dancing along the edge and uno into this thing.

Leave the edge and get right dead center in the middle of it.

For abundant life you have to take the leap

You can't just live any ole way and half-heartedly serve God and except joy.

The joy you’re searching for takes a leap of faith.

Swimming hole,

pure joy on people’s face, they can tell you how awesome it is and how refreshing, and yet if all you do is here their stories you will never know what it feels like for yourself.

I don’t know if it takes all this, I’m not sure I want to change this or that.

I can go to this other church and don’t have to change.

Only a false version. Of Christianity teaches that as long as you believe in God, you can live however you want to.

A biblically based true version of Christianity says he is a jealous God, and he demands that we leave sin and follow him with all our heart, soul, and mind.

He doesn't accept a split allegiance, where we love him, but yet we love our baggage, we love him, but we live the world, we live him but we love to please this flesh.

Don’t Know If I Can.

Jude 1:24-25

24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

He said you can’t serve two masters you will live the one and the other, cleave to the one and despise the other.

Not only can you live for God you can have joy for the journey.

In order to receive Joy You have to Leap For It.

Leap For Joy.

Matthew 13:44

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

The man selleth all, for the joy that could be found in the field, no price was too high once he had a glimpse of the treasure.

Luke 6:23

Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Isaiah 12:3

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Habakuk 3:18

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Psalms 51:12

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Music

Acts 13:52

And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Romans 15:13

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

If you take the leap for joy the greatest joy will come in the future when you have lived in accordance with His word and you raise your babies in truth.

3 John 1:4

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

People full of the Holy Ghost don't walk around with a scowl and a frown on their faces. If you leap into this thing, we will be the happiest people in our city.

Looking to Jesus the author and the finisher

If you will take the leap, put the pen in his hand allowing him to be the author.....he will finish what he starts

Peter

If it's you bid me to come

Take the leap.

Later on, the shore Peter cast himself into the sea.

So hard living for God

Because you haven't taken the leap

Take his yoke upon you burden is light.

Reason. Is hard is your still do not your way.