The Transforming Power of Joy

Communion (After Make Room)

We are going to continue to worship by moving into a time of communion. In Psalm 95:1–3 it says “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.”

When we take communion this is what we are doing, we are drawing close to Jesus, we are thanking him for what he did for us on the cross, and acknowledging with joy, that we can have a relationship with him.

The worship team is going to lead us in another song, and I’d invite you to make your way, with joy and thanksgiving, to one of the communion tables either up front or in the back, and take communion with the Lord.

Introduction

Good morning! My name is Clint and I am so happy that you are joining us today in person or online. Happy Martin Luther King day weekend! There are lots of great things happening around the twin ports today and tomorrow to celebrate Dr. King and his legacy. You can find a list of events at duluthnaacp.org

This morning, I get to continue on in our series about the Character qualities of Jesus, and how seeing the Beauty of Jesus is what creates heart change, it’s what transforms us into being people who can help usher in God’s perfect rule and reign on earth.

I love the way Steph talked about it last week, if you missed it go check it out. She said that what brings transformation in our lives is not trying to follow a list of do’s and don’ts, its following a person.

It’s not about trying to manage our behavior, its about looking on the beauty of Jesus and letting that beauty shape us and turn us into something beautiful.

Today I get to talk to you all about Joy. If you type “what is Joy into the internet”, it will tell you that joy is defined as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness”

I think its a great exercise to think about the things that bring us joy. I do this every night with my kids before bed, I ask them “What is something that made you happy today” and then we thank God for those things.

Clara will usually name a friend she played with at school, Lucy almost always answers the same way: she says Milk, and our Cat’s Dexter and Morgan. The girl likes what she likes.

So, lets start out this morning by making a list. We are going try and think of three things within the last 24 hours that brought us joy. You can write this down on your note sheet, or just keep it in your head, but remember it because for my big finish we are going to come back to these three things. I’m going to set a 30 second timer, and I want you to try and think of three things. Don’t overthink it, and don’t over spiritualize it, just whatever comes up, write it down.

30 Second Pause

Got your list?

The Centrality of Joy

Permeates Jesus Story

Hopefully that exercise was fun and brought a little more awareness and joy to the morning because joy is a central part of following Jesus.

Anybody surprised to hear that? That Christians should be oozing joy? Sometimes when I think about following Jesus, I think more about the discipline of it, of the sacrifice, of taking up my cross and following Jesus, sometimes I forget about the Joy!

But Joy is all over the story of Jesus.

Before Jesus was born, baby John the Baptist leapt for joy in his mothers womb when Mary and unborn Jesus drew close (Luke 1: 44)

When Jesus was born we read in Luke 2 that an angel shows up to shepards tending their flocks and says “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people” (Verse 10)

During his life, Jesus first miracle as recorded in John 2 was to change water into really great wine to keep the wedding party going. He then kicked the lame DJ out of the booth and played all your favorite wedding songs, Cotton eyed joe, sweet Caroline, Ice Ice baby, Wagon Wheel, and then ended the night with Piano man. Jesus knew how to party!

The Gospel Message is a Message of Joy

The stories of Jesus life, we call them the Gospels. Even that word, gospel, means good news, it means joyful news.

This news is like, picture it if you can, its like that feeling that you get as a kid when you wake up expecting to go to school, but, gasp, its a snow day! Unexpected Good News that brings Joy!

Let’s look at the good news that Jesus brought, in Mark 1:15 ““The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!””

That’s the good news The time has come, no more waiting for God. The Kingdom of God has come near. You can reach out and touch it. Repent and believe, in others words, live like this good news is true.

This is Joy! Jesus, God, has come. Joy has come into the world. You don’t need to be afraid anymore, you don’t need to be alone anymore. You don’t need to wonder if you are good enough, if you are accepted, or safe. God has come. You can reach out and touch him. So have joy.

I remember as a kid, I was scared of everything, but nighttime was especially bad. I’d lay there and think off all the terrible creatures that were surley hiding in my room and as soon as I closed my eyes they would eat me.

And I remember most nights I’d call out to my dad, we had a small home and our rooms were right next to each other. I’d cry out and say “Dad, I’m scared” and I would hear him say, “Clint, your 35, go to sleep”. This was last week. No, for real though, most nights dad would give a pep talk while laying in his bed, you know how you talk kids down “Clint, I’m right here, there’s no such thing as monsters, your fine”

But one night in particular, I hadn’t thought about this in years, but thinking about it as I was prepping this message, it came back clear as day and I started to get all teary eyed. One night I cried out like usual, and Dad, didn’t say a word. But he just walked into my bedroom, asked what was wrong, so I told him I was scared, and he climbed into bed with me. It’s probably the safest I ever felt. I didn’t feel shame, or guilty for needing my dad to come to my rescue. I felt joy. real joy, that my dad loved me enough to be with me. That love drove out the fear, it transformed me from being a scared little kid, into being a joyful little boy in his dad’s arms.

Transforms us

That’s what Joy does, it transforms us. Look at Jesus’s parables

Matthew 13:44–46 ““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

In these parables, these guys lives changed once they found their treasure. They were so joyful at having found it, nothing else mattered except being close to the treasure. Jesus is our treasure, Jesus is joy!!.

Joy in Jesus, in his kingdom is the thing that brings transformation. When we find it, we sell everything we have to hold onto it. It changes our lives!

Have you experienced that joy yet? If not, you can today! You can ask God to draw close, it’s not hard, just with an open heart and an open mind say “Lord, I need you. I want to know that I am loved, and safe. I want to know that you are there. I want to feel your Joy.

And for some of us maybe it’s been along time since we’ve had a joyful encounter of God. Maybe the treasure we found, this relationship with Jesus, that we were once so excited about, has kind of lost it’s luster.

Maybe your sitting there thinking, yeah, all this Joy talk is great Clint, but what about the real world, there is so much hurting and pain.

Friends, I know that I might look like a six year old wearing a fake mustache, but I know that monsters are real. They can be that diagnoses from the doctor, they can be that statement from the bank or that feeling you get when a friend betrays you.

The Tension of Joy

Confusion and Grief

Part of following Jesus is recognizing that tension of Joy on one side, with things like confusion, grief, loss, pain, suffering on the other.

You guys have seen that movie Inside Out? It’s about this girl named Riley who lives in Minnesota. The movie follows the emotions that live inside her, Joy played by Leslie Knope, and Sadness who is Phyllis from the Office. Well in Minnesota Joy pretty much runs the show, but then Riley moves to a different state and Sadness takes over. Spolier alert, but the movie ends with us discovering the truth that you can experience Joy and Sadness at the same time.

To some of us (me) this idea of experience two emotions at once was new information. How can you be happy and sad at the same time about the same thing? Well, Jesus talks about this because he had more emotional range then I did.

John 16:17–24 NIV

At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.” Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

We see in verses 17 and 18 the disciples are confused. They have been hanging out with Jesus for about 3 years at this point, and Jesus has started talking about going away. He is coming up on his crucifixion, he knows it, but the disciples don’t.

Following Jesus can be confusing. Have you ever had something happen that made you cry out, why God why? We don’t have to look very far to see these types of things. We had a tragic shooting in Cloquet this week. We’ve had losses in our community. We all have something that we don’t understand, where we could look at God and say, if you really cared why would this happen.

Look how Jesus responds to his friends confusion.

First, he acknowledges it. He says, is this what you are saying. It’s like he is saying, I know you are confused....and then he paints a realistic picture for them, you will grieve....pause right there.

Jesus never promised us an easy life. In fact a little farther into the chapter Jesus says in John 16:33 ““In this world you will have trouble. "

But, in both of these verses, it comes with a promise, John 16:33 “but take heart! I have overcome the world.””

We can have Joy, because of who Jesus is. Jesus is Joy, and nothing can change that. Jump back to our verse.

You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

Let’s unpack this a little bit together. I’m told labor is uncomfortable. But in the end, the thing that was causing the pain brings Joy. The pain is transformed into joy.

Now, lets take a second because we need to clarify something. What I am not saying is that all suffering is sent by God to teach us a lesson. What I am not saying is that you need to reframe everything in a positive light and look for the bright side. Some things happen to us that are just evil. It would be naive and not in line with Scripture to say anything less. If you are here today, and you are a survivor of something evil, please don’t hear me saying that you need to start calling that evil good. That’s not what this verse is about. In fact, Jesus is using this birth illustration to talk about how he is going to defeat evil.

In this analogy, Jesus is the woman in labor. His hour has come. Through his pain, a new world is being born. And that new world, is a world of hope and joy.

Can’t be taken

He says, I will see you again, and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

As followers of Jesus we believe that when Jesus comes back, he is going to make everything right. He will usher in justice, he will right every wrong, and dry every tear.

However, when Jesus is saying this, most of the commentators agree that he is not talking about the second coming, he is talking about the his resurrection.

He is saying I am going to go away, and usher in this new world, and the next time you see me, you will have a joy that no one can take from you.

The Joy of Jesus, his triumph over death, his forgiveness of our sins, our access to him, nothing can change that! We can’t sin so bad that it cancel out the resurrection.

Our circumstances, the positions we find ourselves in whether good, or the worst kind of bad, doesn’t change the fact that Jesus loves us, and our circumstances can’t change our access to God.

The Accessibility of Joy

Available Now

Jesus says in verse John 16:23 “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

Jesus is Joy and Joy is available to us right now. Remember said the good news, the joy, is that we can reach out and touch the Kingdom. Jesus is within arms reach. His suffering has bought our joy, but he will never force us to be joyful, he will never force a relationship on us. All we have to do is ask, to reach out, and Jesus is right there. All we have to do is ask, and that Joy will draw close and transform us.

Can Transform us

So lets put some wheels on this thing.

So, how to we access this type of transformation? How to do take hold of the this joy?

See

Well, first like the disciples in our john 16 verse, we have to see Jesus, we have to be with him. Paul talks about this transformation this way. 2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

The more we are with the Lord, the more that we can gaze upon his beauty, the more space we create for him to work in us and through us, to transform us.

Here is an anology, its not perfect, but I like it. You ever watch kittens play together? I mean, I love cats, so maybe its just me, but no matter how bad of a mood I am in, if I can find a passel of kittens and watch them play, there joy transfers to me. Maybe kittens aren’t your thing, maybe it’s bird’s or fish, or babies I don’t know, but when you see their joy, it’s contagious.

How much more with God. When we draw into his presence, when we spend time gazing at his beauty, his majesty, his kindness, compassion, it transforms us.

How can you do that this week?

Maybe it’s spending time in prayer and asking God to help you feel his Joy.

Maybe it’s spending time serving others to more fully understand the service and sacrifice Jesus made for us.

Maybe its studying scripture and falling in love with the creative God who spoke the world into existence. What can you do this week, to put yourself in a position to receive.

Inquire,

So, in our verse, first the disciples see Jesus, the next thing Jesus tells them to do is ask. In the old timey language, where we read ask is actually two seperate words

One word is Inquire. When we are in God’s presence, we can ask questions. We can get curious as to what he is up to, where he is moving. I find this one especially helpful when I don’t really feel that Joy, when I’m hurt, angry, confused, when I’m grieving. I put myself into a position to receive, and then I ask, God, where are you?!?!

I had to do this when I was writing this message. I got some news that upset me, that threw me off, so I decided to try and practice what I preach. I asked God where he was in the middle of this news, and I felt some peace wash over me, and heard him whisper (in my head, not in my kitchen) “With you”

Where do you need to draw close and ask God questions? What’s stopping you? Are you afraid he won’t answer? Or are you afraid he might answer and you won’t like it? Can you draw close, be brave, and trust that God loves you, and that he wants to draw you close, guide and protect you?

Request

The other word that we read as ask is actually ask....or request. So, when we are in God’s presence, we can ask for what we need. Lord, I’d love some joy right now. I’d love some peace, or patients. I need to feel your forgiveness in this moment. We can ask for those things for sure, but lets not lose sight of the biggest prayer.

Jesus, I don’t just want your stuff, I want you!! I want more of you Jesus.

Go

As we wind down and start to close, I want to point something out here. Most everything I’ve talked about today has been pretty individualistic. How can YOU get more joy!

Let me remind us that we move in, so that we can move out. One of the reasons we experience transformation is so that we can be a blessing to others.

The fire of our Joy that we get in Jesus, can ignite joy fires in other people.

In Matthew 28 Jesus commanded us to go make disciples, but he also promised us that he would be with us always. The more joy we experience, the more joy we have to spread around

We can open our hearts and lives to people, we can invite coworkers over for dinner, we can act as mentors, we can be really amazing friends, not because we are rockstars, but because we are filled up with a joy that can’t be taken away.

What is the thing that God has put on your heart? How is he asking you to let your joy influence others?

Don’t overthink it. It can be as simple as smiling at a stranger, offering a compliment.

It could be something small, like sharing, your joy list with someone, I told you we would come back it. Share it with a family member, or a friend. Share it at work and ask someone what brings them joy.

It could be something big like becoming a foster parent, of sharing the joy of feeling safe, secure and like you belong with a kid whose world just got tipped upside down. What is God inviting you into?

Conclusion

So, to finish up, I want you to look back at your lists again.

Take a deep breath in, and become aware that the Holy Spirit is in the room.

Now aslGod, Lord, where are you in the joy on my list. How can I see you through these things.

And then ask, God do you have more joy for me .

Ask Where have you gotten bogged down in the confusion, the grief, and the pain? Where have we missed the joy that Jesus is offering?

Where is he asking you to reach out for Joy, first for yourself, so that you can experience life, real life, and transformation.

And after that, where is he asking you to bring joy to others?

Where is he inviting you to stare on the beautiful Jesus, to feel his love and his joy transform you, to change our hearts and characters from the inside out. Let’s start that right now.

Ministry Time

Hard time coming up with a list

Have a thing where there is no Joy

Jesus meets you in it

Next steps of sharing Joy

Crack through the layer of fake positivity, to bring real transformation

xena said, something to give something up, let go, surrender that thing that's been getting in the way

Scared of the cost of transformation, invited into more joy, focus on Jesus, and the transformation will come.

start a relationship