Anchor Your Joy

ANCHOR YOUR JOY

Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

GOSPEL PRESENTATION

We talked last week about how we need to preach the gospel to ourselves every day.

Remember that we talked about how the Apostle Paul wrote to all these different churches and that the recipients of each of these letters were Christians, people who had received the gospel and had received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

And despite the fact that the gospel had SAVED these people, Paul re-shares the gospel with them to let them to ensure that they are rooted in the truth of who God is and who they are.

And this is an excellent example of what we should do with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s not something that we hear once, and we’re saved, and we go on living the way we feel like until Jesus calls us home.

No, the gospel is something, like we talked about last week, that we should preach to ourselves every single day…because that Gospel, like we discussed, shows us WHO GOD IS, WHO WE WERE, WHO WE ARE, and WHAT WE’RE CALLED TO. We NEED to know the gospel, and we NEED to remind ourselves of it as often as we can.

I’ve told y’all before that before I went into ministry, I was a middle school English teacher…and part of what I learned on my track to becoming a teacher was that not all students learn in the same way. Some are AUDITORY learners - they learn by hearing…some are READING/WRITING learners - that’s my note-takers in the room. And some are VISUAL learners - if they can see it, then they can better understand it.

I am a visual learner, and I want to provide a visual for us tonight of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth is that…

The standard to get into heaven is perfection.

Revelation 21:27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it (eternity WITH GOD), nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Sin causes uncleanliness. Sin causes imperfection.

No one is perfect except God.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

While some people sin more than others and some sins carry more earthly consequences than others, we have to remember that we are ALL imperfect sinners.

But we have HOPE in JESUS!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then we are made righteous (perfect) in His sight.

And THAT is the gospel - the only gospel - that we, as Christians, should preach to ourselves every single day.

When the gospel is in front of us, when it’s at the forefront of our minds, we are reminded of who God is and who we are to Him. And that impacts us in a major way…our walk, our talk, our actions, and perhaps most importantly, our MINDSET.

2. EXEGETE THE TEXT

Tonight, I want us to look at what Jesus shows us to be an appropriate Biblical mindset, according to the gospel…so if you have your Bibles, we’re looking at a passage in Luke chapter 10, beginning in verse 17…

Now, for context, here’s what’s happening: Jesus sends out 72 disciples, in power, to various towns and cities to prepare the way for Him. And in verse 17, the disciples come back..they’re reporting back to Jesus about their mission, and here’s what they say:

Luke 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Now, what can we learn from this short passage of scripture? A LOT. We could spend a month or longer studying these four verses, but as this passage pertains to rooting ourselves in the truth of the gospel, here’s what I want to focus on tonight: JOY.

We see the word “joy” or “rejoice” 3 times in this passage, and in that, Jesus shows us what true joy looks like and what our joy, as Christians, should be anchored to.

In this passage of scripture, like many other passages of scripture, we find practical instruction in the Word of God that we can apply to our own life…so what I want to do as we break down this text is, first, look at what Jesus is teaching the disciples, and then look at what that means for us as His followers in this day and age.

Verse 17 says The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

These guys are on a high…they are fired up… why? Because they have experienced the incredible power of the name of Jesus. Jesus has done incredible works through these disciples.

Now, for the disciples, the high that they were on was attributed to the mighty work that God did through them…casting out demons and healing the sick…For us, this could look like God working through our lives in a powerful way. Maybe He’s answered a prayer that you’ve been praying for a long time. Maybe you feel His presence so closely, so intimately. Maybe He’s revealed something to you in scripture that has brought clarity and encouragement to you in a time of need. Or maybe He’s blessed you with something like health, finances, or relationships.

The point is that God has moved in the lives of these disciples, and they are extremely excited about what is happening. Just like God still moves in major ways in our lives, and we get excited about it!

And in verse 18, here’s Jesus’s response to their excitement, their joy.

18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Jesus is saying, yes, I hear what you’re saying, and that’s a GOOD thing. I saw Satan fall from heaven, and I saw you cast out those demons in my name…Jesus is in agreement with the disciples that these works that they have done in His name are a GOOD THING

We know that Jesus sees the works as a good thing because HE is the one that gave them authority to do these works. The works were done in HIS NAME.

So how can we relate to this?...Well, the power that the disciples are operating in came from God…God approved of it, God authorized it…In our lives, any blessing that we receive, any breakthrough, or any momentary happiness is a result of the goodness of God. If the Bible says that every good and perfect gift comes from above, that means that anything positive that we experience in life is the result of the goodness of God. Like Jesus approved of the power given to the disciples, He is the approver of anything good that happens in our lives.

And Jesus is FOR the disciples working in the power of His name just like He is FOR us living a life full of blessings here on earth…but He gives this one caveat…

In verse 20, Jesus says do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

When Jesus says “do not”, He’s rebuking them…He’s correcting them.

Here’s what He’s telling the disciples: “As powerful, and incredible, and awesome as this experience has been, do not let your joy be dependent on this work that you’re doing.”

And here’s what that message means for us: Jesus would say to us, “As wonderful as all the great things going on in your life are…as much happiness as they bring you, do not let your joy be dependent upon any of those things.”

And that points to the most important part of this passage, at the end of verse 20, where Jesus says, “rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” What He’s saying is that there’s one thing and one thing alone that we should anchor our joy to in life: the promise of eternal life.. WE ARE CALLED TO ANCHOR OUR JOY TO THE GOSPEL.

It’s not that Jesus didn’t want the disciples to be glad and thankful for the power given to them...just like it’s not that God doesn’t want us to enjoy our lives and be happy. But He makes a distinction between happiness or gladness and true, Biblical joy.

So let’s talk about that…what distinction does Jesus want to show us between the happiness that we experience and the true, Godly joy that He’s called us to.

3. HAPPINESS AND JOY (venn diagram)

First, let me make clear that happiness is GOOD - happiness from God. Every good and perfect gift comes from above, and happiness is good – so happiness is from God. I am pro happiness because God is pro happiness.

And happiness and joy share some common threads:

Happiness is a good thing; joy is a good thing

Happiness is related to positivity; so is joy

Happiness is from the Lord; joy is from the Lord

But happiness and Biblical joy also stand in contrast to one another:

1. Our happiness is based on our circumstances

God has blessed me with a job that I enjoy – that makes me happy. God has blessed me with a house to raise my family – that makes me happy. Lord, thank you for those things that bring me happiness. I could make a list and talk all night about things, unrelated to my salvation that God has blessed me with. And the truth about each of those things is that they could be taken away from me tomorrow. All the things in my life that make me happy are good and they’re from God, but they are circumstantial, and they could be gone tomorrow.

Our Joy is based on the promises of God

When Jesus commands us to rejoice in this, that our names are written in heaven, He’s telling us to attach ourselves to an unchanging truth. He’s saying that no matter how high or how low you get, the most important thing in life is this: (clear cup)...and you should anchor yourself to it because it cannot be moved, cannot be shaken by anyone, any thing, or any circumstance.

2. Happiness is an emotion

When we are happy, we are experiencing a positive emotion..And, yes, it’s a good thing. Happiness is an emotion from God. Emotions are a gift from God - we need emotions to help us navigate our way through life…that’s why God has given us emotions. Our emotions only become a problem when they become the guiding force in our lives rather than an aid….so how do we prevent that? How do we prevent being directed by our emotions? JOY. We choose JOY.

Joy is a choice

And to choose the joy of the Lord is to acknowledge that there will be the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in life, and rather than riding the waves of life and letting our circumstances define us, we do what Jesus said to do in Luke 10:20 - we make the CHOICE to anchor ourselves to the promise that our names are written in heaven.

Maybe the most important distinction to make between happiness and the joy of the Lord is this: Happiness is experienced by everyone, and Godly joy is available only to those who are in Christ.

3. Everyone experiences happiness

Everyone experiences happiness just like everyone experiences sadness. If you don’t know the Lord, you will still experience happiness in life..by the grace of God. And if you don’t know the Lord, you’ll experience sadness..you’ll experience heartache. On the flip side, Christians will experience all emotions as well. Of course Christians will experience happiness, but we will also experience great sadness. If anyone told you that becoming a Christian would take away all the negative emotion in your life and that you’d be happy all the time, they lied to you..Our promise is not the unwavering gift of happiness. It’s the Joy of the Lord.

And that JOY is only experienced by those who are in Christ.

Why? Because that joy is attached to the promises of God - (the clear cup)

And who is the recipient of that promise? Those who have accepted Christ.

The fruit of the Spirit is first, LOVE, second JOY…where does the Spirit of God reside? In the heart of every believer.

So our JOY is a gift to the children of God (us), based on the promises of God, and it's a choice that we get to make daily, to anchor ourselves in this joy.

And in anchoring ourselves to this joy, here’s what we’re keeping in the forefront of our minds:

Our names are written in heaven.

1) We have the hope (not “i hope i make it”, but “i’m looking forward to”) of heaven:

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Our names are written in heaven.

2) We have the love of God

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 8:38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now, Jesus commands us to root ourselves in this JOY, to attach our joy to the promise that we are loved unconditionally and that we have the hope of heaven.. and if He says to do something, then we should just do it, right? But beyond just telling us to do it, the Bible shows us the incredible positive impact that can be had on ourselves and on others if we choose the joy of the Lord…

4. The impact of rejoicing in the Lord

First of all, if we attach ourselves to the joy of the Lord, then our mindset is positively impacted.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

It’s easy to have a positive mindset when everything is going great, but when we experience the hardest of times, we can still be joyful because everything we’re working through, everything we’re experiencing, good or bad, points to what God has promised us.

And living in that mindset, rooting ourselves in the JOY that God has called us to, enables us to walk in the purpose that God has called us to.(imagine how Paul would have been limited if His joy was not anchored to the promises of God)

There were many individuals in the Bible, and there have been many individuals since the Bible, who have done incredible things for God in the midst of incredible trials and challenges, because they were rooted in the JOY of the Lord. And when I think of being JOYFUL in those circumstances, my mind goes to the Apostle Paul and all that he endured while walking in the purpose that God had called him to.

One of my favorite books in the Bible is Philippians. And if you’re familiar with the book, then you know that the predominant theme of the book is JOY. One of my favorite chapters in the Bible, if not my single favorite, it’s on my Mount Rushmore, is Philippians 4, where, empowered by the Spirit of God, Paul writes:

Verse 4: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice

Verse 6: Don’t be anxious about anything…

Verse 7: the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Verse 11: …I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

Verse 13: I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Here’s what’s so incredible about the life-changing words of Philippians chapter 4: They were written from this Roman prison.., Mamertine prison in Rome

Paul could have wallowed in his terrible circumstances. He could have decided to give up in that prison cell, because I guarantee that his days were not filled with happiness.

But instead, he rooted himself, not in the emotion that came with his circumstances, but in the JOY of the Lord. verse 4 says Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice..

And as a result, he fulfilled the purpose that God had called him to…and his work has impacted the kingdom of God in an immeasurable way.

So what does this mean for us? You’re not the apostle Paul, and your circumstances don’t place you in a Roman prison cell…but you are a child of God with the ability to choose JOY in whatever circumstance you face. So my encouragement for you is this…whether you’re high or low, whether circumstances are awesome or things are just terrible, make the conscious choice to attach yourself to the joy of the Lord, and see what He does with that. Amen?