The Joy You've Always Wanted

Sermon: The Joy You’ve Always Wanted

Scripture: Habakkuk 3:17-19

Opening hymn: 565 For The Beauty Of The Earth

Closing hymn: 12 Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee

INTRODUCTION

Happiness. It is considered so fundamental to human existence that the pursuit of happiness is enshrined as a right in the US Declaration of Independence.

Kathy Caprino of Forbes magazine did a survey in 2016 asking some critical life and career questions. The key question was “"If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?"” of the 771 people who responded the number one response was HAPPINESS.

Kathy wrote this analysis of this finding, she said:

The No. 1 mentioned missing element – Happiness — has become so hard to achieve, and even harder to maintain. In my work with professional women, I’ve seen that happiness continually escapes them because, first, they don’t understand exactly what will make them happy. They just don’t know themselves well at all. Secondly, they search outside themselves for happiness – in a job, a husband, a family, a title, a paycheck, a fancy house. As a result, happiness is constantly out of their control and a perpetual moving target that never stands still long enough for them to grasp. I’m not saying that these things don’t bring happiness – of course, they can. The key point is that if everything you’re searching for remains outside of you, you’ll always be chasing and scrambling.[i]

Did you notice that the happiness she was referring to here was not punctiliar happiness that’s connected to events, but more lasting happiness that’s connected to a state of mind and being. It’s more along the lines of what Christians refer to as JOY.

BODY

How sad it is that Joy is so illusive in our world today. The thing we want the most is the thing we have the least.

Is it that true happiness and joy are just a rare commodity? Well the fact that they are abstract concepts means that they are limitless, we just need to know how to find them.

Joy is the journey of knowing Jesus

The truth is that Joy is a journey not a destination which is great because it means that we not only have a limitless supply, but we can also never get full of it, there’s always room for more. So how do we get it?

The Bible tells us:

Psalm 32:11 11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

And it says:

NLT Jeremiah 32:41 I will rejoice in doing good to them

God is a happy joyful being and He wants us to share in that experience with Him also. That’s what the Psalmist said in

NLT Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!

So the pursuit of happiness is only truly found in the journey of knowing God. This is the only way to find true lasting happiness and joy because it’s not dependent on circumstances it’s connected to a person, it’s wrapped up in a relationship with Jesus. Joy is the journey of knowing Jesus.

Joy is about knowing God

The Book of Habakkuk is a series of Laments where the prophet examines the question of whether God is good in a world of injustice. Israel’s reform-minded king Josiah has been killed, and the nation of Israel has slid back into sin and apostasy. The prophet Habakkuk struggles with what seems like God’s delay in deliverance.

In Habakkuk’s third chapter, the prophet prays for God to revive His work in Israel. Toward the end of the of the prayer (v. 17-18), Habakkuk recognizes the potential hardships that will come with God’s judgment. Despite those difficulties, he resolves to take joy in God’s salvation. We tend to judge everything from our own limited perspective. Unless we have what we believe we should, we see no reason to be thankful. That’s not Habakkuk’s perspective. Look at his prayer at the end of his book; he says:

NLT Habakkuk 3:17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains.

Even though Habakkuk’s situation was grim he still rejoiced because he knew that God is good.

We find joy in life when reflect on what God is really like.

Illustration: Ron and Nancy Wood gift exchange in Minoqua WI.

People will always surprise us but we can be confident about how God will relate to us. And that’s one of the things that brings joy from the journey of knowing Jesus.

God’s Promises to us

GOD KNOWS US AND CARES ABOUT US.

The Bible tells us in:

Matthew 10:30-31 30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31"Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Ø God knows every detail about us but He doesn’t use that information to embarrass us

Ø He loves us and uses that information to brighten our day.

o Like when mom would cook your favorite meal just because she wanted to make you happy.

On that journey to know Jesus we realize that GOD KNOWS US AND CARES ABOUT US and does what is best for us to bring Joy to us. He perfectly balances our wants and our needs and what will best serve our salvation. Joy is the journey of knowing Jesus.

GOD’S PRESENCE

In fact one of His most frequent promises He’s made to us is that He is with us.

He told Moses as he sent him to free the Israelites from Egypt:

Exodus 3:11-12 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" 12So He said, "I will certainly be with you.

Moses said God I’m nobody, I’m not good enough to go before Pharoah,

Ø God didn’t promise Moses power,

Ø God didn’t promise Moses prestige,

Ø GOD PROMISED MOSES HIS PRESENCE

GOD SAID TO MOSES AND HE’S SAYING TO US MY PRESENCE IS ALL THAT YOU WILL EVER NEED TO MEET EVERY CHALLENGE YOU WILL FACE.

NO FEAR

You see friends when we have the presence of God with us it gives us courage. Even though we live in a scary world we don’t need to succumb to the intimidation of the enemy.

Psalm 23:4-6 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

Illustration—mom is the teacher.

GOD’S PRESENCE GIVES US A CONFIDENCE THAT BANISHES FEAR AND IN THE ABSENCE OF FEAR JOY CAN GROW. And that’s another reason why Joy is the journey of knowing Jesus.

GOD HAS A PLAN

Facing the future can be nerve wracking. What am I going to do with my life, how am I going to get there, how am I going to achieve it. How am I going to pay my student loans? What if it doesn’t work out? The future can be fraught with insecurities but when we are walking with God we realize that He drew up a plan for our lives from before time began. He designed the path for our success long before we existed.

Psalm 139:16-18 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! 18 I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!

Ø You were not an accident

Ø You were not an after thought

God ordained your existence and nothing could have prevented it even under any circumstances. And as certainly as you are here and seeking God today, just as certainly He will accomplish His plans for you. And the best part is that these plans when perfectly implemented will always bring victory.

Jeremiah 29:11 11 For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

God has planned for every contingency that you will encounter in life. In 1997 a team of IBM engineers designed and developed Deep Blue, the computer that out-manoeuvred chess grand master Garry Kasparov. Deep Blue was equipped with thirty-two processing engines that could calculate 200 million chess moves per second … I have a tough time with the fifty-fifty stuff. True or false. Right or left. Chocolate or vanilla. I can’t even imagine contemplating 200 million contingencies in a split second.

But that’s laughable compared to the Omniscient One who took every contingency into consideration before a nanosecond had even ticked off the clock of time. Think of your life as a game of chess. You are the pawn and God is the Grand Master. You have no idea what your next move should be, but God already has the next 200 million moves planned out.’ God says, ‘

“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’”

Isaiah 46:10 NIV

HOW COMFORTING IT IS TO ENTRUST YOUR FUTURE INTO THE HANDS OF A GOOD GOD, A PERFECT FATHER, A PATIENT FRIEND WHO HAS YOUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART.

In God we are more than conquerors, victory is ours

And if He is with us and has our best interest at heart we can rest assured that we don’t have to be worried about failure or being defeated, victory is ours through Christ Jesus.

Deuteronomy 20:4 4 'for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.'

And in

NKJ Psalm 108:13 Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

Whatever battle you may be facing remember that:

Ø God is bigger than your battles

Ø God is stronger than your foes

WHATERVER CHALLENGE YOU’RE FACING GOD IS ABLE

God loves you with all His heart

This all makes sense we know that God is all that and more but it only gets real for us when we realize that we serve a God who love for us is authentic and this love informs the way He interacts with us on a moment by moment basis.

Zephaniah 3:17 17 The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

God has more compassion and love for us than our earthly parents could ever have. He gets excited over us. He rejoices over us like a parent rejoices over their child’s first words.

We can find peace through prayer, we can count on Him to always do what is best for us. We can trust that every outcome is working in our best interest.

Illustration/story

When we come to the realization of how much He loves us we can proclaim with the apostle John:

NLT 1 John 4:16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

And it says in

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

How can we help but be filled with joy when we realize that we are walking with a God who is working on our behalf in every situation.

Ø He knows us

Ø He cares about us

Ø He never abandons us

Ø He gives us confidence

Ø He has a plan for us and

Ø Victory is ours through Christ Jesus

Joy is the Journey of knowing Jesus.

APPEAL

This thanksgiving week I would like to challenge us to make it a week of relationship renewal.

Firstly yes renew your relationship with family with siblings, the grumpy ones and the gracious ones, but more importantly

Make this a week of renewal with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Through Him we have so much to be thankful for but it’s only realized in our lives if we have a truly personal relationship with Jesus.

Ø Are you making time for Him daily?

Ø Are you talking things through with Him when it really matters?

Ø Are you seeking His will in daily choices?

Ø Are you in big sale mode for the gospel, where you can’t help but tell others about him? He always gets squeezed into every situation.

That’s the way to realize the FULLNESS OF JOY in your life. Don’t you want that Joy my friends? I know I do…

[i] https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2016/05/24/the-top-8-things-people-desperately-desire-but-cant-seem-to-attain/ ForbesLeadershipCareers The Top 8 Things People Desperately Desire But Can't Seem To Attain Kathy Caprino Senior Contributor Kathy Caprino, M.A. covers careers, leadership and women’s issues. Follow May 24, 2016,05:55pm EDT Updated May 24, 2016, 07:00pm EDT This article is more than 8 years old. Tweet This · The key point is that if everything you’re searching for remains outside of you, you’ll always be chasing · We want to “feel” free, yet are scared to muster the courage to do what’s necessary to “become” free. · · · 📷 Photo Courtesy: iStock Several months ago, I offered a survey to my subscribers and community exploring a number of critical life and career questions. To date, 771 people have responded, and their answers have been riveting. Working with professionals every day, I hear first-hand what they deeply long for. But what’s so intriguing about these responses is that it’s becoming more obvious with each passing year that the things we humans desperately long for today are not only universal and timeless, but also have become even more elusive and challenging to access and sustain, even as we “evolve” and develop in this tech-frenzied, time-crushing world. The key question this survey probed was this: "If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?" Of all the things people indicated they want more of, the following were the eight mentioned most frequently. Here’s my take on what’s missing in life and work today, and why we can’t get enough of these elusive ingredients and experiences. (The quotes below are from actual respondents, about what they perceive to be the biggest challenge in the way of what they’re longing for): PROMOTED No. 1: Happiness Biggest challenge: “Not knowing what I want to do.” The No. 1 mentioned missing element – Happiness — has become so hard to achieve, and even harder to maintain. In my work with professional women, I’ve seen that happiness continually escapes them because, first, they don’t understand exactly what will make them happy. They just don’t know themselves well at all. Secondly, they search outside themselves for happiness – in a job, a husband, a family, a title, a paycheck, a fancy house. As a result, happiness is constantly out of their control and a perpetual moving target that never stands still long enough for them to grasp. I’m not saying that these things don’t bring happiness – of course, they can. The key point is that if everything you’re searching for remains outside of you, you’ll always be chasing and scrambling. No. 2: Money Biggest challenge: “Not having enough money or time to accomplish the things I want to do.” Top of Form Bottom of Form CEO: C-suite news, analysis, and advice for top decision makers right to your inbox. Sign Up By signing up, you agree to receive this newsletter, other updates about Forbes and its affiliates’ offerings, our Terms of Service (including resolving disputes on an individual basis via arbitration), and you acknowledge our Privacy Statement. Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. I’ve worked with millionaires, as well as people who earn mid-six figures and far, far less. Isn’t it fascinating that no matter what we earn, we somehow feel we never have enough? I know people with literally over a million dollars in their retirement accounts, yet they live in such a constant fear state around money that they never have a moment’s peace and can't enjoy spending for anything, even for family vacations that are supposed to be joyful. The question is: how much money do you really need to bring about the life experiences that will truly fulfill you? And if you want more money, do you understand the key principles and behaviors required to generate it? Finally, do you understand your own money story and how you habitually operate with money? No. 3: Freedom Biggest challenge: “Having the freedom to find my ‘true purpose’ or being lit up by the day-to-day at work.” Ah, freedom. We all want it, yet so many people I meet are resistant to doing what’s required to get it. We want to “feel” free, yet are scared to muster the courage to do what’s necessary to “become” free. What is necessary to experience freedom? I’ve seen that it requires making yourself right (not wrong), following your own authentic values and beliefs, and building strong boundaries to protect yourself from what others will tell you is right for you or try to force on you. And it takes forging your own path in life and work, despite the challenges and the naysayers. It requires boldness and courage to make yourself your own highest authority on life and work, and that’s no easy thing today. Sadly, most of us aren’t taught or trained (particularly women) how to stand up powerfully for what we want and believe in, and to go after it with undying passion and commitment. No. 4: Peace Biggest challenge: “Lack of clarity about who I am and my purpose.” We long for peace, desperately. Peace from noise, chatter, pressure, responsibilities. We also want peace from the painful thumping inside our own heads – the conflicts and strain we inflict on ourselves every minute to be better, stronger, smarter (prettier, thinner, better parents, _______ [you fill in the blank]). Peace, I’ve found, doesn’t come from being better at anything, or even figuring anything out. Attaining peace is a practice that we need to cultivate and commit to, regardless of what's going on around you. Peace in today's times will never just fall in our laps – it’s too chaotic a world. We have to carve out space within ourselves and in our lives to bring forward the experience of peace, then do the work to expand peace as a feeling and experience that we’ll commit to daily, regardless of what’s around us. You don’t have to know your purpose to be at peace – you just have to commit to being at peace, and building daily practices that will support you in that commitment. No. 5: Joy Biggest challenge: “How to find the right role or position for me now that will bring joy in my work.” I’ve observed how the process of stepping up to our highest potential and honoring our best visions for contributing to the world in a meaningful way does indeed pave the way for more joy. I believe (and have lived) that we simply can’t feel joy in our lives if the work we do pains us. We’re not able to effectively separate who we are from what we do (and why would we want to?). So when you’re stuck in work you hate, with people you don’t respect, supporting outcomes that feel wrong to you, then your life as a whole can’t help but be joyless, even if your personal or family life brings you happiness. Joy comes from the process of becoming more of who you already are. Discover that and honor it, and you'll be on your way to a more joyful, rich life. (Here's more about learning what your dominant action style is, which is critical to your success.) No. 6: Balance Biggest challenge: “Balancing my need/desire for flexibility while making enough money and having the benefits I want.” I’ve researched work-life balance extensively, and believe that it’s doable only under one condition: that you understand clearly what your top life priorities are, and you defend and honor those priorities fiercely, every minute of the day. It takes understanding your non-negotiables (what you won’t compromise on, what you won’t say “yes” to), and then living from that knowledge, and making the right decisions that align with your top life priorities. If you can’t do that, you can’t create or sustain balance. No. 7: Fulfillment Biggest challenge: “Utilizing my potential in the best possible way, for myself and for others.” Fulfillment can be defined as this: “Satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one’s abilities or character.” We simply can’t experience fulfillment if we’re not living up to what we know is our highest and best potential. Have you ever settled for something much less than you know you want or deserve? It hurts – a lot. But to live up to our highest potential, we have to leave our comfort zones behind, and perhaps even leave behind the definition we’ve crafted of who we think we are (even what we think our "authentic" self is), and the stories we tell ourselves about what we’re capable of, so that we can become the person we dream to be. We may also need to leave some people and relationships behind (the ones that don’t support us to soar higher and grow because it threatens them). Fulfillment is possible when you are filling up your cup, honoring your own potential, not forsaking yourself by putting everyone else in front of you. Fulfillment comes when you take bold actions that say “yes” to the future vision of you, even well before it’s “hatched.” No. 8: Confidence Biggest challenge: “Feeling like I have something to offer now, rather than feeling constantly as if I’m not ready and need more training.” I’ve seen in working with thousands of professionals, and in my former therapy and corporate work, that we humans only see what’s at the tip of our noses. When we’re in situations that are hurtful, demeaning, challenging and worse, we lose confidence. We get rocked and we stay rocked. We forget who we are, and what we are capable of, and see only the boss in front of us who’s yelling or the colleague or family member who’s tearing us down. Sadly, many millions of us around the world have been raised and culturally and societally trained in ways that degrade our sense of self-confidence. We're often taught that it's not advisable to think for ourselves, and we shouldn't follow our own path if it conflicts with the values of our "tribe." In short, we're taught not to believe that we can govern our own lives well if we don't listen to our authority figures, family members, teachers and others around us. Parental and societal training that keeps us stuck living someone else's life, is extremely damaging and severely limits our potential and our happiness. Confidence comes from acknowledging our own magnificence, not shying away from it. * * * * * * * * The reality is that it's a tough world out there, with many challenges we're simply not prepared to face. But throughout those challenges, there are countless ways we can remain true to ourselves, leverage our gifts, and foster our self-esteem and passion for life and work. And we can continually build our confidence, happiness, and fulfillment, despite these challenges. For that, we need an abundance of self-love, and also support from others who don't want to tell us what to do, but instead, want to help us follow our own, internal value system and beliefs. And we need to believe in ourselves without fail, despite the evidence around us that says we’re not “ready” to soar in creating what we long to. Take my new quiz to learn your dominant action style, and how to leverage it to be happier. Kathy Caprino Follow Kathy Caprino, M.A. is a top-ranked career and leadership coach, writer, speaker, and trainer dedicated to the advancement of professional women. Her ... Read More · Editorial Standards · Forbes Accolades The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard