Sermon Tone Analysis

Search for Joy in Everything

Following our talk last week on FAITH…I was pulled into thinking about the Holiday season and the concept of Joy

Then I was doing some research and typed in JOY in the search bar…it gave me an option for searching that I found fitting “search for Joy in everything?”

This is no mere coincidence - my eyes have been sharply attuned to this idea of Joy…a bumper sticker earlier this week caught my eye - Find Joy Now.

Like the heroes of faith before him (see 11:7, 10, 16, 26–27), he looked beyond the seen to the unseen, disregarding the “shame” of the Cross for the sake of “the joy awaiting him” beyond (see note on 12:2).

His faith was vindicated—as the author reminds us, drawing once again on his favorite biblical verse, Psalm 110:1: “Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (12:2).

The linking of joy with suffering in this verse echoes a constant New Testament theme.

Indeed on the eve of his passion Jesus spoke of his joy and of his desire that his disciples should share it (John 15:11; 17:13).

It is highly probable that the disciples remembered this remarkable fact when they later reflected on the passion of Jesus.

The writer here does not consider it necessary to enlarge on the theme of joy, but he attaches some importance to the fact that it was set before him which suggests that it took precedence over everything else.

There is some correlation between the race set before us and the joy set before Jesus.

In both cases the processes of salvation are in the hands of God.

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—2 that life was revealed, and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4 We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

9 “As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you.

Remain in my love.

10 If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.

13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

15 I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master,h is doing.

I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you.

I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

JOY (שִׂמְחָה, simchah; χαρά, chara).

Closely related to gladness and happiness, although joy is more a state of being than an emotion; a result of choice.

One of the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22–23).

Having joy is part of the experience of being a Christian.

Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit; it is expected of Christians because it is the natural result of having received salvation.

The joy comes on account of what Christ has done, irrelevant of whatever other circumstances are happening in one’s life.

Heyink, B. (2016).

Joy.

In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.),

The Lexham Bible Dictionary.

Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.

The law is not against such things.

24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.