Sermon Tone Analysis

How to Find Joy

“Therefore happy is the sadness of the faithful, which has such joy with it, and unhappy is the joy of the unbelievers, which has such sadness with it.

This joy of the former is founded on the Word of the Lord, which abides forever, while the joy of the latter is founded on the flesh, which is grass because its flower has dried up and fallen”

Therefore happy is the sadness of the faithful, which has such joy with it, and unhappy is the joy of the unbelievers, which has such sadness with it.

This joy of the former is founded on the Word of the Lord, which abides forever, while the joy of the latter is founded on the flesh, which is grass because its flower has dried up and fallen

Luther, M. (1955).

Luther’s works, vol.

11: First Lectures on the : .

(J.

J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol.

11, p. 521).

Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Isaiah 40

How to Find it

Now what are we to do?

As Christ says here, our joy cannot be full until we see Christ’s name hallowed perfectly, all false doctrine and sects abolished, all tyrants and persecutors of Christ’s kingdom subdued; not until we see the will and the designs of all godless people and of the devil checked and God’s will alone prevailing; not until the cares of the belly or hunger and thirst no longer assail us, sin no longer oppresses us, temptation no longer weakens the heart, and death no longer holds us captive.

But this will not take place until the life to come.

There we shall feel nothing but perfect joy; there we shall no longer have even a droplet of sadness.

In this life, however, all is imperfect, as St. Paul declares in 1 Cor.

13:9.

In faith we have only a droplet of this joy; this is the beginning or foretaste which includes the comfort that Christ has redeemed us and that through Him we have entered God’s kingdom.

At the same time we are weak in showing the power that comes from Him and in our obedience to Him; progress is slow and cannot be perfect either in faith or in life.

Again and again we fall into the mire and are weighed down with sadness and a heavy conscience, which prevent our joy from being perfect or make it so slight that we can hardly feel this incipient joy.

Therefore prayer for help and strength must be added, in order that our joy may finally become pure, complete, and perfect.

You must not seek this help and strength in yourself or in the world; for that kind of joy is impure, and in the end death will sweep every bit of it away.

Christ says: “You must find it by praying in My name that the purpose for which I came as well as the purpose for which I called you and which I set may be fulfilled: that God’s name, kingdom, and will may prevail everywhere and that what the devil, the world, and the flesh do against this may ultimately come to an end.”

Spiritual Joy

“Therefore happy is the sadness of the faithful, which has such joy with it, and unhappy is the joy of the unbelievers, which has such sadness with it.

This joy of the former is founded on the Word of the Lord, which abides forever, while the joy of the latter is founded on the flesh, which is grass because its flower has dried up and fallen”

Luther, M. (1955).

Luther’s works, vol.

11: First Lectures on the : .

(J.

J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.) (Vol.

11, p. 521).

Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.