Unfailing Joy

King David prophetically wrote about the coming Messiah, Jesus,

Psa 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Jesus offers this same relationship to us.

Joy is defined

a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune. Getting what we want. delight,

The Joy (Chara) take us much deeper, we go from experiencing moments of joy, to fulness (satisfying) joy. A joy that only God can give us.

We are created for Joy.

Joy is about a life filled with excitement and passion, a satisfying life.

God’s desire is that we will enter in the fullness of his joy.

Three things we need to do, to move from momentary happiness into His Unfailing Joy.

1 Coming into His presence, 2 Asking Him for anything you want, 3 Giving thanks.

Let’s pray

1 Coming into His presence

When we welcome Jesus, we are embracing His teachings and commandments

Jesus said

Joh 15:10 If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and remain in His love.

Joh 15:11 I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.

Joh 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you.

“Joy (Chara) is a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which was promised to those who abide in Christ and obey his commandments. It does not depend on circumstances because it rests in God’s sovereign control of all things.”

Joy is the outcome of our obedience

1Pe 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

1Pe 1:9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Faith is what brings us into the reality of God’s presence

God is everywhere, he is not everything, His desire is to have a relationship with us, that’s why he sent His only Son Jesus to receive the punishment that you and me deserved.

When by faith we welcome His word, His reality, then we know without a doubt that God is present with us everywhere we go.

Ex in my early walk with Jesus, I always wonder if God was present when I came to pray, sometimes my prayers felt like would hit the ceiling and bounce back, without faith is impossible to enter into His presence.

Jesus is our perfect example, of a man walking in a close relationship with God, the same relationship He prayed that we would have with Him and the Father.

Joh 14:11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe [Me] because of the [very] works themselves [which you have witnessed].

The Holy Spirit, is in perfect communion with Jesus and the Father, and he dwells in us.

The Holy Spirit of God will take us right into his presence, and yes he is holy, so we need to walk in holiness, and be careful to not grieve the Holy Spirit.

Wherever you do, Always have him in mind,

2 Ask and receive that your joy may be full

Joh 16:24 Until now you have not asked [the Father] for anything in My name; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete.

I believe our Heavenly Father is always looking for ways to bless us, to shower us with good things.

Yes Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread,

Mat 6:9 "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. [Luk_11:2-4]

Mat 6:10 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

Mat 6:11 'Give us this day our daily bread.

I believe God wants for us to ask for big things for impossible things, as we ask and receive our joy will be complete.

Have you ask the Lord for impossible things lately? Let’s do it right now

Things so big that humanly, is impossible, ask, He wants to bless you he wants for your joy to be complete

We live in a selfish generation perhaps one of the most selfish generations in the history of the world.

2Ti 3:1 But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear].

2Ti 3:2 For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane,

2Ti 3:3 [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good,

We are living in the last days, people are lover of themselves lovers of money, ungrateful and arrogant, no generation before us were entitled to the right that everyone needs to hear what they have to say, with Facebook, Instagram, tweeter and others people have their little shrines where they share everything about themselves, talking about narcissism and self-focused.

What makes so important that when we pray or ask God for anything that we ask according to His will.

1Jn 5:14 This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us.

Our Joy will be full.

3 Be grateful

Don’t take things for granted be grateful

Gratitude is what releases Joy,

Mary’s gratitude and love for Jesus

Mary Anoints Jesus at Bethany

Joh 12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom He had raised from the dead. [Mat_26:6-13; Mar_14:3-9]

Joh 12:2 So they gave a supper for Him there. Martha was serving, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.

Joh 12:3 Then Mary took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Joh 12:4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who was going to betray Him, said,

Joh 12:5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and [the money] given to the poor?"

Joh 12:6 Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor [for he had never cared about them], but because he was a thief; and since he had the money box [serving as treasurer for the twelve disciples], he used to pilfer what was put into it.

Joh 12:7 So Jesus said, "Let her alone, so that she may keep [the rest of] it for the day of My burial.

Joh 12:8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me."

Out of gratitude Mary did something extravagant for her Lord and savior, people will not understand what you do.

I had the privilege to meet many missionaries, who left successful carriers to serve Jesus.

Our missionary Hall Jones, is one of them, he went to be with the Lord a few days ago, an well accomplished Politian here in Hawaii but his love and gratitude for Jesus led him into missions, he loved people.

Probably his pears never understood him, but he was full of joy.

David Peterson and I visited him and his wife Lana in the beginning of the year.

The Joy of the Lord

Comes when

We welcome Him

Ask Him for whatever we want

And are grateful.

All begins when we make Jesus the Lord of our lives.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Joh 3:16

To receive Jesus we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, ask Him to be your Lord and savior, not that you deserve it, but is a gift from God.

If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me?

Heavenly Father I’m sinner, I’m sorry for my sins, I’m willing to turn away from my sins.

I receive Christ as my savior,

I confess him as Lord

from this moment on I want to follow and serve him,

in the fellowship of his church,

In Jesus name. Amen!