The Secret to Happiness and Joy
Joy • Sermon • Submitted
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Happy Father’s Day—Fathers have a tremendous influence!
Father’s Day Prayer...
—for fathers to disciple
—for fathers who have messed up to ask for your forgiveness and their kids they have hurt
—for those who have been hurt by their fathers…sadness…heal their hearts.
So as you are here or watching online…one question—how would you rate your happiness today?
Are you happy?
Or how would you rate your joy?
Do you have joy?
on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the happiest possible and most joyful possible and 1 being the lowest possible—where are you?
Why or why not?
and where are you looking for your happiness?
Randy Alcorn in his book “Happiness,” says if you were to ask a roomful of Christians—what does God want you to do...
what would you say?
God wants you to love him
God wants you to serve him
to help others
to obey him
to share the good news
to do evangelism and discipleship
but is it ok to say God wants you to be happy?
or is that secondary to the Christian life?
Alcorn says most of us have a complicated relationship with happiness. We all want to be happy, but we may feel guilty about this longing. In a world full of brokenness, we may wonder if happiness is a worthy pursuit. surely there are more deeper causes right?
umm…I don’t think so.
Today, we are beginning a new series from the book of Philippians on Joy.
and before I read from that—Here are some of the foundational thoughts I am operating from—see if you agree: Sam Storms in his resources on enjoying God. True or False.
T or F: God has wired every human heart for happiness and joy…in the LORD.
it’s not a desire that has been warped by the fall. No, it’s there by design.
in fact, we are not just wired for it—we are commanded to have it.
but not just anything, but the Lord. so maybe a better way to say it is we are wired to have happiness and joy in the Lord!
4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
We have a duty to delight in the Lord.
are you delighting in and enjoying God?
or something else...
—all of us have a soul level longing, a deep yearning for joy and happiness—we are like this empty plastic vessel—and we try to fill our souls our lives our deepest longings with happiness..
T or F — Joy is actually possible in this life…in the Lord.
11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
joy is actually possible…not just anything but the Lord.
some of us think that joy is found in all sorts of other things…but all those—money, possessions, success, even relationships can all change.
T or F — Joy is a fruit of the spirit.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
meaning the Spirit must produce it. it doesn’t mean we are lazy—we still have to set the table and pursue joy in God yet God provides the feast—Himself to satisfy us.
the Spirit must produce joy in us as we pursue him. He must pour it in us and we seek to pour it in us intentionally.
There is something unique about Joy in God.
one theologian says it like this:
Joy requires the engagement of the entire soul.
if I understand something with my mind—that is different than truly enjoying it with my entire being.
but if I enjoy something—I am engaged my entire being is engage.
another thing about joy is you can’t fake it. there’s something pure about it.
another thing about joy is it’s powerful—it’s a power that enables us to persevere through affliction and suffering. it’s possible to suffer and still have joy. joy in God seems to be part of the sustaining power of suffering.
joy in God enables you fight sin. I mean the reason that you and I sin is b/c we enjoy it, and we believe it in the moment that this decision to sin will produce greater joy than if we follow and treasure Christ (not true!)
if I can get you and myself to just enjoy god—that’s one of the most powerful ways to fight sin, honor Christ and live a life sold out for him.
it will help you fight and break addiction because you have a greater pleasure in Christ than any addiction
it will help you persevere when marriage is difficult, when friendship is difficult b/c your joy is in God
joy in the Lord will energize you to share your faith, to open your mouth naturally and speak, to reach your neighbor, to reach the nations
it will enable you to persevere with Christ when life doesn’t turn out like you think it should
if you enjoy something—you don’t to be motivated to do it—you just do—b/c you enjoy it. we enjoy God—it will affect everything.
joy reveals what we value deep in our heart.
T or F God is the happiest being in the universe. (the reason we are commanded to have joy—is because I believe God is the happiest being in the universe.)
this actually makes sense with all the commands in Scriptures, especially in the Psalms—if we are commanded to find our joy and happiness in the Lord—it only makes sense that He would be the most satisfied, happy being in all of the universe.
baptism
there is a great need for this topic today.
I asked earlier—are you happy?
There are rising rates of depression and anxiety for all sorts of reasons, especially among the younger.
studies show that most people after viewing social media feel more depressed and anxious and bad—we see everyone else’s good life and feel like we are missing out.
Definition of Joy — a deep and durable delight in God that ruins you for anything else. (Sam Storms)
Randy Alcorn’s definition: It’s about discovering a reasonable, attainable, and delightful happiness in Christ that transcends difficult circumstances.
now with that—let’s look at Philippians 1:1-11—he starts to give us the secret of joy.
He is writing a letter—this is the NT—after Jesus has come, died, risen, and ascended,
and Jesus called Paul the apostle to be his representative and missionary—Paul went around the Roman world, sharing the good news of joy in Jesus and planting and starting new churches.
One such church he started is in the Roman city of Philippi---you can read about it in Acts 16
(show picture of it!)
where Paul meets Lydia a successful business woman who comes to faith in Christ and her household.
he casts out a demon from a slave girl who could predict the future. This makes her owners upset because they were trafficking her to make money. and so they get him and Silas thrown in jail.
he gets thrown in jail—in jail he and Silas are miraculously rescued as an earthquake happens, and Paul ends up helping lead the Philippian jailer and his household to Christ.
and through all this—Paul helps start a church.
by the time he finally writes this letter to Philippians—Paul is in prison—under house arrest—he is in his own lock down of sorts—worst than ours was most likely chained to a Roman soldier at all times. can you imagine? I can’t stand it if I am looking on my phone and one of my children is looking over my shoulder, breathing on my neck (give me some personal space!) He has been in prison in one form or another for the previous 4 or 5 years…yet look at what Paul says..
Philippians 1:1–2 (NIV)
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
(so notice Paul is writing in with Timothy)
(there is some structure in the early church)
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God every time I remember you.
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.
8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
so how would you describe Paul’s mood as he writes to the Philippians?
joy…happiness, encouraging...
vs. 4
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
Why does Paul have so much joy? or how can he?
this is remarkable—b/c first of all he is in chains!
and secondly--he is so joyful as he focuses on PEOPLE!
vs. 3—I thank my God every time I remember you
vs. 4— in all my prayers for you, I pray with joy
vs. 8 — I have great affection for you
vs. 9-11 he prays for them. they they would be able to discern what is best.
i mean he is focused on people.
how can he have joy and yet be focused on people?
how?
I mean Paul is writing to a good church, but they have problems.
chapter 2—he wants them to get rid of selfish ambition and vain conceit. they struggle with pride
chapter 4— he pleads with them, especially 2 of them to agree with each other in the Lord.
He wants unity, yet it is threatened by pride, disagreement, and division. (even by persecution on the outside)
How many of you have ever been disappointed by someone?
of course!
People will let you down.
They are the reason you stick with a job, and the reason you leave a job.
And we as churches are not immune.
Since the church is made of people, we will have the same problem—even Christians.
People are the #1 reason you stay in a small group or SS class or leave. They are the #1 reason you join our church and the #1 reason you leave our church or another. and even if you are happy with our church, just hang out long enough and we will let you down. How’s that for a downer?
and the longer you work with people—it can sap your joy if you are not careful…it can make you very cynical.
even the closest person in your life—spouse, best friend—will let you down.
Life and community and ministry would be so much easier if it weren’t for people.
but that’s not Paul.
He has joy.
why?
and not only that—he is in house arrest, chained to a Roman guard—and he has joy?
I think this is the secret--
it’s not inward—in himself—it’s not his heart
it’s not in the world—or outward or even in people.
It’s completely upward—God-centered, God-fueled, God-sustaining…More specifically 3 Godward—focuses or foci?
The Gospel gives us joy (vs 3-5,7)
Philippians 1:3–5 (NIV)
3 I thank my God every time I remember you.
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
vs. 7 mentions the gospel
Philippians 1:7 (NIV)
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.
The gospel in Scripture is the good news.
of what God has done…not what we do.
it is what God has done—to rescue us from our sin and selfishness and death and the devil
by sending His beloved Son Jesus Christ on a rescue mission
Jesus fulfilled what we could not—he lived perfectly before a holy God
Jesus accomplished what we could not—He died on our behalf on the cross.
and He rose victoriously from the grave.
and so this Gospel—is what fuels Paul. It’s what saved Paul as the chief of sinners—it’s what saves you. It’s what the Philippians partnered with Paul in—we get the sense that they helped fund, pray, support Paul’s ministry.
despite the disagreements and the challenges, the Gospel actually gives us joy amidst the disappointing nature of relationships and life at times.
why?
b/c it reminds us all of us are sinners—so conflict is to be expected—and not just from others—but me—I am contributing factor to it.
and it reminds me of endless hope—that God is in the business of changing hearts—including the hardest of hearts—b/c it is the power of God.
it reminds me to forgive—that if God forgave me—He let it go—then I can forgive others by his supernatural power. The Gospel shatters my pride to hold on to bitterness and woundedness. so I can let it go. (Father’s Day…Fathers should be quick to apologize b/c God loves us and we should be quick to grant it b/c God forgave us of far worse))
it reminds me that at our core as believers we share a common ground, a common, a common commitment—it unifies us. There is more that unites us than divides us!
it reminds me that I love out of undeserving grace—that I have received from my king
vs. 7 - share in God’s grace with me
The Gospel is not simply that which saves you—and then you move on with life—no it is a big category that practically apply—everyday. You and I never get over it.
it’s what fueled Paul’s partnership and hope for them.
Does it fuel you and your joy? Do you think about God’s good news on a regular basis and apply it to the everyday categories of your heart?
—pour in water—are you pouring into your soul—the Good news of Jessu
2. God and His power gives us joy (vs. 6, 9-11)
Paul has a God-centered focus on his power.
vs. 6
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Why is Paul confident in the Philippians?
not b/c of them only—but because of this-that God who started his work in them will finish it—until Jesus comes back—that’s the day of Christ.
God has the capability of changing people in the Gospel
God has the capability of actually maturing people in Him.
of not just initialing saving them—but enabling them of deep soul level maturing change.. to keep following Jesus until the end of their life.
This is especially encouraging to me.
I can’t tell you how many people I have known that have fallen away from Christ.
Some of my good friends who were sold out for Christ in Bible college or seminary—no longer following Christ.
Some of my trusted mentors and teachers who were mature in Christ—no longer.
not to mention—people that I have seen come to Christ but through the ups and downs didn’t want anything to do with Christ.
You live long enough—and today’s commited souled out person is next year’s person falling away from Christ.
this is why every Sunday—every week, I feel a desperation as I preach for you to know Christ—to not play church or religious games. this is serious!
and yet—this verse reminds me not to lose hope.
b/c what God genuinely started, He will finish.
as much as I can tell you some sad stories of people falling away, I can also think of those who fell away who God brought back.
I can think of those who I never expected to come to Christ—God worked and God is still working. I can think of plenty of you who continue to faithfully even through pain and sorrow and suffering follow Christ
(just in the last 2 months—we have watched 2 powerful video testimonies—last week Jeff and Stefanie, and on Easter Tim and Val—who even in suffering—God is sustaining them, maturing them, deepening their roots)
and all glory to God.
if I minister and work and serve as if it is all on me—that I have to be completely 100% effective, that is man-centered joy sapping ministry.
yes I am to work hard—but I am to trust even harder that God will do it!
this God-centeredness enabled Paul to pray vs. 9-11
look at those verses
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
that love is their love for one another--
Paul prays that it would abound interestingly in what? knowledge!
knowledge of what?
well I think he refers to knowledge of God. Paul will say in chapter 3—that he may know Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings and resurrection.
and also it would abound in insight—that’s a word for wisdom.
so He wants the Philippians to know that if they know Christ deeply and the insight He brings—they will really love one another. and vs. 10 and then they will do:
10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
then they will be able to discern what is best—that is they will truly know how to love one another not just in good ways—but what is best
and that they would be pure—have the right heart motivations
and be blameless—not be a stumbling block until Jesus returns.
You see is God-focused—God can do this. He prays a big prayer that they would love one another by marinating in the sauces of who Christ is and his wisdom
that’s going to produce purity and blamelessness in them.
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
it reminds me that God will produce that fruit—that righteousness to his glory.
a God-centered prayer---
are you struggling with joy?
when is the last time you really focused on God—really saw that He is the one who can produce the real, lasting change?
do you pray like this?
—are you pouring into your soul—a God-centeredness
3. Slavery to Christ gives him joy
look at verse 1
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
servants of Christ Jesus...
or another way to say it is — slaves.
that’s a bad word for us and good reason especially with the horrible history of slavery in our country. and slavery is still happening in several parts of the world sadly.
no matter how you slice it—when you are a slave—you belong to your master. you lose your freedom. you belong to another.
and yet Paul says he is a servant or slave to Christ.
and our culture says if you want joy and happiness—you need to be free. You as an individual need to decide what works for you. You be you. true freedom, and true joy is in you deciding.
but that’s a lie. if you are the ultimate determiner—your feelings always change; your desires do…they are unstable and insecure.
additionally--all of us have a lord in our lives. all of serve something—if it’s not Christ.
it’s money, it’s career success, it’s romance, it’s people’s opinions, its justice, it’s guilt.
and if you create your freedom—the problem with that is it is enslaving too. it’s constantly changing. you can never live up to your definition of freedom. you can never live up to other’s freedom.
but that’s not what God says.
the bible describes Jesus as giving freedom. If the Son sets you free you are free indeed. it is a freedom to slavery in Christ. He is the only master in your life who will not abuse you, exploit you or disappoint you. HE is the only master who actually died for you.
He is the one who gives true rest—every other master is a burden.
He empowers you with authority—to go and make disciples, to accomplish his mission.
if you come under his authority—and lose your life—you will actually find it.
so do you have joy? are you happy?
where are you looking to freedom and joy?
have you bought the lie that true joy is found in your definition? or are you willing to find deep joy in Christ—by coming under his authority?
This is the secret of freedom—true joy is only found in slavery to Jesus. giving our lives to Jesus—b/c he became a slave for us on the cross so that we would be free under him.
*are you pouring into your soul—a slavery to Christ a surrender to Christ?
song---
couple resources:
bucket illustration—we need to fill our joy tank—in God. leaky bucket...
ushers prayer guide
devotional book 60 days on the theme of joy—what Scripture says about joy.
Further quotes from Sam Storms:
Perhaps the greatest mistake one could possibly make in processing and responding to this truth is to think that an emphasis on joy breeds passivity or leads to a safe and self-absorbed lifestyle or an approach to Christianity in which the believer is so obsessed with the condition of his heart or his emotional state of being that he neglects his family or ignores the needs of his neighbor or becomes coldly indifferent toward the lost or retreats in isolation from the hurts and needs of others.
It is deep delight and joy in the all-satisfying beauty of Christ that stokes the white hot flame of passion for the plight of the nations and energizes the will of a person to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to preserve a marriage that is falling apart.
It is deep delight and joy in the all-satisfying beauty of Christ that empowers the human heart to overcome addictive behavior, sustains the soul in its fight against sin and temptation, and enables a weak and broken soul to persevere when a job is lost or a child rebels or a promise is shattered or a dream comes to naught.
It is deep delight and joy in the all-satisfying beauty of Christ that encourages the timid and fearful heart to engage and confront the Christ-less culture in which we live with the good news of the gospel of the cross of Christ and the life and forgiveness and hope that can only be found through faith in Jesus.
And it is deep delight and joy in the all-satisfying beauty of Christ that will sustain a church through adversity and bind the hearts of its people together in unity and love and mutual affection.