Sermon Tone Analysis

! Fullness of Joy—1:4

!!! 1.   Joy Is God’s Will For the Believer.

!!!! a)  Joy is the second quality listed as “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22).

!!!!! (1)                 /Chara/ (*joy*) is used some 70 times in the New Testament, always to signify a feeling of happiness that is based on spiritual realities.

!!!!! (2)                 It is not an experience that comes from favorable circumstances.

It is God’s gift to believers.

*As Nehemiah declared, *“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh.

8:10).

*Speaking of how we feel about the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter wrote, *“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Pet.

1:8).

!!!! b) Sadness came as the result of sin – /Genesis 3/

!!!!! (1) Lets be real, Sin has its pleasures right?

*In fact, Jesus said that *"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

" (John 3:19-20, NASB95)

*Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says about Moses and sin *"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward."

(Hebrews 11:24-26, NASB95)

*In Genesis 3:8 we read that when Adam and Eve *"Heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden."

(Genesis 3:8, NASB95)

!!!!! (2) Point is this: Sin Ruins Joy - Before Adam and Eve sinned, they had fellowship with the Lord and were in His presence:

*The Psalmist writes *"You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever."

(Psalm 16:11)

!!!!! (3)                 But now, because of sin, their joy is gone, being replaced with fear and because they fear they are now seeking to flee from God’s presence.

!!!!! (4)                 There is no joy in fear – God has not given us a spirit of fear – 2 Timothy 1:7

 

!!! 2.                  Difference Between Happiness and Joy.

!!!! a)                  Happiness is dependent on outward circumstances.

!!!!! (1)                 /Happiness/— is a state of mind; /Joy /is a state of the spirit.

!!!!! (2)                 /Happiness/— is emotional: /Joy /is spiritual

!!!!! (3)                 Deep within, all men are searching for joy

!!!!! (4)                 You cannot go out on a Saturday night and find joy, (unless of course you come to the Saturday night service) you find happiness and it can be turned into sadness by the end of the night:

!!!!!! (a)                 Getting a new car can cause happiness, getting in an accident can cause sadness.

!!!!!! (b)                Driving that new sports car until you get a speeding ticket

!!!!!! (c)                 Finding a roll of $100.00 bills can cause happiness, until you find out they are counterfeit.

\\ !!!! b)                  Joy is a spiritual quality independent of outward circumstances – Some examples of joy

!!!!! (1)                 Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians – when Paul wrote this epistle he was in prison in Rome.

!!!!!! (a)                 Joy or rejoice appear nineteen times

!!!!!! (b)                Jesus Christ over 40 times.

He is the center of the epistle.

He is the source of joy.

Therefore, the emphasis should be put on Him rather than upon the joy.

(i)                   The /philosophy /of Christian living has to do with Him

(ii)                 The /pattern /of Christian living has to do with Him

(iii)                The /price /of Christian living has to do with Him

(iv)               The /power /has to do with Him

!!!!!! (c)                 Therefore, it is a /personal relationship with Christ /that brings joy to a believer’s life.

*As I said earlier and I think it worthy or quoting again is Psalm 66:11* "You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever."

(Psalm 16:11)

 

!!!! c)                  Joy is to be present even in the midst of seemingly bad circumstances.

!!!!! (1)                 */Turning your trials into triumphs (James 1:2-8)/*.

!!!!!! (a)                 God tells us to expect trials.

It is not as /“if /you fall into various trials” But /“when/ you fall into various trials”

*Jesus said *These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

(John 16:33 NKJV)

*Paul said,* "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”  (Acts 14:22)

*And don’t freak out about it, Peter says *Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; (1 Peter 4:12)

 

!!!!! (2)                 */God allows temptations and trials for a purpose/*.

!!!!!! (a)                 To make us stronger and much more pure and righteous.

*Paul said that* “We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

(2 Corinthians 3:18)               

*He goes on to say in chapter 4 of 2nd Corinthians that */“our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, (2 Corinthians 4:1)/

/ /

!!!!! (3)                 */God tells us to /**/count – a joyful attitude (v.2)/*.

!!!!!! (a)                 It means “to evaluate”.

When we become Christians we must evaluate our life and set new goals (Philippians 3:13-14).

*Paul had this in mind when he said *"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

" (Philippians 3:13-14, NASB95)

!!!!!! (b)                Now we must evaluate the trials of life in the light of what God is doing for us, & live for the things that matter the most.

What matter’s the most to you?

!!!!!! (c)                 Our values determine our evaluations.

(i)                   If we value comfort more than character, then trials will upset us.

(ii)                 If we value the material more than the spiritual, then we will not be able to “count it all joy.”

(iii)                If we live only for the present and forget the future, then trials will make us /bitter/, not /better.

/

(iv)               Job had the right attitude “But He knows the way that I take; /When/ He has tested me, (not /if/, but /when/) I shall come forth as gold.

(Job 23:10)

(iv)

\\ !!!!! (4)                 */God tells us to /**/know something – an understanding mind (v.3)/*.

!!!!!! (a)                 Faith is always tested &, that the testing of your faith produces patience.

!!!!!! (b)                “patience” means, “to be steadfast, more persevering, more enduring.

*Peter said *In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7)

!!!!!! (c)                 Remember that testing works for us not against us

(i)                   Satan tempts us to bring out the worst – (1P5:8)/ /

(ii)                 God tests us to bring out the best (Rom.8:28)

(iii)                Its our choice in which way we respond

!!!!!! (d)                *2 Corinthians 12:7-10*—Most of us ask the Lord to change the circumstances.

God does not want to change the circumstances, He wants to change you.

*Remember Paul said *"there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

(2 Corinthians 12:7-10, NASB95)

 

!!!!! (5)                 */God tells us to /**/let something happen – a surrendered will (v.4)/*.

!!!!!! (a)                 God want’s to produce fruit in our lives!

Fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23).

(i)                   The ability to keep going when things get tough!

*John wrote about those who did not endure to the end, he said *"They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us."  (1 John 2:19, NASB95)

(ii)                 God wants us to glorify Him.

(iii)                God wants to make us like Jesus (Hebrews 5:8), "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered."

(Hebrews 5:8)

!!!!!! (b)                God wants us to grow up—Illustration of Brittany not growing up

!!!!!! (c)                 God want’s our cooperation – (Philippians 2:12-13)

(i)                   If we /resist/ Him, then He chastens us into submission