7. Finding Joy In The Journey

Welcome to part seven of Long Obedience in the Same Direction.

People need joy. You know what’s interesting is we really don’t use the word joy a lot in our culture anymore. We know it when we feel it, but we don’t really talk about it. So how do we define joy?

Joy is the emotion evoked by well being, success, good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.

Some people are going to experience joy today during the Super Bowl. You can experience joy when you get that job you’ve always dreamed of or when she finally agrees to go on a date with you. You can experience joy, when everything in your life is in the zone…it’s like your experiencing joy all day. Joy can be as basic and beautiful as walking into a room and seeing your baby or grand baby smiling back at you.

People who have a good source for joy tend to thrive. There is something about knowing where our joy comes from that makes people resilient; able to bounce back from disappointment or despair.

Joy is also good for your health. Simply put, joyful people are healthier people. However, in 2018, the life expectancy of America dropped for the second year in a row. In a surprising statement from Dr. Steven Woolf, a co-author of this report, there were two causes of this drop: the opioid crisis and despair.

That’s right. Less joy and a shift to despair in the United States was large enough to drop the life expectancy of the entire nation.

Despair, in Dr. Steven Woolf’s mind, were deaths caused by drugs, alcohol, suicides, etc. The unhappiness of today’s society is literally killing us.

On the other side of despair, there’s joy. Joy makes us healthy, both emotionally and physically.

Simply put life is hard, you need to know where your joy comes from.

In this series, Long Obedience in the Same Direction, we are talking about the journey of being a Christian. The term we use for this journey is discipleship. Discipleship is the process of following Jesus, being transformed by Jesus and living on mission with Jesus. This is a process that takes a long time, but isn’t that true of anything worth doing in life?

Throughout this series we’ve talked about the obstacles and the struggles…they are for real, but here’s the truth, who wants to take that kind of journey if there is no joy?

I think that has always been one of the main spin jobs people have thrown against Christians, they are the no fun or they are the no joy police. Christianity is all about the fun things one can’t do. Now, to be fair, I have met a few Christians, and they are in the minority, who are joy killers. As Chris has said, they live like they have been baptized in pickle juice!

The New Testament writers were adamant that life in Jesus produces joy.

Philippians 4:4 NIV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

The apostle Paul is reminding us where our constant source of joy comes from: Jesus

Now, if you here this morning and you aren’t feeling very joyful that doesn’t mean you aren’t a Christian or have messed something up. It just means you are living life in a broken world. Things break. People get hurt. Friends get sick. Family members die. We deal with hurt, sorrow, and grief. It’s all a part of the package.

The issue is, where are you going to go for joy when life falls apart? Like I mentioned before, we are all wired for joy…and our culture is more then ready to provide all kinds of different hits of joy. It’s one of the reasons we can become addicted to our favorite sports teams…there is an incredible amount of joy when our team hits the game winner. It’s also why we can become addicted to things like shopping. There is nothing quite like purchasing that one thing you have always desired, there is a feeling of joy.

The problems roll in when your team loses, or the item breaks or the relationship ends. You either go find another or as we mentioned before you look for another substitute for joy…thus we find ourselves in bad habits, unhealthy relationships and toxic addictions.

So here is the issue on the table: When it feels like our lives are in a barren desert, where do we find our joy?

If you have a Bible or device, find Psalm 126. If you are using the YouVersion Bible app, look for Events, the look for Iowa City Church. All of the Scriptures and Sermon notes will be available on your device.

The outline for this entire series is built upon 15 Psalms referred to as the Psalms of Ascent. In Jesus’ day, Jewish pilgrims would travel to Jerusalem for one of three feasts. They would typically travel in groups, up to the highest elevated city in Israel. On their journey, these pilgrims would recite these psalms as an act of community, but to also remind them of the steps on their journey of following God. We are using these psalms in a similar matter. To help us as a church family on our long journey of obedience.

If you would join me in standing as I read Psalm 126.

Psalm 126:1–6 NIV

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. 5 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

PRAY

Okay, let’s break down the flow of this psalm. Notice the first three verses. What tense are they? They are all past tense. We are not for sure when this psalm was written, but it appears to be written after the Jews have returned from their time in exile. Look at some of these descriptions! The turn around was amazing…it was like we were dreaming. Their mouths are shouting and laughing…the joy is evident. Even the nations are recognizing how good God is to Judah. Then you get this very clear statement: The LORD has done great things for us (past tense). Then we come to the very center of the psalm, and the main idea: We are filled with joy. (Present tense)

Because of all the things God has done for his people in the past, Israel is filled with joy right now. That is really a quick summary of Israel’s covenant relationship with God. He rescues them. Provides them the path for life. His presence is with them. They find their joy in him. Psalm 16 describes this.

Psalm 16:11 NIV

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.

So, let’s apply this to your relationship with Jesus. Can you remember your day when you said “yes” to Jesus? This is really important. Think of your life before Jesus, what was it like? Now, think about you gave your life over to Jesus. What were your emotions? Relief. Freedom. Hope. Excitement. Happiness. Joy. Not only were you freed from your sins, but you had found the path of life and a connection with his presence through the Holy Spirit. Simply put you found joy.

Just like the psalmist, we need to continue to remember that moment, as well as other moments when God has intervened in our lives. Here are some ways we do this. Worship music. Sharing in communion does the same thing. It takes us back to our conversion and reminds us of God’s love for us. Worship, communion, and reading Scripture are disciplines that continue to take us back to the source of true joy; Salvation and New Life in Jesus. So just like the psalmist says at the end of verse 3: we are filled with joy.

When we remember how Jesus set us free yesterday, it give us joy for today. Here’s an example.

What do you think it would fee like to walk out of prison? Lee Horton and his brother Dennis know the feeling. They were convicted of robbery and murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They always maintained their innocence. Earlier this year, after being locked up for a quarter of a century, they were granted clemency and released.

Here's Lee Horton’s story:

I'm going to tell you honestly. The first thing that I was aware of when I walked out of the doors and sat in the car and realized that I wasn't handcuffed. And for all the time I've been in prison, every time I was transported anywhere, I always had handcuffs on. And that moment right there was … the most emotional moment that I had. Even when they told me that the governor had signed the papers … it didn't set in until I was in that car and I didn't have those handcuffs on.

And I don't think people understand that the punishment is being in prison. When you take away everything, everything becomes beautiful to you. ... When we got out … we went to the DMV to get our licenses back. My brother and I stood in line for two and a half hours. And we heard all the bad things about the DMV. We had the most beautiful time. And all the people were looking at us because we were smiling and we were laughing, and they couldn't understand why we were so happy. And it just was that - just being in that line was a beautiful thing.

I was in awe of everything around me. It's like my mind was just heightened to every small nuance. Just to be able to just look out of a window, just to walk down a street and just inhale the fresh air, just to see people interacting. ... It woke something up in me, something that I don't know if it died or if it went to sleep. I've been having epiphanies every single day since I've been released.

One of my morning rituals every morning is I send a message of ‘good morning, good morning, good morning, have a nice day’ to every one of my 42 contacts. And they're like, ‘how long can (he) keep doing this?’ But they don't understand that I was deprived. And now, it's like I have been released, and I've been reborn into a better day, into a new day. Like, the person I was no longer exists. I've stepped through the looking glass onto the other side, and everything is beautiful.

Is it possible that we can find more joy in the ordinary parts of life, if we focus on the one who set us free and gave us new life? I think so!

However, no matter how hard we focus on Jesus, life happens. So what then? This is the shift the psalmist makes in the psalm. For whatever reason, God’s people are struggling. They’ve experienced the joy of return, but things are now difficult…we are not sure of the details but from the words pictures, it’s rough.

Psalm 126:4 NIV

4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.

The current state for the people is it feels like the Negev Desert. This is the region south of Jerusalem, near the Dead Sea area. Here’s a picture of what it looks like. It’s barren, rough and desolate. The hope of the psalmist is that God would bring his joy, like streams in Negev. So during the winter, there will be rain storms up in the mountains, and as they rush downward, the valleys and dry river beds are flooded with water…and then a few days after these beautiful flowers appear. Here’s a picture of beautiful purple flowers covering the desert landscape. This time of year, February and March are the best times to see these amazing flowers.

It may be dry and desolate now, however we hold on and wait for God to bring the joy, because he will.

There’s one other metaphor the psalmist uses. This idea of sowing and reaping. The psalmist says, those who go out sowing in tears will reap joy. It’s a powerful image, weeping in the soil one day, only to reap massive bundles of joy in the future.

Sometimes there will be seasons of struggle, hurt and grief. We continue to trust Jesus because eventually the joy will come.

If you are in the midst of a desert, if you are sowing tears, remember these truths:

Don’t settle for cheap joy. When it comes to joy, don’t settle. Do you remember when your mother used to say, "Don't eat candy before meals?" Why did she say that? Because she knew it would ruin your next meal. The trouble with eating candy is that it gives you a sugar buzz, and then you don't feel hungry. Candy masks the fact that your body needs proteins and vitamins. The sugar buzz from candy masks your hunger for the real nutrients that you don't have. Living off cheap joy keeps us from real joy.

You Are Not Alone. This is for not only those who are struggling, but also for those who are experiencing a good season of life. The apostle Paul tells the church this: Romans 12:15

Romans 12:15 NIV

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

We all have a responsibility to lift each other up during their seasons of mourning, struggle. Maybe they can find joy in the community of others who choose walk alongside them in the desert.

3. Hold On, The Joy Will Come. Jesus provides a the teaching here. On the night of his arrest, he is trying to explain and prepare his disciples for what is about to happen. He knows what’s coming, they have no idea how much their world is about to change. Here is what Jesus says to them.

John 16:19–22 NIV

19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

This is such a perfect example, because we all understand. The pain of labor and the joy of holding the new born baby. Just a few days after saying these words, Jesus’ disciples and his followers are overwhelmed with grief and despair, death has taken Jesus. But then a new day dawned and those tears turned to joy as they celebrated a resurrected Jesus. In a moment, everything changed. When you find your joy in Jesus, in a moment everything can change.

Here is what Psalm 126 teaches us about our journey of long obedience following Jesus:

Trusting Jesus in the good and bad times will always lead us to joy.