Sermons
August 26th, 2012 by Pastor Solley082612AM Joy Set Before
Sub. Joy
Theme: How to have joy set before us.
Text: Heb 12:1-3
“Joy Set Before” Heb 12:1-3
Introduction
The subject of the message this morning is joy, something that God wants us to have and something that is lacking in the lives of many if not most people today. The fact that joy is lacking can be seen in the faces of people today. I do not believe that you can look into a persons eyes, look into their face and tell the condition of their heart. Only God knows the heart of man. But I do believe that you can look into a persons eyes, look upon their countenance and tell if they have joy or not. A person does not have to be beaming every moment of every day, but their countenance does reveal their joy. People lack real joy today and not just the lost but many if not most of God’s people lack joy. Your joy is on display for all to see here this morning and there is a lack of joy.
Some of that may stem from a misunderstanding of what joy is and how it is obtained. Joy is defined in the Webster 1828 dictionary in this way; “The passion or emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good. That excitement of pleasurable feelings which is caused by success, good fortune, or gratification. Joy is the delight of the mind from the consideration of the present or assured approaching good.” Listen to that again…Such a definition would make joy dependable upon current condition or circumstances and that is why many people have little or no joy. That is a definition better suited for happiness which is dependent upon current condition or circumstances and can change in an instant. Joy, real joy, Christian joy is dependent upon a person and is or should be as unchangeable as He is. People have a way of misinterpreting joy and happiness. No where in the Bible does it tell us that God wants us to be happy. But God does want us to have joy.
I. That God wants us to have joy is clearly seen in the Word of God: There are over 200 references to joy found in the Bible.
A. And the Bible clearly demonstrates that God wants us to have joy:
1. Six times in the book of Psalms, the number of man, we are commanded to make a joyful noise unto the Lord: One cannot make a joyful noise unless they have the joy of the Lord. When we have that it is hard to keep it bottled up.
2. Jesus prayed that we might have joy: John 17:9, 13 Jesus would not pray for what He did not want us to have.
3. Joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit that is produced in the yielded believer in Christ according to Gal 5:
4. The Bible clearly demonstrates that God wants us as Christians to have joy:
B. The lives and countenance of God’s people clearly demonstrate that joy is often lacking: Too often we allow joy to be lacking in our lives and I say we allow that to happen because God wants us to have joy, Jesus prays for us to have joy, and joy is a fruit of the Spirit within. If joy is lacking then there is a problem somewhere. Is the problem with God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God, or with us? The problem has to be with us and the solution is found in the Word of God.
II. Jesus is our example in joy: Heb 12:1-3 And there is a great contradiction in these verses. – Heb 12:3 Not just that Jesus would be identified with sinners and die for sinners but that Jesus would identify the cross with joy. – Heb 12:2 – That Jesus would look at the cross with joy.
A. Jesus is not looking beyond the cross here as some would suggest but directly at the cross: Heb 12:2 If Jesus were looking beyond the cross the Bible would say for the joy that was beyond Him or awaiting Him. Jesus was looking directly at the cross and as Jesus looked at that cross, that place of shame and punishment, that place of pain and torture, He looked at it with joy.
B. Jesus Christ is our example in joy:
PROP: Every Christian needs to consider the example of Christ in joy. TS. If we hope to walk in joy ourselves..
Body
I. The contradiction of the cross: Heb 12:1-3 And there is a great contradiction here in what Jesus Christ was about to go through and how He was anticipating it. We often and wrongly equate joy with circumstances and conditions. The joy that God wants us to have, the Son prays for us to have, and Spirit desires to produce is completely independent of current conditions or circumstances and we see that in Jesus Christ looking at the cross with joy. – Heb 12:2
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A. Consider what Jesus was looking at when He looked at the cross: As far as we can tell there is little joy in looking at that cross.
1. Those who would see Him there would see Jesus as one that was cursed: Gal 3:13 Every Jew, every Gentile that would see Jesus on that cross would see Him as one cursed by God and government. The cross was reserved for the worst of criminals.
2. They would see Him as one lifted up above the scum of man if you would: John 19:18 That seems a harsh way to say it but when Rome placed Jesus in the middle it put Him as the worst of the lot.
3. Those who read the title of the cross would view it as mocking Him: John 19:19I don’t believe Pilate meant it that way but that is the way people would take it.
4. Jesus knew that He would be forsaken by all: Matt 26:31 That He would endure the cross, His darkest hours on this earth, all alone with none standing with Him, with none to help Him. Jesus knew He would be forsaken by those closest to Him.
5. Jesus knew of the brutalities of the cross: Ps 22:1-19
6. Jesus knew that even as He cried out to the Father that the Father would turn His back upon Him: Ps 22:1 The one who gave the prophecy knew it would be fulfilled.
7. Jesus knew of the pain and anguish that was coming with the cross: Isa 53:5
a. Jesus knew of the beatings that were coming, that He would be wounded.
b. Jesus knew of the scourging that was coming, of the stripes of the Roman scourge that would be His.
c. Jesus knew of the bruising that would be His, that He would be literally crushed to death from within.
8. Jesus knew what the cross would do to Him in not only in body but in soul as well: Luke 22:42-44
9. Jesus knew it would take all of His power and all of His strength to get to the cross: Heb 5:7
10. Jesus Christ knew what was set before Him:
B. And when Jesus Christ looked at that cross it filled Him with joy: Heb 12:2 But how could that be?
1. I look at the cross and I can see no joy: I look at the circumstances that surrounded Jesus, I look at the condition that He would be left in, I look at the cross and I see no joy.
2. Yet Jesus Christ looked at that cross with joy set before Him: Heb 12:2 And Jesus could do that only because His joy was not dependent upon current conditions or circumstances. He joy was not in this world but in the Father.
II. The joy of Jesus Christ rested on three things: it was a joy so great that even the cross could not destroy it and it rested on three things, on His relationship, His submission, and His service to the Father.
A. Consider His relationship with the Father, it was an intimate relationship: And you might say of course it was because Jesus Christ is God and He is. And while you cannot separate the Deity and humanity of Christ we must remember that Jesus was completely human as we are, had the same needs and emotions as we do. At the same time Jesus Christ is God He is man as well.
1 Tim 2:5 And as man Jesus needed to have that close relationship with God the Father.
1. Jesus would spend literally hours alone with the Father: Luke 6:12 And this is not an isolated incident.
a. Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; Luke 11:1
b. Jesus would spend many long nights, many hours alone and apart with the Father.
2. It was a relationship that gave Jesus complete confidence in all that he did and all that He asked of the Father: John 11:41-42 So close was Jesus to the Father that He knew every prayer would be answered in the way that He prayed it.
3. It was a relationship that the disciples could see and they wanted it as well: Luke 11:1 Think of all the things these men might have asked Jesus to teach them to do. They could have asked Jesus to teach them how to preach, or how to perform miracles, or how to cast out demons, or how to walk on water, or any number of things.
a. But what they asked was for Jesus to teach them how to pray. – Luke 11:1
b. And what they saw was His relationship to the Father.
4. Jesus had a close relationship to the Father: And this brought joy.
B. Consider His submission to the Father: John 4:34 In context here the disciples had gone to get food and when they returned Jesus told them he had meat that they did not know of. – John 4:31-32 – What He meant was that His earthly life was wrapped up in doing the will of the Father. Jesus had told Satan that man did not live on bread alone but by the Word of God. For Jesus Christ that meant walking always in the perfect will of the Father. All that Jesus did in this world was in the perfect will of the Father.
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1. What took Him to that well to meet that woman? John 4:4 It was the will of the Father in heaven.
2. How did He choose the 12, why include Judas? Luke 6:12-13 It was the will of the Father in heaven.
3. Why wait four days and then go to the tomb of Lazarus? John 11:41-43 It was the will of the Father in heaven.
4. Why go to the cross? Matt 26:39-42 It was the will of the Father in heaven.
5. Everything that Jesus did was in the perfect will of the Father in heaven: In His humanity the knowledge of the will of the Father came as a result of His close relationship to Him.
6. To walk in the will of God is to walk in obedience to the Word of God: Matt 5:17-18
7. Jesus Christ walked in the will of the Father in heaven:
C. Consider His service to the Father: John 17:1-4 That is quite a statement to make considering when Jesus made it. Jesus had not yet gone to the cross, had not arose from the grave, there was still much to do. So how could Jesus say this? – John 17:4
1. All that Jesus ever did was in the will of the Father and that was not going to stop now: Jesus Christ in John 17 is but hours from the cross. He was not going to stop now.
2. Jesus was going to finish well: John 19:30 And Jesus was going to come out of that grave three days later and there was no power on earth or in hell that could keep Him there.
3. Jesus was going to finish well: 1 Cor 16:13 This verse is not about Jesus but it could be. Jesus would finish well.
4. And Jesus was going to finish with joy: Acts 20:24 This verse is not about Jesus but it could be. Jesus would finish well.
5. The life of Jesus Christ was a life of service for the Father:
D. The joy of Jesus Christ came out of His relationship, service, and submission to the Father: And that joy carried Him through everything in this life, even the cross. – Heb 12:2 The joy set before Jesus Christ was a result of what was behind. Jesus had this joy because He had a close relationship with the Father, was submissive to the Father, and served the Father to the very end.
1. Jesus would do whatever the Father commanded: No matter how difficult.
2. Jesus would endure whatever the Father appointed: No matter how severe.
3. Jesus would obtain ever promise of the Father: No matter how impossible it seemed.
4. Jesus would die to self daily: Even if that death was one on a cross.
5. Jesus had joy in what was set before Him: Heb 12:2
III. And when we lack the joy that is to accompany faith in Jesus Christ there is a problem: God the Father would have us receive this joy, God the Son prays for us to have this joy, and the Spirit of God desires to produce this joy in us. When it is not there then there is a problem but not with the Father, not with the Son, and not with the Holy Spirit. The problem lies within you and me.
A. So we need to look at our relationship with our Savior, with the Lord Jesus Christ: The problem of little or no joy in our lives will often stem from a shallow relationship with Jesus Christ. I am not talking about your salvation this morning, that is not the topic, but the depth of your relationship with Christ is.
1. How well do you know Jesus today? There is that saying, those bracelets, those signs with those four letters “WWJD”. What would Jesus do? I wonder how many people who have those still have no idea what Jesus would do?
2. Christian you don’t need a slogan or a bracelet to know what Jesus would do: You need to get into the Word of God and on your knees in prayer before God and as you grow you will learn what Jesus would do because you will know what Jesus did do.
3. But what is the depth of your relationship with Jesus? Is it as shallow as your joy today?
4. What was the depth of your prayer life this past week, past month, past year? Does your prayer life consist of ordering God to do what you want Him to do? Or is it a time when your heart is poured out to God and you seek to know Him?
5. What is the depth of your Bible reading and study? Do you read your Bible everyday and for those who say yes, to what end?
a. Do you read your Bible to get it done?
b. Can you remember anything from your Bible reading this past week?
c. Did your learn anything this past week from reading your Bible, Or do you read it like you know it all already?
6. What is the depth of your relationship with the Father, with the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it as shallow as your joy?
7. Great things will happen when you take the steps necessary to deepen your relationship with Jesus Christ: This past week I saw a miracle take place in answer to prayer. (Lady saved on Tuesday evening as the result of prayer…)
8. A shallow relationship with the Lord leads to a shallow joy:
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B. How submissive are you to the will of God? Rom 12:1-2 As your relationship with Him deepens you will find yourself seeking His will and then having that desire to walk in His will. – Rom 12:2
1. But how many really do that? It has been stated from this pulpit before that a Christian has no right to decide what they will do, where they will live, who they will marry in this life. But how many hear that and snicker at it?
a. No one is going to tell them what to do.
b. And a lack of joy reveals that attitude in God’s people.
2. Is there joy and harmony in the home when son or daughter disobeys mom and dad? So why should we as Christians expect joy or harmony when we walk in disobedience to the will of God?
3. When was the last time you spent all night in prayer seeking the will of God? Jesus did.
4. When was the last time you got up early to seek the will of God? Jesus did.
5. When was the last time you went someplace just because you knew it was the will of God? Jesus did.
6. When was the last time you claimed the impossible because God wanted you too? Jesus did.
7. When was the last time you really sought out the will of God? Jesus always did.
8. And then we wonder why we lack joy:
C. What is the depth of your service for God, your service for the Lord Jesus Christ? Rom 12:1-2 And what you are doing here this morning in not serving. This is worship and you have come here to be fed. This is not service, this is worship. Even paying a tithe of what we have been blessed with is not service, that is paying what we owe. This is worship and not service.
1. To put it bluntly, most Christians are doing as little as they can or nothing for the Lord today: Our lives are wrapped up with self, family and the world and most have little or no time for the Lord.
2. But the Bible says our lives are to be wrapped up in service: Rom 12:1 How far are we from that verse?
3. How far are you from praying this prayer? John 17:4
4. How far are you from this truth? 2 Tim 4:7
5. How far are you from this testimony? Phil 1:21
6. A lack of service leads to a lack of joy:
7. And there are things to do for Jesus: There are opportunities to serve through this local church.
8. A lack of service leads to a lack of joy:
D. I would never do this because I have just as many faults as anyone else here today: But what if we had a big bulletin board that would keep track of things and we posted them.
1. And it would be posted each week how much time you spent in prayer and reading your Bible: And it would be posted for all to see each week. How much or how little you prayed, how much or how little you were given to His Word. What if all could see?
2. And it was posted each week how much you sought out and followed the will of God: That it was somehow posted how much you were given to His will, how much you sought out His will and how much you followed His will. What if all could see?
3. And what if it was posted how much or how little you served Jesus Christ? What if all could see how many hours you served and how many hours you wasted? What if all could see?
4. You say Pastor no bulletin board should be pout up like that for all to see: I agree with that.
5. But Christian I want you to understand something, Good has just such a bulletin board and one day all will see: 1 Cor 3:11-13 God is keeping records.
a. One day we may say and ask why we didn’t have the joy that was promised to us.
b. And God will open the books and show us why.
c. God is keeping records.
E. Is joy set before you today? And if not then why not?
Conclusion
Having looked now at joy being set before Jesus and at Jesus being our example in joy what can we say?
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I. The joy of Jesus was wrapped up in three things:
A. In His close relationship with the Father:
B. In Him being submissive to the will of the Father:
C. In Him serving the Father?
II. This will be the measure of our joy today:
A. The depth of our relationship with the Father:
B. Our desire to walk in the will of the Father:
C. Our service to God above:
III. What is the depth of your joy today: If it is lacking as it often is the fault is with us and not with God.