 Definitions: Joy - a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. Rejoice - to show great joy or delight. So Joy is an internal feeling and rejoicing is the external affect of that internal feeling John 15:9-13 abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. This says that there is “Joy” in love and sacrifice… Jesus says here that in love and sacrifice we find “His Joy” and a fullness of joy for us… Hebrews 12:2 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross Jesus I believe has a different definition of “Joy” than we have… or a more complete definition of joy is a better way of looking at it… Joy and happiness according to God is different to what the world tells us joy and happiness is… James 1:2-3 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Just yesterday one of our church members lost their 24 year old nephew in his sleep… How does she count it all joy and how does her sister count it all joy?… Philippians 4:4 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! I have 2 answers… 1st… We count it all joy and we rejoice always because we know this isn’t the end of the story… Jesus’ Joy is the joy of resurrection and eternal life and we can have that joy to the full… 2nd… and this is the key to this whole series… For you and I who are still here in the here and now where there are ups and downs… victories and defeats… good times and bad… babies born and loved ones passing away… Jesus says that we can have joy and joy that cannot by taken away by circumstances… Psalm 146:5 5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God "The Happiest Place On Earth" is wherever the presence of God is… Genesis 2:6-9 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden So this is like DisneyWORLD right… this is the blueprint that Walt used when he envisioned what he wanted to build… So what made this garden “The Happiest Place On Earth” was man and woman being able to be in the presence of God… They were “Naked” which means they were in the presence of God “Without any barrier”… In Exodus we see a people who have been kicked out of the garden but God is trying to bring back… As God puts them on the journey back to the Garden listen to what Moses says to God in Exodus 33:14-15 13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people." 14 And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. Again we see that Joy and peace and hope is found in the presence of God… Moses says I’m not going anywhere if You don’t come with us… If we would say the same I promise you we would find Joy… Even in our wilderness trials… The children of Israel had more problems in the wilderness because of “Forgetfulness” than anything else… They forgot who God was and what He had done and that in His presence is "The Happiest Place On Earth"... Jonah 2:5-10 “The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God. “When my soul fainted within me, "I remembered" the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. “Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” 
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
July 2018
Categories |
RSS Feed