So today we are wrapping up our series on joy, and if you think about where all this series has gone you may have an idea of where we are headed today. We started with trying to understand what joy is and what joy is not. We learned where joy is found. It’s found in God. We learned how Sabbath rest helps us connect to the source of joy which is God. We looked at joy in our homes, and last week Ken did a great job of talking to us about joy right here in our church community. So today I want to go right to the heart of this matter. I want to talk about whether you will or will not see joy in your life. Yes, I just said that and I will tell you why…it’s because you have something to do if you want joy in your life. Let me state that a different way, you have something to do if you want God in your life! Now before you panic I have not gone off the rails here…I’m not talking about earning your way into heaven. You and I both know that all we have to do is believe in Jesus and He handles the rest for us. I’m not talking about a bunch of religious hoops that you need to jump through to earn God’s love. We know that His love is freely given to us. We call that grace, and it’s really why we worship and celebrate each and every Sunday here at MRC! We know we are imperfect. We know we will sin from time to time, this is why we memorize verses like Romans 3:23…
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God NIV
Grace is an amazing thing and it means that we can’t earn our way into heaven. I think we can all show a ton of gratitude for grace. We can all rally behind such an amazing and free gift like the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. This is why we are so amazed at God. It’s hard to wrap our minds around the idea that He would love us enough to send Jesus to this world to die for our sins…to do what we could not. But here’s what is really interesting about God. He gives us salvation as a free gift. So this message of Christ should be an easy one right? This SHOULD be a slam dunk, and 100% of people should be fully on board right? So why isn’t it? Why wouldn’t everyone have gotten on board in Jesus’ time? Well it’s because this message that Jesus shared was about change. It was always about life change, and the reality is that heart change required something of people. Jesus came so that we could have joy, the kind of joy that comes with life to the full. The kind of joy that comes with heart change, and to change something in life will always require something of us, because it’s a process. It did back then and it requires something of us too! Jesus seemed to always be asking a very difficult question…
What are you willing to do?
Think back to some of the powerful interactions that Jesus has with people, do you remember Jesus looking at the dude that couldn’t walk at the pool of Bethesda? The paralytic man laid there for 38 years…38 YEARS and Jesus asks him a really odd question. “Do you want to get well?” Um, no Jesus I have been laying here paralyzed for 38 years trying to get into this pool with healing powers…OF COURSE I WANT TO BE HEALED! Jesus tells him to pick up his mat and walk away. How about the rich young ruler that is one of my favorite stories moments where this young man comes to Jesus and wants to know how to inherit eternal life. This kid follows all of the rules. He is bright. He is charming. He is doing really well for himself but it’s like he knows there is something more to it. And what does Jesus tell him to do? Jesus looks right at him, and lovingly says to him…ok buddy, if you want to go there; “sell everything you have and give it to the poor.” The young man leaves devastated, Jesus showed him the issue of his heart, and it was the one thing he wasn’t willing to change. Can’t you hear it? Time and time again Jesus seems to be saying, I will take care of your sins, but life change will require something of you. Jesus is after your heart, yes grace pays all of our bills for us but true life change will require something of you and I and think that is a very polarizing message. It leaves us all with a choice to make and as we see from these famous interactions that Jesus has with people…some will say yes, and some will say no. So the good news is Jesus, the blood stained cross, and the empty tomb…it is always about grace and there is nothing you can do to earn that accept believe in God. But Jesus wanted more for us didn’t he?
John 10:10 …I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. NIV
Well now that is different than just being stagnant, living out each day of your life…this life to the full will require life change. It is MORE than just crossing off days on the calendar. It is all about moving towards God, and connecting to God…it is all about living each day with Him. It’s about being a new creation in Him! It’s about having joy in your life each day and we know that joy is only found in one place…it’s only found in God. But it will require something of you. Jesus seems to keep asking us a very exposing, and very heart penetrating question…
What are you willing to do?
Think about what Ken spoke of last week…how many people left excited when Ken helped us see where joy in the church is found? How many left a little worried? It’s polarizing isn’t it? Remember Jesus’ words that Ken spoke on last week?
Luke 19:26 “…Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag. (MSG)
It’s so interesting to me how polarizing this message of being a disciple of Jesus can be. I think some left inspired last week, and others left like…”boy, I wish I went to a church that didn’t ask me to do anything! I don’t really want to do anything!” Here’s what is really interesting…we are asking the same question that Jesus asked…
What are you willing to do?
Here’s what we know, you can live a life full of joy. You can actually have life, and have it to the full. It comes when you go all in for God. It comes when you center your life on God. It comes as your allow your heart to be changed, and serving is a big part of that. So why is this message so difficult? Why is it so polarizing? Why wouldn’t people flock to Jesus who simply wants your heart to be fully healed so that you can have joy? Why wouldn’t a church like MRC who simply echoes Jesus’ message to you be packed full of people? We simply want you to have that life to the full, that joy of the Lord, that “more than you ever dreamed of” that your Heavenly father wants you to have! Well I will tell you why…it’s because it requires something of us…and change always does. But here’s what is more interesting to me. We aren’t requiring you to be killed for your faith as some have been. We aren’t asking you to give up all of your belongings and sell all of your stuff and give it to the poor. Frankly this is Dillsburg, Pa…so this whole “risk it all thing”…I’m not sure serving in the Children’s ministry for an hour a month, or working with our Youth group an evening a week is a huge risk. Here’s what’s even more interesting. We spend 52 weeks a year encouraging you to spend time with God each day. Not even hours, just moments of your day and even that seems to be a polarizing statement. Here’s why this is so challenging, because you have to do something. Even if it’s a good thing, or a simple thing, or as easy as a few moments of your day. Most people are fine with the way things are…they aren’t looking for something else to do. But we love you too much not to keep asking the question that can be so tough to hear…
What are you willing to do?
Last week as Ken was teaching I just kept thinking of a story from the Old Testament that I just couldn’t get out of my mind. It’s an incredible story of a man who needed healed, but didn’t care for the way he was to be healed, and it’s a story we can take so much from today.
2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” 8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. NIV
I love this story, and it really hit my heart last week as I began to think about how I could close this series on joy. So there is a couple things that we need to highlight here. First there is Naaman and he is a big deal. He is a commander in the army, and he has a horrible disease called leprosy. This is a skin disease that is gross, it’s painful, and it was pretty common back in these times. We also learn that he has a servant girl from Israel, who knows that he can be healed by the great prophet of the time. His name is Elisha and he was an amazing man of God. So Naaman sets off to find Elisha and after the King of Israel loses his head a bit…ripping his clothes…what a diva! All joking aside it was probably because of the fear of what would happen to his nation of Israel if they didn’t heal this warrior from a nation who apparently has been beating up on the nation of Isareal for quite some time now! So I will cut the King a little slack. Naaman makes his way to Elisha’s home to be healed from this horrible affliction. Now this is where the story really gets good…
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
I love this! First of all Naaman is a big deal…I mean he just pulled up to the prophets house in a motorcade of escalades, with jewels and his whole entourage and Elisha doesn’t even go out and greet him personally…he sends a servant to do it. How insulting right!?!?! Then to make matters worse he doesn’t heal Naaman the way he thinks he should be healed. This man of God was supposed to just come out and wave his hand over Naaman and poof it’s gone! And just to add to the humiliation of this moment, Elisha asks him to go wash in the Jordan River! This is a filthy, disgusting river…nothing like the clean ones where he is from! He is so insulted, that he leaves just furious at this great prophet of God. Here’s what is so interesting to me…can you hear it? Elisha just asked Naaman THE question!
What are you willing to do?
You know here’s where the rubber really meets the road for this whole series. Joy is a big deal. We know that one of the defining markers of being a disciple of Jesus is someone filled with joy. I mean look at what Paul says here…
Romans 14:17 God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. (MSG)
We also know that Jesus’ goal for us was for us to have joy. We know this because he told us that joy was His goal for all of us!
John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. NIV
We also know where joy is found. It’s found in God and God alone. God is our joy!
Psalms 43:4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. ESV
Then we spent the last 3 weeks trying to help you practically see how to engage God in 3 large areas of your life! First if you want joy in your heart and we know that joy is found in God then we must connect with God right? The best way to do this is through Sabbath type rest…to learn how to take a real rest and learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
Matthew 11:28 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG)
We talked to next about how to have joy in your family and in your home…we really challenged you to make a stand just as Joshua did and to lead your family to God! Remember Joshua’s last great act of leadership? The huge address in Joshua 24?
Joshua 24:15 …As for me and my family, we’ll worship GOD. MSG
Then last week we learned how to find joy in the church. It’s by engaging the mess for what it is, and serving in it…not by sitting back and complaining about why it isn’t working, but by building it and Ken landed that plane so well in this verse…
Luke 19:26 “…Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and end up holding the bag. (MSG)
Can you hear it? Think about this whole series for a moment. We are offering you joy. We are offering you life to the full. We are offering you a shot at getting that “more than you ever dreamed of thing.” But this message as simple as it sounds, is the same difficult message that Jesus brought…and is the same difficult message that Naaman heard from Elisha and it is echoed here at MRC about 52 weeks a year. It’s all there for you but the question remains the same!
What are you willing to do?
So let’s go back to Naaman for a moment, when we last left him he was leaving Elisha’s home in a fit of rage. How dare this prophet tell me to go wash in a stinky river, he wouldn’t even come out and talk to me himself. How humiliating right? Well it’s in the wise words of his servants that we can see something really, special. Look at this…
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. NIV
Hey Naaman, this is a simple thing to do, if you do it you can be healed! This is so big for us to see! Jjust like Naaman we have a choice to make. If you think about it, what Elisha did is no different from what Jesus taught that we still echo today. You can have complete life change. You can have joy in your heart, in your home, and in your church community. You can have that life of more than you have ever dreamed of! You can be healed…or not! I have always struggled with the decision that we all get to make, the paralytic stood up, took his mat and walked…but the rich young ruler walked away devastated. Naaman thankfully realized through the help of his loyal servants that if he engaged what God was asking him to do his healing was right there for him! When he humbled himself and entered that water, he came out fully healed. He came out different than when he went in and what was he really asked to do? Take 7 swims in a river? But it’s that pesky 6 word question that has been so polarizing, so challenging over the years.
What are you willing to do?
So as we close this series, I want to ask you, do you see the importance of joy? Do you want joy in your life? Maybe more importantly are you seeing joy in your life? If you aren’t why is that? We have laid this out as best as we could. We have given you the practical steps to have joy in your heart, and in your family, and in your church community but you do realize we can’t put joy in you right? If you think about it, we have asked you to spend time with God. We have asked you to rest, and connect to God. We have asked you to lead your family to God and we have asked you to join in a mission of building God’s church. We didn’t ask you to “risk it all” the way Jesus did right? I mean we asked you to serve some, or give some, or engage God some, or lead your family.
I think some of us will hear this message and embrace it, and find joy and passion and that life to the full that Jesus spoke of…others may turn around and walk away disappointed that we don’t have the cure all for you. We aren’t going to wave a hand over you to heal you fully as Naaman assumed Elisha would do for you. Some will leave with the assumption that if I don’t have joy after a 5 week series on joy then the church didn’t do something right. Or that Sam and Ken should just go back to the drawing board…or maybe even that this church thing is broken. Which is a very common mistake with people. Many people will blame others for their lack of growth, their lack of life change and their lack of joy. Many assume it’s the churches job to feed us. I mean I have enough going on in my life, I certainly don’t need Sam and Ken adding to the list of things for me to do. Well let me just loving say this to you…we can’t be your relationship with God, but we can give you the tools to engage Him. We can’t put joy in your home, but we can give you the tools that can help you. We can’t even change your attitude on serving inside the church…all we can do is show you where healing is found. For Naaman it was a simple as washing seven times in a river. For us to have joy in our lives it’s as simple as engaging God. It’s as simple as putting Him first. It’s as simple as being able and open to answering this question…
What are you willing to do?
Listen, we can’t be your relationship with God but we can encourage you to spend time there. We can’t love your spouse and your children for you, but we can encourage you to put your focus there. We want you to have joy in your life but in the end just as Jesus taught, just as Elisha showed Naaman…there will be something for you to do in the process. The question becomes how will you respond to this polarizing question? Just like Naaman needed some loyal servants to help him understand how simple this task was…I want you to hear this in your heart today. Think about what you are being asked to do? You aren’t being asked to climb a mountain, or die for your faith…you are being asked to spend time with God and to take responsibility for your heart condition…and you can have joy. I know this can be a freeing message for some and to you I say that is awesome. For those of you leaving feeling the weight of having something to do in this process, I leave you with the loving words of Naaman’s servants…
13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”
Do you want joy? Do you want that life to the full that Jesus told you that you can have? I can’t give it to you. Ken can’t give it to you…but we know the One who does. And we know that it is easily yours when we can take the steps towards God and embrace our responsibility in the process. We love you too much not to ask the same question I hear all through scripture. I know it can mean we draw a line in the sand here today, but ask yourself this, what are we really asking of you. So today we end the joy series with this thought…joy can be yours in all facets of your life…but it really depends on your answer to the question…
What are you willing to do?