Joy to the World

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Dec 4, 2016 - Happiness depends upon what happens to you (circumstances), but joy is ... Happiness comes from outside ci
Joy to the World

Joy to the World

Brandon: I readjusted this layout to better fit the formatting needed when I print. If you will just keep all your text within the blue margin lines on this page, I shouldn’t have any more issues ☺. Thanks!

Dr. Brandon Park | December 4, 2016

The Christmas carol “Joy to the World” was written by Isaac Watts, who authored 750 songs and is commonly called “The Father of Hymns.” If you notice the lyrics, you’ll see no mention of shepherds, a manger, wise men, or any other element we normally associate with Christmas. The reason is because Isaac Watts didn’t write “Joy to the World” to be a Christmas song. The point of the song was meant to remind people about the source of their joy – the fact that Jesus came to save the world. What does it mean to have the joy of the Lord in our lives? There’s a big difference between happiness and joy. Happiness depends upon what happens to you (circumstances), but joy is dependent solely upon your standing with God and understanding of what He is offering to you. • Happiness comes from outside circumstances; joy comes from inward _____________________. • Happiness is like a cosmetic; joy is like character. • Happiness is external, but joy is __________________. • Happiness comes and goes; joy comes and grows. • Happiness is like a thermometer that registers conditions; joy is like a thermostat that ____________________ conditions. Joy is an evidence of the presence of God in your life. So we must ask the question: What is it that can make me a more consistently joyful person? The words “joy” and “rejoice” are used 450 times in the Bible. It’s the theme in Paul’s epistle to the Philippians (used 19 times). Here are four things you can do to maintain the G.L.O.W. of joy.

1. ___________ BY SPENDING TIME IN THE ______________ OF GOD

John 17:13, “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.” When you are spending time with Jesus on a consistent basis, His joy pours into your life – it’s not an imitation, not your joy, but HIS Joy! To rejoice is a choice. That choice begins with choosing to have a real relationship with Christ. To know Jesus is to know joy. Psalm 16:11, “In God’s presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” READ EXODUS 34 – When Moses was on the mountain speaking to God and receiving the 10 Commandments, he had intimate fellowship with God. When he came back down from the mountain, “Israel saw the radiance of Moses' face, they were afraid to come near him.” He had to put a veil over his face when he was with the people, but he took the veil off when he went to meet with the Lord. What’s interesting is that after a while, Moses had not spent as much time with God and he lost his glow… but he continued to wear the veil. Why did Moses keep wearing the veil? 2 Corinthians 3:18 says this about New Testament believers: “And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.”

2. ___________ TO SEE WHERE THE TRUE ______________ OF YOUR JOY IS

No matter what happens in your life, you can choose to rejoice. Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” Chuck Swindoll says that joy is “a positive attitude we choose to express. It is a matter of attitude that stems from your confidence in God – the belief that He is at work, that He is in full control, that He is in the midst of whatever has happened, is happening or will happen.” The _____________________ of your joy is no greater than the __________________ of your joy. How do you know if you get your joy from your house? Take away your house. Do you still have joy? How do you know if you get your joy from your health? Take away your health. Do you still have your joy? If you depend on those things to be the source of your joy, it can change in a heartbeat.

The devil does not have a key that can get inside the treasury of my joy. Jesus said in John 17, “That MY joy might REMAIN in you.” Why does it remain? Because Jesus is the source of it and Jesus never changes.

3. _____________ TO JESUS ANY UNCONFESSED _______

Philippians 2:14-15, 18, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world … Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” To be clean and pure before God causes indescribable joy. Joy comes from having peace with God. If cleansing is what brings joy, __________ is what breaks joy. That is why after David’s sin, he prayed, “restore unto me the joy of my salvation.” There is only one thing that can take away your joy and that is SIN. There is only one kind of sin that can take away your joy and that is YOUR sin. If you want to see what a person is really like, don’t watch their actions, watch their ____________________. You can tell a lot about a person by what makes us sad, by what makes him glad, and by what makes him mad. All of those things deal with a person’s reactions. It’s been said that the acronym for J.O.Y. is “Jesus ZERO You.” There should be nothing between your soul and the Savior.

4. ___________ FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO _______________ YOUR JOY INTO THE LIVES OF OTHERS.

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” D.L. Moody said, “The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him.” Christians ought to be the happiest, most enthusiastic people on earth. The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek word entheous, which means “God within” or “full of God.” If you don’t stand out in a group, if there is not something unique or different about your life, if you don’t have the joy of Jesus welling up inside of you, then you need to re-evaluate where you are spiritually. Philemon 1:7, “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.” HOW DO YOU BECOME JOY-FULL? (The Recipe for Joy) 1. __________________IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. When you wake up tomorrow morning, bathe yourself in God’s presence. If it’s joy you seek, you’ll never find it! Joy comes from abiding in the presence of God. Carlo Carretto said, “We are the wire, God is the current. Our only power is to let the current pass through us.” 2. _____________________ YOUR PASSION FOR SCRIPTURE. For every obstacle that you face, there is a Scripture for your answer. “When Satan huffs and puffs and tries to blow out the flame of your joy, you have an endless supply of kindling in the Word of God.” – John Piper 3. ___________________ YOUR JOY BY SHARING GOD’S LOVE. If you have joy in your heart, it ought to show up in your face. The Joy of the Lord will not only strengthen us, but God wants us to transfer that to other people. Mother Theresa said, “A person filled with joy preaches without preaching.” 4. _______________________ ANY SIN THAT YOU HAVEN’T REPENTED OF. When you cover your sin, God uncovers it, but when you uncover your sin, God covers it. 5. ___________________________ YOUR PROBLEM(S) TO THE LORD. God wants you to allow each new obstacle to force you to go to the next level with Him. If God cushioned your every blow, you would never learn to grow. Helen Keller said, “Keep your face to the Son and you will never see the shadow.”

Joy to the World

Joy to the World

Brandon: I readjusted this layout to better fit the formatting needed when I print. If you will just keep all your text within the blue margin lines on this page, I shouldn’t have any more issues ☺. Thanks!

Dr. Brandon Park | December 4, 2016

The Christmas carol “Joy to the World” was written by Isaac Watts, who authored 750 songs and is commonly called “The Father of Hymns.” If you notice the lyrics, you’ll see no mention of shepherds, a manger, wise men, or any other element we normally associate with Christmas. The reason is because Isaac Watts didn’t write “Joy to the World” to be a Christmas song. The point of the song was meant to remind people about the source of their joy – the fact that Jesus came to save the world. What does it mean to have the joy of the Lord in our lives? There’s a big difference between happiness and joy. Happiness depends upon what happens to you (circumstances), but joy is dependent solely upon your standing with God and understanding of what He is offering to you. • Happiness comes from outside circumstances; joy comes from inward conditions _____________________. • Happiness is like a cosmetic; joy is like character. • Happiness is external, but joy is __________________. internal • Happiness comes and goes; joy comes and grows. • Happiness is like a thermometer that registers conditions; joy is like a thermostat that regulates ____________________ conditions. Joy is an evidence of the presence of God in your life. So we must ask the question: What is it that can make me a more consistently joyful person? The words “joy” and “rejoice” are used 450 times in the Bible. It’s the theme in Paul’s epistle to the Philippians (used 19 times). Here are four things you can do to maintain the G.L.O.W. of joy. GROW PRESENCE 1. ___________ BY SPENDING TIME IN THE ______________ OF GOD John 17:13, “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.” When you are spending time with Jesus on a consistent basis, His joy pours into your life – it’s not an imitation, not your joy, but HIS Joy! To rejoice is a choice. That choice begins with choosing to have a real relationship with Christ. To know Jesus is to know joy. Psalm 16:11, “In God’s presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” READ EXODUS 34 – When Moses was on the mountain speaking to God and receiving the 10 Commandments, he had intimate fellowship with God. When he came back down from the mountain, “Israel saw the radiance of Moses' face, they were afraid to come near him.” He had to put a veil over his face when he was with the people, but he took the veil off when he went to meet with the Lord. What’s interesting is that after a while, Moses had not spent as much time with God and he lost his glow… but he continued to wear the veil. Why did Moses keep wearing the veil? 2 Corinthians 3:18 says this about New Testament believers: “And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.”

LOOK SOURCE 2. ___________ TO SEE WHERE THE TRUE ______________ OF YOUR JOY IS

No matter what happens in your life, you can choose to rejoice. Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” Chuck Swindoll says that joy is “a positive attitude we choose to express. It is a matter of attitude that stems from your confidence in God – the belief that He is at work, that He is in full control, that He is in the midst of whatever has happened, is happening or will happen.” The _____________________ of your joy is no greater than the __________________ of your joy. stability source How do you know if you get your joy from your house? Take away your house. Do you still have joy? How do you know if you get your joy from your health? Take away your health. Do you still have your joy? If you depend on those things to be the source of your joy, it can change in a heartbeat.

The devil does not have a key that can get inside the treasury of my joy. Jesus said in John 17, “That MY joy might REMAIN in you.” Why does it remain? Because Jesus is the source of it and Jesus never changes. 3. _____________ TO JESUS ANY UNCONFESSED _______ OFFER SIN Philippians 2:14-15, 18, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world … Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” To be clean and pure before God causes indescribable joy. Joy comes from having peace with sin God. If cleansing is what brings joy, __________ is what breaks joy. That is why after David’s sin, he prayed, “restore unto me the joy of my salvation.” There is only one thing that can take away your joy and that is SIN. There is only one kind of sin that can take away your joy and that is YOUR sin. If you want to see what a person is really like, don’t watch their actions, watch their reactions ____________________. You can tell a lot about a person by what makes us sad, by what makes him glad, and by what makes him mad. All of those things deal with a person’s reactions. It’s been said that the acronym for J.O.Y. is “Jesus ZERO You.” There should be nothing between your soul and the Savior. WATCH SPREAD 4. ___________ FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO _______________ YOUR JOY INTO THE

LIVES OF OTHERS.

Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” D.L. Moody said, “The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him.” Christians ought to be the happiest, most enthusiastic people on earth. The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek word entheous, which means “God within” or “full of God.” If you don’t stand out in a group, if there is not something unique or different about your life, if you don’t have the joy of Jesus welling up inside of you, then you need to re-evaluate where you are spiritually. Philemon 1:7, “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.” HOW DO YOU BECOME JOY-FULL? (The Recipe for Joy) REMAIN 1. __________________IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. When you wake up tomorrow morning, bathe yourself in God’s presence. If it’s joy you seek, you’ll never find it! Joy comes from abiding in the presence of God. Carlo Carretto said, “We are the wire, God is the current. Our only power is to let the current pass through us.” REIGNITE 2. _____________________ YOUR PASSION FOR SCRIPTURE. For every obstacle that you face, there is a Scripture for your answer. “When Satan huffs and puffs and tries to blow out the flame of your joy, you have an endless supply of kindling in the Word of God.” – John Piper RELEASE 3. ___________________ YOUR JOY BY SHARING GOD’S LOVE. If you have joy in your heart, it ought to show up in your face. The Joy of the Lord will not only strengthen us, but God wants us to transfer that to other people. Mother Theresa said, “A person filled with joy preaches without preaching.” RECOGNIZE 4. _______________________ ANY SIN THAT YOU HAVEN’T REPENTED OF. When you cover your sin, God uncovers it, but when you uncover your sin, God covers it. RELEASE 5. ___________________________ YOUR PROBLEM(S) TO THE LORD. God wants you to allow each new obstacle to force you to go to the next level with Him. If God cushioned your every blow, you would never learn to grow. Helen Keller said, “Keep your face to the Son and you will never see the shadow.”