Joy
by Pastor Mike Stine
This sermon was delivered
at the Hagerstown Rescue Mission
When I had the
opportunity to speak here back in July I was pleased by how well
received I was. While I didn’t know what to expect, I was pleasantly
surprised by the joy that I found here. I found that among many here,
there is a genuine interest in hearing the word of God preached. In
many churches there isn’t this much interest. I have found from
personal experience that many people have become disinterested in
church. Many people chow up for church because of tradition or the feel
that they have to. Many people have lost the joy of hearing God’s word.
Joy is a difficult
thing for the Christian to grasp. We often confuse joy with happiness
as well. There are many things in life that can make us unhappy. We
have problems in our relationships, with friends and family, and we
become unhappy. We have difficulty at work, or worse yet, we may even
lose our job, and we lose our happiness. Or perhaps worst of all, we
may have problems with our own health, leading to complications that
cause pain, cost money, require medical attention, or maybe even
threaten our very life. And of course we are not happy about this.
However, no matter
what our circumstances are, we should not lose our joy. Joy is a fruit
of the Spirit. Galatians 5 lists the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. All of these are marks of a true Christian. As
Christians, we should have joy. Not only should joy be evident in our
lives, it should always be evident.
Paul writes in 1
Thes 5:16-17, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This is
very tough to do. It is easy to be joyful when things are going our
way. When we’re safe and well fed and getting along with our family and
friends it is easy to be joyful. But we’re not asked to just be joyful
when things are going well. We are asked to be joyful at all times.
Not only are we to
be joyful, we are told to give thanks at all times. Some of you may not
think that you have much to be thankful for. I won’t claim to know or
understand all that some of you have gone through. Some of you have
lost jobs. Some of you have dealt with problems with drugs and
alcohol. Some have overcome great physical or emotional problems. And
some are still struggling everyday.
But no matter how
bad things are for you tonight, you still have reasons to be thankful.
Tonight you are alive while so many people lie in the hospital clinging
to life. Tonight you have food to eat and a place to stay while so many
people do not. And most importantly tonight and every night you have a
God who loves you, who wants to forgive you for your sins, and is
waiting for you with open arms. These are great reasons to be thankful.
The apostle Paul
writes in Philippians 4:12, “I know what it is to have plenty. I have
learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether
well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do
everything through him who gives me strength.”
Paul had a
privileged upbringing. He studied under Gamaliel, the most prominent
Jewish teacher of the day. He rose quickly among the ranks of the
Pharisees and held the respect of all the Jews. All of this changed
when he became a Christian however.
There were times
when Paul lived a comfortable life as an apostle. Other times he did
without food and shelter. Paul lived a very rough life. In many
places, he was run out of town by people who didn’t like the message he
was preaching. Other places he was beaten and left for dead. He was
ship wrecked three times. He was thrown into prison numerous times.
Paul met his end when he was beheaded.
If there was ever a
man who served God faithfully enough that God should have spared him the
troubles of life, it was Paul. But Paul had a life filled with pain and
heartache despite his service of God.
Paul could have been
very bitter about his situation. Certainly we could understand it if he
was. However, Paul still thanked God. Paul was content. Because Paul
was content in his situation, he could find joy at all times, no matter
how frustrating his circumstance may have been.
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