Joy

As a church, we're following a series looking at how we can grow as human beings in Jesus Christ

and drawing particularly on something that comes up in one of Paul's letters

where Paul talks of fruit of the Spirit.

It's an image that just as fruit grows gradually,

so we have this vision within the New Testament that during the course of our lives,

God wants to continue growing things, spiritual realities within our lives.

And there is a list, not of different fruits, it's not the plural, it's a singular.

When Paul talks about fruit of the Spirit, spiritual fruit,

he talks about fruit but with different aspects of that fruit.

So the idea is that as we grow as Christians,

all of these things actually grow as reality in our lives.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Today we're thinking specifically about joy.

Our Gospel reading, which Carolyn is going to bring to us now,

picks up halfway through a piece of narrative in Luke's Gospel.

Just to paint the picture.

Jesus has been talking to his disciples about how being a Christian can be difficult.

He warns them, it's going to be tough, they're not in for an easy ride.

Then he prays for them and sends them out to go and to preach,

to take the message of good news to people and to pray for people that they may be healed.

And depending on which exact translation of Scripture you use,

either 70 or 72 of these people that Jesus has sent out,

they come back to Jesus really excited over the things that have been taking place

as they went out to minister to people.

And so we're going to join the story in Luke chapter 10

Luke 10 · chapter mention

as the disciples come back and tell Jesus everything that they have seen and heard.

Carolyn is going to read to us from Luke chapter 10, verse 17.

Luke 10:17

Thank you, Carolyn.

C.H. Spurgeon was a Baptist preacher and scholarly writer of the 1800s.

He was training a group of people to become preachers.

He was speaking to them one day about the importance of facial expression

when preaching and he said to them,

when you're talking about heaven,

then your faces should be full of joy.

They should express that sense of joy and happiness.

You should look bright.

You should look alive and full of joy.

When you're preaching about the subject of hell,

well, then your normal faces will do.

Don't know about you,

but I find coming to think about joy

as a fruit of the Spirit,

coming to think of it as something that God expects,

expects to grow in us as Christians

alongside these other things,

I find that, in fact,

the most challenging and the most difficult thing.

And the reason why I find it so challenging and so difficult

is I look at the other eight.

There's nine in this list.

I look at the other eight.

Love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

All of those seem to have something in common

that joy does not.

Because I think of those things,

and I think even though I might not feel those things

deep inside of me,

I can understand how God actually can enable me

by his grace to discipline those things.

So those things could be realities,

even though they might not match

the way I, or indeed any of us, feel.

Just think about it for a moment.

Love.

Now, you might not feel love.

Love can be a feeling,

but it's much more than that.

And I think we can all kind of get that,

that there will be times when love kicks into action,

when you don't perhaps feel it inside,

but you know what the right thing is to do.

Love makes sacrifices,

even when it might not feel an emotion inside.

Peace.

You might not feel at peace,

but it's something that somehow you can kind of give,

you can bring that about in people, in others.

Patience.

You might not feel inwardly like being patient,

but it can become an action that you're willing to wait,

even though it's hard.

Kindness.

Again, you may not feel like it,

but you can do it.

Goodness.

The same can be said of that.

And faithfulness.

And gentleness.

Self-control.

All of those things can be regarded as disciplines,

as things that God's Holy Spirit can nurture in us,

even when the way we feel inside

is telling us something very different.

But joy, it strikes me, is quite different.

It stands out on its own,

because I can't think of joy

and think of anything other than an apparent feeling

and an emotion.

And so I think to myself,

how do I make sense of that

when I just don't feel it inside?

Get this from the words of the Methodist funeral service, okay?

This is some of the words that are said in the service book

at the beginning of a Methodist funeral.

In the presence of death,

Christ offers us sure hope,

sorry, sure ground for hope

and confidence

and even joy.

Now think how the average feeling,

the place on the sort of emotional clock is

at your average funeral.

Most people, I would say,

are probably not in this kind of emotional state

that we would describe as joy

at that moment in our lives.

And yet it is there,

clearly,

in our liturgy.

And if we tended to think

that this is only some kind of secondary thing

as far as New Testament teaching is concerned,

think again.

Because the word joy

comes up approximately 60 times

in the New Testament.

And the summons to rejoice

comes up closer to 70 times

in the New Testament.

So this is no minor thing.

So as I read this,

it challenges me to the core

because I think,

how do I make sense of those times

when I don't feel a sense of joy inside

and yet it would seem

that if God's Holy Spirit

is active within me,

there is an expectation on God's part

that it ought to be a reality.

How do I make sense of that?

How do I make sense of that?

For one thing,

I'm challenged as to how I understand joy.

Because I'm tempted to think of it

as a feeling,

as an emotion.

Of course it can be.

But when I set it alongside

those other eight gifts of the Spirit,

fruit of the Spirit,

sorry,

love,

peace,

patience,

kindness,

goodness,

faithfulness,

gentleness,

self-control,

it would seem

that there is something

that goes beyond

emotion and feeling.

So let's be quite clear,

joy,

whilst it can be

an emotional feeling,

it's got to mean,

got to mean

something deeper

than that.

C.S. Lewis

talked about

joy as

something closer

to a sense of yearning,

a sense that we look

in our lives

and we see the realities

and our lives

darkened by circumstances,

but there's something

deep within us

that knows,

yearns for something

different and better

and senses that actually

there can be

and there will be.

And it's not reality yet,

but it will be.

And it's that sense,

that point of tension

that actually we can describe

as that sense of joy.

It's not always apparent,

but it's there.

It's there.

It's there.

But what about

that kind of

contrast that we see

between stuff

going on in our lives,

the way we feel,

and that challenge

to joy,

to have joy?

Well,

what I want to suggest

is perhaps

it is precisely

in that contradiction

or that apparent

contradiction

between how we feel

and what we read

in Scripture

that actually gives us

a practical way forward.

Let me say a bit more

about what I mean by that.

A couple of weeks ago

when I was preaching

here before,

I made reference

to a great Christian leader

called Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones.

He was,

for over 30 years,

pastor of Westminster Chapel

in London.

And Martin Lloyd-Jones,

who came from

medical background,

in 1964, 1965,

preached a series

of sermons

over the course

of a year

at Westminster Chapel,

which eventually

became published

in the book

Spiritual Depression.

And in that book,

even though it was written

over half a century ago now,

it still speaks

to our contemporary world,

I would say.

He takes,

as his central theme,

this idea

that we spend

too much time

listening to ourselves.

We spend too much time

listening to our emotions

and what our inner feelings

are telling us.

Whereas,

Martin Lloyd-Jones says,

we need to spend

less time

listening to ourselves

and more time

talking to ourselves.

Now,

when he said that,

he didn't mean

talking to yourselves

in the sort of way that,

I don't know about you,

but if I'm honest,

I do.

If I'm on my own,

and I'm saying,

Russell,

what are you doing?

Why did I come upstairs?

What did I come into

this room for?

Oh yeah,

I think I'll make myself

a cup of coffee.

He's not talking about

that kind of talking

to yourself.

He actually says,

we need to preach

to ourselves.

And what he means

by that is,

we don't just present

our own thoughts

to ourselves.

Instead,

we actually take

the words of Scripture,

even though,

no,

precisely because

they stand

in stark contradiction

with the way we feel,

and we bring

those truths

of Scripture

to bear

on our circumstances

and on our feelings.

He says this,

instead of allowing

the future

and thoughts of it

to grip you,

talk to yourself.

Remind yourself

of who you are

and what you are

and of what spirit

is within you.

And having reminded yourself

of the character

of the spirit,

you will be able

to go steadily forward,

fearing nothing,

living in the present,

ready for the future,

with one desire only,

to glorify him

who gave his all for you.

Rather than allowing

our culture,

allowing our circumstances

and our feelings

to dictate things,

we need to draw

on God's living word

precisely because

it contradicts

our feelings,

our circumstances

and our culture.

I read a book

not that long ago

called

The Happy Christian.

Now, if that sounds

a bit trivial to you,

it's actually quite

a serious book.

It was written by

a guy called

David Murray

who's a professor

of practical theology

and he looks

at two things.

He looks at the

theology of joy

and happiness

and he also looks

at the psychology,

what is known in psychology

as positive thinking,

as a serious science.

And he makes a number

of really,

really interesting observations

and he begins

his discourse

on The Happy Christian

by citing

some research,

not,

this isn't theological research,

this is psychology.

Psychology which says

that apparently,

and I acknowledge

that it's not

that easy

to sort of

quantify these things,

but it's generally

reckoned

by positive

psychologists

that

our circumstances

generally

only account

for about

10%

of our state

of mood.

10%.

So by circumstances

it could be

financial well-being,

it could be

the state

of relationships,

how happy

you are

in your job,

in your work,

how happy

you feel

at home.

Generally speaking,

the circumstances,

things external

to yourself,

those things

generally

only account

for about

10%

of your state

of mood

on average

at any given

time.

So what about

the other 90?

Well get this,

it's reckoned

that about

50%,

yes,

half,

half

of our

mood

is set

genetically.

It's in your

DNA.

You can't do

anything about it,

it's at a lower

base,

it will move

a little bit

like that,

but generally

speaking,

all of us

have about

ourselves

a state

of psychological

disposition

that can sort

of change,

but it's always

going to be

at a certain

ground base.

Now that may

bring you comfort,

it may not,

but that is

generally,

I can't

emphasise strongly

enough,

generally

reckoned

as a broad

brush

figure.

So the

mathematicians

among us

will be

thinking,

what were

the other

40%?

The other

40%,

it is

reckoned,

of our

mood

is connected

directly

to

our

daily

choices

and the

way that

we choose

to think.

That's

quite a

wake-up call,

isn't it?

Now you

could think

that's only

40%,

or you

could think

actually,

40%,

that's a

huge chunk.

If it is

the case

that the

way we

feel

can be

changed,

40%,

that's a

massive,

massive slab

of our

mood.

can be

changed

by the

way we

choose to

think.

Boy,

that's

huge.

That's

huge.

So,

with that

in mind,

what might

it be

about the

Christian

gospel,

what might

it be

that may

stand in

stark

contradiction

to our

circumstances

and how

we would

feel about

things

otherwise,

what might

it be

that we

can bring

to bear

on ourselves

and on

our

moods?

Well,

I took

my time

getting to

it,

but it's

here I

want to

turn to

the reading

from Luke's

gospel that

Haraline read

to us just

now.

And the

reason we

chose this

particular

passage,

and you

might be

thinking,

what on

earth has

this got

to do

with joy?

Because we've

got the

story of

Jesus who

sends out

his disciples,

they come

back,

they're

saying,

isn't this

amazing,

Lord,

that even

the demons

submit under

your name

and your

authority,

isn't this

great,

we're

seeing

healings

going on,

this is

absolutely

amazing,

and then

Jesus responds

to it,

what's that

got to do

with joy?

This is

what it's

got to

do with

joy.

In the

gospels,

this is

reckoned

to be

the only

incident

recorded

where we

see joy

in Jesus.

Now,

of course,

we can

point to

other places

where there's

references to

it indirectly,

for example,

in John's

gospel,

John 15,

where Jesus

is praying

that my

joy may

be in

you.

But this

is the

only actual

incident where

we see

Jesus

rejoicing,

and it is

specifically

stated that

he was

full of

joy.

Now,

that's

interesting

because three

times we're

told that

Jesus wept,

and yet

only one

incident in

Matthew,

Mark,

Luke,

and John

where we're

told specifically

and explicitly

that Jesus

was full

of joy

and was

rejoicing.

I don't

think that's

any accident.

There must

be a reason

why it is

singled out.

So what

might that

reason be?

Well,

think of the

context.

Jesus'

disciples,

and there's

70,

72 of

them,

come back

and are

talking about

all the

amazing things

that have

been happening.

but Jesus

says to

them,

do not

rejoice that

the spirits

submit to

you.

In other

words,

don't make

your source

of joy

the practical

things that

are going

on,

even if

they are

amazing.

But,

he says,

rejoice

that your

names are

written in

heaven.

And then

we're told

that Jesus,

full of joy,

and the

Holy Spirit

said,

I praise

you,

Father,

Lord of

heaven and

earth.

You see,

it's not

what we

do,

even if

it's amazing

Christian

ministry,

even if

you go

off and

you pray

for people

and they

are healed,

Jesus says

that's

nothing.

Don't

rejoice over

that.

It is

nothing by

comparison

to the

fact that

your names

are written

in heaven.

In other

words,

it's your

identity.

It's who

you are

in Christ.

Now,

I've already

told you

several times,

I'll say it

again in case

you haven't

gone,

I struggle

with joy.

There are

times when

I feel

down,

I feel

low,

and I

feel,

where is

this joy?

How can

I get

it?

But

there's

something

about

Christian

identity

that I

find,

even in

those

hardest

moments,

I sense

it's when

I begin

to connect

with that

truth and

think about

it,

that even

when life

may be at

its worst,

you know,

that doesn't

go away.

There is

always that

thing there

in our

identity

as Christians

that gives

us joy.

Back to

C.S.

Lewis'

yearning,

that sense

of longing,

no matter what

circumstances might

be like,

no matter how

we might be

feeling emotionally,

when we come

back to that

truth,

that our names

are written in

heaven,

that God

loves us,

that you are

a child of

God,

it is

something that

nothing can

take that

away,

nothing.

One final

story.

It's a true

story.

In the late

1930s,

a man called

John Blandford

walked into

a library

in New York.

He was going

through the

books on

the shelves,

pulling them

out and

browsing through

them,

when he

noticed in

one particular

book on

the fly

leaf,

there was

a signature.

Somebody had

written her

name.

The woman

was called

Hollis

Maynell.

And not

only did it

have her

name,

it had her

address.

Well, he

borrowed the

book and he

kept looking

at this and

his curiosity

got the

better of

him.

He eventually

wrote to

Hollis

Maynell at

the address.

A few

weeks passed

and he

had a

reply.

To cut

a long

story short,

this led

to a

friendship.

They

became pen

pals and

they wrote

to one

another.

Eventually,

the Second

World War

broke out

and he

was called

up to

go and

fight in

Europe.

During

that time,

as a

soldier,

he continued

to write,

to exchange

letters with

Hollis

Maynell.

He

realised

over the

months,

he was

becoming

more and

more attracted

to this

woman that

he had

never

seen but

only read

her letters.

He asked

for her

to send

him a

photo but

she refused

three times.

Eventually,

John Blanford

was on

leave one

Christmas and

so he wrote

to Hollis and

said,

is there any

possibility that

we could meet

up?

She wrote

back and

agreed.

And she

arranged,

she agreed

to meet

at Grand

Central Station

in New

York.

He asked

her,

how will

we recognise

one another?

He said,

I will be

wearing my

soldier's

uniform and

I'll be

holding a

copy of

that book

and I'll

hold it

in the

air.

But how

will I

recognise

you?

Hollis

wrote back

and said,

I will be

wearing a

red rose.

Now,

rather than

me try and

tell the

story,

let me

give it

to you

in the

words of

the man

himself.

Finally,

the day

came.

I walk

into Grand

Central Station.

There are

hundreds of

people milling

around.

I'm searching

for this

woman who

has captured

my heart

and suddenly

out of the

crowd steps

a young

woman.

She has

long fair

hair and

is dressed

in green.

It seemed

as if

springtime

was bursting

out of

her.

I was

captivated,

so captivated

I omitted

to notice

that she

was not

wearing a

rose.

She smiled

at me.

She jiggled

her hips

and as she

walked by

she looked

back and

said,

go in my

way,

soldier.

I was

about to

follow her

but suddenly

out of the

corner of

my eye

I saw

the woman

wearing

the rose.

she was

older,

much older

than I

had thought

she would

be.

She had

a little

knitted hat

on to

keep out

the cold

and a

long brown

overcoat

that made

its way

down to

sensible

flat brown

shoes.

She wore

little round

glasses and

carried a

silver tipped

cane.

I desperately

wanted to

go after

the young

woman in

green but

then I

thought,

no,

no,

this lady

has sustained

me through

the long

months of

the war.

This won't

be romance

but it

might be

something

deeper.

I did

not hesitate.

I walked

up to the

woman with

the rose

and said,

my name

is John

Blanford,

you must

be Hollis

Manel,

could I

take you

to dinner?

The elderly

lady half

smiled,

half scowled.

Young man,

she said,

I have no

idea what

all this

is about

but the

young woman

in green

who just

went by

begged me

to wear

this rose.

And she

said that

if you

were to

invite me

to dinner

she will

be waiting

for you

in the

big restaurant

across the

road.

Apparently,

young man,

it was

some kind

of test.

True story.

Now,

she may

have been

good looking

but boy

was she

clever.

You see,

she was

bright enough

to know

that though

she might

have been

very physically

attractive,

the time

would come

when looks

will pass.

She knew

and she

understood

that there

is something

far deeper,

far more

profound about

human relationships

than the

way that

we look.

She knew

that and

she prized

it.

When Jesus

says,

rejoice

because your

names are

written in

heaven,

he's talking

about a

relationship.

He's talking

about a

relationship

with one

that we

cannot see

now.

He's

talking about

a relationship

that is the

most important

relationship

that anybody

can ever

talk about

and ever

have.

He's talking

about a

relationship

that throughout

the course

of our lives

we will never

ever actually

see what

that other

party in

that relationship

looks like.

Why?

Because that

relationship,

and remember

it's the most

important one,

is hidden.

Hidden away

and out of

sight.

it's

precisely

because of

that,

that by

faith,

when we

just touch

on it,

just for a

moment,

we can

find joy

like nothing,

nothing else.