Sermons
A Pervasive Joy
Series: The Way Of The CrossA PERVASIVE JOY
Sermon By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / November 04, 2018
This past Tuesday evening, Jeannie and I had the privilege of being dinner guests in Garrettsville at the home of Dave & Patricia Cooper & Lois Arnold (Pat's mother). Pat is a wonderful cook. Pat and Lois and Pat's sister-in-law (from Missouri) took a family
road trip a few weeks ago. Pat drove and they covered some 3,000 or so miles in nine days, traveling to Niagara Falls and then up
to the far northeast - - New Hampshire, Vermont and Bar Harbor, Maine and then back thru Boston, Sleepy Hollow, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Gettsyburg and the Flight 93 memorial. I told Pat that I wanted to hear a blow by blow account of their excursion
(it was a sneaky way of getting a dinner invitation). It was one of the most amazing trips you could imagine. I told Pat she needs
to write a book. I could spend the next half-hour telling you stories of their Chevy Chase-like adventure that would make you roll with laughter. On their way home they swung by Valley Forge. After a brief visit they got on the PA Turnpike. After several miles heading westward (back toward Ohio) they decided to exit the turnpike for a meal. When they came to the exit their were toll booths, but they did not have a ticket. Pat assumed it was one of those highways where they photograph your license plate and
send you a bill in the mail. The toll worker told Pat, there's only two options - - either you have a ticket or you have an easy-pass. Pat quickly informed him that there was obviously a third option, because they had neither a ticket nor an easy pass.
Apparently, due to lots of construction, they had not noticed they had entered the turnpike at an access point that said:
EASY-PASS ONLY ENTRANCE. They were billed for the whole length of the turnpike - -but they did secure a refund.
This morning we want to bring to a close our sermon series on, The Way Of The Cross.
I hope that these messages over the past three months have been both informative and inspirational.
My aim in preaching is not to just educate us in the Word of God, but to help us draw nearer to God.
Actually that's a good target for every sermon series, but it was especially the goal for this particular series.
As His disciples, Jesus implores us to take up our cross and follow Him.
The apostle Peter has written, Christ has left us an example that we should follow in His steps (1Pet.2:21).
In his first epistle, the apostle John writes (1Jn.2:6) - -
the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
To facilitate our study of this very important theme of traveling the way of the cross we chose nine key words.
Sincerity...Single-mindedness...Surrender...Self-Denial...Submission...Sacrifice...Servitude...and Suffering.
Our last word is Joy - - if you prefer one final “S” word, we can call it - - Satisfaction or Shalom.
Last Sunday we looked at a hard-to-grasp text related to suffering. Col.1:24 - -
I rejoice in my suffering for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body
(which is the church) in filling up that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions.
This morning I want us to visit another hard-to-understand passage found in Heb.12:1-3 - -
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance,
and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has
endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
for the JOY set before Him - - what a strange and ironic way of describing Jesus' view of the cross.
We understand the agony of the cross, the pain of the cross, the curse of the cross and the horror of the cross.
But to speak of the JOY of the cross is almost more than we can fathom.
Many explain this verse saying - - In His suffering, Jesus focused on the joy of salvation that would come to others by virtue of the cross. Such is certainly true, but I don't think this interpretation captures the fullest meaning of this text.
In my thinking, there is something missing in this explanation that doesn't do justice to the mind of Christ.
Jesus did not just endure the cross in anticipation of the joy that would redound to others.
Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was His in the very event of the cross itself.
Sam Storms has written: “Joy is not necessarily the absence of suffering, it is the presence of God”.
The cross was not just a plan of redemption, it was GOD'S PLAN. For Jesus, the cross was an
instrument that would plant Him most intimately into the presence and will of God The Father.
No human in their right mind would desire crucifixion. Lk.22:39-44 specifies that Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane on the night before the cross - - three times, very fervently and his sweat became like drops of blood - -
Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.
It is my contention that THE JOY Jesus endured by means of the cross was the JOY OF OBEDIENCE.
We typically have heard lessons about the need for obedience; the blessings from obedience and
maybe even a message about the secret to obedience, but we almost never talk about the JOY of obedience.
As I said earlier, I am here this morning to both educate us inspire us.
The Holy Scriptures are speaking to us at this very moment about a vital concept - - the JOY OF OBEDIENCE.
This idea, woefully neglected though it may be, is absolutely critical to walking the way of the cross.
One could say, correctly I might add, that JOY is a chief by-product of OBEDIENCE.
One seldom ever thinks of seeking JOY through obedience. Biblically speaking, joy is not found by
seeking it, joy comes as a serendipity (an unexpected blessing) discovered while in the pursuit of God's will.
It originates in a heart filled with thanksgiving for what God has done for us.
As Karl Barth has succinctly noted, “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude”.
It is impossible to imagine that a pervasive joy could ever be maintained by a person with an ungrateful heart.
Joy also springs from a true heart - - a mind that is set on doing the will of God - - an obedient heart.
One of the sayings Jesus spoke from the cross was, It is finished.
This one-word declaration (tetelestai) is often read through the lens of sorrow and suffering.
As if Jesus is saying, “finally, the suffering has drawn to a bitter but final end”.
Perhaps a better understanding of this saying, it is finished, would be to view it as an expression of satisfaction.
As in, “mission accomplished!”
I make this observation based on other texts in John's Gospel. Jn.4:34 records this well-known statement from Jesus:
My meat/food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.
Jn.6:38 echoes the same - - I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent me.
Heb.10:5 & 10 the writer of the book of Hebrews describes the work of Jesus by referencing Ps.40:7 - -
Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says...'Behold, I have come to do Thy will, O God.'
So Jesus sojourns among us on earth for three decades, ever focused on doing God's will.
At the age of about 30, for the next three years Jesus preaches and teaches about the importance of doing God's will.
Remember His words (Mt.7:21) - - Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter
the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
Could it be that It if finished is not a sigh of a suffering about to end, but rather an utterance of joyful triumph!
Jesus was about to culminate His ministry by having continued to do the will of God even in the face of the cross.
Now, let me hasten to the punch line of this sermon (this entire series).
When we speak of the way of the cross, we are not just talking about the way of Jesus.
We are also emphasizing of the way we must travel as we seek to follow Christ.
So what about us, as the Body of Christ? ARE WE A JOY-FILLED CHURCH?
Elton Trueblood once wrote: “I don't trust the theology of any person who doesn't laugh.”
We're all familiar with the expression, “happy hour”. Shouldn't this term define our assemblies?
We must have about us a pervasive joy! And such ought to be clearly seen on our faces.
Prov.15:13 states, A joyful heart makes a cheerful face. Dudley Hall has written - -
“Countenance is a press conference that your face calls to give the state of (the) union of your soul.”
When we read the Acts and the epistles we are struck by a pervasive joy that defines the early Christians.
Acts 13:53 states, the disciples were continually filled with joy.
We might be prone to say, “But you don't know what I am going through.”
This brings us to the precise meaning of the title of today's sermon - - a pervasive joy.
As we all surely are aware, the first-century Christians suffered greatly, but such difficulties - - trials & troubles … sufferings & sorrows … persecutions & threats of death - - failed to extinguish nor diminish their joy.
Js.1:2 / Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials.
1Pet.4:16 / if anyone suffers as a Christians, let him not be ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God.
We could take the next fifteen minutes and rehearse verse after verse testifying of the joy of the
early saints, but surely, even with just a recitation of these few verses, we get the point.
Listen - - we are going to have down days, times of sorrow and heartache, even days when we don't feel like smiling.
We will face a plethora of difficulties as we embark on a lifelong journey with Christ.
Not one is denying there will be hard times and heavy burdens to bear.
But through in all and in it all we must be filled with joy - - a bonafide joy that is readily visible to all around us.
We've employed some words in this series that we don't usually think of as being the kissin' cousins of joy:
surrender...self-denial...submission...sacrifice...servitude...and suffering.
But when all of these daily actions of service to God and others are wrapped up with a deep-down sense of
gratitude and a loyal heart determined to obey the will of God, a fountain of never-ending JOY springs forth.
To an unbelieving world this pervasive job is quite incredible - - almost impossible to explain.
It is what the apostle Paul refers to as the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension (Philp.4:7).
Living a life of pervasive joy comes when, in the midst of a world of concerns and sometimes
deep hurt, our unswerving focus remains on the loving care of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This is what the Hebrews called “shalom” - - the ultimate expression of peace and contentment.
This is real satisfaction - - a strong and joyful confidence even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
We have kept the faith; our eyes have stayed fixed on Jesus; and we have remained obedient to God through it all.
