9 Essentials to Living the Christian Life: Joy

that looks for ways to avoid serving Christ, find serving Christ hard, drudgery, something to be avoided at any opportunity. When it rains on Sunday, you're glad that you get to sleep in on occasion. I want folks who go after it with joy. And that's where we're going this morning. Let's pray as we begin.

Lord, this day we come before you asking for a measure of understanding about that grace that deepens our delight in you. That gives us an inexpressible joy as we live in you and for you and through you. Guide us in our thinking. open our hearts and minds to the truths contained in your word this day. For it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Number seven, joy. An essential trait of the Christian life. If you are doing our chart, joy goes in the top left corner.

and our text is 1 Peter 1. Verse 8 is your memory verse, and I'll use verses 8 and 9 in our study for today.

1 Peter 1.8, and you folks will notice sometimes the verse I give, I've done a little translation myself, so it doesn't follow just exactly the NIV, because I've gone in and looked and tried to be sure we capture exactly what the Greek text says. But Peter writes, Though you have not seen Him, and that Him is Christ, you love Him, and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and greatly rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. If you would do something for me, I usually do this. The NIV doesn't capitalize the pronouns when they refer to Christ. Would you capitalize all those H's in that verse?

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. and even though you do not see him, you believe in him, those are all capital H's. That's Jesus Christ.

I think we ought to say this verse in a personal way. I would encourage you if you are memorizing these things, which I think would be worthwhile, that you learn this verse in the first person. Though I have not seen him, I love Him. And even though I do not see Him now, I believe in Him with an inexpressible

and greatly rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy. For I am receiving the goal of my faith, the salvation of my soul.

The context for this passage is Peter, everybody knows who Peter is, one of the great saints. Peter is writing to, as he says, God's elect scattered throughout the world, likely both Gentile and Jewish Christians who are particularly located in what we would now call the country of Turkey. He wrote to Christians in those Roman provinces in Asia Minor, which is the area of the world we call Turkey. He writes to them because they're persecuted. If you read the whole book of 1 Peter, it becomes pretty apparent that these folks are suffering persecution for their faith.

Likely, likely Peter wrote during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero. And if you remember anything about Nero, he was not always the kindest of Roman emperors to Christians. In fact, at one point he would take Christians in the city of Rome and use them as human torches for his festivals and his circuses in Rome. That was after the great fire that burned down Rome in July of AD 64 and Nero wanted some scapegoats to blame when some of his political opponents were blaming him for the fire. And it may be true that Nero set the fire because he wanted to rebuild Rome and he had some opposition.

So it may be he just set it on fire himself or had people do it. But he blamed the Christians. So Peter writes to persecuted Christians, not in Rome, but in the area we call Turkey. It's always interesting to me that Scripture so often seems, when it talks about persecution of Christians, to at the same time talk about joy. It talks about joy, I think, because it is that quality that sustains, even in the most difficult of times.

And today I want us to talk about, for a few minutes, foundations of inexpressible and glorious joy.

In a sense, this is a hard lesson to teach. I've struggled with this one. And one reason I've struggled is what we talk about is inexpressible. And we'll talk more about what that means in a moment. The first foundation

for inexpressible and glorious joy is faith.

Even though I do not see Him now, I believe in Him. And I am receiving the goal of my faith, the salvation of my soul. Faith always has an object. When somebody says, do you have faith? If it's not clear it's Christ, you need to ask them, in whom or in what are you saying I should have faith?

In our culture today, we'll talk about faith as if you can separate it from the object of faith. To say, I have faith, is to be an incomplete sentence in a sense. Faith always has in mind an object. And while our culture wants to get away from that idea that you have to have an object, Faith is no better than that which is believed. And to have faith apart from Christ is to have something that is worthless.

Faith always has an object. And here in this text, it's you believe in Him. Literally, it's you believe into Him in the Greek text. You believe into Christ. And the idea is that we unite with Him, we join with Him, We become a part of Him in this journey of faith.

The goal of this faith is the salvation of our souls, the text says. And we need to be careful here. When this word soul is used here, it's translating a Greek word, but there's not a sense that we're just saving our spirits. It's not this division of spirit and body here. here is used it's meaning this salvation is the salvation of the entire person so it's the saving of really ourselves the saving of our spirits our bodies our entire beings that are being saved here but if you don't have this foundation of faith if you don't have the object of your faith is Christ if you cannot say I'm achieving the goal of my faith, the salvation of my soul, then you can't have this inexpressible and glorious joy.

You can have a type of joy, we're going to talk about it in a minute, but you cannot, you cannot, you cannot have this inexpressible, this glorious joy apart from Jesus Christ. That's where it is. You want joy? You find Jesus Christ. And you get in Him.

and you live with him.

And you work for the salvation of your soul. Salvation, it's interesting, the text speaks sort of in the present tense in verse 9 of 1 Peter 1, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Isn't that odd? We usually think of salvation as a past event. I was saved at one time, and there is a real sense, is there not, Most of us in this room, salvation is a past event.

There was a point in time in the past when we came to faith in Christ. But I think Scripture is clear that salvation is bigger than just the past event. There is a present tense aspect to salvation. We not only were saved, we are right now being saved in the sense that we are growing in the gift of God's grace. more and more we should be if we're Christians more and more of what Christ wants us to be and in that sense we are being saved and salvation is also a future event we will be saved there is a point in time when our salvation will be complete when that which we have hoped for that which has been part of our faith becomes absolute reality so we were saved we will be saved.

And this salvation that comes through faith is a real foundation for inexpressible and glorious joy. You remember that old country song, looking for love in all the wrong places? Well, you know, there are a lot of people that are looking for joy in all the wrong places. Our culture says you can find it in all sorts of things. They are wrong.

You can only find inexpressible. and glorious joy in Him. In Him. Do not be deceived. There is no other place to go for this if you want real joy.

Second foundation, love. Love. The text says, though you have not seen Him, you love Him. So this love here is, again, not a love that's devoid of an object. The object of our love is Jesus Christ.

And that love is expressed in loyal obedience.

Do you love Jesus?

Do you love Jesus? Thank you!

this love is not to be silent.

It's to be real. It's to be expressed. It's to be lived.

I don't... And you know, isn't it odd, even those who don't think much of the Christian faith typically are very reluctant to say anything bad about Jesus. You just got to love Jesus. You just, the Lord of the universe, and let those little kids come to me. Disciples, don't stop them.

The Lord of the universe that will talk to a prostitute in a way that is so kind and tender.

Amazing.

And he died for you. and he died for me. We love him because he first loved us. Do you get that tingly feeling sometimes when you're around somebody you love? You ever felt it?

You know, I feel it

when I snuggle up next to Louise in the early morning. You know how two spoons kind of fit together?

Well, we kind of like to get together in bed and just be two spoons, snuggled up to one another. And down deep inside, there's that not only love, but there's a joy. And there's something about this inexpressible and glorious joy that comes out of a loving relationship of Jesus Christ. We have not seen him, folks. We didn't see him incarnate on earth, to whom Peter was writing, but though we have not seen him, we can still love him because we know him.

We know about him. And he's real in our lives. And it's that love that is a key foundation for this joy. A third foundation is hope. Hope.

I get the two verses I quoted don't actually use the word hope, but I think hope is implied in them. Peter has used the word hope in the preceding verses. But the text in verse 8 says, even though you do not see Him now, and that sense is that even though you don't see Him now, it's implied that you're going to see Him. That one day you will see Him. And that's the hope we have because of the faith through which we are saved, and because of Christ's love for us, we have this hope that one day we will see Him.

So that our hope is hope that one day we will see Christ. It is a living hope. If you have your Bibles open, 1 Peter 1, verse 3 says, this salvation we have, this new birth, into a living hope. It is not a dead hope. It is a living hope.

And that word hope does not mean what the way, hope in the way we often use it. Hope is, I hope it will snow tomorrow so I don't have to go to work. Well, we don't know if it's going to snow. We just would like it to. That's not the way hope is used here.

Hope here is a confident conviction and a confident expectation that we will receive that which has been promised by God. We have a living hope that is a reality that one day we will have what God promised. Of what are we hopeful specifically? We are hopeful, I think it's implied, that one day we will see Christ. him now, implied we will one day see him. And we also hope for, as 1 Peter 1, 4 says, we hope for an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

We hope for eternity with Christ in a place, in a city with foundations whose architect and builder is God, a place that can never perish, spoil, or fade.

The result of faith, hope, and love is an inexpressible and glorious joy, as the text says. Don't you love that verse? I looked at a lot of verses about joy, but when I hit this one that says, and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. Those words, inexpressible and glorious, I think really capture the kind of joy we have.

Now, let me make several observations about this inexpressible and glorious joy. First, can unbelievers experience joy? Those who do not have this faith, this hope and this love that we have, can they experience joy? I think the answer is yes, in a sense. God is gracious. He scatters joy around. And even unbelievers, by God's common grace, can experience a measure of joy. They can experience a measure of joy in children and in spouses and in sunrises and in sunsets. But the difference in joy between the unbeliever and the believer is enormous. The unbeliever cannot experience the inexpressible and the glorious joy of which we speak. Let me try to illustrate the difference. A person can eat a piece of bread with butter and enjoy the experience of eating. But a person who eats a piece of bread with butter and honey knows something about the joy of eating that the first person will never know.

Joy apart from the Lord is but natural joy. Joy in the Lord touches the supernatural. A person who finds joy only in the gifts the Lord provides loses that joy when the gift is no longer. A person whose joy is in the Lord can find joy not only in the gifts, but when the gifts are no more, his joy remains because he has the giver. A person who experiences joy apart from the Lord has only a temporary joy that will cease, while a person in the Lord has an eternal joy that will never, never end.

So, as the text says, we greatly rejoice.

and that word you can't just translate it in English as some English translations do we rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy you've got to say we greatly rejoice or we rejoice with extreme joy it's a word that just magnifies the joy the word inexpressible is only used here in the New Testament I love finding these Greek words that are only used one time in the New Testament the word in our English translations inexpressible is only used one time and it's right here. And when we say this joy is inexpressible, we mean that words are insufficient to express it. We can try and we're going to try today to express it, but words cannot sufficiently describe it. Human words fail to capture its full meaning. And the reality is that this inexpressible joy is something that must be experienced in order to begin to grasp it.

You can't just have a head knowledge about it. It's got to touch you deep in your being. You've got to experience it to know it. It's called glorious joy because it is a joy of exquisite value that is exceedingly excellent. And it's the kind of joy that moves us to burst into song and into praise for our Lord.

And in fact, Peter begins verse 3 right after he introduces himself and says hello to those to whom he's writing. He says, praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. that's what happens when we are touched by this inexpressible and glorious joy this joy is a divine gift but it's a divine gift that we are earnestly to seek galatians 5 22 says the fruit of the spirit is love joy it's something that we get by being in christ and is given by his spirit but other passages of scripture make it clear we are to seek it. In fact, we are commanded to have joy in our lives. Paul says rejoice, imperative command in the Lord.

It's a gift, but then we are to seek it at the same time. My question for you is, have you tasted this joy? Have you tasted and experienced this glorious and inexpressible joy? If you have, you'll know it. If you haven't, you will know that as well.

Maybe you've tasted it, gotten glimpses of it. Maybe when, maybe your experience has been like mine. I've tasted it when I have, on an early morning in the summer, gone out on the beach to watch the sunrise. And as I stand by that vast ocean, And I see that sun peak over the horizon. There's something inexpressible and glorious.

Maybe you've been in the mountains and seen the sunset. And as the sun sets, you've seen the panorama of purples and blues and oranges and yellows. And down deep, you sense that inexpressible and glorious joy. Maybe it's the rainbow. Isn't there something wondrous about those rainbows?

Have you ever been at the beach and seen a full one? From one end of the rise and the other? I have. And there's something inexpressible, glorious there. Maybe you've experienced this inexpressible and glorious joy in a measure when you've held a child and held that great gift from the great giver.

Maybe you've experienced it and tasted it in the intimate clutches of a spouse.

Music, I think, moves us to touch and taste this inexpressible and glorious joy. We were at the Louise Mandrell concert last night in Pigeon Forge. How many of you know who Louise Mandrell is? I told my son we were going to hear Louise Mandrell.

I said, oh, she's a sister, Barbara Mandrell. You know who she is.

I don't know much about Louise Mandrell's history. I went expecting to just hear country music, and we heard some of that, and we heard some rock and other things. And I don't know much about her history. that woman has tasted the inexpressible and glorious joy as in the middle of the concert she stopped and she began to give her testimony about Jesus Christ and God. She stopped and said, Oh, don't worry about me talking about God here.

This is the Louise Mandrell Theater. I'll say what I want here. And she began to sing, Oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior forever. Leaning on the everlasting arms. Give me that old time religion.

I've got a home in glory land that outshines the sun.

As the tears formed on my face, I knew I was tasting that inexpressible and glorious joy. I've tasted it before. I tasted it on a trip to New England with my family, riding in the car when I plugged in the tape and began to listen to the National Christian Choir singing, Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing.

and I was captured by the joy, and tears began to run down my face. My son said, he was very young at the time, Dad, what's the matter? And I couldn't talk.

I remember being in Florida,

where a choir began to sing, All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name. And we were seated, and it just wasn't right. And somebody stood and then another and another. And suddenly we were all singing with the choir, all hail the power of Jesus' name. I tasted that inexpressible and glorious joy.

I tasted it in my home when I was all alone. When I cranked up the hallelujah chorus as loud as it would go on the stereo. And I was the sopranos and the altos all at one time. And I sounded good.

And I tasted the inexpressible and glorious joy. And I taste it when I hear amazing grace. When we've been there 10,000 years bright, shining as the sun. When I die, folks, somebody stand up and sing amazing grace. Sing amazing grace.

C.S. Lewis said there's a kind of joy that makes one serious there's a kind of joy that makes one serious it's the joy that sustains through every difficulty the joy that no one can ever ever ever take from us they can't take it from us because our joy is not about anything ultimately in this world they cannot take away my faith they cannot take away my Lord and they cannot take away the inheritance that awaits me in heaven and the reality of that is what sustained believers through the most difficult of persecutions

this is the kind of joy for which believers have gladly given their all in the past in order to have it as the apostle Paul said troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all so we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen for what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal and he would say in Romans 8 18 I do not consider the sufferings of this life worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us he knew that inexpressible and glorious joy that awaited persevered. Abraham went out not knowing where he was going when he was called by God because he was looking forward to a city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. He knew the joy that awaited him. Jesus Christ endured the cross knowing the joy that awaited him in heaven. And I always loved the picture of Paul and Silas imprisoned in Philippi at midnight when they should have been down and out and hurting and feeling sorry for themselves.

What were those two great saints doing?

And their singing in the midst of that persecution was a testimony that was enormous.

Where's our joy? Where's our joy? Here are our lessons for life. It is right and good to seek your own joy.

So long as you seek it in Christ. It's alright to want to be joyful. It's alright to go after it. It took me a long time to learn that in the Christian life. I thought the Christian life was all about duty.

Doing the right thing even though you didn't want to do it. Gritting your teeth.

Obeying. But it was a burden. Until one day, the Lord showed me, it's my delight. And there's a whole different cast of the Christian life when you view it as a delight to serve your Lord than just a mere duty. Seek your own joy in Christ.

Memorize Psalm 73, 25, Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. That's pretty powerful. Now he's speaking in ultimate things. There's a sense that we have some lesser desires.

But he's talking about ultimate things. When it comes to ultimate things, there's nothing I desire besides him. The psalmist said. Thirdly, laugh more, sing more, and love more.

need to be more joyous. It should pervade what we do. We need to be a little more Pentecostal.

I'm not joking now. I'm serious about this. We need a little more outward expression of joy. We were with friends last night after the concert and we were talking about some of the music and particularly the Christian aspect to it. Somebody was in a different denomination, neither Pentecostal nor Baptist, and said, well, we're just not supposed to be happy at church on Sunday.

I mean, we're just not supposed to be. You know, that's, what would we do? If anybody, and they were serious, I mean, their services were very staid and, you know, controlled, and you never, never, never varied from the, and you just left bored and tired and just wish you hadn't been there.

Unfortunately, we are not joyous enough. May we be. Ask God through His Spirit to give you joy. I think we need to pray for it. Seek it, you'll find it.

But you've got to ask. I think we need to start counting and keep on counting our blessings. Count your blessings. During the day, thank God for the big things He's given you and the little things. The ordinary things and the extraordinary things.

We really ought to be thankful for each meal. It's an ordinary thing. We take it for granted. But then we ought to be thankful for the extraordinary things He gives us.

Like spouses and children. Salvation and hope.

We're not grateful enough. Walk the beach. Climb the mountains. see the joy and anticipate the heavenly joy. I have some friends who

there are just a few who are like this, but some who want heaven a lot more than they want earth. They really look forward to going home. I love to be around Christians who want to be in heaven more than on earth. I'm not saying we aren't here for a purpose and we want to serve it. But I like to be around people who are ready to go home because they anticipate the heavenly joy.

Maybe in our last lesson I will tell you about my thoughts about heaven. I've written them down. I've thought about what I will see, what I will smell, what I will feel when I get to heaven.

but I'm afraid my words don't express it well enough and we're out of time today but have you thought about what it will be like to be there

how bright the colors will be

what will the aromas of heaven be winter daphne I think maybe magnolias

we'll talk of such glorious things again let's pray

Lord you are a wondrous God who has given us so much

fill us with joy fill us with delight because Lord that joy and delight will sustain us even through difficult times because it will be in those things never be taken from us.

I pray, Lord, that we will be people who worship more, who sing of your glory more, who long deeply and passionately to be in your service because we have found him who gives exceedingly great joy and we want each day to live and serve him. Give us that inexpressible and glorious joy. In Christ's name, amen.