WHAT WOULD JESUS PRAY

SEVEN THINGS JESUS PRAYS FOR YOU

JOY

JOHN 17:13

 

Last Sunday we began a new seven-week series of messages called: WHAT WOULD JESUS PRAY.  I mentioned that the Lord’s Prayer is not the Lord’s Prayer.

 

It’s not the Lord’s Prayer in that Jesus would not have prayed that prayer himself.  He gave it as a model prayer.  He said this is how you should pray.  But it wasn’t a prayer that Jesus would pray.

 

As far as Jesus’ prayers go, the real Lord’s Prayer is found in John chapter 17.  In this chapter, we will discover seven things that Jesus prays for us.

 

Last week, we saw where Jesus prayed that we would experience eternal life.  Today we are going to see that Jesus prayed that we might experience joy and what that really means.

 

Netflix streamed a series called Tidying Up.  The show featured a Japanese woman by the name of Marie Kondo.  The program was advertised this way: “In a series of inspiring home makeovers, world-renowned tidying expert Marie Kondo helps clients clean out the clutter and choose joy.  All in an effort to “spread the sparkle of joy in the world.”

 

She wrote a book that was an international best-seller, selling 8 million copies.  It was on the New York Times best-seller list for two years.

 

Here is just one example of how she suggests you de-clutter your house.  Take all your clothes.  Put them into a pile.  Pick up each piece of clothing and hold it close to yourself and ask, “do I feel a sparkle of joy?”  If not, you thank the clothing: “Thank you for keeping me warm.  Thank you for being stylish when I bought you back in 1908.”  (admit it. You have some clothes you’re holding on to hoping they will come back into style).  After you thank the clothing, you get rid of it.  You do this to discover the joy of a de-cluttered life.

 

Do you need to de-clutter your life?  More importantly, do you need to discover joy?  Joy can be an elusive quality.  But joy is a powerful, spiritual, God-sent blessing that he wants us to experience on an ongoing basis.

 

Joy is the second thing that Jesus prays for us in John 17.  READ JOHN 17:13.  Jesus prayed this prayer for us on the eve of his dying on the cross for our sins.  As he was facing death, his prayer was that we might experience joy.

 

Let’s pray and then we’ll get into the message. PRAYER.

 

First of all, let’s consider…….

 

1.THE PRESENCE OF JOY

 

The presence of joy in our lives as believers.  I am sure you are familiar with oxymorons.  Two contrasting words, when put side by side, make no sense when they are used to describe something.  Here are several examples:

 

Jumbo Shrimp……Civil War…..Partially complete……Sure Bet…..Alone Together……Deafening Silence…..Bitter Sweet…..Original Copy….Pretty Ugly

Awfully Good….Honest Thief….Minor Crisis….Controlled Chaos…Small Crowd

Sweet Sorrow…..Unbiased Opinion…..Wise Fool…..Seriously Funny

SHORT SERMON.

 

Here’s another one:  JOYLESS CHRISTIAN.  Can there really be such a person?  After all one of the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in the believer is JOY.

 

Jesus prayed that we might have his joy.  In fact, he prayed that we might know THE FULL MEASURE of his joy.  Jesus wants us to have a joy that permeates our lives.  A joy that just oozes out of every pore.

 

Now, some people think that joy is an emotion.  And it is.  But it more than an emotion.  Joy is commanded.  Remember this verse from our study through Philippians last year.  Let’s say the verse together.  And remember to shout out the last word as loud as you can:

 

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: REJOICE!” -Philippians 4:4

 

Since joy is commanded, joy is a choice.  Every day, we should wake up and choose joy.

 

Jesus prayed for us to have joy.  The Holy Spirit produces joy in us.  We are commanded in Scripture to have joy.  Should we not have joy in our hearts and lives?

 

Now joy is not the same thing as happiness.  In fact, I did a word study on the word joy in the original Greek language.  The word happiness is never used as a synonym for joy.  Delight and gladness; gladness of heart are.  But not happiness.

 

Happiness depends on having good circumstances.  Happiness comes when we have those moments of happiness: when the bill is paid off; when you get a good grade; when you get a pay raise.

 

But joy has nothing to do with external circumstances.  Joy is independent of our circumstances.  Joy does not depend on our financial portfolio and how the stock market is doing.  Joy does not depend on our kids’ grades, the house we live in or the car we drive, or our health.

 

We can experience joy despite our circumstances.  We can have joy even when our circumstances do not bring us any happiness.

 

The apostle Paul would be the last person you would think would have any reason for joy.  He was sitting in a prison cell.  And yet he wrote the joy book of the Bible: Philippians.  Joy transcends our circumstances.  You can have joy amidst the trials of life.

 

My word study on joy referenced the following sources of joy: our faith; the hope we have in Christ; other believers; God Himself.

 

If I were to attempt to come up with a definition of joy, in part, it would be this;  Joy is an inner strength that gets us through tough times.  Joy is the quality that buoys us during the tidal waves of life.  Joy lifts us up and sustains us.  Joy calms our souls.

 

This leads us to the second joy lesson this morning:

 

2.THE PERSPECTIVE OF JOY

 

Some personalities are just pre-disposed to happiness.  Others aren’t.  You learn not to ask some people how they are doing because you’re afraid they’ll tell you.  You know the type of person I’m talking about.  You ask them how they are and you’ll get a long litany of their troubles and complaints.

 

Other people just seem to be constantly cheerful.  I think my personality is like that.  I am happy most of the time.  I tend to look on the bright side.  I am an optimist.  You can ask Dawn.  If I am standing at death’s door, with my finger on the doorbell, and you were to ask me how I am doing, I would tell you I’m fine.

 

But having joy is not where you go around being happy all the time.  Joy is not where you walk around with a grin glued to your face.

 

It is a myth that the Christian life is a life full of happiness all the time.  The Christian life is not problem-free and pain-free.  Being a Christian does not exempt any of us from the troubles and sorrows of life.  Jesus said that in this world we would have trouble.  But we can take heart because he has overcome the world!

 

We’re human.  We’re going to have trouble and it’s going to get to us from time to time.  We’re going to experience heartbreak.  We have to deal with worries and fears, right?  We worry about our kids and our grandkids.  We worry about our finances and our health.  Jesus said, do not worry.  But we do.  Why? Because we’re human.  We all wrestle with worry, anxiety, and fears.  I do.  You do.

 

Bible characters did.  They were not perpetually cheerful.  David wrote: “Why are you cast down, O my soul?”

 

Jeremiah was called “the weeping prophet.”  Listen to what he wrote in Jeremiah chapter 20: “Cursed be the day I was born.  May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!” 

 

Jeremiah went on to write this in Lamentations: “I have been bereft of peace.  I have forgotten what happiness is like.”

 

Bible characters did not go around skipping all the time and singing, “If you’re happy and you know it, say AMEN!”  Elijah was so depressed he asked God to take his life.

 

Jesus prayed that we would have the full measure of his joy and yet, in Matthew 26, we read, as Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, that he began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Why?  Because of his impending death on the cross.  Jesus admitted to Peter, James and John-“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

 

WOW!  That was Jesus.  Having joy does not mean that you’ll always be happy.  There will be times when you will be downright unhappy.  You will know sorrow and heartache.  You will struggle with your fears, just like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane.  You will wrestle with your worries; you will deal with discouragement.  Some of us will battle with depression.

 

And yet, through it all, there is this internal, underlying quality of joy.

Scripture indicates that sorrow and joy are not mutually exclusive.  Look at this verse from Psalm 30:5:

 

“weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” -Psalm 30:5

 

There may be nights where you fall asleep on a tear-stained pillow.  You might stay awake because your worries and fears won’t let you sleep.  But the joy of the Lord will be there in the morning.

 

Dawn’s favorite Bible verse is Romans 12:12:

 

“Be joyful in hope; patient in affliction; faithful in prayer.” -Romans 12:12

 

Joyful and afflicted at the same time?  Yes.  But being faithful in prayer will help you to realize the joy that hope brings even as you are dealing with life’s difficulties.

 

Hebrews 12 states that “for the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame.” Joy before him as Jesus endured the cross.

 

JOHN 16:20-22.  Jesus was talking to his disciples about his impending death.  He would be taken away from them.  And they would grieve.  But, after his resurrection, they would see him again.  And their grief would turn into joy.

 

The same promise is true for us as believers.  We will know grief in this world.  But grief will give way to joy.

 

The experiences of sorrow can prepare us for and enlarge our capacity for joy.  Here is why joy is so powerful.

 

Joy stands alongside our grief and sorrows and suffering.  Not to contradict them; but to relieve them and lift us up out of them. 

 

Joy will sustain us.  The joy of the Lord will strengthen us.  Joy allows our troubled souls to sing:

 

When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul.

 

Finally, and most importantly, we need to turn our attention to…..

 

3.THE PERSON WHO GIVES US JOY

 

That person is Jesus!  Jesus gives us joy.  He prays that we would know the full measure of HIS joy.  His joy will be made complete in us.

 

We have joy because Jesus died for our sins.  We are forgiven.  Our past is in the past.  It’s history.  The record has been expunged.  Every sin forgiven and forgotten by God.

 

We have joy because Jesus conquered death by rising from the dead.  This gives us victory over death.  Death is our enemy, but because of the resurrection of Jesus, death is a defeated enemy!

 

Mercy Me has a great song  called “Oh Death.” It’s about the victory Jesus gave us over death.  The chorus goes like this:

 

Oh death, I will not be afraid

In the end you will lose

I will dance on your grave with the one who buried you

You ain’t nothin’ but a stone that my Savior rolled away

Set you straight and set me free

Oh death, you are dead to me

Oh death, you are dead to me

 

We have joy because Jesus is our constant companion.  Rick Atchley is the pastor of The Hills Church in the greater Dallas area.  I listened to part of his Christmas Eve message. 

 

In his message he talked about his grandchildren being over at his house for Christmas.  He said that his little granddaughter was taken with the little baby Jesus in the miniature manger scene in their house.  She would get the little baby Jesus and carry him around the house.  Rick said he would find the little baby Jesus everywhere around the house.  He would find him on the sofa, under the dining room table, on the bed, and even in the waste basket in the bathroom.

 

Here is the point Rick made.  He said that reminded him that Jesus is with him wherever he goes.

 

Indeed, Jesus made us this promise: “Lo, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Jesus is with you during the good times and the bad times.  Jesus is with you every second of every day.  Jesus is with you no matter where you are and whatever you are going through. You are never alone.

 

Jesus died and rose again for us.  Jesus is always with us.  And heaven awaits us.  Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven.  Paul also wrote that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  You see, weeping may last for the night of this life, but joy comes in the morning  of heaven.

 

When the early Christians would depart from each other, the last thing they would say to each other was, “See you in the morning.”  It was a realization that they might not see each other again on earth, but they would see each other when heaven dawned for them.

 

Yes, weeping may last for the night, but joy indeed does come in the morning, when Jesus will return and take us home.

 

If you want the full measure of the joy of Jesus, you need to receive him as your Lord and Savior.  As we stand and sing, I invite you to walk forward to make your faith commitment to Jesus.  Perhaps, as a Christian, you want to know the joy of belonging to a church family, I invite you to come forward to place your membership with us.