My name is Matt Broadway and I'm the pastor of Dulin's Grove Church (the octagon shaped church off of 24/27). Lately, I've noticed that many of the people I encounter through the week are some degree of miserable. Money is tight and jobs are uncertain. Families are rupturing. Worries abound. Stress is the very air we breathe. Depression fogs our minds and hearts. Few of us experience deep, abiding joy in our daily lives. This is true for many of the non-Christians I see. But, it's also true for many Christians, including myself - a pastor!
Aren't we supposed to be living an abundant life as Christians? Where is this "fullness of joy" that Jesus promised His followers in John 15:11? Many of us are sewing tears as Psalm 126:5 says; but when will we reap joy?
The Bible says that joy inexpressible is ours in Jesus. I believe the Bible. So I'm going after it. Dulin's Grove is going after it. And you're invited to join us. We'll be studying the book of Philippians together each Sunday this summer beginning June 14. It's a book about joy and, Lord willing, we'll find it as we dig into God's word together. This blog will trace our steps along the journey. So check back often and enjoy!
Sermon Recap | Essential Joy
Many things steal our joy; yet, we’re confronted with a startling fact as we read our Bibles: Joy is essential to the Christian life.
A joyless Christian is like an out-of-shape marathon runner. You can’t be a dedicated marathon runner and remain out of shape. The very act of running marathons will burn away the fat that hinders you and develop the muscles that enable you to run.
Following Jesus will burn away the fat that hinders you and develop the muscles that will enable you to experience joy.
In Psalm 4:7, David writes, “You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and new wine abound.” In God, we can find gladness greater than when we can afford name brand ice cream and regular meals out at Carrabas.
David wrote in Psalm 16:11, “You will make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
For lunch today, I’m having delicious BBQ chicken. After the meal, I will experience fullness of chicken. That’s language of this verse. That joylessness you feel is your soul’s hunger pains. Your soul growls for a fullness found only in God.
The arrival of Jesus Himself is announced in terms of our joy. The angel speaking to Mary says, “Don’t be afraid for I bring you good news of great joy,” in Luke 2:10. The gospel is about joy.
Jesus told His followers in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” Discipleship is about joy.
Romans 14:17 says that "the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit".
The fruit of the spirit is joy – Galatians 5:22. As Christians, joy should sprout from in our lives like apples from an apple tree.
Not only is joy available, it’s commanded: "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" (Psalm 32:11) "Rejoice always!" (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
True joy is always and only found in God through Jesus. If you seek joy in people, your career, entertainment, possessions - anything but God – you’ll remain empty.
You may have asked yourself: Can I ever be joyful again? On all the authority of Jesus Christ and the word of God I tell you yes. Through Jesus, you can be vibrant and overflowing with springs of living water. You can be joyful.
As we study Philippians in the weeks to come we’ll see a portrait of a joyful people and how this joy that transcends circumstances works itself out in different categories of life.
A joyless Christian is like an out-of-shape marathon runner. You can’t be a dedicated marathon runner and remain out of shape. The very act of running marathons will burn away the fat that hinders you and develop the muscles that enable you to run.
Following Jesus will burn away the fat that hinders you and develop the muscles that will enable you to experience joy.
In Psalm 4:7, David writes, “You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and new wine abound.” In God, we can find gladness greater than when we can afford name brand ice cream and regular meals out at Carrabas.
David wrote in Psalm 16:11, “You will make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
For lunch today, I’m having delicious BBQ chicken. After the meal, I will experience fullness of chicken. That’s language of this verse. That joylessness you feel is your soul’s hunger pains. Your soul growls for a fullness found only in God.
The arrival of Jesus Himself is announced in terms of our joy. The angel speaking to Mary says, “Don’t be afraid for I bring you good news of great joy,” in Luke 2:10. The gospel is about joy.
Jesus told His followers in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” Discipleship is about joy.
Romans 14:17 says that "the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit".
The fruit of the spirit is joy – Galatians 5:22. As Christians, joy should sprout from in our lives like apples from an apple tree.
Not only is joy available, it’s commanded: "Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" (Psalm 32:11) "Rejoice always!" (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
True joy is always and only found in God through Jesus. If you seek joy in people, your career, entertainment, possessions - anything but God – you’ll remain empty.
You may have asked yourself: Can I ever be joyful again? On all the authority of Jesus Christ and the word of God I tell you yes. Through Jesus, you can be vibrant and overflowing with springs of living water. You can be joyful.
As we study Philippians in the weeks to come we’ll see a portrait of a joyful people and how this joy that transcends circumstances works itself out in different categories of life.
Discussion | Suffering and Joy
There's a new discussion starting in the Facebook Group. Go chime in when you get a chance.
More at Stake Than Pleasure
There is more at stake in the Christian battle for joy than pleasure.
Romans 5 teaches that Christians have:
1. Peace with God
2. Sure hope
3. Assurance that our bad times will bring about good things
4. The love of God, poured out in us
5. A secure salvation from the punishment we deserve
6. Reconciliation with God (the stuff that separated us from Him is taken care of)
7. Justification before God (we're not going to be condemned for our crimes against Him)
8. Abundant grace
9. Righteousness (we're made right)
10. Eternal life
For the Christian, the battle for joy is a battle to live in light of all this. It's a battle to have faith in it and to proclaim it with our lives.
Perpetually joyless Christians, though they may communicate with their lips that the 'good news' of Jesus is true, communicate loud and clear with their lives that it's a lie.
That there is no peace, no hope, no assurance, no love, no security, no connection with God, no grace, no righteousness, and no life in God through Jesus.
The gospel is at stake in your battle for joy.
Let's fight to live our lives in accordance with the gospel. Let's fight to proclaim its truth with our joyful lives. Let's fight for joy together.
This Sunday, we study Philippians 1:1-11 about how joy relates to love. 10:30am. Please join us.
Romans 5 teaches that Christians have:
1. Peace with God
2. Sure hope
3. Assurance that our bad times will bring about good things
4. The love of God, poured out in us
5. A secure salvation from the punishment we deserve
6. Reconciliation with God (the stuff that separated us from Him is taken care of)
7. Justification before God (we're not going to be condemned for our crimes against Him)
8. Abundant grace
9. Righteousness (we're made right)
10. Eternal life
For the Christian, the battle for joy is a battle to live in light of all this. It's a battle to have faith in it and to proclaim it with our lives.
Perpetually joyless Christians, though they may communicate with their lips that the 'good news' of Jesus is true, communicate loud and clear with their lives that it's a lie.
That there is no peace, no hope, no assurance, no love, no security, no connection with God, no grace, no righteousness, and no life in God through Jesus.
The gospel is at stake in your battle for joy.
Let's fight to live our lives in accordance with the gospel. Let's fight to proclaim its truth with our joyful lives. Let's fight for joy together.
This Sunday, we study Philippians 1:1-11 about how joy relates to love. 10:30am. Please join us.
Excerpt from Depression: A Stubborn Darkness
The following is taken from Ed Welch's book, Depression: A Stubborn Darkness:
"Every depressed person should set out to be an expert in joy. It is a no-risk proposition. The worst that can happen is that you will honor God (Psalm 126:1-2), be surprised that he promises you great gladness, and even taste something of joy in the midst of sorrow.
"Truth be told, however, there are some barriers and risks that can make it difficult to pursue joy. Depression can sometimes be a familiar companion - a loathsome one but a companion all the same. Any time a difficult experience has some longevity in our lives, we can gradually derive some personal identity from it...."
Joy: Love
This Sunday we'll study Philippians 1:1-11. In this passage we get a glimpse of deep Christian joy that's comes from deep Christian love and answer the question, 'How can we love each other as Christians in such a way that encourages true joy?'
God's word will help you understand love, freeing you to love rightly and experience resulting joy.
Please joins us at 10:30am or swing by here next week for the sermon recap.
Have a great weekend.
God's word will help you understand love, freeing you to love rightly and experience resulting joy.
Please joins us at 10:30am or swing by here next week for the sermon recap.
Have a great weekend.
Sermon Recap | Love
The four step process to experience love that yields joy from Philippians 1:1-11:
1)Believe the gospel.
2)Love the gospel.
3)Devote your resources to the gospel.
4)Devote yourself to the gospel.
Now let me unpack this and convince you that this process is your only hope to experience love that yields joy.
What the passage says:
Verse 1: Paul is the writer. He was a harasser, torturer, and murderer of Christians whom God converted to become one of the most important church planters in history. He wrote this letter while in prison.
Verses 3-4: Even though he’s suffering in prison, he’s joyful because of the Philippian Christians.
Verses 7-8: His joy is connected with the deep love he feels for them.
Verses 5 and 7: This joyful love stems from their participation in the gospel.
Verses 9-11: The purpose for this section of the letter is that their love would abound based on real knowledge and discernment.
Participation in the gospel is the root of all this love and joy; so that is where we must focus.
The gospel is the good news that Jesus was God’s Son, lived the perfect life, and died the death we deserved to take the punishment we earned so that we could be reconciled to God.
How did the Philippian Christians participate in the gospel?
They Believed It
Paul planted the Philippian church 10 years earlier with just three converts: a business woman, a former demon-possessed slave girl, and a jailer. These three believed the gospel and were reconciled to God (Acts 16).
They Loved It
They didn’t just believe it, they built their lives around it as indicated by Paul’s joy over their involvement in it, the fact that the church was still around 10 years later when Paul wrote this letter, and the following two points.
They Devoted Their Resources to ItThey gave financially to help Paul travel around communicating the gospel (Philippians 4:15-16).
They Devoted Themselves to It
The use of money reveals personal devotion (Matthew 6:21). These Christians gave to advance the gospel, even when no one else was willing.
How does participation in the gospel produce love that yields joy?
1.There is no love without God (1 John 4:8).
2.There is no way to God but through the gospel (John 14:6).
3.Therefore, to find true love, one must participate in the gospel.
1)Believe the gospel.
2)Love the gospel.
3)Devote your resources to the gospel.
4)Devote yourself to the gospel.
Now let me unpack this and convince you that this process is your only hope to experience love that yields joy.
What the passage says:
Verse 1: Paul is the writer. He was a harasser, torturer, and murderer of Christians whom God converted to become one of the most important church planters in history. He wrote this letter while in prison.
Verses 3-4: Even though he’s suffering in prison, he’s joyful because of the Philippian Christians.
Verses 7-8: His joy is connected with the deep love he feels for them.
Verses 5 and 7: This joyful love stems from their participation in the gospel.
Verses 9-11: The purpose for this section of the letter is that their love would abound based on real knowledge and discernment.
Participation in the gospel is the root of all this love and joy; so that is where we must focus.
The gospel is the good news that Jesus was God’s Son, lived the perfect life, and died the death we deserved to take the punishment we earned so that we could be reconciled to God.
How did the Philippian Christians participate in the gospel?
They Believed It
Paul planted the Philippian church 10 years earlier with just three converts: a business woman, a former demon-possessed slave girl, and a jailer. These three believed the gospel and were reconciled to God (Acts 16).
They Loved It
They didn’t just believe it, they built their lives around it as indicated by Paul’s joy over their involvement in it, the fact that the church was still around 10 years later when Paul wrote this letter, and the following two points.
They Devoted Their Resources to ItThey gave financially to help Paul travel around communicating the gospel (Philippians 4:15-16).
They Devoted Themselves to It
The use of money reveals personal devotion (Matthew 6:21). These Christians gave to advance the gospel, even when no one else was willing.
How does participation in the gospel produce love that yields joy?
1.There is no love without God (1 John 4:8).
2.There is no way to God but through the gospel (John 14:6).
3.Therefore, to find true love, one must participate in the gospel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)