Get Your Joy Back: Joy & Peace

I LOVE MY BIBLE

This week as I was studying the Bible I was blown away by the stories in the early church. And the power of the Gospel to work miracles in people's lives.

The Word of God meets you right where you are. If you’re angry, it meets you there. If you’re selfish, it meets you there. If you’re happy all the time, then you need help, aint nobody happy ALL the time. Just playin… the Bible meets you there too.

The Word of God is powerful and will transform us from the inside out if we will let it.

Let’s take a look at a few texts in the bible, about the bible, before we dive into the message.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:14

The Word = Jesus

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:16

The Word = Inspired

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12

The Word = Alive

Teach you two words:

Amen - “so be it”

Hallelujah - “praise the LORD”

With that being said let’s look at Isaiah 55:8-13. If you have your bible, go ahead and turn there.

I’m going to ask you to take notes. Study shows that people who take notes are more spiritual. I remember taking notes when I was your age and it’s amazing to look back at the moments when God spoke something to me that changed my life forever.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

Heavens (God’s thoughts/ God’s ways)

^ Rain ^

^ Snow ^

Earth (My thoughts/My ways)

This is a promise we can count on.

Illust: Farming

Question: Do we have any farmers in the house?

The ground absorbs the water and gives life to the harvest. You see, the water has a purpose. Not only does it have a purpose, but it is sent by God.

And his purpose is for your good and His glory!

11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

“So shall”... here you see that the illustration is pointing to something much bigger.

In Isaiah, God’s word is His promise, and it will do what He says. Here’s how I’d apply that: there was someone who came down to earth from Heaven and He was sent with a purpose, His name is Jesus. He was sent to redeem the world and to bring salvation and freedom to the condemned.

The bible is a story, the greatest story ever told, and it points to a man named Jesus. Genesis points ahead to Jesus and Revelation points back to Jesus.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 20:21 “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

The Word = The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

As we obey His Word we can walk it out in Joy and Peace. As we talked about before, success is not about doing the right things, success in the Kingdom of God is recognizing that we have a King, and His name is Jesus, and that we are going to submit to His authority over our lives and walk in obedience to WHATEVER He is calling us to do!

12 “For you shall go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you

shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Illust: Stomp your feet with me. Your left foot is “Joy” and your right foot is “Peace” Let’s try something. When I say “Joy”, stomp your left foot. When I say “Peace” stomp your right foot.

Let’s try it. “Joy”, “Joy”, “Peace”. (Repeat) Get to the rhythm of “We will rock you”

Notice that it doesn’t say “sorrow and worry”, or “comfort and works”, NO, because those things are conditional. God first made this promise to His people coming home from exile. Here’s how I’d apply it: if we are walking with Christ in the Word, joy and peace can be constant in our lives.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.”

You can have confidence in the journey. God loves you. God has a purpose for your life. God wants a personal relationship with you. It begins by faith in Jesus and grows deeper through intentional time in the Word and prayer.

13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;

instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;

Let’s draw a comparison between these two things for a second.

Thorns and Briers:

Dry (Isaiah 5:6)

Unrighteous (2 Samuel 23:6)

Sin (Genesis 3:17-18)

Death (Matthew 27:29)

Barrier (Job 5:5 & Proverbs 15:19)

Vs.

Cypress and Myrtle (Bringing Heaven to Earth)

Good soil (Hebrews 6:7)

Righteous (Proverbs 11:30)

Life (Proverbs 11:30)

Refuge (Psalm 118:8)

Beauty (Isaiah 60:13)

Illust: 4 Wheeling with my brother (Big thorn vine)

Illust: Walking up Mt. Sanitas on Thanksgiving morning (Beautiful pine trees)

There is coming a new day…

We speak revival over our cities

We speak life over the hurting and the broken

We proclaim the Gospel over our city

We stand on the truth of God’s Word

We stand on the promises of God

As the church we will not retreat or back down

We will run the race set before us in joy and peace!

God is at work all around us, accomplishing His purposes, will you join Him?

Story: Les at Ozo Coffee

and it shall make a name for the Lord,

an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

And finally, an everlasting sign that will not be cut off.

When God’s Word takes root in your life you are transformed from the inside out.

Illust: Here’s how I’d apply that. Focus on the roots, not the branches. The rain falls and waters the roots. Stop focusing on the branches. The branches represent your and my behavior.

When God gets a hold of your life, He does not perform behavior modification.

When God gets ahold of your life he produces total heart, mind, and soul transformation!

God’s Word is everlasting

His plans are everlasting

His church is everlasting

His power and love is everlasting

Application: This is both a declaration and invitation

We declare that His Word will never fail, and that it will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent.

And we invite you to accept the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.