Wordle.net takes text you input and turns it into word clouds. This is
from my sermon on James 1:2-3. I like how God is prominently displayed over all the words, especially “trials”. It is a good illustration that God is indeed sovereign over all things, including trials and suffering.

The Word of God is essential in our fight for joy in Him. In His book, When I Don’t Desire God, John Piper writes:

“If you would have power over the devil, and if you would escape the snare of his deciet and the destruction of your faith, then do what Jesus did and what all the triumphant saints have done: Treasure up the Word of God, and wield it like a sword against your foe.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For Lo! his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.

(Martin Luther: “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”)

When the powers of darkness are arrayed against you, and aim to destroy your joy forever, nothing is more precious to have than the Word of God ready for the battle. The fight for joy is not for the unarmed.”

Let us not forsake God’s Word in our fight for joy. May His Word be our strength by treasuring it up in our hearts and minds, ready to be wielded at a moment’s notice. Soli Deo Gloria!

Here is the third and final part of my sermon manuscript from James 1:2-3. If you haven’t already, be sure to read part 1 and part 2 first.

III. Joyful endurance of trials requires understanding

v.3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness

The first part of verse 3 says ”for you know”. That speaks of the right understanding that we must have. We must understand that trials and tribulations are not without a purpose and that they are not outside of God’s control. God is Sovereign, that is to say that he is in control over all things

A. God is Sovereign and in control over all things

Proverbs 19:21  Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

Matthew 10:29-30  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  (30)  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Isaiah 46:9-11  Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,  (10)  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:  (11)  Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.

Count it all joy! God is Sovereign. God is in control. His purposes will stand. All that he purposes comes to pass and nothing comes to pass that He does not purpose. And when the Scriptures say that God is Sovereign that means Sovereign over all; which means that God is Sovereign even over trials and tribulations

B. He is Sovereign over trials and tribulations:

Consider Joseph. We read in the book of Genesis that Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son and that made all his brothers jealous and bitter. So what did his brothers do? They took him and sold him into slavery and lied to their father Jacob letting him think that his son was dead. God blesses Joseph and he goes from slave, to overseer of Potiphar’s house, to prison by way of false accusation, and to overseer of all Egypt when he interprets Pharaoh’s dreams. He warns Pharaoh of the famine, they prepare for it, and eventually Joseph is able to provide for his brothers who come to buy food from Egypt to survive the famine. As we know, Joseph and his brothers were the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel and because of all these events, the bloodline of the nation of Israel is preserved.

Later in chapter 50 of Genesis we read that Joseph is reunited with his brothers and when he reveals himself to them he has this to say in verse 20:

Genesis 50:20  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

We see how God was in control of the situation. Joseph’s being sold into slavery and even prison were all part of God’s plan.

Or take Job for example. As you study the first 2 chapters of Job, you find that Satan is looking for someone to afflict, but first Satan must ask God for permission:

Job 1:6-12  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.  (7)  The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”  (8)  And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”  (9)  Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason?  (10)  Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.  (11)  But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.”  (12)  And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

Here, God purposefully allows suffering and loss through Satan to come upon Job (Job 1:8, God offers Job to Satan to afflict). Satan was betting on Job’s faith to waver in the midst of his suffering (Job 1:11 “touch all that he has and he will curse you to your face). Of course God knew that wasn’t going to happen. God knew that Job had genuine faith and that Job’s faith would not waver but rather his faith would actually be strengthened as a result of His suffering. And this is what we see happens as we read the rest of Job chapter 1:

Job 1:13-22  Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,  (14)  and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,  (15)  and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”  (16)  While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”  (17)  While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”  (18)  While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,  (19)  and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”  (20)  Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.  (21)  And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”  (22)  In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Job’s response is astonishing! He has just lost all of his possessions, his sheep, his cattle, his camel, his servants, and on top of that his sons and daughters are dead. He does naturally respond in grief (he tears his robe and shaves his head which was an expression of grief and mourning in that time and culture) but he also responds in faith and trust in God. He does not curse God as Satan was betting on. But rather he falls to the ground and worships and acknowledges that God is in control of the situation. And he did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Later in chapter 2 we find that Satan, still not satisfied, goes again before God and asks God to afflict Job even more, and this time Satan wants to inflict physical suffering on Job (Job 2:4-5). Satan was betting that surely Job would curse God if his faith was tested by physical suffering. So God allows Satan to afflict Job again and Satan strikes Job with boils from head to toe which were so awful that Job has to take broken piece of pottery to his skin to scrape off the boils. At this point, Job’s wife appears and says (Job 2:9), “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.”  To which Job replies (Job 2:10), “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job had a right understanding of God’s sovereignty. Job understood that God is in control, even in the midst of great suffering. I believe that when Job said,” Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”, he trusted that God does not allow trials in our lives for no reason, but rather God has a purpose in them. In this, we can count it all joy, because God is sovereign over trials; and he uses them to test and strengthen our faith! And we find that very truth in the second half of James 1:3, where it says that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. What we learn from this part of the text is that God uses trials to test and to strengthen our faith.

C. God uses trials test and strengthen our faith

1. Trials test and assure us of genuine faith

Jewelers often test the genuineness of a diamond by placing it in clear water, which causes a real diamond to sparkle with brilliance. An imitation will have almost no sparkle at all.

Likewise, a significant difference can be seen between true Christians and those who merely profess faith in Christ and do not have genuine saving faith. There is a significant difference in the way they respond to trials and tribulations.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of the two houses:

Matthew 7:24-27  “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  (25)  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  (26)  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  (27)  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

So think about this house that is founded on the rock. That is our faith that is founded upon the rock Jesus Christ. And think about these winds and the rain and the floods; these are the tests, the trials, the tribulations, that come into our lives and threaten to shake the foundation of our faith. So when trials come our faith is being tested. But when our faith is founded upon our rock and our redeemer, Jesus Christ, it is in those times when we are tested that we cling all the more to Christ and like Job, hold fast to our integrity! Count it all joy, the endurance of trials is the fruit that assures us of genuineness of our faith!

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,  (7)  so that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

2. Enduring trials while trusting in God produces steadfastness.

Romans 5:3-5  More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  (4)  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  (5)  and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Malachi 3:3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver

Now let me a story about this verse and refining silver.

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi.  As they were studying this verse they were puzzled and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities, or the dross.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – then she thought again about the verse, that He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”  He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s the easy part — when I see my image reflected in it.”

So if this day or some time in the future if you are feeling the heat from the fire of the trials of this life remember that God has His eye on you and will keep His hand on you and watch over you until He sees His image in you. This is God’s purpose in trials, He is refining us. And not because He is cruel but because He loves us. We are as precious to Him as that silver is to the silversmith. It is an act of love for God to hold us in the fiery trials of life so that he can refine us like the silver, so that he can burn away our impurities, our sin, the wickedness in our hearts, so that we may be conformed to the image of Christ.

Romans 8:28-29  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  (29)  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son

All things work together for good God’s children. All things! All suffering, All pain, All loss, All illness physical or mental, All trials, All tribulations, All persecution, All things work together for our good. So count it all joy! This is how God has purposed to used trials in our lives!

The is a great hymn; How Firm a Foundation. The third verse beautifully tells how God sustains us through trials and how we designs and uses them to purify us:

When through fiery trials, thy pathway shall lie,

my grace all-sufficient shall by thy supply.

The flame shall not hurt thee, I only design,

thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

Count it all joy my brethren, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

This post will be point 2 on my sermon from James 1:2-3. If you haven’t already, click here to read part 1 first.

II. Face trials with an attitude of joy.

v.2a Count it all joy

The language here is imperative, which means that this is a command. We must not simply act joyful, but be genuinely joyful. It is not a matter of feelings it is a matter of will. It is the determined commitment of every believer to meet trials with an attitude of joy. And notice that it says count it all joy. Not part joy, or sometimes joy, but count it all joy. Now, if we’re honest, we have to admit that this does not come naturally. We can be easily be tempted to meet trials with anger, disappointment, despair, or self pity, for example. So how then do we count trials all joy? Well first of all we must not forget that we have the Holy Spirit as our helper; we must pray. And also we have the scriptures which help us to gain a right perspective of God’s purpose in trials.

My next post will be point 3: Joyful endurance of trials requires understanding of God’c control over them. Will we see how God is sovereign, He is sovereign over all trials, and he uses trials to bring us to spiritual maturity and steadfastness in our faith.

This Wednesday, I am preaching on James 1:2-3 at Chevis Oaks Baptist Church. Since someone has requested that I do this, I am going to be posting my sermon manuscript here, in three parts.

The text of James 1:2-3 reads: (2) “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, (3) for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

In order to get us off to a good start in this passage, we need to establish some truths that at first glance may be easily missed. In order to do this I’m actually going to start off in the middle of verse 2 before getting into the first part of the verse. And in the middle of verse 2 we find a very important key word and that word is the word “when”. It may not seem all that significant but the word “when”, is very important because, point number one, we must recognize that trials are inevitable

I. Trials are inevitable.

v.2b when you meet trials of various kinds

First of all, we must recognize that trials are inevitable. The key word in verse 2 is when: Not if you meet trials but when you meet trials. In the original text, that is; in the Greek, the word for “when” carries with it the meaning of not just possibility, but inevitability.

Now, of course we all realize that everyone in this world, saved or unsaved must endure at least some degree of pain and trouble. That is the consequence of the Fall when Adam and Eve sinned. All death, and pain, sorrow and suffering is the result of our sinful nature (1 Cor 15:22) and a world corrupted by sin.

But what we need to focus on here is trials as they relate specifically to believers in Christ, because that is who James is addressing in this passage. Notice in verse 2 that he says, “Count it all joy my brothers, or my brethren.” James is writing to Christians here, as we will see, James is writing about how trials relate specifically to Christians and how we are to respond to them. Now, having established the inevitability of trials and having established who the audience is here, I want to stress the inevitability of trials specifically in the lives of Christians.

This is important because we must recognize that as Christians, we can expect trouble because of our faith. The Scriptures are quite clear on this:

1 Peter 4:12-13  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  (13)  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

2 Timothy 3:12  Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted

Acts 14:22b …through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

And these are just a few examples. As we read through the Bible, we find, time and time again that Christians are to  expect trials because of our faith. It is important that we remember this especially these days because now we live in a time where something that has come to be known as the Prosperity Gospel is increasingly popular. This is the false Gospel that states that God sent Christ to die on the cross so that you can live in abundance, so that you can live; as one preacher of this false Gospel puts it, “in total victory”. Total victory in your job, total victory in your health, total victory in your finances, total victory in your relationships and so on.

Now let’s think about this. This false Gospel completely ignores all the Bible teaches us about trials, and suffering. By their definition, if living a life a maturity in Christ is defined by living in abundance with no pain, perfect health, abundant wealth, and perfect relationships what does that say about Christ? It reduces Christ to some sort of benevolent wishing well. Now realize that this definition actually excludes Christ, who was born to a poor family, worked a common job as a carpenter, and during His ministry was broke and homeless and at times, hungry. Furthermore, he was rejected by family members, abandoned and denied by friends, unwelcome in many places he traveled, betrayed by Judas, and condemned to die by an angry bloodthirsty mob. When he was handed over to the Romans he was severely beaten, and whipped, mocked and ridiculed, spat on, had his beard plucked out and a crown of thorns jammed into his skull, all before being crucified on a Roman cross.

As Christians we talk a lot about being like Christ. We think a great deal about how we can better imitate Christ; how to walk as Christ walked, how to talk as Christ talked, how to love as Christ loved, and as Christians we should think on these things and pattern our lives after Him. But I wonder how often do we think that in our walk with Christ we might actually have to suffer as He suffered. Christ Himself calls us to take up our cross:

Matthew 16:24  Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Christ is assuring us here that trials are inevitable if we are his disciples. Christ is calling us to not just to follow Him but joyfully receive with patience every trial or tribulation which comes at the cost of following him. And for believers, this is how we are to respond to trials.

My next post will be point 2: Face trials with an attitude of joy.

The Thought of God, is a collection of articles from The Banner of Truth Magazine which were written by Maurice Roberts. In the first chapter, aptly titled, “The Thought of God”, Roberts talks about how the thought of God, for the believer, is strength and comfort when confronted with all manner of troubles. Here are some highlights:

“To have God in mind and thought is the believer’s constant source of strength. The martyr languishes in the flames but his mind flies upward to God his Saviour and looks forward blissfully to the glory that awaits him even as his body sinks to ashes…The faithful pastor of a congregation, entombed in his study and confronted with an impossible daily agenda of duties, brightens his heart and feels his pulse quicken as he remembers his Master above. The thought of God enlivens all action”.

“The thought of God should be the Christian’s panacea. It should cure all ills at a stroke. And what infinity there is in the thought of God! Nothing can approach in beauty to the idea of the true and living God. That there exists a being who is infinite in power, knowledge and goodness, that this being cares for me with a perfect love as though I were the only man in existence, that he loved me before I was born and created me to enjoy Him eternally and that he sent his Son to suffer the agony of the cross to secure my eternal happiness—that, surely, must be a thought to end all sorrow. It ought to be and often is”.

“If God be God, then no insoluble problem exists. And if God be my God, then no problem of mine is without is appropriate solution. There is in God just exactly what is needed to solve every riddle in life. Such a Being is God that He comprehends in himself all that we could ever need to neutralize all evils, veto all temptations, negative all sorrows and compensate for all losses. More still there is in God such a supply of competence and wisdom that He is able to transform every ill into good as soon as it touches us. God has, so to say, the ‘Midas touch’, by which all the Christian’s problems turn to gold in His hands. To be told ‘all things work together for good’ [Rom. 8:28] to us is to have more than a cordial. It is to have the elixir of life”.

“Those who think of God as He truly is know that it is a good exchange to lose home and country, family and fortune, health and comfort—yes, and life itself—to gain possession of God himself in the end”.

I have thought much before about how a God-saturated mindset puts all things into perspective. After reading this article, I wondered how much the thought of God is actually a part of my thought life and if my first instinct in times of trouble is to see things in such perspective. I pray that God would strengthen me to do so, to be always in meditation of God and to be always ready to interpose the thought of God between myself and trials.

There is an old hymn titled, “Jesus I My Cross Have Taken”. I am reminded of the part that goes:

“Go then earthly fame and treasure, come disaster scorn and pain. In thy service pain in pleasure, with thy favor loss in gain”

I pray the thought of God would enable me to boldly proclaim the same, no matter what may come.

Happy Reformation Day! On this day in 1517, Martin Luther made public what has become known as his 95 Thesis, which disputed the Roman Catholic Church’s practice of the selling of indulgences as a means of justification. Luther, at great risk to himself, held to the Scripture’s teaching that justification – God’s declaring of a sinner to be righteous in His sight because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross – was obtained by faith alone Christ. Luther’s thesis is seen as one of the main events of the beginning of the great Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries.

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.” -Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms in 1521 when asked to recant his Thesis and other writings or be labeled an outlaw and a heretic.

THE NEED TO FIGHT FOR JOY

In reading the title of this post, one might ask, “Why is there a need to fight for joy in God?” The answer is because God is glorified in his people by the way we experience Him, not merely by the way we think about Him. God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. Furthermore, we are commanded by God to experience Him with joy:

Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you (Deuteronomy 28:47-48a)

Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! (Psalms 100:2)

THE CALL TO FIGHT FOR JOY

Joy in the Lord is not something that comes naturally to inherently sinful beings (that would be you and I). Joy in the Lord is a gift from Him and it must be fought for. The faith that honors Christ is the faith that sees and savors His glory in all His works, especially the Gospel. This means that the biblical passages that speak of the fight of faith apply to the fight for joy. For example:

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12)

If faith is going to endure, with its joy in God, we must fight.

WAYS WE CAN FIGHT FOR JOY

So how exactly do we fight for joy? I have compiled a list of 10 ways to fight for joy. This list is by no means the end-all-be-all when it comes to ways to fight for your joy in God. In your own studies and meditations on God’s word, you certainly might come up with your own different ways. Here are the 10 ways I have found:

1. Read and Study God’s Word

God reveals himself by His Word. (1 Samuel 3:21)

Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

In order for us to be joyful in God, we have to recognize his worth and see Him as desirable. How do we do this? We read His word because God reveals Himself, His Power, His Might, His Sovereignty, His Goodness, and all of the other most excellent attributes of His character in His word.

2. Bible Memorization

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalms 119:11)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

“Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our mind with what it needs. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth. That’s where you need it! How does it get in your mouth? Memorization.” Dallas Willard

God’s Word is filled with scripture that is designed to renew and stir up our joy in God. What better way to use and apply scripture for the purposes of our joy than by memorizing it?

3. Sing

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! (Psalms 98:4 )

be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, (Ephesians 5:18b-19)

Singing Praises to God has such an amazing quality. The scriptures describe it as joyful and a means of being “filled by The Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) and “the word of Christ dwelling in us richly” (Col 3:16).

“Christians sing because they can’t help but sing. I think the truths of the Christian faith are so great, they can’t be contained in words, they have to break forth into song.” Bob Kauflin

4. Prayer

You do not have, because you do not ask. (James 4:2b)

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:10)

Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:24)

To put it simply, if you don’t feel joy in your heart for God, humble yourself and ask. Humble yourself before Him and He will exalt you. Prayer is our direct link to God. It is the offering up of our desires to Him. If we desire for our joy to be found in God, then we must pray for that desire fervently.

If you look closely at John 16:24 it is clear that if we ask, we will receive that our joy may be full. We must understand that praying “In Jesus name, Amen”, is not just empty words.

Paul explains why in 2nd Corinthians:

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Because Christ died in our place, we have escaped God’s wrath and we instead receive mercy from the Father. This is the ground for all our prayers. Our prayers were bought for us by the blood of Jesus. It is because of Jesus that we receive mercy instead of wrath and are able to ask God for our joy to be made full.

5. Realize that joy is a gift from God

We must realize that joy in God is not something we can accomplish on our own. It is because of our sin nature and a hardened heart that we cannot do anything apart from God to please God or have joyful fellowship with him:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18)

Think of it in terms of the rich man who walked away from Jesus that we find in Matthew 19. He walked away from Jesus because he delighted more in money and riches than in following Christ. Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). The disciples were amazed. They knew that a camel cannot go through the eye of a needle. And no more can a camel go through the eye of a needle than can a human being delight in Christ more than money. But here’s the key: Jesus then says in verse 26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” In other words, Jesus was saying that joy in God is a gift. We can’t produce it on our own. It must be given to us. This is the only way our hearts can want what is not inclined to want, to treasure and delight in Christ above all else.

In order for us to “Love the Lord with all your heart”, we need the gift of joy in God. We cannot produce it on our own. When Christ shed His blood of the new covenant for us, He bought for us the gift of joy in God. The sooner we come to terms with this truth, the sooner we cease to struggle in our own strength for something we cannot obtain on our own, and the sooner we put our trust and faith in God to enable us. In everything we do in our quest for joy, we are praying and trusting the grace of God for a gift.

Whoever serves, [let him serve] as one who serves by the strength that God supplies–in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 4:11b).

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

6. Marvel at God’s creation.

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalms 19:1)

Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.(Isaiah 40:26)

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalms 139:14)

God’s creation declares the wonder and majesty of God. You need only to take a few moments and observe God’s creation around you and think how marvelous and beautiful and complex creation is and how only God could create such a thing. Sunsets, starry nights, plants, trees, canyons, waterfalls, rivers, oceans, mountains, planets, stars, galaxies, animals, humans, and much more have all been wonderfully and fearfully made, all spoken into existence by our mighty God. When we meditate on the wonders of creation and look along creation following it back to the source, like looking at a sunbeam and following it back to the sun, there is much joy to be realized in God as we are amazed at His great and awesome power.

7. Rejoice in your Salvation

The very foundation of true everlasting joy is Christ crucified. Christ himself connected the dots between joy and the Cross. Hebrews 12:2 says “For the joy that was set before him [He] endured the cross”. What was the joy set before him? It was the first hand experience of the joy he had with the father even before the world existed. He prayed to the Father just before he died: “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:15). When Christ was resurrected, God exalted and rewarded his obedience with the great Glory he had before creation. This is the “joy that was set before him”. But it was also the joy that he died for us to have. In that same prayer, Jesus went on to pray to the Father: “But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves” (John 17:13). So you see the joy that He sought for Himself was also intended for us through joy in the glory of God.

And if this isn’t enough to elevate the worth of the cross, the foundation of our joy, then try this: The apostle Paul stated,

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14)

and also,

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Think about that. Paul is right. Without the cross what could we really boast in? We would have no hope, only despair. And what could we truly know? All other knowledge would be useless, for without the cross we would die and wither away for eternity in hell apart from God.

And herein lies our joy! We have been redeemed! We have been acquitted in the courtroom of God and been named blameless before the Father! Christ has purchased our freedom with his blood! And now He stands between us and the Father as our mediator and WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED! We have been given a righteousness that is not our own. Christ’s righteousness is now counted towards us and we are able to escape the wrath of God.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2)

It is because of Christ, we are now free to rejoice in the hope of Christ’s return and fellowship with Him in heaven for eternity.

8. Never Cease to Preach the Gospel to Yourself.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation. (Psalms 42:5)

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10)

It’s like John Piper said in a sermon about the Gospel once:

“You never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, outgrow your need for the Gospel! Don’t ever think of the Gospel as: “That’s the way you get saved”, and then you get strong by leaving it and doing something else! No! We are strengthened by God through the Gospel everyday until the day we drop! You never outgrow the need to preach to yourself the Gospel.”

We need the Gospel everyday, especially in our fight for joy.

“Christian people too often seen to be perpetually in the doldrums and too often give this appearance of unhappiness and lack of freedom and of absence of joy.” Martin Lloyd -Jones

This is because far too many Christians are passive in their fight for joy. Too often we give this impression that we are helpless victims. We think: “Joylessness is just there. What can I do?” God does not mean for us to be passive. He means for us to fight the fight of faith-the fight for joy. And the central strategy is to preach the gospel to yourself. This is war! Satan is preaching for sure. If we remain passive, we surrender the field to him.

9. Take Action by Resolving to Attack Sin

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them! (Psalms 135:15-18)

And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. (Matthew 18:8-9)

Let’s face it, anything that holds more value than Christ in our eyes is an idol. It can take many forms. It can be an action, a thought, a word, a deed, or a desire. Anything that we esteem more than Christ is an idol and a sin which severely inhibits and even kills our joy.

“Make and trust a blind idol and you become blind. Apply that principle to the modern world….and our hearts and affections are formed by these things…In readiness to receive pleasure from them, we are ill-shaped for Christ. He seems unreal, unattractive. The eyes of our hearts grow dull” John Piper

Paul said the same thing about the people of Israel in his day, quoting Isaiah:

For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them. (Acts 28:27)

If this is the effect that sin and idols can have on us, killing our joy, than we should resolve to attack sin on every level in our lives. This is no trivial matter, this is serious business. Why else would Jesus tell us to cut off hands and pluck out eyes if they cause us to sin? This obviously isn’t to be taken literally but Jesus was using extreme language to illustrate the point that we need to go to great lengths to battle sin in our lives. We have to do whatever it takes to fight our joy-killing sin that prevents us from having and a deep, loving relationship with Christ that makes Him the most treasured and desired in our lives.

10. Discipleship and Fellowship with Bible-Saturated People

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise (Proverbs 13:20a)

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13)

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

I would encourage every Christian to seek out a Bible-saturated Christian brother or sister who is more spiritually mature than you whom you respect and enter into a discipleship relationship with them. Just as Paul was to Timothy, this should be someone that can and will mentor you spiritually, pray for you, challenge you, encourage you, teach you, and hold you accountable. Meet with this person often for new challenges and to discuss your progress.

Also, surround yourself with as many other Bible-saturated, spiritually mature Christians as you can. Seek out smaller group fellowships within your church and attend as often as you can. Hopefully one of the focuses of this group is to build one anther up spiritually and stir each other up in brotherly love. We are not meant to fight for joy alone. Christian joy is a community project. Discipleship and fellowship will go a long way in your own fight for joy and your spiritual growth.

For more on the fight for joy, read John Piper’s book, When I Don’t Desire God; How to Fight for Joy.

Soli Deo Gloria!

What are some other ways that you can think of to fight for joy in God?