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Jun 08 '08
(A Series of Sermons on Building Character in Your Life)
Rev. Erik O. Garthe, Pastor - Edgemere Baptist Church
Message #3 ... June 8, 2008
“It’s a Manifestation of the Spirit”
Matthew 5:11-12
Tim Hughes is the Dove-award winning songwriter who wrote "Here I Am to Worship." One of his most poignant lessons on worship occurred during a year he spent in South Africa working with kids and leading worship when he was just eighteen. While the Prince of Peace congregation in Durban was gathering, he noticed there were no drums, amps, or keyboards. They didn't even have a sound system. As he looked at this unfamiliar situation, he wondered, "How on earth are we going to worship?" A moment later the place was filled with beautiful melodies as these believers began to sing from the overflow of their hearts. Hughes was amazed to experience such a rich expression of worship without all of the normal trappings of worship, and in a place where disease and poverty are so rampant. He realized that nothing could rob these Christians of the joy they found in knowing Christ. He said, "They understood where they were going." He now recalls that day as the one in which he learned, "Worship isn't about music. It's about Jesus." [Men of Integrity, May/June 2005, p.5/8]
Read Matthew 5:11-12
11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Why did Job attribute the destructive deeds of Satan to the Lord in Job 1:21 by saying: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”?
• Is it enough to simply “rejoice and be exceeding glad” when persecution comes? No!
We have to understand that all things come from the hand of God and are designed for spiritual growth.
God is ruler of all and absolutely nothing happens without His permission.
It was actually Satan who destroyed Job’s flocks and herds, killed his servants, and then killed his ten children. Yet, before Satan was able to do this, he had to get permission from God to do so.
See Job 2:10 … his response to his wife’s call to curse God.
“Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”
Also, see 2 Corinthians 12:9 … And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
God explained that He had allowed it for Paul’s benefit.
Why does God use persecution and suffering in our lives? It is to make us conform to the image and character of Jesus Christ.
See Romans 8:28-89
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
When a person becomes a follower of Jesus and stops doing the things that his or her worldly friends are doing, those friends will often feel guilty about their own sinful actions.
At that point they have a choice:
a. Respond to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin and repent
b. React to God’s standards demonstrated by the believer
Peter described this conflict in 1 Peter 4:4 ...
4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.
In response to this attack, we are told to “rejoice and be exceedingly glad.”
Joyfulness is a manifestation of the Spirit that comes when we are in a right relationship with the Lord.
• The Greek word translated “joy” is simchah which means “to brighten up, to make glad.”
There are physical, psychological, and spiritual rewards of joy
1. Joy is our strength—(Nehemiah 8:10).
10 Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
2. Joy is our health—(Proverbs 17:22).
22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.
3. Joy is our brightness—(Proverbs 15:13).
13 A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
It’s all about joyfulness versus living in self-pity. What produces joy in a Christian’s life?
1. Salvation is Our Greatest Source of Joy
Jesus emphasized this point to His disciples – Luke 10:20
“Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."”
2. A Clear Conscience Results in Joy
Because joy comes from the fellowship of a right relationship with the Lord, anything hindering that fellowship will diminish our joy. Sin not confessed damages that fellowship, but look at – 1 John 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
3. God’s Word Produces Joy (the rhemas of Scripture)
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for personal application. The Holy Spirit will guide each believer to passages that have specific direction for a particular situation. As these rhemas are engrafted into our souls and made a living part of our lives, they produce special joy. – Jeremiah 15:16
16 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
4. Spiritual Growth in Others Brings Joy
Our goal in life should be to bring as many people as we can to the Lord Jesus Christ and to help them grow spiritually. – 3 John 4
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
5. The Power of the Holy Spirit Gives Joy
When we respond to trials and persecutions by thanking God and rejoicing, He will reward us with the power of the Holy Spirit. – 1 Peter 4:14
14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
How joyful are you?
o Do you enjoy times of fellowship with the Lord?
o Do you receive the rhemas God gives you from Scripture?
o Do you thank God for every trial you experience?
o Do you encourage others in their spiritual growth?
For the final game of his high school football career, Adam Hunter asked that his dad bring the video camera. Adam wasn't a standout, but he wanted a few minutes of video to remember his days on the gridiron. Mr. Hunter showed up with the camera and filmed what was ultimately the best game of Adam's life. He had seven tackles and a sack. When they sat down to watch the highlight reel at home, something strange happened. Adam's dad was focused on the first tackle when suddenly the camera got pointed to the sky. On the audio portion of the tape you could hear the loud cheer of his dad, "Way to go, A!" Adam's sister asked why her father missed the big play and he sheepishly replied, "Sorry." As it turned out, each of Adam's big plays started with the video camera honed in on the field and ended up capturing random shots of clouds, bleachers, and the backs of people's heads. All of the action was missed but on every clip you can hear Adam's dad screaming with excitement about his son's performance. When the viewing was over, his father was quiet and apologetic. It was then that Adam realized he had something far better than the proof of his tackles. He had a perfect recording of his father's uncontainable joy in watching him play. Adam's dad said, "I can't believe I didn't get anything on tape." Adam replied, "Yes you did," and then hugged him hard. [Adam Hunter is an editorial assistant at Guideposts, June 2006, p.76]
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