Adrian Rogers: How to Have Fullness of Joy [#2488]

welcome to love worth fun with pastor teacher and author Adrian Rogers reaching out with God's love bringing people to Christ touching lives around the world and helping you find the answers you need today join us as we prepare to open God's Word and discover how your life can be changed forever by his great love worth finding take your Bibles and find John chapter 15 and while you're finding it let me say something to you I don't know a lot about you I certainly don't know everything about you but I know one thing about every mother's child in this building today I'd tell you what it is you want joy in your life now don't deny it you do you want joy in your life and I want to talk to you today about how to have fullness of joy a woman lost two car keys have you ever done that she lost her car keys she went through the house she went here they're open every drawer finally she looked in her purse and there were her keys do you know why she didn't find it at first find them at first she was looking in the wrong place now the reason people don't have joy many of them is they are looking for joy in the wrong place friend joy is not a nicety in the Christian life it is an absolute necessity you ought to have in your life if you're right with God continual joy conspicuous joy contagious joy joy unspeakable and full of glory and a Christian without joy is a contradiction in terms would be like speaking about a heavenly people as a Christian without joy but I can tell you beyond the shuttle any doubt of peradventure there are many and some in this room who have lost your job let me tell you why joy is so important number one it is important in winning the loss to Jesus Christ and you know that's our best advertisement is the joy of the Lord King David love God with all his heart but he lost his joy and he prayed this in Psalm 51 verse 12 restoring to me the joy of thy salvation he had lost his salvation but he lost his joy restored to me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit and then listen to it and then will I teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee now if you're not joyful Christian you're not an effective soul-winners if you're going around with a Bible under one arm and a tombstone with the other under the other and saying don't you want to be like I am he said no thank you I've got enough troubles already no listen it is so essential and winning loss I'll tell you something else that the joy of the Lord is essential in and that is bearing life's burdens and living the strength of the Lord in living the Christian life how you going to live the Christian life well you need strength what are you going to get that strength the joy of the Lord is your strength the joy of the Lord Jesus will energize you and give you strength another reason you need joy is because of the heartaches and trials of life you have heartaches I have heartaches we have difficulties we have obstacles how are your overcome them but joy of the Lord is the way that we can overcome joy is the lubricant of life and the joy of the Lord will take the weariness out of work and the joy of the Lord will remove the burdens from the heart so let's think a little bit about how to have fullness of joy now look if you will in John 15 and verse 11 Jesus Christ is speaking and the the setting is this he's just facing dark Gethsemane and bloody Calvary and here's what he says these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full now Jesus said I'm telling you how to have fullness of joy the three things I want you to think about when we think about the joy of the Lord by joy first of all we're not to have joy like his it is his joy that my joy might be in you what is the joy of Jesus number one it is abounding joy write it down the joy of Jesus is abounding joy he says that my joy might be in you that your joy might be full get over in the book of Hebrews the Bible says of the Lord Jesus that God the Father has anointed him with joy with the oil of gladness above his fellows the word gladness there is another word for joy it is translated there in the in the book of Jude as exceeding joy what it literally means is joy that leaps and dances can you imagine Jesus leaping and dancing' that's the kind of joy he has it is abounding joy not half-hearted joy not maybe so joy but joy that is abounding and supernatural I don't know what your concept of Jesus Christ is but if you don't see Jesus as the joyful Jesus you've not seen Jesus don't think of Jesus as some pale sanctimonious religious recluse with ice water for blood Jesus had a life of a bounding joy you know one of the ways I know that little children loved him now listen if you're a sourpuss and little children don't like you you've got problems little children loved Jesus they wanted to come and crowd around him and sit in his lap and these old disciples said get the kids away Jesus said no let him come to me Jesus had a life of abounding joy now I want to give you a couple more verses that teach what I'm talking about that the joy that we're talking about is not a cheap 10 imitation of Jesus joy it is his joy jot down John 17 verse 13 there he speaks that they might have my joy fulfilled in them jot down Philippians 4:4 rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice now the only way that you can rejoice always is to rejoice in the Lord you know some of us when we were young were asked to give a memory verse we love that verse over there in John 11 jesus wept you remember that one try to pull that Jesus well now some people say that's the shortest verse in the Bible it's really not the shortest verse now if that is it is in the English Bible but not in the Greek language in the Greek language this verse rejoice in the Lord evermore is really the shortest verse now it has the it speaks of the longest time rejoice in the Lord always it is the shortest verse with the longest time rejoice in the Lord evermore now when I'm talking about joy you need to learn the difference between joy and happiness difference between joy that gives meaning to life and happiness that may only put a smile on your face now you look better with a smile and but you don't always have to have a smile on your face it'll be a relief to know that we don't have to go around with a goonie grin all the time to have the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ what is this joy what is the difference between this joy this abounding joy and happiness now if you're happy I'm glad if you remember thumper and the film Bambi said if it makes you happy to be happy go ahead and be happy and if you have happiness that's good but as I've told your happiness depends upon what happens and that's why we call it happiness and if that's what you're waiting for and that's what you depend on then I can tell you clearly and plainly you're going to be a prisoner of circumstances because they're going to come sometimes when your hat is bad be a d-bag that's the time you're going to need joy happiness depends on what happens joy depends upon what the Lord rejoicing in the Lord always in the only way that you can rejoice always is to rejoice in the Lord because he never changes now again our happiness is a cosmetic and a lot of people look good in cosmetics and and I'm not saying don't be happy but but joy goes beyond the outward person to the inward character happiness can help you to meet surface needs and we all have those and God knows that we happen but joy will help you to meet your deepest need that's why I'm saying that you need joy see happiness is like a thermometer it registers conditions joy is like a thermostat that controls conditions joy is inward happiness is outward happiness listen evaporates in the time of trouble when trouble comes happiness goes but joy will be intensified now when joy and happiness work together that is wonderful we all had those times when the happy times are here and the joy of the Lord is in our heart what a wonderful combination that is but friend when happiness goes you need the joy all the more and joy can be intensified joy is not there to remove the pain but to help you to bear the pain and if you're going through pain that's all the more reason that you need the joy of the Lord and let me tell you what joy is joy is not the subtraction of problems from life joy is the addition of power to meet those problems you're going to have problems beyond the shadow of any doubt and I want to tell you that the the joy that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ is abounding joy I chose that word carefully because a bounding means fullness now here's the second thing I want you to see about this joy from John chapter 15 verse 11 not only is it a bounding joy but it is abiding joy now look at that verse again he says that my joy might remain in you it's not joy that comes and goes it is joy of the good times the bad times the nighttime the daytime the rainy day the sunny day joy in a time of tragedy it is still there we're to rejoice in the Lord always always now listen to me precious friend you may be saying Adrian the reason you're saying that is you're not going through the problems that I'm going through right now you don't know the heartaches you don't know the tears you don't know the fears you don't know the sickness you don't know the pain you don't know how they've been treated you don't know the finances that I'm facing if you did you wouldn't say that a friend I'm only quoting the words of Jesus where what was Jesus situation at this time Jesus was facing dark Gethsemane and bloody Calvary okay dark Gethsemane and bloody Calvary and he says speaking of his joy now he was not a morose person even facing the cross yes he had tears yes he had pain yes he had agony but still he had that joy in his heart now let me tell you about this this abiding joy number one and I want to give you some verses number one it is steadfast in sorrow John chapter 16 verse 20 your sorrow shall be turned into joy you have solid galtonia sorrow to joy number two it is triumphant in tribulation do you have tribulation Jesus said in this world you shall have tribulation you're not going to escape without tribulation but listen to this verse Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 7 verse 4 I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation joyful in tribulation Paul and Silas in that prison at midnight were singing praises to the Lord and you cannot sing praises to the Lord triumphantly unless you have joy in your heart I'll take something else this joy is lasting in losses have you lost something have things gone upside down on you things that you need things that you want they're taken from you that happened to the Hebrews to whom I believe it was Paul who wrote the book of Hebrews scholars still debated but I think Paul wrote Hebrews but that's beside the point right now Hebrews chapter 10 verse 34 and you took joyfully the spoiling of your goods what if you came home from church today and everything's gone the house is burned or else thieves got came in and took everything from you are you read find out that some conniving shyster has cheated you out of everything and now you don't have anything your goods have been spoiled should you lose your joy absolutely not you took joyfully the spoiling of your goods if your goods go and you lose your joy you were getting your joy in the wrong place you're getting you joy in the wrong place your joy was in your circumstances and what you have rather than who he is the joy of the Lord is lasting in losses and the joy of the Lord is abundant in affliction put this down first Thessalonians chapter one and verse six you have received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost affliction yes sickness yes pain yes trouble yes joy yes affliction he says but he links affliction with joy now the joy of Jesus is abounding joy abounding joy the joy of Jesus is abiding joy that my joy might remain in you and finally the joy of Jesus is abundant joy there is a lot of it that your joy might be full might be full now you say pastor that's fine you haven't told me I've had how to have it how can I have joy well I'm glad you asked I want you to look again at verse 11 these things have I spoken unto you well it only makes sense to see what he's just spoken you go back and see what he spoke and there you will have a recipe for joy now I don't want you I don't want you to miss the rest of the message if you've been your minds been wandering a little bit tighten the focus now because I'm talking to you about now how to have fullness abundant joy now jesus said in verse 11 these things have I spoken unto you that you might have joy they my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full well just back up and see what Jesus has spoken to them in John chapter 15 Jesus speaks of himself as a vine and he speaks of us as branches and they tells us that the branch is to abide in the vine and what Jesus is saying is that when the branch abides in the vine it's a fact oh there is joy let's say pastor that sounds good but abide is it's a word I don't use a whole lot and it's kind of a religious word could you tell me in plain English what it means to abide in Jesus and therefore have abounding joy therefore having lasting abiding joy what does it mean to abide alright I want you to write down these words and and first of all it means surrender surrender look if you will in John 15 verse 4 abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine no more can ye except ye abide in me verse 5 I am the vine and ye are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing now now think about this just imagine a vine that's the Lord Jesus Christ and imagine a branch that's you now don't miss this point a branch exists for one reason Devine not two reasons not one half reasons one reason the buy it makes a full surrender to the vine if you say but pastor I've got a family I've got a job I've got this I've got that how can I just have one issue well you must totally completely abide in the vine now if you don't do that you're not going to have joy and how do you buy buy a full surrender have you ever made a full surrender a great English preacher of yesteryear was dr. FB Meyer we still read his devotional books in one of his books dr. Meyer told how he got joy than is speaking about he said he'd been burden for a long time in living the Christian life Betty does not have the joy that he ought to have and he said one time in a meeting there was a young man who seemed to have learned the secret of abundant joy and he said I went to him after the service I'd heard him speak and I said sir can you tell me how to have the joy that you have it seems that you have something that I do not have can you tell me how an FB Meyer of this famous preacher said that young man looked at me and said have you surrendered everything to Jesus Christ Meyer said well in a general way I have the young man said that's not good enough go alone tonight and get it settled Meyer decided he would do that he went to his bedroom and locked the door and got on his knees and said Lord I am going to get this settled tonight and he says Lord I'm going to surrender everything to you he said it it seemed like that I had a big bunch of keys and I held him up to the Lord and I said Lord here are the keys to my life take them the Lord said to him are they all there he said well they're all except one little key I've kept that back the Lord said you must give me that key and Satan said don't do it don't do it if you give him everything no telling what he will ask of you and Meyer was going through a struggle and he said to the Lord Lord I don't have the strength to give you this last key but Lord would you take it he said the Lord opened his fingers and got that little key and went to cupboard and opened it and inside was vileness and wickedness and sin he'd never seen the import of what he was holding back from the Lord and he repudiated that sin and turned from and he said that night the desire for that died in my heart he said I went to sleep expecting to wake up in the morning with hallelujahs and praises but he said no instead I just had a quiet confidence and I found myself all day Lord say I Finn's I'm his I'm his I am completely his now a vine and a branch are connected together when I listen it must be a life of surrender did you write down the word surrender alright now here's the second word I want you to write down not only surrender but dependence dependence the joy of Jesus is given when you depend upon the Lord now look at look at the scripture here when he says in John 15 verse 5 the last part of that without me you can do nothing you said wait a minute pastor I might do a little bit well may I say that's your opinion I'd rather take the word of Jesus without me you can do nothing well use common sense what can a branch do without a vine nothing that's a zero with the edges trimmed off nothing are you saying I think it's something well in eternity it will be nothing but the the branch makes a full surrender and that full surrender turns to an absolute dependence upon the Lord now when you think you're something then God is not everything and God cannot be everything until you become nothing but don't worry about it God specializes in making something out of nothing will you abide in the Lord now here's the third word I want you to write down surrender dependence third one is rest rest now look in verse nine if you will he says as the father had loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my love rest in his love he loves you that's not rhetoric that is rock-ribbed truth he loves you he loves you but you must abide in his love let him love you and that'll give you rest I mean when you see yourself as the object of his love you'll say he loves me just that a human being could have a conversation with a branch and the the branch would say human beings and you human beings think you're so intelligent but you always seem frustrated me rushing around knocking things over no rest no peace and the man says to the branch well you seem to have peace how you do it he says I have I reduced all my concerns to one and that is to abide in the vine and once I do that worry has to go when it's summertime and I need a drink of water I don't worry about where it comes from that's the vines business I abide in the vine and the vine puts his roots down into the ground and brings up that moisture from my wilted leaves and then when it's springtime and I need buds I don't worry about where those buds are going to come from I abide in the vine and when the time of vintage and harvest comes I don't worry about the grapes how big how few how sweet that's none of my business I don't produce the fruit you see the Bible tells us in the book of Galatians chapter 5 verse 22 the fruit of the Spirit is joy the fruit of the Spirit is joy you're not going to create that joy you're not going to clench your fists today and grit your teeth and say I'm going to have joy if it kills me you can't do that you buy it and and the branch says sir I just abide in the vine and the grapes are here is not mine I don't produce them I simply bear them now let me give you another word I want you to write down and it's the fourth word and you won't like this one but it's obedience now what we're doing is talking about how to abide Jesus is saying look I want you to have joy these things have I spoken unto you that you might have joy and what did he speak he spoke up obedience look in verse 10 if you keep my Commandments you shall abide in my love if you keep my Commandments you shall abide in my love even as I have kept my father's Commandments and abide in his love and Jesus spoke of his joy because he kept the commandments of the Father now there's no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey if I would ask you how many of you today love Jesus I suppose we'd all lift our hands kind of some just because we didn't want to be seen with our hands down we'd all lift our hands but jesus said if you love me keep my word he that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loves me and even loves me shall be loved of my father now what's this and I will manifest myself to him how's God good to manifest himself to you the manifestation of his presence in your heart is joy joy unspeakable and full of glory as you friend obey the Lord now last of all past of all write down the word rejoicing and we've come full-circle now we come back to verse 11 where we started what he says here these things have I spoken unto you he spoke about the vine and the branches these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy we'll be full I know you've got problems I know you have heartaches and that's why you need joy our Lord said this don't rejoice because the demons are subject to you if they are I'm glad but Jesus said listen rejoice rejoice that your name is written in heaven is your name written in heaven all of this that I've said will do you absolutely no good unless your name is written in heaven now you can't be have your name written in heaven and go to heaven second class without joy but if your name is written in heaven you know come what may wheeler whoa heartache tears I am heaven born I'm heaven bound I'm going to heaven and I rejoice that my name is written in heaven friend without genuine joy your life is meaningless that too big a statement absolutely not without genuine joy your life is meaningless and joy is only found in Jesus that my joy might remain in you not joy like his the supernatural joy of Jesus Christ bow your heads in prayer heads are bowed and eyes are closed those of you who are saved have you let the devil take the joy out of your life repent of it come and surrender to Jesus depend upon the Lord Jesus rest in the Lord Jesus do it do it obey the Lord Jesus and let that joy be renewed in your heart and in your life it's called abiding in Jesus and those of you who've never ever received Jesus all of the rest of this is impossible to you until you take the first step and rejoice that your name is written in heaven when you give your heart to Jesus Christ there's a book in heaven and God put your name in it what a what a thrill that is would you pray this prayer with me if you're not certain that you say would you pray Lord Jesus that's right just speak to him I need you and I want you I want your life in me I want to know that my sin is forgiven I want to know that I have fellowship with you I want the joy that only you alone can give I don't want to go to hell I want to go to heaven but on the way to heaven I want joy come into my heart forgive my sin thank you for paying for my sin with your shed blood on the cross I love you for that forgive me and cleanse me and come into my life right now right now right now and begin to make me the person you want me to be and help me never to be ashamed of you give me the courage to make it public in your name amen we pray that God has blessed you as you've watched this message if you'd like additional copies or information about other resources write to us at love worth finding vo box 38 300 memphis tennessee 38134 at lwf 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Id: HYeXz7vRAQM

Length: 35min 12sec (2112 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 10 2016