{"id":16518,"date":"2012-09-05T19:23:35","date_gmt":"2012-09-05T18:23:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adrianwarnock.com\/?p=16518"},"modified":"2020-06-13T10:12:35","modified_gmt":"2020-06-13T09:12:35","slug":"god-wants-you-to-be-really-happy-a-sermon-on-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/2012\/09\/god-wants-you-to-be-really-happy-a-sermon-on-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"God wants you to be really happy – a sermon on joy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/iframe>\n<\/p><a href=\"http:\/\/jubileechurchlondon.org\/2012\/09\/pursuing-fullness-of-life-psalm-16\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Downloads<\/a><\/p>\nOver the next few days I will be posting an edited version of the transcript of this sermon as a series of posts. See <a href=\"http:\/\/adrianwarnock.com\/category\/sermons\/sermon-joy\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">this link<\/a> for all of them or use the \u201cnext post\u201d and \u201cprevious post\u201d links below.<\/p>\n<h3>1. What Is The Full Life?<\/h3>\nIt is a new term, and at the beginning of a new term it is a good idea to ask ourselves what kind of a life we want, and perhaps even more so, what kind of a life does Jesus want for us?<\/strong>. I entitled the sermon this series of posts are based on \u2018Pursuing Fullness of Life\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\nJesus gives us a clue as to what kind of a life He wants for us in John 10:10: \u2018I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance\u2019<\/strong>, or as one translation puts it \u2018life to the full<\/strong>\u2019. What does this full life mean? It really means all of our life working well for all of God so that we may fulfil the purpose which God has for us <\/strong> and, as a result of that, that we might be truly satisfied. Surely if abundant life means anything at all, it means a life of joy<\/strong>.<\/p>\nChristians can and should be a people who are characterized by an overflowing, amazing, abundant joy, a joy<\/strong> that as the Bible puts it \u2018knows no limits\u2019<\/strong> and is beyond all explanation<\/strong>, a joy that is based on our identity in God<\/strong>, the joy that flows from a deep source, a joy that is not dependent on circumstances at all<\/strong>. And yet many people would think of Christians being miserable people!<\/p>\nI want to persuade you that God wants you to be happy<\/strong>. Actually, I want to persuade you that God wants you to be really<\/em><\/strong> happy.<\/p>\nI also want to increase your desire to pursue joy in God<\/strong>. Paul in the Bible says of preachers, leaders, those who work amongst us: \u2018We are workers for your joy.\u2019<\/strong>(2 Corinthians 1:24)<\/p>\nThis series of blog posts, and perhaps watching this video, will have done its job this if it leaves you happier than when you began<\/strong>, and if you are more connected to the God that can give you joy, and if you have a well of joy inside you that will sustain you throughout life.<\/p>\nJoy is important.<\/strong> When Paul was writing his greatest epistle, he said in Romans 14:17: \u2018The Kingdom of God is all about\u2026\u2019 What? \u2018\u2026righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit<\/strong>.\u2019<\/p>\nMost of you will have heard of a great preacher, <a href=\"http:\/\/adrianwarnock.com\/category\/martyn-lloyd-jones\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Martyn Lloyd-Jones<\/a>. In many ways, many people would argue that he was perhaps one of the greatest preacher-teachers \u2013 there are different types of preacher \u2013 that the English-speaking world has ever seen. You could argue differently perhaps. But he was certainly right up there as one that was greatly used by God. He preached through the book of Romans, verse by verse, for years. Sometimes he would preach a whole sermon just on one word.<\/p>\nAs he was preaching through Romans, he got to this verse we just read in Romans 14, and one week he preached a whole sermon on righteousness. The next week, he preached a whole sermon on peace. Then, in the week before he was due to preach the following week, he was rushed to hospital because he was sick. It was very interesting, because although he did recover to almost full health for several years, he made a determination not to return to his regular preaching. <a href=\"http:\/\/adrianwarnock.com\/2006\/03\/martyn-lloyd-jones-on-the-vital-place-of-joy-in-the-holy-spirit\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">He felt that God had stopped him from preaching on this phrase<\/a><\/strong>: \u2018\u2026joy in the Holy Spirit.\u2019 because, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t know enough about this\u201d<\/strong>. Not intellectually, for the man was a giant brain, but in experience.<\/p>\nI want to say to you, as I have studied this in Scripture \u2013 and read about the lives of some who have come before us, of the experiences of God that many people have had, I write this as someone not knowing enough about this.<\/strong> I believe that actually none of us have done any more than dipped our toes into the ocean of joy that God has got for us. That is the reality of the world in which we live today. We live in a very shallow world.<\/strong> But I believe that God is calling us as a people \u2013 He is calling me \u2013 to go deeper, to press deeper, into the river of joy that He has for us. It is a river of joy.<\/p>\nSo, as we go through this, we are really learning together. I am very interested in any help my readers can give me in this pursuit of joy. I preached this message to myself. I think it was <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/topekoleoso\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Tope<\/a> who said of a sermon a few weeks ago: \u2018This sermon is for me\u2019. ) Well, this sermon is for me, but it is for us<\/strong>. We are going to work through this Psalm, but we are going to start near the end:<\/p>\nIn verse 9, David says: \u2018Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices\u2026 You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence [get this!] is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\nTomorrow I will ask the question \u201cWhat is this life of Joy?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nA big thank you to <a href=\"http:\/\/mandybakerjohnson.com\/blog\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Mandy Johnson<\/a> for transcribing this sermon.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Downloads Over the next few days I will be posting an edited version of the transcript of this sermon as a series of posts. See this link for all of them or use the \u201cnext post\u201d and \u201cprevious post\u201d links below. 1. What Is The Full Life? It is a new term, and at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[199,81,110,117],"tags":[501,686,449,516],"class_list":["post-16518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon-joy","category-martyn-lloyd-jones","category-philippians","category-psalms","tag-bible","tag-messages","tag-sermon-ideas","tag-sermons"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>God wants you to be really happy - a sermon on joy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Downloads Over the next few days I will be posting an edited version of the transcript of this sermon as a series of posts. 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I am the author of the Transformed by Jesus: Spiritual Renewal series of books, which ask: \u2192 Is the Easter story true, and what does it mean? Raised With Christ: How the Resurrection Changes Everything \u2192 Why is change so difficult? What causes the resistance? The Traitor Within: Understanding and Healing Our Deceitful Hearts \u2192 How does transformation happen over time? Amazing Grace: How Faith Grows in the Human Heart \u2192 What are the first steps on a journey of faith? Hope Reborn: How to Become a Christian and Live for Jesus These books bring together medical, psychological, social, and faith-based insights, advocating for a biopsychosocial\u2013spiritual model of wellbeing. My qualifications and training reflect this integrated background: \u2192 British MB BS medical degree (equivalent to an MD in the USA) \u2192 Postgraduate qualifications in Psychiatry (MRCPsych) and Pharmaceutical Medicine (MFFM, DipPharmMed) \u2192 Theological training courses run by Newfrontiers","sameAs":["http:\/\/patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/adrianwarnockpage\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/adrianwarnock"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/author\/awarnock\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16518\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}