Chapter
Six
JOY IS THE MEASURE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST
'...you
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory' (1 Peter 1:8).
Joy will always be evident in
every level of worship. The amount of
joy in our lives will reflect the closeness of our relationship with the Lord
Jesus Christ. It is the barometer that
can measure our Christian experience.
The First Epistle of Peter describes exactly what the reading on our
spiritual barometer should be like; we should be rejoicing with 'joy
unspeakable and full of glory'. Paul
commanded the Philippians to always rejoice in the Lord. He emphasised this command by saying it a
second time. 'Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.' (Philippians 4:4). Worshippers are a rejoicing people and Paul
says that believers should rejoice at all times, in all circumstances, and
situations. Joy will attract people to
Christ, and it is the greatest weapon to prevent contention within the body of
Christ.
A worshipper of the Lord Jesus
can be defined as one who does not carry the cares and concerns of the world,
but is filled with joy in knowing Jesus.
Joy is not only the barometer measuring our relationship with the Lord;
it is also the means of measuring whether the local church is moving in the
Holy Spirit. There will always be joy
among the believers when the Holy Spirit is moving because in His presence
there is fullness of joy, (Psalm 16:11).
This is a greater evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit than
speaking in tongues or demonstrations of healing.
Joy
will always be evident in all stages of worship.
1. The joy in believing
2. The joy in going up to worship
3. The joy in thanksgiving and praise
4. The joy in giving all
5. The joy in the Holy Spirit anointing
6. The joy in being united with Christ in
suffering shame
7. The joy in being united with Christ in God's
eternal plan and purpose
8. The joy of worship in heaven
Joy in believing, the first step to
worship.
There is wonderful joy in knowing
Jesus. It is the joy of knowing that our
sins are forgiven; that we have new life in the Lord Jesus; and that we will
live eternally in heaven with the Lord.
The joy of salvation is produced through faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Paul told the Thessalonian believers that they received the gospel with
joy in the Holy Spirit. The affliction
from unbelieving Jews had no effect upon their joy. 'And you became followers of us, and
of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy
Spirit' (1
Thessalonians 1:6). Isaiah
expressed the joy of salvation in these words; 'Therefore with joy
shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation.'
(Isaiah 12:3). The joy of salvation is the first step in
worship. Even the angels in heaven rejoice when a person receives
Christ, but they always worship on the highest level and are rejoicing because
of God's eternal plan and purpose.
Joy in going up to worship.
This joy is rooted in the nature
and character of God. It is the joy of
approaching God in a right manner. The
worshipper rejoices in the knowledge that he or she is right with God through
the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on their behalf. It is the joy of knowing that we are His
people, and that we are going up to worship in the obedience of discipleship,
and with the fruit of holiness. The
prophet Isaiah spoke about the joy of going up to worship as being with singing
and everlasting joy. 'Therefore the redeemed of the LORD
shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be
upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning
shall flee away.' (Isaiah 51:11).
Joy in
thanksgiving and praise
Worshipping the Lord with the joy
of thanksgiving and praise is the entrance into worship. It is not possible to give thanks and praise
to the Lord without joy. The Psalmist says make a joyful noise; serve
the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. 'Make a
joyful noise unto the LORD, all you lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with
thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless
his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures
to all generations.' (Psalm 100).
The
offering of thanksgiving is given with rejoicing. The joy of the worshipper bypasses the cares
and concerns of life because his or her eyes are upon the Lord. Even when we are broken hearted we must
worship with joy because of the goodness and greatness of God. 'And
let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with
rejoicing.' (Psalm 107:22).
Joy in giving
all
There is joy in the giving of
ourselves in worship as a living sacrifice, (Romans 12:1). It is the joy known by those who worship the Lord with
sacrificial giving. When our lives are
on the altar as a love offering to the Lord then everything we possess belongs
to Him. Love for the Lord will enable us
to give joyfully as an act of worship, and faith in God will enable us to trust
the Lord so that we can joyfully give to Him that which is most precious in our
lives. Hanna was filled with joy when
she gave her son Samuel to the Lord. Her
heart felt the pain of separation, but she rejoiced as she worshipped the Lord
saying: 'My heart rejoices in the LORD,
mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies;
because I rejoice in thy salvation.' (1 Samuel 2:1). The joy that Hanna experienced in giving her son to the Lord is a joy
that can only be known at this level of worship.
Joy in the
Holy Spirit anointing
There is joy in the Holy Spirit
anointing when God takes control of the worship. After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost the
believers ate together with gladness.
The word 'gladness' in Acts 2:46, is the same word that is used in
Hebrews 1:9 where the Lord is anointed with the 'oil of gladness'. It refers to the custom of anointing persons
at feasts and festivals, and at other times of rejoicing with the oil known as
'the oil of gladness'. The prophet
Isaiah made mention of the Holy Spirit anointing with the 'oil of joy': '...the oil of joy for mourning, the garment
of praise for the spirit of heaviness;' (Isaiah 61:3)
Worshippers
on this level of worship have come into a new realm of joy. They have received the anointing of the 'oil
of gladness'. The Holy Spirit baptism
brings great joy. This is not just for
meetings. The early church knew they
were anointed even when they were in their own homes. Anointed worshippers will know the joy of the
Holy Spirit in their daily lives. 'And they, continuing daily with one accord
in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with
gladness and singleness of heart,' (Acts 2:46)
Joy in being
united with Christ in suffering shame
There is the joy of being counted
worthy to suffer shame for Christ. The apostles rejoiced in being united with
Christ in His sufferings. They were
worshippers not because they had been persecuted but because they rejoiced at
being counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. They knew that they were suffering persecution
as a direct consequence of the anointing.
The religious leaders persecuted them because they were not willing to
yield to the moving of the Holy Spirit. '...when they had called the
apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the
name of Jesus, and let them go. And they
departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every
house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. (Acts 5:40-42).
Joy in being
united with Christ in God's eternal plan and purpose
There is joy in knowing we are
united in Christ with the eternal plan and purpose of God. The angels always rejoice in the glory of God
at this level of worship. They rejoice
over sinners being saved, because in the salvation of a sinner they see the
wisdom, power, and glory of God. 'Likewise, I say unto you, there is
joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.'
(Luke 15:10). Jesus
rejoiced on this level when he sent out seventy disciples who came back
rejoicing saying, 'Lord even the devils
are subject to us through Your name' (Luke
10:17-22). Jesus told them to rejoice
for a higher reason, 'because their names were written in heaven'. The Lord rejoiced in spirit because of the
wisdom of God in choosing the foolish and despised of the world to fulfil His
great purpose.
Notice how the Lord rejoiced by
worshipping first with thanksgiving and praise and then moved to the highest
level of worship and rejoiced in the wisdom of God's eternal plan and purpose
in choosing the insignificant and lowly in the world: 'In that hour Jesus
rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that You have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed
them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.'
(Luke 10:21). Worship at this level rejoices in the knowledge
that the believer has been united with Christ in His eternal purpose. The worshipper rejoices in the wisdom of God
because He has chosen the foolish and weak things of the world so that He will
be glorified through them.
Joy of
worshipping in heaven
There is the joy of worshipping
in heaven. The extent of our worship on
earth will determine how we enter in heaven.
Paul had one desire to finish his course with joy. He wanted to go into heaven worshipping. His ministry was born out of worship and the
love of Christ was his only motivation.
Paul looked upon believers who he had won for the Lord, and built up in
the gospel as his joy and crown. He
looked forward to the day when he could present them to the Lord at his
coming. They were the fruit of his
service of love for the Lord: 'For what is our hope, or joy, or
crown of rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ
at his coming?' (1 Thessalonians 2:19)
The joy of worship is the way to
measure our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. A believer who is full of the Lord will be
full of joy. A Christian who is filled
with the cares and concerns of life will not be filled with joy, and cannot go
up to worship. There can be no worship
without joy whether it is on an individual level or in corporate worship as a
company of believers united together in Christ. A church that is moving in the Holy Spirit
will be known for joy.
Worship begins with the joy of
salvation. The worshipper is then able
to go up to worship with a rejoicing heart, and to enter into worship with
gladness and singing. The worshipper
will experience greater joy by moving higher in worship to the place of
surrender; joyfully laying his or her live on the altar of sacrifice. There is wonderful joy in sacrificial giving. The higher levels of worship begin when God
takes control of the worship and the worshipper is anointed with the oil of
gladness. Believers rejoice together in
the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This
is the Day of Pentecost experience and leads to the higher level of worship in
being able to rejoice through being united with Christ in His sufferings. The worshipper rejoices that he or she has
been counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus. From here worship moves to the highest level
of rejoicing through being united with Christ in His eternal plan and
purpose. This joy is the joy that is
'joy unspeakable and full of glory' and will continue for all eternity.