Has Your Joy Sprung a Leak? - Part A

There are a number of things in life that can challenge anybody's joy.

Circumstances can people can everyday problems can work sin doubt disease, chronic pain, those are just a few things can challenge our joy. However, if those things steal your joy, your problem and the biggest problem is Paul the apostle resistivity figure out the biggest problem because it was a space still your joy.

You got apostle you got someone telling you to be joyful was every reason not to be joyful. Someone once said, is a plain duty to cultivate a boy and enjoy a sense of the crowded kindnesses of God in your daily life today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip explains how to guard your joy when circumstances threaten to the plate but before we begin.

Did you know you can get more inspiring teachings from Scripture on his TV show yourself to Nan for my program connect with Skip Heitzig six on the health on channel on Saturdays at 4:30 PM mountain time or watch it on TBN on Sundays at 5:30 AM Eastern. Be sure to check your local listings. Now we want to let you know about a resource that helps you diving deeper into God's truth. You know those times you hear a sermon really speaks to you.

It's almost as if the pastor knows what you personally going through and he teaches a message like you're the only one listening. Well it's not that the pastor knows you personally that God knows you personally here. Skip, I think in nearly 40 years of expository teaching. I still love hearing that one of my messages focus on one person better for them on to know God better or become more like but that's not because of me that's just the power of the word of God doing the work of God in the hearts of the people get to know the God who knows you pastor Skip six a collection of some of pastor skip's most memorable teachings, including the rapture. Real and overcoming an anxious mind this for DVD collection is our thanks for your gift of $25 or more to help keep this ministry connecting more people to Jesus. Call now to request a copy of pastor Skip specs 800-922-1888 working online securely connectwithskip.com – offer Philippians chapter 3 is Skip Heitzig to get into today's message.

I don't know if you have heard the name Billy Sunday work you know much about who he was. Billy Sunday was a professional baseball player. He was a centerfielder for Chicago who got converted and became an evangelist and he was a fiery evangelist.

So much so that when he would speak people would remark on the joy and enthusiasm that emanated from Billy Sunday will he spoke a lot on the subject of joy. One of the things he said is don't look as if your Christianity hurts you that good with too many people say I'm a Christian, they wince their way through life.

He also said the trouble with many people is that they have just enough religion to make them miserable but my favorite quote by Billy Sunday on the subject of joy is this.

If you have no joy there is a leak in your Christianity somewhere. My question to you this morning is have you sprung a leak. Have you sprung a leak in enjoy is your choice, sprung a leak. There are number of things in life that can challenge anybody's joy.

Circumstances can people can everyday problems can overwork, sin, doubt, disease, chronic pain, those are just a few things that can challenge our joy. However, if those things steal your joy. You got a problem, and the biggest problem is probably apostle resistivity figure that's our biggest problem because if those things can still your joy.

You got apostle you got someone telling you to be joyful was every reason not to be joyful know we already know from studying this book that Paul writes this from a jail cell. He does not know if the vertex going to be live or die, but before even read this text.

Let me remind you of something else. Paul wrote this is second Corinthians. It's a paragraph that he wrote in second Corinthians 11. Listen to Paul describing his Christian background. Up to this point. He said I have worked harder. I have been put in jail more often. I have been whipped times without number.

Face death again and again five different times. The Jews gave me 39 lashes three times I've been beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked once I spent the whole night and day adrift at sea. I have traveled many weary miles I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities in the deserts and on stormy seas and I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not. I have lived with wariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all of this I have the daily burden of how the churches are getting along so how are you doing me with this guy's background and yet Paul the apostle felt he was so anchored to Jesus Christ.

So trusting in Jesus for his future that he felt it was no way he could not have joy. He couldn't help but be joyful and that is been a key note in this letter.

Up to this point, we noted that I want you to noted one more time. Go back to chapter 1 verse three and just notice this this prisoner in jail facing death, possibly verse three says I thank my God upon every remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine, making request for you all with joy. Verse 18, chapter 1 what then only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and in this I rejoice. Yes and will rejoice. Chapter 2 verse 16 holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes. And if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith. In other words, if this cost me my very life. And I die in the process. I am glad and rejoice with you all for the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me, Skip ahead look at chapter 4 verse four rejoice in the Lord always again I will say, rejoice. Okay, so if you were to go back and go through this letter and count how many times Paul uses joy or rejoice or rejoicing. You would count 14 times in all, just in this letter. Now that is our background the cigar verses this morning.

Philippians chapter 3 were only going to look at three versus one, two and three. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord for me to write the same things to you is not tedious but for you it is safe beware of dogs, beware of evil workers.

Beware of the mutilation for we are the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh know immediately you notice that the always talking about rejoicing.

He uses some pretty strong language very vivid warnings.

Why I think he wants to shock them a bit.

I think he wants their attention, their joy is being threatened and he wants to keep them safe from the things and the people that are a challenge to their joy that are possibly robbing them of joy.

You know sometimes when you give instructions to people they've heard them before, so they're not listening and so you you introduce an element of shock to draw them in, so they get the point. So let me give you an example. There was a principal of a school junior high school in Oregon.

He had a problem. Some of the girls in the junior high school were wearing lipstick. They go in them in their little girls. The girls room to put lipstick on.

But then they would press their lips up against the mirror, leaving dozens of lip prints and the in the restroom so the principal kindly asked them not to do that instructing them why we have to clean up every time you do that please don't do that you think it helped didn't help at all they Gonna so he thought. Well I got a little more creative. So he invited all the girls in the restroom that I would give you demonstration this is how hard it is to clean their cigar all the girls in the room and to know girls which are lipids out there. We are cleaning every day, and here's a custodian to show you that it's not that easy of a test whether to sort of like in their little clicks I can and not really been fishing and giggling. So he says okay I'm in a demonstrate so he tells a custodian demonstrate cleaning the mirror in the bathroom so custodian gets a long handled squeegee dips in the toilet scrubs the marks often squeegees that since that day. There have been no more lip prints on the mayors and the girls restroom is a pretty smart guy had me that little shock value changed everything was so appalled. Does the same thing in these three verses, especially in verse two what I want to show you here are three defenses that will. Leaking joy three defenses that will stop that will help you against your joy leaking out. First of all joy must be guarded. Verse one finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord all me to say that just because pulse is finally here doesn't mean he's done a whole have a book left, so he's a preacher so he says finally that mean finally means that I have a whole second half of the book to go so doesn't mean he's lying.

It just means that the word translated here should probably have been translated more appropriately.

Furthermore or also or on another vein.

That's with the word can mean the translated here. Finally, he's going to use this word again in chapter 4 verse eight he does at that time. He is closing the letter down. But here finally means.

Furthermore so furthermore also, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

Those words from anybody else would sound very shallow, but when they come from the guy who experienced all that we found out that he experience they are very profound words. Rejoice in the Lord. Now he's given them a command. In fact, it's the news what's called the present active indicative which would be translated this way go on constantly rejoicing or be continually rejoicing when I discovered the deaths what that wording means that tells me something about joy. Number one. It tells me that joy has much less to do with what's going on around you, and much more to do with what's going on inside no matter what's going on around you. You can respond to that with joy.

Second thing it tells me is that it's not an automatic response. This is something that is a learned response.

It's a choice that you make to make joy your Outlook. How do I know that because by the time we get to chapter 4 verse 11. Paul says this. Listen carefully.

I have learned in whatever state I am to be content is not automatic. I had to learn that and I learned it so that is now my response. Some of you will remember when David in the Old Testament.

King David was before he was king.

He was being chased by Saul and he was very discouraged and very distraught and he thought he was going to lose his life become the first Samuel chapter 30 and we are told. Then David encouraged himself in the Lord so that that's that's Paul Fossett I will rejoice and he goes rejoice in the Lord. You see, joy was Paul's Outlook because Jesus was Paul's up. Look speaking of that, look at the phrase. Finally, my brother and he didn't say, rejoice. He says rejoice in the Lord why is that important because he's not saying rejoice in your circumstances or be dependent on people for your joy when you rejoice in the Lord, your joy is a byproduct of a relationship with God. Perhaps one of the reasons you don't experience joy is because you're looking for joy in all the wrong places you're looking for something or someone else to produce it for you in any way I see it.

Joy is a spiritual reality check. Let's see, God is still on the throne. Check.

I am a child of God. Check all things work together for those who love God, check all of that produces my responsive okay then. I'm to be joyful, so I'm not joyful because my circumstances are favorable, often times are not favorable and I'm not joyful because people are wonderful because are they always know you seen the way they drive around her. It's enough to take your joy away. I'm not joyful because I own things are sad because I don't think my joy is a byproduct of my relationship with the living the loving Lord of the universe rejoice in the Lord that qualifies the command to the next sentence of verse one pulses for me to write the same things to you is not tedious or burdensome or irksome or troublesome, not tedious, but for you it is safe know Paul knows he's repeating himself.

He saying the same things to them for me to say the same things. He is not tedious.

He knows he's repeating himself living Bible puts it this way. I never get tired of telling you this, and it's good for you to hear it again and again, what is he, meanwhile, is Artie talked about joy several times and he's not done and he knows that people listening or reading this letter to get a little tedious considering flipping during long talks about your joy than a few verses later talks about joy and fevers later rejoice in FY. He keeps saying that it's getting tedious.

Hearing things repeated can get tedious for some people. When I was a kid when I was in the bratty stage of being a kid my parents would tell me things they would repeat themselves, especially my father and I had that juvenile dopey response role in my eyes. I wanted it for now. I know I can actually finish your paragraph that I know exactly what you can say I knew the spiel and listening to things over and over again. Got a bit tedious while I'm apparent now, obviously, and a grandparent and I see things a little bit different. I find myself repeating those things. History goes on a good instructor repeats himself. We say that again, hope all says I've said this before, I'm saying it again it's not tedious for me and it's actually safer you help Paula's and the only one to do this. Peter when he writes his letter he says this second Peter chapter 1, I will not be negligent to remind you always.

Of these things though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it's right as long as I am in this tent. This body to stir you up by reminding you educators have always known the value of repetition as any fitness coach any athletic coach, my brothers, a golf pro and he will tell you you need to make that swing and make those body motions over and over again he will have you repeat data repeat that so that muscle memory gets locked in. You repeat it. Even Aristotle couple thousand years ago said it's frequent repetition that produces natural tendency to ghost set up a form saying it again.

I don't mind saying it again and by the way for you it's actually safe that I say it again and again. Why is it safe it safe because he knows that there are joy, Steelers out there. There are grace killers.

There are legalistic people that attach themselves to every congregation so joy must be guarded but number two legalism must be avoided. And that's is thought when he gets to verse two says, beware of dogs is not speaking to mailmen who are delivering your mail with little sign, beware of dog speaking about something different. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers. Beware of the mutilation notice three times use of the word. Beware beware beware beware these are warnings who is he wanting them against these warning them against false teachers called Judaizers Judaizers. Let me explain what they are. I even know if you've ever heard the term Judaizers are not speaking about Jewish people. Judaizers were people who mixed the grace of Jesus Christ with the law of the Old Testament and they believe you you needed both in order to be right with God.

So when Peter in acts chapter 10 goes into a Gentiles house Cornelius and shares with him and eats a meal with him. The folks back in Jerusalem the Judaizers they were Jewish people, messianic Jews converted to Jesus Christ president Jesus, but thought Peter. You can't do that, you can go into a Gentiles house have a meal with them there like unclean people. They got all upset why because they said you have to come to Judaism in order to get to Christ.

Paul the apostle of the same problem. He goes on his first missionary journey because in the synagogues first to the Jew first and also to the Greek. They kick him out of the synagogues, he preaches to the Greeks in the Areopagus of the Agoura and every city, Gentiles, non-Jews here respond well. By the time this filters back to Jerusalem and acceptor 15 their likes there beside themselves. They throw a fit acceptor 15 is what they say verse one unless you are circumcised and keep the laws of Moses, you cannot be saved. Was the Judaizers they attach themselves to the church and they said the Gentiles had to submit to Jewish rules and they opposed Paul wherever he went.

So he warns.

By the way, if you're thinking well those days are long gone. We don't have people like that around today doing are you nuts there. There's always people who have a list of rules to keep and you have to go through those rules to be right with God and by the way, not much different then back then, there's been a movement it's been popular for sometimes called the Jewish roots movement. That's what apologetic teachers will call a Jewish roots movement sounds beautiful. That is, let's get in touch with our Jewish roots and find out about the festivals and the prayer shawls in the Hebrew prayers and light the candles and where the keep and blow the shofar and that's cool but what they do is a lot of times these are Gentiles, not Jewish people who are going back to Jewish roots and believe that you have to be under the laws of the Torah in order to be right with God.

And so it's dangerous. Ceballos is beware beware beware why because he knows that being joyful means being careful and we learned a lot about the characteristics of these legalists just from looking at this verse.

Notice first of all, the legalists can be scavengers. That's why Paul says, beware of dogs. That's a term of contempt by the way, you may want to try to go to Senegal you dog. No, don't do that. On second it's it was. It turns like a cuss word the origin of the term dog in Hebrew parlance goes back to Deuteronomy chapter 23. It referred to a male cult prostitutes in Deuteronomy 23 it says you shall not bring the wages of a harlot, nor the price of a dog to the house of the Lord. Very stark language to describe a male cult prostitutes. As time went on, did you know that Orthodox Jews started using the term dog to refer to non-Jews, Gentiles, so Jews and Orthodox Jews would often refer to Gentiles as dogs. Interesting that Paul decides to throw that term back at them. These Judaizers who say that we have to keep the laws supposedly save beware of dog's saying that's who they are, that Skip with a message from his series technical Skip to tell you about how you can keep encouraging messages like this coming the way to help connect others to the gospel. The greatest demonstration of love.

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