How does Our Attitude Affect Our Joy

The conclusion of most social scientist thinking people is that there is a deep rooted connection between unrealistic expectations and discontentment in life, nobody's doubting that effect, a professor at UCLA proved definitively that the reason our rich and affluent culture is filled with mild contented people is because he said their expectations are unrealistic and not talk about realistic expectations and goals in life does not want talk about because that mild contentment has led to all sorts of emotional problem in our land.

We are the most affluent richest country in the world have more emotional problems than any other country in the world. This mild contentment produced lack of commitment on parts of many young adults today. This mild contentment leads to impatience or it even produced what is known as the midlife crisis. Most of all discontentment has produced a generation of winos and complainers. Sadly, this whining and complaining and murmuring has infected many a church winos take their whining with them wherever they go. They take their whining with the first known somebody with Bill Weiner in the moment you see him overcoming of the old Weber hard to become a winner and that's what happens with winos because they take their grumbling under murmuring and they're complaining they take it everywhere they go the ticket to the home, they take it to the all of the relationships that they take it to the churches. Many a church today has a fair share of mild contented complainers. We don't have to go very far to realize that the very first Weiner and complainers in the Bible was Adam. Adam was the first murmur in the Bible. He disobeyed God, he brought the command of God, and then he had the audacity to blame me for it.

As a matter of fact, it was beyond that, he took it like a man right people in the not only that he was ultimately blaming God is that God had you not given me this woman I would not have sinned against you instead of confessing from Adam on we have generation after generation of complaining and murmuring against God. No wonder we are not passing the joy of the Lord to others. How can we give that which we do not have. And the reason we don't have it because our lives are filled with complaining and with murmuring and was grumbling the other. There is a story about two teardrops. These two teardrops floating down the river of life. One teardrops or to the other. Who are you, the teardrops said I am a teardrop from a girl who love the manna lost him and who are you, the other teardrops said armor teardrop from the girl who got him his mouth contentment makes us cry for what we've lost the mix describe what we caught because after Adam continued this. I did not stop carrying was murmuring against God for the severity of his punishment for killing his brother Moses himself complained to God for being too slow to deliver his people. And then he bless his heart became on the receiving end, when God's people complained and murmured and grumbled the whole time because God was invisible but Moses was very visible in man that was shooting at it.

I wanted him arrive please listen carefully refusal to willingly and joyfully be contented with where God has placed you can be a very serious business I believe is grumbling against God's will for their life instead of experiencing joy and thanksgiving and total trust in the hand of God is a serious business. Believers murmuring against God's appointed leaders are against one another can lead to severe consequences. Listen to what the brother of Jesus said James and 59. He said don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door discontentment that leads to grumbling will not only take away our joy, but your joy when it is eclipsed because of your grumbling because of your complaining, you gotta find yourself unable to pass the joy onto others, which I desperately need to see because nonbelievers are gonna look at your grumbling.

When you look at your complaining and is in the who wants that Christianity forget I'm find YM. I don't need to tell you that being a stumbling block is a serious business to God is a serious business.

Philippians chapter 2 beginning at verse 12. Paul begins by telling them that their salvation which is the work of God in them must be followed by sanctification.

That's a big word means are becoming like Christ every day and beloved, let me tell you something if you cannot look back and see that you are more like Christ. This year than you were last year and that you more like Christ today than you were 10 years ago.

The something wrong with your growth.

Somebody was a well I just give my life to Christ and… Insurance policy and I'm fine now.

Your salvation is not the end is the beginning to daily become like Christ simply means to live in obedience to him to live in obedience to his word.

While the act of salvation, from beginning to end is all God's but the work of daily transformation into the likeness of Christ is a joint effort is a joint project. It is between you and the Holy Spirit working together you notice I did not say it's all your responsibility alone that would be an error. The Bible makes it very clear that both God's sovereignty and man's response must be in operation together in this process of sanctification in this process of Christ likeness. This is one of the many paradoxes we have in the Bible, our faith, the Christian faith is a faith of paradoxes.

All of that's why some people have a hard time with it.

For example, Jesus fully God and fully man is a paradox, the Bible written by human beings but every word is authored by the Holy Spirit as a paradox. God eternally secures the believer salvation. And yet we are commanded to obey him. God is sovereign and dealing in the affairs of all of his children. He is working his purposes out and yet he responds in answer to our prayers. He can explain the one the paradox. I don't have to worry about it I just believe in and trust the Lord for the whole Christian faces the face of paradox, and when Paul said work out your salvation in fear and trembling. He is not saying as some people suggest what God did his part. Now you need to do your part in their walk around in the Christian life feeling it's all up to them. That's not what he said God already saved you terminally. He saved you now will continue to save you all the way to heaven. But you have to show the world your salvation. How do you do that by your conduct.

By the way you live by your obedience to Christ by his lie about his joy in your life.

That's how you show it.

I don't want you to Mrs. Monica's listen. He did not say work for your salvation.

The defendant, he did not say work toward your salvation is either not less than what Paul said here in the best illustration I can think of.

All week will be like this.

Somebody gives you a house free and clear. It is yours.

From the moment they gifted to you, it's yours. You do whatever you want with that salvation. God gave it to what you constantly have to keep it tidy right deftly keep a clean, you have to keep it from smelling bad you need to constantly keep it in shape so that people will be attracted to it. Otherwise your offending the giver of the gift.

You are insulting the giver of the gift in the same way the children of Israel that were delivered from the slavery of Egypt that was all God's doing. They had nothing to do with it. In fact, he did not want to leave. There were up to their waist in the Egyptian mod. They do not want to leave and even after they laughed supernaturally and were delivered want to go back. Can you believe that I do is I know human nature and you do to.

But that did not change God's mind right. He kept his word and he saved them all the way to the promised land. And he does the same for his believing Christian children. Those who come to him through Jesus Christ and faith through faith and grace. James asked the question how do people know that you are saved. Good question, but your obedience to the Lord and that is why verse 13 he said, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose is is in your obedience to the way to God requires God's power teakettle by one euro that even your obedience without the empowerment of God the Holy Spirit. He can do it and if you try to do it in your own brother, let me tell you, you are up the creek without a paddle and not being there because I thought that I could keep my life pure for Christ by myself and I'll get frustrated not mix. Mornings I'm going to do better. I'm going to do better and I'm going to do better in every Thomas article but I got worse until the word of God challenged me and I realize that I can't even obey without the help of God working in me and that is why the Lord Jesus before he sent the disciples to preach the gospel to all nations and make disciples. He's he said to them before he could say that he said all power how much of the power all power has been on the earth and in heaven have been given to me. Therefore go before he could say to you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem or Judea, Samaria and outermost parts of the world. He said you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you cannot serve God's purpose in your life without God's power working in your life and that is why Paul immediately goes on to tell them to stop complaining and grumbling. Why because grumbling and complaining and being cantankerous are an indication if you're a believer at all is an indication that you're trying to do it your way that you are lying on your strengths that he wanted Gordon Ornstein you are doing it without the power of God and you know what happens. Pride and arrogance sit in when you try to do it on your own when you try to live by your own power that will not only cause you a hard burn day after day after day is going to cause heartburn to all the people who around you. They gonna feel it, they can experience it immediate family first, then all of the relationships and then of course the church. The opposite of grumbling verse 15 it says becoming blameless what was becoming blameless me. Is it becoming perfect now is me becoming sinless hope.

Only Jesus was perfect and sinless. It means that you are open before God.

It means that you will not allow barriers to build up between you and God. Remember our formula for joy member that J is for. Why is for in the always for nothing and when nothing comes between you and Jesus you will have your joy intact, and not only that you will be able to pass it on to everybody around you being blameless is is being able to sing with the psalmist in Psalm 139 and say to the Lord. Such a meal. God knows my heart test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me to the way everlasting love and listen when you and I keep short accounts of God. That means you repent immediately as soon as you soon. As soon as you for your immediate return to the Lord is keeping short accounts. You gonna discover that his power is freely and clearly manifested in your life by giving you joy and not only the joy is contained but is contagious. Others will catch it. Do you know that there are some people who are going to believe in the Lord because of your joy and some people might be repelled from the faith, because of your lack of joy that comes out of grumbling and complaining. What an awesome awesome responsibility is a how do I pass the joy when you can accomplish it by refusing to join the quiet of the complainers. When you refuse to take part in the chorus of grumbles when you reject the company of members when you are determined to silence the gossip of bitterness when you rebuke them out contented when you reject the symphony of false accusers, when you allow your life to be open before the nothing comes between you and him. He will continuously pour his power into your life and when his powers fully at work in you. Your joy will be infectious that others would want to know Jesus in verses 15 and 16 again when your joy comes from contentment and obedience when that rules the day. You will be like a thousand waters light in a dark and dreary night is like a star shining bright in the dark night. Paul is saying this generation this world we live in is a crooked generation. They have a twisted and warped mind.

They have a twisted and warped hearts.

They have twisted and warped lives, and that is why you enjoy my joy that comes from living blameless before the Lord your joy that comes from living open life before the Lord your joy that comes from straight line between you and Jesus, that revealed the crookedness in the perverseness of this culture is going to force them to acknowledge their sin.

When the light of your joy that comes from closely walking with the Lord shines in the darkness. You will be a rebuke to them. You'll be a rebuke to them or doesn't mean that everybody is going to come and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of you joy another unexpected sum will somehow have but there are some organ reject. And that's not new rejected Jesus in fact if you look through the great lights of church history.

Many of them are called names, King Festus called Paul a madman that medieval pope during the time of Martin Luther. He said that Martin Luther ought to be put in bedlam heretics called Bishop Athanasius a madman. Those of his own church called Francis Xavier crazy. Many in the Church of England called John Wesley mad people called William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. They called him a lunatic and that is why John said in chapter 1 of the gospel that light has come into the world that people chose darkness. Some will choose darkness, but some are going to come to Christ because of your joy. Paul said when you determined to live joyfully you would be like someone who's continuously holding the words of life to a drowning person and then Paul goes on to point to his example.

In the example of Timothy in a preferred -itis.

Those three men. Paul, Timothy, and if Aphrodite's. These men knew that they have clay feet.

But no one could deny their utter and complete commitment hindered obedience to Christ. No one can deny the other and complete desire to obey the word of God. These men were conscious of their own failures but no one could ever doubt their dedication to serve the church of Jesus.

In fact, you know, and I know from Timothy reading the epistle that he was a timid soul. He was a fearful solely in terms he did know which way to turn in your Paul in verse 20 says his head is no one like him. They all looking out for their own interests, not interest of Christ.interest of Jesus, how the Timothy get there by emulating the apostle Paul, whether you know it or not and whether you like it, whether you believe it or not what I'm going to tell you is true and that is there someone somewhere is emulating you.

Someone somewhere is emulating you is a just it just that at the fact parents listen to me. Your children are not necessarily listening to what you say to them.

There are nonstop, but there watching your life.

Carson points out that in the ancient world before the Industrial Revolution. Most sons ended up doing vocationally what their fathers did children of a farmer grew up to be farmers and children of bakers grew up to be Baker's back then the primary apprenticeship was your father, your dad is the one who taught you, your business or he's the one whom you watched and you saw how he's going about things step-by-step and then you grew up doing exactly what he did and I went on from generation to generation. But today in our fast-paced society, the some kids don't even know what their fathers do for living.

I'm extremely privileged that my two sons have turned out other lucrative opportunities to work with me in the cause of the gospel around the world feel singularly honored that they can watch my commitment to Christ they can watch my love for the gospel. My commitment to God's word all but also my clay feet and my deepest desire is that they will not learn from mice exhibit they learn from our mistakes, we can learn from my failures affect our counsel.

Remind them that their ultimate loyalty is to Jesus not to me. And Paul is saying that Timothy has learned his Christian faith and ministry from his spiritual father because of her son is is been assigned to me, but because Timothy's loyalty was to Jesus. Paul could say there's no one like you Timothy and if Aphrodite's decease they saw with their own eyes how Paul is more than willing to sacrifice anything for Christ. Not only that they saw that he was not wanting to be the main sacrifice.

You know how the evil in the Old Testament is to bring a lamb and and be sacrificed. Paul was not talking about himself. In that regard, he calls himself a drink offering this in the Old Testament when a burnt offering is being offered to the Lord before God. A glass of water is tossed on the hot sacrifice and it quickly fizzled out.

Just few smokes puff of smoke and it fizzled out and it was the least part of the sacrifice. The main sacrifice was a lamp but the water was the least part and parcel on the glass of water in Paul's mentorship of those two fellows. He showed them that in sacrificing for Christ it's always always giving up the lesser for gaining the greater. It is always giving the inferior for gaining superior and that is why later on he says. I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I count all my games to be and I'm going to give you the little word in this not rubbish, as it's in the NIV is done done us a little word that's a literal translation.

The me ask you this, who would not give up rubbish for the treasurer of Christ who wouldn't listen.

I grew up in the Middle East are no bargains on the bargaining.

There is no bargain like this in the world to give up time for this receiving Christ for the in penitence you have in Christ. Paul and Timothy on up Aphrodite's sacrifice, not a loss of something to them sacrifice is a loss of rubbish to gain real treasures. Beloved master.

As I conclude, what rubbish are you holding on to your cumulation, your successes, your degrees, your net worth what rubbish are you holding on to what grievances that are your nursing what is it that is robbing you of your joy in causing you to be a grumbling what grumbling and complaining and murmuring that has caused you not to be able to pass the joy of the Lord on to others. Only you can answer that no one can answer the question for you. Only you can do it, whatever it is I pray to God that he will empower you today to give it up given up give up the rubbish for the sake of Jesus. The greatest treasure of all thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael you Seth recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that LTW.org