I'd like to lead your thoughts
for a few minutes this afternoon in the subject of worldly happiness
versus Christian joy. We as Christians should have
a joy that's a base layer of us that never goes away. It's
a fruit of the spirit, and it's from God, and should not be ever
taken away from us. The world, and we participate
in that, of course, has a lot of talk these days about happiness.
And happiness is more attuned or dependent upon circumstances. So what we want to look at for
a minute this afternoon is Christian joy that does not depend on circumstances
versus worldly happiness that does. The source of Christian
joy is the Lord himself. It's for Christians only, and
it is the fruit of the Spirit. In 1 Thessalonians 5.16, there's
the command to rejoice always. And in two verses later, closely
akin to that, in 5.18, we are to give thanks for everything,
or in all circumstances. So we're to be joyful all the
time, we're to give thanks all the time. The Greek word for
joy is kara, and the verb is kairo, means to rejoice. And we can go through, I want
to take you through a few scriptures just to build a foundation for
what this word joy means. I'm not going to claim that it's
not used in the Bible for more of a worldly happiness once in
a while. I'll show you a few verses about
that. There's only one word, really, in the Greek for joy
or happiness. And the same is true in Hebrew. It's interesting. There's two
words in Hebrew. One of these words is for happiness. There's really no words for happiness
in the Bible, but we do use the word in Greek. It's makairos. It means blessed. And in the
Hebrew, it's the same way. And there's two words for that.
So the closest the Bible comes to a word for happiness is blessed. But really, we want to talk about
the word for joy. The two Hebrew words have root
words that relate to prosperity or safety. And so when you think
about it, happiness or the layer above joy is mostly caused by
either being prosperous or being safe, then you start feeling
happy. Circumstances determine happiness
for the world and even for us. For instance, we were all just
eating, and that's a very happy time. And the endorphins are
just being spilled into our blood because we're eating our chips
and our chocolate, and so we're happy. I'm not sure what chemicals
poured into our bloodstream when we're depressed, but the opposite
can happen right after that, and you could get some bad news
or some medical condition, and you could go into depression.
So we as humans, if we're really frank about ourselves, we are
up and down all the time, through the day, through the week. We're
happy, we're sad. We're happy, depressed. But I
would submit to you that that's not the base layer that we should
build up better of Christian joy. Christian joy is there because
God gave it to us when we were regenerated and because we realize,
and there's this passage we'll look at in just a minute, what
does that joy come from mentally? Okay, let's look at a few passages
and then I want to end up taking you to an Old Testament passage
which really shows the great example of worldly happiness
that goes up and comes down. Matthew 210, and these are all
verses that have the Greek word kara or the verb kairo in them. Matthew 210, when they saw the
star, these are the wise men, they rejoiced exceedingly with
great joy. So that's the verb and the noun.
1320, let's see, chapter 13, verse 20, The one on whom seed was sown
on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and
immediately receives it with joy. Now that's not Christian
joy there, is it? Because the seed sown on the
rocky places was not a true conversion. And so this is a person who hears
the gospel and receives it with, I'll call it happiness, and it's
not the true joy. So that's a proof that the word
is used both ways. And then chapter 13, verse 44,
the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field,
which a man found and hid again. And from joy over it, he goes
and sells all that he has and buys that field. Then chapter
25 of Matthew, 21 and 23, also the one who had received the
two talents came up and said, master, Oops, that's not right,
21. His master said to him, well
done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few
things. I'll put you in charge of many things. Enter the joy
of your master. And 23 is the same way. Enter
the joy of your master. Then 28, eight. And they left
the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it
to his disciples. Then let's go to Luke. Luke 1,
14. Also on the birth of the Lord,
Luke 1.14, you will have joy and gladness
and many will rejoice at his birth. And then 2.10, says, but the angel said to them,
do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great
joy, which will be for all the people. Chapter 10, verse 17. The 70 returned with joy, saying,
Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. Okay, here's
a good example. They came back really psyched
and really happy about what they were able to do with the power
of what Christ had given them with miracles. So they were working
all these miracles and it made them happy to be able to do that
and come back. What did he say to them? He said
to them, I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions
and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure
you, never the less. Do not rejoice in this, that
the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are
recorded in heaven. So there's that base level of
joy that we should all have day to day. And one major reason
for it is that our names are written in heaven. When we really
realize that, there shouldn't be any anything to take that
away from us. True joy. Then chapter 15, 7 and 10, I tell you that in the same way
there will be more joy in heaven, over one sinner who repents,
then over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. So there's
even joy in heaven, and we know that. So there's joy among angels,
there will be joy among us in heaven. In verse 10, in the same
way I tell you there is joy in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner who repents. And then finally in Luke 24,
41 and 52, while they could not believe
it because of their joy and amazement. He said to them, have you anything
here to eat? And 52, and they after worshiping
him returned to Jerusalem with great joy. So the early disciples,
the early apostles were full of joy at so many things that
was happening in their lives. In John 15, it says that, well,
let's turn there, this is important. John 15, 10 and 11. The way that we are to experience
joy is to really experience this that God has given us is to abide
in Christ. So 15 verses 10 and 11, if you
keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have
kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These
things I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and
that your joy may be made full. So our joy is going to be fullest
when we're obeying the Lord and abiding in him. Then John 16,
20 to 24, truly, truly, I say to you that you will weep and
lament, but the world will rejoice. See, there's the world happiness.
You will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. This
is when Jesus is crucified. Whenever a woman is in labor,
she has pain because an hour has come. But when she gives
birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because
of the joy that a child has been born into the world. So there's
an example of the down and the up. A woman giving birth is in
great pain, and that's not joyful. And then the birth comes, the
baby comes, and there's joy. Therefore, you too have grief
now, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you. In that day, you
will not question me about anything. I say to you, if you ask the
Father for anything in my name, he will give it to you. Until
now, you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask, and you will
receive, so that your joy may be made full. It really is true
that God has saved us to be joyful. He wants us to be joyful. It's
in his plan. And then in 1713, in the great
prayer, but now I come to you, he's talking to his father, and
these things I speak in the world so that they may have my joy
made full in themselves. Then we won't read all these,
but in Romans, 1513, God is the supplier of true joy. There's no doubt about that.
Galatians 5.22 is where it says it's one of the fruits of the
Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, et cetera. So it is a fruit of
the Spirit in us. In Philippians 4.1, Paul says
that others are his joy and crown. So that made him joyful. And
then we already talked about in 1 Thessalonians, rejoice always,
in 1 Thessalonians 5.16. In Hebrews 12.2, it mentions
Christ's personal joy on earth. And in James 1.2, count it all
joy when you encounter various hardships or temptations. Finally,
in 1 Peter 1.8, joy that even Though not, we should have joy
even though not seeing him yet. So even though we have not seen
him personally, we should have joy. Okay, I wanna get into the
example, what I really wanna do today. Turn to Jonah. I love the book of Jonah. And
not just for the obvious story. Because there's a minor story
in there that to me is just as important and beneficial as the
story of the big fish. As you know, Jonah is a tremendous
commentary on the sovereignty of God. There's no book like
it, as far as I can see, that really emphasizes the sovereignty
of God like Jonah does. There is a Hebrew word, manah,
which means to count or to appoint. And it's used four times in Jonah. First of all, God raised up a
great wind. Then he raised up a gourd, a
worm, and a scorching wind. We're gonna go through that here
real quick. So, you know the story. It's an amazing story. God told
Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites. So how did the Jews
feel about the Assyrians? Well, they were not buddies.
So they hated him. So God was telling Jonah, which
is a message in itself, to go and preach to his enemies. All
through the Old Testament, the Gentiles get the gospel. They get God's grace. And this is a great example.
So God wanted Jonah to go preach to the Ninevites. And he went
the other way. Well, that didn't work too good
for him, did it? So let's look, first of all, at the sovereignty
of God, and then I want to bring that into this happiness thing. So first thing is, God raised
up a great wind. That's in chapter one, verse
four. This is not that word mana I
was talking about. There's four instances of it,
plus this one, plus another one, all having to do with God's sovereignty.
The Lord hurled, or raised up, a great wind on the sea, and
there was a great storm on the sea, so that the ship was about
to break up. So, God's in charge of the wind,
all right? That's great. He's in charge
of the big things, and most of the world doesn't have a problem
with God being in charge of the big things. I mean, most people,
if you asked them, probably would say that God was in charge of
where Harvey came and what it did. The big things, they don't
have a problem with. It's the little things they have
a problem with. So, God sent a great wind. And then in chapter
one, verse 17, this is his next sovereignty trip here. And the Lord appointed a great
fish. Now, that's this word appointed.
It kind of means to appoint, to number, it has the idea of
being in charge, he appointed. The Lord appointed a great fish
to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the stomach
of the fish three days and three nights. So he appointed the fish,
another big thing. Then in chapter two, verse 10, He says, the Lord commanded the
fish, this time it's the word commanded, and it vomited Jonah
up onto the dry land. So he appointed the fish to swallow
Jonah, then he commanded the fish to throw him up, and he
did. He spoke to the fish, the Hebrew
word says. All right, now let's get to the
good part. You know what happened, he finally
got the message and he went and preached to the Ninevites. And
there's some interesting things said about Nineveh, the last
verse of the whole book. He says, should I not, God speaking,
should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in
which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference
between their right and left hand? as well as many animals. So they're probably referring
to children. And if there were 120,000 children,
multiply that times two or three, and you get the population of
the whole city. Anyway, we're going to dive into
chapter four here. At the last verse of chapter
three, we find out, when God saw their deeds that they turned
from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity
which he declared he would bring upon them, and he did not do
it. And the whole thing with Jonah
preaching to him was, you better repent, or in three days you're
gonna be wiped out. And they did. Now how did that
make Jonah feel in the world of happiness here? dove him into
a deep depression. Here his enemies got grace from
the Lord, and that's not fun for Jonah. In 4.1, but it greatly
displeased Jonah, and he became angry. Have you noticed how depression
is very, very close to anger? In fact, I don't know that we
can tell the difference many times. When we're depressed,
we're probably angry at something. and they just go together, and
that's proof in this verse. Greatly displeased Jonah, and
he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said,
poor baby, please, Lord, was not this what I said while I
was still in my own country? Therefore, in order to forestall
this, I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious
and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in loving
kindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. Therefore
now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better
to me than life. Just kill me, Lord. My enemies
are getting saved. I don't like it. I'm depressed. Just take my life. You remember
when Elijah said about the same thing in the Old Testament. He
was depressed and wanted the Lord to kill him. The Lord said,
do you have good reason to be angry? He didn't say, do you
have good reason to be depressed? He said, do you have good reason
to be angry? Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east
of it. He's just going to go and mope.
There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade
until he could see what would happen in the city. I guess he's
still hoping that they'll get wiped out. So the Lord God appointed,
okay, first of three times in this chapter that this word manah
in Hebrew, appointed, is used. We've already seen it appointed
for the great fish. Now we're gonna see it used for
three little bitty things. And so it proves the sovereignty
of God in Jonah over the big things and the very small things. And I suppose you could say,
oh, well, this was God just being in charge of this little bitty
thing this time. But I think we should say that
means God's in charge of little bitty things all the time. So
the Lord appointed a plant. This is an interesting word in
the Hebrew, and a lot of commentary on what kind of plant it was,
but it's just a plant for our use. And it grew up over Jonah
to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort.
Obviously it grew very fast. And Jonah was extremely happy
about the plant. So this rose him out of his depression. Poor little selfish Jonah was
depressed, and just a little plant growing up over his head
to help with the shelter, to shelter him from the sun, makes
him happy. Verse seven. But God appointed,
second time, a worm. When dawn came the next day and
it attacked the plant and it withered. I mean, this is, you've
gotta smile when you read this. This is good. So, God appointed
the plant, made Jonah extremely happy. God appointed a worm and
it withered the plant. When the sun came up, he's not
done. God appointed a scorching east
wind. And the sun beat down on Jonah's
head so that he became faint and begged with all his soul
to die, saying, death is better to me than life. So now God made
the worm kill the plant, and he brings with it a scorching
east wind and the sun onto Jonah's head, and Jonah wants to die. So isn't this a great lesson
to us and the world about happiness? How fleeting it is, how it comes
and goes, how it's totally dependent on our circumstances. You know,
we eat, we're happy, we get bad news, we're depressed, we go
through these cycles. Then God said to Jonah, now there's
a point to be made obviously, and here's the point. Do you
have good reason to be angry about the plant, Jonah? And he
said, I have good reason to be angry even to death. Can you
believe saying that back to God? Then the Lord said, here's the
whole point, it's beautiful. You had compassion on the plant. for which you did not work and
which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished
overnight. Jonah, your compassion was directed
toward a little plant over your head to give you shade. Should
I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there
are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference
between their right and left hand as well as many animals?
Wow. And that's it. That's the book.
So that's the story. And that's the lesson is we live
our little selfish lives, happy and sad, little things that happen
to us. And we get mad at God, Jonah
did, for some little thing that happened to us because it happened
to us. And we don't care about what's
happening worldwide with God and his compassion over the whole
world.