For Our Joy
Pastor Eugene encourages us to rejoice in the Lord, whose gospel is for our joy.
According to this year’s World Happiness Report, Singapore is the 27th happiest country in the world. This is not exactly news to write home about, but at least we have improved on our 32nd place ranking last year. Still, it looks like our nation has some room for improvement in terms of being happy.
The report, which surveyed 1,000 from each country, looked at GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption. One might justifiably quibble over whether such criteria is an accurate gauge of happiness. But one thing is clear from the report: Happiness matters to us.
It is thus reassuring that the gospel is for our joy. Admittedly, it is easy for us to lose sight of this amid the challenges, trials, and struggles of life. Therefore, we need constant reminders to rejoice in the Lord!
Anticipating the good news of God’s coming salvation, the prophet Isaiah proclaims: “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isa 51:11) Indeed, the Lord is our joy. He is the promised Servant-King who died on the cross to redeem us from the curse of the law.
Believing a false gospel robs us of true joy. For this reason, Paul strenuously defends the true gospel against the false teachers troubling the Galatians. Not only is God’s truth at stake, but also the joy of God’s people.
A false gospel that says we must do works of the law to be saved cannot lead to true joy. It either fuels our pride and self-righteousness, or it drives us to discouragement and despair. The true gospel, on the other hand, gives us genuine joy because our right standing with God depends not on our performance but on Christ’s finished work.
Hence, joy is one of the main goals of Paul’s apostolic ministry:
He prays for the Christians in Rome to have joy: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing.” (Rom 15:13a)
Even as Paul deals with the challenges in the Corinthian church, he assures them that he is working with them for their joy. (2 Cor 1:24a)
Paul continues to faithfully minister to the Philippians for their “joy in the faith.” (Phil 1:25b)
Paul prays for the Colossian Christians to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. A key part of this means having “endurance and patience with joy”. (Col 1:11b)
The apostle refers to the Thessalonians as his “glory and joy” (1 Thess 2:20).
From this brief survey of Paul’s letters, it is clear that the gospel is for our joy. Paul finds his joy in the joy of other believers in the Lord. How are we finding our joy in Christ? Do we rejoice when our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ find their joy in Christ? Do we strive for Paul’s ministry goal, and seek one another’s gospel joy?
What, then, does it mean to find our joy in Christ?
First, it means thanking God for how his Spirit works in us to give us joy: “The fruit of the Spirit is… joy” (Gal 5:22). Genuine joy is not forced or manipulated. One of life’s painful ironies is that the pressure society puts on us to be happy can make us even more unhappy.
But true joy is not a matter of self-reliance or self-will; it is a result of God’s grace to us through the gospel. In Christ, we receive the Spirit. He applies the truth of Christ’s saving work to our hearts, filling us with peace, assurance, and joy. Praise God who graciously grants us gospel joy!
Second, finding our joy in Christ means setting our hopes on him, whatever our circumstances. Gospel joy does not ultimately depend on our life situation. We can have an abiding experience of joy even in suffering. Rejoicing over the Corinthians’ repentance, Paul says, “In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy” (2 Cor 7:4b). Similarly, the Thessalonian believers had the joy of the Holy Spirit, although they had received the gospel “in much affliction” (1 Thess 1:6).
Third, we find our joy in Christ by seeking the joy of his people. The pursuit of happiness is often understood in individualistic ways. But gospel moves us towards others, to be other-person-centred rather than self-centred. Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before him (Heb 12:2). But this joy was not selfish; Jesus found joy in being the founder and perfector of our faith, in “bringing many sons to glory” (Heb 2:10).
Therefore, we seek one another’s joy by building up our brothers and sisters in the faith and desiring their spiritual good. For example, Paul works with the Corinthians for their joy by encouraging them to stand firm in the faith (2 Cor 1:24). He seeks the Philippians’ joy by labouring for their progress in the faith (Phil 1:25).
In turn, Paul also experiences joy when believers walk faithfully with the Lord. He rejoices when God’s people are like-minded and share the same love (Phil 2:2). He derives much joy from Philemon’s generous hospitality in refreshing the hearts of the saints (Philem 7). We, too, rejoice when others find their joy in knowing and serving the Lord. How encouraging indeed to share one another’s gospel joy! Surely, this is a blessing of being a member of the local church.
The gospel is for our joy. Therefore, let’s faithfully guard the gospel. Let’s also encourage one another to grow in the gospel. May we work with one another for our mutual joy in the Lord. And may the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing.