joy Archives - Colin Dye

Walking in Love: Imitating God

Colin Dye — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:00:30 +0000

Walking in Love: Imitating God

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Jesus Your Joy

Colin Dye — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 09:00:58 +0000

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. John 16:24

Jesus Your Joy, a sermon by Colin Dye

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Living in the Joy of the Lord

Colin Dye — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:30:42 +0000

Divine joy is at the heart of Jesus? life. Luke 2:10 reports that he entered the world on a note of great jubilation; Luke 19:37 describes the people?s joy when he entered Jerusalem; and John 15:11 shows him bequeathing his joy to the disciples as he prepares to leave the world.

The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength

If you read the first two chapters of Luke?s Gospel you will see that they are set against a backdrop of intense rejoicing. Mary, Elizabeth, Zechariah, shepherds and the angels are all recorded as rejoicing at Jesus? birth.

Luke uses this general air of rejoicing to prepare the way for Jesus? announcement in Luke 4:18-19. Many scholars are convinced that Jesus? ?mission statement? was a proclamation of a new year of Jubilee. In Luke 4:19, Jesus states that he has been anointed with the Spirit to announce ?the acceptable year of the Lord?. This is ?the year of the Lord?s favour?, the year which God has graciously appointed to show his salvation.

The year of Jubilee

This does seem to point to ?the year of jubilee? which was established in Leviticus 25. This was a year of liberation, which was held every fifty years, when fields were left fallow, debts were forgiven, slaves set free, and all property was returned to its original owner.

If this is right, it means that ?the year of jubilee? – like all the other ritual feasts, sacrifices and ceremonies of the Old Testament – was a prophetic symbol or foreshadowing of the reality of Jesus? saving mission. As wonderful as the year of jubilee was, it was only a pointer to the ultimate jubilee which was announced and fulfilled by Jesus. The year of jubilee was a time of endless jubilation which celebrated the generous, gracious provision of God. Leviticus 25:21 shows that he could be trusted to provide what was needed, and the year-long rejoicing was founded on this freedom from worry and care.

If Jesus was declaring that he had been anointed to usher in the ultimate year of jubilee, it means that the age of salvation was meant to be enjoyed with unceasing rejoicing which is based on God?s gracious provision.

It should be obvious that jubilation, great rejoicing, is the only appropriate response when the poor and the hurting hear the Good News, when the captives are released, when the blind receive their sight, and when the oppressed are liberated.

Of course, there are enormous social implications in the concept of a perpetual year of jubilee, for we cannot simply ?spiritualise? the regular restructuring of social arrangements to bring about greater equality. Jesus? salvation has brought about a degree of forgiveness, healing, deliverance and equality which was unimaginable in the Old Testament jubilees. His salvation, however, has not abolished the social dimensions of the Old Testament jubilees; instead, it has fulfilled and completed them, and has raised them to a much higher level.

No matter how hard it is for us to understand and work through the ?world? dimensions of salvation, we must never forget that Jesus was inaugurating perpetual jubilation. According to Jesus, the age of salvation, the age of the Spirit, the age of the Church, is meant to be an age of great rejoicing.

The jubilation which is at the centre of God?s being is meant to fill his people. The joy that God enjoyed within himself is meant to be our joy in him. The joy that he expressed at the sight of his original creation is meant to be our joy in each other and all creation. The joy that he articulated at the sight of his Son at his baptism and transfiguration is meant to be our joy in his Son and his glory, and so on.

We have seen that our response to God should be determined by his revelation to us – that we give because he gives, serve because he serves, sacrifice because he has sacrificed, and so on. In the same way, our response to his revelation of his joy and jubilation should be to live in the perpetual jubilee of the Spirit with great rejoicing.

Joy in the Bible

In the Scriptures joy is always a quality rather than merely an emotion. It is based in God, is derived from him, is a defining characteristic of his people, and is a foretaste of the joy of being with God forever in the kingdom of heaven. We see this, for example, in Psalm 16:11, ?You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.?

The Hebrew Bible links ?joy? and ?rejoicing? to celebrating the regular festivals and sacrifices in the Jewish calendar. Psalm 43:4 emphases that rejoicing is a matter of personal response and not just following a religious schedule: ?Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God?. Joy is a particular theme of the prophet Isaiah. He reveals that joy is associated with the fullness of God?s salvation and will be completed and fulfilled in the future (Isaiah 49:13 & 61:10-11).

The most usual words for ?joy? and ?to rejoice? in the New Testament refer to ?intense joy? and are closely related to charis – which is the Greek word for ?grace?. Reading the book of Acts we see that this intense joy characterises the life of the early church: for example, it accompanies the gift of the Spirit, the miracles performed in the name of Christ, the conversion of the Gentiles, and the celebration of the Lord?s Supper.

Intense joy based in grace is so basic to the New Testament that it is easy to overlook the considerable variety of grounds and occasions for rejoicing which it describes. When we are alert to the presence of intense joy and great rejoicing in the New Testament, we start to notice a spirit of joyous festivity which is not always evident in many sections of the Church today.

But we will not enjoy a truly biblical life if our devoted service and our good doctrine are not leavened with times of intense celebration in the joy of the Lord.

The sacrifice of praise Nehemiah 8:10 is probably the best known verse about joy, and it shows that God?s joy in us makes us strong. People cannot persevere with many things without joy. We can start almost anything with an act of our personal will, but we will not continue through difficulties and adversity without the experience or prospect of real joy. ?Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.? Nehemiah 8:10

We can often refer to ?gospel obedience? and contrast it with the obedience that God demanded under the Old Covenant. Without a spirit of joy, however, gospel obedience can become a lifeless device which is little different to the legal obedience of the Jewish Pharisees. Our words and actions should be characterised by intense joy and great thanksgiving because our words and actions should be a response to God?s gracious initiative. We speak and do only what we hear him say, and because our words and deeds come from the utterly self-consistent God, they come wrapped in his personal joy.

The way to joy

Although we can say that we are called to obey God with joy because of his grace, we can also say that joy comes by grace through obedience – that joy results from obedience.

Joy comes by grace through obedience to God

This is why the New Testament calls for the costly sacrifice of praise. We do not obtain joy easily by singing certain songs in a particular way; we obtain it through sacrifice, through gospel obedience. In the ?beatitudes? (Matthew 5:3-12) Jesus describes a spiritual progression which climaxes in rejoicing and great gladness.

Most older translations of the Bible render makarios as ?blessed? to stress that the quality comes from God. Many modern translations, however, render makarios as ?happy? because it suggests the idea of a ?large smile?. We need to grasp both these thoughts, for Jesus is saying that people will have God-given joyful smiles – and a matching inner heart attitude – when they live God?s way. Jesus is calling for a state of joyous contentment in the beatitudes, and is showing that this results from hearing God?s word and obeying it – from gospel obedience.

This means that we cannot know genuine joy until God has transformed the way we deal with the ordinary ?Sermon on the Mount? type events of life. If Matthew 5:13-7:29 is a series of examples of the beatitudes in action, it is also a description of a joy-producing life. In public church worship today, some leaders seem almost to try to ?pump up? people with joy when nothing much has changed in their everyday lives – when they have not allowed God to break through into the routine of their daily lives. But godly celebration which is ?in spirit and truth? can spring only from lives which have been transformed by God and are being renewed by his Holy Spirit.

Continuous rejoicing

We will not be able to rejoice ?in spirit and in truth? until we have learned to be anxious for nothing. And we will not have a carefree indifference to things until we have learnt to trust God completely.

In the Old Testament, it simply was not possible for anyone to celebrate the jubilee unless they deeply trusted God?s ability and will to provide enough for their needs. So too in the age of the perpetual jubilee of the spirit, we will not be able to rejoice continuously in the Lord unless we rely entirely on God to provide what we need.

Too many believers think that they will have joy only by praying and singing. But these are expressions of joy rather than the exclusive way to joy. If we trust God completely, and fill our lives with the simple and lovely things of God?s creation, we will know joy. The promise is absolute. If we trust God completely, and fill our lives with the simple and lovely things of God?s creation, we will know joy. Followers of Christ should be the most free, the most alive,the most interesting, and the most stimulating of men and women This is why praise is a sacrifice, and why worship is service. Our will is deeply involved in gospel obedience, in trusting God completely, and in setting our minds on noble, lovely things. It is a consciously chosen way of thinking and doing – but it is not a way of self-effort. When we respond to the Father?s gracious initiative with faith, his healing reaches into the inner recesses of our lives to develop our faith and strengthen our trust – joy in-and-from the Lord is the inevitable result.

Expressions of rejoicing

Jesus rejoiced so fully in life that the religious leaders of his day accused him of being a glutton and a drunkard. Sadly, there have always been people in the Church who are more concerned with what they call ?reverence? than with what the Bible calls rejoicing. The ?careless? followers of Christ should be the most free, the most alive, the most interesting, and the most stimulating of men and women. Rejoicing adds festivity to our serving to make us truly complete people who really are living in the image of our rejoicing, foot-washing God. The Old Testament people of God praised him with music and hymns, with shouts and dancing, with choirs and prophetic songs, with festivals and celebrations, with giving and hospitality, in the temple and the family home.

We have much to learn from the rich variety of their praise. But we must recognise that these are examples of rejoicing rather than biblically required forms. We need to learn, like Peter in Acts 10, that nothing which comes from the gracious hand of God is unclean; and we need to realise that we are free to celebrate the grace and goodness of God with every type of art and handiwork, with every aspect of our being, and in ways which are particularly relevant to our own age and culture.

The joy of the Lord is our strength, and celebratory events seem to provide us with a boost which enables us to persevere through the more mundane periods of the year. This is God?s pattern of life, for he has created a world full of seasons, with times of warmth and cold, dormancy and growth, blossom and harvest, night and day, and so on.

Rejoicing in the Lord gives us the strength to serve others, it provides us with the inspiration to worship him in the ordinary detail of our lives, and it equips us with the joy to give generously to the needy and to God?s work.

Rejoicing in the Lord gives us the strength to serve others and equips us for God?s work When we start to fill our lives with godly service, godly giving and godly rejoicing, we will be people who are beginning to be the worshippers whom the Father is seeking – we will be worshipping him in spirit and truth.

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Going Deeper- God First

Colin Dye — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 10:16:44 +0000

John F. Kennedy told the American people in his famous address in January 1961, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” He spoke these words during what is regarded as one of the finest inauguration speeches in American presidential history. He not only stood for the rights of citizens but also spelled out their responsibilities.

John F. Kennedy told the American people in his famous address in January 1961, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.’

In any field of life how we balance our rights against our responsibilities is a sign of our maturity. It is childish to demand from others what we are not prepared first to give to them. Focusing on our rights, what we are needing and wanting, without first considering our duty and responsibility to others is now so much a part of how we think and behave that we barely notice how it is affecting our lives. Every successful relationship includes mutual respect and consideration of one another’s needs. Social cohesion, peace and harmony are impossible without it. Self-centred, “me first” thinking also works against our spiritual health and well-being. It hinders our relationship with God and others, and draws us away from his life-giving purposes. One of the biggest steps towards spiritual maturity is taken when we realise that the Christian life is about “God first” and not “Me first”.
Jesus is the great example of a life lived totally for the glory of God, without any consideration for personal comfort or security. His very food was to do the will of God who sent him. This is what sustained and nurtured him. Faithfulness to the Father was the beginning and end of a fulfilled and satisfied life. This is the paradox of vibrant and mature spirituality. The moment we take our eyes off self and focus and God’s purpose we discover levels of satisfaction that go deeper than any other form of fulfilment.
This is also the greatest test of faith. Can we reject the thinking of this world which promises happiness without God being at the very centre of our lives? Is a life dedicated to meeting the needs of others rather than ourselves the best way to deep and lasting joy? Is church life more about what we give than what we receive?
God’s answer is “Try it and see!” That’s why the Apostle Paul says that when we refuse to conform to this world’s values and give ourselves totally to God we prove that his will is “good, pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). In other words, whatever the particular life challenge we are facing, “God’s way is always best.”

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Finding emotional fulfilment and freedom in Christ

Colin Dye — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:16:53 +0000

Your emotions point to inner needs that are either being met or not being met. We all have emotional needs and we look to have them met in many different ways. A variety of factors will dictate how you in particular go about seeking to have your emotional needs met, depending on factors such as your life experiences, where you come from, what your parents were like, what your childhood was like etc.

How to find happiness in Christ

All the experiences of your life will combine to make you look for a particular kind of emotional fulfilment. For instance, if you came from a very unstable home, looking for security and stability will be high on your emotional agenda. If you have experienced a number of loveless relationships, then you will be looking for love and affirmation as a priority.

The most important thing for us to learn is, there is only one way to have all our emotional needs met: to come to Jesus, to receive healing, and to truly know who we are in Him. There is no other way. You can travel the world seeking fulfilment, seeking relationships, pursuing different careers, seeking many things, but you will never find fulfilment until you discover who you are in Christ.

Positive and negative emotions
?
All of us have both positive and negative emotions. Experiencing positive emotions points to the fact that our needs are being met. When our needs are fulfilled we will experience,

Joy
Peace
Fulfilment
Contentment

If you experience these emotions then it means you are a healthy believer and you know who you are in Christ. Negative emotions however, reveal that we have needs that are not being met and we are unsure of our true identity in Christ. Such negative emotions include,

Fear
Anger
Frustration
Depression
Emptiness
Sadness

Many people in their desperation for emotional fulfilment have rushed into relationships or into marriage, believing that their partner will meet all their needs. They have not stopped to consider whether this person is actually the life-partner that God intended for them. But once in the relationship, or worse still the marriage, what do they find? They find that their emotional needs are just as great as ever and they now have the added problem of worrying about the future stability of their relationship.

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The Love that Brings Joy

Colin Dye — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 13:44:47 +0000

As the Father loved me, I also have loved you; abide in my love (John 15:9).?Jesus reveals to us the main ingredient of joy. It all has to do with abiding in him and his love.

Love that Brings Joy

When we learn to depend on him we have confidence in his ability and enabling. We stop striving in our own efforts to gain his attention. We already have it. We rejoice in his love for us and explore the riches of divine friendship.

Jesus gives us the confidence that our spiritual lives are secure in his prior love of us. Our joy springs from knowing that he will meet our every need. It results in a life of fruitfulness in place of frustration. And it is sealed by our response to his love for us. The joy-filled life is about loving Christ and learning to love one another.
The source of joy and victory, of fruitfulness and provision in your life is being joined to Christ. These things are the result of the life of Christ in you and in your fellow believers. You cannot be joyful or successful separated from Christ, the vine, or from the branches, your fellow disciples.

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No Fear!

Colin Dye — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 09:57:19 +0000

Intimacy with God brings a sense of security and protection. It also brings you a sense of freedom, as you know God will deliver you from every evil and take you out of harms way.

Enjoy the freedom to live without fear

He will rescue you from fear ? both of the unknown and unpredictable terrors of the night as well as the more obvious things that would strike you in broad daylight. Round-the-clock security and protection is your inheritance as you seek the Lord with all of your heart. This protection will keep you steady when all around you are falling. Don?t let the enemy intimidate you with his threats of destruction. The Lord is your refuge.

Key Thought

You can enjoy security, safety and the protection of the Lord because you have made Him your refuge. This is the basis of your no-fear attitude to the world. The Lord?s presence covers and protects you at all times ? day or night

Prayer

Lord, I choose to trust you today and make you my refuge. I will not be afraid but praise you because you are with me both in the difficult times and in the times of peace.

Discipleship Steps

Making God your refuge is a deliberate choice. It also must become a chosen life-style controlling your actions and behaviour. A disciple of Christ bases his or her attitudes on the knowledge of God?s presence and protection in all things. They do not run here and there looking for relief or comfort in times of trial or difficulty. If the Lord is your refuge, then you go to Him and place your confidence in the Rock, Christ Jesus. Re-affirm your confidence and quite trust in Him today.

Read: Psalm 91:3-8

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Hope-filled Living

Colin Dye — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 09:44:53 +0000

The basis of all our hope is Christ and what He has achieved for us on the cross. This hope is a living hope because Jesus is risen from the dead. We have been declared righteous by faith and we have peace with God. We now have free access into all the provisions of God?s grace and power.

We can rejoice in every condition and circumstance of life because we have a hope that can never fail.

We can rejoice in every condition and circumstance of life because we have a hope that can never fail. Negative experiences only serve to develop our character and our ability to hope. And, in the meantime, we have the Holy Spirit?s blessing and the experience of God?s love poured out into our hearts.

Read: Romans 5:1-5

Hope is founded on our justification by faith through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. You have confidence to face every circumstance as you look forward to God?s promise for the future. This lifestyle comes from a real relationship with God?s Spirit and not mere concepts or ideas.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you that you have taken care of my past, my present and my future. I put my confidence in your promise of all that is to come and refuse every temptation to doubt or be afraid.

Discipleship Steps

God?s promises are perfect and unchangeable. But they can only operate as you let God work out His purposes in you. Because God has taken care of the past you can have confidence in the future. And your present experience of Christ will enrich you day by day and give you courage to make the right decisions. There is no short cut to character development but God is developing you as you walk in patience and perseverance.
Rejoice in the Lord always!

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Beauty for Ashes

Colin Dye — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:06:55 +0000

The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of salvation and joy. Jesus came to set the captives free and bring healing to the broken-hearted.

Beauty for Ashes

This is like being set free from the captivity of negativity, oppression and depression. Without this, we would have perished under the weight of bondage and fear. But the good news has reached us: deliverance to the captives! The jubilee time of joy has arrived. No more mourning, or crying ? only restoration and joy. This gives us the strength to rebuild our own lives and become agents of change for others. This joy is the means of changing our world, giving beauty for ashes.

Key Thought

The good news of salvation begins with personal freedom, but it doesn?t end there. We can take our experience of Christ and the strength that it brings to us and begin to proclaim that deliverance to the world and see the captives set free and the waste places of our world restored.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for the Spirit of freedom, deliverance and joy that rests on my life. I dare to believe that You have anointed me with the same Spirit that brought me out of mourning and into rejoicing.

Discipleship Steps

As you experience the life-transforming joy of the Lord, you can become an agent of God?s restoration in the life of others. Look at these truths and begin to build your thinking around them. Make sure that the joy of the Lord is topped up in your heart today and ask God to use you to touch others with this same Spirit of joy.

Read: Isaiah 61:1-7

The Beauty is within reach…if we truly “Let go” the old will be turned to ashes Based on Isaiah 61:1-3
Lyrics:
He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair
When sorrow seems to surround you
When suffering hangs heavy o’er your head
Know that tomorrow brings
Wholeness and healing
God knows your need
Just believe what He said
He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair
When what you’ve done keeps you from moving on
When fear wants to make itself at home in your heart
Know that forgiveness brings
Wholeness and healing
God knows your need
Just believe what He said
He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair
I once was lost but God has found me
Though I was bound I’ve been set free
I’ve been made righteous in His sight
A display of His splendor all can see
He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair
The album won an ASCAP award for “Beauty For Ashes” as the most played song (1997).

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Fruit That Brings Joy

Colin Dye — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 11:09:21 +0000

Fruit that brings Joy!

?Jesus reveals to us the ingredients of joy. It all has to do with abiding in Him and His love.

It means we have confidence in His ability and enabling. It rests on the fact of Christ?s death for us and His friendship towards us. He gives us the confidence that our spiritual lives rest secure in His prior choice of us. It springs from knowing that He will meet our every need in answer to our prayers. And it results in a life of fruitfulness in place of frustration. And this joy is sealed by our response to His love for us. The joy-filled life is about loving Christ and loving one another.

Key Thought

The source of joy and victory, of fruitfulness and provision in your life is being joined to Christ. These things are the result of the life of Christ in you and in your fellow believers. You cannot be joyful or successful separated from Christ, the vine, or from the branches, your fellow disciples

Prayer

Lord, I choose to live in the vine and draw my strength to live and love today from You. Help me to bear fruit and for that fruit to remain. I rejoice today in the joy that You give to me.

Discipleship Steps

Take the ingredients of joy outlined in the explanation above and check out how far these things are at work in you. God wants you to enjoy the full experience of His joy and this is achievable as you continue to mix these ingredients into your life until they become a daily part of you. Today, make it your goal to be consciously resting and abiding in the vine, so that you are deliberately drawing your resources from Him. Remember, you can do nothing without Him.

Read: John 15:9-17

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