Feb 10, 2011 Joy in God
Originally posted on May 18, 2006
“And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Romans 5:11
Joy In God
The summit of the gospel mountain is God. Jesus is the road that gets us to God so that we would enjoy Him. That is the central message of Romans 5:11.
The first chapters of Romans are a lengthy discussion of sin, wrath, the death of Christ for our sins, grace, faith, justification and reconciliation with God. Reading these chapters is like starting at the base of a mountain and trekking to the top. At the top is joy in God.
Romans 5:11 tells us that by faith in Jesus Christ we are reconciled to God. Once we are reconciled to God we exult in God. Exultation is expressed joy. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. When we repent of our sins and believe in Christ, we are brought into friendship with God. As God’s friends, we have joy in Him. Joy in God is the summit experience of the gospel.
Joy In God Has Its Fruit
I have been praying for your joy in God. My meditations in Romans have often led me to stop my study and pray to God that you would find in Him the deep soul experience of joy and that joy in Him would produce much fruit.
The fruit of God’s glory- May we enjoy God so much that He is seen as valuable, beautiful, and worthy of our highest allegiance.
The fruit of endurance- May the weary and distracted among us endure in faith and obedience because of the joy that is certainly ours both now and in eternity.
The fruit of energy- May creative, loving, and life-giving ministry flow from us because our joy wants to do something great for the kingdom of God. May joy in God be our motivation.
The fruit of purity- May the desire for joy in God cause us to kill every sin that threatens to interfere with it. May we fight temptation with the promise of great joy in a life of purity.
The fruit of love- May we be known as the people who know how to love because the love of God is poured out within our hearts creating a joy in God that spills over onto others.
The fruit of evangelism- May our joy in God be contagious. May we find ourselves inviting others to enter the joy of God through repentance and faith in Christ.
The fruit of worship- When we gather as the body of Christ, when we rise early in the morning, as we fall asleep at night, as we do our daily tasks, may we lift our souls to God in exultation.
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude 24
Pastor Scott