“That they may be one as we are one”, Jn 17:11
It is the prayer of Christ that we become one with Him. Certainly, that relates to: being born again of His Spirit, born from above, being a partaker of His divine nature, being one with His Spirit….yes, the list goes on.
Being one with Christ is sharing His life now, as well as in eternity. After being married for 42 yrs., I know that the joy of marriage is in becoming one with your spouse. We learn to understand, embrace & participate in whatever brings them joy or tears. Similarly, to become a follower of Christ is “to begin to understand, embrace & participate, in what moves our Lord to joy & tears. You’re not sharing life with someone if you’re not moved by what moves them. To live righteously, is to unite with Him in whatever moves Him, to joy or tears. In fact, His joy & tears become the guiding factors of your life. “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep”, Rom. 12:15
What brings joy to God?
1. The very thought of your existence. Yes, before you were even born. Jere. 1:5; Ps. 139; Job 38:7 Hey, your Father in heaven is nuts about you! When God was creating the world, every phrase of creation was proclaimed as “good”, meaning that it was excellent or beautiful, as an expression of being in agreement with God’s nature. Yet, the climax of this creation was when He made man in His own image! When the angels were dancing for joy at creation, they were in fact, reflecting the joy of the Father Himself. You are His inheritance. You are what He wants. “He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” Rom.8:32
Does His joy about you move you to joy? You’re not sharing His life, until you’re moved at what moves Him.
2. He also bursts into joy when we repent! “Rejoicing in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repents” Lk.15:10 It is not the angels that are initiating the rejoicing but the Father. “Rejoice with me”, as with the lost sheep, lost coin & lost son, when they are found. Jesus says in Luke, that the “son” is “lost & dead”. God said, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that he turn from his way”, Ezk.33:11. Oh, but He does have pleasure, He rejoices, that is, He leaps & shouts with joyful exuberance over us when we repent. Just as He did, when “passing over” or leaping/dancing over the houses where the lamb had been slain & the blood applied on the door posts of the houses, of the Israelites in Egypt, Exodus.12.
“Rejoice, that your name is written in heaven” Lk. 10:21 Now, that is something to happy about. God doesn’t have joy because we feel bad but because we’ve come to our senses. That we need His life, His heart, His mind, His nature, to be what we really are. Repentance, is getting a deep felt heart attitude & mental adjustment. It is being tuned in, to the reality of our sin & Father’s great love & gift to us. He is nuts about you….& He dances with joy when you need to repent & do it.
3. God also bursts into joy when we practice obeying the truth, 3John vs 3 & 4 says, “It gave me great joy…how you continue to walk in truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth”. The whole Kingdom of God or the “life & reigning” with God, is described as existing in; “Righteousness, Peace & Joy in the Holy Ghost”Rom. 14:17.
There is pleasure in sin for a season, which is an “illigetimate” joy, deceptive, illusional & temporary. God only gives righteous, legitimate joy. Joy that comes from being righteous.
God is a joy filled God & Jesus has more joy than anyone ever born. And God wants you sharing in His joy, Mt. 25:21, 23; Jn.17:13. Jesus was overflowing with joy because He always did those things that pleased the Father, Is.42:1 & Heb. 1:6-7. Joy is not given to anyone who does whatever they please. Joy belongs to those who please the Lord & does what He says. Just like Jesus did, Jn 8:29. The joy of Christ was in; being one with the Father, living-practicing-proving that unity in obedience & seeing the lost saved. Heb. 12:2 Rom. 15:13 says that God will fill you with ALL joy & peace as you trust in him…..” Jesus was your example of how to be filled with joy. As you trust the Father, demonstrated in your obedience to truth, He will fill you with over flowing joy. Joy is always the result of being aware of His favor, which brings hope & faith, which then, brings obedience, which in turn brings JOY. Neh. 8:10 “His joy is your strength!”
4. God is filled with JOY, when you die! “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked” Ezk 33:11 But when the righteous die, He says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints”, Ps.116:15 God & us look on death a little differently. “…All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephasc or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God, 1 Cor. 3:21-23 Jesus proved in His death that you don’t have anything to be afraid of….in fact, DEATH is now, a part of your sanctified inheritance! You are inheriting something from God your Father. Jesus took the sting out of death & left you with something great. When you die, you are immediately with the Lord & YOU get to see your Father for the first time! He’s excited about that. In His presence is FULNESS of JOY for you. The very Fulness of joy, because of everything that Jesus took on flesh, died & resurrected for, you now recieve & experience Him. You are the precious fruit of the earth that He has waited for, James 5:7.
What Moves the Lord to tears?
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Ps. 126:5
Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Luke 6:21
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'” Rev. 7:17
There are 3 times in the scripture where it reveals that Jesus specifically shed tears.
1. Jesus wept at unbelief. “Jesus wept”, John 11:35. This is the shortest verse in the Bible but it is not insignificant. In fact, it is extremely revealing about what brings the Lord to tears…….his own disciples unbelief.
Jesus was not crying out of of sympathy for Martha & Mary, their friends or even poor Lazarus. (like He forgot that He was going to raise him from being dead).
Jesus had spent many different times with this family. They were His friends, His disciples. But their closeness didn’t stop them from having unbelieving hearts. They knew who Jesus was & why He was here. Yet, somewhere there was a serious disconnect from Him being Almighty & being able & willing to help them now.
David said, God is “a present help in the time of trouble”, Ps.46:1.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Heb.13:8
Yes, they were sharing God’s life but their unbelief was trying to rob them of “more of God” in their present situation. God is thee only amazing God but there are times He is amazed at us.
Mark 6:6 “He was amazed, marvelled or astonished at their unbelief”. Hey, I don’t think this was a good thing! Unbelief is a serious robber, an intruder, a deceiver, who masquerades as good reasoning.
God doesn’t think there is a reason for any unbelief. It’s a choice.
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”, Jn. 20:31
“Unbelief is a rebellion against the truth, a spiritual cancer that will eat your life.
“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God,” Heb. 3:12
Unbelief hinders & can even stop the Holy Spirit from bringing to you, what God has designed for you. You need to hate unbelief.
“He only did a few miracles because of their unbelief”, Mt. 13:58.
To receive what the Lord has provided for you to have, you MUST exercise faith.
Heb. 11:6 “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”