A JOYFUL HOPE

Romans 12:12 NIV

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Sermon Objectives:
⁃ To be able to understand the true source of JOY;
⁃ To be fully aware of the causes why we loses JOY in our life;
⁃ To be able to appreciate the supernatural benefits of JOY in us.

Introduction:
We are in this point in time where almost every day we are dealing with grief, sorrow and
anxiety. HALOS ETO PO PA TAPOS NA ANG PROBLEMA NATIN FOR 2years
mahigit sa COVID 19, Eto nanaman ang kabi kabilang problema na naglalabasan sa
paligid na nababasa at naririnig natin sa paligid.

At tayo ay na paalalahanan na 2000 years ago ng panginoon sa…

2 Timothy 3:1 NIV

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

Tagalog.

2 Timothy 3:1
“Dapat mong malaman na sa mga huling araw ay magkakaroon ng mga kahirapan.”

At aminin natin na talagang ang mga bagay na ito ay nagaganap na sa ating paligid. SA
PANAHON NATIN NGAYON NAPAKA LAKING PRESYO ANG KAILANGAN
NATING PAGBAYARAN PARA LANG TAYO AY MAKARANAS NG
KASIYAHAN.

Illustration:
Kaya hindi nakapagtataka na sa isang pagaaral na ginawa nuong 2020 at inilabas sa
article ng Spiringer.com…

Around 6 million Filipinos are estimated to live with depression and/or anxiety,
making the Philippines the country with the third highest rate of mental health problems
in the Western Pacific Region.

1. The upheaval of political indifference that causes the nation to be divided,

2. the negativity that caused by the news that we read in social media, VERY TOXIC
NGAYON ANG SOCIAL MEDIA.
3. The constant oil price hike every week. SAD TO SAY BY NEXT WEEK AY
TATAAS NANAMAN ANG PRESYO NG GASOLINA.
4. and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine are also a contributing factor
that adds fear and anxiety in our heart. AT WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT AY
MERONG DIRECT AT INDIRECT EFFECT SAATIN ANG NANGYAYARING
YAN.

That is no wonder why the bible/Jesus gives us a reminder about the toxicity of this
world.

John 16:33 NASB

These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you
have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

TAGALOG
“Sinabi ko ito sa inyo upang kayo'y magkaroon ng kapayapaan sa pakikipag-isa sa akin.
Magdaranas kayo ng kapighatian sa mundong ito, ngunit tibayan ninyo ang inyong loob!
Napagtagumpayan ko na ang sanlibutan!””

SABI DIN SA
1 John 2:15-16 NLT Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you
love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a
craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our
achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

Tagalog

“Huwag ninyong ibigin ang sanlibutan o ang mga bagay na nasa sanlibutan. Ang umiibig
sa sanlibutan ay hindi umiibig sa Ama. Ang lahat ng nasa sanlibutan, ang masasamang
nasa ng laman, ang nasa ng mga mata, at ang pagmamalaki sa mundong ito ay hindi
nagmumula sa Ama kundi sa sanlibutan.”

THE SAD REALITY IS THAT MANY PEOPLE STILL LOVE THE WORLD, AND
BELIEVES THAT THE WORLD CAN GIVE US THE GENUINE JOY IN OUR
HEART.

THE TRUTH IS only in God we can experience genuine tranquility. And this tranquility
is what the devil is trying to robe and take away from us.

dahil sabi nga sa…

John 10:10 NASB
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;…
And he has been doing this by infiltrating our mind and dumping worries that causes our
JOY to be off-track.

This worries of life includes:

2. Change.
3. Loneliness.
4. Failure.
5. Rejection.
6. Uncertainty. - (Political uncertainty, Economic uncertainty, Uncertainty in peace)
7. Something Bad Happening.
8. Getting Hurt.
9. Being Judged.

Kaya anong sabi ng Lord saatin sa

Matthew 6:25
“Kaya't sinasabi ko sa inyo, huwag kayong mabalisa tungkol sa inyong kakainin at sa
inyong iinumin upang kayo'y mabuhay o kaya'y tungkol sa susuutin ng inyong katawan.
Hindi ba't ang buhay ay higit na mahalaga kaysa pagkain at ang katawan kaysa damit?”

WORRYING CAN KILL THE JOY IN OUR HEART.

That is why It is clear what God want/will us to experience.

At yan ay mababasa natin sa…

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

NLT
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not
for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

And this is what the devil is trying to take away from us. HE DOESN’T WANT TO SEE
US IN THAT JOYFUL HOPE GOD HAS PREPARED FOR US.

YAN NA ANG PINAG NGINGIT NGIT NYA UMPISA PALANG NA ANG TAO AY
MAY KAGALAKAN SA HARDIN NG PARAISO.

WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT “Losing joy is a sign of burnout.”

We need to remember that.

HAPPINESS and JOY is different from each other.
PARALLELISM
Happiness Joy
Is an emotion in which one experiences Is a stronger, less common feeling than
feelings ranging from contentment and happiness.
satisfaction to bliss and intense pleasure.
Externally triggered and is based on More consistent and is cultivated
other people, things, places, thoughts and internally. Doesn’t depend to anyone.
events.
Momentarily Constant
When Entertained Even without Entertainment
From Outward to Inward From Inward to Outward

ILLUSTRATION:
According to Bible Gateway, the NIV version of the bible has 244 instances where JOY
is mentioned in some form. while the word HAPPY only appears 28 times.

This only means that God wanted us to be JOYFUL and not only to be HAPPY.

There are several factors that robes our JOY.

⁃ POOR SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT.

Jeremiah 15:16 NLT
When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s
delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies.

Tagalog

“Nagsalita ka sa akin, at pinakinggan kitang mabuti. Ang mga salita mo'y aking
kagalakan. Ako'y sa iyo, Yahweh, Diyos na Makapangyarihan sa lahat.”

Marahil marami saatin ang nag eenjoy na makinig sa mga chismis ng kapitbahay natin o
nang kung sino man, pero tandaan natin na MAS MASARAP PAKINGAN ANG
SALITA NG DIYOS.

Psalm 119:103 NLT How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.

Spirituality offers a sense of purpose. It allows us to let go of our anxieties about the
past and concerns about the future because we believe that destiny, both good and bad, is
in the hands of The Almighty.
Just like what happened to Jobs life.

That’s how important feasting in the word of God, that’s how important DEVOTION is.
Reading the bible is not only for workers and leaders of the church, HIS WORD is freely
given for all of us.

Prayer, Word of God and Worship safeguard the JOY in our life.

Kaya nasasalamin mo agad sa tao ang spiritual life na kalagayan na buhay sa

pamamagitan ng KAGALAKAN sa buhay nya. Na nag rereflect sa aura nya.

1. HAVING A WRONG PERSPECTIVE IN LIFE.

Hebrews 12:2 NLT We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates
and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross,
disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Very often, we find that the tasks that we dread, the ones that drain our joy, are those
life-related tasks which will make very little difference to us at a time when the most
important things matter.

Always remember that being JOYFUL in life is a matter of choice

Just like what happened to Martha in Luke 10:41. She failed to enjoy the presence of God
(literal) because she had a wrong perspective/focus in that moment.

Maybe like Martha, the blessing of JOY in our life slip away due to wrong
perspective/focus in life.

Baka nan dyaan ang malaking blessing ng Diyos sa buhay mo hindi mo lang nakikita
dahil sa ibang bagay ka nakatingin. Kaya ang epekto hindi ka magkaroon ng kagalakan sa
puso mo. Scariot

3. BITING OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW.

Matthew 6:34 NLT
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s
trouble is enough for today.

Do you find that you might have bitten off more than you can chew? Then it might be a
good time to step back and find a way to delegate or to simply say no when you can’t
manage your mental load.

Many of us become victims of worries due to the fact that we overthink. NAWAWALA
ANG KAGALAGAN SA PUSO DAHIL ANG LAGING INA-ADVANCE TIGNAN
AY KUNG ANO YUNG MGA BAGAY NA HINDI PA NAMAN NANGYAYARI.

Just like what happened to Jacob when he is about to meet his brother Esau in Genesis
32-33

pero basahin natin ang Genesis 32:6-8 sa tagalog

6Pagbalik ng mga sugo, sinabi nila, “Nakausap po namin si Esau at ngayon po'y nasa
daan na siya at may kasamang apatnaraang lalaki upang salubungin kayo.” 7Natakot si
Jacob at lubhang nabahala. Kaya't pinagdalawa niyang pangkat ang kanyang mga tauhan
pati mga hayop 8upang, KUNG salakayin sila ni Esau, ang isang pangkat ay
makakatakas.

Jacob looses his JOY because of overthinking what his brother Esau would do to him.

In the end what gives him to worry and to be in distress and what he thought the end of
his life turns to be different.

Genesis 33:4-5 'Siya'y patakbong sinalubong ni Esau, niyakap nang mahigpit at hinagkan.
Nag-iyakan ang magkapatid. Nang makita ni Esau ang mga babae at mga bata, itinanong
niya kung sino sila. “Iyan ang mga anak na kaloob sa akin ng Diyos,” tugon ni Jacob. '
Many of the things we think would happen actually doesn’t happened.

Illustration:
For the study, researchers at Penn State University asked 29 people with generalized
anxiety disorder (GAD) to write down everything they worried about for one month. The
study participants also recorded the outcomes of their worries. The researchers found that
91% of people’s worries did not come true. For several of the people in the study, exactly
none of the things they worried about actually happened.
And this is true!, diba nung nagkaroon ng ilang buwan na mga lack down lahat tayo
natakot papaano tayo nawalan tayo ng trabaho etc. inisip natin mawawalan tayo ng
kakainin magugutom tayo at kunh ano ano pa, nangyari ba? Diba hindi naman na
dagdagan panga yung mga bilbil natin, TUMABA PA NGA YATA TAYO LALO?

YOU SEE, One of the practical step to stay in JOY is to avoid overthinking. (Although
hindi maiiwasan pero at least lessen natin

SABIHIN MO SA KATABI MO WAG O.A.

illustration
2. Nawala ang Joy sa buhay dahil laging ang iniisip nya paano sya mamatay balang
araw.
3. Nawala ang joy dahil laging iniisip na magloloko ang asawa nya, laging pinag
seselosan.

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its joy."—Leo Buscaglia

4. Lack of sleep or proper nutrition

Nothing beats the early morning quiet; that peaceful time before the hubbub of the day
begins. It’s the ideal time to pray, meditate and indulge in your daily self-care routine

⁃ BAKA ANG KAILANGAN LANG NATIN SA BUHAY AY SAPAT NA

TULOG.
⁃ Just like what happened to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4
“at mag-isang pumunta sa ilang. Pagkatapos ng maghapong paglalakad ay naupo siya sa
lilim ng isang puno at nanalangin nang ganito: “Yahweh, kunin na po ninyo ako. Ako
po'y hirap na hirap na. Mabuti pa pong mamatay na ako.””

Quick flashback he went from a supernatural victory over queen Jezebel and yet he was
very depress.

What does God answered to him?

⁃ in the succeeding verses he was given time to rest.
⁃ Baka kaya hindi mo maranasan ang KAGALAKAN SA BUHAY MO KULANG
KA LANG SA PAHINGA.

BENEFITS OF JOY IN US.

1. IT REVITALIZED OUR LIFE.

Psalm 19:7 NLT
The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD
are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Psalm 23:3 NASB

He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

2. IT IS A CULTIVATION OF THANKSGIVING HEART.

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

3. IT IS AN INDICATION OF CHRIST VICTORY IN US.

1 Peter 5:12 NLT
In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So
after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he
will place you on a firm foundation.

Early Christian face countless of persecution to a point that their life is endanger
everyday.

sabi nga ni Pablo sa…

1 Corinthians 15:31 NIV
I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But yet their JOY in their heart is never lost.

TAYO BA? Dumating na ba sa punto na nailagay sa panganib ang buhay natin para tayo
ay panghinaan ng loob at magkaroon tayo nangdahilan na mawala ang kagalakan natin sa
harap ng Diyos.

Bilang mga Christian Believers we have to posses this JOYFUL HOPE in our life for us
to be identified VICTORIOUS.

Conclusion
“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.”
― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin