"The Life of Steadfast Joy!" (Mark 2:18-20)

“The Life of Steadfast Joy!”

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #14)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

May 1, 2011

Jesus Christ is Risen! Starting with Easter Sunday, Jesus Christ, the risen God spent 40 days, until the Ascension, walking with the disciples, eating with them, allowing them to touch Him, and teaching them about the Kingdom of God. He then ascended to the right hand of the Father where He remains to this day interceding (advocating) on our behalf. 10 days after Jesus’ ascension, God sent the Holy Spirit upon His Church at Pentecost to empower and guide His chosen people in the Way of Jesus Christ. We were not left alone when Jesus Christ went to the Father; He gave us His perfect presence, the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit.

As we now return to our expository study of the Gospel of Mark in a sermon series entitled, "Falling in love with Jesus...all over again!" let's continue to learn what it means to live the new life with Jesus Christ. Let's read together out loud the Word of God from Mark 2:18-20 (NAU), "John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, 'Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?' And Jesus said to them, 'While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.'" [Prayer]

This is a one point sermon today: THE NEW LIFE WITH JESUS CHRIST IS A LIFE OF STEADFAST JOY!

Let’s look at Mark 2:18 closely, “John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they came and said to Him, ‘Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?’

There are two groups approaching Jesus Christ together: first, John the Baptist's disciples and second, the Pharisees. How these two groups got together to question Jesus is baffling in itself! Although these groups had different motives, they both made the spiritual life more like a funeral than a wedding! The Pharisees turned the spiritual life into a series of rigid and comprehensive rules and regulations based on the Law. Even though the Law only required fasting one day a year (the Day of Atonement), they increased the expectations of fasting to twice a week bringing attention to their piety. John's disciples turned the spiritual life into an austere life of repentance as John was the great prophet from the desert who ate locusts and wild honey and was clothed with camel hairs. Both expressions were solemn (somber) and devoid of joy.

Now Mark 2:19 gives Jesus’ response to their “question”: ^“And Jesus said to them, ‘While the bridegroom is with them, the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.’”

In ancient Palestine, after a Jewish wedding, the couple would not go away on a honeymoon; they stayed at home and for a week there was continual feasting and rejoicing. That wedding week was the happiest of weeks and all the closest friends of the bride and the bridegroom were invited as their attendants. In His response to their question, Jesus is actually making reference to a rabbinic ruling that stated, “All in attendance on the bridegroom are relieved of all religious observances which would lessen their joy.”

Essentially, why would my disciples fast when we are in the midst of a celebration! Greater than any human wedding is the presence of Jesus Christ in the world, the Messiah, the bridegroom to the Church who came to redeem and reconcile all humanity back to God. This is the heavenly wedding between God and His chosen children through Jesus the Christ. The new life of discipleship calls us to be a part of this joyful celebration! Is your spiritual life more like the solemn occasion of John’s disciples and the Pharisees or like the joyful celebration of Jesus Christ and His disciples?

As we can relate to today, the difference in how they expressed their spiritual life caused the Pharisees to take great offense at Jesus and His disciples and rather than coming to know Him, they came to protect their way of doing things; their established ideas and practices. Listen to Jesus' response to such critiques in the Gospel of Matthew 11:18-19, “For John [the Baptist] came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.’”

In our Scripture lesson today, the religious leaders (Pharisees) and disciples of John the Baptist came together to critique Jesus. What was that critique? After all that He has done in healing, exorcisms, offering acceptance and forgiveness, authoritative teaching, and modeling the Kingdom of God as come into their midst, Jesus was critiqued for not being serious enough in His spiritual life because of His love and joy. The Pharisees didn’t think Jesus was serious enough because He wasn’t doing it their way; He wasn’t miserable, restrictive, or uptight enough! Are you willing to be critiqued in the same way as Jesus?

Jesus does not answer their critique by getting defensive; rather, He simply tells them that they were missing the bigger picture: the new life with Jesus Christ is the wedding feast; not a funeral fast!

The Gospel of John 3:29-30 teaches of this view of the new life with Jesus Christ, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”

The new life with Jesus Christ is a life of joy because Jesus Christ is the bridegroom and we, His Church, are His bride.

Our joy should not be based on our temporary circumstances and whatever we can find to please us, but on the permanence of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ! Where do you find your joy—from the frivolity of our culture or from being with Jesus Christ?

This is a very important question. Joy cannot be worked for nor aspired after. We cannot set our minds on being joyful people—joy finds us and rests upon. Joy is like a butterfly. Have you ever tried to catch a butterfly?

Butterflies are illusive when you are obsessed with catching one, but it is amazing how a butterfly can land on you when you are at rest. Joy is the same way. Joy will surprise you!

Joy is not found by obsessively seeking after happiness in this world. It’s not about having the right person on your arm, the right house, car, or possessions. Joy is not about having the newest technological innovations, nor is it even about our financial well being or job status. If your joy is found in any of these things, then it will never by steadfast—it will be as movable and transient as the shifting sands!

Joy is found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the Rock! Joy is the consequence of our intimacy with God. Joy is the result of a life of devotion. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit given to us as a gift from God. Jesus Christ is both the center and the cause of the joy that His disciples experience.

We live the life of steadfast joy not by focusing on joy, but turning our attention to the Giver of all joy in the midst of all our life circumstances! What does this look like? A life of joy is a life of prayer (intimate conversation with God), study (learning about God one-on-one and in small groups), meditation (soaking and resting in God), witnessing (sharing God’s love), and fellowship (sharing friendship and loyalty with God’s people). Joy is found in the gift of relationship with God!

A life of steadfast joy is not always easy, pain-free, fun, or comfortable! It is a life of discipline! Not every circumstance is good, nor will every situation result in happiness. We are not called to rejoice in evil or bad circumstances, but we are called to rejoice in the Lord always! The Bible commands us in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

Do people see you rejoice in the Lord? Always?

Let's return and listen to the last verse of our Scripture lesson: Jesus states in Mark 2:20, “But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.”

Jesus gives a veiled allusion to the Cross knowing that a day of hard and trying circumstances is on the forecast of His life and ministry. But He continued to live with a steadfast joy from His relationship with God! A joy that would persevere through and prevail over betrayal, slander, disappointment, and even the greatest of enemies--the enemy of death! Jesus knew all this was a very real part of His coming future! How do you face the forecast of your future?

Hard and trying circumstances will come. If you are not in the midst of them now, you either just went through them or they are coming. How will you face them? Will you remain open to God’s transformative power in your heart and mind through prayer, study, witnessing, and fellowship? Jesus remained focused on God in the midst of His various trials and that too is the test of our faith. James 1:2-3 teaches us, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

What does your response to hard and trying circumstances teach others about the new life with Jesus Christ? Have you lost your smile, inside or out?

Nehemiah, the great leader who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after 70 years of exile at the hands of the Babylonian Empire, told his weeping people, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10b).

When you feel like quitting on life or compromising in your spiritual journey, remember to find your strength in the joy of the Lord. God will give you the endurance to prevail when you trust in Him. Jesus Christ will never leave you nor forsake you and He wants you to live life with an unmovable and unchangeable joy through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ living in you! Are you experiencing the steadfast joy of the Lord through the new life with Jesus Christ?