Easter People...Find Joy in the Midst of Trials

EASTER PEOPLE

• Those who believe in the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
  
• Those who believe he walked this earth as God/Man, who ultimately went to the cross and was crucified for our transgressions
• Those who believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the Trinity 3 in 1

Find Joy

• Christian Joy, as described by John Piper
  • A good feeling in the soul
  • Produced by the Holy Spirit
  • As he calls us to see the beauty of Christ
  • In the Word and in the World
• Joy is in Christ and none other, me and God
• Joy and Faith
• Joy and the Gospel
• Abundant Joy and Total Commitment go together, our total commitment.

God is most glorified in us when we are satisfied in him.
A doctrine idea by John Piper:
of a thinking faculty that glorifies God by right thinking about him
of an emotional faculty that glorifies God by feeling right about him

• Enjoy contentment in all circumstances Philippians 1:6
• Christian Joy does not die when sorrow abounds. Rejoice and weep at the same time.

 
In the Midst of Trials

• We all have trials
• Things will happen but at the end of the day, things will be all right because God is with us
• Refining your faith through fire
• Stay the course, find joy in the midst, allow Christ to live through you
• Success is when a person is at peace
• A desired haven isn’t an outcome, our desired haven is our salvation-in Jesus
• Don’t become embittered towards the Lord
• Trusting Him, anxiety won’t wreck me
• Ask God for Wisdom
• Pray answers to prayer, or change the prayer as to how I should pray
• He promises to be with us

The points listed above are noted through our study this week. First, we studied through Philippians with John Piper in his series Jesus and the Journey to Joy.  We learned that Joy is an emotion that finds us. It is in the soul. In our personal worship one on one with God, joy is produced by the Holy Spirit, satisfying our deepest longing as we draw closer to God.
Watching God’s Strength in Trials we listened to a man born without arms and how he accepted his God given body. He tells us to embrace God’s plan whatever that may be.  It’s God strength that we need, and God’s plan for us is to grow as a person and grow closer to Him. Trials are meant to draw us closer to God and find our strength in Him.
Matt Chandler in Trials Build Deeper Trust in God knows first-hand through his brain tumor and cancer treatments of trusting God fully. Trust is a firm belief or faith in another. Trusting God for what’s to come.  During Sunday’s sermon we heard that we need to have faith in our trials. To put your full weight, full trust in God.
As  we go through our trials, draw close to God, find your strength in Him. Don’t lose your Joy in who your God is. As James 1: 2 Testing of Your Faith says “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”.  We count it joy because we are Easter People!
Larry & Darlene