Kingdom Power (5)

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5.1, 2

Not happiness - joy
“But there is no joy in Muddville.”

So goes the penultimate line of my favorite childhood poem. Back then I could resonate with the joyless people of Muddville, whose hero, the Mighty Casey, had failed them at the crucial moment by striking out to end the big game. As a youth, my own sense of happiness and, well, joy, was closely tied to athletic success and the attention that came with it. Playing well, winning games, and being acknowledged for it were integral parts of whatever joy I knew as a youth.

It would take being deprived of athletic prowess, through injury and better competition, to show me just how little joy there was in my life.

Multitudes today deceive themselves into thinking that the happiness they feel when everything is going well in their lives is the same as real joy. It isn’t of course, a fact anyone can prove by depriving himself of those things, relationships, experiences, or situations that bring pleasure and happiness to his life. Happiness is related to “hap”, circumstance, and it can never qualify as joy.

Joy is something deeper, because it is fixed in unchanging verities and conditions. Joy is the result of Kingdom power at work in those who have made the Kingdom turn.

Real joy
Real joy – that exulting, indomitable sense of wellbeing, security, soundness, hope, and full and abundant life – is not rooted in temporal circumstances or things. Joy is lodged in eternal realities, beginning with the sovereign plan and good pleasure of the eternal God, and is realized by entering into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ by grace through faith.

Real joy is to be found in the presence of God, with Jesus Christ, secure and loved forever and ever (Ps. 16.11). Knowing the presence of God is the unique privilege of all who have made the Kingdom turn. God never changes in His love for us, and Jesus Christ holds us fast forever, regardless of the outward circumstances of our lives. The result of experiencing this is joy.

Righteousness is the character of the Kingdom; peace is the condition the Kingdom brings with it. And joy is the consequence of the Kingdom, a reality nothing can shake, because the Kingdom of God is eternal and unshakable (Heb. 12.28). Joy is not the fruit of temporal conditions, but of eternal ones – conditions of perfect righteousness and unceasing peace in the presence and favor of our risen and reigning King.

A work of God’s Spirit
Joy is not the result of favorable circumstances, but of the inward work of the Spirit of God. Joy flows with the power of the Kingdom, issuing from God’s Spirit. The Spirit of God at work within us frames out a vision of the exalted Christ and His dwelling place in the unseen realm, so that true and unchanging beauty and majesty become the North Star of our being. The Spirit at work in our souls so transforms our view of the world, the affections we cherish, and the values and priorities that guide our lives, that joy is wrought throughout our souls, and comes out in our expressions and demeanor in the form of hope. The joy within us fills us with hope in every area of our lives – hope for the glory of God and the progress of His Kingdom. They who know the joy of the Lord and His Kingdom live a tangible, visible hope, a hope that attracts the curiosity of others and creates in them a longing for something they know they need but do not presently possess (1 Pet. 3.15).

Where the Kingdom of God is advancing in a person’s life, the power of God’s Spirit is at work. And through that life the Spirit overflows, like a river of living water (Jn. 7.37-39), into a sphere of influence, where joy and hope and the prospect of lasting peace and righteousness assert themselves unto refreshment, restoration, and wholeness.

And that power, the power of God’s Spirit that generates righteousness, peace, and joy in our souls, flows out in power to bear witness to the King Who makes it all happen.

Next steps: When do you most experience joy? What is the source of that joy in your life? Talk with some Christian friends about these questions. Encourage one another in the joy of the Lord.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Kingdom Power, is the sixth of an eight-part series on The Kingdom Turn, and is available as a free download. T. M. has written two books to complement this eight-part series. You can order The Kingship of Jesus by clicking here, and The Gospel of the Kingdom by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.