Beholding the Gladness of Jesus
I. BEHOLDING THE GLORY OF GOD’S EMOTIONS (GLADNESS)
But we all, beholding...the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from
glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
A. The “beholding and becoming” principle – whatever we behold (meditation unto revelation) in
God’s heart towards us becomes awakened in our heart back to God (transformation). Beholding God’s heart
refers to studying about it until we understand it more and thus encounter Him.
B. There is a corresponding impartation to what we understand about God’s heart to our emotional
transformation. As we change our mind (understanding) about God, then He changes our emotions (heart)
and unlocks our hearts. Wrong understanding about God damages our hearts. Wrong ideas about God’s
personality and heart leads to blocking our intimacy with Him.
C. When God wants to empower us to be lovers of God, He reveals Himself as a lover to us. What ever
we study about God is what is made alive in our hearts towards God.
We love (enjoy, pursue) Him because He first loved (enjoyed, pursued) us. (1 John 4:19)
D. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul was specifically referring to the situation in Moses’ life in which he cried
out to behold God’s glory. The greatest manifestation of God’s glory is His emotions.
Moses said, "Please, show me Your glory." 19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass
before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you..." (Exodus 33:18-19)
The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and
gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth...”(Exodus 34:6)
E. The emotion of God that is easiest to grasp is His gladness. We will not comprehend His affection
for us until we have a foundational understanding of His gladness towards His people. God’s capacity for
gladness is infinite in measure and eternal in duration. God designed the human spirit in His image, with
great capacity for gladness. This is a great gift to us.
F. As we become students of God’s emotions, we grow in revelation of His tender mercy, then His
gladness then His affection. In this understanding of God, we will run to Him with confidence even in our
weakness instead of running from Him in condemnation and shame.
G. The paradigm most common today is that of a God who is mostly mad or mostly sad when we relate
to Him. There is much unclear and fuzzy thinking about God’s gladness. How does God feel most of the
time? How does He feel when He looks at you? This question is one of the most important questions in our
spiritual journey. Our view of God’s emotions affects how we approach God, especially in our weakness.
This impacts the way we feel about ourselves.
H. The revelation of a God with a smiling heart awakens a smiling heart in us. This revelation of God
releases security in us with a free spirit instead of being dominated by condemnation.
I. It seems like heresy to some to believe this. I asked two theologians who rejected the idea of God’s
gladness a series of questions. Is God ever glad? How much of the time is He glad? With whom is He glad?
Is He ever glad with people on earth? At what point of maturity does God become glad with them? On what
basis is He glad with the weak? Who is mostly responsible? The theological logic is that if God does not
smile, then He can not smile at me.
II. WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS ABOUT JESUS' PERSONALITY
A. Jesus walked in the anointing of gladness more than any man in history (Hebrews 1:9; Psalm 45:7).
He had a free spirit filled with gladness that radiated out of His countenance.
God has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions. (Hebrews 1:9)
B. Jesus was strengthened with gladness and joy to help Him endure the cross.
Looking unto Jesus...who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross...(Heb. 12:2)
C. Gladness and joy are at the center of Jesus’ personality. Jesus imparts His joy to His people through
feeding on His Word unto transforming their emotions so that it becomes their joy.
These things I spoke...that My joy may remain in you...that your joy may be full. (John 15:11 )
D. Jesus spoke of His gladness over people immediately when they repented (without probation).
He rejoices more over that sheep than over the 99 that did not go astray. (Matthew. 18:13)
E. Peter quoting Psalm 16:8-11, described Jesus as having a rejoicing heart, with glad speech.
“…for He (Father) is at My (Jesus’) right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26. Therefore
My (Jesus’) heart rejoiced, and My tongue was glad…(Acts 2:25-27).
1. Jesus’ heart rejoiced – His primary disposition is gladness not anger or sadness.
2. Jesus’ tongue is glad – His primary speech comes from His gladness.
3. Jesus is full of joy – His primary posture of heart and leadership style is gladness.
F. David, the theologian of God’s gladness, described God’s heart as full of joy and pleasures.
In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place. (1 Chronicles 16:27)
You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. (Psalm 36:8)
III. THE REJOICING GOD
A. Prophetic promises for blessing have their foundation in God's heart of rejoicing.
The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand…for the LORD will
again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers...(Deuteronomy 30:9)
Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with
all My heart and with all My soul. (Jeremiah 32:41)
B. God's End-Time restoration of His people flows from His heart of rejoicing and gladness.
The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with
gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zeph. 3:17)
C. Happy holiness: God rejoices in context to holiness
God has spoken in His holiness: "I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem and measure out the
Valley of Succoth.” (Psalm 60:6; 108:7)
His (Jesus’) delight is in the fear of the LORD...(Isaiah 11:3)
D. God's delight in His works
May the LORD rejoice in His works. (Psalm 104:31)
Then I (Jesus as God's wisdom) was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His
delight, rejoicing always before Him...(Proverbs 8:30-31)
E. God has gladness, delight and joy in His people.
You shall no longer be termed Forsaken...but you shall be called Hephzibah...for the LORD
delights in you....as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over
you. (Isaiah 62:4-5)
See the King...on the day of His wedding, the day of the gladness of his heart. (Song 3:11 )
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
and her people a joy. (Isaiah 65:18-19)
F. The angels experience joy and gladness.
There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)
The morning stars (angels) sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)
G. We will experience the fullness of joy when we are in God's presence.
Now to Him who is able to keep you…and to present you faultless before the presence of His
glory with exceeding joy...(Jude 1:24)
IV. GLADNESS AND JOY RELEASE STRENGTH TO THE HEART
For the joy of the LORD is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
A. Jesus was strengthened before the cross.
Looking unto Jesus...who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross...(Hebrews 12:2)
B. Jesus’ joy is imparted to His people through feeding on His Word.
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be
full. (John 15:11 )
C. The voice of the Bridegroom empowered John to experience joy in the wilderness.
The friend of the bridegroom...rejoices greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice. Therefore
this joy of mine is fulfilled...(John 3:29)
D. The people of God will be empowered with joy in the wilderness like John the Baptist.
I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her
…the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there…(Hosea 2:14-15)
V. GOD’S EVALUATION (JUDGMENT) OF BELIEVERS.
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will BOTH bring to light
the hidden things of darkness AND reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise
will come from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)
A. God’s evaluation (judgment) of believers: Paul surprises us with this view of judgment in context to
the carnal Corinthians.
B. Judge nothing – do not draw final conclusions about your life or others before God because we
have an inability to accurately evaluate what God thinks.
C. Counsels of heart – the movements of our heart will be revealed on the last day.
D. God will reveal both the negative (hidden) and positive (counsel of our heart) issues of our heart.
E. Praise will come to those who resisted darkness. Jesus sees it and it is dear to Him. It is amazing
what God remembers and what God forgets. God defines us by the movements of our heart towards Him,
not just our failures.
F. The litmus test to determine if we understand God’s heart of gladness, is what we would feel if we
knew that Jesus was to appear to us today to evaluate our heart.