Jesus, Man of Joy
© 1999 Sherwood Eliot Wirt
Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon
All rights reserved. Used by permission. No portion of this online edition of Jesus, Man of Joy may be reproduced or stored in any form or by any means, except for brief quotation for the purpose of review, comment, scholarship, or ministry presentation without written permission of Dr. Sherwood Eliot Wirt.
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Subjects: 1. Jesus Christ — Character;
2. Joy — Religious aspects
— Christianity
BV4647.J68 W58 ~ Dewey: 232.9/03 21 ~ LCCN: 98-031333 ~
OCLC: 39886949 ~ 213p.
Jesus, Man of Joy is presently held by 187 libraries including Azusa Pacific University and Bethel Seminary San Diego.
These words I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
— JOHN 15:11
Table of Contents
Foreword: "Bruce, I Have One Word for You: JOY!" 9
Introduction: The Phone Rang 13
Stirrings in Heaven
1. An Astonishing Change 17
2. Whose Idea Was This? 21
3. Where Did He Get It? 27
The Man of Joy
4. The Merry Jesus 33
5. Uncommon Wedding 41
6. Religious Smog 47
7. "Pecooler Noshuns" 57
The Hidden Secret
8. Surfing the Scriptures 65
9. Still Waters 71
10. Gold Without Tarnish 77
Good Times, Bad Times
11. Will Moves Through Desire 85
12. When God Shouts 91
13. Silence Is Golden 99
14. When Joy Meets Fear 107
15. Joy When It Hurts 113
Heart's Delights
16. What Is Happiness? 125
17. God's Crepe Suzettes 131
18. The Secret of Radiance 139
19. Joy and Overjoy 145
Glorious Promise
20. Faith Creating Joy 155
21. Hope That Brings Joy 163
22. What's Amazing About Grace 169
23. Take It All! 175
24. The Joy-Filled Church 183
Paradise Lost and Found
25. Paradise Lost 193
26. Paradise Found 199
"I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." — Jesus
Jesus enjoyed life to the fullest . . . and He wants that same thing for those who love Him. Catch a glimpse of the One whose gentle touch could reach through to the hardest of hearts, and whose wisdom and humor revealed the deepest truths about God and His ways.
You can learn to live with fresh hope and renewed joy by discovering
the god who laughs with us and wants us to experience a "joy unspeakable."
You'll never look at Jesus the same way once you've met this "man of joy."
"Nobody but Sherwood Wirt could have written this, the magnum opus of
joy!"
— JERRY JENKINS, co-author of Left Behind
"Jesus was a man of joy. This is the most liberating secret in all of Christianity! Through the pages of this book the Lord revealed to me for the first time His reality and absolute loveliness. Rejoice and be glad!'
— BRUCE MARCHIANO, author of In the Footsteps of Jesus
"Many believers mistakenly confuse joy with being in a state of perpetual happiness. Sherwood Wirt knows the real meaning of joy, and he happily shares it with the rest of us."
— CAL THOMAS, author of The Things that Matter Most
"What a refreshing word for our day — joy! This book has given me a new perspective on life. Radiant joy is always possible."
— ANN KIEMEL ANDERSON, author of Seduced by Success and I'm Out to Change My World
"You are in for a fresh experience of authentic joy. Joy is the missing ingredient in contemporary Christianity, and Sherwood shows us how to find it."
— LLOYD JOHN OGILVIE, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate and author of Autobiography of God
"As I read the book, my heart was lifted up with joy and praise. It's about time somebody proclaimed the joyful Jesus!"
— WARREN W. WIERSBE, author of Be Joyful: Even when things go wrong you can have joy {Philippians}
"To know Sherwood Wirt is to feel the rush of God's joy, splashing and spilling over. When Sherwood writes about Jesus' joy, he's writing from his life . . . and from his heart."
— JONI EARECKSON TADA, author and artist
"Is Jesus the ultimate spoil-sport? Is the Man of Sorrows all tears and no joy? Decidedly not, says Sherwood Wirt, who at 87 is himself a marvelous demonstration of someone who knows the joyful Jesus. Drawing on a wide range of sources from Augustine to C.S. Lewis and much Scripture, he provides needed correctives to the sour, condemning spirit that often obscures the deep joy of Jesus.
— HAROLD MYRA, President of Christianity Today
Sherwood Eliot Wirt is founding editor of
Decision
magazine and the author of 42 books including
Billy: A Personal
Look at Billy Graham. A long-time associate of
Billy Graham, "Woody" (as his friends
call him) formerly served as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force, pastored several
churches, and holds Ph.D.'s in theology and psychology from the University
of Edinburgh in Scotland (Class of '51). In 1978 he founded the
San Diego Christian Writers Guild.
Born in 1911, he resides in Bothell, Washington.
Visit BookFinder.com for books by Sherwood Eliot Wirt available for purchase
Acknowledgment
What a pleasure to write this book! It has been like strolling through an archway of rainbows. Fascinating things happen to people when they start looking for joy in God's Word, for the joy appears in such varied and colorful ways. The Holy Spirit shows Himself as more than a Comforter; He becomes an Encourager and Inspirer who fills ordinary lives with moments of divine bliss.
This book came to be through the kind help of friends who are excellent writers themselves. Many of them are active members of the San Diego County Christian Writers' Guild. In particular I would mention Nancy Bayless, Judith Dupree, Kathryn Hughes, Jean Mader, Elaine Minton, Glenda Palmer, Judith Scharfenburg, Candace Walters, and Claudia Ward. My nonpareil critic is, as usual, my wife, Ruth Love Wirt, who sent many of my purple passages tumbling over the Sunset Cliffs.
Seeing this manuscript through the press has been a genuine pleasure. The founder of Harvest House, Robert Hawkins, Sr., is an old friend and a Christian gentleman with a warm heart for writers. My thanks go to him and all the active personnel of Harvest House for their professional labors on this work. I would especially mention Jerry MacGregor, senior editor; Robert Hawkins, Jr., publisher; Carolyn McCready, editorial director; and Ray Oehm, editor. Also I would include Bruce Marchiano, actor, author, preacher, and good friend, for a whole bushel of kindnesses.
A prominent European theologian once commented that "orthodoxy has no humor." Anyone who thinks this way should subscribe without delay to "The Joyful Noiseletter," published by my friend Cal Samra, founder of the Fellowship of Merry Christians, at Box 895, Portage, MI 49081. Mr. Samra has given percipient support to the writing of this book, for which I am grateful.
— S.E.W.
To Bob and Jennie Gillespie
Jesus, Man of Joy is hosted online by
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With great joy I dedicate this online edition to Woody
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