Intro: Joy is not syrupy or sappy, sentimental or seasonal. Joy is not happiness, because happiness depends on what happens to you. Joy is also not the absence of sorrow. Joy is a vivid emotion of pleasure or state of being highly delighted. Where does this state or emotion come from?
Joy is one of the essential marks of God’s Spirit ruling and reigning in us. Paul tells us it is a fruit of the Spirit. Peter says it is the companion of faith. Joy is the pleasure that comes from the person and principles of Jesus ruling in our lives. Joy is a decision to live in the reality of Jesus and choose to not to be a victim. Joy is a delighted spirit in the face of any difficulty. This delight cannot be stolen but it can be starved, strangled, and stagnated.
Joy is like anything else spiritually. The more we choose to live and operate in it the more it will grow. How do we know that Jesus wants our joy to grow? John 15:11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” The Greek word here means to fill to the individual capacity. It literally meant to cram a net full. Jesus wants to cram you full of joy! How does this happen? How does our joy get to this point?
I. Joy grows from understanding, loving and applying God’s truth
1 John 1:4 “These things we write to you that your joy may be full.”
A) Reason to read the Bible – It will result in joy
B) Reason to meditate the Bible – It will result in joy
C) Reason to memorize the Bible – It will result in Joy
II. Joy grows from confidence in our identity as God’s children
Luke 10:20 “However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
The 70 had just returned and said that even the demons obeyed them in Jesus name. Jesus told them the true source of joy is not exercise of spiritual power or gifts but forgiveness of sin and acceptance through the blood of Jesus.
Romans 4: 7, 8 “How joyful are those whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered! How joyful is the man the Lord will never charge with sin!”
If you have received and confessed Jesus and are covered by His blood then you sin will never be charged against your account.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing
will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!”
What confidence. Once I am born or adopted into God’s family there is nothing that can separate me from His love! Rejoice, live in the certainty of God’s love and be cheerfully grateful! Joy is the reality of our relationship as God’s children.
III. Joy grows witnessing God’s great works
Luke 15:10 “I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
Bringing people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is God’s greatest work! Seeing God work in the life of someone freeing them from sin and growing them in the Spirit is worth rejoicing.
Look back over your walk with Jesus and see His great work in your life and rejoice!!
Psalm 94:4,5 “For You have made me rejoice, Lord, by what You have done; I will shout for joy because of the works of Your hands. How magnificent are Your works, Lord, how profound Your thoughts!”
Seeing God restore and renew every type of relationship is cause for us to rejoice.
IV. Joy grows from seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.”
Joshua 1 and Hebrews 13 “I will never leave nor forsake you.”
When our third child died
In all my wife’s health difficulties
Promise to provide for the food pantry
Promise to provide His Spirit
Promise to provide comfort
Promise to answer prayer
V. Joy grows as faith grows
Faith is the ability to take God at His word. Faith is the ability to live as if God’s promises have all been fulfilled. Faith is looking toward your future with God in spite of the evidence in your life right now. Faith is not something that is static. Faith is dynamic. Faith grows and can be stretched to continue to live by God’s word and promises not by our physical senses.
The more we learn to live by faith the more our joy will grow.
Philippians 1:25, 26 “Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that, because of me, your confidence may grow in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.”
If you are not growing in your faith you will not grow in your delight of the Lord. Faith is walking daily with Jesus. Our faith grows as our intimate knowledge of Jesus grows. The more we see the faithfulness of Jesus the more we trust and rejoice about Him!
Things outside us have not power to rob us of our joy! They do however have the formidable power to interfere with the cultivation of our that faith, which is the essential condition of our joy.
VI. Joy grows in seasons of trial and affliction
1 Peter 1:8 “You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy”
The people Peter was talking to were going through terrible and fiery trials. In those trials because of their love for Jesus Peter is encouraging them to jump for joy. To jump and shout for what God is still doing despite the trial.
Song when I think about the Lord (practical rejoicing)
Hebrews 12:2 For the joy set before Jesus he despised the shame of the cross.
VII. Joy grows as we abide in Jesus and His love
John 15:11 ““I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete”
A) Aiding requires surrender (John 15.4, James 4.7)
What is true surrender? It is submission to God’s law that represents God’s person. Love God with all your everything. It is seeking first His kingdom and setting aside our desire to rule and reign our lives. It is true submission that results in obedience.
B) Abiding requires depending (John 15.5)
When Jesus says abide in me He means depend on me. He uses the picture of a vine and a branch. The branch depends on the vine for everything, life, food, water, everything. For God to be everything we must learn to be nothing.
C) Abiding requires resting
In verse nine Jesus says, "As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love." That means to rest in His love. The Bible tells us in Galatians 5.22 that joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot create joy; we must simply rest in the Vine.
D) Abiding requires obedience
Joy is the result of obedience despite what the results of that obedience will be.
Remember peace is God’s presence in your life. Joy is the pleasure of God’s presence in your life despite what your present circumstances are.
Jesus says in verse 15:10 "If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love..." Jesus kept the commandments of His Father. We also must obey Him. There's no way to have joy unless we obey. What keeps us from Joy? Not practicing the principles revealed to us by Jesus. Not surrendering our life to His commands. In Romans 14:17 “the Kingdom of God is not in eating and drinking, in other words the Kingdom of God is not about our unlimited exercise of our Christian freedom, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” But if you are not living in such a way that you take His teaching and commands seriously then you forfeit the right to overwhelming joy!
Conclusion: A preacher was headed to the meeting of the church but it was a down pour and he was a little late arriving. The people knew that He was always thankful when he opened in prayer so they waited to see how he could be thankful or joyful in the face of such a day. The preacher began “Thank you Father that not every day is like today.”
A joyful heart rejoices not at the problems of life but the possibilities of life with Jesus.
Joy and peace in believing will never accompany an inconsistent life. Jesus is able to stuff us full with Joy as we obey and abide in Him!!
