Fruit of the Spirit—JOY (3 lessons)
Series: Fruit of the Spirit Teaching Series
Chuck Sligh
February 2, 9, 16; March 16, 23; April 6, 13, 2014
Fruit of the Spirit—Joy
(Part 1)
TEXT: Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Q. = Discussion QUESTION for the class / A. = ANSWERS or possible answers
INTRODUCTION
Illus. – Mark Twain was a professional humorist whose lectures and writings made people around the world laugh and, for a short time, forget their troubles. Yet Mark Twain himself was, in private, a man whose life was broken by sorrow. When his daughter Jean died suddenly of an epileptic seizure, Twain, too ill to go to the funeral, said to a friend, “I have never greatly envied anyone but the dead. I always envy the dead.”
Contrast that with Jesus, who the Bible says was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Yet He possessed a deep joy that was beyond anything the world could offer As He faced the cruel death of Calvary, Jesus said to His followers in John 15:11 – “These things have I spoken unto you, that MY JOY might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
One of the things that Galatians 5:22 tells us that the Holy Spirit wants to build into the life of every believer is this true abiding joy that Jesus had. Now look at Psalm 16:11 where the Psalmist says “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
See the little phrase, “fullness of joy?” That is what God wants for you.vThat is the privilege of every Christian walking in the Spirit. Unfortunately, few Christians actually experience this abiding joy on a regular basis. They live under a cloud of disappointment and negativism when they could be walking in the sunshine of joy. What has robbed them of their joy?
The answer is found in the book of Philippians. I think that is the place to get a real handle on this thing called joy because Philppians is the “joy book.” This book was a letter to the believers in the church at Philippi. In it, Paul wrote something of an extended missionary thank-you letter. But nestled in this personal letter is found Paul’s secret of Christian joy. At least 19 times in these four chapters, Paul mentions joy, rejoicing, or gladness.
That might seem remarkable until you dig a little deeper and look at the background behind this book: Paul was writing from a Roman prison and his case was coming up shortly. He might be ACQUITTED, or he might be BEHEADED!
Not only was this the case, but Paul must have faced bitter disappointment:
• In Romans 1:13-16, we read that Paul really wanted to go to Rome as a PREACHER – “Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. 14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Q. What was Paul’s desire in this passage? He ended up in Rome, but is this the way he envisioned going there? Do you think he thought he could fulfill the the goals he expressed in Romans 1 by the way he ended up coming to Rome.
A. Instead of coming as a PREACHER, Paul arrived in Rome as a PRISONER. From a human point of view, this would have been a bitter disappointment. He would have arrived in Rome in chains and would not probably have been able to “preach the gospel to you who are in Roma also” (v. 15) and bear much fruit among the Romans (v. 13). Compare Proverbs 13:12: “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”
To make matters worse, Paul could not even count on the Roman believers to stand with him in prayer or moral support. It appears that some of them were totally opposed to the apostle Paul. Turn with me to Philippians 1:14-16 – “And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds.”
Q. What does Paul mean when he says that “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife” in v. 15 and “The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds” in v. 16? [GET RESPONSES; THEN FOLLOW UP WITH THIS QUESTION:] Does this kind of reception
A. THOUGHTS TO ADD TO STUDENT CONTRIBUTIONS: Many of the brethren were boldly speaking for the Lord, but that little phrase in verse 16 where it says that some were “supposing to add affliction to my bonds” indicates that some of the believers wanted to make things more difficult for the apostle! Some preached out of a heart of goodwill, but some used their position to attack Paul out of envy and strife, verse 15 says.
Q. Do you think the way Paul ended up in Rome and the kind of reception Paul received were conducive to happiness?
A. THOUGHTS TO ADD TO STUDENT CONTRIBUTIONS: He arrived as a prisoner and he faced opposition from some of the very people who should have been his most loyal supporters. So…NO, his condition and he reception were not conducive to happiness from a human point of view.
Yet, in spite of the danger he was facing and discomfort he experienced on account of the Roman government, and in spite of the personal disappointment and opposition from brethren who should have been his friends and defenders, Paul OVERFLOWED with joy.
What was the secret of Paul’s joy? The secret is found in another word that is often repeated in Philippians—the word mind. Paul uses the word mind ten times, and also uses the word think five times. Add the time he uses the word remember and you have a total of 16 references of some kind or another to the mind.
In other words, the secret of Christian joy is found in the way the believer THINKS—in his attitudes. You may have heard this little saying before: “Outlook determines outcome,” but actually this saying is based on a Scriptural principle. Look with me at Proverbs 23:7 puts it this way: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
So let’s look at joy by looking at Paul’s “Joy-Book”—Philippians. This week we’re going to look at four “joy-robbers.” Next week we’ll examine four attitudes that help us overcome these four joy-robbers. Finally, we’ll close with some practical ways to attain and maintain abiding joy.
I. FIRST NOTE THE THIEVES THAT ROB YOU OF YOUR JOY
Now have you noticed how you can be full of joy one moment, and BAM—in a moment, or in an hour, because of something that happens, you lose your joy?
That is not what God wants for our lives.
God’s plan is for us to have an ABIDING joy that abides continually, even when we are going through sorrow, pain and problems, like Paul was going through.
What are the things that rob you of your joy?
Let’s look at four “joy-robbers”:
1) The first joy-robber is CIRCUMSTANCES
Most of us will have to confess that when things are “going our way” we feel a lot happier and we’re much easier to live with. But, you know, if we live according to our circumstances, we’ll never have ABIDING joy.
Q. Why do you think that so?
A. Get responses and if appropriate, cover the following:
Because few of the circumstances in life are really under our control. We have no control over the weather. We have no control over the traffic on the Autobahn. We have no control over the things people say and do. The person whose happiness depends on ideal circumstances is going to be miserable much of the time!
Illus. – Can I just be honest with you for a few moments. As I was driving in this morning I felt discouraged because of our situation Susan and I are experiencing right now. Susan has had so many physical problems and her pain in her knees have pretty much made her wheelchair-bound for the time being.
There are so many decisions to make and with each one there are good points, but also negatives. What should we do? What if we make a wrong decision and things become worse rather than better? Should she be treated here or in the States? How are we going to afford her $1800 deductible and our 30% of a surgery if it’s done in the U.S.?
By the time I had gotten to Graf, the old devil was whispering, “Chuck, nothing’s going right with you. Everything’s going downhill. Why would God do this to your wife who has been so faithful to God and to you?” I’m being honest with you—those were the kind of thoughts that were going through my mind. I didn’t have abiding joy because for a short time I let circumstances rob me of my joy.
The problem was my mind. I was thinking wrong thoughts. My mind was focused on the wrong things.
Do you want to know what set me right again and made me forget my circumstances and brought back my joy? You’ll have to wait until next week for the answer to that when I talk about how we can have an abiding joy despite the joy robbers in our lives! Just remember that if you let circumstances rule your spirit, you’ll be up-and-down, up-and-down—happy one minute, sad the next in a vicious cycle.
The poet Byron wrote, “Men are the sport of circumstances.” But here in the book of Philippians we have the Apostle Paul in the WORST of circumstances, writing a letter SATURATED with joy! We’ll see how he maintained his joy and how mine was restored next week.
2) The second joy-robber is PEOPLE
Illus. – I’ll never forget Kim Woolwine, the church secretary in the church I pastored in Wiesbaden, storming up the stairs between services one morning as I was coming down. As she he passed me she was muttering, “People—people—people—PEOPLE!”
I turned around and asked her, “Kim, what’s wrong?”
“PEOPLE!” she said, continuing up the stairs like I wasn’t even there.
Well, I guess I could have figured that one out already. Sympathetically, I said, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
She said, “No, because YOU’RE A PEOPLE TOO!” Then she scurried up to her office to solve whatever people-issue had arisen, and I’m sure she took care of it with aplomb and a sweet spirit, as she always did in the end.
There are some difficult people in life aren’t there? Some of them need a personality transplant!
Illus. – Like the grumpy receptionist at the doctor’s office a man went to. He had a little sore on his chin so he thought he’d have the doctor examine it. He explained it to the receptionist and gruffly she instructed him, “Down the hall, first door to the left, and take off your clothes.”
Surprised, he said, “But ma’am, it’s just a sore on my chin. I hardly think all that is necessary.”
She glared at him and said, “Like I SAID—down the hall, first door to the left, and take off your clothes.”
“But ma’am”—“DOWN THE HALL, FIRST DOOR TO THE LEFT, AND TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES.”
So he went down the hall, took the first door to the left and saw another man already sitting there in his boxer shorts, shivering.
He said to the man, “Boy, that receptionist sure is a grumpy one, isn’t she? I just have this little sore on my chin and she growled at me to come down here, go through this door, and take off my clothes.”
The seated man replied, “You think that’s bad—I’m the UPS delivery man.”
Q. Can you share about someone you’ve known in your life who was ale to easily help you lose your joy?
All of us have lost our joy because of people: the way they ARE, the things they SAY, and the things they DO. By the way, no doubt WE have contributed to making SOMEONE ELSE lose THEIR joy as well!
People can be a challenge, but we have to get along with them. We cannot isolate ourselves and still live for and glorify God. We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth, and in order to be that in our world, we have to be involved with people.
Paul knew what it was to be disappointed by people. I’m sure he thought that even though he could not come to Rome as a preacher, surely he could count on the believers in Rome. But he couldn’t. They were petty and unkind and even malicious. And yet, amazingly, there is no hint of hurt or resentment or bitterness.
Instead we have this great letter that literally GUSHES with joy and rejoicing.
3) The third joy-robber is THINGS
Illus. – A wealthy man was moving into his mansion, and his Quaker neighbor, who believed in simplicity of life, was watching the activities carefully. The Quaker neighbor counted the number of chairs and tables and the vast amount of bric-a-brac that was being carried into the house. Finally, he said to the rich man: “Neighbor, if thou dost need anything, come to see me and I will tell thee HOW TO GET ALONG WITHOUT IT!”
Illus. – Abraham Lincoln was walking down the street with his two sons, who were crying and fighting.
“What’s the matter with the boys?” a friend asked.
“The same thing that’s wrong with the whole world,” Lincoln replied. “I have three walnuts and each of the boys wants two!”
THINGS—what joy-thieves they can be!
Yet Jesus said in Luke 12:15 – “…Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned against laying up treasures on earth: They’re not safe; they don’t last; and they never satisfy. Yet many people today think that joy comes from the things they own.
But in reality, things can rob us of the only kind of joy that really lasts.
Look again at Paul—
• Here he was in a Roman prison.
• He had no fancy chariot, nice clothes, or a fine house—just a little room, possibly in a dungeon, chained to a Roman soldier, with not a thing to call his own except the few belongings he could carry with him.
• Yet he is OVERFILLED with joy and happiness in the book of Philppians.
4) The fourth joy-robber is WORRY
This might be the worst thief of all. How many people have been robbed of joy and peace because of worry! In fact, worry even has PHYSICAL consequences, and while medicine can block out the symptoms, it cannot remove the cause. Worry is an “inside job” so to speak. You can purchase SLEEP at the drug store, but you cannot purchase REST.
If Paul had wanted to worry, he had plenty of occasions and excuses.
• He was a political prisoner facing probable execution.
• His friends in Rome were divided in their attitudes toward his case.
• He had no mission board supporting him and no Legal Aid Society defending him.
But in spite of all these difficulties, PAUL DID NOT WORRY! Instead, he writes a letter filled with joy that teaches us how to stop worrying.
So these are the four joy-robbers: circumstances, people, things, and worry. How do we capture these thieves and keep them from taking away the joy that is rightfully ours in Christ?
The answer is: WE MUST CULTIVATE THE RIGHT KIND OF MIND. If outlook determines outcome, then the attitude of mind that we cultivate will determine our joy or lack of it.
In Philippians, Paul describes four attitudes of mind that will produce joy in spite of circumstances, people, things, and that will keep us from worrying. We’ll look at those in next Sunday evening’s lesson.
Fruit of the Spirit—Joy
(Part 2)
TEXT: Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Q. = Discussion QUESTION for the class / A. = ANSWERS or possible answers
INTRODUCTION
In our study of the fruit of the Spirit, last time we began looking at the second characteristic, the quality of joy. We saw that though we may not always be happy, God wants us to experience a joy that never ends. Our thoughts have largely been drawn from the book of Philippians, and will tonight as well, because Philippians is “the joy book.” In it we find the secret of joy.
We saw that there are four things that rob us of our joy.
• The first is CIRCUMSTANCES
Yet we saw that Paul had joy when his circumstances could not have been worse. Instead of going to Rome as a preacher, he arrived as a prisoner. Yet the book of Philippians, which was written from Rome, is saturated with joy.
• The second joy-robber is PEOPLE
Again, Paul was hurting here as well. Many of the Christians in Rome had turned on him. Nevertheless, his joy was overflowing.
• The third joy-robber is THINGS
One thing Paul did NOT have in abundance in a Roman prison was material things. Yet he gushes with joy and rejoicing.
• The last joy-robber is WORRY
Paul had plenty to worry about. But you never get even a hint of it from his letter to the Philippians! Instead you get an ode to joy.
What was the secret to Paul’s joy despite his problems? The answer is the MIND he cultivated. In each chapter of Philippians Paul describes an attitude that kept him from losing his joy. Let’s examine them now, and then as a final point, we want to think about some practical ways to maintain the joy of the Lord.
FOUR ATTITUDES THAT WILL HELP YOU MAINTAIN YOUR JOY
1) The first attitude is a SINGLE MIND, the way to have joy over CIRCUMSTANCES, which we see in Philippians 1:
James 1:8 tells us that “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
The reason many Christians are upset by circumstances is because they do not cultivate “the single mind.” They’re focused on lesser things. If your mind was singly focused on the most important thing, your own personal circumstances would not concern you.
Here’s how Paul expressed it in Philippians 1:21 – “For to me to live is CHRIST, and to die is gain.”
Remember that in chapter 1, Paul discusses the difficult circumstances he is facing, and he faces them honestly. But his circumstances cannot rob him of his joy because he’s not living to enjoy circumstances; he’s living to serve Jesus Christ. That’s all that concerns him. That’s what consumes his every thought. Paul was a man who had a single mind.
In Philippians 3:13 Paul says “…this one thing I do…” He never got his eyes off Jesus Christ. His focus was not on his circumstances; his focus was on the Lord!
Now, let’s look again at his situation. I want you to see something very important. I want you to see that Paul did not look at his circumstances IN THEMSELVES, but rather at how they related to Jesus Christ.… He did not see himself as a prisoner of ROME, for in Ephesians 3:1 Paul called himself “the prisoner of JESUS CHRIST.” (EXPAND AS LED)
Listen to what he calls the chains he wears in Philippians 1:13 – “So that my bonds IN CHRIST are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places.” (EXPAND AS LED)
To Paul, he was not just facing a civil trial or a political trial, but at the end of verse 17 Paul says he was “…set for the defense of the gospel.”
Paul did not look at Christ through his circumstances; instead, he looked at his circumstances through Christ—AND THIS CHANGED EVERYTHING!
If you could outline this chapter you might do it like this:
• In verses 1-11 Paul talks about the FELLOWSHIP of the Gospel.
• In verses 12-26 Paul talks about the FURTHERANCE of the Gospel.
• In verses 27-30 Paul discusses the FAITH of the Gospel.
As Paul sat in that Roman prison, THOSE THINGS are what he was concerned about—not his bad circumstances.
Paul REJOICED in his circumstances because they helped in these three areas just mentioned… They helped to strengthen his fellowship with other Christians like the Philippians (that’s the FELLOWSHIP of the Gospel) – verses 3-5 – “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.”
Second, they gave him opportunity to lead others to Christ (that’s the FURTHERANCE of the Gospel) – verses 12-14 – “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13 So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
They enabled him to defend the Gospel before the courts of Rome (that’s the FAITH of the Gospel) – Philippians 1:20 – “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”
You see, when you have THE SINGLE MIND focused only on Christ, your circumstances work FOR you rather than AGAINST you.
Q. Can you share either something you’re going though in your life right now that you want to view from now on through the lens of Christ—rather than vice versa OR and event in your life where your perspective was totally changed by moving your focus from your circumstances to Christ?
2) The second attitude of mind that was Paul’s secret to maintaining joy was a SUBMISSIVE MIND, the key to have joy over PEOPLE, which Paul presents in Philippians 2.
Chapter 2 of Philippians focuses on PEOPLE.
The key verse is verse 3 – “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”
It’s interesting…
• In chapter 1, Paul puts CHRIST FIRST.
• In chapter 2, Paul puts OTHERS SECOND.
• You know what that means—Paul puts HIMSELF LAST.
The reason people aggravate us so much is because people get in the way of what WE want. We’re too busy “looking out for old number one.” If we go through life putting OURSELVES first, and others go about putting THEMSELVES first, guess what—we’re going to see a lot of conflict and battles, aren’t we?
Illus. – One time a mother and her little son got on an elevator to go to the doctor’s office… At the second floor a group of people got on, one who was a rather large woman. As the elevator went upward, suddenly the plump lady let out a sudden scream! She turned to the mother and said, “Your son just bit me!” The mother, as you can imagine, was totally horrified and embarrassed.
But the little boy had an explanation. He said, “She sitted in my face, so I bited her bottom!”
That little incident illustrates what is taking place all over the world. People and nations bite each other because they get crowded. Another reason we get all bent out of shape and lose our joy is that we are so self-centered. We think if we had someone to serve us all the time—THAT would be true joy.
But you see, the Christian with a SUBMISSIVE mind doesn’t expect others to serve him—he serves others; he looks after others’ good before looking after his own plans and desires.
Now, in Philippians 2 we have four examples of people with a submissive mind.…
• JESUS CHRIST in verses 1-11
• PAUL in verses 12-18
• TIMOTHY in verses 19-24
• and EPAPHRODITUS in verses 25-30
It would be of great value in your own personal Bible study to examine each of these passages and see how each had a submissive mind. But each one of these examples Paul gives in this passage proves an important principle Jesus gave in Luke 14:11 where he said, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Jesus, Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus: they all humbled themselves and served others and GOD EXALTED THEM. As we serve one another in a home, in a church, on the job, joy is a natural by-product.
Q. Looking again at Luke 14:11 (READ), and now let’s read Philippians 2:4-9, 15, 17-21, 25, 30. From what you see in these verses, tell me some practical applications of these principles you can glean about how to deal with people.
3) The third attitude that brings lasting joy is a SPIRITUAL MIND, the secret of how to have victory over things, which Paul discusses in Philippians 3.
In chapter 3 Paul uses the word things eleven times. He says in verse 19 that most people “mind earthly things.”
But the spiritual Christian is concerned about HEAVENLY things – Philippians 3:20 – “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The person with a spiritual mind looks at the things of this world from heaven’s point of view. And man, what a difference that makes!
Illus. – Some of you may know about the five missionaries who were martyred in Ecuador by the Auca Indians back in the 1950s. They were attempting to make contact with a group of Amazon Indians with a desire to live among them, learn their language, and eventually win them to Jesus. However, in one of their initial contacts, the Indians attacked them on a sandbar and killed all five of the missionaries.
The story captured the world’s attention. The interesting thing was that some newspapers and magazines considered the tragedy to be a great waste of life. While it did bring sorrow and grief to friends and loved ones, later events proved that their deaths were not a “waste.”
It was one of the missionaries himself, Jim Elliot, who was struggling with God’s call on his life in his college days. He knew that going to the Amazon River basin in Ecuador would mean giving up all his material possessions and conveniences of modern life—all the things that seem so important to us in life. As he wrestled with these thoughts, one day he got the victory and surrendered to God’s call. That night he wrote these words in his diary: “He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
After the death of these missionaries, Elizabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint, two of the wives of the martyred missionaries, returned to that same group of Indians. Over time they learned their language and were able to pave the way for other missionaries to come. Eventually almost the whole tribe was won to Christ, including all the ones who had murdered the missionaries.
Man’s view of this world and THINGS is always at odds with God’s views. The quest for “things” is robbing people of joy, including Christians! We want to possess things, and then we discover that things possess us. The only way to victory and joy is to have a spiritual mind and to look at “things” from God’s point of view.
So how does God view things?
• First, things are not wrong in themselves. – What is important is the place they have in our lives and how we value them.
• Second, things are temporal; that is, they pass away. – God wants us to focus on ETERNAL things.
• Third, we should view everything we have as actually belonging to God. The Christian should own nothing for himself. It all belongs to God to be used for HIS glory. Finally, we should never forget that we are simply stewards of the things God has placed in our hands.
That is the biblical approach to things.
Q. How are some ways we can overcome a love of things?
4) The last attitude we should have is a SECURE MIND, the path to victory over the joy-robber of worry, which Paul presents in chapter 4.
What is worry? Worry is actually wrong thinking (involving the mind) and wrong feeling (involving the heart) about circumstances, people and things.
So really, if you think about it, if you have the single mind, the submissive mind, and the spiritual mind, we should not have too much trouble with worry. All that we really need is something to GUARD the heart and mind so that worry will not enter into our lives.
Paul describes a secure mind in Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Now, notice one word in verse 7: the word “keep” is a military term. It means, “to stand guard, to garrison.” Remember, Paul was likely chained to a soldier. So, in other words, Paul says that God’s peace will stand guard over your heart if you will let it.
Chapter 4 describes the spiritual resources the believer has in Christ:
• In verses 1-9 we have God’s PEACE.
• In verses 10-13 we have God’s POWER.
• In verses 14-23 we have God’s PROVISION.
Peace, power and provision—with resources like these, why should we worry?!… But how do we tap into these resources?
The peace of God comes to us when we practice RIGHT PRAYING – Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Right praying is:
When we bring EVERYTHING to God in prayer. When we pray in THANKSGIVING.
Second, the peace of God comes to us when we practice RIGHT THINKING – Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
The peace of God comes to us when we practice RIGHT LIVING – Philippians 4:9 – “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Fruit of the Spirit—Joy
(Part 3)
TEXT: Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Q. = Discussion QUESTION for the class / A. = ANSWERS or possible answers
INTRODUCTION
Today we will finish our study of JOY, the second quality of the fruit of the Spirit. We saw that though we may not always be happy, God wants us to experience a joy that never ends.
Our thoughts have largely been drawn from the book of Philippians, and will today as well as we conclude our study of joy, because Philippians is “the joy book.” In it we find the secret of joy. We saw that there are four broad categories of things that rob us of our joy: circumstances, people, things and worry.
Then we examined the secret to Paul’s joy despite his problems. The answer is the MIND he cultivated.
In each chapter of Philippians Paul describes an attitude that kept him from losing his joy.
Q. It’s been a few weeks, so I wouldn’t blame you if you can’t remember, but can any of you remember what any of these attitudes were?
• The first attitude is a SINGLE MIND, the way to have joy over CIRCUMSTANCES, found in Philippians 1. This had to do with being focused on Christ and His kingdom, not on ourselves, our problems, etc. Paul did not look at his circumstances IN THEMSELVES, but rather how they related to Jesus Christ, and the advancement of His kingdom. If you’re singly focused on that, you look to see how your problems can advance God’s kingdom. Then your focus is not on YOU, but on what God’s trying to do through your trial.
• The second attitude of mind that was Paul’s secret to maintaining joy was a SUBMISSIVE MIND, the key to have joy over PEOPLE, which Paul presents in Philippians 2. – When we stop demanding our rights and start serving one another and submitting to one another, it gives us joy in dealing with people.
• The third attitude that brings lasting joy is a SPIRITUAL MIND, the secret of how to have victory over THINGS, which Paul discusses in Philippians 3. – Money and things should be seen as poor substitutes for the real riches in life. How much wiser to lay up treasures in heaven than to lay up treasures on earth that will burn up some day. As Jim Elliott, the missionary martyr to the Auca Indians said when pondering whether to become a missionary or to go into a lucrative business, “He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
• The last attitude we should have is a SECURE MIND, the path to victory over the joy-robber of worry, which Paul presents in chapter 4. – We have a secure mind when we obey Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
We have talked about four states of mind. Let’s get a little more practical and think of practical ways we can experience the kind of joy the Bible wants us to have as we answer the question:
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO TO HAVE JOY?
1) The first is found in what Jesus says in John 15:5 – “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Q. What is Jesus teaching here.
A. Being attached to and abiding in the vine.
Q. What does it mean to “abide in the vine”? [GET VARIOUS VIEWS…THEN SHARE THE FOLLOWING.]
A. It can mean several things…
• Some believe Jesus is talking about obedience to His commands. The context seems to lend credence to this view.
• Many believe it goes deeper and refers to being in vital relationship with Jesus, which, of course, would include obedience, but focuses more on walking closely with Him; listening to His voice; trying to please Him; being dependent on Him; trusting Him; loving Him. The key to this interpretation hinges more on maintaining a close personal RELATIONSHIP with Jesus than mere outward obedience.
Jesus continues this idea of being attached to the vine, and then He concludes in verse 11 with these words, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
The key to joy that remains, and joy that is full, is abiding in close fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and obeying His commandments.
When we become Christians, we’re like a branch attached to the vine. Jesus is the vine, and we’re the branches. When we’re attached to Him we’ll bear fruit—and one of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. That’s where it begins—having a relationship with Jesus Christ, and living in close harmony with Him.
Abiding in the vine is the key to all joy, but perhaps most especially in the midst of adverse CIRCUMSTANCES.
2) Second, give yourself in service for others.
This is how we have a SUBMISSIVE MIND. One of the biggest problems in our world today is that we have become so self-centered that we no longer experience the joy of serving others.
Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Do you want to know why the writer of Hebrews says that Jesus “endured the cross, despising the shame” because of the joy that was set before Him? Do you want to know why the cross was an object of joy for Jesus? Here’s why: because He didn’t do it for Himself. He did it for US. He went to the cross for us. And there’s joy even in a cross when you’re doing it for someone else.
Illus. – You know, I think the majority of the time the parents and grandparents who are happier than the graduate on graduation day! Why is that?—Because They have invested themselves into raising, teaching, and supporting their graduate from infancy. There’s great satisfaction in watching people that you’ve invested yourself in succeed. There’s great joy in that.
So why don’t you all get involved in investing your life in others on God’s behalf? Why don’t you SHARE THE GOSPEL with those who haven’t heard it? Why don’t you GET INVOLVED IN MINISTRY somewhere in this church? Why don’t you GET INVOLVED IN BUILDING UP AND TRAINING PEOPLE? Why don’t you minister to someone on a personal level—call someone who’s lonely; visit someone; mow somebody’s grass who can’t do it for themselves; write someone a nice note; give some money away; become less focused on yourself and more focused on others.
Jesus said, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
Find your life by losing it in others!
3) Third, focus on the eternal and not the temporal.
The reason Jesus could endure the cross is because after the cross came the resurrection. As we go through the experiences of life we need to see that one day there’s going to be a glorious resurrection when we will be with Jesus, too.
Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 and look was Paul writes: “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Q. What do you think Paul is teaching here?
A. Get comments, then, if appropriate, cover the following.
Look in the mirror…and you’ll see yourself wasting away. Look at your material possessions…and you’ll see them wearing out. The whole world is winding down. Everything is wasting away.
But INWARDLY, we’re being RENEWED every day as believers. So don’t look at the things you can see. Look at the things you CAN’T see, because they last forever. And what you cannot see—the Lord Jesus, heaven, godly things, spiritual things—these are the things we should focus our attention on.
That’s why Paul said in Colossians 3:1-4 – “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
Q. How can we “set our affection on things above”?
A. Get comments, then, if appropriate, cover the following.
When we focus our lives on eternal things instead of temporal, material things, we reap a deep, abiding joy that comes from the Lord. That’s why we ought to give ourselves to the service of God. Chris Santasiere says,
There is a great joy to be found in living and working for a purpose that is bigger than ourselves. The greatest work that we can ever do is the work of God. The whole idea of God giving salvation to man by dying for the sins of man through the person of Jesus Christ and then rising from the dead three days later, defeating death is mind boggling. What’s even more mind-boggling that God chooses us, gives us the responsibility, of telling this message to others and helping them to accept this salvation. We get to do that! We get to point people to Christ! We get to help reunite people with their Heavenly Father and their Creator That’s exciting! How can we not find joy in this?
