Spiritual Joy

SPIRITUAL JOY

This morning I want to talk about a common experience

That comes from an uncommon source

It happens in heaven and on earth

It can happen in the womb or even on ones death bed

It is a powerful motivator

That can come in small packages or in big events

It is with us all the time

Yet it does not always show itself

Without it our lives would be unbearable

With it we can see God

I don’t always understand it

But I know it when it happens to me

What am I talking about?

I’ll never tell…..

JOY

TEXT: 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - The shortest verse in the Greek New Testament

Rejoice Evermore

NIV says “Be joyful always;”

Joy is talked about widely in scripture

It is found in nearly every book of the Bible

Sometimes it occurs as a Noun referring to ones state of being because of an event

Sometimes its a verb referring to Joy’s action namely Rejoicing….

Joy is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit.

Joy is referred to in context of a remembrance from the past The shekinah glory in the presence of Mosos.

Joy is referred to in the present tense as Paul expresses his Joy in the writing of the epistles

Joy is referred to in the future tense in the context of fullness of Joy when we get to heaven.

The Bible tells us that

Joy can be contrived by material pleasures and drinking, but that it is a false joy.

Joy comes through faithfulness and obedience

Joy comes Through trials

Joy comes Through sadness

CS Lewis has said of Joy it is "The serious business of Heaven"

"It is a necessity …not a luxury…

Robert Louis Stevenson said, "To miss Joy is to miss all".

Someone has said, The surest mark of a Christian is not faith, or even love, but JOY……

From all my study I have determined

That Joy is the name we give

To the response we have to certain conditions in life

I have determined That Joy was the creation of God

And it has been a part of man since God’s image was placed in Adam.

JOY IS MANIFEST IN US IN 3 WAYS

1.When good things happen (Natural Joy)

EXAMPLE - When you’re a kid waiting for Christmas, the boxes we got

2. When you have done the right thing (Moral Joy)

Most people have experienced these both natural Joy and Moral Joy

But Joy was intended by God to be a much deeper experience

When one comes to Christ as savior

God redeems this aspect of our life also

So that we are no longer limited to experiencing merely natural and moral Joy

But God ads a new dimension

We will call Spiritual Joy

3. Spiritual Joy is something the world cannot give nor understand, BECAUSE IT COMES IN THE FORM OF AN EMBRACE FROM GOD.

When we are going through dark times, He is there

When we cannot feel him, He is there

When we least expect Him, He is there

When we feel we are all alone, He is there

When we feel like giving up, he is there Yea, though I walk through the valley of death,

He is there!!

Ready to embrace us

So that we are able to experience Joy

Weather circumstances are joyful or not…For true joy is not dictated by circumstances, but by our relationship with God

Luke 1:28-45

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

[29] Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. [30] But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. [31] You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

[34] "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

[35] The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. [36] Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. [37] For nothing is impossible with God."

[38] "I am the Lord’s servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.