TEXT: DOCTRINAL; Galatians 5:16-23
INTRO: One thing we say with certainty about our world today is that it does not appear to be a joyful place. However, Christians are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always. Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” PRAY.
I.WHAT IS JOY?
A. Greek noun = chara (i.e., Lk. 2:10, has the angel saying to the shepherds, “I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”); verb = “chairo
B. First of all, joy is not the same as happiness, though it often feels the same. Joy is positive contentment based on something stronger than mere circumstances. A mother may be happy when all the kids come home to visit, but she is joyful about being their mother even when they can’t make it. Theopedia (a Christian encyclopedia), “a state of mind and orientation of the heart. A settled statement of contentment, confidence, and hope.”
C. A person who wants joy must have the mindset of wanting to do the right thing for the pleasure of doing the right thing. Heb. 12:2, “{We must keep] our eyes on Jesus, the Source and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.” Jm.1:2, “Count it all joy, my brothers[and sisters], whenever you experience various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. . . . [which causes you to become]mature and complete, lacking nothing.”
II. WHY IS JOY SO IMPORTANT TO US?
A. In both Old and New Testaments, we are commanded to be joyful. Ps. 97:12 says, “Be glad in Yahweh, you righteous ones, and praise His holy name.” 1 Thess. 5:16 says, “Rejoice always!” It is the stated will of God that His people are joyful!
1.) Lack of joy creates problems between people. It can cause rifts in families, in friendships, in churches, and in our nation.
2.) Joy helps us stay healthy physically and spiritually.
a.) Physically: Prov. 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Research has actually discovered that joy and its expressions can help lower blood pressure and heart rate; strengthens immune systems; combats stress and decreases likelihood of strokes; helps relieve aches and pains more quickly; appears to produce some protection against cancer; and lengthens life. (online; 6 ways)
b.) Spiritually: In 1 Kgs. 19, Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah the prophet and Elijah ran away into the wilderness where he prayed that he might die. He was God’s main witness and messenger, but losing his joy made him helpless and full of self-pity. I can personally testify that losing joy makes one spiritually indecisive and without power and witness for the Lord.
3.) Joy keeps us from being insensitive to seeing God at work. Lack of joy can make us critical and blind to God’s work. In Lk. 6:6-11, “Is it “lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or destroy it?” Jesus healed a man’s withered hand and vs. 11 says, “They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.”
4.) Joy helps people grow strong in hope. In Rom. 15:13 says, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Hope is what causes us to rise again after we have fallen. It causes us not to give up when things get rough. Hope produces victorious living. Joy and peace lead to an overflowing hope.
III. WHAT CAN WE DO TO LIVE IN JOY?
A. Maintaining joy is not always an easy thing and most of us know that. But as we noted, it is a command for Christians and God would never command what we cannot do. 2 things that we can do:
1.) We can maintain a growing closeness to God. Rom. 14:17, “for the kingdom of God is . . . .righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”; Galatians talks about the fruit of the Spirit and the second listed is “joy”; Philippians is called the “letter of joy”; and so on. In Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the Apostle’s teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.” In other words, they committed themselves to the things of God. You cannot work it up, but it is a natural result of seeking and worshipping God. One scholar wisely defined joy this way, “The way believers view the present in light of God’s plan for the future.” Knowing you win should produce joy!
B. Joy is tied to our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Gal. 5:22 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control.” Joy is a gift, something God intends you have. So how can we lose it? We must choose not to accept it. As always in dealing with the Spirit, there are two ways to do so: quenching the Spirit or grieving the Spirit.
1.) If God has told us to do a certain thing or be with a certain group or be active in a certain way, and we choose to not listen and pour ourselves into it, we quench the Spirit and joy ceases.
2.) If God has told us not to do certain things or be with a certain group or be active in certain ways, but we do it anyway, we grieve the Spirit and joy fades. We must intentionally move away from those things that we know the Spirit calls us away from – even if we don’t want to do so.
CONCLUSION
Nehemiah 8:9, God’s word read aloud. People began to weep loudly. And Nehemiah had to pause and say to them, (vs.9)“This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” And he goes on to say, “Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your stronghold,” that means joy is where you run to escape persecution and be refreshed. In the midst of a mean, divided, and aggressive world, we must have a stronghold in which to hide and be refreshed and strengthened. Living in joy is that place!