The second fruit:Joy
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It should be no secret at this point to anyone sitting in here that the theif is trying to steal our congregations joy. Every turn the past year have been diagnoses of diseases and cancers, painful family events, loss of income, loss of life, and many more situations in which the enemy is seeking to steal our joy. As we progress through the fruits of the spirit we find ourselves this morning on Joy. The fruits of the spirit were written in specific order to assist us in living a life according to the spirit of God and being lived out in the order and intinsety in which God demands will bring about a powerful life in the spirit of God. Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
lays out the order in which we are to live. 2 weeks ago we spoke about the Love and how it is so different than what the world considers love. This week we will see in scripture what real joy is. Turn with me to Psalms 16. Why is Joy important? Joy is important for the very things we are facing as a church in these very moments. If your understanding of joy is not accurate then you will begin to chase the wrong things. When you are hurting, sad, or depressed becasue of what is going on in your life and you view joy as a feeling or an emotion you will chase it and will often times find those emotions are counteractive to your faith. If you view joy as things then you will spend your time chasing after things in these times. I want you to see 3 things this mornign. Joy is not things, Joy is not people, Joy is the presence of the Lord.
Two prawns were swimming around in the sea one day. The first one was called Justin and the second one was called Kristian. They were continually being chased and threatened by the sharks that inhabited the area.
Eventually Justin had had enough. He said to Kristian, "I'm fed up with being a prawn. I wish I was a shark, and then I wouldn't have to worry about being eaten all the time."
As he said this, a large mysterious cod appeared and said, "Your wish is granted!"
And believe it or not, with that Justin turned into a fearsome shark.
Kristian was horrified and so immediately swam away as he was scared of being eaten by his old friend.
As time went by, Justin found his new life as a shark to be boring and lonely. None of his old friends would let him get near them as they thought he would eat them and so they just swam away whenever he approached.
It took a while, but eventually Justin realized that his new menacing appearance was the cause of his sad plight.
Then one day he was swimming all alone as usual when he saw the mysterious cod again. He thought it'd be better if he could go back to his old life so he swam to the cod and begged to be changed back. The cod worked his magic and suddenly Justin was a prawn once more.
With tears of joy streaming down his cheeks Justin swam straight to Kristian's home.
As he opened the coral gate, the happy memories came flooding back. He banged on the door and shouted, "Kristian, it's me, Justin, your old friend. Come out and see me again."
Kristian replied, "No way! You're a shark now and you'll just eat me. I'm not being tricked into being your dinner."
Justin shouted back "No, I'm not a shark any more. That was the old me. I've changed...
I've found Cod. I'm a prawn again Kristian."
A Miktam of David.
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Joy isnt things
Joy isnt things
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
The first thing I want you to see today is that Joy is not in things. David in this scripture states that the Lord is his portion and his cup. He then continues and states that the things that he has have been chosen for him by the Lord. the lines and boundaries of his life were set by God and the things that he had were given by God. Often times people will chase things to find that joy that is missing in their hearts. They will chase after that new car, that new home, the nice clothes, you name it they go after it. They work and spend their time getting these things then find that things never bring them Joy. They find out that while things can bring them happiness, things cannot bring them joy.
Merriam Webster defines happiness as “a state of well-being and contentment; a pleasurable or satisfying experience.” Whereas joy is specifically stated, even in the dictionary, as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires; the expression or exhibition of such emotion.”
Things bring happiness. Happiness is an emotion that is brought on whereas joy is something that comes from within and is lived out. Joy is not getting that nice house you have always wanted, joy is not having enough alcohol to make you numb, joy is not the ability to have things. Joy is the ability to find contintment in the absence of things. So many of us believe that things are going to make us happy no matter how much the scripture says otherwise. Lets take a moment to see what the Bible says about things.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
I have lists and lists of scriptures that will back this concept up. I stop with this one because I find it so important to understand that real joy comes from the father but the desires of the flesh and the pride of life none of that is from the Father. The desire for things does not bring about joy, the collection of things does not bring about joy.
C. S. Lewis gave us the following insight:
Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
How true of us is this? We are offered infinate joy yet we believe that we will find joy in making mud pies. Next time you are looking for that Joy and you are looking at “stuff” I want you to envision it as a mud pie when Jesus is offering you something so much better. Our society spends billions of dollars a year trying to find joy and they only find temporary hapiness in the things and ultimately spend their money on things that bring them no joy at all. Joy is not things but Joy also is not people.
Joy isnt people
Joy isnt people
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
David gives us insight here into the people who chase after others to bring them joy. David in this scripture calls them gods with a little g. Everyone in this room though aside from probably the youngest of the children is guilty of doing this. We look at that person in our lives, our spouse and we expect that they are going to bring us joy. I feel so bad for my wife in this situation. She is expecting me to bring her joy and to help her feel joy in her heart and all I do is let her down. You know what that feels like to have people let you down? When we put our trust in people we are so often times let down. The scripture here lets us know that when we chase after other things or other people we will never find joy. We will in fact find sorrows.
funeral homes stopped allowing the pallbearers to lower the casket into the grave. Some felt that this was becasue of liability if they were to drop the casket 6’ down and cause damage. Others said it was becasue of new technology that allowed for better services. The real answer from a funeral director was this. We stopped letting the Pallbearers lower the casket because it is depressing. It is never fun to see someones closest friends let them down one more time.
Lets just face it people let you down. No matter where you are in life or how far ahead you are in life people let you down. Even pastors will let you down. We are all good for it and at it. When you begin to chase relationships because you believe that the person on the other end of that relationship is the answer to your need for joy in life you will be led to sorrow. Im mean think about how we date in this country. Let me set it up for you.
Boy meets girl in an office setting and they seem to hit it off pretty good. She seems sweet and he seems funny and well it helps that they are both attractive. The boy asks the girl on a date and she says yes. They spend the next 2 days preparing their best lies for each other in order to convince the other person that they are a worthy companion. The girl goes and buys clothes that she thinks will help form her body in a way that the guy will be attracted to her, no care in the world that the jeans are probalby 2 sizes too small and are not a representation of her, she gets makeup and covers every blemish and even has friends come over to give second opinions, then she does her hair. The guy on the other side goes home and cleans his truck that he has not cleaned in 18 months and has to scrape the left over hardees off the seat from last year. He finds his best fitting shirt and is even going to shower more than once this week because of the date. He does everything he can do to not mess this up including finding a place to eat at that he cant even pronounce the name of. They go on their date and it is wonderful. She is the best person he has ever been with and he is the most affecionate and caring man she has ever met, he even cared for a kitten with a broken leg before dinner. How could this go any better. They spend months doing this. Back and forth to dinners and in front of friends and family who are all wondering who is this person and what have they done with our family member. Down the road the guy proposes and she says yes, after all why wouldnt she. They walk down the isle and have their honeymoon. There is a reason people say that their wedding day was the best day of their life becasue it was the last day the man had to lie and trick his wife. Before long she no longer cakes the makeup on and wear those jeans he liked, she walks around in PJs and does not do her hair until Sunday for church. His truck goes back to being messy and he passes gas in front of her, he is back to his normal self.
This is funny but it is also the truth and its what happens when we believe that people will bring us joy. People cannnot be the source of our joy because people cannot be consistent.
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
Stop regarding man
in whose nostrils is breath,
for of what account is he?
The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the Lord.
He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
Joy is not found in people. You can spend your entire life rotating people in and out of your life trying to find the person who is going to bring you joy and you are never going to find them. Joy is not things, Joy is not people so what is joy? If it is not the things that you have or can get and its not the people around you how is it even possible to find joy? Joy is God’s presence in your life.
Joy is God’s presence
Joy is God’s presence
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
David simplifies this for us. In this passage right here let me give you the short version. God I dont care what is going on in my life, I understand that bad things will come and bad things will go. I do not care who is in my life I know there will be people I love and people that I have a difficult time loving. I will not chase after things or people to make me happy but I am content in your presence alone. In you alone God is my joy. I find that place of peace that surpasses all understanding when I am in your presence. God it is you that brings me joy in the midst of my pain because you are holding me. David is making it clear that even as the King He has found the joy becsue he has God.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
How can you have joy in the midst of a medical battle? By seeking the Father. By drawing closer to Him. How can you have joy when life is throwing you down? By seeking the Father. How do you seek the Father? First start with thankfulness, tell God that you are thankful. Ive seen this happen at funerals. Families gather and they are so sad and then someone says that they were thankful for the person for one reason or another then someone else shares and before you know it everyone has found some happiness in being thanful. When life is kicking you down take time to be thankful for what God has done for you. Second take time to pray. When is the last time you went into your closet at home and closed the door and just had a real conversation with God? Prayer allows us to have that intimate, personal relationship with God. Lastly, read your Bible. If you dont want to wate your time chasing people and things that are not going to bring you happiness then seek God in His word. What does the Bible say about Joy?
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
The hope of the righteous brings joy,
but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
Joy is not found in the things that God gives us or the people He allows us to have in our life. Joy is found simply in being in the presence of God. Paul knew what he was doing when he put joy next on the list. This is the same thing that Jesus did. Jesus loved others first then he found joy in going to the cross becasue it was through the cross that he would return to the Father.
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Where are you finding your joy? I believe for many in here this morning that joy is something we could all use today. Some of you in here have been battling life changing cancers and sicknesses. Some in here have been hit witht he loss of income. Some of you in here have gotten devistating news just this week. It feels like there is no good around you. It feels like all hope is lost. You are not sure what to do. Let me tell you what to do, seek the Father. He is here, He is in you if you have believed in His son. The way to find joy is to find that place where God matters more than anything and no matter what God gives you or does for you it still isnt greater than simply being called His own.