What is Joy?

Joy- Where to find it and how do we show it?

Joy.

If I can be honest, this has been a really had topic to cover and I am just trying to cover 5 to 10 min.

You see love is easy, we know what love looks like, the greatest act of love for us is Jesus dying on the cross for you and me.

We know what love is.

But joy?

Maybe it is because we don’t hear it spoke about enough.

I think that JOY is one of the most unused word in our vocabulary, I mean just think about the last time you said you were joyful?

We actually use happy as a substitute for joy.

Which is fine whatever.

But this sense of joy, just personal I think carries just a bit more weight.

I do think we need to be careful on how we define Joy.

I want to narrow in on not some worldly definition of joy, you can google that and you can find about 1000 ways to experience Joy.

But what is a Christian definition of joy?

John Piper defines Joy as this:

“Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world.”- John Piper

So first off we know that Joy is a feeling, not just a feeling but a good feeling in our souls.

Second, we know that Joy is not something that we can produce, but it from the Holy Spirit.

This makes sense as it relates to Galatians 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

This is all the stuff we are covering the next couple of weeks.

Third: Through the spirit who gives us joy we see the beauty of Christ in the word (the Bible) and in the world, around us.

Joy is undeniable important in how we carry ourselves.

Love is what we show, but joy is how we act.

Now hear me out.

Growing up in a church in the Quad Cities, I knew some pretty sour people who said that they were believers.

And maybe you have meet some of these people as well.

People who are just not happy- they have no joy, like somebody ate all of their cotton candy of something.

That when they walk into the room all the happiness is just sucked out of it, like who let the dementor in- Serious Black is not here, you can carry on.

I get it, we do not know what they have gone through, maybe they are just having a bad day or bad decade, I get it.

And I am not saying that just because you are not some bubbly person who wants to meet everyone and share Jesus with all that you are not finding joy in the Lord.

Please hear me there.

We all have different personalities.

But I have a hard time seeing that if we can see the beauty of Christ, then our joy, that is given to us by the spirit should be stirred up or turnt up to overflow from our bodies.

I really think that Christians should be some of the most happiest and joyful people on the planet.

I really think they should.

But see we are not and I think there are many reasons for this, but I think many can be boiled down to we do not rejoice in the Lord daily.

We rejoice in sports, we rejoice in sex, we rejoice in school, we rejoice in grade, we rejoice in our own abilities, We rejoice in ourselves— We rejoice in drinking, We rejoice in attention from guys and girls, We rejoice in drug use, we rejoice in worldly things that leave us empty and unsatisfied, and joy-less.

We keep turning the tables and keep trying to find that pursuit of happiness and Paul is telling us in Phil 4:4-5 where it is.

Philippians 4:4–5 ESV

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

But he also says in Phil 3:1

Philippians 3:1 ESV

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

Joy or rejoice is found 16 times in 4 chapters of the book of Philippians.

We have the chance to see the beauty of Christ that we read about in the Bible what he has done for us, his sacrifice, his love, kindness, grace and mercy that we receive, and we get to credit that to God.

We get to see the world and all the gifts and the beauty that is in this world, because their is beauty in this world, watch a sunset or sunrise, go the grand canyon, see the creation of life, get licked by a puppy, there is beauty that only be credited to God.

We see all of this and we get to thank God for it all, we get to joyful glorify Him because of all he has done, and we can rest knowing that our hope, love, trust, faith, and JOY is found in Christ.

John 15:11 ESV

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Romans 15:13 ESV

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

2 Corinthians 1:24 ESV

Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

WHY because in the end God is our joy!

Psalm 43:4 ESV

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

I know i have gone over time, I hope that you guys have a good conversation about joy tonight.

And as GK Chesterton said, the atheist sees beauty but has no one to thank, thus no one to be happy in.

We know who it rejoice in and that is the LORD.

Have fun discussing Joy tonight, and i can’t wait to see you all on Sunday Aug 9th as we have another outdoor service, starting at 6:00!

Have a good night and know that you are loved.