Joy The Life Changing Choice

Intro

We are living in a culture that’s looking everywhere for happiness or joy. People often look everywhere but the right place...

First Choice - Prayer

Second Choice - Daily Choice of purity

It’s impossible to fell guilty and have joy at the same time

So we learned that we have to deal with and get rid of guilt to have joy.

Today is a choice of purpose.... a life changing choice. When you choose joy, it changes your life. Joy has purpose.

Prayer -

Turn to the person next to you and say… Choose Joy… Turn to the other one and say, you look like you could use some joy…

Talking in the mens Bible Study this week about the disciples and Jesus. I believe they had a great time… they had joy and even laughed.

That’s not what the devil wants… he works over time to steal, kill, or destroy our joy. He works through TV, Social Media… to kill your joy.

John 10:10 NLT

10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

This is what the devil wants… to steal your joy kill your soul and destroy your witness. He is like a pickpocket… you often don’t see him coming. He doesn’t look like a thief. He is disguised as something fun… somebody …

Jesus came to give us a rich and satisfying life. I don’t know about you, but I like rich and satisfying life. But you have to make some choices to live that rich and satisfying life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

The old life is a joy-less life. The new life is a rich and satisfying life. New things will bring you enjoyment and fun… and joy.

To have joy and sustain joy and help others have joy, their is a divine order of joy.

The Divine Order of Joy

Hebrews 12:1–3 The Living Bible

1 Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. 2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God. 3 If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him.

The reason he could endure the pain and suffering was the joy that was on the other side of the cross. That happens to us… we start a project and there is a lot of struggle on this side … but when it’s finished, there is good stuff… joy and happiness.

We have to make a choice of obedience, but on the other side of that choice there is joy. There is always a price for joy. Jesus made the decision to go to the cross to pay for our sins because of the joy on the other side of the cross.

There is a divine order of Joy and joy comes after the struggle. You can see this divine order in the name JOY

J - Jesus

Jesus has to be the first for there to be joy. If Jesus is not first, we are out of order.

Matthew 6:33 AMP

33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

Jesus is at the center of our life.

O - Others

Our whole life cannot revolve around me… you… “me myself and I”

Acts 20:35 NLT

35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Jesus changes everything. We can’t live to get and have joy. Jesus rearranges this. Jesus first then others.

Y - Yourself

I am third. Jesus will take are of us.

1 Peter 5:7 NLT

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Give it all to Jesus because he cares for you and will take care of you.

The Life-Changing Choice

The passage we are looking at was written in a difficult time for Israel. All of their news was bad news. And it kept getting worse. And as they made one bad decision after another things got worse.

But God spoke above and beyond that.

Isaiah 9:2–3 NLT

2  The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder.

God was telling them that in the natural it may look bleak, but I am about to increase your joy like you just had a huge harvest or like a warrior who just got a trophy.

Listen to me… For a warrior to get a trophy, you have to go through a battle. So often we think the difficulty is the battle, but the battle is how we hand the difficulty. And God is saying that we can walk out of the battle with great joy. You will not walk out of that battle empty handed… you will walk out of that battle with increased joy.

If I am going to go through a battle… if I am going to go through a lot of pain… then let me come out of it with a purpose… to help someone else through their battle and for them to have joy.

Do you think there could be more joy than we are experiencing? I think so...

The longer the more joyful we become… The longer I am in church, the more joyful I am… The more I give to the Lord, the more joy I experience… the longer I lead a group… or ministry the more joy I have. I think we all want more joy in our lives…

1. Life-changing Joy is inside out

It’s from the inside out.

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Love - Joy - peace . I want the people I love to have joy. I want the peace I walk in to be filled with joy.

Joy starts on the inside and comes to the outside.

2. Life-changing Joy is beyond circumstances

It does not depend on what’s going on. It’s based on the truth of God … on a relationship with God.

Psalm 19:8 NLT

8 The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.

When we obey God, we will live a joyful life. God will give us insight for living a joyful life.

God is bigger than your circumstances.

3. Life-changing Joy is with others

We were meant to be connected to each others. There is no joy on the path of me, myself and I. Get involved and connect with others.

Next Saturday, we will be tired at the end of the day, but we will experience joy because we are serving together.

Psalm 16:11 NLT

11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

4. Life-changing Joy is going to win

Joy is going to win… relational wins, financial wins, eternal wins

Nehemiah 8:10 NLT

10 And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

The enemy wants you to live life by yourself… not connected to God or others. When we do this, there is no joy in our lives. The devil wants you to live for now. It’s more than an event that is over in a minute.

Joy is more than a moment. Jesus died on the cross so we could live with sustained joy. It’s in Jesus that we live and breath.

Bible says that every time someone chooses Jesus, they have a huge celebration heaven.

Prayer time

Maybe you are here with no purpose… living a life that leads to emptiness.... but you say today I want to stop that. You are tired of smiling on the outside but hurting on the inside.

Invite Jesus into your heart.