Recipe for Joy

Sermon Notes October 8, 2017 Nehemiah 8:9-12 Short Review Review the main points of the message. Some Questions for Discussion: Focus on: the joy we have because the God who rules, saves and is with us is a God of joy. 1. Don’t we get joy from the ordinary pleasures and blessings of life? What is a joy you have recently experienced which is part of the life and experiences shared with all humanity? 2. Without getting ‘super spiritual’, describe what most people in the world would say if they told you what brings them joy. 3. Read the text. Review, what is “the joy of the Lord?” Read and discuss I Chronicles 16:27 Read and discuss Psalm 16:11 Read and discuss John 15:11 4. Is it silly or wrong to think of God being joyful? Why would God be joyful? 5. Discuss the kind of joy described in the following texts: Luke 15:7 Luke 15:32 [And who is throwing this party? Who is the father a picture of?] 6. What makes the joy described in #5 hard to explain to those who don’t know Christ? 7. A lot of people give to many causes: a. Describe the joy we get from giving a gift to a loved one; from giving to those who are poor, hungry or homeless. b. What is the kind of joy we get from giving for the kingdom, to save and redeem men and women? How is it similar to 7a, how is it different? 8. Think about what it means to serve a God of joy. a. Think about the opposite: what would life be like if God were sour, frowning and dark? b. How does knowing that God is a God of joy change our perspective in the midst of trouble?