Sermon Tone Analysis

The Joy of the Lord

Just as Christmas is a time of peace it is also a time of joy.

God intended for you to have joy.

And not a slow-drip, limited amount, either.

Jesus gives you His joy.

It is an abiding joy.

It is an overflowing joy.

There is supernatural power in the joy of the Lord.

There is a grace that comes when you have the joy of the Lord.

The Supernatural Strength of Joy

Joy is a powerful weapon that God gives to His people.

It drives back the enemies of our soul.

The word that Nehemiah used for strength also can mean "citadel”, “fortress”, or “bulwark”.

It carries the sense of being a source of refuge.

The joy of the Lord serves as a barrier to discouragement and feeling overwhelmed by the various trials that we will face in life.

Jesus drew on the the joy of the Lord as He faced the cross.

It sustained Him and strengthened Him and if it kept Him in that moment then how much more will it keep us?

“Massena, one of Napoleon’s generals, suddenly appeared with eighteen thousand men before an Austrian town which had no means of defense.

The town council had nearly decided to surrender when the old dean of the church reminded them that it was Easter and begged them to hold services as usual and to leave the trouble in God's hands.

This they did; and the French hearing the church bells ringing joyfully concluded that an Austrian army had come to relieve the place and quickly broke camp.

Before the bells ceased ringing, all the Frenchmen had vanished.”

(“The Weapon of Joy”, ministry127.com)

When we stand in the joy of the Lord we stand in the victory of the Lord.

We may be surrounded by enemies or difficulties on the left and the right but the joy of the Lord signals reinforcements are on the way.

When we rejoice in the Lord we stand on the Rock and find refuge in the face of every storm.

Choose the joy of the Lord.

It will sustain you and empower you to enter into the victory of the Lord.

Two Components of Joy

Joy is a Feeling

Joy is a feeling that arises when we are blessed or successful or experience something good.

In the Bible there are examples of joy in stories like the shepherd finding his lost sheep or the joy that people experienced when Jesus healed a woman who had been bound by the devil for many years (Matthew 18:13, Luke 13:17).

Naturally speaking, both the unrighteous and the righteous experience a form of joy or mirth.

One of the differences between natural joy and the joy of the Lord is that simple joy as a feeling is fleeting.

The joy of the Lord, or the joy that the Lord gives, is an abundant and overflowing joy.

Illustration: Mother and little boy shopping in a country grocery store.

The shop keeper pulled out a jar of lollipops and told the boy reach in and pull out a handful.

The boy retreated shyly behind his mother until the man reached in himself and took out a big handful and offered them to the boys outstretched hands.

Back at the car, his mom asked him why he didn’t reach in and get the lollipops for himself.

He answered, “Because the man’s hands were bigger than mine.”

There is a limit to the joy that comes from the world.

The feeling is only for a moment, but the joy of the Lord is an abundant overflowing joy.

God does exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think.

When He gives us His joy, we don’t simply receive a momentary feeling, but something that spills over and carries us.

Joy Is an Action

Joy isn’t simply limited to feeling.

It is an action.

We are commanded regularly to express joy despite our feelings.

We are commanded to rejoice.

We are commanded to take joy and express our joy in our spouses and in every good thing that the Lord Has given us (Proverbs 5:18, Deuteronomy 26:11).

We rejoice in worship and in the times of celebration as well as in the blessing of God on the work of our hands (Deuteronomy 16:11, 14-15).

Also, we are commanded to rejoice or express our joy in the face of trials, when people revile, persecute, or slander us, and even when we endure suffering for the sake of Christ (James 1:2, Matthew 5:11-12, 1 Peter 4:13).

Illustration: The act of smiling causes your brain to think humor is happening triggering a chemical reaction releasing dopamine and serotonin.

Dopamine creates a feeling of happiness and serotonin is associated with reduced stress.

In other words, you can trigger the feeling of joy by the action of smiling.

Choose the joy of the Lord.

In good times and bad, rejoice in the Lord always.

Act in joy.

Count your blessings and as you remember the good things God has done, you will enter into the feeling of joy.

Sources of Joy

The joy of the Lord is a gift.

It is joy from the Lord.

Walking in the joy of the Lord is the fruit of abiding in Christ and being led by the Spirit (cf.

John 15:5, Galatians 5:22-23).

There are a number of ways that God supplies joy to us.

We receive the joy of the Lord from the word of God.

We receive the joy of the Lord from being in the presence of God.

We receive the joy of the Lord as we walk in righteousness.

Illustration: Gem Mining in Western NC.

Did not think it was going to be “fun” until I did it.

Then, once we did, I wanted to go back.

With each new “discovery” it became more fun to do.

As we practice God’s presence and encounter Him in His word and in prayer His joy will flow into us.

When we do what is right and good (i.e.

put into practice God’s word and love and live like He does) then we will receive joy from the Lord.

Conclusion

The incarnation of Christ—His coming in the flesh to be God with us—is a reason to have joy.

The fact that He lived a perfect, sinless life and offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins so that we could be saved is a reason to have joy.

The fact that He rose from the grave on the third day, just as was promised and prophesied, is a reason to have joy.

Because God has been faithful and has come to us and saved us and promised us eternal life with Him we should have great joy.

Jesus is coming back for us.

And in that Day, we will be rescued from this evil world and be with Him.

There will be no more sin, sorrow, or pain.

And that should cause us to rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory!