Introduction:
1. During the series of sermons I share with you on the fruits of the Spirit, we will be having a testimony of one kind or another from a Christian who has demonstrated this fruit in action. Few people are better equipped to talk about the joy of the Lord from the perspective of real experience than Joni Eareckson Tada. It’s neat to be able to hear her testimony through the use of video. Let me suggest as we begin this morning that it is possible to experience true joy even in the most difficult of circumstances.
2. Now, let me go to the very opposite extreme and share another story with you that does not illustrate the joy of the Lord in any way shape or form. When the Immanuel Baptist Church first called Pastor Waite he quickly made his way to each home. Letting people know that he wanted to know anything about the people that would be helpful in his ministry. It wasn’t long before the new pastor knew most of the church secrets. When it came to getting his own way, he wasn’t hesitant to remind members about their shortcomings which he kept written down in a large appointment book that he carried with him. The members of the church knew that others in the church family had been talking to the pastor. Finally they decided to call a special meeting to discuss dismissing the pastor. The church quickly divided into two hostile camps. For four weeks Pastor Waite simply kept the board from announcing the special meeting. Offering envelopes began to contain more than tithes, little messages like, "Waite no longer." began to appear, as well as "Give the pastor more time." Those who supported the pastor began to sit on the right & those who opposed him moved to the left side of the sanctuary. Finally after 4 weeks of not being allowed to announce the meeting to discuss dismissing the pastor, one of the deacons stood up in the service made his way to the pulpit & started to speak. "This is to announce a special congregational assembly for this afternoon to discuss Pastor Donald Waite." Suddenly he couldn’t be heard, because the pianist & organist who had both sided with the pastor began to play as loudly as possible. Pastor Waite began singing loudly into his lapel mic & some of the congregation on the right joined him. Before the second verse could begin the deacon pulled the power cord for the organ while another deacon shut the piano lid. The deacon by the pastor tripped over a mic cord & fell. He thought the pastor had pushed him and when he stood up he hit the pastor squarely in the nose. In an instant most of the church was out of their seats moving to the front punching & shoving. Many started to the front to break up the free for all, but when their side began to lose got involved in the fight. One of the deacons finally knocked the pastor down. The fight only when the police arrived. The judge called upon to rule in the case was Jewish and knew several of the men because he played in the religious softball league. He told them, "No charges will be pressed at this point, but I urge you to work this out within your own church. Your Jesus Christ may allow this sort of thing in His followers, but the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will not permit fist fights as a regular part of church." 10
3. I think we could all agree that somehow this church lost their joy. Things got out of whack. The church wasn’t demonstrating the joy of the Lord. Before I go farther in the sermon this morning I want to pose some difficult & thought provoking questions about the second fruit of the Spirit, joy.
Cell #1--
"Can a person be depressed and have the joy of the Lord?"
Cell #2--
"Are Christians who walk around saying, ’Praise the Lord,’ every few minutes expressing the joy of the Lord better than other believers who take a more ’realistic’ approach to life?"
Cell #3--
"Is it possible to have the joy of the Lord when you are in a bad mood?"
Cell #4--
"Do Christians who praise the Lord in dramatic ways, like Charismatic believers understand the joy of the Lord better than the rest of us?"
4. Keep those thoughts in mind, but let me warn you, I’m not going to necessarily answer most of them directly in the sermon, but I think they will be answered at least indirectly.
5. One more thing I want you to reflect upon. The fruit of the Spirit, is the natural result of having the Holy Spirit alive and at work in your life, but that doesn’t mean that the fruit of the Spirit in your life doesn’t require some effort on your part. Let’s read Galatians 5:22-23 together.
Cell #5--
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Prayer- - - Let’s begin with. . .
Cell #6--
I. What the Joy of the Lord Is Not
1. As I begin the sermon this morning, I want to sort of come through the back door of this spiritual gift. I want to start by focusing on some common perceptions of what Joy is that don’t measure up to the way the Bible presents it.
2. Wise men through the ages have tried to define joy. Aristotle defined joy this way.
Cell #7--
Aristotle’s definition of joy-- "Finding the ideal balance between the excesses of pleasure and the pain of suffering."
3. There is a certain degree of truth to Aristotle’s view of joy, but his definition doesn’t measure up when it comes to understanding Biblical joy. Let’s move from that ancient definition of joy to a view of joy or happiness that people in America often adopt today. This view of joy doesn’t measure up either. Many people have the mistaken idea that joy is new stuff. While I understand that mentality, let me be very clear,
Cell #8--
Joy Is Not Getting new things.
4. I think particularly in our culture that people often get off track here. They believe that they will experience joy or happiness, if they have more stuff. Our culture promotes that philosophy. Advertising is a big part of that. This week in preparation for this sermon I came across statistics for how much Proctor and Gamble spends on TV advertising each year. Guess how many of their dollars go to television? You couldn’t guess if you tried. They spend $3 Billion each year. To put that figure in perspective, it’s 50% more than gross national product of our poor neighbor to the South, Haiti. Retaining our joy in the midst of a society that becomes so obsessed with getting more and more stuff can be a real challenge. As much as we enjoy our things, they don’t bring true joy.
5. I want to think about one more thing that the joy of the Lord is not. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 in the NIV says, "Be joyful always." Some Christians have taken that to mean that they are to walk around saying, "Praise the Lord," whatever happens to them. Occasionally I run into people who think that it’s spiritual to keep a smile pasted on their face regardless of what comes along. There are even some passages of scripture, that taken alone would seem to indicate that they are right. Paul and Barnabas rejoiced when they were persecuted. However, our greatest example was Jesus Himself and while He was prayed for the Father’s will to be done, He was also sweating great drops of blood. At the risk of offending some Christians.
Cell #9--
Joy is not saying, "Praise the Lord" when your world is coming apart.
6. As important as knowing what the joy of the Lord is not, there is a more critical issue for us to look at. That issue is the basis of the second major point of this morning’s sermon.
Cell #10--
II. What the Joy of the Lord Is
1. When it comes to finding answers to spiritual questions the Bible is always the right place to go. If we are going to understand what the Bible speaks when it talks about the joy of the Lord.
2. With that in mind, let me give you a little bit of background regarding the topic of joy in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament.
Cell #11--
The Greek word for joy, "Chara" or a variation of this Greek word is used 70 times in the New Testament.
3. If we’re going to understand what this joy is, then it makes sense to consider how the word is used, not just in Galatians 5:22 where it’s described as the fruit of the Spirit, but also in other places in the New Testament. So let’s skim through places where it’s used. Let’s quickly glance at 3 different places in the gospels where this same Greek word is used.
Cell #12--
Matthew 2:10 The wise men’s response when they saw the star in the heavens.
Matthew 28:8 The women’s response to the resurrection.
Luke 15:7 & 10 The response of the angels when a sinner is saved.
4. As important as these uses of the word joy are, they are not the most important ways to understand joy. If you want the definitive way to understand what true joy is, you must look at Jesus Himself. Jesus is the perfect example of anything that God wants to see demonstrated in our own lives. The writer of Hebrews expressed it perfectly when He said,
Cell #13--
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2, NAS
5. According to this definition, joy has it’s basis in true spiritual perspective. It doesn’t necessarily mean happiness. You don’t see great happiness as Jesus is preparing for the cross, but what you do discover as you look closely is that Jesus did keep in mind the fact that the Father was doing something bigger than was easily seen.
6. Let me illustrate Biblical joy another way. This time let’s turn to James 1:2-3 where we discover another important spiritual principle. James says that we can experience joy during the trials of life. In fact, he tells us that we are to consider our trials, "pure joy." Let’s read the passage together.
Cell #14--
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3, NAS
7. James point is that we can experience joy in the midst of difficulty because it’s possible to see that something bigger than what we can see is actually going on. It’s possible to maintain a spiritual perspective, even when things don’t make sense to us. With that in mind let me give you what I understand to be a Biblical definition of joy.
Cell #15--
Joy is the sense of well-being that comes from knowing God is in control, that He is with us and that we are ultimately in His hands.
8. Now let me briefly turn from the New Testament to the Old. In fact, one passage where it’s used in the Old Testament is very very interesting. It’s the passage where Nehemiah says that. . .
Cell #16--
". . . The Joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10b NAS)
9. How could the joy of the Lord be their strength? Nehemiah was writing about a difficult period of time. The people could easily get discouraged and quit. The thing that would keep them engaged in the spiritual battle they were fighting, was accurate knowledge of God. As Nehemiah reminded them, "the joy of the Lord is your strength." If you are certain of the faithfulness of God then regardless of what comes, there is a spiritual confidence that goes with you everywhere. I believe that’s the very thing God was inspiring Nehemiah to write about. But that leads me to a final issue that I want to examine which just could be the most important one of all. . .
Cell # 17--
III. How the Joy of the Lord Works
1. Joy is the Christian virtue which corresponds to happiness, but it is not identical to happiness. As the Expositor’s Bible Commentary notes, "Happiness depends upon external circumstances, while true joy does not."
2. Joy is called the fruit of the Spirit, because it’s not possible to have this attitude in our hearts unless it comes from God Himself living inside of us. The reality is that. . .
Cell # 18--
The Spirit lives within us & gives us a perspective we could never experience on our own.
3. There is another hint of this fact, that’s almost hidden from view in our English Bibles. But it is a significant fact when it comes to understanding what joy is all about & how it is expressed in the life of the Christian.
Cell # 19--
The Greek word for Joy is the same root word as is used for the word, "Grace"
4. Just as we cannot experience God’s forgiveness and restoration apart from His gift of grace, neither can we cannot experience this godly perspective called, "joy" apart from His divine help either.
5. True joy can only be experienced when we understand who God is and our position in Him. Until we are close to Him, we cannot have the joy that scripture speaks of. I love the way Augustine expressed when he wrote. . .
Cell # 20--
"You have created us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. . . O Lord, far be it from me to think that whatever joy I feel makes me truly happy. For there is a joy that is not given to those who do not love you, but only to those who love you for your own sake. You yourself are their joy. Happiness is to rejoice in you and because of you. This is true happiness and there is no other. Those who think that there is another kind of happiness look for joy elsewhere, but theirs is not true joy."
6. Let me put it another way. Christians are able to endure incredible pain with the joy the Bible talks about as long as they realize that their pain is not the final word. As long as we recognize that what’s going on in our lives has a larger purpose, we can maintain joy. Scripture itself offers two illustrations of this principle.
1) The first illustration comes from the life of Jesus as He endured the horror of the cross. It was His honest response to having the sin of the world placed on Him & taking that sin to the cross. Hebrews 12:2 says, ". . . for the joy set before Him He endured the cross. . ." He dreaded the entire experience of the cross, but He faced it with what could properly be called joy by focusing on what would happen because of the cross.
2) Jesus gave another example in John 16:21-23 that the mothers who are here this morning will be able to relate to in a very personal way. When you What is it that stands out when you remember the birth of your children? Is it the pain that stands out most, or is it the amazing moment when you held that child for the first time? Most mothers will tell you that it is the wonderful moment when their newborn was placed in their arms. In that moment the pain is put in the proper perspective.
Conclusion:
1. True joy doesn’t mean we walk around with a silly grin on our face 24 hours a day saying, "Praise the Lord anyway."
2. True joy doesn’t mean we never have a rough day that gets us down.
3. True joy doesn’t mean we never struggle.
4. True joy means that we allow the Holy Spirit to help us keep the struggles and challenges of this world in the proper perspective. God is in control and we are in His hands. That knowledge is enough to help us survive any of the painful experiences this life may throw at us.
5. It’s only possible to live with this kind of perspective as we rely upon the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives. So let me ask you the question, "Who are you relying upon in your life?" If you’re relying upon yourself to handle all the challenges of your life, your in deep trouble. However, if you remember that with God’s help you are more than able to handle anything life throws at you, you can live with a joy that defies human reason. That is how we are to live because He lives in us. Let’s pray as we conclude.
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1) Bruce Barton, Linda Taylor, David Veerman, Neil Wilson, Life Application Bible Commentary: Galatians, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers) 1994.
2) John MacArthur, MacArthur’s New Testament Commentary: Galatians, (Chicago, IL: Moody Press) 1987.
3) Frank Gaebelien, editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Galatians, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House)
4) William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible: Galatians, (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press) 1976.
5) Howard Colson & Robert Dean, Galatians: Freedom Through Christ, (Nashville, TN: Convention Press) 1972.
6) Dana Gould, editor, The Shepherd’s Notes, (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers) 1997.
7) John R. W. Stott, The Message to the Galatians, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press) 1986.
8) Timothy George, The New American Commentary: Galatians, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press) 1994.
9) Philip D. Kenneson, Life on the Vine, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press) 1999.
10) Charles Colson, The Body: Being Salt and Light, ( ) 19__.
