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The Fruit of the Spirit | 1: Joy
I suppose that one of the things I love about walking with Jesus is that I'm not the person I used to be.
I look back and it's hard to believe that, when I was a teenager and into my early twenties, I suffered from depression.
What happened to that depression?
The Lord took it from me, and gave me something far better.
I'm beginning a new series on The Fruit of the Spirit.
And our text is:
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
In this message, I want to talk on the subject of joy.
Now wait a minute pastor; you're trying to pull a swiftie here.
Everyone knows that Gal 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,...
Yes, I know, but I want to save the best for last.
1. Joy is different from happiness
Happiness is dependent upon our circumstances.
Just imagine this: my wife cooks my favourite meal, I receive a cheque in the mail for $250K, then I win a brand new car.
I'm a happy man.
Why wouldn't I be?
Everything's going my way.
John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
That's one of those promises no one is in a hurry to claim.
Jesus promises tribulation.
Times when things aren't going well and we're facing challenges.
For instance, when a global pandemic hits and decimates industries and businesses and employment.
And you have no idea where things are headed.
When something like that happens, we need something stronger than happiness which depends on things mostly going right.
You need joy which comes from the Holy Spirit.
2. Joy is a shared experience
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
My observation is this:
Lots of people are pretty good at weeping with those who weep.
But rejoicing with those who rejoice, that can be problematic.
All sorts of motivations come into play.
Jealousy and envy.
Here's the difference between those two:
Jealousy says, "I should have had that too."
Envy says, "I should have had that instead of them."
That’s jealousy and envy.
Then there's the Tall Poppy Syndrome.
How we love to cut people down to size when they succeed.
Just in case they think they're better than we are.
Then there's one-upmanship.
You got a new car? Great.
I got a new Rolls.
Here's what so often happens.
God blesses you, and you share it with a friend.
And your friend says, "Oh, I had something even better happen."
Do you know how the first person feels when that happens?
The wind goes right out of their sails.
If someone shares something with you that they are excited about, let them enjoy it.
Do you know where the word 'enjoy' comes from?
Think about it: enJOY; enJOY.
I hope you picked up my subtle hints.
If a person is rejoicing, rejoice with them.
Let them enjoy it.
I was telling a friend that our son David got the Dean's Award for academic excellence.
What was my friend's response? "Yeah, my son got the Dean's Award in his course too."
That's not rejoicing with those who rejoice.
Don't do that! That's fantastic. Enter into their joy.
Even Jesus was on the receiving end of people's jealousy.
Matthew 13:54-57
And when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house."
They were jealous of His success.
We have another friend who was doing it tough.
We had been given a car, and I told him.
He said, "That's wonderful. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more."
Rejoice with those who rejoice.
The Greek word for joy comes from the Greek word for rejoice.
3. Joy is a choice
James 1:2
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
1 Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Rejoicing in tough time is one of hardest things to do.
But here are two keys. 1) Remember, it's choice.
God doesn't tell us to do anything that we can't do.
And do you know why we can do it?
Because we have the Holy Spirit.
He is our enabler.
He is our joy-giver.
He is the one who brings forth this fruit of joy in our lives.
Acts 16: Paul and Silas had been preaching the gospel in Philippi.
And Paul casts an evil spirit out of a slave-girl.
Next thing they know, they get arrested, dragged before the magistrates, stripped naked, beaten numerous times with rods, and thrown into gaol.
You might be thinking, "Oh, gaol, that can't be too bad."
Comfy bed, exercise yard, library, colour TV, table tennis table, canteen. Sweet!"
They had none of that.
No bed, no toilets, no food, no lights, and a great stench.
And to make things worse, they fastened them in the stocks (5 holes, hands, head, feet).
Can you imagine how you'd feel?
Naked and humiliated, in agony, cold, and stretched into an unnatural position.
How would you feel?
I'll tell you what they did.
Acts 16:25
But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
How'd they do that?
They made a choice to rejoice, and that brings us to the second key.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
Here's something we should never forget.
Joy has an eternal perspective.
Happiness is firmly grounded in the things and events of this life.
Joy is based on the eternal and looks to the next life.
A woman was dying in a poor-house.
When the doctor visited her, he found her very bright and cheerful.
He said, “How can you be so happy?”
She said, “That’s easy. I just keep thinking about the move into my heavenly mansion.”
The eternal perspective of joy.
4. Joy brings strength
Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
This should be one of our favourite verses in the Bible.
It says, "Eat fat, have sugar."
What's not to like about that Bible verse?
Then it says that the joy of the Lord is our strength.
The person who has lost their joy, has lost their strength.
It's joy that gives us the strength to face life's challenges.
Are you facing financial challenges, relationship difficulties, important decisions?
The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Joy is also a healer.
Proverbs 17:22
A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.
There's even such a thing as Laughter Therapy.
Back in the day, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, we had a song we sang in church.
The joy of the Lord is my strength...
The second verse had mainly one word in it: haha!
Listen to this:
UCLA research: watching funny shows increased children's tolerance for pain.
Research also shows that laughter reduces stress and anxiety, helps manage pain, and boosts the immune system.
No wonder joy brings strength