Fruit of the Spirit - Joy
Fruit of the Spirit • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewHaving joy is part of the experience of being a Christian
Notes
Transcript
What brings you happiness?
What brings you happiness?
Motorcycle ride in the country
Visiting a friend
Gardening
Read a good book
For me - beach
Study 2015 - millennials
asking what would make them happy?
80% - get rich
50% - get famous
Harvard study of adult development - 75 years
724 men
1938
Good relationships keep us happier and healthier
Their conclusion “we are human and we desire a quick fix, relationships are messy and take hard work”
Their solution “replace screen time with people time, go on a date night, reach out to the family member you haven’t spoken to in years”
Spend quality time with others = happiness
Likewise - spend time with God - happiness
More than happiness - Joy
Difference between Happiness and Joy?
Over the last few months as we have been looking at the book of Galatians
We have learned about the freedom that we can have
When we are formed by Christ and turn away from the laws of the world
And instead focus our hearts on the truth of the gospel
Now as we look at this list of the fruit of the Spirit over the next few weeks
We need to understand that we have the same freedom
To choose to practice these things in our lives
Instead of serving the desires of the flesh
We have the choice to be formed in Christ and allow the fruit of the Spirit to shape our lives and live counter culturally
As Pastor Mike mentioned last week the word fruit here in Greek is Karpos
Which is referring to an assortment of fruit all from the same source
That source is the Holy Spirit
Joy?
Worldly definition
Definition - the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying;
The world is telling us that joy equals happiness
and happiness as we see the results of this study according to the world
comes from people and things
The world tells us a spouse will complete us
…sex will complete us
…the perfect number on the bathroom scale will complete us
…the perfect job will complete us
…a big bank account
…large house, boat, 3 car garage
When we have “arrived” we will be happy
Biblical definition
Closely related to gladness and happiness, although joy is more a state of being than an emotion
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
This morning as we look at the fruit of the spirit, let’s read what God’s word says about Joy
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Greek - chara
Character or quality
Given to us
Within
Hebrew - Simah
Outward expression
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
In OT often Joy is related to victories, triumph, when good things happen
OT - defeat over one’s enemies
Psalms - joy being taken away when in exile
Psalms - joy returns when people are restored
In NT joy is regardless of our circumstances
NT - not our victory but because of salvation
Because of What God does there is a result
Expression of what God does to provide the way - the true gospel
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit
Often fruit does not grow in a desert
When we are living in the desert
Of loneliness
depression
addiction
defeat
When we struggle to remember the victory we have through Christ
And are consumed by the battles that we are facing
We are living in the desert
we will bear no fruit
When we abide in Christ, the springs of living water
Will water that seed within us
And give us the hope we need to produce the fruit
Through the power of the Holy Spirit
Joy and happiness are similar words but not the same
Joy is not always happiness
If I describe someone as a joyful person,
that doesn’t mean to say that they are happy all of the time;
it means that there is joy that flows out of them and reveals its face in the form of happiness.
Having the fruit of the spirit does not mean we will not experiences hardships
It means that we choose to have that fruit regardless of how hard things seem to be around us
James 1:2 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,”
1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
It is an intentional decision to be joyful.
And it is more than just a decision to be joyful about me and my own life.
It is a decision to be joyful whenever I see evidence of God working and moving in anyone’s life.
15 Testimonies given in baptism 2 weeks ago (joy)
Even in life’s trials - joy
What God does to provide the way to follow Him in faith
True and genuine joy originates from God and
is a fruit of the spirit not a fruit of the flesh
True Joy begins with the gospel of Jesus Christ not the lies the world tells us
Let’s look at how God originally designed joy,
how he has the power to give it to us when we are lacking it
And why he desires for us to have it in our lives
God’s Plan for Joy
God’s Plan for Joy
God’s plan for true joy began with the birth of Jesus Christ
Luke 2:10 “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
The people may not have understand the circumstances
and were confused at the method that he chose to demonstrate his power
But the angels, the shepherds, the magi, all bowed down in worship, filled with joy
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
These were not the circumstances the Israelites thought of when they thought about a Messiah
Studying - most content about joy - Advent
OT knew joy
But they did not experience the same Joy found in Christ in NT
As Christ came his birth brought joy
Joy demonstrated throughout his life
Acts 10:38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
Watching “The Chosen”
Incredible show
Life of Christ
The incredible things
Brings joy to me as I am watching his miracles
Imagine how disciples felt
Christ also brought joy through his death
John 1:36 “and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!””
God’s plan for his Spirit to fill us with Joy began with the death of His son, The Lamb of God
Who was slain
So that no longer had to make sacrifices for our sins
But so that we were completely forgiven
As believers we just remembered this a few weeks ago on Good Friday
When we think of the death of Christ
Hebrews 12:2 “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Jesus was not clapping his hands in happiness when he bore the cross for us
But Jesus did have joy in that moment
Because he knew that he was obeying his father
And providing a new life for us
It is hard to find Joy in that moment
It is hard to find joy in those circumstances
But our praise is not based on our circumstances
Our worship is not based on our happiness
Our joy is rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ
John 14:19 “Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”
Our joy is found in his plan, his will, that we might some day be reunited in heaven with him
John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,”
As Nick said in our baptism two weeks ago, we all need a second spiritual awakening
To be reminded that no matter how hard we try to fill our lives with happiness
True Joy can never be obtained
Until we understand
Our Faith in Christ is good enough
We follow and do things because we want to honor God
But our victory is not because of anything we do
But because of the life and resurrection that He provided through the cross
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
Joy is something that cannot be produced by us
It is only produced by the Spirit
That is why it is a fruit of the spirit
CS Lewis puts it this way - Joy is different than happiness or pleasure and it is never in our power.
So how does God produce this fruit within
When we are a dry and barren desert?
How can he produce this fruit?
We must abiding in the streams of living water
Pastor Mike looked last week at
John 15:1-5 ““I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
Let’s look closer at
God’s Power to produce Joy
God’s Power to produce Joy
God’s word tells us that He wants to be our Joy
John 16:24 “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
We must remember that Christian Joy is not natural but spiritual
What do I mean when I say that?
Spiritual means that something comes from the Holy Spirit
and takes on the character of the Holy Spirit.
When we look at the desires of the flesh in
Galatians 5:20-21 “idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
These are natural things
They come from our inner spirits and are not spiritual
They are called natural, because there is no influence of the Holy Spirit that is needed to produce them.
We produce these things by our own nature.
So they are called natural.
When something is spiritual it is produced under the influence of the spirit
and takes on the nature of the spirit
When we are formed in the spirit
We put off the ways of the flesh and put on the ways of God
We are formed in His likeness
we are filled with the Joy that only God can produce
When we look at the difference in terms here
Paul calls our desires of the flesh in verse 19
Works of the flesh
But in verse 22 he calls them fruit of the spirit
Why did Paul not call the fruit of the spirit the works of the spirit?
I believe Paul’s choice of terms highlights the fact that ultimately it is the Spirit
As we rest in his power, who produces his fruit in us.
As we already looked at earlier our faith is enough for our salvation
There are no works that we can do that justify us
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Paul was calling out the false teachers
Who through their own works were trying to produce the righteousness that God requires
God fulfilled those requirements through Jesus
Only through God’s power can we be restored and given the power of the holy Spirit
When we allow God’s power to produce true Joy within us
We are reminded
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
Christian joy is deep within regardless of our pain and suffering
God’s power to develop this true Joy continues the divide between the Joy of God
And the happiness and pleasure that the world desires
God’s purpose is to create authentic and firm joy within us that stands against all trials that we face
1 Thessalonians 1:6 “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,”
2 Corinthians 8:2 “for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.”
Romans 5:3 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,”
Joy is not something that we can produce on our own but only through the power of the Holy Spirit
When we are filled with the qualities and characteristics of Christ, like Joy
When these trials come our way we do not place our hope in our own strength
But in the power of the Spirit who provides us victory in all things
When we are rooted to the vine
The fruit that Christ produces is not just a flimsy happiness that the world can obtain
But a true Joy that is only found in Christ
We must be filled with the Spirit and allow the spirit to create that joy deep within our hearts
John Piper says
Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) (The Fruit of Hope: Joy)
So there is plenty of biblical evidence that Christian joy is not the mere product of the human spirit in response to pleasant circumstances. It is the product, or fruit, of God’s Spirit. And it is not just a human joy; it is the very joy of Christ fulfilled in us
So we have seen God’s original plan for our Joy
How his power through the Spirit creates that Joy within us
Now let’s look at why we are commanded to have joy
God’s Purpose for Joy
God’s Purpose for Joy
When we have an understanding that Joy runs deeper than happiness
Joy is more than just our emotions
Joy begins within us when we are formed in Christ
Joy is a fruit of the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives
We will understand that we can have Joy at all times
We can choose to worship Him because He is always faithful
And even when we feel we are lost in the desert
Surrounded by the ways of Satan
God is still faithful to produce fruit in our lives
He is still worthy of our praise
And we can find our true delight in Him
Paul reminds us that
2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
God’s grace is reason enough to give us Joy
On the mountaintop
In the bottom of the darkest valley we can imagine
In health and in sickness we have reason to worship Him
Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
All things
Not some things
He works ALL things
Now that is not to say it is for our purpose
Or our will
That is not to say we will not experience those weaknesses as Paul describes
As believers and followers of His word, we will face persecution and hardships
2 Tim 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,”
But we know is that He has a plan
And is holding us in his hands
And we must trust Him, place our hope in Him, at all times
So when the persecution and suffering come, we have a choose to make
We can allow the struggles to make us feel isolated and alone, lost in the wilderness
Make us feel like we have no fruit to offer
Or we can choose to sing praises to God with Joy in our hearts for who He is
We live in a broken, fallen, sinful world.
And as we live in this world we encounter things like:
being mis-treated by people who are suppose to love us…
being treated un-fairly at work or at school…
being let down by our friends.
In a fallen world we are subject to getting things like cancer…
and having heart problems…
or diabetes. In a broken, fallen and sinful world…
people we love die.
But we cannot be defined by these things of the past
That is no longer who we are
We no longer give up hope when things don’t go our way
We don’t surrender when we are faced with trials
We don’t let satan ever get the victory
Because we are no longer just happy
We are filled with Joy
Because we are found as His
We are redeemed
We are set free
We are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit
And with His strength we are able to tell that mountain to move out of our way
With His love we are pulled out of the dark valley
With His gentle loving hands we are picked up and put back on our feet
We are given the fruit of the Spirit
And we must choose to worship because of the Joy that we have within us
Paul and Silas found themselves in a literal prison
Suffering for the Lord
And what do they choose to do
Acts 16:25 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,”
We can choose to worship and praise His name
For He is faithful at all times
Even when we cannot see it
And when we do, we are being a light to the rest of the world
Rory Nolan puts it this way
Worship is forgetting about what’s wrong with you and remembering what’s right with God. It is like hitting the refresh key on your computer. It restores the joy of your salvation. It recalibrates your spirit. It renews your mind. And it enables you to find something good to praise God about even when everything seems to be going wrong. Is it easy? Absolutely not. Nothing is more difficult than praising God when nothing seems to be going right. But one of the purest forms of worship is praising God even when you don’t feel like it, because it proves that your worship isn’t circumstantial.”
Producing fruit is not an easy task
My kids love fruit
I went to a green house the other day and asked about fruit trees and bushes
As the lady began to describe the task of getting fruit to grow
Digging, planting, watering, pruning, covering, picking,
I began to question if it was worth the effort
Could’t I just go to the store and buy that same fruit?
Couldn’t we just let others grow the fruit for us?
Do I really want to have to put in the effort to produce fruit?
The happiness that it brings to my children when we have done something on our own
The pleasure and pride it brings in my heart when I have put in the effort
And the benefits of seeing that fruit grow over time
And then getting to enjoy it
The benefit of getting to see others around us not understand why we choose to worship when all of life seems to be crumbling
The example we can be to others when everything else seems to be going wrong
But we keep our eyes fixed our Christ
And allow the power of the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of Joy in our lives
And worship Him because of who He is
Is worth the effort
And also knowing that we do not have to go it alone
that we have a God who has planned from the beginning that we should fill ourselves with this fruit
That he has the power to give us the Holy Spirit so that we might be able to bless others through the gift of this fruit
Having joy is part of the experience of being a Christian
Romans 5:2-5 “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Rejoice in hope of the glory of God
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
God’s love as Pastor Mike talked about last week is the foundation of our hope
That hope brings us Joy
John Piper
Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989) The Fruit of Hope: Joy
Now we can put the pieces together: first, there is the love of God which chooses us and calls us and justifies us and guarantees for us a share in the glory of God. Then, there is the work of the Holy Spirit that pours the love of God into our hearts so that we recognize it and cherish it. Then, out of this deep experience of the love of God grows an unshakable hope even in the midst of suffering. And finally, in this hope we rejoice.
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
Joy is a decision within to worship God regardless of our circumstances because of His promises
Story of worship leader -
Once a story of a worship leader Leo
2009 lost 24 year old daughter Meagan to auto accident
Drunk driver
Five days later memorial service
Auditorium packed
Service started with a moving video showing her life
Just days before passing Meagan quoted
Phili 1:20-21 “as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
After the video Leo got up
Welcome
Read scripture and then said
As a worshiper and a worship pastor, the reason that I wanted to start this service is because I refuse to stand before you on Sunday morning and worship God when things are good and not be willing to worship him when things are not so good.”
Without glossing over your pain
Know that no matter what happens
God is still sovereign
He is still good
And he is worthy of all of our praise
Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Be looking this week for examples of God’s power demonstrated in your own life
As well as in others around you
Be reminded of the power of His Holy Spirit at work in your life
And find a way to worship Him regardless of how difficult things may seem to be in your life
Because he is worthy of our praise at all times.
Be joyful this week.