I. Joy
A. We are body, soul, and spirit
1. Our body or flesh is about pleasure
2. Our soul (will, emotions, intellect) is about happiness (self-defined and influenced by the environment, circumstances, external influences
3. Our Spirit (if we have the Holy Spirit) is about joy
B. Nehemiah 8:10 The Joy of the Lord is our strength is about Joy that is of God
C. Source of God’s Joy
1. Eccl 2: 26: God gives wisdom and knowledge along with Joy
2. John 15: 9-11 and 17: 13: Jesus gives us his Joy to make our joy complete or full.
3. Gal 5: 22 fruit of spirit includes joy; Acts 13: 52 fill with Holy Spirit and Joy
D. ask Jesus for the joy (John 16: 24)
II. Use Joy in trials and tribulations
A. James 1: 2-3: count it all joy when testing of our faith for it will produce patience
B. Luke 6: 20-23: Understand that we are blessed when poor; hungry; weeping; reviled and hated because God promises are there
1. Understanding and believing God is in control in these trials
2. We can respond with rejoicing and leaping for joy
C. Acts 5: 41: apostles judged, thrown in jail, commanded not to teach Jesus, and beaten…yet they rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Jesus’ namesake.
D. Hab 3: 17-18: Even when circumstances are dire, use Joy
1. Decide to rejoice
2. Focus on God and the God of our salvation for joy
E. sorrow turned into joy (John 16: 20)
III. Exceeding Great Inexpressible Joy
A. 1 Peter 4: 12-13
1. firey trial: should not surprise us nor should we feel it uncalled for
2. partake in Christ’s sufferings is a reason to joy
3. His glory revealed as we complete suffering trial
4. glad with exceeding joy
B. 1 Peter 1: 6
1. when we stop to recall that God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ placed us with living hope (vs 3) and incorruptible inheritance (vs4) and kept by the power of God (vs5) we greatly rejoice (leap for joy)
2. greatly rejoice while in our various trials
C. 1 Peter 1: 8
1. even when we can’t see Jesus in our situation (though he promises to never leave nor forsake us), we believe
2. we rejoice with joy inexpressible
D. Psalms 68: 3 levels of joy
1. let the righteous be glad (realize their joy)
2. let the righteous rejoice before God (express their joy)
3. let the righteous rejoice exceedingly (uncontained overflowing joy that affects our soul and our body)
E. Psalms 16: 11 there is a fulness of joy – in God’s presence
IV. Strength of God’s Joy
A. we get it from the Father (along with wisdom and knowledge) and the Son (along with abiding in His love) and the Spirit (along with power)
B. we choose, as Habbakuk did, to joy
C. we anticipate our joy to grow from realization to expression to over the top
D. Power of the Holy Spirit with over the Joy (Romans 15: 13)
1. God of hope
2. Fill us with ALL (levels and from all sources) of JOY and peace
3. we believe we will abound in hope
4. we believe this will be with the power of the Holy Spirit
E. Amplified Bible:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises
F. Use joy as a tactical weapon in your spiritual battles and your trials
