The Christian and joy

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, temperance; the law is not against these things” gal 5:22-23

1/ Definition

Joy, can be defined as a feeling of satisfaction, an emotion that expresses happiness; To be joyful is synonymous with being happy, being blessed.

2/ Jesus Christ: the Christian’s source of joy

The book of Acts tells us that those who believed in Jesus Christ and were converted were filled with joy.  

Acts 13:52 ...the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

The Christian’s joy lies in his salvation; as a child of God, we are joyful, because we know that Jesus CHRIST died for us, the Christian knows that no matter the situation he is going through, the Lord wants to bring him help;

The Bible says that we have a High Priest who sympathizes with us in our weaknesses, because in all things he was tempted without sinning, and therefore he is perfectly able to help us overcome them (Hebrews 4:15-16)

When David sinned in 2 Samuel 11, the Bible says in Ps 51, David says, give me back the joy of my salvation, then the joy of the Christian is linked to his salvation that's why when you commit sin, you feel dirty, sad, you are ashamed, but the Lord wants to give you back the joy of salvation like David if you confess your sin and decide to abandon it to follow him

Jesus Christ came to give us life and life abundantly, that is why in John 10:10 it is written that. Can we say that we have life in abundance if we live in sadness?? no

The Lord wants to give you abundance of joy, he wants your joy to reside in him and in other people, for some people, their joy lies in marriage, others in their work, still others in their salary but I would like to tell you this evening that the Lord's perfect plan for you is to give you this joy that resides only in Him

3/ Cultivate the joy of the Lord:

Lift your eyes to Christ

The Bible says in Psalm 37:6. When we look up to him, we are radiant with joy and our faces are not covered with shame

It’s simple, lift your eyes to Jesus and you will be radiant with Joy

If you sit there contemplating the situation you are going through, this sin that is holding you captive, these enemies, these colleagues who are making fun of you, these classmates who are making fun of you, you will not experience joy. You will be constantly sad, you will mope about yourself and the devil will be very happy because he does not want you to be joyful but the Lord himself says, if you turn your gaze towards Him despite the situation you are going through, he will be able to fill your heart with joy;

In acts 7, the bible speaks of Stephen, the Lord had shown him his glory, thus filling his heart with joy in the very heart of persecution; we were stoning him, he was dying, Jesus wants to do the same thing for us this evening.

If you are in trouble, he will comfort you; If you have fallen, he will raise you up, for he has said seven times the righteous fall and seven times and he rises again; pr 24:16

John 15:11  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 16:22 …no one will take away your joy

Meditate on the blessings of the Lord and His promises

The bible says that we are blessed with all kinds of spiritual blessings in Christ, Eph 1:3, meditating on this and the promises of the Lord to You, you will keep a joyful heart, he said in Ps 121, let him neither slumber nor sleep because of you, in Ps 105:15, touch not my anointed, he guard, he helps you; so what will stop you from being happy

The bible says in the book of  psalms 103; my soul, bless the Lord, the psalmist contemplated the blessings of the Lord in his life and it rejoiced his soul;

 Beloved, instead of meditating on what God has not yet done in your life, Meditate on these blessings and it will help you cultivate a joyful spirit.

Lead a life of sanctification

Sin steals the joy of the Lord in our lives, sin grieves the Spirit of God, when I fall, I feel unhappy, so if you want to cultivate the joy of the Lord, you must stay away from sin.

And if you have fallen, ask God to restore you like David to restore to you the joy of your salvation

4/ joy: a commandment from the Lord

Philippians 4:4 “Be joyful always that you are the Lord” I repeat, be joyful.

If the Lord says this, it means that there are some who are not; they spend time envying the worldly... Psalm 73:3-10;17-22

Beloved, do not allow the devil to come and steal your joy, in abundance or in scarcity, you will be able, like Job, to bless the Lord, if you have a joyful heart

Remember: victory begins in your heart, which is why the Bible says that a joyful heart is good medicine (prov 17:22)

Be happy to belong to and serve the Lord because it is the only service that is paid for here on earth and in the kingdom to come.