Joy, a choice gift from God
Joy is the special Presence of God in my life. Joy, comes though the Holy Spirit……and not only comes under “good” situations….but comes to us, even when the afflictions of life, harass us.
Joy is that buoyancy of spirit, which translates to speaking and acting above the circumstances we are in….
(Faith: we can encourage, but not give faith, only God can.
Hope which also comes individually to us.
Joy……We can not pass on our joy, although we can manifest it, and draw others to Christ by it.)
Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
Peace and joy are often put together, for peace with God leads to a joyous knowledge of His presence, and sufficiency…..God with me, in this.
John 15:10-11 “If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.
These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
“That My joy might remain in you”
Anything that hinders the joy of the Lord with you, should be dealt with immediately;……that your joy might be full.
I believe, like many things in the fullness of God…..joy is one of those things that can be easily deflated.
We are praying, and struggling with a particular sin, habit, or self-thing….and we receive light….
….we yield to it, and suddenly joy from the Presence of God is sent, right there in the situation we are in.
Receive it….it is a sweet gift from above….to encourage you.
Don’t think…..oh, I don’t deserve this….pop!…..the joy is gone….you may still have peace…..but His joy is gone.
No, we never deserve joy,…..but He give it to us….like a bouquet of flowers…..to our souls.
Example:
Nehemiah 8:1-3 “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; And they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had commanded to Israel.
And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation…….
And he read therein…..from the morning to midday,….and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.”
Here are the children of Israel, who have come back after the captivity….(the Lord sent them out of the land, because of their sin)….but they have by faith returned, when they could.
But now they are returned, and in great need of instruction as to the Law of God, and of encouragement….
…..for there are enemies about them, which seek to destroy their worship, separation, and blessing. (Sounds like the world attitude to us….)
Nehemiah 8:6, 8-9 “And Ezra blessed the Lord, the Great God, and all the people answered, Amen, amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord….
So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
And Nehemiah,….and Ezra,….and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep, for all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.”
Hearing the Word, made them aware how much they had sinned against God, and so they wept.
They realized that if they and their fathers had just obeyed His Word, they could have had blessings, and not what had befallen them.
How much they had missed out on…..how many good things God had for them, they refused, for themselves and their children……so they wept.
But…..when Truth is faced…..peace, and grace is applied (John 1:17)
Nehemiah 8:10 “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared:
for this day is holy unto our God: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
There is a time to mourn for our sin…..and repent. (Mourning without repentance is merely feeling sorry that we got caught)
You might think, this is what God wants…mourning…..but what He wants is true repentance……which is always the first thing in coming to God,….or back to Him….
….but then…
….as Paul wrote the Corinthians, after correcting them so severely (1 Corinthians 5)……
……when they had repented…..
….2 Corinthians 7:7-11 “….when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.
For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season.
Now I rejoice,….that ye were made sorry after a godly manner….
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of this world worketh death.
For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
But when you have repented…..it is time to get up!…and get on with God….and this should bring us renewed Purpose….and joy.
This is not the joy of good circumstances, or happenings,….but the joy of the Lord…..again, His special Presence with you.
Romans 5:10-11 “For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son: much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the atonement.”
The atonement is our covering from our sin,….where in Christ we are given an exchanged life…..we stand in Him. God sees Him….Who is always pleasing in His sight.
Therefore rejoice…..our sins are forgiven…..repentance will turn to joy…..He covers our sin…..and makes us whole, in Himself.
This day is holy unto the Lord; Neither be ye sorry (anymore);….
….for the joy of the Lord is our strength.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 