How important is joy, having a constantly joyful and rejoicing heart expressed in your attitude and speech?
THE WORD happiness evokes visions of unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning, strolling hand in hand with the one you love, being surprised on your birthday, responding with unbridled laughter to a comedian, or vacationing in an exotic locale. Everyone wants to be happy; we make chasing this elusive ideal a lifelong pursuit: spending money, collecting things, and searching for new experiences. But if happiness depends on our circumstances, what happens when the toys rust, loved ones die, health deteriorates, money is stolen, and the party’s over? Often happiness flees and despair sets in.
In contrast to happiness stands joy. Running deeper and stronger, joy is the quiet, confident assurance of God’s love and work in our lives—that he will be there no matter what! Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Christ.
Philippians is Paul’s joy letter. The church in that Macedonian city had been a great encouragement to Paul. The Philippian believers had enjoyed a very special relationship with him, so he wrote them a personal expression of his love and affection. They had brought him great joy (Philippians 4:1 NLT). Philippians is also a joyful book because it emphasizes the real joy of the Christian life.
The concept of rejoicing or joy appears sixteen times in four chapters, and the pages radiate this positive message, culminating in the exhortation to “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NLT).
In a life dedicated to serving Christ, Paul had faced excruciating poverty, abundant wealth, and everything in between. He even wrote this joyful letter from prison. Whatever the circumstances, Paul had learned to be content (Philippians 4:11-12 NLT), finding real joy as he focused all of his attention and energy on knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8 NLT) and obeying him (Philippians 3:12-13 NLT).
Paul’s desire to know Christ above all else is wonderfully expressed in the following words: “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. . . . I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death” (Philippians 3:8-10 NLT). May we share Paul’s aspiration and seek to know Jesus Christ more and more. Rejoice with Paul in Philippians, and rededicate yourself to finding joy in Christ!
So how important is Joy? Would you consider it as important as prayer, bible study or evangelism?
A. Joy is commanded by God. We are to rejoice always, and always means always!
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
B. We are to welcome people with great joy.
Philippians 2:29
So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,
C. Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, part of God’s character and therefore spiritual people are joyful, consequently it is unspiritual to be unjoyful. So let us keep in step with the Spirit or in line with will of God by being joyful.
D. God surrounds Himself with in Heaven with constant and eternal joy.
1 Chronicles 16:25-27
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
E. The Kingdom is all about joy, righteousness and peace.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
Point 1: The Impact Of Joy
A. Joy gives you strength
Nehemiah 8:10
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
When we get unjoyful we get weak, often leading us to not wanting to pray and it is hard to evangelize and give. This is how important it is to be joyful and make sure everyone around you is joyful.
B. Joy produces generosity
Corinthians 8:1-2
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
Happy people find it easy to give, in spite of challenges. Joy is priceless and what everybody wants, when people have it, they want others to have it and willingly give to help others financially.
Point 2: The Keys To Joy
A. Focusing on the fact that God loves us brings us joy
John 15:9-12
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
B. Giving thanks for disciples in prayer brings us joy
Philippians 1:3-4
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.
It is possible to pray yourself into an unhappy state by focusing on yourself and all your problems. Focusing on all the great disciples God has saved and how He has saved us fills us with joy and faith in His love and power.
C. Great bible studies bring us joy
Psalms 19:8
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Jeremiah 15:16
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.
D. Being around fired up people brings us joy (so choose your friends wisely), as well as hearing good news
Proverbs 15:30
Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.
E. Love brings us joy
Philemon 1:7
Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
Make sure your relationships are healthy, close, frequent and spiritual so that you are feeling the love God wants you to. This is your responsibility and no one else’s, you need to fight for great relationships.
F. Trusting in God brings us joy
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Fear, anxiety, worry and negativity steal our joy. God is in control, trust Him and not your own emotions.
G. Focusing on the future bring us joy
Proverbs 10:28
The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
1 Peter 1:8-9
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Focusing on the pain of the here and now will send you into fits of unhappiness. Jesus was even able to handle being crucified with joy by focusing on His future after the cross.
H. Enjoying your life brings joy
Ecclesiastes 8:14-15
There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. So I commend the enjoyment of life , because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.
Life rarely goes as we think it will or hope it will. God wants us to enjoy our lives, it is up to us to fill our lives with things that bring us enjoyment. As the expression goes: “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.”
I. Being given clear direction gives us joy
Nehemiah 8:12
Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
When we know where we are going, what we need to change or focus on, how God wants us to get there and understand the plan, it brings us clarity and joy.
Point 3: Let Nothing Steal Your Joy
A. God takes joy and a lack of joy very seriously
Deuteronomy 28:47-48
Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.
It is a terrible witness to the lost world when we lack joy in our meetings, our homes, our jobs and our lives. If we cannot show others the joy of salvation, why would others want to be saved or stay saved and how does our lack of joy bring glory to God?
B. Times of testing should not affect you
Luke 8:13
Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
Times of testing will come, use them to get deeper with God, get deeper roots in your relationship with God. Fight to keep you initial joy when you were first saved.
C. Do not have your focus on results, but rather being with God in heaven, that is all that ultimately matters
Luke 10:17-24
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Here on earth, at the point of Jesus’ death He had no followers, all had scattered and fallen away. Yet His focus was on returning to be with God, that is where our joy should come from, knowing we will be with God for eternity.
In Conclusion: It “is” possible to live a life full of joy in spite of trials just like Paul.
Corinthians 7:4
I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.
It is a decision that has to be made daily again and again. God is able to get you there and to heaven, when He does you will be greeted with great joy and never struggle with it again!
Jude 1:24-25
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
From an Unworthy servant,
Chris Chloupek
Lead Evangelist