“Fruit of the Spirit, Joy”  

Hello and welcome to “Key to the Kingdom.” My name is Bret McCasland. The greatest gift God has ever given to people is the gift of His one and only son, Jesus Christ. Through the years, many have received that gift of salvation. And with that comes the privilege of being part of God's family. Oh, to be a child of God, or a Christian, is a tremendous blessing. It brings a great joy to those who are sons and daughters of such a loving Heavenly Father; or at least it should. By looking at some Christians today, there is no way to tell whether or not they are Christians because there is no joy in their life. The joy they are supposed to have as a result of being God's child is not demonstrated, and that's not good. Today on “Key to the Kingdom,” we will look at the Fruit of the Spirit called joy. Joy is one of nine qualities or characteristics God entrusts to us; and the Lord wants us to wear it well. I hope you will take a few minutes today to watch or to listen to this broadcast. It might even remind you of the inexpressible joy God has placed within your heart. I encourage you now to open up your heart and your Bible as we study together.

What is the one event, or who is the one person, that brings more joy into your life than anyone or anything else? What makes your eyes sparkle? What makes your heart skip a beat? Does your joy stem from a successful working career, a wonderful vacation, or perhaps even your marriage? Would you say my joy comes from my relationship with my children and my grandchildren? Or maybe the most joyous time in your life was when your children moved out of your home. You know, I suppose all of us can relate to that. We have some wonderful experiences that bring a great deal of joy into our life. But where does all of that fit into the spectrum of living as a child of God? Well, that's where we are going in our lesson today on “Key that Kingdom,” as we talk about the Fruit of the Spirit called joy. In Galatians chapter 5, the Apostle Paul is writing to some people who have become part of God's family. They have received the free gift of the salvation which comes through Jesus Christ. And he is writing basically to people like you and me. And as he does, he reminds us of the fact that the Holy Spirit lives within us. The Holy Spirit guides us in the direction we are to go. The Holy Spirit keeps us in step with the relationship we have with God. And the Spirit reminds us of God's continual presence with us. Well, Paul encourages us to walk by the Holy Spirit; and when we do that, we can experience the unspeakable joy of the Lord. What does that mean? Well, it is a deep and overwhelming sense of contentment that surpasses all understanding. It is a joy that comes from being in a deep relationship with God and one that transforms our life. We are no longer conformed to this world, but we are being transformed into the image of God’s Son. Many people today are seeking to find a sense of happiness in who they are or what they do. They're trying to improve themselves in various and different ways, and that's a good thing. But in doing so, they never seem to be satisfied with their life. There is something missing. And as a result, many people do not live with any joy in their hearts. Oh, there might be some passing moments that bring about some happiness from time to time, but that's not real joy. The Apostle Paul helps us to understand the difference between joy and happiness. He wrote these words in 1st Timothy chapter 6, verse 6: <Godliness with contentment is great gain.> We've heard that statement before, haven't we? Well, here's another way to say that: Want what you've got and like what you have. Maybe you haven't heard that one. But that is contentment, isn't it? It is not pursuing, or striving for, or longing to have more, to be more, or even to experience more. You know, Paul might have written that verse this way: Godliness is not only great gain, but it also brings great joy. When we want what we've got and when we like what we have, then the result is unspeakable joy. You know, for those who are Christians and who are walking by the Holy Spirit, the question comes, what more do we need than that? The greatest joy in life is when we are allowing God's Holy Spirit to transform us into the image of His one and only Son, Jesus. It is important to know that being filled with the fruit of joy is much different than being happy. Let me explain that this way. Happiness is external. That means happiness comes from certain events that take place or that don't take place in our lives or throughout this world. It's out there. It's external. On the other hand, however, joy is internal. Joy comes from a deep seeded satisfaction of contentment. And no matter what is happening in the world out there, no matter what is going on in our life, we can still experience the unspeakable joy of the Lord. There are some Christians who might say, “Well, I am filled with the joy of the Lord,” and yet nobody knows it. They can't tell. Nobody can tell if there is any joy going on in their life. Why? Because perhaps they are upset about something. Maybe they have allowed the negative things in this world to consume them, and they're focused on that. But whatever it is, they find no reason to live with any joy. They don't like the way things are going. They cannot control the events of their life. They can't handle that. In fact, it might even reach a point when they don't even attempt to find or to exhibit any kind of joy in their life simply because they can't. They're so based on thinking about being happy instead of experiencing joy. And that's not the kind of person any of us want to be, I don't believe. Perhaps even worse is when that person professes to be a Christian. What do other people see in that person but an unhappy and un-joyful person? You know, according to the Bible, those who are Christians, as I mentioned, have the Holy Spirit living within them. But in some of those Christians, there is no evidence of any joy. It is nowhere to be found in their daily walk with the Lord or in their relationships with other people. It’s not demonstrated. It’s not on display for others to see. In many pages of the New Testament the idea of joy is used as an imperative; that means it is an obligation. It is a biblical teaching, and it is the duty of a Christian to live with joy. In John chapter 15, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure. The time is soon coming when He will leave them. His physical presence will no longer be with them and he will go to be at His Father's right hand. Well, he takes time to reassure His disciples that things are going to be okay when He goes away because the Holy Spirit is coming to replace Him and He will be with them. And so He comforts those disciples with these words, in verses 9 through 11 of that 15th chapter: <“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."> Jesus' message to His disciples encouraged them to move ahead in His absence in a spirit of joy. That was the way they were supposed to live. Even though Jesus was no longer physically present with them, they could continue to live with great joy. Even when times got hard, even when they were persecuted to the point of being put to death, they could still experience the unspeakable joy of the Lord because God's Holy Spirit was living within them. To live with the joy of the Lord is exactly what God wants us to do, as well. It is a God given right which we have as Christians. And if we are not living with joy, then we are not taking full advantage of the privilege we have in the Holy Spirit living within our hearts. Never are the circumstances of life to be greater than the joy which is to be found that comes when we live by the Spirit of God. If we want people to believe there is something we have in our life that they need in their life, they need to see that our life is filled with great joy. From time to time, we meet people or we visit with people who don't know much about Jesus or His salvation. And so we begin to have some religious talk and discussion with them. But they are probably not all that interested in our doctrinal beliefs or our leadership structure, or perhaps even the way we worship. But what those people really want to know is if our relationship with Jesus Christ is making a difference in our life; and if that is something they want for themselves. They want to know if what we are professing to believe and professing to practice is working for us, or is it really evident in our life. Is it making a difference? And there is absolutely nothing better for that person to see than that we are living with great joy in our hearts, no matter what is going on in the world around us. Let me ask us a question today: Who wants to be part of a group where there is no joy and there is no enthusiasm for that which they believe and practice? Well, the answer is nobody. They would not want to visit a church, they would not want to be part of a fellowship where they do not see people who are filled with the Holy Spirit being alive and active. Obviously, that's not attractive for anyone, especially for those who are seeking a relationship with God and a transformation of their hearts into receiving this joy of the Lord. And God's plan for His children today is that we live with great joy. It is to live with a full and constant and contagious joy that comes with being filled by the Holy Spirit. Many of you today hearing this message would consider yourselves Christians. Well, there is no reason to doubt that. Others would not doubt that. But if that is the case, and if you do not have any joy in your heart, then something's wrong. Something's not making a connection here. In other words, a joyless Christian is a contradiction of terms. And if we have received the salvation of the Lord, then we are to rejoice. I love the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians, chapter 4, verse 4: <”Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say, Rejoice!”> It's all about, for the Christian, rejoicing in the Lord, experiencing the joy that He has entrusted to us, and then to demonstrate that, to live it out, in our daily lives. Yes the joy of the Lord is to be deeply grounded in our hearts. It is to be full and complete. You know as well as I, today, that at times it may be difficult and challenging to demonstrate and to live out that joy. We all understand that. There are times in our life when something happens that temporarily tries to take away our joy. Oh, we may not be happy at the moment. But here's the key: Our greatest source of joy is to be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. And when that is established, when that is firm, then it's not going to go away. There are times when we're going to be happy or sad, disappointed, all of that. But we can still have that deep seeded joy in our heart knowing that God is with us. His presence has never left us and whatever goes on, we can still experience the joy God has entrusted to us. If Jesus is in me and if I am in Him then that relationship is not a ‘sometimes’ relationship; in other words, it is not something that comes and goes based upon my mood or based upon what other people might say or something that might happen. But the joy that can be found as we are led by the Holy Spirit of God is much more than a feeling of happiness. It is part of who we are. It is part of what we are. And as a Christian, we always trust in the Lord. We always, as His children, put our faith in Him, knowing that He provides for us and He loves us and He saves us; and that is reason enough to live with great joy. The joy that is found in keeping in step with the Holy Spirit is always there, no matter what is happening in our lives or in this world. Now, depending upon the version of the Bible you might use, up to 430 times the word joy or rejoice or rejoicing is used. What does that tell us? It tells us very simply that joy is to be a very important part of our life, and allowing the Lord's Holy Spirit to fill us up with joy is one of the greatest things that could ever happen to any of us. I want us to notice a few examples of this from Scripture. The first one I want to go to is the Old Testament prophet called Habakkuk. When things were not going the way he thought they would go, he was confused and he confronted God about it. In fact, he asked Him a number of questions about the way things were happening. And if Habakkuk was in control of the world, he basically said, “God, I would do things differently.” And God came back and basically told him, “My ways are not your ways. Just sit back and watch.” And so Habakkuk did. He watched God do His work in this world, and he was amazed; and he finally realized that God knew better than he did. And this is how he responded, in chapter 3, verse 17: <Even though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold and no cattle are in the stalls, yet I will rejoice. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.> Habakkuk said even if all of the things that naturally flow together and that make life go around fall apart, if all of the things that I have been used to seeing and experiencing in my life suddenly just don't happen any more, there is one thing that remains, one thing that I will always do, and that is I will take joy in the Lord. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation, as he points out. Habakkuk knew that no matter what was going on, whether it lined in with his thoughts and intentions or not, he was going to live with great joy. In Acts chapter 8, we read the story of the Lord sending one of His servants by the name of Philip down a desert road toward Gaza, where he would meet up with a man in a chariot; and so, that's exactly what happened. Philip got into the chariot with him. He asked him if he knew what he was reading, and he said, no, not really, unless someone explained it to me. Well, he was reading from Isaiah chapter 53, the Suffering Servant, about Jesus Christ; and as he was reading the passage of Scripture, Philip was explaining it to him. And as they were going along, the man said, “Well, here is some water. What keeps me from being baptized?” And so they both went down into the water and Philip baptized him. And this is what happens next, according to verse 39. < When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.> Why not? He was a baptized believer. His sins were washed away. He had every right and reason to move ahead with his life, with great rejoicing. In Acts chapter 16, two of God's devoted servants were being held in a prison cell in Philippi. They did not know if they were going to live or die. The thought was they would go to trial the very next day and then their life would be determined or their death would be determined. But listen what takes place on that night before, verse 25. <About midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God...> Their life was hanging in the balance, but at midnight, before the decision was made about their life, they were praising God. They were rejoicing. They were honoring Him, singing hymns to the Lord. Even in the face of death their joy could not be taken away. I love these words from the Apostle Paul, found in Romans 14, verse 17: <For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit...> Sometimes we get all wrapped up in the different things of our religion, and we forget about the big three; righteousness, peace and joy in the Spirit of God. Here's one more passage. It comes from the Apostle Peter. In 1st Peter chapter 1, he speaks these words to us today, in the midst of the challenges we face in this world, beginning with verse 6. <In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little time while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith -of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus is revealed. 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.> No matter what kind of struggles or challenges we face, we can be filled up with glorious and inexpressible joy in our life, and that's what the Scriptures encourage us to do; we think about the salvation we have, and we live with great joy. Yes, God's Word is clear. In every circumstance and in every situation of life there is every reason for one who is being led by the Holy Spirit of God to be filled up with the joy of the Lord. Whatever may prevent you, today, from living with the joy of the Lord, we cannot allow that to affect us. We cannot allow people to steal away the joy that we have in our hearts. Well, let's turn that around. What do other people see in you today? Are you the kind of person others want to be around because they see you demonstrating the joy of the Lord? Maybe we can personalize it. If people do not like being around me, it might be because they don't see me living with the Fruit of the Spirit called joy. And therein lies the challenge for us to consider today, whether or not people see me living with the joy of the Lord. And if not, maybe it is time we make some changes, some adjustments, and we begin to live by the Fruit of the Spirit called joy.

Behind me is an amusement park. We are familiar with such a place. It's where people come to enjoy the rides and the fun and the entertainment. Young people, families come out here and take in the games and they enjoy some outdoor activity. And no doubt we've all been to an amusement park and we have lots of fun and happiness. But sometimes people equate fun and happiness with joy, and yet that's not the case at all. We can experience fun and happiness, but still not have any joy within our hearts. There's a difference between the two. Happiness is based upon exterior things, but joy comes from within. Happiness is experience. But joy is something that that we feel and we know is there on a regular basis. Jesus Christ came into this world to bring joy to people's lives. Oh yes, there's nothing wrong with having some happiness and fun from time to time, but what He really wants us to experience is the joy that He offers through the giving of His Holy Spirit. It's sad if we don't live with any joy within our hearts, and that's why Jesus wants us to experience what the Holy Spirit offers to us. We have every amount of joy that we need, and now we are to tap-into that joy and let it come out and be demonstrated in our life. I would hope that you experience some fun times in your life, experience some kinds of happiness. But more than that, I hope you pursue joy, the joy that comes from Jesus Christ; and allow that to be a guiding influence in your life.  

Thank you for taking time to tune in to this episode of “Key to the Kingdom.” To live without any joy in our life is no way to live as a Christian, and I hope that does not describe any of us. I hope you are living with the joy God's Holy Spirit offers to you. This message is available to watch or to listen to again. It can be found on our website, which is keytothekingdom.com. To download it in audio, video or even written format can be done without any charge or obligation. The same is true with any of the other messages you might find. Bible studies, along with one-minute and two-minute messages are also available, and these might assist you in your daily walk with the Lord. Again, please feel free to take advantage of any of these free materials which might be of interest. It is always our privilege to share these weekly messages with you, and I want to say thank you for your interest in seeking to live as one of God's children. I hope you will join us again next time as we continue to study the Bible on “Key to the Kingdom.”