Fruit of the SPiritWeek Three: JOY

Language“Joy” is Chara (Kar-uh) in Greek

appears 158 times in 150 verses in Scripture (NKJV) (joy 51, gladness 3, joyful 1, joyous 1, joyfulness 1, joyfully1, greatly 1)

1) joy, gladness

a) the joy received from you

b) the cause or occasion of joy

1) of persons who are one's joy

From the Greek root word Chairo (khi-ro)

1) to rejoice, be glad

2) to rejoice exceedingly

3) to be well, thrive

4) in salutations, hail!

5) at the beginning of letters: to give one greeting, salute

What does Scripture Tell us About Joy?

1. God gives it. (Ecc. 2:26, Ps 4:7)

2. The Gospel is to be received with Joy. (1 Thes. 1:6)

3. It is promised to the Saints (Ps 132:16; Isa 35:10; 55:12; 56:7)

4. It is prepared for the Saints (Ps 97:11)

5. Joy is experienced by:

1. Believers (Lk 24:52; Act 16:34)

2. Peace-makers (Pro 12:20)

3. The just (Pro 21:15)

4. The wise, and discreet (Pro 15:23)

5. Parents of good children (Pro 23:24)

Amongst Believers, Our

Joy Should BE:

Working Definition?

He (Paul) particularly recommends to us, love, to God especially, and to one another for his sake,—joy, by which may be understood cheerfulness in conversation with our friends, or rather a constant delight in God...

• -Matthew Henry

•For tonight, our working definition:

•A constant delight in God.

How Do We (realistically) Achieve a “Constant Delight in God?”

1. Knowing AND Remembering WHO our God is.

1. Sovereign

2. Immutable

3. Infallible

4. Holy

5. Personal

6. Loving

2. Experiencing God.

1. In Worship

2. In Prayer

3. In fellowship

4. In miracles

3. Trusting God

1.Letting the small stuff be small. (How big is God?)

2.Moving when we DON’T have answers.

3.Making mistakes4. Seeing God in ALL THINGS

1. Triumph (someone comes to salvation)

2. Tragedy (unexpected death)

3. Hardship (break-up, job loss)

4. The unexplainable (abortion, genocide, war, terrorism)

tough, but Good Question:

How is joy physically manifested in our attitudes?

Some have told me I'm not being 'Christian' because I have a bad mood, even if the mood seems perfectly right to me. For instance, if I'm struggling with a idol/sin problem, and I am remorseful for that sin, and thus not a giddy happy personal all day, I'm supposedly not being Christ like. Personally I think that's ridiculous, but how much should 'joy' affect your mood?

Another Good Question

What is the relationship between acts of the will and emotions? God commands Joy, but he doesn’t command us to “be happy”, does he? In other words, how much does JOY depend on a feeling?