Defining Joy March 8 th 2015 Sermon 1 of 3

Joyous People! 113 New Testament 335 Old Testament

Questions: What is this joy that God keeps mentioning? Is it the same as the way the world understands it? Is joy a spiritual condition or standing? Is joy related to emotion or feeling or is it something different?

Getting Started From Brian Cochran. From Charles Spurgeon… “When you speak of heaven, let your face light up with a heavenly gleam. Let your eyes shine with reflected glory. And when you speak of hell– well, then your usual face will do.” Philippians 4:4 Romans 14:17-18 John 15:11

Joy, In Your Life Where are you at with this? How do you understand joy? What does joy look like in your life? How would you define joy?

Trying to Define… 1.Go to a dictionary. 2.Define it through subjective experience. 3.Let the Greek speak! 4.Listen to God and wrestle with His word.

Dictionary: noun 1. The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: 2. A source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: 3. The expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety. 4. A state of happiness or felicity.

Dictionary: verb (used without object) 5. To feel joy; be glad; rejoice. verb (used with object) 6. Obsolete. to gladden. Synonyms Rapture, bliss. See pleasure. Antonyms Misery, unhappiness, sorrow, grief.

Helpful? Did that help? Do people see you as this type of person all of the time? Was Jesus?

#2 Subjective Experience What do you enjoy? How do you feel when you are enjoying it? Is joy an emotion, or a feeling? If it is then should we feel this way all of the time, and if we do not are we sinning?

Emotions and Joy in Conflict Nehemiah 8:9-12 on Page 762 These are the returned exiles who are now hearing the law for the first time… NE 8:10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Emotions and Joy in Conflict Matthew 28:8 says “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” Hebrews 12:2-3 says “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Be Joyful Always,

#3 Let the Greek Speak… Strong's Concordance chara: joy, delight Original Word: χαρά, ᾶ ς, ἡ Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: chara Phonetic Spelling: (khar-ah') Short Definition: joy, gladness Definition: joy, gladness, a source of joy.

A Charismatic Church! This is to be a charismatic church filled with charismatic people who are filled with the Holy Spirit and the joy that he grows as fruit in our lives.

#4 Listen to God and wrestle with his word. James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,…”

1 Peter 1:3-9 Page Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-- kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

1 Peter 1:3-9 Page These have come so that your faith-- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 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, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Joy Is… The result of a changed perspective that focuses on hope instead of circumstance. Hope is a synonym for joy not pleasure.

Joy/Hope This internal hope that fuels us is a gift of the Holy Spirit and I believe the world is in desperate need of it because it is seeking the wrong kind of joy and our worship, our lives, our families, can redirect people to a better understanding a new reality of what joy really is.

Definition by Kay Warren Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.

Application: 1.Let the joy of Jesus and the fruit of the spirit permeate your life with hope. 2.Keep a spiritual focus this week and notice how it helps you feel more joyful. 3.Re-read some of your favourite passages about Joy with the word Hope and see if it helps with application. Next Week: “Finding Joy During Difficulty”