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Main Idea
Joy is not just something you feel. It’s a state of being lived in Christ.
What is biblical joy, and how can I have it?
Definitions
Joy – delight – rejoicing
Merriam-Webster
Joy
1a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires
1b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion
Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
JOY
State of delight and well being that results from knowing and serving God.
We fundamentally misunderstand the nature of joy because we believe it is simply an emotional response to external stimulation or circumstance. This idea is popularized through our entertainment. This makes me think of the Pixar movie Inside Out, which follows the story of a young girl named Riley and the emotions in her mind. While I love that movie and the primary driver of the story that shows how emotions are not lived in isolation but instead experienced in a mixture, the dominant emotion is Joy. Without Joy’s participation with Sadness, this poor girl completely shuts down.
That’s why millions of people experience depression after the holiday season… because they view joy, peace, love, and other things purely as emotions that are invested in the atmosphere of the season. So, when the season ends, they come down off that emotional high and have nowhere to land.
If that describes you, then I have good news. Joy is not just something you feel. It is far greater than that. The good news OF great joy is found in Jesus Christ. And, in Christ, we can live in a state of being that experiences joy at all times, 24/7, 365.
But to do so, we need to wrap our heads around the truth of what Joy really is and where it comes from.
Passage
Matthew 2:7–11 ESV
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Outline
I – State of being
II – Value
III – Presence
IV – Outcome
I – State of being
You are what you are eat
How many of you heard that growing up?
That has some truth in the physical sense. If you eat healthy, you’ll be more healthy. We’ve all seen Supersize me…
It’s also true in the spiritual sense. You are what you are filled with. Jesus is the bread of life. As we consume that bread, we have spiritual life. Likewise, how many times have we read verses like this in our study of Acts:
Acts 13:52 ESV
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
It’s Kingdom culture
All organizations have their own cultures or ethos. How many of us have seen places like Google promote a fun, relaxed work environment with gaming, lounges, and napping areas? That is the ethos of that company.
The same is true with the ethos of God’s Kingdom. There is a defined culture that He has established:
Romans 14:17 ESV
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
God expects the citizens of His Kingdom to enjoy the culture He has created, and His Kingdom is everywhere. So, wherever you are, through the relationship of the Holy Spirit, you can enjoy the benefits of:
• righteousness – Jesus’ righteousness that was imputed to you.
• peace – The abiding, perpetual peace of sin’s removal and adoption into God’s household.
• joy – not an emotional response, but a core aspect of the ethos God has created for His people
Hopefully, this will get you started in the proper mode of thinking. Joy is not just something you feel. It’s a state of being lived in Christ. So, it can be something you feel as an emotional experience, but that is not what real joy is. Biblical joy is an established reality of God’s Kingdom that we can live in at all times – that’s what a state of being means – because physical borders do not bind His Kingdom. It is a spiritual kingdom that is lived in the life of every believer.
But I don’t want to leave it there because knowing it is a reality still doesn’t help me attain it. That is what I want to get into next.
II – Value
You take joy in what you most value.
The Magi
Jesus was more valuable than their treasures
Jesus was more valuable than their position
Jesus was more valuable than their comforts
Their joy came when the star pointed to their most prized possession – Jesus, the Christ.
The parables of Luke 15
1. The lost sheep
2. The lost coin
3. The lost son
Each time, the owner of the lost object:
• rejoiced when they found their prized possession.
• spread the news of their prized possession.
• entered into a joyful celebration in the recovery of the prized possession.
Luke 15 (ESV)
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”
The point of these three stories is that the joy comes from regaining what was lost, and the clear link for us is the joy that comes from regaining the relationship with God in Christ that was lost in our sin and rebellion. But, if we don’t understand the true nature of joy, we won’t see it that way, and it is clear that this world works hard to draw joy from other sources.
So, let me ask you: what do you value the most? When you answer that question, you will discover where your joy truly lies.
Now, ask yourself this: can that be taken from you? If your answer is yes, your joy can also be taken away. But, if you learn how to draw your joy from Jesus and make him more valuable than anything else, you can never lose the joy that comes with Him.
Once you have regained a relationship with God, He is always with you. You will always have His abiding…
III – Presence
Presence with God in Christ
We don’t need to look any further than one of the most famous Christmas passages to understand this truth:
Isaiah 7:14 ESV
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Immanuel means God with us.
So, in Jesus, we have the fullness of God, who is ever-present through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That is indeed good news of great joy, am I right?
And, if He is always with us, then we also get everything that comes with Him, and one of those things is joy:
Psalm 16:11 ESV
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Presence of God with one another
And, while we grow in our understanding of the Kingdom’s ethos and the benefits of God’s presence with us individually, we mustn’t forget that the Holy Spirit of God also resides in every believer so that we can draw joy from each other.
John 15:11 ESV
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
1 John 1:4 ESV
And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
In both cases, John describes an interchange between believers as they pursue Christlikeness together, and the main product of that collaborative pursuit is joy. And not just partial joy, but a complete and holistic joy. It is joy in increasing measure.
How is that possible? How can we have it in increasing measure and not exhaust it? That seems like an unrealistic expectation. Maybe you ask that very question because you have encountered too much pain and heartache to believe such a thing.
If that’s you, let me encourage you to remember that joy isn’t simply a felt emotion but a state of being lived in a Kingdom culture established by the God who is always with you in Christ. Secondly, remember that, like peace, joy is also a spiritual fruit that comes to bear as you grow into spiritual maturity. Think about it this way – does an apple tree bear fruit only once in its lifetime? Of course not. It produces apples every year, so long as it is healthy. Likewise, you’re designed to bear spiritual fruit continually, and joy is one of them.
That is true of every circumstance you might find yourself in. Joy is available when things are going incredibly well and in times of darkness and pain.
IV- Outcome
How? Even though you might experience joy now when living in a Luke 15 moment, you can also have joy when experiencing pain and loss. That’s because joy is present in the present, as well as the anticipation of future outcomes.
For the joy set before Him
Let’s begin with the ultimate example – Jesus in His anguish before His crucifixion.
Hopefully, you are not in that level of darkness right now.
Consider this… during the darkest, lowest point of human history, joy was present.
Hebrews 12:2 ESV
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
I hope you connect with this truth. Jesus was in utter anguish, sweating actual blood in anticipation of the cross. And yet, he continued the redemptive mission established in eternity past and endured the horrors of it all because of the joy set before him (or that was present with Him, as the BDAG describes it). Joy was within his grasp even then, which enabled him to go through with the plan because he knew what it would achieve… the redemption of His people.
Jesus endured in joy because of the anticipated outcome.
Count it all joy
Now, apply that to you. You might say to yourself, “Well, of course, Jesus could do it… He’s Jesus! But not me.”
To that, I would reply, “Yes, you.”
We are to count it all joy… when things are awesome. Is that what James says?
With Heb. 12:2 in mind, let’s read the first few verses of James’s letter together:
James 1:2–4 ESV
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James is encouraging us to take on Jesus’ ability to look at the outcome of our current trials to what the outcome will be and count our current hardships as joy.
Why? Because it has an effect. No one enjoys trials. I’ve never woken up during a difficult season of life and say, “Man, this is awesome! Give me some more financial difficulty with a side of strife, Lord!” This doesn’t tell us to love the trial, but James encourages us to love the outcome of the trial. When our faith is tested, it becomes stronger, and we learn to endure… and that steadfastness will grow until we lack nothing. So, I don’t take joy in the pain of trials, but I can certainly take joy in knowing that the Almighty God is using it to make me strong, steadfast, whole, and complete!
Conclusion
So, as you leave here today, go with the encouragement that all of this can begin right now.
Leave in joy, knowing that God is always with you.
Leave in joy knowing that as you treasure Christ above all other things or people, this joy will remain with you.
Leave in joy knowing that the Kingdom’s ethos is joy.
Add leave here in joy, knowing that everything you experience shapes you into the strong, steadfast man or woman He desires you to be.
You can have it if you adopt the biblical definition of joy.