Advent: Joy in Jesus (December 16, 2018)

This week is the third week of advent and the focus of our lesson today will be joy. We will discuss what joy is, the source of Christian joy, and how we can experience joy.  
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Read Philippians 4:4.

What command are we given is this verse?

To rejoice always.

To obey this command, we need to know what joy is. What do you think “joy” means?

Many people think that joy is feeling of happiness. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary joy is “a state of happiness” or it is also described as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.”

 Based on these definitions there are many things that can bring us joy.

Think of something that brings you joy. Now think about if that something was taken away from you. Would you still feel joyful?

If we only find joy in things that can be taken away from us our joy can also be taken away from us.

So, is it wrong to take joy in temporary things like family, friends, good food, presents, etc.?

Read James 1:17.

What is the source of good things in our lives? God

Since God is the giver of these gifts it makes sense that He wants us to enjoy them, but more than that He wants us to enjoy Him, the giver of the gifts. Psalm 37: 4 tells us to “take delight in the Lord.” So, it is not wrong to take joy in blessings God has given us. If we recognize that God is the one who gives us the gifts when we take joy in those gifts, we are taking joy in God as well.

Read James 1:17 again. What does it say about God? God does not change.

If the source of our joy is God and trusting in His promises, then our joy cannot be taken away from us because God does not change. He is faithful.

Take Job for example. He was greatly blessed by God but then Satan accused Job.

Read Job 1:9-11. What did Satan think about Job? He thought that the only reason Job obeyed God and turned from evil was because God blessed him.

So, God allowed Satan to strike Job and take away his prosperity. How would you feel if you were Job?

Read Job 1:20-21. How did Job respond to his circumstance? He blessed the name of the Lord. He understood that God was the one who gave him all the good things in his life. Even though God had chosen to take these things away from him, he still trusted God.

Do you think that Job felt happy when his blessings were taken away? No.

Even though Job experienced the pain of loss, he displayed joy in the Lord at the same time.  

While God can choose to remove blessings from our lives, there is one blessing that He will never take away from us.

Read John 6:37-40.

What promise do we see in these verses?

When we believe in Christ and receive salvation, we will not be turned away. One day we will be raised with Christ, receiving the gift of eternal salvation.

This gift of salvation through Christ Jesus, which cannot be taken away is the greatest source of Christian joy.

Read Luke 2:10-11.

The angels announced that salvation in Jesus is joyful news for the whole world.

Joy is often connected with salvation throughout the Bible.

Read Psalm 13:5, Psalm 35:9, Psalm 40:16, Habakkuk 3:18.

Understanding this how can we be more joyful in all circumstances?

Read Philippians 4:4-6.

In the same passage we are commanded to be joyful always, we are given a tool for doing so. What does this passage say we should do?

Being anxious is certainly something that can steal our joy, but when we are troubled God wants us to cast all our cares on him (1 Peter 5:7). By doing so we can take joy in Him, knowing that he hears us and loves us.  

Prayer also allows us to enter in to God presence which fills us with joy. Psalm 16:11 says “you will fill me with joy in your presence. 

Read John 15:9-11.

In this passage we see two things that can bring us joy.  

One, is obedience to God. The second is God’s word.

In Psalm 19:8 David says that “the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.” As Christians, loving God and demonstrating this through our obedience and desire to know God more, should be a great source of joy in our lives.

It’s easy being joyful when things are going well in your life, but being joyful all the time probably still seems pretty impossible, right?

This is something that we cannot do on our own and thankfully we don’t have to because God has sent us a helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).  Joy is actually a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). As such, we can only have joy in all circumstances when we choose to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Read John 16:22.   

Though we have sorrow, one day we will see Jesus either because of our death or his second coming. On this day we will be in his presence always, meaning we will always have joy. When we focus on this, it is easier to be joyful in all circumstances because we know that any suffering we face is temporary.

You will likely still struggle with experiencing joy during certain times in your life, but the important thing is to always keep your eyes on Jesus the source of our joy.

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Going Deeper:

Read Psalm 98. Reflect on God's goodness and enjoy His presence as you praise Him through prayer. 

Praise God in Song: 

Though this is traditionally sung as a Christmas song, Joy to the World describes the glorious second coming of Christ that we look forward to.