Is this JOY? Someone’s birthday whom you love? No, that is not joy!
Okay – then is this joy? She may be caked with cake, and she looks very happy. Is this not joy?
We are going to look at a couple of Scriptures to highlight this fruit of the Spirit called JOY!
1. Jubilation and Joy
”These things I have spoken to you, that My JOY may remain in you, and that your Joy may be full” (John 15:11) “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” (Hebrews 1:9)
So that tells us that Jesus is the source of our Joy – He, the holy and absolutely pure Son of God. God anointed Jesus with the “oil of gladness”, and He, in turn, pours His Joy into those who belong to Him. That’s “Joy from Jesus!”
2. Jewels in Jars
In Bible days, people would hide their treasures in jars and bury them in the ground – not like our safes and Safe Deposit boxes at the Bank. Jesus described a man who found the most valuable treasure while digging in a field. Listen to His words, as He refers to Himself. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for JOY over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field”. (Matthew 13:44) Paul likens a child of God in 2 Corinthians 4:7 in the following way: "”But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us”. So, who is the treasure? Jesus, of course! And where is that treasure when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Master? In our “clay pots” our lives. We are dull from our sin, but the JOY of Jesus shines in us. What a privilege to house this holy JOY, in our earthly “clay pots”.
Jesus our JOY entered into Heaven, and He is sitting at the right hand of God. Jesus our JOY is interceding on behalf of us.
Let us consider for a while a few references that God gives us on JOY!
3. Joy from Jehovah
“. . . and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy . . .” (1 Kings 1:40)
“Then (they) . . . . celebrated the dedication of the house of God with JOY”. (Ezra 6:16)
4. Jumping for Joy
“Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding JOY. . .” (Psalm 43:4) “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice and sing praises”. (Psalm 98:4)
5. Joy when Jaded
“To console those who mourn . . . to give them . . . the oil of joy for mourning . . .” (Isaiah 61:3)
JOY in Jesus when Jaded is very real. I recall, while in my Cancer Ministry in South Africa, working with dying people, and grieving loved ones, when God took both of my parents within just over two months. My world seemed to be shattered in a million pieces. Two of the people closest to me, besides my children, were no longer there.
One of my patients had just passed away, and as I walked along the corridor in the Clinic, this immense pain gripped my heart, and I began to sob uncontrollably. Suddenly in my torrents of tears, I had a sense of the Presence of the Lord – such a very real Presence, and I remember saying to Him out aloud: “Lord Jesus, this pain is unbearable, but I am experiencing your deep joy at the same time. I am so grateful that you have not left me”. I shall never forget that Presence and then I said something that does not make sense, but it is exactly what I was experiencing at that moment. “Lord Jesus, thank You for my pain. Had I not had it, I may have missed out on the JOY and your special Presence with me right now.” I believe what God said in His Word. He poured in His “oil of JOY for mourning”, and at that moment He gently draped His “garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” around me.
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord (even in deepest grief), my soul shall be joyful in my God”. (Isaiah 61:10) Jesus is there to “comfort all who mourn”.
The man in this picture was rejected by his parents. Wherever he went people tended to “throw stones” at him. His adopted daughter was constantly at his side when he was so critically ill. Whenever my beloved patient went away visiting somewhere, he would collect a stone from that area as a reminder of his visit.
This man had a great love for his adopted daughter. They had enjoyed a very close father/daughter relationship. His wife was an alcoholic and he nursed her until she passed away. Not long after he was diagnosed with terminal Cancer of the Liver. Shortly before he died, his daughter led him to Jesus. His daughter was a devout Christian, and early in my ministry, she interceded for my work. Then years later, her father developed this awful disease.
This precious lady knew all about God’s “oil of of joy for mourning”. Just look at the expression on her face. I saw it because I took the photograph of her. Would you say that it is a mixture of sorrow and joy. It was! After taking her photograph, she once again broke down into deep sobs for her loving Dad. When God pours His oil of joy in us and over us, He does not necessarily dry up our tears, but He does somehow soothe that very deep pain of sorrow in our hearts.
His daughter asked me if I would pay a tribute to this great man in her life at his funeral. I asked her about the real heartaches and hardships that he had in his life time, and then asked her for eight of the stones that he had collected. Without specifics I mentioned these heartaches and then said, “There is one Man who never threw a stone at his man” I placed the stones one by one on his casket as I spoke and left them there. Those stones “died” with him. He left them behind when the kindest and most loving Man gently lifted him up and took Him to a place where he received a white stone, given to him personally by Jesus, who challenged people who wanted to throw stones at a woman whom He had forgiven, “Whoever is guiltless, let him cast the first stone”. That white stone has my precious patient’s name engraved on it – it is Jesus’ personal invitation to His celebration in Heaven where all the saints will be present. (Revelation 2:17)
6. Jar of joy
Dr Curt pointed out that, as children of God, we all possess the fruit of the Spirit, JOY. Paul opened a tiny window in his Christian life and ministry and told us of that wonderful JOY that he poured out as a sacrifice to God. Not only did he pour out from his supply of JOY, but he added his life and his share of JOY, and gave it back to God to be used solely for His purposes.
Paul was speaking to the Christians at Philippi. He acknowledged the sacrifice of their lives to God, and added to their sacrifice by pouring the “wine of his life and service” for the Lord, onto their offering – as a complete, combined sacrifice to the God whom he loved and served till the end of his life.
God has given us an area in which to serve Him. Is our sacrifice acceptable to Him? Do we pour our wine of love and approval on those to whom we minister, as a love-offering to Jesus who poured out His blood for us?
“. . . if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all.” (Philippians 2:17)
7. Joy in James
In the book of James 4:9, we read the following interesting concepts. Listen to the verse, and then we will look at each of the concepts found in this Scripture.
“Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your JOY to gloom.”
In this verse I see JOY on both sides of a spectrum, and in between, six stages to reach “Pure JOY”. The concepts and conditions for pure JOY are as follows: (1) lament; (2) mourn; (3) weep; (4) laughter; (5) mourning, and (6) gloom- which then results in “pure JOY”.
James was in effect explaining the perfect way to salvation in Jesus Christ.
Joy: The joy that the unbeliever has is not the same as the joy found in Jesus. It is the joy Dr Curt explained as a result of pleasant, outward circumstances – things that make people happy. Theirs is a cheerfulness, a feeling of gladness, which is different from the joy that Jesus gives. The joy He gives is permanent, because the Holy Spirit is a permanent Resident in a Christian’s life.
Lament: to lament, in this instance, means to be broken over sin, to be afflicted, wretched and miserable when we see the sins we have committed, and to realize fully that we are sinners in God’s sight.
Mourn: is to grieve, to be truly broken because of sin; it is an act of actually grieving – as we see how we have failed God.
Weep: the meaning here is to bewail, to sob out aloud in deep sorrow for the way we have lived; it shows the reality and genuine repentance for our sin
Laughter: may be explained as a mark of gratification; gratification and happiness which lasts only for the moment, whereas the fruit of the Spirit, JOY – remains in our lives permanently.
Mourning: Here James is telling us to take our laughter, our temporary happiness that is focused on worldly things, and to turn it into the process of grieving – considering the things that caused us to laugh and realizing with deep sorrow that those happenings and that happiness can never overshadow our sin and bring us “pure joy”.
Gloom: is referred to as heaviness in this Scripture verse, the only meaning given to this concept in the entire New Testament. That is the extent to which we must see our sinfulness and with deep sorrow, a downcast look, our body language proving what we are experiencing because of our sin.
We are now completely empty of any form of happiness as we stand before a living God. What now? James goes on – “Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (v.19) The moment that God removes every sin committed, the Holy Spirit moves into our lives and brings with Him the nine fruits of the Spirit, which includes JOY . . . . . . . .!
8. Genuine Joy
Is this “Genuine JOY?” Yes, this is “Genuine Joy”! Both of these people had Cancer and the joy on their faces reveals the JOY that they both found in Jesus.
And this? Most definitely Yes! This precious Mom came to know Jesus as her Savior a few days before dying. Do dying people smile because of the JOY of Jesus on their deathbeds? Well, this treasure sure did!
And would you say that this is a picture of “Genuine JOY?” Absolutely!!! You see my little “Gem” accepted Jesus as her Savior about eight hours before she died. When her sister arrived to say goodbye to her she was crying. Little “Gem” told her, “Don’t cry. I am going to Heaven because I now belong to Jesus. Accept Him, too, and then one day you will be with me!”
Now let me ask you! Do you have this JOY?
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