Joy of the Lord.

1.Topic: Joy of the Lord. 2.Under this topic of Joy we would like to learn more about the joy of the Lord. Final Testament. 3.MESSAGE 2 Final Testament 4.“Love and joy is the armor of the holiness of GOD”. 5.A meditation on Ezra's statement, "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). 6.What does it mean to have the joy of the Lord? 7.Having joy includes feeling good cheer and a vibrant happiness. But joy, in its fuller, spiritual meaning of expressing God's goodness, involves more. It is a deep-rooted, inspired happiness. The Holy Bible says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8:10).Aug 5, 1998 8.Nehemiah 8:10 NIV "Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength." 9.What does the Bible say about the joy of the Lord? 10.“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” The Good News: If we believe, a joyous morning will follow the blackest night. 11. Many of us spend our lives weighed down by obligations. We move through our days performing one tedious task after another— washing clothes, cooking dinner, catering to a demanding boss. We barely have time to lift our heads and take a moment to take in the world around us. But we all need a moment of joy in our days; a moment when we can relax and take pleasure from the good things in our lives. And there are many Bible verses about joy that encourages people to take a break from all the Dos and Don’ts we carry around in our heads. 12.The word “gospel” means “good news,” which suggests we should greet the message of our faith with at least the level of joy we experience when we get infinitely less important good news like a job promotion or a new car or the gift of a beautiful dress. So take some time when you can to read these Bible verses about joy and cultivate a spirit of joy and gratitude. You may find your spirit lifted and your attitude adjusted to a much happier place. As the Bible declares in 1 Chronicles: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” 13.Where does the joy of the Lord come from? 14.From the verses above, the Bible says Joy comes from: “God's presence” Psalm 16:11. “through believing” Romans 15:13. “in the Holy Spirit” Romans 14:17. 15.Is joy a gift of the Holy Spirit? The Fruit of the Holy Spirit is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a person or community living in accord with the Holy Spirit, according to chapter 5 of the Epistle to the Galatians: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. ... 16.Where do I find joy? We often try to find joy in many different areas of life; relationships, work, money, etc. However, true joy cannot be found in any of these places – rather it can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Difference between joy and happiness 16Difference between joy and happiness We also often tend to think of joy and happiness as the same thing, but they’re not. For example, the apostle Paul has joy even in the midst of sufferings: “In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy” (2 Corinthians 7:4), whereas it would be hard to say that someone is happy in the midst of hardships. Ultimately joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Difference between joy and happiness We also often tend to think of joy and happiness as the same thing, but they’re not. For example, the apostle Paul has joy even in the midst of sufferings: “In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy” (2 Corinthians 7:4), whereas it would be hard to say that someone is happy in the midst of hardships. Ultimately joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Would you not be filled with great joy? As such, joy is a gift of God that comes from knowing Jesus Christ, and from knowing that our rebellion towards God (our sin) has been forgiven (Ephesians 2:4-8), and that we’ve now been adopted by God as his children (Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:5). Given these glorious truths, why would you not be filled with great joy? Joy in the book of Philippians Joy and rejoicing is a particular theme in the book of Philippians. Let’s have a look at what Paul says there: 1:4: Paul prays with joy for the Philippian Christians, because of their partnership with him in the gospel. 1:18: Paul rejoices in the fact that the gospel is being proclaimed. 1:25: Paul says that he will remain (i.e. live and not die) so that he can “continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.” Paul wants these Christians to grow in joy. 2:2: Paul wants the Philippians to “complete his joy” by being united together. 2:17-18: Even if Paul is facing death, he is “glad and rejoice[s] with them all.” In a similar way, Paul says that the Philippians should “be glad and rejoice with [him]” as he faces possible death. 2:28-29: Paul is eager to send Epaphroditus back to the Philippians, that they may rejoice at seeing him again. So he tells them to receive him with “all joy”. 3:1: Paul tells the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord”. In other words, to rejoice is a command! 4:1: Paul says that the Philippians church is his “joy and his crown”, that is, this church brings Paul joy. 4:4: Again, Paul commands the Philippians to rejoice: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” 4:10: The Philippians church showed Paul concern when we was in need, and this led Paul to “rejoice in the Lord greatly”. In conclusion, joy ultimately comes from being in a right relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. But it also comes from seeing the gospel being proclaimed, seeing other Christians grow in the Lord and faithfully serving him.