Associate Pastor Tiffany Gregory
I had thought about not preaching this sermon and changing it at the last minute, because I felt like a hypocrite. Imagine me, a pastor, standing up here telling the church to find joy when I have been on the struggle bus finding joy. But I realized that is what makes it real, letting God encourage and teach me while He encourages and teaches others through me. So let’s dive right in and find us some joy!
Merriam-Webster- Joy is a feeling or state of great happiness or pleasure, the expression or exhibition of such emotion and a source or cause of delight.
If you notice the dictionary meaning is a feeling, expression, or emotion. But those do not always last, they are superficial, fleeting, and dependent upon human feelings, expression, emotions, and we all know how fickle we can be. Feelings of happiness can change in an instant. Anger erupts, or harsh words are spoken, when lingering emotional wounds are stirred up by sights, sounds, or memories tied to betrayal, loss, or frustration.
Biblical joy – The biblical definition of joy says that joy is a feeling of good pleasure and happiness that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us. Joy comes from the Holy Spirit, abiding in God’s presence and from hope in His word.
True joy is found in Jesus and the bible. Regardless of our circumstances or what others may say or do, if we remain grounded in his word, we can find joy in every situation. Easy right?? Well, it is not. It should be but let us be real with ourselves for a moment. We make it hard! We get in the way of our own joy.
I know I get in the way all the time. There have been times I have not wanted to choose joy, and I do not want to be joyful, I want to be mad and try to convince God that I have a right to be mad. Other times sorrow, sadness, or hurt is so great that I feel like I am drowning in it and believe that I cannot find joy.
Psalms 30:5
Weeping may endure for a night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
— John 16:20
“Your sorrow shall be turned to joy.”
Nehemiah 8:10
Do not sorrow, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”
When those moments of sorrow hit, you can find joy, IF all you can say through your tears is the Joy of the Lord is my strength four hundred times until you believe it, then say it four hundred and one times!
Sometimes the silent struggles make you feel like you are wearing a mask, happy on the outside, broken on the inside.
The second half of Proverbs 17:22 says
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
If we stay broken, then our spirit dries up like the verse says, because we are not feeding it with the word of God. And we feel like Job when he said in Job 17:1 “My spirit is broken; my days are extinct; the graveyard is ready for me.
BUT! There is hope! Psalm 34:18 says The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit., and the first part of Psalms 17:22 says A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing.
Even in our worst moments we can find joy, but we must choose it! Choosing joy during sorrow brings healing, true happiness, gratitude and is a light to others.
Have you ever met someone or know someone that no matter what they are going through, they have the joy of Lord? It is because they live out James 1:2-4 that says.
Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. 3 Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace. James 1:2-3
Spiritual Joy is. A Conscious Choice: Joy is an initiative-taking decision rather than an emotion that simply happens.
“God made us for joy. God is joy, and the joy of living reflects the original joy that God felt in creating us.” — Pope Saint John Paul II
1. Inner Strength: Joy acts as a spiritual anchor or “oxygen of the soul” that provides stability during trials.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11
2. Connection to Gratitude: A grateful heart is considered the breeding ground for true joy.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his,
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalms 100:1-5
3. Serving Others: Joy is multiplied, when, it is shared and used in service to others.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
Even in our darkest times, we can find joy in the one who created joy, Deuteronomy 4:29 says “if you seek The Lord, you will find him’. When we seek him, we find joy, true, everlasting, unshakeable joy, the joy that is deep in our hearts and oxygen to our soul. The kind of joy that bubbles out of us and overflows to others. We can truly count it all joy when we go through the fires of life, like the death of loved one or friend, the loss of a marriage, friendship, or job, betrayal of trust, or a diagnosis that turns your world upside down. We can because we have JESUS. No matter the circumstances, we can rejoice knowing that he is our hope, life, healing, joy, laughter, and light. He is our comfort, peace, and calms the storm inside us. (pray) (thank you for the reminder)
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