Now this morning we are talking about joy, that which every Christian ought to have. It is something where if we use it, it will be unimaginable strength that will hold us up under the worst of circumstances. This is why we must hold on to it at all costs.
Joy is more valuable than gold which is why the devil wants to steal it. Understand that for the Christian that has joy, real Christian joy, nothing and I mean nothing can depress them or cause them to go weak. They are not stressed and worn out, rather they wear out in giving God the best of their service.
This morning I want us to really get that joy, Christian joy, overrides everything that we have to deal with. It rises us up above every circumstance so that we are not discouraged and defeated. That’s why we’ve got to hold on to it.
See, the devil knows that he can’t do a thing with a Christian that has joy, Jesus joy! Every Christian should have this kind of joy. I repeat, Satan cannot and will not be able to defeat the Christian who has joy. That’s why he wants to steal it away from us. Show me a Christian who doesn’t have joy, and I’ll show you a Christian who doesn’t have any strength. Show me a Christian who doesn’t have any joy, and I’ll show you a Christian who doesn’t have victory!
Now notice that I said joy. I did not say happiness. That’s not what Satan is after, because he knows that most people’s happiness depends on circumstances, things and people. When things are going well, they’re happy; when they’ve got money in the bank, their health is good and the children are obedient getting good grades, then they are happy; and when they don’t have any of these things they’re not happy. Their happiness depends on happenings.
But joy is totally different. It is dependent on an unchanging savior no matter the circumstances. Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit that the Bble says that we should have (Galatians 5:22). Joy is from heaven. It is given through Jesus Christ and it depends ONLY on Jesus Christ. Things fade away, people get sick and die, circumstances change but only Jesus stays the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
So, my question this morning is do we have joy? If we do have it, don’t let Satan or nobody else steal it away!
We need to understand that the word joy appears approximately 165 times in the King James Version of the Bible, 182 times in the New American Standard Bible and 218 in the New International Version. In the English Standard Version of the Bible, the words “joy,” “rejoice,” or “joyful” appear a total of 430 times, compared with “happy” or “happiness,” which appear only 10 times. Now there’s something to that; there’s a reason why the words “joy” or “rejoice” appear that many times in the Bible.
Now, let me explain the JOY of the Lord and how to get it and then how to keep it. To have the joy of the Lord you first must abide in the Lord. Abiding in the Lord means obeying his word (John 15:5). A picture of true joy can be found in the Christian who is committed to Christ, walking with Christ and abiding in him. The Christian who is half-stepping or playing church does not have the joy of the Lord. The person who is reading his word and obeying his word is the Christian who has joy. We glorify God by doing that which brings Him praise. Here Jesus says that this means bearing fruit.
Jesus’ joy doesn’t depend on anything here on earth. It depends totally on him and I’m glad about that. This means when you have Jesus’ joy, it doesn’t matter what folks think about you, and how they treat you when they persecute you and don’t want to be with you. The bottom can fall out, yet because Jesus is your source of joy, you can sing, shout and preach anyhow!
Writer Mel Walker answered the question “What is joy in Christianity?” He said, “Joy is a choice.”
But, the Lord is the originator of true joy. It begins with him. It ends with him. A Christian who has joy is more than a conqueror. If the devil can steal our joy, he can discourage, oppress, ruin, bring the work of the Lord to a screeching halt and cause Christians to give up on the Lord. Community, hear me this morning. Don’t let nothing or nobody steal your joy — children, spouse, boss, supervisor, church folk, co-workers, neighbors, nobody!
Community, you can have health problems and still have joy! You can be bedridden, have chronic pain and no 401k, and still have joy! I don’t care what you’re going through, you can still have joy! If you see a Christian who has no joy, you’ll see a discouraged, defeated Christian. If the devil has stolen your joy, you ought to take it back! And if you have fallen away from God and lost your joy, the way to get it back is to come back to the Lord. Pray like David, “Restore unto me the joy of my salvation” (Psalms. 51:12). Paul said to rejoice and always have joy (Philippians 4:4). Your joy is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
Friends when our lives are built around Jesus and the cross, when he is the source of our joy, we can have joy no matter what. Don’t let nothing or nobody steal your joy!
The Rev. George Ellis is the pastor of Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church and can be reached at [email protected].
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