Last time we talked about the fruit of the spirit
We started out with love and love is the fruit
that makes all the other fruit taste good We
have grapes and wild plums on our property. Let
me tell you they are a great fruit But if they
don't have the sugars developed in them, they
will make you pucker Joy the second fruit listed
in Galatian is defined by Strong's as cheerfulness
That is calm delight. Joy can be hard to maintain.
Calm delight can be hard to maintain. However,
perfect love casts out fear and love thinks no
evil. If we have the underlying sugar of love,
joy is easier to maintain because we react without
fear and we think no evil. In Paul's letter to
the churches, he talks about joy being connected
to the Holy Ghost. The in -filling of the Holy
Ghost is essential to growing the fruit of the
Spirit. Don't be confused by the words being
filled with the Holy Ghost or being filled with
the Spirit. Spirit and Ghost refer to the same
thing. Ghost is King James English, Spirit is
Modern English. Joy is difficult and even impossible
to maintain without the infilling of the Spirit
of God. We can try to do it in our flesh, but
we will fail in being joyful because we are limited.
Paul says in Romans 15 -13, now the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing
that you may abound in hope through the power
of the Holy Ghost. And in 1 Thessalonians 1 -6
he says, and you become followers of us and of
the Lord, having received the word in much affliction
with the joy of the Holy Ghost. The power to
have joy. comes from the infilling of the Holy
Ghost. When we are full of the Spirit of God,
we have the power to overcome our natural inclination
to fret, fear, be angry, to be bitter, etc. Philippians
2 .10 Tutu says, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be
like -minded, having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done
through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness
of mind let each esteem each other better than
themselves. Look not every man on his own things,
but every man also in the things of others. How
do we fulfill the joy of those who instruct us?
by having love and unity, by shunning strife,
contention, and pride, which is empty, and with
humbleness seeking the welfare of others. When
we think of it, doesn't this bring joy to any
situation? Any family, any team who is unified
in purpose without infighting, ladder climbing,
drama, and backbiting is a place you want to
work or be. Have you ever been on a team that
works well, where people are working their own
task and helping with the tasks of others? Have
you ever been at a get together and you didn't
stay or didn't want to stay because of disunity?
My husband and I volunteer in a kitchen at a
camp each summer. We enjoy it so much when some
people are in the kitchen. It really brings a
lot of joy You're putting out new food on the
line You set the old tray behind you ready to
take it to the dishwashers and when you turn
around it's already in the sink being washed
Other people you work with they never get around
to doing the dishes, and at the end of the meal
there are old trays that have to be brought back
to a huge pile at the sink. Sometimes the dishwashers
disappear and then we stay and finish the dishes.
The first situation brings joy naturally because
of the unity and pursuit of a goal that serves
every member of the team. In the second, joy
must come through the honor of serving because
the team is not functioning at peak performance.
God gets joy. Our pastors and teachers get joy.
We get joy when we love others enough to unify
with them for the kingdom and serve each other
in the lost. It is a place people are naturally
drawn to. 1 Corinthians 1 24 says, not for that
we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers
of your joy. for by faith you stand. It isn't
because they're trying to be the boss. It isn't
because they're on a power trip. Because they
are helping your joy. Your faith is important,
but leadership wants you to have joy. They teach
what they do because they think it's best for
the kingdom. They think it's best for the body.
Paul instructs the church in Rome how to deal
when there is a disagreement in the church. If
someone thinks you should be doing something
and you don't think you have to do it, chapter
14 verse 15 says, but if thy brother be grieved
with thy meat, Now walkest thou not charitably,
destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ
died. Let not your good be evil spoken of, for
the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Paul says, if your brother in Christ says you
shouldn't eat that meat because it was offered
to idols, and you're doing it anyways because
you say, I'm liberty in Christ and idols have
no power, then you're not walking in love. If
you loved your brother, you would say, oh sure,
no problem, I won't eat. the meat because I don't
want you to be offended or stumble in your walk
with the Lord. The kingdom of God is about righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. It isn't about
what I want, but how I can serve my brother,
which brings peace and brings joy. Think about
what Paul tells the church in Corinth about the
church in Macedonia donating money for the church
in Jerusalem. 2 Corinthians 8, 2 he says, how
that in great trial of affliction, the abundance
of their joy and their deep poverty abounded
into the riches of their liberality. Why is he
telling the church in Corinth what the Macedonia
church is doing? Because he's saying, look at
their example. You don't need wealth to have
joy. You need to have generosity and a humble
heart of service to have joy. We see it again
when Paul talks to the church in Philippi. In
2 2 he says, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like
-minded, having the same love, being of one accord,
of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife
or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem other better than themselves. Look not
every man on his own things, but every man also
on the things of others. Joy comes from being
full of the Holy Ghost, which will cause us to
walk in humility, looking to serve the body of
Christ because of our great love for them and
the cause of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1 6 says,
And you became followers of us and of the Lord,
having received the word in much affliction with
the joy of the Holy Ghost. And it continues in
chapter 2 to exhort the church in Thessalonica
to walk worthy and concluded, that they are his
glory and joy. In chapter three, he says that
their obedience and faithfulness causes him to
thank God again for the joy that Paul says he
participates in for their sake. And the joy is
their obedience as he goes through affliction
and distress because of the gospel. Isn't it
frustrating to sacrifice and save and work for
something that the next person just ignores,
finds no value in, sells or throws it away, or
worse yet, just destroys it with carelessness?
Likewise, in Hebrews 10 -34, Paul commands them,
commends them for joyfully taking the spoiling
of their goods because they have in heaven better
and more enduring goods. Paul is consistently
telling all the church's joy comes not from what
you have or build, but from who you build up.
If you like, if you're like, this sounds great,
but how do I get there? Let me share with you
a great prayer from Colossians chapter 1. Paul
says for this cause we also since the day we
heard it do not cease to pray for you To desire
that you might be filled with the knowledge of
his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding
that you might Walk worthy of the Lord unto all
pleasing, being fruitful in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God. Strengthen
with all might according to his glorious power
unto all patience and long -suffering with joyfulness.
Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made
us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of
the saints of light. Let's pray that together.
Lord, I am so thankful for those that are listening
to this. God, who want to be obedient and want
to walk in your ways. I pray that they would
be filled with the knowledge of your will. That
they would have wisdom and spiritual understanding.
I pray that they would walk worthy of the Lord
unto all pleasing. I pray that they would be
fruitful in every good work and they would be
continually increasing in the knowledge of God.
I pray that the listener today would be strengthened
with all might according to your glorious power.
That they would achieve patience and long suffering
with joyfulness. God, I pray that You would be
glorified. I pray God that you would make us
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
of light Thank you God for your good gifts. Thank
you that you will give to us as we ask in your
precious name Jesus we pray amen