Sermon: The Fruit of the Spirit—Joy

Good evening church. Yeah, my name is Ma Mad, so that is in my local language. Chia Ma. So Ms. Ings Ma, Ms. Bra. Okay. Uh, I thank the administration of this church for giving me this opportunity to stand before you and share the word of God with you. Uh, today our sermon is coming from the book of Christians, IANS chapter five verse 22 to 23 and uh, previous chapter one verse one to 11. So rest 10 our Bibles to Ians chapter five,

verse 22, 2 23.

Uh, those we are using the Bible on queue. It is page 9 75 for S and page nine 80 for Philippians S chapter five,

verse 22 to 23 I believe of us who are there and here is the reading of God's word, but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience ness, godness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, control against such things. There is no law. And let's go to Philippians. Philippians chapter one verse one

verse one up to 11 Paul and Timothy, savers of Christ Jesus to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippine with the over overseers and deacons grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now and I am sure of this,

that he who began a good work, he you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all because I hold you in my heart. For you are all partakers with me of grace both in my imprisonment and in the defense and cooperation of the gospel for God is my witness, how I yawn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge

and o resentment so that you may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God and amen. Let us pray. Father God, we thank you for this wonderful evening. You have given us an opportunity to be here. It is great all Lord for your children to gather together and listen to our word. We pray that you'll be with us and help us to understand God you want

to communicate to us, teach us be proof us, correct us and instruc us of Father so that we may be perfect and for free furnished and to all good works for our own glory. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. We are continuing in our cities of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Last time we heard that as Christians we are no longer walk by the fresh but in the Spirit would dwell in us. We are all live in Christ since Christ lives in us.

Therefore we are commanded to walk by the spirit and not gratify the freshest desire. This cannot be done according to our own effort, but there's nothing in us apart from the sin sinfulness we have and even the barriers against the God who saved us. One of the writers Kevin says, if there be anyone drop of goodness in us, the same is not for our own growing. Neither can challenge the praise of it without doing wrong and

injury unto God. Therefore, it is possible for us to walk by the spirit by God's grace alone and the Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, precious calmness, goodness, perfectness and gentleness and self-control in our hearts and manifest it to the complication or even to the world as you have read in crashes chapter five verse 23 to 22. Last week we heard about the first fruit of the Holy Spirit,

which Sandra who preached says that we manifest to the fruit of love due to the Holy Spirits who works in us. This love is a gift from God through Jesus Christ and is brought to us by the Holy Spirit. God is the one who served us and God is the one who first loved us and the same reflect to other bre in this church or to the wild. Today we're going to look on the second fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is the fruit of joy, the fruit of joy,

and we're going to best match on the book of Philippians, which you have well read when you are articulating this fruit of joy and most of theros called the letter of joy to the says in. So the question might be asked, what is joy? What is joy? So joy means godness and happiness, but the book of Philippians will help us to understand how the Bible defines joy. So why this book of Philippians is going to help us to understand the biblical

meaning of joy. There are two results which I need to expound here. One of them is the author himself of this book of Philippians. This book of fris is authored by Paul who believed that he wrote this book Huro in Prison and we can imagine what prison is all about. There's always loneliness and the prisoner is 10. There's no choice of food to eat and even sometimes the prisoner does not know the next F of his life, whether to die or to live.

The same applies to the condition which Paul was. In another way we can say that Paul was not really happy physically when he was in prison. Despite his suffering, his persecution, denial and waiting trial under Caesar, Paul was still filled with joy in his heart as he says in Philippians chapter two, verse 70 to 18, that even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. Likewise,

you also should be glad and rejoice with me. This implies that Paul was led to die with joy for the sake of the gospel.

So the second reason is that the recipients themselves, the church at Fri, the church at was born when Paul and his colleagues visited Philippi and preached the word of God, the gospel there and once some of the convents which the Bible highlighted, the first one was read Dear a businesswoman and then later a Philipp we this in Acts chapter 16 verse 11, 2 40 and Paul addressed this church as the sense in Philippi but however Paul

addresses them as the sense at Philippi this church was meeting a lot of opposition in its ministry for the sake of Christ. Some of the challenges the Church of Philippi was meeting where that they were hated, persecuted and some terms have difficulty of life and lead this in Philippians chapter one verse 27 to 30 and also they had pressure from first teachings. Some Jewish teachers are teaching the wrong doctrines about salvation by

wakes. They were telling them that you are not served, you will be served when you are circumcised, which means that they had conflict in their belief of the gospel. There's last reason that in the church of Philippi there are some believers who had long thoughts about one another and this brought conflicts within the church and undermine its ministry which this or this imply that this church was not really in a happy

state. They were frustrated and they were not happy because even their leader, Paul was in prison and there was conflict in the church and they're meeting opposition from other Judas who are there teaching them the first gospel. Despite all this, Paul was challenging them and encouraging them that you need to be rejoice always and I said to you, rejoice as you read in Philippians chapter four verse four, Paul use the word rejoice and rejo in

this book of Philippians 14 times or because this is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and it belongs to the Christians only in this book of Philippians. When you go to Philippians chapter three verse one, it says that finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord to write these same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. Therefore, how going to define this joy according to the Bible, biblical joy is the godness of the heart,

not depending on circumstances, godness of the heart, not depending on circumstances and this is important to us because the joy of our Lord Jesus Christ produced by the Holy Spirit nabo believers to live a faith, faith and contented life in a him deci despite the wider challenges or circumstances we are meeting and based on that background today we're going to base our sermon on three points. The source of joy, the of joy and the effects of joy,

the source of joy as we have read in chapter one verse one to five, I'll read again Paul and Timothy of the saviors of Christ to all the saint in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with Sears and deacons grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for your all making my prayer with joy because you are partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Here we can see that Paul is calling himself a servant of Christ and he's addressing his letter to the church of Friers whom he's calling the saint in Christ and the partners, his partners in the gospel by God's grace. So which means that everything which Paul was writing here was revolving Christ Jesus who started it because he was the servant of Christ and was writing to the church of Rippa, which he called the in Christ.

Though I was union in Christ there and to understand more about this source of Christ is good also to look on the difference between joy and happiness. So we might say what is happiness? Happiness is emotional feeling based on the present circumstances we experienced in our lives. We feel happy when our team wins. We feel happy when we receive a gift. We feel happy when we get married, have children or listen to the song which we love most.

All this depends on the outside circumstances. Let's take look on what happened to song. So was very rich king, so I mean was very rich

and most of the terms he was feeling happy when David was playing a harb for him and when David stopped playing that hub, he become sad again, frustrated and he looks miserable, which means that although he was surrounded by riches and everything, he was not a person of joy or those we are not giving him happiness. This was contrary with David who was living the field taking care of the sheep and animals, but he was a happy person.

He was a job person because he had God to him. So as we already say, biblical joy is a gods of a heart not depending on circumstances. Therefore joy is a spiritual gift. It does not depend on our feelings or achievements or success. It is produced by the Holy Spirit within our hearts or in the hearts of the believers. In another way, the world cannot give us joy or our parents, our friends, our marriages, children, the desires of the French which we always want to satisfy,

cannot give us joy. It's only God who can give us joy because everything which are surrounded us has been corrupted by sin. Gracia chapter five which you have read, verse 22 to 23 it says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, et cetera. This means that joy is not manmade, it is the fruit of the spirit. It is the character of the kingdom of God in Christ Jesus through the wake of the Holy Spirit. And we read this in Romans chapter 14,

verse 17 to 18, that for the keynote of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but a righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, not in the mother of eating and drinking. So should we say that when we're drinking coffee in the room is true, we don't have joy, coffee is good and all those, they're always coming because God has already give us joy so we fellowship and laugh to one another. So cough should continue

uh, apart from Christ what we need to know that there is no joy and this joy belongs to Christians only as you read in Philippians chapter one verse one that when Paul says that Paul and Tim of saviors of Christ Jesus to all the says in Christ Jesus who are at Philippa with the overseers and deacons and then he says that I'm always remembering you and then I pray with you with joy why they are the saints in Christ. So joy only comes from Christ Jesus.

That one is our source of joy and because Christ is our source of joy and we are in Christ, we have been united with him poor. In chapter four verse one, he was calling this church of faba, the says in FBA that the were uh, his joy and his crown, his joy and his crown. So we know for sure that so we're saying he was writing to the saints in Philippi. Who are the saints? Am I the saints or not? Maybe joy is not for me because I'm not the saint. That question might be asked.

So who is the saint? Ascent is the one whom God has set apart not because he has done good days or doing something good but because God by his grace and mercy has declared him rushes in Christ Jesus. That is what made Paul to leave to this church of Reba the saints and leave them with joy because it's only Christ who have made them to be saints and God has declared them rushes by grace in Christ. Chapter nine verse nine It says that rejoice greatly or dot of Zion,

shout aloud all dot of Jerusalem. Behold your king is coming to you rushes and having salvation is he humble and mounted on a donkey or caught the full of a donkey. My brothers and sisters in Christ let us rejoice in Christ our king has come. He humbled himself and relived a perfect life on this earth on our behalf. He died and was resurrected on the 30 day undefeated sin and brought preservation for us. So we need to sing this song that we should write and rejoice

greatly or we daughters of Zion. Our joy is the salvation we have received in Christ. What Christ has done for us should give us joy Jesus Christ. In Luke chapter 2010, verse 20, when the disciples of rejoicing coming said that the demons have been subdued to them, he told them that they should not rejoice that the spirits have subjected to them but they should rejoice that their names are written in heaven, the people of God.

What is it that gives us joy in this church? Is it because of the position we have? Is it because we always have good music? Is it because we are number of us or because of the friendship we have? No, it is because of the salvation. We have received all this salvation. Then they resulted to have this good music, the friendship and many people coming to us. So the joy we have or is based on what Christ has done, he's the source of our salvation.

Martin Luther says where this joy of the spirit is, there's heart in re rejoices through the faith in Christ with full assure us that he is our savior and our bishop, Bishop Martin Luther, before he became a monko, he wanted to be a scent and see a scent. He afflicted himself depending each and every every day he was fasting leaving us rot alive and I'm standing from different types of food but all these did not make him as scent,

neither brought him joy but continued living a miserable life and kissing himself until God through wake of the, through the wake of the Holy Spirit regenerated his heart and opened his eyes. And so Romans chapter one verse 17 and then said, the lasters shall live by faith. Then when Martin Luther saw this, he confessed that. But now in the light of the gospel we plainly see who they are whom Christ and his people and his

apostles called says not. They who live a single life or observe death Ms. Powell and such other things or in outward appearance do other great works but they which believe that they are sanctified Andre by the death and brought of Christ. So Paul, everywhere he calls them holy the children and ha of God, whosoever then believes in Christ. Whether he or she is a man or a woman born or free is a saint not by his own works but by the works of God with great

rejoicing. I give thanks to God that he has a ary and above measure granted and to me that which is I saw any straight desire of him when I was a monko for he has given me the grace to see not one but many sense, yes, an infinite number of true sense not such as the schoolmen have devised but such as Christed himself and his apostles described of which number are also by the grace of God. I'm one for I'm baptized and I do believe that Christ my Lord,

by his death had redeemed and delivered me from also my sins and has given to me eternal righteousness and holiness. This joy is a redemptive joy and belongs to believers for the source of their joy is Christ Jesus who is the hope of glory in us. This taking us to our second point which is the anchor of joy, the anchor of joy In previous chapter one verse six to eight we read that and I am unsure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of

Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all because I hold you in my heart. For you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confession of the gospel for God is my witness how I own for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. This is Paul writing to the church in Philippi. He says that who began a good work in you will put it in completion. That's their hope.

That's their anchor. The anchor of joy is that the good work that God has begun in us through Jesus Christ will bring it to completion. God is the offer of our faith and the one who is finishing it, that is what Paul put all his hope. The joy he has for them for the church in Fipa was not because he was receiving support from them was not because this church of fipa was suffering when preaching the gospel was not because we were doing good things but because of God who was working

in them and is by his grace alone. For they were partakers with Paul in his grace, in God's grace, their hope and confidence we are in the grace of God and the gospel they received that was the anchor of their joy. That is the anchor of our joy, that is the anchor of your joy which is Christ in you, the hope of glory whom who have studied a good work in you, put it into completion. In Philippians chapter three, verse 20 to 21,

the Bible says that, but our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our Lord body to be like his God body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Brothers and sisters, whatever is happening around us or has happened should not determine our joy. Our joy should be determined of what Christ has done for us, for Christ has done it all and our citizenship

is in heaven and from it we await our savior. Here we will transform our glory bodies to be like his glorious body. This hope should be the anchor of our joy always. In Herb chapter six verse 19, 2 20, we read that we have this and Assurers a steadfast anchor of the soul hope and that enters into the inner press behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf having become a high priest forever after the order of Meek

brothers, sisters, Christ is our for wherever we go. He has already passed through it the way we are passing. Jesus has already passed through it and he's our high priest forever. He is always with us and he lives to daced for us. He taught us everything from the Father that our hope should be complete, that our joy should be full. God does not lie or change his mind. We are secured in him and we need to rejoice in him always.

He's the one who works in us both to will and for his own good pleasure as will lead in Philippians chapter two verse 30. We need to remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength. That is the anchor, that is our strength. He who has begun a good work in you, in us who put it into compression that the that should give us strength or always and this takes us to our third point, which the effects of our joy, the effects of our joy.

We read in uh, verse nine to 11 which says that, and it is my prayer that our love may abou more and more with knowledge and discernment so that you may approve what is excellent and so be pure and MOUs for the day of Christ filled with fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. So here Paul is praying for this church that they should be in love, they should remain in love. That was the effect of their joy who already led that.

Paul was praying this prayer with joy and he is praying them that I want you to be in love and this love should be filled with righteousness that comes from Christ Jesus and only for the glory of God. And he addressed them that there were partakers in him, in grace and in the ministry in the gospel. So the fellowship between Paul and the church at Freeburg was Christ-centered fellowship. The fellowship was founded on the gospel

of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was a fellowship by God's grace only he this effect them and had effect of the fruit of joy, which is love upon their Pharaoh believers, which means that the joy of the Lord leads us to be selfless. So that's the effect of joy. We are always contented in Christ and then we show love to others as well. I have already said that post specifically praise for more love, love with the knowledge and resentment.

Love is the greatest virtue in the Bible. The Bible commands us to love others as we read in first John chapter four verse seven, it says that, beloved, let us love one another. For love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. So Paul prayed ministry for them to love one another because they are born of God and love comes from God. We need to remember that they are in conflicts in this church of

Philippa and they hearing false teachings and thus persecution among them and there is even conflict among themselves, but Paul was encouraging them that they don't need to leave like that. If they have got joy in Christ, they need to love one another. They need to support one another. They need to derite in Christ and that derive that joy should turn to love their Pharaoh. Brothers, their love should be filled with righteousness that comes from the

Father, that comes from Christ himself to his own glory. This is Christ love, the agape love which looks upon the interest of others with the love that desires to serve others regardless of their status, weaknesses or strength. This is sacrificial love. God loved us and gave us His son to down the cross of cover. Joy free. I know we are living a life for frustrations because we live in a sin and foreign world. Many people whom we trusted most have mistreated us

and some have let us down instead of laughing us.

Others have called us names and even looked down on us. We are suffering also from any diseases and no one even has come to church up. But all this should not steal our joy. But in all these circumstances we need to rejoice in the Lord as Paul is commanded that rejoice in the Lord always and rejoice in the Lord always because it's by the Holy Spirit. We are able to conquer God. Abba Father. Another point which Paul emphasized here is that they

should abound more and more with knowledge and discernment. Reason, surprise that the joy of the spirit compares us to know God more, to study his word, to pray and take part in a holy communion in another way to have the right in using the ordinary means of grace. We cannot have knowledge, we cannot have discernment if we're neglect to the ordinary means of grace. Paul emphasizes this in Philippians chapter three, verse 16 to 17,

that holding first to the word of life so that in the day of Christ, I may be proud that I did not run in Ven or labor in Ven. Even if I am to be poor out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise. You also should be glad and rejoice with me. Paul here says that he's ready to die for the sake of sharing the gospel and this gives him joy. So the Philippians, they should the church at Philipp,

they should also rejoice in what Paul is passing through. Therefore, let us have joy in the word of God. Let us have joy in sharing the gospel. Let us have joy when you are participating in the activities of this church. Let us have joy when you are supporting ministries. Let us have joy whenua praying for our brothers and even in any capacity which God has given us, both should give us joy. Both are the effects of the joy which God has given us.

Martin Luther says that the faith rejoice is what sees that the gospel spreads abroad. Many are one to faith and that the kingdom of Christ is eed brothers. Let us look to Christ only who is the author and the finish of our faith to be contented in him and trust him always then our joy will be full. Our joy will complete and will be able to retain it to others by laughing them. That is the joy that is what we need to have.

That is what even Christ had as we, as we lead. In Hebrew chapter 12, verse two says that look into Jesus, the founder and perfect of our faith who for the joy that was said before him, he endured the cross, despising the and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. I I repeat who for the joy that was said before him. He endured the cross. Christ had joy confessing the cross because he was seeing us. He are seeing you.

You are seeing your salvation and you face the cross with joy. Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us. It is based on our work. It is based on our work or outside circumstances. We might be worried and frustrated because of the broken nesses, as you have already said and because of Christ. All those things cannot steal our joy. Christ is the author of our faith and Christ is the one who is going to finish it. We need to focus on God's promises most of the times.

That's the anchor of our joy and also we need to cultivate our joy each and every time by ministering the word of God to others by loving others, by taking part in each and every activity which is taking place in this church. In finishing or in conclusion I, there are some things or some three points we need to remember when we are vetting our joy that the confession we made for our sins and the belief in the gospel is God's making

and by his grace alone, that should be our joy and that should give you joy. Also, the desire to follow Christ, to always to pray, to read His word and to minister to others is by his spirit given to us as a gift. That should be our joy. That should be your joy.

Lastly, we need also to know that ing us is the hope of glory. That is our joy and that should give you joy. Let us know for sure that the source of our joy is Christ Jesus and is given to us as a gift and the anchor of our joy is Christ promises and these promises are sufficient to us and the effects of our joy is the how we live the fresh life, showing love to others and sharing by sharing the gospel, by Almighty God bless us as we live and

meditate upon His word in Christ Jesus. Amen. Let us pray. Father God, we thank you for the gift of joy You have given us the joy which is full and strengthened by your promises. Yes, by your word. Help us all God to cultivate his joy by ministering your name to others, by praying for others and supporting our ministry in various ways. May your name be crucified forever and ever, and amen.