Before you begin this study, please consider the following:
Initially, I presumed a study of joy would be one of the easier studies I would conduct. Boy was I wrong! I have found a Biblical understanding of joy is much more difficult than expected, but I have also confirmed that joy is a rich concept. While joy is deep, lavish, and replete in Scripture, it is also a bit problematic.
It has severely challenged the way I used to understand it. If I had to guess, this study will likely challenge the way you understand joy as well. My goal is to help shift your thinking by discussing several difficult Biblical lessons on joy, which will help you experience more of it and enhance your relationship with God.
To open the Bible and gaze upon joy is to lift the lid of a long-lost treasure chest and behold a great wealth!
Again He stated in John 16:22: “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” Here, Jesus is referencing the satisfaction and fulfillment of being placed, by faith, securely in covenant with God. Joy is seen as the “natural byproduct” of life with Christ:
- We have the satisfaction of knowing that we are saved.
- We have the fulfillment of a life that has meaning and purpose.
- We have been redeemed.
- We have been commissioned to glorify God on earth.
- We have a personal relationship with Yahweh.
- We have peace with God.
- We have been forgiven.
- We have been made new.
- We have been grafted into the Vine.
- We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.
Right now, you are likely thinking, “Dusty, none of this sounds like a problem. I see
no real difficulty with any part of what you are saying.” Well… let me offer the first
problem we face with this study on joy.
Joy Bible Study
Problem: If it is a Natural Byproduct of the Christian Life, Why Don’t I Feel Any Joy?
How can this be? If those Passages earlier promise that “your joy no man taketh from you” how can it be that other Passages instruct (and even command) us to practice Joy? Doesn’t a command or an instruction for a believer to practice joy imply that we won’t always feel it? Doesn’t a command to practice joy contradict Jesus’ promise about it always being there? How, then, are we to understand instructions like 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and Galatians 5:22?
One instructs, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you,” and the other commands us to actively produce the fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,”
To further demonstrate this, we can look at John 15:11: “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Jesus declares this, “He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.” At first glance, It would appear to be a promise of joy to the believer. It appears to be an unconditional promise. Jesus spoke to give us His joy. And we receive His joy to full measure. In the Greek, however, the giving of Jesus’ joy and the receiving of Christ’s joy to the fullest extent is in the “subjunctive” mood.
In short, this is the mood of possibility or potentiality. It emphasizes a contingency, or condition, to the giving and receiving of joy. One Greek scholar (Austin) says this, “It suggests that the action is dependent upon some condition being met.” As we will discover a little later, the condition is our action and responsibility.
So which is it?! Is it that we have been promised to experience undying joy in the Christian life, or is it that we are instructed to play a role in the production, practice, and experiences of joy?
Solution: It is Both!
The answer is both.
Firstly, we have been grafted into Christ who is the source of all joy. We have access to God who provides the joy for which the soul is desperate. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, and we can enjoy the presence of God where ever we find ourselves.
- Psalm 16:11: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
- Psalm 21:6: “For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.”
And again,
- Psalm 43:4: “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.”
Truly, satisfaction and fulfillment can ONLY be found in Jesus Christ because only He can provide the meaning and purpose that human existence desires. Joy can be seen as a promise for the believer, because we have a satisfaction of a deep relationship with the Almighty and the fulfillment of partnering, and participating, with God in glorifying Him on earth.
- 1 Peter 2:9-10: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
- Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Happiness is fleeting, but joy is eternal. Lasting satisfaction and fulfillment can be found in God alone. As freely as we have access to God, we have access to joy. See Ephesians 2:18: “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”
At the same time, God instructs his people to practice joy – His desire for his people is to partake of and participate in, the joy of God’s presence. This is what we are commanded to practice.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you,”
- Colossians 1:10-11: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”
- Matthew 5:11-12: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
- Romans 12:11-12: “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”
- Galatians 5:22-25: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 instructs us of God’s will. He tells us to practice joy – always! This reveals the heavenly reality that we can learn to practice joy in all circumstances. Always is always. While we may not always “feel” joyful, we can learn to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” by reminding the heart of the goodness and love of God with regular expressions of joy. On a very practical level, God has called us to rehearse and express the satisfaction and fulfillment that can only be found in Him.
In one sense, the directive to practice joy in all circumstances is the instruction to access God and the blessings that are found in His presence. In another sense, the practice of joy is the expression of a grateful heart to believe, cherish, and serve God.
Answering the “How?”
Lastly, we need to discuss “how” the believer can practice joy.
According to the context of our John 15:11 Passage, there are two ways we can begin practicing joy. (Also, it should be briefly noted that practicing joy is also the means by which we position ourselves to experience more joy).
The two ways listed in John 15 are “Abide” and “Obey.”
Abide
Abiding in the love and presence of God. This can be most simply and clearly communicated as engaging in joys of a relationship with God! Practicing joy by abiding in Christ can take many forms. However, the most significant forms of “abiding” are the spiritual disciplines. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, meditation, reading the bible, and worship are some of the ways you can actively abide in Jesus Christ and practice joy!
- Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
In this one little Passage, we see how the command to practice joy is accomplished through the spiritual disciplines. Look a little closer:
- Meditation: Meditating and reflecting upon the glorious return of the Lord
- Service: Worshiping God by servicing other; letting our gentle service be known to everyone
- Prayer: “Prayer and supplication” practices joy by abiding in, and accessing, God
- Thanksgiving: Practicing joy is accomplished by being militant to express our thankfulness to the Lord
The practice of joy begins with creating time for the spiritual disciplines. Abiding in Christ is the practice of accessing the presence of God and His many blessings – including joy!
Obey
- Colossians 1:10-11: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”
And again, with the help of the Holy Spirit to combat the inherent torments of the flesh, we are to produce good fruit in accordance with who we are in Christ.
- Galatians 5:22-25: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Seeking opportunity to love as Christ loved, to serve as Christ served, to give as Christ gave, to administer grace and mercy as God has; this is the practice of joy. This is what positions the believer to better receive and experience the joys of a deep relationship with God.
We can practice joy by actively abiding in relationship and seeking opportunity to obey, serve, and glorify God in each and every moment.
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