Lesson 8 • Third Week

THE BENEFITS OF
HAVING JOY

Background Reading

Psalm 21:1; 27:1; 35:27; 118:14; John 15:11; Gala­tians 5:22-23;1 Thessalo­nians 2:19

Devotional Reading

 

Central Verse
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." John 15:11, KJV

"I have told you these things so that you will be filled with joy, Yes, your joy will overflow!"
John 15:11, NLT


Key Terms

Despairing—Given to, arising from, or marked by despair: devoid of hope.

Overwhelmed—Overcome by force or numbers: completely overcome or overpowered by thought or feeling.
Benefit—Something that produces good or helpful results or effects or that promotes well-being: to be useful or profitable to.

Introduction

The joy of the Lord is strength! Each believer will encounter challenges as he lives for God. Today there are many things that will drain all the joy out of their lives if they did not have Jesus and the promise that He has given to them. Life could become very dreary without the light of the gospel in their lives. Therefore, it becomes necessary to have something that brings joy into their hearts. Sometimes the pressures of life weigh upon them until their hearts feel like fainting.

Sometimes the believer needs a spontaneous joy that comes unexpectedly at a time when he would have fainted if he had not seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. But thank God for His joy that comes like a river, flooding the soul of the believer, giving strength when he feels so tired and weary.

Discussion

Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit that is so necessary for the spiritual growth in the life of a believer, for in God's presence there is fullness of joy. Ephesians five and verse nine tells the believer that the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. God displays His fruit in the believer when they give their lives to Him. When the believer becomes overwhelmed, he can reach out and get some joy. Jesus offers everlasting joy, despite the pain that comes in the night season of their lives, there is yet hope, because joy comes in the morning. In the morning the believer's ears, eyes and heart are more open. Peter tells the believers that God's ears are always open unto the righteous. God is intentional in His care for His people and God is always good.

There are times in a believer's life when he seems to lose direction, life throws some blows that are hard to handle. Sometimes the believer won­ders if he will make it through the dilemma that he finds himself in.

But God will allow something or someone to come along and give him hope that will help him to obtain the tools that are needed to survive and see the joy in his situation. Life brings unexpected pain, sometimes causing the believer to question whether God is there or even cares about what is hap­pening in their lives. The believer begins to wonder, can grief and sorrow coexist with joy? Well, know that God will allow true joy to grow in the soil of the believer's pain.

All believers' experience fear and anxiety in their lives, but they cannot allow fear and anxiety to keep them overwhelmed and unable to enjoy the life that God has for them. God's word helps them to focus on His promises and helps them to become anchored in their hearts when these waves of anxiety knock them around. That is when they must find more peace and joy and stand on the promises of God.

Many are the losses in life that cause a believer to stagger and feel like he just will not recover from them. That is when he remembers and relies on God's promises, knowing that God is not a man that He should lie. For every promise that He has made, He is able to, and will keep them. God will give the believer a praise or some joy for the spirit of heaviness. He will encour­age the believer to stand tall on His word, because even in despairing times, God provides joy in mourning.

Unforgiveness is like a cancer to the soul and when it is left unchecked, refusing to forgive can be just as deadly to the believer's soul as physical disease is to the body. But God is able to help the believer to humble him­self until he can find joy in forgiving his fellowman. For as he forgives oth­ers, he releases blessings upon himself. The believer becomes the winner, he's the one who can be joyous knowing that he is free. The Saints used to sing, "Oh the joy that came to me, when I knew that I was free, when my Savior found me and wrapped His loving arms around me, oh the joy that came to me."

Being free from unforgiveness gives the believer a sense of hope, direction, joy, and power. Because he is no longer bound and has no more chains of bondage holding him.

Forgiveness brings freedom to the believer from those who have hurt him. Forgiveness breaks the handcuffs and opens the door. It removes revenge, bitterness, and hatred from their soul. Forgiveness allows the believer to experience total freedom and allows the believer to learn to love others as Christ loves the Church. Then God will shower the believer with unspeakable joy and limitless freedom. For forgiveness is a powerful healing force.

Conclusion

During life's difficulties, joy can sometimes feel out of reach. But Jesus has more for His followers than a life of striving, pain, and discontent. He offers abundant life, life to the fullest, life brimming with joy. Sometimes the be­liever just has to remember that God's word will connect him with Jesus' joy through life's circumstances. It is up to the believer to embrace joy in Jesus' presence, for in His presence there is fullness of joy and life everlasting.

Whatever your personality or circumstances, God has a word of encourage­ment for you. For He wants the believers to know joy. God doesn't want the believer to just be happy, He wants every believer to experience joy, for they were meant to have joy. So, make that choice to fill your life with joy.

Questions

Where does joy come from?
How does joy help the believer?
What is God's role in your joy?
What does the believer have to do to maintain his joy?
What does strength have to do with joy?

Essential Thought- "The joy that you have did not come from the world; so, don't let the world take it away."

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